Articles for October 15th, 2009
New York Times Reviews Wyly and Winspear
We were remiss in not mentioning Nicholai Ourroussoff’s interesting and detailed critique today, so here it is. Bottom line:
The no-nonsense approach of these buildings — one cautiously experimental, the other more backward looking — should fit nicely in our new era of cautious restraint, even if they were designed when the excesses were still not over.
Cautious restraint? The description may be accurate, but did you ever think those words would be applied to Dallas?
Company To Celebrate Facial Hair at State Fair
Here’s the chance you’ve been waiting for, gents: to “Be a Wahl Man.” That’s the slogan of shaver-maker Wahl Home Products, which is bringing its Let It Grow tour to the State Fair of Texas through Sunday. The tour’s purpose: to help men “get a handle on their facial hair” with free trims–and to find the best beard, mustache, and goatee in America in the Wahl Man of the Year photo contest. These people aren’t just about celebrating facial hair, though. For every Man of the Year contest entry, the company’s donating $1 (up to $5,000) for the fight against prostate and testicular cancer. Back to you, Zac. Don’t let us down!
Media Fun Day, Ctd. (More Pictures for Your Eyes of the Wyly and the Winspear)
We’ve returned to the office, where I can post a little easier. Here are some more photos from today’s media day at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. I’d say more than half of the 150 or so TV, radio, and print people in attendance hailed from beyond our burg’s borders. It was a good group. You can check out Zac’s Flickr page for his pics. You’ll see that we covered some of the same ground. That said, jump for the pretties.
Architect Explains Why There’s a Hole in the Wyly
One Arts Plaza has that big white square on the side, and the Hunt Oil Tower bulges out like a, well, like a giant H. So I guess it makes sense that downtown’s new Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre has a big rectangular hole at the top on its west side (at far left in this pic). At first I thought they just hadn’t finished the building yet. But I’ve learned since that it’s actually an important architectural feature. On the big media tour this morning, I asked the architect Rem Koolhaas–a tall, gaunt Dutchman who kept checking his cellphone–about the thinking behind the big hole. “You have to have some things where your interest can dwell for awhile,” he explained. Then he went back to checking his phone.
What You Missed At Last Night’s AT&T Performing Arts Center Act III Gala
Wondering who attended last night’s AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Act III Gala at the Wyly Theatre? Find out here.
Media Fun Day, Ctd.
Landscape architect Michel Desvigne demonstrates his ability to walk on water in the Sammons Park.
Media Fun Day, Ctd.
Joshua Prince-Ramus is my new man crush. Most ruggedly handsome architect in the world?
Media Fun Day, Ctd.
We’ve now broken into groups for tours. Best tour leader? Clearly Red Team leader.
Media Fun Day, Ctd.
You know who ISN’T here? Skip Hollandsworth of Texas Monthly fame. You had to RSVP to get a lanyard like this one. Because Zac didn’t RSVP, they gave Skip’s plastic holder to Zac. That’s a burn!
Bob Dylan Covers Denton’s Brave Combo
Bob Dylan released a Christmas album yesterday. It includes a cover of an arrangement of “Must Be Santa” by Denton music icons Brave Combo. You can hear their version by clicking on the title on this page. They didn’t write the song, but they improved it.
This takes me back to the middle of the ’90s, jumping up and down in a crowd of people on the floor of Rick’s, on Fry Street. Before it caught fire, or was set on fire. I can’t remember which.
Media Fun Day at Performing Arts Center
About 150 journalists (give or take) are at the Wyly right now to get the lowdown on the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Rem Koolhaas is in the house. So are Spencer de Grey, Norman Foster, and Joshua Prince-Ramus (who looks like he knows karate). Currently at the mic is Mayor Tom Leppert. Summary of his remarks: Dallas is totally awesome.
Rod Dreher on Christianity-Lite in Dallas
Over on Beliefnet, Rod Dreher of the Morning News, delivers a thoughtful post that asks whether watered-down religion is any better than no religion at all:
We’re all super-Jesus-y in the Dallas area, but the impression one is left with is that despite the megachurch religiosity regnant in the ‘burbs, there’s a deep hole people keep trying to fill with stuff, and with the manic pursuit of success …
Is it better to live in a society where Christianity is virtually dead, replaced by secular materialism, or in a society where Christianity has been hollowed out by an emotionally satisfying but largely counterfeit version of the faith?
The question comes in response to the argument that America has a claim to stronger morals based on our higher church attendance and belief-in-God statistics. There’s no simple answer, and I’m glad that Dreher doesn’t pretend to have one.
Autistic Student Gets $364 Ticket For Dropping an F-Bomb in Class
KRLD has the story here. It happened at Richardson’s Westwood Junior High at the end of last year; the teacher told the vice principal, who told the Dallas police officer who works the campus, who gave the kid a ticket. His mom says she’ll fight the $364 ticket, which I guess is why this is coming up now.
I’m of two minds on this: on the one hand, if you’re going to have your kid in a mainstream school, you have to expect there will be bumps along the way. On the other: I think if you’re going to allow autistic kids in your mainstream school, you have to expect there will be bumps along the way. I predict the media attention will get the ticket dismissed, and I don’t think that’s the worst thing in the world.
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