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How Real Is AMC’s Mad Men?

Very real, according to this interview with Dallas ad genius Ray Trapp, who was at Madison Avenue’s Olgivy & Mather in the day.

True Blood Does True Dallas Backdrop, Ctd.

No more emails! Thank you! (Maybe we should bring back comments.)

Correction #1

It has a current storyline set in Dallas, but the actual series is set in the fictional town of Bon Temps, La. And I wager that the reason we haven’t seen much Dallas scenery in the show is because a) as far as I know, we don’t have a luxury hotel for vampires, b) we don’t have any known vampire nests  and c) we don’t have a wacky church hellbent on killing vampires.

Correction #2

They’ve had a fly-by skyline shot of Dallas in previous episodes. Granted, not much of a shot, but as much as they had in the last episode.

Tom Delay To Be On Dancing With The Stars

When I saw this item sent to me by a FrontBurnervian, I thought it was from The Onion.

Nope. It’s true. Your favorite former Republican Majority Leader and current commentator on Any-Political-Show-That-Will-Take-Him will put on his dancing shoes this fall. The season starts September 21.

I, for one, will be there.

True Blood Does True Dallas Backdrop

The HBO hit is supposedly set in Dallas. Apparently that has been weird because not one speckle of Dallas has made it into the series — until last night. At about the 3:31 mark of this (bootlegged?) video, the newscast features — lookee here! — a Dallas skyline.

What’s Next for KERA at Pledge Time, Ctd.

KERA-loving FBvians contend I haven’t been watching enough of the station. Says one:

The fact is that public television regularly and “reliably” programs stuff like “Hank Williams, doo-wop singers, the Lawrence Welk show and Elvis.” So, in other words, you’re complaining that at pledge time they choose, from their regular array of programs, those that are more broadly appealing from a ratings standpoint, when they’re trying to raise money. Got it. You write about business, Glenn. All kinds of business. But you aren’t really in business, are ya now?

Adds another:

I find your comment is the one that actually is “disconnected.” I would think that anyone with any business acumen would understand that no one likes pledge drives, even us die-hard fans (which I am) and so, KERA takes the opportunity to lure us with things we won’t turn elsewhere for… (obviously during pledge drives I could find my news elsewhere without listening through the “tin cup rattling”). BUT, I won’t be able to find a documentary on Elvis or a Sarah Brightman concert (as I watched the last pledge drive). Maybe YOU don’t understand that since … you have a serious case of bias going on. (And worth mentioning, one without any serious evidence.)

But, at least one found some merit to the point:

My “favorite” weird KERA pledge-drive programming is the Blenko Glass Company film — a very strange choice indeed. In fact, I don’t pledge to the TV station anymore, just to 90.1.

The “Dressed In Warm Clothes” Bandit Strikes Again, Needs New Nickname

This time, it was North Richland Hills, making it five in two weeks. The man — “who has dressed in mostly unseasonably warm clothing” — has also hit banks in Hurst, Fort Worth, and Burleson. If he keeps it up, he needs a new moniker. “Dressed In Warm Clothes” Bandit (which isn’t an official nickname) just won’t do. Ideas? Mr. Freeze is taken.

Cameron Sharpe Out at iJango

When last we checked in with Cameron Sharpe, he was attempting to use an MLM model to make money off Google with a firm called iJango. Even if that notion doesn’t make any sense, he was looking handsome doing it. But now the company and Sharpe have parted ways. This is from an e-mail sent out a couple days ago to iJango independent reps from CEO Rayner Smith: 

In this Internet age, any individual can quickly launch public attacks through the use of inexpensive blogging tools. Unfortunately, we have become the target of a blogger who calls himself “Click Sniper”. … The vast majority of Click Sniper’s claims revolve around Cameron Sharpe. We wish Mr. Sharpe continued success in turning his life around (see Mr. Sharpe’s personal webpage at www.cameronbsharpe.com). Nevertheless, his past personal issues have become the major distraction for this company. Therefore, this will confirm that Mr. Sharpe has agreed to not have any ownership interest in the company. He is not an executive of the company. ..

Sharpe’s site is worth a visit if you have some time to kill — though when he gets to the part where he says he was snorting an eight ball of cocaine every day, I’d prefer a few more sordid details. You know, maybe a car chase, casual sex, something.

Arlington Loves Fast Food Joints

Besides two cool stadiums and one pretty cool bar (Cave’s Lounge), Arlington is apparently also known for its addiction to fast-food joints. That’s according to Men’s Health’s September issue, which named Arlington the No. 1 “Urban Waistland” in the country. It’s supposedly a measure of how addicted the residents are to fast food. For some reason, I can’t find the full list on the site, but Arlington is No. 1, Fort Worth No. 17, and Dallas No. 37. The mag’s methodology is pretty random (number of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger Kings, and Taco Bells per capita + percentage of folks who say they eat fast food + obesity statistics), but, hey, it made me crave an Angry Triple Whopper (1360 calories, thank you), so who am I to complain?

Erykah Badu Talks Twitter on Babble

An alert FBvian points us to this Q&A with Erykah Badu on the parenting site Babble. A sample of the Qs and As:

Q: What made you want to tweet while giving birth?

A: “Questlove said, ‘I bet you won’t Twitter while you’re in labor.’” I was dared to do it. Actually, Questlove of The Roots – he said, “I bet you won’t Twitter while you’re in labor.” I said, “I bet I will.” So I did. I tweeted about what was happening with the birth between contractions.

I can’t tell you how many zany things Questlove has goaded me into using that same dare strategy. Damn him.

What’s Next for KERA at Pledge Time: A Special About NASCAR–or How to Paint on Black Velvet?

Whenever you want to learn more about destitute farmers, evil businessmen and the miracle of Cuban health care, you can reliably turn to programming on KERA. Except, for some reason, during its pledge drives. If the station’s rattling the tin cup–as it is now–look for stuff like specials on Hank Williams, doo-wop singers, the Lawrence Welk show and Elvis, all sweaty in his white jumpsuit. If not exactly dishonest, doesn’t this tack indicate a big disconnect, at least? Thankyouverymuch.

Why I Love Martellus Bennett

Mike Doocy had an interview last night with Martellus Bennett (aka Marty B). After Marty B realized that he’d been wearing his t-shirt backwards for the entire practice (”That’s why it feels like it’s been choking me.”), Doocy asked him where he gets his sense of humor. Marty B paused before answering ironically: “Jesus.” Doocy didn’t quite know how to take it.

Also, when Doocy did a word-association drill with him, Marty B, when asked what popped into his head when he heard the words “Martellus Bennett,” said, among other things: “Fifty percent black, 50 percent awesomeness.”

Highland Park Village Theater Will Reopen in May

So says Stephen Summers, Highland Park Village partner and director of leasing. Overheard has all the details.

Voting Starts Today for the 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas

Perhaps you are familiar with this competition? We accepted nominations from you, dear readers, and we interviewed our favorites to select the 20 finalists you see here. These women are more than just pretty faces. You can vote once a day, every day, for the next three weeks. So go do it.

Conservative Mag to Hutchison: Stay in the Senate

Just in time for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s kickoff today seeking to oust Gov. Rick Perry, the new issue of National Review (subscription required) is weighing in on the campaign. Bottom line of the short piece in the conservative bible: Hutchison’s passion for the Texas gubernatorial race is “fake”–and she really ought to stay in the U.S. Senate.

Leading Off (08/17/09)

1. Southlake’s Y.E. Yang shot a 2-under 70, which was enough to best Tiger Woods for a win at the PGA Championship in Minnesota yesterday. In related news, I’m now considering going pro after hearing Tiger’s assessment of his day: “I did everything I needed to do, except getting the ball in the hole.” Who knew Tiger and I had such a similar game?

2. Baylor University may have lost the race for the Bush Library to SMU, but no one’s bitter. No way. Not at all. I mean, if you’re happy with the 32 acres SMU has allotted for the library versus the 150 acres they had planned to use, great. And if you don’t care about not having a fishing lake—and I mean, who doesn’t like to fish on a visit to the library?—fine. And if you feel good about not having an amphitheater, retail shopping, or a Little League baseball field with your educational facility, great. Have fun with your learning, nerds. Go Bears!

3. Shoppers, on your mark. This Friday kicks off the three-day, tax-free shopping extravaganza. It’s that time of year, when places that sell things are teeming with people. My favorite. Since I don’t require any school supplies or new clothing (this is actually up for debate), I may head to Boston on one of Southwest’s new flights to Logan Airport.