Articles for July, 2010
TabbedOut Allows You to Travel Lighter at Bars
Never know where exactly you last left your wallet? I understand completely. Thanks to ATX Innovation and its TabbedOut app, that’s not a problem. We can now pay our bar tabs with our phones. According to this, most participating locations are in Austin, but we have a few in Dallas including Lakewood Bar & Grill and Trees. Here’s hoping the Old Monk signs up for the service any moment now.
What to Do in Dallas Tonight: July 27
Remember the Barenaked Ladies, those affable Canadians whose music we used to love even though the lead singer sounded like a Muppet? Well, they’re in town tonight.
(By the way, in honor of the band’s name, I’d like you to take a moment to evaluate your person and determine whether you need to see these people.)
Moving on. Many of you have dogs rather than cats (not everyone is perfect), and dogs don’t like being left at home alone while their moms and dads go to fun concerts. Assuage your guilt by taking Mr. Fancy Paws to Yappy Hour Tuesdays at The Living Room Bar. Sip something cool on the patio while your pup mingles with his friends. He’ll be happy, and a happy dog is a less-likely-to-devour-the-wooden-blinds dog. You might also try bribing him with something from Lucky Dog Barkery.
Conscience clear, you’re free to enjoy the show. Bonus points to those who can still rattle off the lyrics to “One Week” at tempo.
FB Field Trip: Dallas Vigilantes vs. Utah Blaze
On Saturday night, I had a chance to take in the home finale of the Dallas Vigilantes‘ first, not exactly successful year in existence. The Vigilantes, if you don’t know — and you probably don’t, since there weren’t many people there, and it was the biggest crowd of the season — is Dallas’ new entry in the Arena Football League, after the much more beloved Desperadoes folded in 2008. After the jump, my report.
Nerenhausen in June: “We’re Tracking Very Well”
If Mark Nerenhausen left his posts with the AT&T Performing Arts Center because of mounting financial pressures, he didn’t betray it in an interview with D CEO magazine late last month. We’d called Nerenhausen because an excellent source told us he’d received a weekend “emergency” call from PAC fundraisers saying they needed to scare up $8 million–and fast. Nerenhausen told D CEO that no such emergency calls had gone out from the AT&T center, and that our source must have confused the PAC with some other nonprofit group.
He also said the center was in decent shape with its $25 million first-year operating budget, that it was in the midst only of a “normal,” end-of-fiscal-year campaign to raise $1 million for that budget–and was already 74 percent of the way there. “We’re tracking very well against our budget,” he said, “and we will improve over time.” While the economic climate remained challenging–indeed, fundraising for the center’s $30 million remaining “capital campaign” has slowed to a trickle–the center was holding its own and there were no real surprises, Nerenhausen concluded. The PAC anticipated operating losses for its first three years, he said.
What My 19-Year-Old Shadow Thinks of the Publishing Game
Today I have the pleasure of having a young man by the name of John Michel, a recent grad of the vaunted St. Mark’s School of Texas, follow me around all day. He’ll be going to Dartmouth next year. So I guess he thinks a day at D Magazine will give him some sort of insight into the world of publishing. We’ll get an update from him later today, but here are his thoughts going into his understudy.
The newspaper staff consumed a significant portion of my time in high school. I was news editor and editorial director for my junior and senior years respectively, so I’m familiar — or at least I think I’m familiar — with the strictly journalistic side of the process: reporting, writing, editing, designing, delegating tasks to younger staff members, etc. It’s my impression, though, that professional journalism presents a new set of challenges and is vastly different from its high school equivalent; I’d like to learn the goals, difficulties, risks, and advantages of magazine production. After leafing through a couple of issues of D, despite the obvious discrepancies from the type of journalism I’m used to, I notice trends similar to what I’ve both seen in large newspapers and had to deal with in St. Mark’s newspaper: more alternative copy; less wordy, cumbersome stories; and lots of advertising. I’d like to know what it is that you do — where you make your money, how you find your stories, and how you advertise yourself, among other things. My guess is that the majority of your revenue comes from advertising, but that’s completely conjecture. I’m interested, too, in the most immediate concerns of the publication industry — how you allocate your time, how the industry has changed over time, how you hedge against any adverse changes, and where you think print publications are going in the future.
My prediction: this guy is way too serious. At the end of the day, he’ll consider this a waste of his time.
Tuesday Trivia: Mary, Merrie or Marianne?
Back in 1964 Peter Sellers and Angela Lansbury starred in The World of Henry Orient directed by George Roy Hill. Sellers played a narcissistic, second-rate concert pianist with two 14-year-old groupies. One of those teenagers grew up to become:
- Mary Suhm
- Merrie Spaeth
- Marianne Staubach
Here’s a clip from the movie. Wonder if she can still jump over a fire hydrant?
How Not To Rob A Walgreens: A Primer
Don’t bring a toboggan. Unless the Weatherford police spokesperson meant balaclava. In which case, bring one of those, but position it prior to walking in, otherwise you negate the need for a face covering in the first place.
If she meant toboggan, I stand by my first statement. They make lousy disguises.
FrontRow Film Series Debuts Thursday With Herb and Dorothy
As all you FrontRow addicts are well aware, last week we announced the first installment of our new monthly film series that kicks off this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. with a screening at The Public Trust gallery of Megumi Sasaki’s wonderful documentary Herb and Dorothy. Each month a different arts leader will choose a film that they believe people in Dallas need to see, and we will screen that film in an interesting, untraditional location. For the first screening, Brian Gibb chose the documentary that tells the story of the famed art collectors – a postal worker and a librarian — who managed to put together an important art collection without having the wealth of a Rockefeller. In addition to the film, we’ll have drinks, popcorn, and conversation. There’s more information on the series here, and you can find a trailer after the jump. To attend, RSVP to rsvp4@dmagazine.com. We hope to see you there.
Leading Off (7/27/10)
1. Texas’ first Michigan left turn — which requires drivers to first take a right, then make a U-turn — opens for business today at the intersection of Legacy and Preston Road in Plano. It’s meant to alleviate rush-hour congestion and so on. I will keep making Plano left turns, however: keep my foot on the brake when the light turns green and then, at the last possible moment, when the yellow light is as stale as possible and no other cars can make it through, I will gun it through the turn. Sometimes I will combine this with an L.A. left turn, wherein I do all of the above but when I go through the light, I stick my arm out of the window and give everyone the finger.
2. Is Mark Cuban serious about buying the Texas Rangers? We might find out today. His interest would make more sense if there were already a baseball team here that everyone loved and the Rangers had a more ridiculous name. [coughICEROCKETcough]
3. New Dallas PD cruisers don’t have dash cameras — which is good for criminals and rogue cops, but bad for the producers of America’s Most Dangerous Police Chases.
Uh-oh — Letter From I.R.S. in Today’s Mail
Just picked up the mail and there was the envelope with the return address that nobody wants to see — Internal Revenue Service. I started hyperventilating. Do I call Husband Unit or Much-Abused-Accountant? Decide to open envelope first and see how bad the news is. I thought we had done everything according to the rules. In fact according to national standings, we were on the verge of qualifying for food stamps. Then I calmed down a bit before I reached for the letter opener. It wasn’t registered, so they weren’t getting ready to haul us in quite yet. I slid the blade across the top of the envelope and (more…)
Naked Pictures of Martellus Bennett
Thanks to the folks at NBC Channel 5, I learned that there are nude pictures of Martellus Bennett online. Channel 5 makes it sound like a big embarrassment for Bennett, who apparently so pissed off a girlfriend that she leaked the pics. I don’t know, man. If I looked like this, I’d be happy to have naked pics of me all over the internet.
Mark Nerenhausen Resigns From AT&T Performing Arts Center
Big news out of the AT&T PAC. You can read the full release after the jump. But the crux:
AT&T Performing Arts Center announced today that it has accepted the resignation of President and CEO Mark Nerenhausen, effective immediately. Doug Curtis, the AT&T PAC’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, has been named interim CEO.
I’ve heard grumblings about the state of that organization. Let’s just say things there are strained. Money is tight (the city has not given the organization some funds it had counted on). This resignation would seem to confirm that. Let’s hope this is a small stumble and that Doug Curtis (and the next CEO) recovers quickly.
What to Do in Dallas Tonight: July 26
Welcome to your Monday. If you’re reading this, chances are you fought off the urge to take a personal day and are typing bravely away at your work computer. Well done. Now let us begin the important work of planning your leisure hours.
Tonight, after you’ve sated your appetite with a cheap taco at Lee Harvey’s, go hear English band Keane at House of Blues. They do not rock, nor do they roll, but they do play a decidedly pleasant mix of lyrical, piano-based tunes. Clear your mind of grievances and impending duties, and indulge your inner 15-year-old girl. This music is low-key enough that you should have no trouble winding down afterward.
Not keen on Keane? Find other options here.
Passing the TAKS After Failing It First Is Hard
… whether you’re skinny or not, or whether you’re pretty or not.
Let me preface this by saying that this story in the DMN has good bones. It’s an interesting story about how challenging passing the TAKS can be on the second try. It’s a story about how hard it can be to be both a high school student and a mom, and how hard it is to be pregnant and pass this test that determines whether you graduate.
That is compelling.
What’s not so compelling is the lede:
When Ebonee Manning looks back on high school, pregnancy seems easy compared to the math tests. A skinny, pretty 18-year-old, she has failed the state exit exam at least six times since her junior year. Four times since she got pregnant. Twice since she was supposed to graduate. Once since she gave birth to her daughter.
Does it really matter if she’s skinny or pretty? Would the story be less compelling if she was overweight and ugly?
Leading Off (7/26/10)
1. Score another win for the war on drugs. A 19-year-old was picked up in Richardson after a routine traffic stop and charged with marijuana possession. Too bad for the kid he also happens to be the son of a Richardson council member, so now in addition to the possible jail time and fine, his name and face are plastered all over the papers. Tough break, but I thought it was a nice opportunity for you all to chat cordially about drug legalization on this Monday morning. Just remember: What Would Rick Steves Do?
2. Speaking of unfortunate jail time, file this one under “what would Dilbert do?” A mother of three children is going to spend 27 months in federal prison for creating and submitting inflated invoices for U.S. army helicopters. The American Aviation office clerk, Lisa Michael Hall, says she was just doing what her superiors told her to when she created and sent manipulated bills to the U.S. government. Hall did not benefit in any way from the increased billing, but there was also no hard evidence that she was told to monkey with the numbers. So, Hall’s off to jail. Remember that next time you complain about your boss. Whoever Hall’s is definitely wins the worst boss ever award.
3. Sure Romo is wondering how great he is and Dez Bryant won’t carry pads, but there is no good reason to start thinking about football when your Texas Rangers took two of three against the Angels this weekend, extending their lead in the A.L. West to six games. Get thee to the ballpark.
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