Articles for January 26th, 2010
TV with Laura: The Bachelor Episode 4 Recap
We should start a petition. That’s what people do when they have important causes like world peace and saving NBC’s Chuck, right? Our petition will ask–beg, actually–ABC to trim The Bachelor by 90 minutes. Something has to be done here because poor, asexual simpleton Jake isn’t equipped to shoulder a two-hour program. Forget the most dramatic episode ever–last night’s show was the longest, most boring thing I’ve ever endured. I feel like I could have earned an MFA, gotten married and raised a kid, and maybe even learned how to balance my checkbook in the 100 years it took Jake to kick four ladies to the curb. So, please, start and sign a petition. (I’m far too lazy to do that or any of the other items mentioned above.) Don’t do it for me, do it for the children (including the poor kid in China that Gia plans to adopt, presumably to preserve her swimsuit model figure). For those with a tough constitution, let’s jump for a more detailed recap. To the rest of you, good luck in your endeavors.
The Continuing Adventures of Tim Rogers
Normally, when I turn around in my chair, Tim is doing something boring, like editing mistakes into copy. Occasionally, it’s something more interesting. Today is such an occasion. What is he doing? you ask. Learning to tie a bowtie using his leg and a YouTube clip, of course. Why? Who cares.
Ed Bark Dissects Late-Night TV Sitch For CNN.com
I’m halfway tempted to claim we got this before anyone else, whether we did or not, just so Ed will have to weigh in and correct me in the comments. Anyway, read with your eyes here.
Economist Notes ‘Unprecedented’ Start For Cowboys Stadium
Craig Depken is a sports economist and associate professor at the University of North Carolina–Charlotte. He worked previously at the University of Texas at Arlington for 11 years.
Depken was himself an Arlington resident several years back, when voters were deciding whether they should pony up $325 million to pay for the new Cowboys Stadium. Like most sports economists, he was skeptical about some claims made by proponents of public financing for the stadium.
But he’s been monitoring the first six months of activity out at Jerry World, and while the jury remains out on whether Arlington got a good deal, Depken says we’re seeing something “unprecedented” happening.
DISD Board to Vote on Admissions Policy Change at William B. Travis
This post mainly concerns the talented and gifted (TAG) magnate magnet known as William B. Travis and how it admits kids from across the district. Meaning, this post probably appeals to a limited group. So let’s not clutter the main page. Jump if you’re into TAG and a proposed policy that might keep your kid out of it.
NPR Streams Midlake’s Latest Release
It sure did feel like Denton’s Midlake had fallen off the map. The group stopped touring in 2007 to focus on writing and recording new material. Then they announced a tour. You know what that means: the album, Courage of Others, is finished and set to be released on February 2. You, however, do not have to wait to sample the moody, Fleetwood Mac meets Nick Drake effort. NPR is streaming the entire album on their site today for free. Enjoy.
Pricey Rentals For All-Star Partiers
Look for a lot of cash to change hands–and a whole lot of “non-family-style” hard partying to happen–when DFW hosts the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 14. Last night on WFAA-TV, Dale Hansen predicted lines around the block at local strip clubs next month, for example. We’ve heard that Realtors are scrambling to locate super-luxe party houses in non-residential areas–quick freeway access preferred–for short-term rental to celebs and fans that weekend. Dallas Craigslist is going wild listing special All-Star game rentals ($3,500 a night for a two-bedroom condo in Oak Lawn, $2,250 for a four-bedroom “contemporary,” $2,000 for a one-bedroom downtown, etc.). And the owner of one local town-car outfit says to expect a going rate of $1,500/day for “small” limos during the festivities.
Local BBQ-Eating Male Model Who Had Face Obscured by Magazine Logo Now Gets His Due
The February issue of the “print product” hit newsstands over the weekend. But you probably subscribe, so you got your copy in the mail sometime in the middle of last week. Good for you. The cover image was shot by the greatness that is Randal Ford. The guy holding the flatware, you’ll notice, wound up having a red square for a head. This was by design. I had a long discussion with our creative director, Todd Johnson, about how much of his chin to show. This is how magazines are made. Anyway, I thought the guy deserved to have his face shown so that he could prove to the guys in the gym that it was indeed him on our cover. So here’s what the image of Trey Singleton (from the Campbell Agency) looked like before we put our logo and the type on it. Bear in mind, since we knew we were going to cover up his face, he has not had makeup or hair done. Handsome bastard.
Nasher Revives Lost Art of Pole Sitting
Walking into work this morning, I thought I saw David Blaine sitting atop a pole outside the Nasher, on Flora Street. Long a fan of the lost art of pole sitting, I was prepared to bring a chair and a couple beers back from the office so I could set up shop and watch the spectacle. Upon closer inspection, though, I saw that the figure atop the pole (there are actually two, one at either end of the Nasher’s facade) is part of Jaume Plensa’s “Genus and Species” show. No rush, then. The show opens January 30.
Fort Worth Opera To Add “Soap-” Prefix
Yesterday Jerome Weeks brought news over on Art and Seek that the group making a reality TV show about the Fort Worth Opera Festival has won a chance at a distribution deal. Dallas-based Abernethy Media Professionals won a pitch competition at a Las Vegas television programming conference with their idea for a backstage “docu-soap” about the young divas and devos (wait, that’s not a word) who make the five week summer opera fest happen. The prize? The services of the distribution agency Cable Ready, who will now look for an interested broadcaster. In the meantime, you can preview the show by visiting the website.
Food Bank Says 18% of Dallas Families Are Hungry
The North Texas Food Bank has shared some sad statistics this morning. Their numbers, obtained from a Gallup poll for the DC-based Food Research and Action Center, show that 21 percent of Texas households couldn’t afford enough food in 2009. The Dallas metropolitan area, was only a little better off, with 18.6 % of households lacking money to buy necessities.
The data is also broken down by congressional districts. Jeb Hensarling’s largely rural East Texas district, which includes a chunk of eastern Dallas County, had a “food hardship” above the state average, at 25.8%. Eddie Bernice Johnson’s 30th District (From Oak Lawn and downtown to the cities south of Dallas) had 25.6% experiencing ”food hardship.” Only 37 (of 436) of the nation’s congressional districts had percentages that topped 25%.
Sam Johnson’s 3rd District (largely wealthy Collin County) is low at 10.1%. Pete Sessions’ tailor-made 32nd District (including the Park Cities, Irving, and North Oak Cliff) polled at 18.5%. You can view the whole report to see how your own congressional district fared.
How Harold Simmons Got a Nuclear Waste Dump
Leading Off (1/26/10)
1. Bald-Face Lie, a 7-month-old filly from a line of champion cutting horses, was found dead over the weekend, shot in the head at her owner’s ranch in Parker County. I … never mind.
2. Torian Pittman, a member of the SMU football team, was arrested yesterday. He and a friend are accused of a September rape in Hunstville. June Jones said … ugh. Forget it.
3. And since the seriousness of the two previous stories has handcuffed my ability to be glib, I leave you on this lighter note: “I’m naming children’s advocate Eva Longoria Parker Governor of Texas FORTHWITH!!!”
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