Articles for March, 2011
William Murchison v. Paul Burka
TexMo senior executive editor Paul Burka was up late last night, thanks to William Murchison. Yesterday on Dallas Blog, Murchison wrote in support of Gov. Rick Perry’s efforts to reform UT. Along the way, he took a shot at Burka, who has argued against what he sees as the governor’s ideologically driven agenda. Murchison’s post went up at 7:06 p.m. Burka responded at 3:17 this morning, suggesting he felt a sense of urgency that I find hard to understand.
Paul, that thing ran on Dallas Blog. It’s not worth losing sleep over — literally.
Leading Off (3/28/11)
Two Dallas School Board Elections Unchallenged. For the first time since 1974, this May’s Dallas Independent School District election will be uncontested. Observers believe the crisis in state funding has scared away potential candidates, because who wants a job where you know you will have to fire tons of people?
DISD could lose $86 million to $150 million in state funding, under the latest estimates, as the state looks at significantly trimming education funding. Dallas trustees say they will have to make some tough decisions in the coming months that could cost hundreds of employees their jobs.
Trustee Edwin Flores said the budget situation likely didn’t inspire people to run.
“Nobody wants to be sitting at the table when we have to pull the trigger on the budget,” he said. “This budget deal is pretty overwhelming.”
Inmates Have Plenty of Bars. Everything that we have outside of prison is also available inside of prison. Case in point: a recent escape by an inmate from a Beaumont prison has cast new light on the number of cellphones in state and North Texas county jails. The phones are used to plan escape, keep drug operations running smoothly, and, you know, update Facebook.
Local Businesses Care More About Baseball This Year. Sweet, sweet baseball. Welcome back.
Bret Michaels: Trump Urged My Suit Over Tonys
Billionaire businessman Donald Trump counseled rocker Bret Michaels to file suit against CBS 
Entertainment and others over injuries Michaels suffered at the 2009 Tony Awards, the Poison lead singer said in Dallas Saturday.
Talks to resolve the matter earlier broke down because, “let’s just say, they were pretty cold,” Michaels said, referring to the defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed in L.A. by his lawyers Friday. While Trump offered to intercede and advised him to sue aggressively, Michaels said, he decided mainly to ask to be compensated for work-time lost due to his injuries, which included stitches with a cut lip and a broken nose.
The singer, who starred on VH1’s stop-rated Rock of Love show and won Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice TV competition on NBC, had just finished performing Poison’s hit, “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” on the Tonys broadcast when a giant scenery piece was lowered and whacked him in the face. There were no safety warnings or precautions in place, Michaels said, and the broadcast could have been ”delayed” to avoid embarrassing him. “They never needed to show me getting hurt,” he added. “They didn’t offer to pay my medical costs or anything. … I’m sorry it came to this.”
Michaels, 48, discussed the legal dispute after being honored Saturday at a juvenile-diabetes fundraiser–he’s suffered from type 1 diabetes for 42 years–sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The singer (pictured in photo by Jeanne Prejean) was also scheduled to perform at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Dallas today.
Where to Buy Dallas: The Board Game
If you were inspired by last night’s episode of The Office, in which a few of the Dunder Mifflin employees played the board game inspired by the long-running television show, to get your hands on your own “TV’s Dallas: A Game of the Ewing Family,” Amazon is all out, but an eBay seller in England has got some in stock.
And if you were just inspired to watch the old show again, FrontRow reported yesterday that the Texas Theatre will be screening it all.
Deion Sanders Disses Dez Bryant
You’ll recall that Dez Bryant missed most of the 2009 season at OSU because he was being punished for having inappropriate contact with Deion Sanders. It wasn’t sexual. It’s just that college kids aren’t supposed to talk to NFL players. Anyway, point is, Deion was Dez’s mentor. Now Deion is saying that Dez is a liar and that he needs help, as evidenced by his behavior at NorthPark and how he later explained it.
Look. I totally believe Dez. The guys at the Apple Store were trying to throw out his aprons. He was stuck in the supply closet. The clerk had a knife. What was he supposed to do?
Things to Do in Dallas This Weekend: March 25-27
It is generally acknowledged that most people are not half as funny as they think they are. Personally, I find myself hilarious, but a genetic predisposition to bad puns do not a comedian make. Which is probably why I’ve always been envious of people who are actually funny…
Friday
…like the brave souls participating in Dallas’ second annual comedy festival. Stand up isn’t really my thing, but tonight’s schedule features a ton of improv and sketch troupes, which I love. The Belmont Transfer from Chicago, for example, is chock-full of long-form sketch performers who cut their teeth in the comedy Ivy Leagues — Upright Citizens Brigade, Second City, and The Annoyance, to name just a few.
All of the evening’s shows will take place at the Dallas Comedy House in Deep Ellum, so pick your comedic poison (this might depend on your bedtime: showtimes are 7:30pm, 9:30pm, and 11pm and tickets are still available for all three) and grab a bite at AllGood Cafe before or after. Just be aware that the restaurant closes at 9pm. For late nighters, there’s always Cafe Brazil. I’ll eat their pancrepes any time.
Accessory of the Week: Neill Skylar
Neill Skylar
Dallas is buzzing with film crews again. One of the TV shows being taped in the area is Most Eligible: Dallas for Bravo. Saturday five cast members were scene stealing at the August Alexander Fashion Show at Jet Ten Hangar.
At the ripe old age of 23, petite Neill Skylar is the youngest member of the cast. When asked what the show was about, she described it as being like Sex and the City but co-ed.
Her other screen credits include films (Tropic Thunder, Redline and Devon’s Ghost), music videos (Promiscuous and Stupid Girls) and television (CSI: NY).
The Dallas-Must Do List: Cinnamon Roll at Mecca
D Magazine intern Katie Minchew checked the list of Things Every Dallasite Must Do and discovered she’d accomplished on 10 in her lifetime. To remedy this situation, she’s tackled one of the more delicious challenges: enjoying a cinnamon roll at the Mecca restaurant. It turned out to be slightly more difficult that she’d imagined. Read about it on SideDish.
Leading Off (3/25/11)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Independence Park HOA vice president Eunice Grant was one of many who signed a petition to place no parking signs in the neighborhood, for safety reasons. Her neighbors didn’t cotton to that, and now she says they’ve poisoned her grass and trashed her front porch in retaliation, because, you know, nothing settles an argument faster than when adults act like adults or something.
Insert Random String of Characters Meant to Convey Cursing Here. Because, you know, the economy is great and nobody’s losing their job or anything, some Texas legislators would like to test everyone who applies for jobless benefits for drugs.
Here’s One Archie. I don’t know if he’s part of the famous duo, but Archie, Veronica, Jughead and Betty met up with Dallas Cowboys receiver Jason Witten in a recent Archie comics edition. Honestly, though, it sounds like he was a total buzzkill.
And Now You Know… I don’t think I’ve read a Bud Kennedy column I didn’t like, and this one, especially if you’re a Willie Nelson fan, is a good, quick read, too.
Song Stuck In My Brain For No Apparent Reason. Listen, I haven’t been near a radio in a week. But for some reason, THIS is what’s in my head. So, I need you good people to get it out. Suggest something else, quickly. It’ll need to be completely and totally mind-blowingly awesome, because the current song has been there for three days. Send. Help.
The Dallas Must-Do List: Eat CFS at Babe’s
D Magazine intern Courtney Foreman felt like she just didn’t have her life quite together, having completed only four items of the Things Every Dallasite Must Do. So she’s set out to change that: starting with some chicken-fried steak.
Dear Mark Cuban: Please Retire Mark Aguirre’s No. 24 Now
I have said this before, but the news that former Dallas Mavericks great Mark Aguirre collapsed yesterday and had to be rushed to the hospital (attributed here, vaguely, to a “clogged vessel”) has given my cause a renewed urgency.
If you are unaware, the Mavericks have only retired two numbers in their 31-year history: No. 22 (for Rolando Blackman) and No. 15 for Brad Davis. Obviously, when Dirk Nowitzki retires, those numbers will be joined by the Big German’s No. 41.
Aguirre’s case for inclusion is certainly complicated. He won two titles with Detroit after forcing his way out of town. He had a reputation for being, let’s say, mercurial during his time here. But he helped lead the team to its first Western Conference Finals appearance and, really, was a driving force in legitimizing the Mavericks, taking them from expansion status to league-elite level. He was a three-time All-Star, an offensive Swiss Army knife who could score everywhere on the court, the one thing opposing teams couldn’t really prepare for. If he was on his game, you weren’t doing much.
He was, as much as anyone, the Mavericks back then. So honor him already, Cubes. While he’s still here to enjoy it.
Barrett Brown Is Prepared for Some Nasty Comments
In any case, I’m putting up this post because after he read the story last night, Barrett said, “I can’t wait to see how viciously I get attacked in the comments by Anonymous.”
Have at him, folks!
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: March 24
Had Harry Houdini magically managed to circumvent a shuffle off this mortal coil the same way he managed to escape from a straight jacket, he would be 137 years old today. And for that, he gets a Google doodle. I really feel like that’s an honor worth striving for.
Lots of boozy options for you because, well, it’s Thursday and why not? Should you find yourself in Fair Park tonight, the Museum of Nature and Science, current home of animatronic dinosaurs and a freaking gigantic shark mouth, is hosting Beer and Bones, the first in what the museum hopes will be a series of adults-only (18 and up), after-hours events. Drink, dance, and admire rarely-seen fossils jailbroken from the paleo lab for the occasion. The dinosaur exhibit is actually the very first thing I went to see when I arrived back in Dallas, partly because I really love Jurassic Park, so this is a great opportunity for working stiffs to check it out.
The second thing that caught my eye is a wine tasting basics class at the Bailey’s Prime Plus on Park Lane. When venturing into the wild world of connoisseurship (I thought I made that word up, but Merriam-Webster says otherwise), it’s difficult to know where to begin. It’s almost like learning another language, what with all the vocabulary you have to learn. This particular class breaks things down by featuring six wines made from the six most popular varieties grapes (plus a selection of cheeses). I especially like that the restaurant’s fairly new wine director and sommelier, L.A. Perkel, is in charge of the whole thing.
Speaking of booze, don’t forget to vote in our Best of Big D nightlife poll if you haven’t already. For more things to do in Dallas tonight that don’t involve alcohol (we do have those, you know), go here.
The Dallas Must-Do List: Prove You’re a Local
The cover story of the April issue of D Magazine invites you to take stock of your existence. Are you fully leading the life you’ve always imagined? You’re in Dallas, Texas. Have you embraced that fact and taken advantage of all that this city has to offer?
By checking how many of the Things Every Dallasite Must Do you have accomplished, you’ll learn whether you’ve earned the right to call yourself a local. In other words, you’ll discover whether you’re well on your way to a life filled with passion and happiness, or if you’re stuck in a rut.
We make this guarantee: As you check off the items from the list, taking on experiences you’ve never imagined before, you’ll feel better about yourself. And you’ll feel better about Dallas. You’ll find that you never again complain about the city’s lack of nearby mountains or beaches. You’ll be a more fully realized human being.
And we’ve made it easy to view these items on your smartphone. When you visit DMagazine.com on your phone’s browser, you’ll find a button that takes you right to the list. Then…. (more…)
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