Articles for November, 2010
7-Eleven Slurpee Unity Tour Leaves for D.C.
We dispatched Ryan Jones — whom I won’t call an intern, because he’s so much more than that to us — to see what was what today at One Arts Plaza when 7-Eleven launched their Slurpee trucks to discover the New World. Ryan tells us:
When Barack Obama made an off-the-cuff remark earlier in the week announcing his affection for Slurpees, you had to know it wasn’t just going to pass without incident. Because as soon as the president called the Slurpee a “delicious drink,” it sent a question spinning through the minds of 7-Eleven execs, which was relayed by marketing guru Laura Gordon at the company’s event to kick off its inaugural Slurpee Unity Tour:
“When the president says your drink is delicious, what do you do?”
Um, high-five?
“We’re taking it on the road!”
Ohhh, right.
So 7-Eleven decided the best way to cash in on some free publicity was to send five Slurpee sampling trailers across the country, handing out free frozen drinks in forty-degree weather. The trailers started today in Dallas, and they’ll trek through 14 other cities on their way to Washington, D.C., where they’ll show up as uninvited guests on the White House lawn and hope for an invite from the Obama administration for a “Slurpee Summit.”
The tour got started outside 7-Eleven’s headquarters at One Arts Plaza with a low-key event emceed by the aforementioned Gordon. She took control of the mic for about 10 minutes and rattled off all the prerequisites of a hastily done marketing campaign, including the token product-related adjective (in this case, it was “Slurpee-licious”).
And because 7-Eleven loves America, they’re being all patriotic about this thing. Three of the flavors that are making the road trip are named simply Red, White, and Blue. The money flavor is one that’s available only on the tour, called Purple for the People – purple, Gordon said, because it’s the result of combining red and blue.
Then the trucks swung into action, handing out free samples of Purple for the People to the people, but my decision to snap a few cell phone photos for the Front Burnervians put me at the back of the line, and I bailed before I got to taste.
If you want to follow along with the tour, 7-Eleven will be posting video from each stop on the official Slurpee Facebook page (facebook.com/Slurpee).
The Daily Moustache: Nov. 5
You can’t tell clearly from the photo, but I detect noticeable growth over Ryan Jones’ philtrum.
Thank you for joining us this week. Tune in Wednesday for the next installment of The Daily Moustache.
Waiting … and Waiting … for Animal Services Report
Almost a year’s gone by since it was announced that the Humane Society of the United States would conduct and submit to the city a thorough review of Dallas’ problem-riddled animal shelter and animal services department. And, there’s no report yet. Joey Zapata, the city’s code compliance director, said he expected the HSUS review to be submitted today, after earlier-forecast dates (Sept. 1, then mid-September, then early October, according to insiders) came and went. But, don’t hold your breath, Mr. Zapata. The HSUS says it won’t be turning in the report today, either.
Champion Surfer Andy Irons Found Dead In a D/FW Airport Hotel Room, Ctd.
Just came across this really great tribute video — featuring A.A. Bondy’s “Killed Myself When I Was Young,” a seemingly “too soon” choice, but more appropriate as it goes on — that has some poignant commentary from the man himself. Worth a few minutes of your time.
Kauai’s Favorite Son and Three-time World Champ Andy Irons has Passed Away. from Alpinestars USA on Vimeo.
Great Clements Murder Story in the Morning News
I’m a little late in coming to this great story about the Gill Clements murder written by Avi Selk and Erin Amburgey-Sood. Sometimes a story comes along, and we know the Morning News will get to it before we do, and we don’t care. That’s because — not to put too fine a point on it — the News story will suck. In this instance, though, I don’t see the point in pursuing the story any further. They nailed it. They didn’t just get the reporting done; they got the writing done, too. In particular, I thought the framing of the piece with the opening and closing scenes was rather poetic.
Cheers to you, Mr. Selk and Ms. Amburgey-Sood.
Things to Do in Dallas This Weekend: Nov. 5-7
Today marks the arrival of the weekend, which means the Texas Pet Expo is finally here. I’ve been waiting months for this. Don’t you wish you could party with me? Alas, you can’t. But you can do this:
Don’t Go Near the Majestic Theatre on November 10
I mean, you can and maybe you actually really want to, but I believe that it says somewhere in the Bible (or maybe it was my dream journal — in my defense, they are very similar) that when Sarah Palin, Governor Rick Perry, and Stephen Broden are all on stage at the same time, it can only mean one thing: the ground underneath the Majestic will crack open and then Phil Davison will usher us all into the deepest recesses of Hades. No?
Okay, fine, if you insist on going, here is what to expect:
Local Journalist Plays Right Into the Hands of Clever 7-Eleven Marketers
By now you’ve surely heard about the whole Obama Slurpee thing, right? Well, those crafty folks over at 7-Eleven are taking advantage of the free publicity and turning it into even more publicity. Today at 2, five Slurpee Trucks will pull out of One Arts Plaza for a cross-country drive to D.C. Along the way, they’ll be dispensing free Slurpees to the people, including a special Purple For The People flavor that will only be available during this stunt — which, I’m sure, media outlets across the country will promote as the Slurpee Trucks roll through various towns. Kudos to you, 7-Eleven. You win. (Full release after the jump.)
Leading Off (11/5/10)
1. Now that the election is over, the discussion now, apparently, is over which local party cares the least about corruption. Or the most. Whatever. Can we just agree that bodies in motion tend to stay in motion, that’s just what baseball do, cake is best when served as a cupcake, and the interest in corruption is nearly always higher when it’s not someone from your party?
2. Now that he’s been re-elected, Gov. Rick Perry rolled up his sleeves and got busy fulfilling all those campaign promises and looking for jobs and stuff. OK, not really. He launched his book tour for his latest, Fed Up. Which, by the way, is pronounced “Fed,” as in “I fed the baby oatmeal,” and not “Effed,” as in, well, yeah.
3. A family is suing Parkland because, while they consented to an autopsy for their deceased daughter, they didn’t want to donate her organs. But when it came time to bury the daughter, she had no organs. The hospital says they keep them for a month in case there are more questions. The family doesn’t accept that answer. But it also seems there was a language problem.
4. I had a friend whose car was so dirty that we once found an entire family of mice and a squirrel living in the backseat. It was its own ecosystem. But exactly how bad does it have to be when the police start to search your car and then call Haz-Mat?
5. It’s Friday. It’s supposed to be a lovely weekend. I’m getting an advance copy of Rick Perry’s book in the mail. I’m going to a NASCAR race. What are you doing this weekend?
The Daily Moustache: Nov. 4
Mere days into our Movember experiment, our guinea pig colleague Ryan Jones is sporting a wee bit of stubble. Early projections suggest that though he’s a couple of days behind, having only shaved Tuesday night, he’ll soon outpace other Movemberites in follicular output. “That subtle shadow will soon blossom into a wonderful ’stache!” predicts Raya Ramsey of ShopTalk. Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Let’s have a closer look, shall we?
Indeed, I do see approximately 0.8 milimeters of new hair, and the growth pattern appears regular and consistent.
We’ll see you tomorrow.
Five Dabney Coleman Movies You Should Watch On Sundays Instead of Wasting Your Time With the Dallas Cowboys
Why Dabney Coleman? Why not? One of them is actually based on the Cowboys, though it’s the one I’d watch last, personally, because 1) I just saw it and 2) it doesn’t hold up very well, unless 3) you like Nick Nolte which 4) I don’t like Nick Nolte.
Southlake a Lightning Rod For Lightning, Local Realtor Says
You know what’s sometimes hard to do when you’re a news reporter up against a deadline? Finding a source to parrot your preconceived notions of what might be a story. Luckily NBC 5 could count on their friendly neighborhood fulminologist meteorologist climatologist fireman home builder academic expert person who sells and installs lightning rods on houses person whose house burned down because of a lightning strike real estate agent.
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: Nov. 4
What a glorious fall morning, FrontBurner readers. Fix yourself a cup of hot chocolate—or use the coffee machine at work to make a poor-woman’s mocha, as I have just done (it is delicious). Now, on to the rest of your day.
Leading Off (11/4/10)
1. I didn’t even get past the headline and photo on this one before I got angry. A guy tried to buy some rims for his car. But when he got to the place, a gun was put in his mouth, his money was stolen, his car was stolen, and his dog, Impala, was stolen. Although I think people who steal pets are the scum of the Earth, I also think this guy had some warning signs: 1. He found the rims on Craigslist; 2. He knowingly took his dog with him to an area that “has a lot of dog fighting.” Regardless, I feel for him. Let’s find his dog.
2. Remember that time mom took you on a shopping trip and while she perused the aisles “trying on” clothes, you sat there and looked all cute and innocent? Well, she was using you as a decoy. Next time, be just a little bit cuter.
3. I know you’d like to hear about how bully bikers avoided prosecution and how a woman tried to shoot a cop thinking he was a robber, but I’ve got breaking news: pecan prices are rising. And now you know.
Obama on Slurpees: “They’re Delicious Drinks.”
The midterm elections are over, but the Slurpee meme doesn’t seem to be fading—which has got to make Dallas-based 7-Eleven happy. At a press conference today, in a rare moment of levity, President Obama was asked if he was going to invite speaker-in-waiting Rep. John Boehner to the White House for a Slurpee. (While campaigning, the President had often criticized Republicans for sitting around “sipping on a Slurpee” while the Democrats struggled to fix the economy.) Obama answered, “I might serve a Slurpee. They’re delicious drinks.” Here’s more from CNN—including a response from Boehner, who says, “The new ‘wicked apple’ flavor sounds awesome.”
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