Articles for January, 2011
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: Jan. 25
Krista Nightengale alerted us all to the best job title ever this morning. From now on, please refer to me as Events Master — which automatically makes my job twice as cool as it already is.
Speaking of people who have cool jobs, how about those Mavs? They’re playing the LA Clippers tonight at the American Airlines Center. We’ve already beat them once this season, and there are still a few single seats left for the game in the $35 range.
At the risk of appearing to be a slave to my stomach, Frontburner reported yesterday that Monica Greene’s BEE (Best Enchiladas Ever) “Enchiladeria” opens today at 11 am, and lo and behold, it has! The Oak Cliff restaurant is fast-casual, so it sounds like the perfect place to shake up your lunch routine. Check their Facebook page for more information.
And finally, a movie I’ve really, really been wanting to see. Nothing stays at the Texas Theatre very long (bring back Carlos! Please!), so a lazy Tuesday night is a prime opportunity to catch Dogtooth, a Greek film picking up steam here stateside with an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language film. So regardless of whether or not you care what the Academy thinks— or what FrontRow’s Peter Simek thinks (he liked it, by the way)— this trailer looks crazy and you should check it out while you still can.
If none of these activities pique your interest, find more things to do in Dallas tonight right here.
Texas Instruments Running on All Cylinders
Not only were 2010 sales up 34 percent, profits were up 120 percent, for a 23 percent margin on $14 billion. The reason? Customers in 2009 allowed inventories to deplete, and last year they started buying again — a lot, apparently.
Ode To Candy Barr: Dallas’ Most Famous Stripper
Playwright Gregg Barrios over at the Texas Observer recounts the life of the woman who dazzled Dallas in the 1950s. He is the author of the play Hard Candy, based on her life.
A Little Seryn Tease for FrontBurner Live Party
Are you joining us Thursday for our FrontBurner Live party at the Granada? Would you like to begin getting in the mood? A law-practicing FrontBurnervian passes along a link to a Seryn download from Paste Magazine.
Dewhurst Will Have Problems in Senate Primary
Evan Van Ness over at the Texas Tribune says the sub-primaries (Tom Leppert vs. Roger Williams, Ted Cruz vs. Michael Williams) could determine the winner.
Dallas Personal Income Fell 5% During Last Decade
It was the fourth worst decline among the 28 top American cities, according to Wendall Cox at New Geography. The five best cities were Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. The five worst were San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Atlanta, and — big surprise — San Jose.
There might be several explanations for the decline. One, of course, is immigration, which is generally low-skilled. The second is the aging of the Texas population in general. The population sector 65 and older has risen faster than the state’s general population growth. Both phenomena depress average income figures.
A.H. Belo Stock Is More Expensive Than Facebook
That’s right. The New York Observer did some calculating and found that Facebook, valued at $50 billion, is priced at an astronomical 107 times earnings. (Apple is only priced at 18 times earnings.) But even more astonishing to the Observer, Belo is priced at 215.
Leading Off (1/25/11)
Woman Goes on 80 Dates, Doesn’t Find Love. It’s like a real-life Bachelorette. Lisa Linehan decided a year ago that she wanted to get married February 15. Well, it’s almost a year later. She has everything she needs for the wedding, except the groom. So she’s going to give her wedding away. Insert joke here about Tim cutting in front of deserving brides to get the wedding of his dreams.
Grapevine Brings Us an Awesome Job Title: Lego Master Model Builder. Cal Walsh studied to be an aerospace engineer. And he just landed the dream job and will utilize everything he learned in school. He’s going to be in charge of Lego designs at Grapevine’s Legoland Discovery Center. Basically, he’ll just be playing all day. Aw, it’s like working at D.
The Super Bowl Is in Arlington. Apparently people keep forgetting. And Mayor Cluck is trying to remind them.
Pedicab Service To Launch in Downtown Dallas
I’m told the new pedicabs will start ferrying customers between the West End and Victory on January 28. Here’s a job listing for the pedalers. Seems to me, people have demonstrated that when games at the AAC end they like to get the hell out of there. Yes, if there were more cool (and affordable) places to pass the time in Victory, they might linger. But will they hop in a pedicab to hang out in the West End? Or is the pedicab company hoping that they can entice people to park in the West End and then cab it over to the AAC?
Frito-Lay Goes Gay for Super Bowl Spots
A salty-snack-loving FrontBurnervian passes along a link to a Gawker post wherein you’ll find two gay-themed commercials for Doritos that are planned for the Super Bowl. Gawker asks if the spots are offensive. Being offended is now an American pastime. So, yes, I’m sure someone will be offended. As for me? I just think the sauna commercial is dumb. With all the humidity, there’s no way the chips would still be crunchy.
Update: The fine folks at Frito-Lay send along a clarification. “Just saw your post about the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest and it seems like there is a little confusion regarding what our plans are as far which ads will air during the game. Attached is the press release we put out at the beginning of the month regarding our finalist selection and call for votes. Also, here is a link to see which ads American consumers can vote for: www.crashthesuperbowl.com. The ads you profiled are not among our finalists and will not air during the Super Bowl. Hope this helps.”
Amy Chyao Will Be Obama’s Guest Tuesday
This month’s Person of Interest is Amy Chyao, a very smart 16-year-old. Though she thinks teaching herself chemistry isn’t a “big deal,” I do. And though she doesn’t consider herself a genius, I do. (And I’m not gonna lie, I was a little intimidated while interviewing her, especially when she started talking about nanotubes.)
Now comes word that Chyao is going to sit in the same box as Michelle Obama at Tuesday’s State of the Union Address. I’m sure she realizes that this is truly a big deal.
Troy Aikman and His Wife Split Up
Ordinarily, this matter wouldn’t concern us. As far as it is known, the couple is still married. That Rhonda is living in a different house is a matter perhaps worth gossiping about but not publishing. It feels a bit like reporting that the couple isn’t having a happy marriage. Really, that’s their business. They divorce, that’s a different matter. Aikman is a public figure.
But here’s the thing: he’s on our cover this month. Our subhead reads, “The football god on marriage, loss, and how he lucked into broadcasting the biggest game on earth.” For those who are aware of the Aikmans’ split — and it appears that many people in town have known since at least Christmas, when Rhonda did not appear at the annual Aikman party — that cover line will suggest that he talked to the magazine about his marital troubles. He didn’t. Zac Crain reported the story in late November and early December, before we knew about the separation. He didn’t ask about it, and Troy (understandably) didn’t volunteer the information.
That is one way our cover line might create confusion. The story itself, since it doesn’t mention the split, might also lead people to theorize that we worked with the Aikman camp to burnish his image before the news of the couple’s separation got out. That’s not true. We made no agreement with his people about subject matter that was to be avoided. On Friday, I asked Troy’s representative at Fox Sports for comment on the matter; that comment is still, I hope, forthcoming.
Dallas Asks for Texas AG Opinion on Release of Caraway Incident Records
As you, Archie and Arthur, may recall, earlier this month Dallas City Councilman Dwaine Caraway and the missus, State Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway, had a visit from the Dallas Police Department after Caraway called Police Chief David Brown over a marital spat that may have involved bacon and eggs.
First, he told reporters that Archie and Arthur had a fight over a football game, and he called the police to make sure it didn’t get out of hand. But the puzzling thing was the police report said it was a marital spat. Eventually, Caraway made a statement saying yeah, it was a spat, and you know, bacon and eggs when you wanted something else.
Now city officials are asking for an Attorney General’s opinion on whether or not they have to release the details of the incident, based on criteria that the information may be “highly intimate or embarrassing” and of “no interest to the public.” The Dallas Morning News has asked for the information to be released.
Now, I do get where it might be embarrassing to Caraway. But he called the chief of police for help, which is something your average tax-paying citizen can’t do. The police responded, took a report, and then Caraway sought to discredit them by telling the media that the report was wrong — and it was poor Archie and Arthur arguing over football. But do we, the public, have the right to know all the details of the incident based on Caraway’s actions after it happened?
I guess what I’m asking is this: is this really going to uncover some kind of malfeasance? Or is it just a way to rummage through dirty laundry for prurience sake? If it’s the former, I’m fine with it. If it’s the latter, well, it better involve showgirls and midgets. I mean little people. I mean, well, you know. It better be good.
Restaurateur Rejects Versace-Clad Rat Pack
Much of the uproar over prostitutes flooding into DFW for Super Bowl XLV has focused on the underaged. But some businesspeople aren’t crazy about shady types of any age hitting Dallas for the big game. The manager at one local high-end restaurant, for example, says he recently spotted a party “casing” the eatery’s bar area. “They were all in Versace, and the guys had real tight sleeves, with bulging biceps,” the manager says. The gals didn’t look like Junior Leaguers, let’s say, and one wore a tiny “LV” on the back of her ultra-low-cut blouse. “They said they were in town from Vegas ‘on business,’ ” the manager says. “We asked them to leave. We told them we didn’t want their kind of business here.”
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: Jan. 24
Happy Monday! Happy for me, at least, since today is my first day on the job here as events editor. Things to know: I’m an Irving native, a former D intern, and I’m recently arrived from that icy tundra otherwise known as New York City (and still unwilling to quit wearing my puffy parka — that sucker is warm). And if your morning isn’t quite as awesome as mine, well — let’s work on your evening.
First up, something definitely impossible to find in the Big Apple: dollar tacos. Dollar anything, for that matter. I’ll probably end up there after work, either tentatively celebrating a successful first day or drowning my sorrows if my boss, Jason, decides to give me the boot at the end of my “five-hour trial period.” He was kidding. I think.
If you’re a hipster, or someone who just likes indie music, artsy tattoos, and Chucks, go see Best Coast and Wavves at the Granada. You’ll be joined by like-minded people all pining for denim cut-offs and sunshine. Tickets are still available online and at the door for the same price, and it’s standing room only. Best Coast is one of those bands that you can brag about seeing live maybe six months or a year from now, before they really take off.
And as always, if you don’t see something to your liking, the rest is right here.
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