Articles for February 3rd, 2011
Those Joneses Are Oh-So Accommodating
Tonight Gene and Jerry Jones are hosting a dinner party at Jerry World for the NFL owners. Because GJ and JJ tend to do things in a big way, we hear they’ve arranged to have Will Smith Jamie Foxx and Jennifer “Oscar-Winning, Weight-Losing” Hudson entertain the group.
Unfortunately, Jennifer couldn’t get out of Chicago, so the Joneses sent their plane to give her a lift this afternoon.
UPDATE: Alas, Jennifer didn’t make it as planned. Thank heaven, they had a Fergie nearby!
UPDATE ON UPDATE: Just heard from the Dallas Cowboys’ Joe Trahan (not to be confused with the WFAA Joe Trahan) that Jennifer did make it to the party after all and “performed late.”
Jamie Foxx Will Host Sirius’ Foxxhole From The Bud Light Hotel Friday
Local boy-made-good/Oscar winner Jamie Foxx will guest host Foxxhole on Sirius at The Bud Light Hotel from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday. It’s an invite-only occasion. But if you’re a Sirius subscriber, you can enter a drawing for complimentary tickets. Follow the jump for deets: (more…)
DISD Schools Closed Friday
Just insane. Wow. DISD has already announced that schools will again be closed tomorrow. They’ve never given in to the weather like this before. That sound you hear is a mashup of teachers, who are wailing because they realize the school year will be extended by four days, and Linus Wright, who is roaring like one of the zombies from I Am Legend as he emerges from his grave to seek out Michael Hinojosa and remind him how the district used to do it back in the day.
Difference of Opinion on Why Attitudes & Attire Luncheon is Postponed Again
The Attitudes & Attire Luncheon and Fashion Show (pictured) benefiting women in need was scheduled for yesterday at the Dallas Trade Mart. Alas, it was postponed to Friday because of the Super Bowl Freezer. A&A’s pr lady, Heidi McKinley, just sent word that the luncheon has once again been postponed. The reason?
“Unfortunately, the Dallas Trade Mart remains closed due to broken pipes and flooding. Who could have predicted?”
Talked with the Dallas Trade Mart’s pr princess, Meredith Hite, who was mystified by the news of “broken pipes and flooding.” She replied, “I don’t know about that. We’re open for business. I’ll look into it.” Within seconds, Meredith was back on the horn reporting there were no broken pipes or flooding. Yes, the luncheon was indeed postponed but because of weather conditions. Regardless of the reason, the luncheon is now scheduled for Friday, February 25, at the Dallas Trade Mart.
So, Why Do They Have Super Bowls in Icy Climes?
While the adequacy of DFW’s response to the big storm is debated, Jerry and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell have issued their pronouncements: This week’s icy chaos won’t knock North Texas out of the running for future Super Bowls. Why not? Because there’s just too much dough to be made off attendees at JerryWorld, the conventional wisdom goes.
But, as an ESPN commentator argued yesterday, Super Bowls aren’t just about Super Sunday, but more like three- or four- or five-day festivals–like Mardi Gras. If shopkeepers and restaurateurs and cabbies and event planners and party-going fans can’t count on a decently pleasurable build-up to the game, why not just hold the thing in Southern California or Florida or Arizona every year, where there’s a much better shot at decent weather? (I know, every party needs a pooper …)
Win Tickets to XLV Party, Cont.
It’s not going to be held in tents anymore, but the XLV Party is still happening this Friday and Saturday. We have just a few tickets left. Go here to win them! The giveaway ends at 3 p.m. today.
Mark Cuban Will Never Own a Major League Baseball Team. And That Makes Me Sad.
My wife continues to nurse a grudge against him, but I was disappointed when Mark Cuban was shut out the bidding for my Chicago Cubs a couple years back. The guy seems to care deeply about fielding a competitive team, so I wouldn’t have minded him taking a crack at breaking the curse of the Billy Goat.
Cuban told The New York Times yesterday that he’s done bidding on baseball. At least until he feels a little love back from MLB, some sign that they actually want him as an owner. Baseball scribe Rob Neyer (who this week made the jump from ESPN to SBNation) writes that when it comes to pursuing a team, “Cuban’s going to finish last every time, because MLB doesn’t need his money and MLB doesn’t want an owner who’s already famous and won’t keep his mouth shut.”
MLB may not need his money, but they need him. Cuban, who grew up a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, should be handed the keys to that currently hapless franchise (which just had its 18th straight season of losing more games than it won, a record for any of the major sports). They should beg the Pirates’ current owners to sell the team to Cuban for a song.
Are All the Weather Forecasters Lying?
Comes news that we may get up two 2 inches of snow now. But have you looked at the forecast? They’re saying tomorrow’s high will be in the low 30s. Then, like magic, the high temperature is supposed to leap up 20 degrees for Super Bowl Saturday and Sunday before it again plummets 20 degrees, back into the 30s. I think Jerry Jones has struck a deal with the meteorology community to lie about how warm it will be this weekend, working on the premise that perception is reality. If enough believe that the weekend will be nice, then it’ll be nice.
A less resourceful billionaire might have spent a lot of money to build a giant flux capacitor that would change the weather pattern around North Texas. Not Jerry. Instead, for what I estimate to be just a few thousand dollars in bribes, he’s getting inside our heads. He’s using our brains to change the weather.
Well played, Jerry. Well played.
Fort Worth to Dallas: You Guys Shot JFK, Not Us
I just received a press release from Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. that made sure to mention the city’s new tribute to President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who, as we all know, was assassinated in Dallas on Friday, November 22, 1963. But did you know that JFK spent all of Thursday night AND Friday morning in Fort Worth without once getting shot at? No? Well, the folks at DFWI would like to remind everyone just in time for all our out-of-town visitors to decide where to spend their dollars.
Here’s the gist from the tribute website.
On Thursday evening, November 21, 1963, Air Force One landed safely in Fort Worth. Greeted by thousands along his route to the Hotel Texas (now the Hilton Fort Worth Hotel) downtown, President Kennedy and his motorcade arrived in time for a good night’s sleep before his morning speech at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Protocol was exact. Preparations had been made. Friday would go smoothly. …But the day that began with such enthusiasm for the future ended in tragedy, and the story of his visit to Fort Worth has been lost to history. Until now.
ESPN’s Mike & Mike Was MIA at Sundance Square This Morning
Have never watched ESPN until this week. I’ve discovered that I like “Mike & Mike in the Morning,” especially Mike on the left. Perhaps it’s been their bundled-up look in their mega-makeshift set at Sundance Square.
Woke up this morning to discover the boys had moved indoors and had shed their woolly scarves and down parkas. Sorta miss the Mikes’ shivering reports and the frigid backdrop.
Dallas Becomes Super Tent City
Despite the freezing temperatures and the downfall of the Cotton Bowl tent, Dallas seems to have sprouted tents on every street corner. Checked out one last night and it looked like the remnants of Ice Station Zebra.
Just wondering how they’re going to keep the party tents warm and cozy to satisfy big-buck-paying patrons.
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: Feb. 3
It’s officially the weekend. Consider this your cue to shake off those icicles as the rest of Dallas does the same (except for art museums and the like, which are still closed).
In case you’ve been living under a rock, I’m going to take this opportunity to tell you that there are so many parties going on tonight. Parties that will not be deterred by a little ice on the road. Make the impossible choice between the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, the dynamic duo of Deion Sanders and Jamie Foxx, and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from everyone’s least favorite trainwreck, MTV’s Jersey Shore.
I made my decision by multiplying the cost of the event by assumed amount of fun I’d have based on past experience, which turns out to equal the Flaming Lips concert/Jack Daniel’s Kick-Off Party at the Palladium Ballroom. I promise, the whole thing was very scientific. Tickets to the show are still available for purchase online.
Not feeling any of this? As always, we’ve got more, but beware once again of weather cancellations and closures. Our recommendations for pigskin-related events are here.
Dallas Observer Officially Becomes a Parody of Itself
If Jesus chose Dallas as the city in which to make His return to flesh because, in His words, “Dallas is my favorite city in the entire universe,” the Phoenix-based Dallas Observer would find a way to crap on the happy occasion. Evidence.
KXT Haters: Be Careful What You Wish For
Last week, Bethany lamented the falling standards of KXT’s playlist. But does the addition of more mainstream tracks to the rotation really warrant the ongoing Twitter backlash against the station? That’s what Christopher Mosley wonders over on FrontRow:
The reality is, if a radio station is playing 20 percent of what constitutes your personal tastes from last year, how are you not being served? What do you expect from a radio station – any radio station? Fifty percent of your tastes? Eighty percent? I would kill for a radio station that played twenty percent of my combined top ten albums and singles list from any calendar year since 1994.
Gene Simmons, Dallas Cowboys Salute the Troops at Super Bowl XLV Party
Jagermeister models
Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed
UPDATE: Check out our full photo gallery (taken by a pro) here.
Despite the ice, thousands of party-goers attended Gene Simmons’ Aces & Angels Salute to the Troops last night at Centennial Hall in Fair Park. (That last-minute discount ticket sale must have worked.) And there were plenty of Dallas Cowboys mixing it up with fans, including running back Tashard Choice and safety Gerald Sensabaugh—both of whom said they were glad to have the Super Bowl in Dallas, but not so happy to not be playing in the big game—along with wide receiver Sam Hurd and linebacker Keith Brooking.
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