2009 May | FrontBurner

Articles for May, 2009

Zac Crain’s Side Job: Dance Instructor?

Zac, I didn’t know you were a dance teacher who loves hip-hop. Does Wick know you’re doing this?

posted by Tim Rogers | May 11th, 2009 11:24am | filed under Local News |

If CBS Fires David Feherty, I’m Boycotting Two and a Half Men

As Glenn noted over the weekend, we are indeed receiving a bit of attention for something David Feherty wrote in the “print product.” Michael Hiestand has suggested in USA Today that David might lose his job over this thing. To recap, David contributed an essay to our April cover story about George W. Bush moving back to Dallas. In it, he wrote:

From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this, though: despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden, there’s a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death.

Yesterday David apologized for the remark, which I understand. I’m sure his CBS bosses told him that if he wanted to keep his job, he needed to say he was sorry. And no joke — no matter how funny — is worth losing a job over. But I’d bet that David is most definitely NOT sorry.

(more…)

posted by Tim Rogers | May 11th, 2009 11:20am | filed under Politics, Sports |

Leading Off (5/11/09)

I’ve tried to come up with a proper Leading Off this morning. But all I can think about is the below video clip — probably because I have tickets to tonight’s game, which now is essentially meaningless. I’ll try again after I watch this another 100 times.

posted by Zac Crain | May 11th, 2009 8:07am | filed under Local News |

Found Bird: Oak Lawn Area

finch Happy Mother’s Day. Did anyone lose a Zebra Finch? If so, send me an e-mail. The bird has been rescued.

posted by Nancy Nichols | May 10th, 2009 12:28pm | filed under Nature |

D Is Nationwide

A big shout-out to Tim, whose April issue on George W. Bush–specifically the article by CBS Sports analyst David Feherty–is generating all kinds of national pub for D Magazine. But, come on people; can’t anybody take a joke anymore?

posted by Glenn Hunter | May 10th, 2009 11:37am | filed under Local News, Media |

Zac Crain Gets Major Screen Time in Important Local Election

Zac Crain is out in the field tonight, working. I mean, tippling. Way to represent the magazine, sir. Bold, stylish. Solid.

posted by Tim Rogers | May 9th, 2009 10:06pm | filed under Local News |

Fewer Voters, And A Prop 1 Phone Blitz

So, somebody said today’s election day. There were no lines at Merriman Park’s Hotchkiss Elementary School at 10 a.m., when my better half and I became the 48th and 49th people to vote there (Precinct 2220). For comparison’s sake, last Nov. 4, I was the 102nd person to vote at the school at 8:30 a.m. Not long afterward this morning, I got a cellphone call from a friend in the commercial real estate industry, downtown variety, urging me to go vote No on Proposition 1. Part of what Mayor Tom Leppert must have meant when he said, “We’re trying to do everything we can to get the vote out.”

posted by Glenn Hunter | May 9th, 2009 11:56am | filed under Local News, Politics |

Chef David Gilbert Leaves Lazare. Owner Russell Hayward Is A Good Dancer.

Join us for another episode of Dancing with Lazare.

posted by Nancy Nichols | May 8th, 2009 8:40pm | filed under Dining, Local News |

Byron Nelson Media Tourney Recap

Okay, so we didn’t win. The D Mag team of Zac Crain (pictured with beard), Josh Pearson (fancy shorts), Andy Stern (looks like responsible adult), and yours truly (dashing) shot about six strokes off the pace. Afterward, at the awards ceremony luncheon, whereat first through third collected HP digital picture frames and so forth, there ensued a brief question and answer period with Paul Earnest, course poobah for the Four Seasons. There was talk about how for the first time the course was not over-seeded for the winter. It’ll be all Bermuda for the Byron this year.

Then came a question from the back of the room: “This is just a hypothetical question,” the inquisitor began. “But what if, say, a tractor were to wind up in a water feature on the course? Hypothetically, how would you extract that tractor?” I’ll let Zac be the final judge, but I thought my question was well-received. (See picture, attached.)

To conclude, I’d like to offer a few suggestions to tourney organizer Tracy Cobb: you ought to hand out awards for stuff other than low scores. I’m spitballing here, but what about a trophy for the team that puts up the most tweets and blog posts from the course? Or how about an award for the player with the oldest set of clubs? Zac played with a set of borrowed Black Eye Pings from circa 1982. He would have been a lock. Also: an award for the foursome with the most empty beer cans at the end of the round. You’d need to talk to legal about that, but you see where I’m headed.

Looking forward to the tournament with the real players, May 18 through 24. Tune in to FrontBurner for live coverage from the course.

posted by Tim Rogers | May 8th, 2009 3:18pm | filed under Local News |

Byron Nelson Media Tourney, Ctd.

As a team, we posted a 66 (shamble format). Looks like a 60 will win. We ran into Jody Dean at the luncheon (pictured). He shot well, considering he played in that sport coat.

posted by Tim Rogers | May 8th, 2009 1:37pm | filed under Local News |

Bud Shrake, R.I.P.

Bud Shrake, a giant on the Texas literary scene, passed away today in Austin.

posted by Glenn Hunter | May 8th, 2009 12:13pm | filed under Books, Media, Super Heroes |

Wick Allison Pulls Himself Out …, Ctd.

A meetings-savvy FBvian responds to another commenter about the convention-center hotel fight. And sort of tweaks the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, which yesterday released a list of future conventions contingent on an attached hotel:

That’s an interesting comment from the poster as it pertains to the Dallas Safari Club, in light of the fact that the Safari Club convention is an international event and is moving to the Dallas Convention Center in 2010 and 2011. The move is not contingent on the hotel being built.

The Dallas Safari Club is not the hunting group mentioned in the latest release from Phillip Jones (describing groups that have committed to Dallas contingent on the building of the hotel), and interestingly, the Dallas Safari Club has been asking for a contract for 2012 at the DCC, but can’t get one.

posted by Glenn Hunter | May 8th, 2009 12:07pm | filed under Business, Local News, Politics |

Laid-off Reporter Finds Solace in Coffee Stain

With all the “hold-on-to-your-effin‘-hat” we in the media biz have been doing lately, some of us are finding ways to cope. Folks in this office seem to be drinking more lately, which I didn’t think was possible; I’ve taken up gardening and fantasize about smoking cigarettes; and Laura is finding solace in reality TV.

But a journalist who was laid off last week is coping in a very different way: He wrote a letter to Romenesko explaining that he believes he saw the Virgin Mary in a coffee stain while cleaning out his desk after the big heave-ho. I don’t see it, but I get the sentiment. Sounds like it would have been a great story for the DMN’s Religion section.

posted by Kristiana Heap | May 8th, 2009 11:47am | filed under Hold On To Your Effin Hat, Media |

Byron Nelson Media Tourney, Ctd.

This is Josh Pearson teeing off at No. 17. Josh will be blogging for us from the Byron Nelson. He’s a good golfer man, 6 handicap. We aren’t playing from the tips. Given the wind today, Josh doesn’t think he could break 100 from the tips.