Articles for February, 2011
How To Sell A City
Take tips, Dallas boosters. This is how it is done. (And not like this.) How do you adjust it thematically for Dallas? Contact Dorrough.
Leading Off (2/7/11) – The Football Fallout Edition
1. Super Bowl doesn’t break attendance record: Breaking the attendance record was a big part of Jerry Jones’ big dream for his Cowboys Stadium-hosted Super Bowl 45. How close did they come to breaking the record set in 1980 at the Rose Bowl? 766 short. Ouch.
2. Stadium screws 400 fans out of Super Bowl experience: Jim Sass of Milwaukee spent $12,000 on a Super Bowl package that included a couple of tickets in row 33. When Sass got to row 32, he realized there was no row 33. No, he hadn’t purchased a counterfeit ticket. The stadium had just failed to complete temporary stands in time for the big game. According to the New York Post, officials weren’t very charming about the situation:
Sass told The Post that when he looked around for help, “Some smart-ass from the NFL told us, ‘Hey buddy, don’t bother me. You’re just going to have to stand somewhere and watch the game.’
“My daughter was crying,” said Sass, wearing a Packers No. 12 Aaron Rodgers jersey. “If I was younger, I’d have decked him.”
3. Will we ever see another Super Bowl in North Texas again? This Morning News piece chats with some visitors to capture final reactions to the snowy Super Bowl. Problems listed: an empty downtown Dallas, the region’s inability to deal with the weather, the temporary seating fiasco, a poor ‘party plaza’ for watching the game outside the stadium, and the lack of public transportation in Arlington. But when it comes down to it, the shrine to Jerry Jones football, Cowboys Stadium, may save the day:
“San Diego is a dump,” [Anthony] Kafesjian said. “Los Angeles doesn’t have a team. New Orleans is a great place for the Super Bowl, but they’re about to have one. Why not Dallas?”
P. Diddy Makes an Appearance at His Party (Unlike the Other Celebrities Invited)
Melissa Rycroft was one of the few celebrities at the Fantasy Party hosted by P. Diddy.
UPDATE: Check out our fully-fleshed gallery of photos here.
I was a bit concerned about last night’s Fantasy Party hosted by P. Diddy. We all know how his first party went. And I’d heard rumors that Friday night’s party had been a bust. (Though when I talked to the pr people, they said 3,000 showed up the night before.) But by the time I got to the red carpet with tip sheet in hand, I was ready for quite the party.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
(more…)
From Jennifer and Tobey to Cameron and Adam, Hollywood A-listers Descend on Al Biernat’s, Leading to Record Revenues
Randy Jackson looked around a jampacked Al Biernat’s restaurant last night, impressed by all the star power in the room. “I’ve never seen so many L.A. people outside of L.A.,” Jackson said. The American Idol judge wasn’t kidding. At one prominent table, Gene and Jerry Jones and their offspring Jerry Jr., Stephen and Charlotte (Jones Anderson) were holding court with their guests, actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. Not far away, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler (currently starring in the flick Just Go With It) were breaking bread with folks from Sony Pictures and Moroch Entertainment. Meanwhile, beer magnate Barry Andrews and company were chowing down with actress Cameron Diaz and baseball’s Alex Rodriguez.
During the three-night (Thursday through Saturday) run-up to Super Bowl XLV, the popular Dallas eatery hosted a number of other athletes besides A-Rod (Sam Bradford, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Allen); Playboy playmates (Jaime Edmondson); media execs, and CEOs (David Holl of Mary Kay). After a disappointing start to the week the big-game build-up exceeded owner Al Biernat’s expectations by far, Biernat said, bringing in a record $100,000 in revenue Saturday (the “normal” Saturday take: $35K); $75K on Friday (vs. $30K) and $45K on Thursday (vs. $25K). And, it seems the L.A. glitter that so impressed Idol‘s Jackson is still coming through. When I called the restaurant to double-check these names and figures near noon today, Tobey Maguire had just walked in for brunch, apologizing for bringing along his own bottle of Pellegrino. He’s a guest of Dallas banking mogul Andy Beal.
Arianna Huffington, Seeking an “All-American” Experience, Parties With Maxim for Super Bowl XLV
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, isn’t exactly someone you’d expect to see at a big Super Bowl bash thrown by Maxim, the titillating “lad” mag. But there she was at the Maxim shindig at Fair Park last night, chatting up the media and posing for photos with Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on the red carpet.
“This is my first Super Bowl,” Huffington (pictured) told us, smiling gamely. “I wanted an all-American experience.” When asked who she was rooting for in Super Bowl XLV, she turned to an assistant and said, “Who are we rooting for?” The aide’s reply: “The winners.” “We’re rooting for the winners,” Arianna repeated. “That’s a good line.”
UPDATE: Guess Arianna wasn’t just in Dallas to party. News accounts say she met here with AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong Sunday and agreed to a $315 million buyout of The Huffington Post from AOL Inc.
Erykah Badu Was Super Bowl XLV Spinning at Grey Goose Lounge Friday
Erykah Badu at the Grey Goose Lounge
UPDATE: Check out the full photo gallery here.
There’s been some question about Erykah Badu’s whereabouts Friday night. Media reports had her supposedly MIA for the infamous off-again, on-again, off-again Prince debacle. According to Grey Goose Lounge insiders, there was never a doubt that Erykah would be at the lounge on Dragon Street.
“We knew that she was supposed to be performing with Prince that night, so we scheduled her for a DJ set at the Grey Goose Lounge well over a month ago.”
When the Prince concert was officially canceled, Erykah ended up “behind the turntables playing crowd-favorites ranging from Michael Jackson to Prince. She even took to the mic to tell the crowd she was feeling ‘fly like a G6′ while spinning the hit song from Far East Movement.”
Another not-planned turn of events for Grey Goose took place Saturday night. The evening’s host Jeremy “Entourage” Piven had to bow out at the last minute due to a family emergency. Entourage bud Adrian Grenier “stepped in (at the) last minute to take over hosting duties. ”
No wonder multitudes of people were standing out in the cold waiting last night to get into the Grey Goose Lounge.
Selling Some Audis at a Super Bowl XLV Party at the Rachofsky House
Johan de Nysschen
UPDATE: Check out our full photo gallery from the event, including shots of supermodel Marisa Miller, actors Hugh Jackman, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and Justin Timberlake.
If you needed proof that the Super Bowl is as much about commerce, celebrity and culture as it is about sport, you didn’t have to look any further than the multiple Audi Forum parties thrown this week at the art-heavy Preston Hollow manse of Cindy and Howard Rachofsky. Audi of America selected the couple’s super-modern estate to showcase its redesigned A8 sedan, which will be featured in one of tonight’s much-hyped Super Bowl TV commercials. Then it summoned some A-list celebs to reinforce the message that German-made Audi is luxurious, “progressive,” modern and cool. Just like … the Rachofsky digs.
Audi’s been associated with the Super Bowl for several years because it’s a “fantastic platform” to extend the car’s identity in this country as an “aspirational luxury brand,” said Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America, on Thursday night. All around him the monied Dallas art crowd—Kenny Goss and his sister-in-law Joyce Goss; Jennifer and John Eagle; Gina and Scott Ginsburg; Jaap van Zweden and entourage—were chatting and drinking and noshing, surrounded by the spectacular modern art the Rachofskys prefer. While Audi is the No. 1 luxury make in Europe, de Nysschen (pictured) went on, it’s outsold in the U.S. by Lexus, BMW and Mercedes. Thus the push to reach a mass TV audience through the Super Bowl—and via the brand’s association with mega-watt celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Justin Timberlake, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, all of whom would show up at the Rachofsky place the next night. (more…)
Super Bowl XLV “Once-in-a-Lifetime” Experience for Blind H.S. Football Player
You may remember hearing about Tyler Brown, the blind high school football manager from a small town in Ohio who made headlines when he suited up and scored a touchdown for his team last season. (Here’s a clip from the Today show if you missed it.) Well thanks to his family and some influential friends, Tyler and his McComb High School football coach, Kris Alge, are attending today’s big game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Tyler says attending the Super Bowl is a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” He’s a longtime Steelers fan whose love for the team deepened when he wrote a 6th grade report on QB Ben Rothlisberger (a native of Findlay, Ohio, which is near McComb) and afterward got to meet his hero. The two families subsequently became friends, and Rothlisberger makes it a point to stop by the Brown family’s restaurant, Tony’s, whenever he’s home
Alge (who’s my cousin) says being on the Today show was surreal. “They had limousines come down from Detroit so they could drive us 10 minutes to the high school for the filming,” he marvels.
Super Bowl XLV Sightings: Justin Timberlake and Hugh Jackman
Justin Timberlake betting $5 on the Super Bowl.
UPDATE: Check out our full photo gallery from the event, including shots of supermodel Marisa Miller and actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.
The Audi Forum proved to be a home run with celebrities who actually showed and joined in the fun. Besides Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Justin Timberlake was escorted by an entourage of gents who looked like successful undertakers. When asked by Extra!’s AJ Calloway if Justin was willing to make a $5 bet on the outcome of Sunday’s Super Bowl, Justin wondered why the bet was so low. AJ responded, “I don’t have Justin Timberlake money.” One of Justin’s beefy security guards snorted and laughed, “None of us do.”
Hunky actor Hugh Jackman opted to bring his wife and actress Deborra-Lee instead of the handlers and escorts. When asked his pick for the Super Bowl, Hugh said, “My heart says Packer, but my head says Steelers by five points.”
Super Bowl XLV Sightings: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore still enjoy each other's company.
UPDATE: Check out our full photo gallery from the event, including shots of supermodel Marisa Miller and actor Hugh Jackman.
Friday night the Audi Forum was in Night Two of its three nights of partying at Cindy and Howard Rachofskys’ show house. This night provided an opportunity for selected locals to mix it up with visiting celebs.
The Lovey Dovey Award went to Demi Moore in Yves St. Laurent and hubby Ashton Kutcher, who was all bundled up in a black watch cap, scarf and cowboy boots.
Ashton proved a perfect straight man for Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen. A member of the media asked Ashton if he had seen the new Audi Super Bowl commercial. He asked back, “Is it funny?” Standing on the sidelines Johan said, “It’s German. It cannot possibly be funny.” Even the media crews laughed at that one.
Super Bowl XLV Sighting: Hilary Swank
Phil Romano, Hilary Swank and Lillie Romano doing the red carpet.
The owner of two Best Actress Oscars, Hilary Swank hosted a Super Bowl XLV dinner party at Lillie and Phil Romano’s estate benefiting The Giving Back Fund.
Hilary proved to be a very smart cookie. Seems when she landed in Dallas this afternoon, her luggage was nowhere in sight. After a quick shopping stop, she opted for a “Don’t Mess With Texas” T-shirt and skin tight blue jeans.
Richie Sambora, Jerry Jones Family Bring White Trash Beautiful to Super Bowl XLV Fashion Preview
Models took to the elevated runways at Mi Cocina.
Never let it be said that the beautiful people don’t come out for a good party. Despite the closure of schools and advisories to stay-at-home Friday, the people who have makeup artists on retainer made it to Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village. Not just the same old MC. Nope, the Jerry Jones family had turned the place into South Beach for LOOK, “a Super Bowl fashion preview featuring Richie Sambora and co-designer Nikki Lund’s couture line, White Trash Beautiful (WTB).”
To say the place was jammed is putting it lightly. Surely, the Highland Park fire marshal must have been on vacation. The crowd was so packed that even body wedging through the crowd was challenging. But on such a frigid day, body heat was appreciated.
About an hour into the event, a call to arms from a South Beach-styled drum band drew all eyes to the second level. Down the stairs came the parade of musicians with sunglassed Richie in the center. In front of him was a tall fella in a white and brown sweater with no instrument except for his elbows and hands as he “encouraged” people to make way for Sir Sambora. (more…)
GQ Magazine Super Bowl XLV Party Brings Brooklyn Decker, Joe Jonas, Hayden Panetierre, Kurt Warner, and Many Other Celebs to Dallas
Hayden Panettiere
UPDATE: Check out our full-on photo gallery from the GQ Super Bowl XLV Party at the Hickory Street Annex on Friday.
Ok, well, I’m sure it wasn’t just the GQ party that brought the celebs to town, but it did get several of them here. It was a fantastic party with plenty of celebrity sightings. We’ll have an album up soon with photos from the party taken by something more advanced than my digital camera and iPhone. (Both died before the end of the party. I will be more prepared for tonight’s parties.)
Snowpocalypse Continues to Plague Super Bowl XLV
Of course the story last night at the GQ, Lacoste, and Cadillac party was the weather. At least, it was at the beginning of the party. Media was told to arrive at 8:30, but valet didn’t open until 9. Therefore some of us had to walk a block in the snow/ice/sludge. The planners were still preparing the Hickory Street Annex 15 minutes before the party. They realized that when they put heat lamps on the deck, the ice on the overhang started melting. Not wanting to repeat the incident from earlier in the day, they sent people to the roof with shovels to knock down the snow and ice.
NFL Players, Pete Coors, Blake Shelton, Uncle Kracker Rock Coors Light’s Super Bowl XLV Bash
Blake Shelton
About 5,000 people crammed into Billy Bob’s Texas last night, making Pete Coors’ bash one of the biggest parties of Super Bowl XLV week. The chairman of MillerCoors says he’s not taking sides in Sunday’s match-up. “Coors sponsors Pittsburgh, and Miller Lite sponsors the Packers, so I’m both a cheesehead and a Steeler,” he said. “We have great relationships with both teams. I’m not making any enemies.”
The party attracted a throng of NFL players, including hottie Matt Cassel, starting QB for the Kansas City Chiefs; his teammate, running back Jamaal Charles; NFL Rookie of the Year Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Doug Free; and Texas favorite Colt McCoy, now QB for the Cleveland Browns, who brought his wife, Rachel; and Bengals wide receiver Jordan Shipley, who had his right arm in a sling.
Other crowd favorites: Windell Middlebrooks, famous for his commercials as a Miller delivery guy; and Billy Bob’s owner Billy Minick. (More photos after the jump.) (more…)
Random Super Bowl Question
How many children do you think have been conceived AT a Super Bowl? Provide your reasoning.
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