They both make the top 25 of 100 towns listed. I don’t know much about Keller (No. 7), other than I like their hamburgers. Apparently it has “which boasts immaculate parks and a spanking-new town center,” which sounds sweet. Mansfield (No. 24), I hear from friends, is quite the rock and roll town. And the web site agrees:
It [Mansfield] hosts an annual art fair, music festival, and holiday parade; it’s also the home of the Hawaiian Falls water park and Big League Dreams ballpark.
(H/T: @budkennedy)
A question-asking FrontBurnervian checks in to ask this question:
While the situation is quite sad, they are seriously asking for donations to pay off the mortgage? What’s next — asking for donations to pay the taxes on the new house (since those will be a lot higher than the taxes now)?
The latter question, to me, has always been the quandary with a show like Extreme Makeover.
The eight-year-old, whose four-year battle with cancer was a source of inspiration to so many, died at Children’s Medical on Friday. His funeral is tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Prestonwood Baptist Church. From the teamconnor website:
Connor endured over 220 nights in the hospital, more than 40 blood transfusions, about 2-dozen platelet transfusions, 25 rounds of chemo, 14 surgeries, two bone marrow transplants and countless procedures with visits to specialists in Boston, New York, Houston, Dallas and Guatemala. Yet he didn’t complain. He was a fighter to the very end. When he checked into Children’s Medical Center about 10 p.m. July 9, doctors said he had about two hours to live. Connor took his last mortal breath at 4:47 p.m. July 10, 2009.
Our condolences to a very special family.
Here, then, is the Perez Hilton story about Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo breaking up. It says, in part:
Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that the couple are on the verge of a break-up!
On the verge of a break-up? Doesn’t that basically describe every relationship?
Three tweets just made by Perez Hilton about J-Simp and Tony Romo:
I’m hearing loud “rumblings” of a major celebrity couple breakup! Looking into it.
And I’m talking B or C list! “Rumblings” are about Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo, though nothing confirmed yet. May be just rumors.
Oh, shiz! Getting more deets on Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo! It’s looking like it’s def true! Juicy info…coming up on the site!
So that’s pretty rock solid, right?
If you follow Zeus Comics owner Richard Neal on Twitter, this isn’t news to you. For everyone else, the Lemmon Avenue comics shop — a favorite of all the current and former comics nerds in the office; hey, Todd and Trey! — has been busy readying a web series called The Variants. Two episodes have been filmed so far, and from the sound of it, expect something along the lines of The Office in a comic book store, with Neal and his employees playing versions of themselves. Nothing online just yet, but at least a teaser should be up by the time of Comic-Con International in San Diego later this month.
(Random note, and full disclosure: one of the guys behind the series is Joe Cucinotti, a local actor and — formerly — a radio DJ. He is also the brother of an ex-girlfriend of mine. He’s good people.)
Yes, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is building a new crib for injured Dallas police officer Carlton Marshall and his family. But if you want to help out as well, Cheldan Homes has set up a fund to pay off the Marshall family’s current mortgage. Details follow.
Susannah Jacob graduated Plano West Senior High. This fall, she’ll head to Austin to start college. Right now, I’m not sure how she’s spending her time. But earlier this summer she tried her hand at waitressing. And then she wrote about it in the New York Times Magazine.
Jazz, Shazam, and Sheila, white lions seized from a Kaufman County wildlife exhibitor, are adjusting to their new home at In-Sync Exotics in Wylie. It’s probably going to take awhile, since they arrived there on Friday with pressure sores from lying in one spot, and so malnourished they have trouble eating or even keeping their heads up. “I’d call this probably the worst I’ve gotten,” Vicky Keahey, who runs In-Sync, says. But, she adds, at least they’re not scared of their new surroundings:
“With them, it’ll be an issue of getting healthy. Not being fed and [being] neglected leads to other problems.”
There is one bright spot for Keahey. At least she didn’t have to take in this White Lion.
1. Former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill’s defense team will step up to the plate today. Their mission: cross examine an FBI agent about some taped phone calls that prosecutors say prove that Hill is guilty of extortion. Hill’s defense team says, not so fast–the prosecution isn’t telling the whole story, and those calls actually prove that Hill was doing his job. Hill’s wife’s defense lawyer Victor Vital actually puts it much more eloquently than I: “We’re going to flip the pancake and let the jury see the rest of what the government is not letting them see.” I like pancakes.
2. For a mere $15, you can now tour the new Cowboys Stadium. And although the locker room won’t become part of the tour until this fall, you can find comfort in the 18,000-square-foot souvenir shop super store. With that much square footage, there’s bound to be tons of fabulous merchandise. This might be the Christmas that you can finally realize Mom’s dreams of having a Troy Aikman fanny pack or a Tony Romo wine opener.
3. In television news, the Extreme Home Makeover production team is likely asking deep, existential questions such as, “Who was the genius that decided to take on a project in Texas in July?” The builders and crew actually working on police officer Carlton Marshall’s Lancaster home in the 100-plus-degree heat probably asked the same question may times during the weekend, but with a lot more fun words thrown in. You know who apparently doesn’t mind the heat so much? Host Ty Pennington who I’m told was working on his tan at the Ritz-Carlton on Friday.
Brett Johnson, a veteran NBC 5 reporter who’s said to have been more comfortable in a cowboy hat than a suit and tie, has died in a Fort Worth hospital at the age of 48. Condolences to Johnson’s family and the station.
Alternate Hed: Making My Wife Happy Through The Magic Of Blogging
Full disclosure: My wife, Nikki, works at North Haven Gardens. If you read SideDish, and you should, you probably already know that. Okay, now that that is out of the way, the good stuff: NHG is hosting the Texas premiere of Mad City Chickens …
… a sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical look at the people who keep urban chickens in their backyards. From chicken experts and authors to a rescued landfill hen or an inexperienced family that decides to take the poultry plunge — and even a mad scientist and giant hen taking to the streets — it’s a humorous and heartfelt trip through the world of backyard chickendom.
There will be two free screenings: August 8 at 2:30 PM and August 9 at 1 PM. And since North Haven has jumped headlong into the world of raising urban chickens — believe me, I’ve heard plenty about this — if you feel inspired, they can get you started. Hit the link for more info.
A green-thumbed FrontBurnervian has a theory about the failed chain:
They were headed down the road to ruin when they decided to move out of selling excellent garden tools and equipment and instead sell furniture. They sold some of the best garden tools in the world
Mark Lowry over at Theater Jones gives a strong positive review to A Chorus Line, playing thru July 19th.