Articles for May, 2010
Vote Now, Vote Often in the Best of Big D Readers’ Choice: Services Poll
Told you all about it Friday. Now go cast your ballot.
Leading Off (5/24/10)
1. Sheriff Lupe Valdez got a big check from a bad man, namely Alan Todd May, a career criminal who was recently sued by the feds for running a ponzi scheme (allegedly) and has spent upwards of 20 total years in jail. Valdez is outraged, of course, and they’ll likely make a big show of returning the check. But the question the article doesn’t answer, and what I don’t understand: why is Todd May so interested in supporting Valdez? The piece doesn’t mention other local contributions, and it says that he hasn’t given a penny to statewide candidates in over two decades.
2. The moral of this story: when you are offered a university scholarship, get it in writing. Highland Park’s Emily Hairston thought SMU Soccer Coach Brent Erwin offered her close to a full-ride, but then in December a bill for a whopping $25K arrived. Hairston is now suing the school. And while NCAA statutes specifically state that oral scholarship offers are non-binding, they also say that student athletes with only oral commitments from the university can not recruit other prospective students on behalf of the university, which Hairston claims she has. Sounds like another sports mess is brewing at SMU.
3. Listen, LeBron isn’t coming to Dallas. Charles Barkley said it. And I’m not arguing with Sir Charles.
Mario, Were We at the Same Sting Concert?
Hey, Zac, did you read Mario’s review of Sting’s concert at the Winspear last night for the North Texas XLV Kick-off Concert Series? Maybe I’ve been to too many Tony Bennett concerts, but it sorta surprised me that at one point female audience members poured on to the Skokos stage dancing and surrounding the Brit. Don’t ya think Mario would have mentioned it? Maybe he stepped out for a glass of champagne and missed that part of the concert.
BTW, I checked with an usher and so far none of the Dallas Opera performances has experienced audience members joining the cast on stage for an aria. . . yet.
Aikman Hints at North Texas Super Bowl Concert 3 Headliner Tonight
Before Sting appeared at the Winspear tonight for the North Texas Super Bowl Concert Part II, Troy Aikman told the audience that the performer for concert #3 on Sept. 10 at Cowboys Stadium would be announced in three weeks. Evidently the headliner wants to make the announcement.
But Troy did give a couple of hints:
- It’s a male or female performer. (That knocks out Alvin and the Chipmunks)
- S/he has sold over 40 million albums.
Heard such names as Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Springsteen and Elton John mentioned by folks leaving the Sting concert, that was very over the top. At one point the stage was filled with ladies from the audience enthusiastically joining Sting, who didn’t seem to mind sharing the spotlight.
Will the District Attorney’s Office Go After Al Hill III?
Some more information has come trickling in about the Hill settlement. Still no one involved will say what the final figure was, but I’m now thinking it’s less than the $125 million I originally guessed. Much less. Just guesswork. So take that for what it’s worth.
There’s another question about this whole clustercuss that has yet to be answered: will the DA’s office go after Al Hill III and his wife, Erin, for shenanigans related to the house in which they live? I know that folks from the DA’s office have interviewed relatives about the matter, which breaks down like this: in 2004, the Hills sold 80 percent of their Bordeaux Avenue home to a Hunt family trust for $3,100,000, according to court filings. But then, in April 2009, the Hills took out a $500,000 home equity loan on the house at 6.5 percent — without letting the Hunt trust (meaning Hill’s father, Al Hill Jr.) know about it. The loan, made by OmniAmerican Bank, was secured by the entirety of the property. I’ve got a copy of the loan application. On it, the husband and wife indicate they own the house. All of it. Not to put too fine a point on it, then, but Erin and Al Hill took out a loan against a house they didn’t (really) own.
I asked Jamille Bradfield, spokeswoman for the DA, whether her office was pursuing a case against the Hills. She said, “I can neither confirm nor deny whether the District Attorney’s Office is pursuing a case against these individuals.” Sounds like a maybe.
Let’s Call a Dallas Observer Massage Ad
Not sure how long it’ll take before I tire of this. But last week I started what sounded like a good idea for a regular Friday feature. Here’s this week’s installment, wherein I figure out what, exactly, a massage “for mature men” means. Let me know in the comments if this concept should live or die.
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Teddy’s Room in Uptown Dallas Honors Roosevelt
There are deer heads mounted on the wall — but strangely not a Bull Moose in sight — at Teddy’s Room, a new burlesque lounge in Uptown.
Our nightlife editor, Christine Sracic, has a first-take review.
Mark Stuertz Loses His Mind in an Entertaining Fashion
So I’m catching up on my SideDish reading because I just hung up with Uncle Nancy, and she was explaining to me why she has to go to the doctor this morning. She burned her eyes taking pictures for this post. No joke. That’s what I call sacrificing for your art. Anyway, all that catching up brought me to the below video, produced by former Dallas Observer food critic Mark Stuertz. I found it oddly hypnotic.
What To Do in Dallas This Weekend: May 21–23, 2010
There’s so much to do this weekend. But I’m pretty fired up for tonight.
1. Vanilla Ice is playing at Trees. It’s free if you get there before 10 pm. FREE to see Vanilla Ice. I know, I can’t believe it either.
2. D Magazine is throwing a super-fun Reading Room event at Legacy Books. The best thing about Reading Room events? Getting to schmooze with D staffers. Trust me on this one.
3. The Dallas Museum of Art is open all night long tonight. Yep, it’s not closing. So you can go at 3 am (and if you do, tickets are half-price). I can’t stay up that late but hopefully one of you will and report back.
Jump for the rest of the weekend.
Bill McNutt Has Completed His Community Service
In the June issue of the “print product,” we ran a story titled “Busted on the Hilltop,” about the strange case of Bill McNutt, who was arrested at SMU for trespassing. The odd arrest led to all sorts of questions about the guy’s past and about the curious manner in which he throws dinner parties. Well, right after our press deadline, I got a letter from McNutt’s lawyer informing us that on April 30, his client struck an agreement with the DA’s office to perform 24 hours of community service, at which point the charge against McNutt would be reduced to a class “C” misdemeanor of disorderly conduct. On May 7, after McNutt completed said community service, a five-month deferred adjudication probation was ordered. McNutt paid a $100 fine and $222 in court costs. If he keeps his nose clean for five months, the charge against him will be dismissed.
Words With Friends Creators Join D Magazine Tournament
Tim told you yesterday about the Words With Friends cover story in the June issue of D Magazine and the tournament we’re hosting to celebrate it. As your tournament director, I want to tell you just a little bit more about what’s going down.
We’re putting together a field of 64 fierce competitors to battle it out for the glory and honor of being named the 2010 D Magazine Words With Friends Tournament champion. If you’d like a chance to be among those that make it onto our bracket, register here. You have until 5 p.m. May 27 to enter.
Automatic bids have been granted to five members of the D Magazine staff, as well as certain local personalities from the worlds of sports, music, and media. I’ll be telling you more about who those are during the next week.
First up are Paul and David Bettner of Newtoy Inc. They’re the smart fellows featured on our cover. They invented the game that has become an obsession for millions. But apparently that success has caused strife within their own family: (more…)
Vote on the Best Services in Dallas in the Best of Big D Readers’ Poll Starting Monday, May 24
When you pull yourself to your computer the morning after The Most Important Evening in the History of Television, you’ll have a little sunshine to look forward to: our next round of the Best of Big D Readers’ Choice Poll starts.
That’s right. You’ve told us about your favorite places to eat and drink, your favorite bars and clubs, and your favorite shops. Starting Monday morning, we want to hear about the best places in the city for a variety of services. Just like our earlier rounds, you’ll have two weeks to cast your votes — once a day, every day — through June 6.
The results of all the Best of Big D Readers’ Choice categories will be published in the August 2010 issue of D Magazine. Make the jump to see the categories on the services list.
Leading Off (5/21/10)
1. So, the Rick Perry Shoots a Very Mean Coyote saga continues, with Austin attorney James C. Harrington filing a FOIA request for the pertinents in the incident. He has some questions, it seems, about the incident, and has asked for about 55 items that would put his mind at ease.
2. Dallas Morning News metro columnist Jack Floyd writes about her conversation with former Dallas Police Chief Terrell Bolton. Interesting, kind of weird read, but I do have one request: Please don’t use the words “happy ending” with “Terrell Bolton” in a headline ever again. Please.
3. Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert defends the city’s decision to spend $5M wooing AT&T because now all 700 executive jobs have moved to town, and the company has donated a lot of money to various North Texas charities. No word if the City of Dallas, with its budget shortfalliness, will become one of those charities.
4. This one? Chaps. My. Hide. You see, one of the ways the city is thinking about making up the shortfall is by charging more for extended neighborhood patrols. These patrols — which the neighborhood associations pay for — basically pay off duty officers to patrol their neighborhoods. Speaking from experience (I’m in one), I can tell you these patrols vastly reduce crime, and nobody really minds paying for something they should get already with their tax dollars, because of that drop in crime. But extra? Is the best choice really nickel and diming everyone on city services and programs, instead of just raising property taxes and charging all of us a rather straightforward, less than $20 extra (on average) a year?
5. So every time I read this headline about the Dallas County GOP having a “modest money bomb,” I think of this song. So it’s now the earworm for the day. You’re welcome.
Hanging Out at Kenny Goss’ and George Michael’s Dallas Joint
From the get-go, guests gathered last night at the stately old manse that art collector Kenny Goss shares here with British pop star George Michael could sense the place has a liberated, unconventional, down-home feel. Take, for example, the big picture of two naked guys in the dining room. (”Oh, my,” one matron gasped. “Sausages everywhere.”) Or the neon sign that reads: “George Loves Kenny.” Or the side-by-side images of the dynamic duo (shown in photo by Jeanne Prejean) that continuously change colors.
The sound system, meantime, was playing “Don’t Come Home a-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind)” by Loretta Lynn, then Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.” Joyce Goss, Kenny’s beautiful sister-in-law and executive director of his Goss-Michael Foundation, said that was reminding her to update her brother’s taste in country-western. “I’ve told him I’m going to get him some of the music we grew up with in South Texas: Ray Price, Buck Owens, Freddy Fender,” Joyce said. “He likes the women’s songs, of course.”
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