Articles for April, 2010
Fergie Leads With the Heart When it Comes to Giving Advice
Wednesday night Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson (right, pictured with Jennifer and John Eagle) was the drop-in guest of honor at the patrons party in downtown Neiman’s for the Dallas Museum of Art’s upcoming Arts Ball. She worked the room better than any politician in memory. Everyone from shop girl to CEO was an old friend by the end of her brief visit.
When asked if she had offered any advice for “Kate,” Sarah answered with a question. . . “Who?” (more…)
An American Journalism Review Piece on @FakeAPStylebook
Remember last year when we mentioned that one of the folks behind the always reliable Twitter feed @FakeAPStylebook was Dallas’ very own Ken Lowery? How about now? Anyway, AJR goes into greater depth with the group behind the feed here. Such as: the book deal.
The book, to be published next spring by Three Rivers Press, is finished except for two chapters. There are 15 active contributors and two people whose work has been pulled from the Twitter feed but who are not contributing new material.
At least 90 percent of the book consists of new material that has not appeared on the Twitter feed, Lowery says. Using the same format as AP Stylebook, the Fake AP Stylebook will be about two-thirds tips. The back half is glossary terms, and there will be “how to” sections, including “How to write a dating site profile.’ ”
Although there are a few nods to the actual AP Stylebook – including a particularly long section on weapons and military “because the AP Stylebook has like a weird amount on weapons and the military” – Lowery says that the idea is to capture the AP Stylebook tone.
Leading Off (4/15/10)
1. So 80 dogs go missing from a Ferris animal shelter. They’re supposedly on a reservation. But no one knows exactly where. Rest assured the dogs are happy, fed, and loved. Don’t worry about the shelter’s past of police officers shooting feral dogs on sight and the city ordering animals only 15 days to be adopted before they’re euthanized. Seriously. I’m sure they’re all fine.
2. I appreciate a good entrepreneurial spirit. I happen to think these guys have good business sense. They’re going around robbing mom-and-pop pharmacy stores so they can get hydrocodone and OxyContin for free and turn around and sell the drugs to their awesome friends for a good amount of cash. Just like what happened with cupcakes and froyo, I can’t help but wonder, “Why didn’t I think of this first?”
3. Now for the hard-hitting news of the day: this guy decorated his yard with beer cans and Jessica Simpson wants a normal boyfriend (maybe a doctor or a chef)!
FrontRow at the Dallas International Film Festival
Just a note to remind you that while the Dallas International Film Festival run through Sunday, the closing night gala is tomorrow. Peter Simek has been doing a first-rate job over on FrontRow keeping up with it all (and I’m not just saying that because he gave me a back massage). If you haven’t caught a screening yet, there’s still time. Let Peter, with his strong, loving hands, be your guide.
Behind the Scenes at D Magazine
With a few minutes to burn, some of the staff turns its attention to a computer monitor displaying just about every seven-letter English word known to man. Because when you’re addicted to Words With Friends, this is something you do.
ZAC: “There’s ‘bed rape.’”
TIM: “Where?”
ZAC: [points]
TIM: “Wow, ‘bed rape’ is a crazy word. Is that different than normal rape?”
RHONDA: [disgusted] “That’s ‘be drape.’”
[end scene]
Let’s Play: The Gleeful Singing Edition
Just like the last time, the premise is simple, and involves commuting and a certain TV show that gets some people really excited on Tuesday nights, especially now that it’s back. Plus it stars a guy from the area.
The scene: You’re stuck on the tollway, on that ramp that connects Bush to the Dallas North Tollway North. Traffic hasn’t moved. You have to pee.
The question: What song do you pick to sing at the top of your lungs to pass the time and take your mind off your predicament?
Deadspin to Dale Hansen: “Eff Off”
Deadspin, of course, didn’t sanitize the F-word in the headline to its post in response to Dale Hansen’s commentary last night.
Garland Man Pleads Guilty to Felonious Fish Weighting
I’ve been fishing exactly once. With some guy. I packed a picnic basket full of goodies, and learned how to get the fishing thingie in the water without hurling the pole in after it. But my fishing trip was ruined when said guy baited my hook (not a euphemism) and then proceeded to put his fishy bait hands all over the insides of my basket (again, not a euphemism).
Fish juices, all over my cupcakes (not a euphemism).
So I didn’t know you could cheat at fishing. But apparently you can, because Robby Rose of Garland just pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge, and has to give up his fishing license. He reportedly weighted his bass with a 1 pound weight in an attempt to win a $55,000 bass boat at the Bud Light Trail Boss Big Bass Tournament on Lake Ray Hubbard last October.
Tournament officials became suspicious when his fish didn’t float. Eventually, Rose had to massage the bass to retrieve the weight. Again, that’s not a euphemism. I hope.
Leading Off (4/14/10): The All Sports Edition
1. Mark Cuban is planning a huge development — offices, homes, ball fields, an indoor sports facility — in east Oak Cliff. If it comes off, it’ll be a bold move in a part of town that needs it.
2. In today’s Wall Street Journal, our own Willard Spiegelman, who writes the “Good Professor” column for the “print product” each month, has a piece on the artwork at Cowboys Stadium. Willard took a tour of the joint recently and came away quite impressed.
3. Channel 8 last night did the drunk Jerry Jones story in its early broadcasts, which Dale Hansen thought was the wrong decision. So you know what he did? He went “unplugged” on the 10 o’clock newscast and absolutely blasted station management. This is one of the reasons I love the guy. No one else in town has stones that compare to Hansen’s. I sent him an e-mail after the newscast, asking whether station management knew what he was going to say. They did, though they said they’d rather he not do it (and kudos to them for allowing the video to be posted). Hansen also wrote about 30 minutes after they’d signed off: “About 40 emails so far from viewers. Every one saying they agree with me. But then why do TMZ, Inside Edition, Extra and all that other crap do so well??”
Update: Uncle Barky breaks down how the other local stations handled the story last night (or didn’t). Good analysis of Hansen, too.
Jerry Jones Shoots/Slurs From the Hip About Tebow, Parcells
The sports gossip fellas at Deadspin.com got their hands on some poorly taken video wherein Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appears to compare signing Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow to signing Bill Parcells.
Allow me to paraphase the entire conversation:
If the covertly recorded audio/video is legit, it sounds like Jones equates the possibility of signing Tebow to a stunt designed to sell more jerseys. Something he says is akin to what he did with signing Bill Parcels to get the support required to build a new stadium. … And Tony Romo was a “mircale.”
Jump if you’d like to read the profanity-laced transcript: (more…)
Dallas Business Journal Hires New Editor
Yes, yes. As a FrontBurnervian has pointed out to me, since I reported on the sacking of the last editor of the Dallas Business Journal, I ought to point to news that they’ve hired a new one. So here goes. His name is Juan B. Elizondo Jr.
The Chief David Kunkle Interview Exit
Just returned from Chief David Kunkle’s retirement party. Before I left, though, I managed to conduct his exit interview. (If you’re confused, here’s some context.)
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Live Blog From Kunkle Retirement Party
Gloria Campos is the emcee. She introduced David Kunkle and wife Sarah. Then she called him the “best of the best.”
Mary Suhm is doing a top 10 list of reasons she’s thankful for him. It’s a mix of serious and funny. No 8: because she will no longer have to explain to people why the top cop in Dallas rides a lime green Vespa. No 4: “With any luck he will be the only Dallas police chief to fall in love with a City Hall reporter, get married, and wind up on the cover of D Magazine.”
2:27 — Mayor Leppert talks about how much Kunkle cares for the city and the cops he led. He remembers seeing Kunkle at the hospital in the middle of the night, after something had gone wrong (more or less his words). If I’m not mistaken, Leppert actually choked up a bit. Very heartfelt.
2:30 — Now Laura Miller takes the podium. She says she remembers when she was on the Council and she first met him. She recalls he was wearing horrible Buster Brown shoes, he had a cowlick, and she had to ask Ted Benavides why the heck he hired Kunkle. Later, she says, she had to thank Benavides. Then she talks about the book “Good to Great,” and how Kunkle exemplifies the lessons of that book (in fact, he and his department were featured Ina “Good to Great” documentary). She says Kunkle was the best chief she’s seen in Dallas, from her time as a reporter to her time on the Council.
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