Articles for April 1st, 2010
Join the Club: Reading Room Shindig Tonight
I don’t mean to be bossy, but cancel your plans. Hot Tub Time Machine can wait. Trust me, Real Housewives of New York City will air again. (And again.) Tonight is a night for talking literature, my friend. Drive your car to Legacy Books immediately. The party starts tonight at 6:30, and we’ll be announcing the Reading Room’s next book selection. Think you’re too cool for a book club? You are wrong! We have free wine and hors d’ouevres. Smart people abound, including Dr. Larry Allums of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. The setting couldn’t be lovelier–it’s such a great book store. And in case you get tired of speaking to brilliant people about brilliant things, I’ll be there. (We can discuss my new obsession: High Society. Possibly the worst show on television. Ever.) See you there!
Highlight of My Day: LBJ Orders Slacks
One day, LBJ decided to order up some summer-weight slacks. His specifications were exacting. An inch of give in the waist to take up or let out if he needed, because his weight varied month to month. An inch in the crotch because if it’s um, too tight, it uh, cut his man area. And rode up his um, rhymes with “tongue roll.”
Seriously, hearing is a giggle. If you’re at work, earbuds. If you’re near small children, earbuds (probably, I don’t know, I kind of think a toddler repeating this britches order would be high comedy). But, um, enjoy.
(H/T: Wonkette)
New Events Thingie Pops Up Without Fanfare on Local Blog
Hey, what’s that snazzy Events gadget I see over on the right-hand rail of this here blog?! You mean to tell me that from here, on FrontBurner, I can see a curated list of the most intriguing events going down in Dallas today? And I can even search that database? That’s huge. Quickly.
Cornyn on Health Care: “Repeal!” “No, Don’t!”
Bob Moser at the Texas Observer has some  fun recounting the junior Texas senator’s various responses. His latest is, “Hey, whatever you like about it was our idea!”
It makes you wonder if some natural disaster shut down America’s polling organizations for a week whether he would have anything to say at all.
Just About Everyone Would Like Craig Watkins To Take Texas AG Greg Abbott’s Offer
Listen, I like a lot of the stuff Dallas County DA Craig Watkins has done. But sometimes, the man just flapjacks/gobsmacks/bewilders/discombobulates  me.
Take this whole constable brouhaha. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has offered not once, but twice now to help out with the investigation. And it’s not all that unusual, since the AG’s office also helped out with the whole Constable Mike Dupree thing a few years ago.
But it seems like there is a growing drumbeat for him to do something. And many are asking why he won’t take Abbott up on his offer – after all, it seems like a win for everyone. If the allegations that have surfaced turn out to be true, well, it’s good and government is transparent. If they turn out to be unfounded, well, it’s good and government is transparent.
So really – what gives?
Woodall Rodgers Park Scores $500k From Meadows Foundation
The folks behind the Woodall Rodgers Park just announced that the Meadows Foundation is writing a $500,000 check to help ensure that the park opens as planned in 2012. (And today CNN runs a story titled “Americans Rebuild for the ‘New Urban Century’,” in which the park is mentioned.) The full release follows after the jump. Zac and I have already made plans to hang out there at lunch, get high, and play Hacky Sack.
The Joy of Joule: Exclusive Hotel Spreading the Joy From Main to Commerce
The Joule is expanding. Join us on DallasDirt to learn what they’re doing and who’s doing it.
That Erykah Badu Video Could’ve Looked Sparkly, Too
As loathe as I am to bring up Badukadonk-gate again, I came across this particular clip this morning of Dallas’ own Erykah Badu giving sage advice — albeit with some rather purple prose — to young women looking to break into the music undustry. The clip is from an upcoming IFC movie, Before the Music Dies.
Among the advice? Beepers. Glitter. Butt-naked.
D Empire Launches New Monthly: A Magazine
It’s with great pride that we announce today A Magazine (pronounced “ay magazine”), a new monthly focused on the greatness that is Arlington. For some time now, we’ve been looking to extend the D brand in North Texas. The more we thought about it, the more Arlington presented itself as an ideal market for an upscale monthly lifestyle magazine. When Joel Kotkin was in town recently, he said something that confirmed our strategy. At a breakfast talk in our offices, he said, “People on the East Coast deride a place like Arlington for its sprawl and for its dubious distinction of being the largest city in America without a public transportation system. But Arlington is the super-city of the future. You can’t argue with demographic trends.” It’s true. Couple those demographic trends with a civic leadership that can get something like Cowboys Stadium built, and you’ve got an engine for awesomeness. And for football.
Speaking of Cowboys Stadium, picking our cover boy for the premiere issue wasn’t a difficult task. Thank you to Mayor Cluck for keeping this project under wraps for the past two months. A Magazine hits newsstands today. We’d love to hear your feedback.
Leading Off (4/1/10)
1. One thief thought it was Christmas in March. The guy found himself a shiny armored car. He then found a nice, menacing mask and a fancy, blue hoodie and stole a bag from the car. But it wasn’t an early Christmas. For him, it was an early April Fool’s day. There was nothing in the bag. (I feel for the guy. I do. I just know that if I ever decided to be a thief, this is exactly what would happen to me.)
2. If you’re needing some extra cash, throw away the hoodie and mask. Just join a PTA. The PTA at Timber Creek Elementary School in Flower Mound recently discovered it’s missing $13,791. According to the lede of the story, this money was to go to fifth-grade graduation. Now. I don’t have kids. And it’s been at least 16 years since I was a fifth grader. But. What do you spend $14,000 on at a fifth-grade graduation? Do they wear caps and gowns? Send out invitations? Get diplomas? Parents, explain.
3. I’ve often thought, “Man. I want to drive through Fort Worth without a seat belt. Just for the heck of it.” Well, now’s my chance. Allegations say that Fort Worth policemen have altered tickets to indicate they were written after-hours in order to get overtime pay. Grants for programs such as “Click It or Ticket” have been suspended until the investigation is finished.
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