Articles for February, 2011
In-N-Out Burgers Photographed Guerrilla-Style for D Magazine Cover Story
D Magazine food photographer Kevin Marple went to LA to shoot pictures of an In-N-Out burger. His life will never be the same.
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: Feb. 28
Shocker: The Oscars were a total dud. And yes, I am testy about the best picture winner. I don’t want to talk about it. But our 2011 Best of Big D Readers’ Choice poll rises like a margarita-flavored phoenix (on second thought, ew) from the ashes of what might have been a truly unsalvageable Monday. Go forth and defend your holy grail hamburger, because unlike the Academy, we care what you think.
Forging ahead. If you haven’t had enough of silly love songs, sweetheart crooner Josh Ritter is playing this evening at the Granada. I’d let this guy serenade me any day. According to the concert organizers, there are fewer than 150 tickets left, so if you’re interested, hop to it.
For those feeling a wee bit adventurous, tonight also happens to be the pay-what-you-can performance of Matthew Posey’s Memphos! at the Ochre House Theater in Fair Park. I’ve been interested in checking out this so-called “metaphysical vaudeville show” since it opened a little more than a week ago, but I can be a little stingy when it comes to shelling out for tickets. Perfect opportunity. Expect knife-throwing, bickering, and a horrendous disappearing act.
And finally, celebrate the last day of Black History Month with Three Tales of Black History. Hosted by “Smash” Williams’ mom (AKA Liz Mikel), the trio of short one-person plays include a selection from Obituary, a humorous piece about funerals written and performed by local talent Akin Babatunde.
For more things to do tonight, click here. And don’t forget to vote. Once an hour, if you’d like.
Watch David Feherty Get Hit in the Twig and Berries
Seems I’ve been working pretty blue here lately. Oh, well. You’ll want to watch this video of sometime D Magazine contributor and CBS golf analyst David Feherty. I love his dramatic slo-mo collapse.
Vote in the 2011 Best of Big D Readers’ Choice: Food and Drink Poll. Once an Hour Until March 13.
I explained the importance on Friday. Now get to it.
Click here to tell us where to get the best Italian, the best dessert, the best sandwich, and the best breakfast in town (along with a host of other queries.) Voting in our food and drink poll continues through March 13. You can vote once an hour until then.
And if you visit our website on your smartphone (go ahead: type dmagazine.com into your phone’s browser) you’ll see that we have a fantastic new mobile version of our website that will allow you to vote while you’re on the go.
Having a drink at the bar while waiting for a table at Neighborhood Services? Vote for them for best French fries, best dessert, or best chef. Just had the most fantastic meal of your life at Nonna? Say thank you by supporting them as best Italian restaurant before you even walk out the door.
Then, while you’re voting on your phone, check out how easy it is to find nearby restaurants, bars, shops, and events through our newly mobile-friendly guides. They’ll help you better explore all that Dallas has to offer, and make you a more informed voter in the process.
And you better get educated. We’ll have voting on the best shops, nightlife, and services in town as well during the coming weeks. We need you at your best.
Demographer Says Tough Times Ahead for Texas
Last week, I noted that Dallas-area personal income had declined 5 percent during the 2000’s. Rice University’s Steve Murdoch says it is only the beginning of a long downward trend. The surge in Hispanic population (only 6 percent of which is undocumented or illegal, choose your term) will result in 15 percent decline in Anglo children in the public school system and a 213 percent increase in Hispanic children.
Unless the trend line changes, 30 percent of the state’s labor force will not have even a high school diploma by 2040, he said. And the average household income will be about $6,500 lower than it was in 2000. That figure is not inflation adjusted so it will be worse than what it sounds.
Compounding the problem, in my view, is a political system that rewards short-term thinking and posturing rather than preparing for the future. If voters judged mainly on performance and results, for example, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst — constitutionally, the most powerful state official — would not even be able to show his face in public. Instead, he is regarded as the frontrunner in next year’s U. S. Senate race.
Mark Davis Takes on Donald Trump
And both of them get it wrong. In yesterday’s News, local radio talker Mark Davis recounted his interview [reg. req.] with The Donald. Although the Nation’s Number One Publicity Seeker doesn’t have a prayer of winning the GOP nomination, Davis wanted to hammer a nail in his coffin. After asking him several times about the Iraq invasion, Davis triumphantly jumped on his answer:
Leading Off (2/28/11)
Hundreds of Dallas ISD Teachers Take $10K Buyout: About 500 teachers submitted their resignations Saturday, some sleeping overnight at the Dallas ISD administration building for the chance to get the district’s $10,000 buyout payment. That’s a nice chunk of change if, like some of the people interviewed in the DMN story, you were already planning on leaving teaching.
Cost of Building Roads Mortgages Texas’ Future: Debt service takes up an increasingly greater portion of the Texas Department of Transportation’s budget as the state agency struggles to pay for road projects despite the availability of funding. With the state of state finances being what they are, don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Bill Lively Says He Won’t Be Part of Next Super Bowl Bid Committee: Although the new symphony CEO says he won’t be a part of any future effort to bring the Super Bowl to North Texas (can you blame him?) Bill Lively does have some advice for future efforts, including keeping a cap on costs.
Looking at Tom Leppert’s New Campaign Ad
There you go. We’ll go point for point after the jump.
Dallas Voice: “Leppert Is a Fag Lover”
Coming a bit late to this, but over at the Voice they’re taking Tom Leppert to task for a recent tweet in which he (or one of his staff) wrote, “Another mistake from Obama on DOMA. We need leaders in Washington to stand for the principle of marriage between one man and one woman.” Says John Wright of the Voice:
Clearly, Leppert is anxious to distance himself from his record in Dallas, where he hired an openly gay chief of staff, Chris Heinbaugh, and appeared in two gay Pride parades. Being a big old fag-lover could seriously hurt Leppert in a statewide Republican primary, so he’ll have to work hard to prove how much of a bigot he is.
Orthodox Jews to Have Tough Weekend
Remember when Pamela Gwyn Kripke wrote about the North Dallas eruv in the January issue of D? Preston Hollow People’s Claire St. Amant is reporting that the eruv’s borders have been compromised.
Best of Big D Readers’ Choice: Food and Drink Voting Starts on Monday, February 28
True story: Not half an hour ago I was walking down Akard Street in downtown Dallas when I approached a couple of thirty-something gentlemen having a passionate discussion. In the 20 seconds or so during which I was within earshot of their conversation (as I passed them walking the opposite way), this is what I heard:
Fella No. 1: I’m telling you, it doesn’t compete.
Fella No. 2: I’m just saying the margarita I had at Primo’s is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
Fella No. 2: But if you’ve been to Maximo, there’s just nothing better.
Fella No. 1: <something garbled by the sound of a passing truck>
End scene
This vignette isn’t notable solely because it gave me a brilliant idea for my latest one-act play, To The Max — the story of two best friends who fall in love with a set of fraternal twins (one a shy chef, the other a hot-tempered bartender), set against the colorful backdrop of a Mexican restaurant in North Dallas.
No, it’s notable because it gives me the perfect excuse to tell you that our 2011 Best of Big D Readers’ Choice poll kicks off at midnight on Monday, February 28. (more…)
Random Question for a Friday
When will the next skyline-defining building be built in Dallas. Hunt Tower, One Arts — okay, you guys are wonderful. Museum of Nature and Science? Love you. I’m talking 40 stories. Trammell Crow Center (1984), Comerica Bank Tower (1987), JP Morgan Chase Tower (1987). When will we get another one of those?
Things to Do in Dallas This Weekend: Feb. 25-27
Oscar weekend! If the King’s Speech wins best picture, I’m going to get testy. Speaking of the little golden statuettes, it’s so hard for me to believe that Nicholas Cage actually has one. I’m resisting the urge to hurl. And getting ahead of myself.
Friday
Oh yes. Men in Black is tonight’s midnight screening at the Inwood. Not actually an award winner, either, but I’d stay up past my bedtime for it because I’m a sucker for aliens. I’m also willing to bet big money* that it’s more entertaining than last week’s extraterrestrial release, I Am Number Four. More like I Am Conventionally Attractive Yet Boring and Based on a Book by a Total Hack. Ahem.
Forgive me, but it’s going to be a very film-filled day. I passed by the Meyerson this morning on my way to work, and it looked like they were loading in for the first evening of the Masters of Film Music Series with Oscar-nominated composer/conductor George Fenton and director Andy Tennant (Sweet Home Alabama, Hitch). Attention Groundhog Day fans: Fenton did the music for that.
KERA President Uses Federal Funds to Argue for… More Federal Funds
Mary Ann Alhadeff, president of KERA, is a swell person. KERA is a swell organization. I am a devotee of 90.1 (and, yes, a donor). After perusing the IRS filings of KERA, I can see why Mary Ann is upset. The government has provided about 12% of her $15 million revenue for the last several years. Now that House Republicans have eliminated the $400 million budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, she’s got a major problem. I understand.
Still, her recent on-air appeals for listeners to write their representatives to repeal the cuts are unseemly, if not illegal. She is using taxpayer money to argue for more taxpayer money. She is also promoting specific legislation, a violation of the law governing non-profits, IRS Code 501(c)3.
Belo Changes Stance on Boobs, Now Digs Them
For as long as I can remember, Belo has refused advertising from strip clubs. You know, because they are so strippery. But a highly placed source tells me that Al Dia has now been given the green light by corporate brass to run those ads. English-language readers? They will still have to turn to the internet or the Phoenix-based Dallas Observer to find out which strip club has the best surf-and-turf lunch deal. But if you read Spanish, you’re good to go.
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