Articles for March, 2011
Leading Off (3/22/11)
Cops to Drop Docs on Bryan McCann. The Cowboys cornerback says he wasn’t drunk when he was arrested at the downtown club Plush. Cops say otherwise, and they’ll release documents today to prove it.
Man With Fresh Face Strikes World’s Fancy. Dallas Wiens is the Fort Worth guy who got the country’s first full face transplant in Boston. He’s international news now. They’re talking about him in China. But everyone is going to be very surprised when, at his first press conference, Wiens pulls off that face and reveals himself to be — John Travolta!
Counselor Clashes With Court Over Caraway Tapes. Mayor Dwaine Caraway’s lawyer is doing his best (sub req) to keep the “Arthur and Archie” tapes away from public ears, but I still have hope that we’ll get to hear them. Please, Santa, bring me the WAV file. Or MPEG. Whatever format is convenient.
Irving Coach Tries To Tamp Down Tempest Over Tattoo. Irving MacArthur coach Suzie Oelschlegel promised her girls basketball team that she would get a tattoo of the team’s motto if they won the state title. They won. The motto: “We n dat thang.” The internet tells me that the motto comes from the title of song by a young man who goes by the handle Crunk Joo$e (who is entranced by his own bowel movements, apparently). Anyway, so a faux controversy has arisen over this tattoo. The DMN writes about it today (no link because that’s the way I sometimes roll with the paywall). But the hubbub got started with this Yahoo Rivals post. Oelschlegel hasn’t gotten the tat yet and just wants to focus on her girls’ big victory. Man, now I can’t get that song out of my head.
D CEO Snags Best in Business Award
A feature story in D CEO magazine about Dallas political-PR doyenne Carol Reed has been named a winner in the Society of American Business Editors and Writers’ 18th annual Best in Business competition, which honors excellence in business and financial journalism. In his article in the October 2010 issue, D CEO contributor Steve Pate wrote that “in the hardball world of Dallas politics and bond elections, there hasn’t been a cleanup hitter quite like Carol Reed. Not over the past quarter century, if ever.”
The Dallas Morning News also was honored by SABEW, which named the DMN business section one of the country’s best and gave top honors to the paper’s coverage of Southwest Airlines’ acquisition of AirTran Holdings, and to its Airline Biz blog. The journalism group also honored the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for its investigative coverage of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Fort Worth office. The awards will be presented during SABEW’s 48th annual conference in Dallas at SMU’s Collins Executive Center April 7-9.
Robert Edsel Clarifies Several Points From Our Profile of Him
In our March issue, Brendan McNally profiled Robert Edsel, who received the Texas Medal of Arts for Literature for two books he has written about the Monuments Men. The Monuments Men were GIs who retrieved paintings and other cultural artifacts stolen by Hitler during World War II. Edsel says that Brendan got a few things wrong in his story. In a letter dated March 4, 2011, he outlined the errors:
I just returned to Dallas from the Texas Medal of Arts ceremony in Austin and have now had a chance to read Brendan McNally’s article. While most of the article is correct, there are several material errors, including quotes that are misattributed, that I wish to bring to your attention. These errors reflect poorly on several people and, for that reason, I hope you will post my reply online alongside the article and print it in your next available issue.
As a preface to my comments, you should know that I was asked to fact check 24 specific items prior to publication, which I did in an email to Ms. Krista Nightengale dated January 17. None of the errors in question pertain to those items I was asked to fact check. I was not provided an advance copy of the article, in part or whole, to fact check.
My comments are as follows:
Chicago Architecture Critic Not Real Jazzed by Arts District
A hirsute FrontBurnervian passes along a link to a story by the Chicago Tribune’s Blair Kamin, who was in town recently. Kamin writes:
Is it a good idea to organize arts buildings in such a clear and concentrated fashion? Or does the more mixed-up Chicago way make better sense? I ask because, despite its impressive architectural firepower, the Dallas Arts District can be an exceedingly dull place. There are no bookstores, few restaurants outside those in the museums, and not a lot of street life, at least when there are no performances going on. Even some of the architects who’ve designed buildings here privately refer to the district as an architectural petting zoo — long on imported brand-name bling and short on homegrown-urban vitality.
I guess Kamin missed the restaurants at One Arts. But what he says about street life, sadly, is accurate. And while we’re on the subject, how’s that search for Nerenhausen’s permanent replacement coming? Eh?
Update (12:23 p.m.): Our Urban Affairs columnist, Patrick Kennedy, also took a look at Kamin’s story. Patrick is smarter than I am. He says:
[S]urely nobody wants to point out the elephant in the room regarding all of these predominantly privately funded monuments to themselves efforts towards revitalization like the Arts District buildings, Thanksgiving Square, etc. To improve these things as they exist within the urban context, to urbanize them, means to desecrate them in the eyes of the individual benefactors. We have to wait until they, ahem, move on, until we can fix them. I’ve got time. Harsh, I know, but cities live on a different timeline than do we. Future generations adapt what they’re given into something more useful to them. It is as true and inescapable as our own mortality.
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: March 21
Spring has officially sprung, which made for a pretty excellent weekend in my neck of the woods. I broke out the shorts, saw two excellent pieces of theater, and reconnected with a great old friend from high school who serendipitously lives right around the corner from my new apartment. Still, I woke up this morning to realize that most of March has flown by in rather spectacular fashion.
Some things, however, are timeless. A great piece of classical music, for example. The Dallas Chamber Music Society, which comes in right behind the DSO as Dallas’ second oldest civic music organization, probably counts, too. Their seasons are usually light on the number of performances, and heavy on talent. Tonight’s trio, made up of violinist Robert McDuffie, violist Lawrence Dutton, and cellist Ralph Kirshbaum, sounded like no exception. But I’m hardly an expert on this kind of thing, so I called up Candace Bawcombe, the chamber’s artistic director, to get the lowdown.
Vote Now, Vote Often For the Best Nightlife in Dallas: Round 2 of Best of Big D Readers’ Choice
You know the drill. For the next two weeks we’re accepting votes on the top nightlife spots in Dallas. You can vote up to once an hour through April 3.
Here’s where you vote. Or dial up DMagazine.com on your smartphone and click the button there to get started.
Get to it.
Leading Off (3/21/11)
Dallas-based AT&T snatches up T-Mobile. The Wall Street Journal “decodes” the news release to explain the merger, coming up with the reasons why, such as expanding the companies’ bandwith spectrum, 4G capacity, control of the market, and things that make Wall Street smile, like padded earnings and job cuts.
Mayors Must Appeal to Diverse Constituent Groups. Dallas’ three mayoral candidates may look eerily similar – white, middle aged males with high cheekbones and dirty-grey hair, cut short and combed over with some hair gel — but, Gromer Jeffers writes, they will have to piece together a coalition made up of diverse interest groups to win the office, including “middle-class whites, blacks, Hispanics, neighborhood groups, the business establishment and a significant number of so-called ‘aginners.’” And each of the three candidates are running three different campaigns: Rawlings as the CEO politician; Natinsky as the veteran council member and Leppert ally; and Kunkle the former police chief with a practical platform.
Fort Worth Woman Writes From Japan. The Star-Telegram asked 26-year old TCU graduate Jessica Fleming, who lives in Sendai, Japan with her Japanese fiancé, to write about her experience of the recent disaster. “Like so many important historical events, the real importance of the event is only developed after the events unfold,” she writes. It is a fascinating read, a unique and intimate look behind the headlines.
Construction Update: The Park
You can have some input on what type of restaurant goes in at the park. Intern Katie Minchew tells you how.
A rendering of the restaurant
A few (or all) of you may be in rage about the constant closures on Woodall Rodgers, but after seeing new renderings of the restaurant at The Park, that rage should die down a bit.
Shawn Fullam, vice president of retail division of Lincoln Property Company, is leading the search for the perfect restaurant to fill the beautifully designed real estate on the corner of Olive and the Woodall Rodgers service road for The Park.
Already, they have met with more than 20 local restaurant operators and are still combing Dallas for “the one.” They will have the restaurant selected by the end of the year, turning over the shell of the building by spring 2012 for a fall 2012 opening. “Our focus has been mostly local,” Fullam says. “It’s a local park so we want to talk to local restaurants.”
Fullam invites all you foodies out there to ask your favorite chef if they have looked into this project. Contact Shawn via email at sfullam@lpc.com. He is looking forward to hearing new ideas. —Katie Minchew
Stolen Cars on Commerce? Not So Fast
You know that story about stolen cars on Commerce Street that’s been mentioned here a couple of times this week? It just didn’t sound right, so I did a little digging of my own.
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: March 18
My parking garage was eerily empty this morning. Did everyone just have a completely insane St. Patrick’s Day and forget to come to work? Whatever it is, I’m grateful. I parked on level three instead of four, and three is my lucky number. Welcome to your weekend, everybody.
Friday
It’s Late Night at the DMA. And despite recent controversy, the evening’s theme might as well be innocence itself: the fantastical worlds of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to all of us as Dr. Seuss. For any adult fan of the rhyming man, I’d recommend pre-gaming (and nibbling) with the Savor Dallas Arts District wine walk and cutting out a little early to make it to the Fresh Ink talk by David Carter, who authored the pop-up versions of Horton Hears a Who and Oh, The Places You’ll Go. Carter will discuss his process and then help you make your own pop-up creations. Advance tickets are recommended if you want to be sure you have a seat, but when I called over this morning it seems like it’d be safe to just show up.
However, if you have little ones in tow, don’t miss David Slick, who holds not one but two Guinness World Records for juggling, in the atrium at 6 pm. Then go on a Dr. Seuss treasure hunt through the galleries, where I hear a real live Cat in the Hat might appear. All this, plus karaoke and music from Denton’s Doug Barr, all for the price of museum admission. Which is ten bucks or less, people.
Best of Big D 2011 Readers’ Choice: Nightlife Voting Begins Monday, March 21
After our wildly successful Food and Drink voting last week, we’re proud to announce that on Monday our second round of this year’s Best of Big D Readers’ Choice poll will begin.
You’ll be able to vote up to once an hour, including on your smartphone, through April 3.
The ballots will determine such important questions as: who has the best beer selection in town, where’s the best place to eat after midnight, and who’s the best bartender? All the winners will be recognized in the August issue of D Magazine.
FDIC Suit Bad News for Tom Leppert Campaign
Yesterday the FDIC filed suit against three executives of the failed Washington Mutual, seeking to recover $900 million because of “reckless lending.” Senate candidate Leppert served on the board during the period — on the audit committee, no less. Just two weeks before the bank was sold under duress in September, 2008, Leppert told the Morning News, “”The feeling is that there’s sufficient capital and good things ahead.”
You can write the campaign ad yourself.
Leading Off (3/18/11)
School Funding Not Getting More Gooder. The Texas Senate Subcommittee on Education Funding approved a 6 percent cut for education spending over the next two years yesterday. Under the model adopted yesterday, DISD would lose about 7.6 percent of its funding in the first year, and almost 9 percent the year after.
… But JerryWorld Could Get More State Money. Yeah. More. This is why we have a comments section.
Four Loko Is Not for the Childrens. Heck, I’m not even sure it is for the adults. True story: I was at a college football game, where I saw a girl pound four of them in a one hour time frame. You know what happens when you pound four Four Lokos in an hour? Muppet vomit. That’s what happens. Anyway, this lady gave her toddler some, which seems completely redundant, since all toddlers act as if they’ve already had at least one of these beverages.
Tony Romo, My Lawn Needs Mowing. Apparently, since there’s a lockout and all, some NFL players are taking second jobs. Twenty dollars, my mower, Romo. Forty if you edge and weed whack the alley.
Hi. It’s Friday. The weather is nice. I give you all permission to do your work on a local patio, with some sort of cool drink in hand. Or, you know, keep track of your brackets in D Magazine’s NCAA Tournament Bracket whatsit.
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