D

TV With Laura: The Bachelorette Recap Episode VII

Have you ever tried to break the news to a friend that her special someone is cheating on her? Doesn’t go so well, does it? Unfortunately, our friend Jake has to board a plane from Dallas to Austin, book a room at what appears to be a Holidome or Hyatt (what happened with The Bachelorette discount at the Fairmount?), and learns that lesson the hard way–in a chambray shirt, no less. But we’ll get to all that and more from last night’s dramatic painful episode after the jump.

(more…)

Dispatch From an Intern

Loyal FrontBurnervians will remember my new favorite intern, Bonathan. Remember? The guy who described his financial situation as “comfortable”? Yeah, that’s him.

Anyway, Nancy sent him on an errand, and Bonathan filed a report on it. If you have a few minutes, you should read it:

Nancy Update: If you’d like to respond to Bonathon’s review, we offer all-the-comments-you- can-type here.

(more…)

D CEO Contributor John Browning Wins Big at Houston Press Club’s Lone Star Awards

A big congratulations to D CEO columnist and contributing editor John G. Browning for cleaning up at the Houston Press Club’s statewide Lone Star Awards on Friday. Browning, who holds a day job as attorney/partner in Gordon & Rees’ Dallas office, won best magazine article for his May 2008 D CEO cover story (pictured at left).

He also won print journalist of the year in the newspapers under 100,000 circulation category for  “Legally Speaking,” his syndicated column. (”Legally Speaking” won first place in the newspaper commentary/criticism category, and his D CEO “Legalities” column won third in its category.)

A full list of the winning entries—which came from Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston—is available on the Houston Press Club site.

Wick Allison Turns to Sock Puppetry on Unfair Park

I can only assume that Wick has too much time on his hands and has taken to praising himself in the comments section of Unfair Park. Right now, Jim Schutze is live-blogging the City Hall corruption trial. He’s using the comments section of a single post to accomplish this task. In the comments, he uses the handle JimS. But at 11:43 today, JimS wrote the following:

Wick Allison is a very smart man who has devoted a lot of his life to this city. Disagreements about public works projects are not moral. I have made mistakes in writing about the Trinity project. Dallas is lucky to have people like Allison who give a damn about he city instead of decamping to some Hamptons-like refuge and writing about rare lettuces.

So that’s a sock puppet, right? That’s Wick. Either that, or the sheer insanity of the trial (defense lawyer: “The FBI is racist!”) has seeped into Schutze’s brain and driven him crazy. Either way, Schutze’s live blog is a must-read.

Leading Off (Trinity Tollroad), Ctd.

Having followed Jim Schutze’s live-blogging from the corruption trial yesterday (and I hope, today), I’m sure he is employing all ten fingers and can’t spare two right now to express his opinion of me.

Can The Hispanic Chamber Clean Up Its Act?

Look for some hoopla today from Mayor Tom and others about Dallas landing next September’s annual convention of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. It is a pretty big deal; the group’s ‘09 meeting in Denver this September could attract up to 5,000 visitors and pump $10 million into the economy there. One caveat: It sure would be nice if, before the big group arrives in Big D, the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce resolves the issues that have split it into (at least ) two warring factions. Definitely not the sort of image you want as a host chamber.

Mario Tarradell, Ctd.

A few follow-ups on yesterday’s Mario Tarradell item from FB Nation, after the jump.

(more…)

Leading Off (6/30/09)

1. The Federal Highway Administration may not build the Trinity toll road inside the levees because of concerns that they won’t, you know, do what levees are supposed to do. That cackling sound is coming from Jim Schutze, who is sitting in a chair next to me, wearing nothing but a “Told Ya So” placard and a smile, waving two middle fingers in the general direction of Wick’s office.

2. Dallas County commish-types will vote today on whether to “take part in a regional planning effort” for the proposed inland port. Any time you got a chance to be part of something that special — I mean, good grief, this planning effort is regional — well, yeah, you’ve gotta lock that down.

3. After yesterday’s high-speed chase, there was another one this morning about 4 a.m. that lasted almost two hours, ending with a woman’s capture near White Rock Lake. Now, I’m not saying there’s a trend here, but if you see two priests driving a Ferrari doing 150-plus, I think I know what’s going on.

Here’s the Video of the High-Speed Chase

The link I posted earlier is now dead. Here’s NBC Channel 5’s video of the crash:

E&Y Anoints 11 Entrepreneurs

The joint was jammed Saturday night when Ernst & Young announced the winners of its regional Entrepreneur of the Year awards competition at Dallas’ Majestic Theater. E&Y’s 11 winners, who were among 34 finalists profiled in the July issue of D CEO magazine, now become eligible for consideration for E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 national awards,which will be announced in November at a gala in Palm Springs, Calif. Then, if they win there, they’ll be eligible for the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Monaco. (No word yet who will represent the other planets in the Solar System awards.) Jump for a list of the locals who made the cut.

(more…)

Why the DMN’s Mario Tarradell is No Good

I’m not going to mince words here. As long as Mario Tarradell is the lead music critic for the Dallas Morning News, the paper’s music coverage will be an absolute joke. I pretty much stopped reading what Tarradell had to say after his 2008 year-in-music coverage, which was so openly bizarre I assumed he must be playing some elaborate prank on his bosses.

But after Michael Jackson died, I was intrigued as to how he (and the paper) would handle it. The overall piece was mostly perfunctory boilerplate-type stuff. What caught my eye, though, was Tarradell’s accompanying top-five list of Jackson’s “best hit songs” — awkward phrasing, to be sure, but that isn’t the problem.

(more…)

High-Speed Chase Ends Poorly for Bad Guy

Five of us here at the office just watched the high-speed cop chase on WFAA.com. The chase ended when a full-size pickup slammed into the perp. At which point we all yelled like we’d just seen a great tackle. “Oooowwwwwh! That HAD to hurt.” Except now, watching the video, I can’t imagine how the guy survived. I feel icky for having been entertained by the whole thing.

Update: Out came the jaws of life as firemen and emergency responders tried to get the driver out of his/her car. That took about 10 minutes. Just as they were about to pull the person out, Channel 8 cut the live feed from its helicopter.

Update: WFAA reports the driver survived.

Another Sign of the Times

Remember this guy standing on the corner, looking for a job? Another alert FBvian sends along a similar picture. /freejobprospectingonFB

Malcolm Gladwell to Jim Moroney: “You Don’t Know What You’re Talking About”

An alert FBvian points us to Malcolm Gladwell’s most recent piece in the New Yorker. In the lead, he makes an example of  News publisher Jim Moroney, who, in Gladwell’s estimation, doesn’t quite understand the business in which he works. Ouch. (And that goes for all of us who produce for the printed page. Because the transition to free — if that’s where we’re headed — won’t be an easy one.)

Update: Another ouch. Mea culpa. Let’s jump.

(more…)

Southwest Foodservice Expo: Report From Day One

Yesterday, the Southwest Foodservice Expo opened for a three-day run at the Dallas Convention Center. I spent most of the day wandering the halls with InsideCorner’s Evan Grant. We bumped into this dude. He begged me to put him on the cover of D Magazine. Why? “Because I’m only 25 and already a marketing director,” said Robert E. Drenner, the marketing director of a company that sells giant mixers. Here you go Robert, this is as close as you’re going to get. Details and pictures, including one of Herschel Walker, from yesterday over on SideDish. Comments are complimentary.

Ironic Picture of the Day

A FrontBurnervian sends along the below photo taken near Coit and Campbell. (Note the bumpersticker on the dumpster.)

Belo Gets Into the Real Estate Business

Josh Hixson has the details on DallasDirt about an investment that AH Belo (we assume it’s the newspaper side and not the TV side) is making in SawbuckRealty.com.

Dallas Firm Tries To Fix San Diego Union

DeWolff, Boberg & Associates, a Dallas management consultancy, has been hired to study “process improvement” and provide “greater efficiency” for the newspaper. As if those were its problems.

DeWolff’s case studies on its web site include a biotech company, a steel mill, a call center, and a building materials provider. If you think that Platinum Equity, the new owners of the Union, has just signalled to its investors and the market that it doesn’t have the slightest idea of what it is doing, raise your hand.

Leading Off (06/29/09)

1. It’s time for opening statements in Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill’s corruption trial this morning. It took prosecutors 166 pages to outline the charges of extortion and bribery in the 2007 indictment. For the sake of the jury, I hope that “brevity” was one of the major New Year’s Resolutions in the DA’s office this year.

2. Once upon a time, Ladonna Jones of  Highland Village wrote a letter to the Dallas Morning News about how unfair the ticket sales were for the Jackson’s Victory Tour. As a result, she received tickets, an invitation backstage, and a kiss from Michael Jackson. It was a different era–when asked what she remembers most about meeting the King of Pop, Jones doesn’t mention any number of things that automatically come to mind (mainly the nose for me). Instead, she says, “His hands were so big…that’s what stuck out.”

3.  Some angry folks weathered the heat yesterday to protest the “excessive force” used during arrests of some patrons of a Fort Worth gay bar outside of the Tarrant County Courthouse. Apparently, seven people were booked for being intoxicated and trying to “grope” officers during a routine TABC inspection. There are reports that things got out of hand, and one guy may have even been hospitalized after the incident. I don’t have a law degree, but I grew up in Beaumont (which pretty much makes me a plaintiff /defense lawyer by birth). My first question here: Isn’t it possible that the bar patrons thought that these were the hot cop strippers Michael Bluth hired to scare George Michael straight (so to speak)? (Apologies if you’re not an Arrested Development fan.)

Back to You, Wick

Dallas Chamber Music Tries to Save Arts Funding, Ctd.

A thoughtful, arts-loving FrontBurnervian replies to my post, below. I encourage everyone to read the reply. It’s a forceful argument for why the city ought not to cut its arts funding. For the record, I agree with everything the FBvian says. A great city must have a thriving arts scene. Just as it must have well-maintained parks. And yet: $190 million.

(more…)

Somebody Hire This Kid

An alert FBvian sends along this picture. She writes:

This guy has been standing at the corner of Cedar Springs and Pearl for at least the last two days. His sign has improved today with the white board, and both days he’s been wearing dress slacks and a tie. The sign reads (sorry for the poor camera phone shot): “Summer job wanted. A&M Finance Student.  214-356-3633.” Later today, I might drive by and give him som bottled water.

It’s the Time of Year When We Can Blow Things Up

I can’t believe that I have never bought fireworks. They are right up inside my wheelhouse. Growing up on the East Coast, my cousin Jimmy and I would try to make fireworks with Tic Tac containers and gasoline. Then there was that little forest fire incident in our neighborhood, but that’s another post. My fascination with all things combustible goes back to my childhood. Well, here in the great state of Texas, where fireworks are legal, I can finally start exploding things. Tomorrow I will be driving around DFW photographing fireworks stands and the people who frequent them. I would love some guidance on where to go (comments are ON). And for those of you who want to try to make your own fireworks (me), Wired magazine tells us how to do it:

“How to Make Fireworks

Our great nation was built on the principles of independence and self-reliance. It’s practically patriotic to build your July 4 fireworks from scratch. So, Harry Gilliam, CEO of pyrotechnics supplier Skylighter, told us how to make a spectacular fireball. (Disclaimer: Wired will not send bail money or reattach fingers.) – Daniel Dumas

1. The Fuse: Punch a hole near the bottom of an empty 10.5-ounce can (the Campbell’s Soup variety is perfect) and insert a 6-inch fuse from the hobby shop.
2. The Explosives: Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of black or smokeless powder (available at Wal-Mart). Then cover it with a disc-shaped piece of tissue paper.
3. The Fuel: Fill the rest of the can with Cremora, the highly flammable powdered nondairy creamer. Make sure it’s well sifted and not clumpy.
4. The Show: At dusk, gather some friends, light the fuse, and run back at least 25 feet. Your creation will explode in a 4- to 6-foot ball of flames.”

Dallas Chamber Music Tries to Save Arts Funding

Dallas Chamber music just sent around an e-mail urging people to tell city officials not to cut arts funding. It reads:

Just as Dallas is preparing to open our most exciting arts venue, the Dallas Performing Arts Center, the city is proposing to cut the arts budget and merge the Office of Cultural Affairs with the library. With the positive economic impact the arts have in Dallas, we believe that shorting the arts budget is a mistake. Similarly, it is a serious mistake to combine the disparate organizations of the Office of Cultural Affairs with those of the library. We ask for your help in preventing this by contacting the mayor (tom.leppert@dallascityhall.com), the city manager (mary.suhm@dallascityhall.com) and your Council member to tell them you want to keep an independent Office of Cultural Affairs and not to reduce the arts budget. Let your voice be heard. For more information go to: www.dallasneedsthearts.com.

I sympathize with them. But a couple of points need to be made here: 1) the “Dallas Performing Arts Center” doesn’t exist. The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts does, but it’s not a venue. 2) That Dallasneedsthearts.com is awesome. I had no idea people were still using GeoCities. 3) The city’s budget shortfall is $190 million. This is going to hurt, folks. No way around it.

Michael Jackson’s Dallas Rhinoplasties

A FrontBurnervian in the know tells us that Michael Jackson’s nose had a Dallas connection:

Michael Jackson had at least two rhinoplasty surgeries in Dallas. I know this because my mother worked for an anesthesiologist at Presby. The first was in 1982, and a revision procedure followed in 1983 at the height of the success from Thriller. The surgeon refused to do additional procedures citing that Jackson had unrealistic expectations of outcomes. (Common in people with repeated cosmetic procedures, often called “dysmorphic syndrome.”) Ethical plastic surgeons require full psychological evaluation before radical procedures, and do not attempt to change features associated with someone’s race or heritage.

My mom’s employer refused to do the anesthesia because 1) Jackson was painfully thin (anorexic, and therefore at risk for cardiac arrest), 2) he believed he was “altered” (on drugs, and use of amphetamines, even by prescription can prevent healing of surgical wounds), and 3) he felt that Jackson was not going to be happy with any result. The doctor my mother worked for was Dominican, and he was disgusted by Jackson’s desire to “look Caucasian.”

The procedures were not done at Presby, but rather at a private surgical suite on LBJ Fwy. Jackson had an entire entourage in Dallas for a week each time.