Articles for April, 2011
Breaking News: Dallas Stars Fire Head Coach
I’m told he was a fellow named Marc Crawford.
The Dallas Must-Do List: The Galaxy Drive-In
The Galaxy Drive-In is a welcome sight on an empty stretch of I-45.
We were almost to Ennis by the time my friend started getting antsy.
“Have you ever seen Jeepers Creepers?” she asked me. “Because I don’t wanna get Jeeper Creepered.”
I haven’t seen it, but I know what she’s getting at. We were heading south to catch a Sunday night movie at the Galaxy Drive-In (to accomplish my ninth of the Things Every Dallasite Must Do), and the rural access road that we’d just turned onto was especially empty at the moment. Not that Ennis is some bayou backcountry where the purtiness of your mouth is a common conversation topic. It’s just that it was dusk, and we’ve both seen more scary movies than is psychologically healthy.
But as I learned, hitting that countrified stretch of I-45 just means you’re getting close. Because a minute later, the Galaxy’s flashing roadside marquee came into view, with four massive, white rectangles – which turned out to be the theater’s four screens – just beyond it.
Nothing at the Galaxy is new. The buildings are small and dated, and most things could stand a touch of paint. But there’s something intrinsically nostalgic about going to a drive-in theater in the first place, so the wear and tear just adds a 60s-era charm. (more…)
Win Tickets to See Josh Groban, Who is Better at Life Than You
Seriously. But if the thought of attending his May 16 concert at the AAC doesn’t turn you into a raging green-eyed monster, head over to FrontRow giveawayland for the chance to snag a free pair of tickets. You have exactly two hours and four minutes left to enter.
Uptown Burglar Wears Evidence to Police Interrogation
Love this little story Dallas Morning News reporter Scott Goldstein tells about how police busted the guy who burglarized his Uptown apartment, even before anyone knew that the apartment had been burgled. After finding Goldstein’s laptop in the suspect’s bag, Officer Keith Coates called him:
I met him at my apartment. I checked around to make sure nothing else of great value had been taken. I also chatted a bit with Coates about my background, including the fact that I moved to Dallas after graduating from the University of Maryland.
Next, I headed to the Central Patrol Division to meet with a detective and reclaim my laptops. Minutes after I left, police called me again. They wanted me to check my apartment again to see if any clothes were missing. I asked why.
The suspect, they told me, was in the police interview room wearing my University of Maryland T-shirt. With that kind of evidence, I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising that the convicted felon provided a written confession to the burglary.
Let’s Play a Game: Tom Leppert or Fictional Teenage Girl?
So last week, I introduced a new game, one where you, dear, kind readers, must figure out which of three quotes I present are from former mayor Tom Leppert’s Twitter feed, and which two were from movies featuring teenage girls.
Last week’s answers, by the by, were: 1) Mean Girls; 2) Tom Leppert; and 3) Napoleon Dynamite.
This week:
1. If you and I went to Applebees tonight and we had their $20 dinner for two, we’d be fighting over four cents.
2. People go to school to get smarter, so that they can get a job. You already have a job, so it’s like skipping a step.
3. Do you know how popular I am? I am so popular.
So there you go. Now, which is which?
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: April 12
I know what you’re having for lunch. I’d claim clairvoyance, but really, it’s a no-brainer. Norma’s Cafe is giving away free grilled cheese sandwiches today at both locations. Bonus food freebie: the Ben & Jerry’s stores in Plano, McKinney, and Highland Village are offering free scoops from noon until 8pm. Go forth and be an American, because tonight you’re going to France.
Well, not really. But a tasting of rare Burgundy wines over at FUQUA Winery helps when playing pretend. It’s no big secret that I really, really like wine — I just haven’t had the opportunity to drink a lot of this variety because it’s outrageously expensive. And while Lee, FUQUA’s incredibly knowlegeable owner, says that you can find reasonably priced, similar-tasting Pinots out of Oregon, why not go for broke tonight with the real thing? Burgundy wines are steeped in tradition, from the methodology of production to the classification of the various vineyards throughout the region. Tonight’s line up consists of “Grand Cru” and “Premier Cru” wines, the top two tiers of classification, and Lee will provide various French cheeses and crackers to nibble on while you sip. There are only nine spots left, so call him ASAP to reserve your place at the tasting table.
Also worth your time tonight is Russian pianist Olga Kern’s solo performance at the Bass Hall in Fort Worth. Back in 2001, she was the first woman in over three decades to win the international Van Cliburn competition, which pleases my inner feminist enormously. To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of her triumph, she scheduled a couple of high-profile gigs around town — you can read Wayne Lee Gay’s glowing FrontRow review of her performance with the DSO last month here. There are tons of tickets left for this evening, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting a seat.
For more things to do tonight, you’ll want to go here.
Dallas ‘Spruiks’ Texas Hospitality as Qantas Prepares to Land at DFW Airport
That’s according to the daily The Australian, which writes about air carrier Qantas ditching its regular Sydney-to-San Francisco run to come to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport instead, starting in May:
Dallas tourism representatives are keen to spruik the fact Texans are friendly by nature and its airport isn’t as busy as its Los Angeles counterpart, leading to quicker processing.
And what recommendations does the newspaper make to visitors coming to North Texas, after talking to the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau:
As far as a stopover destination goes, there are plenty of activities to keep visitors occupied. You can see where JFK was shot and visit the Sixth Floor Museum in the old book depository building, from where Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired his gun, go to a rodeo or see the iconic US football team the Dallas Cowboys at the new $1.3 billion Cowboy Stadium, where the Super Bowl was held in February.
Do you like how even a mainstream Aussie publication doubts the Warren Commission’s findings?
Bush Institute Eyes Jump-Starting Growth
The likes of George W., Karl Rove, Meg Whitman and Lawrence Lindsey will convene at the Bush Institute this p.m. for a confab on ways to achieve 4 percent GDP growth. Tomorrow four Nobel laureates in economics plus Art Laffer will join in. If you’re interested, I’ll be tweeting the get-together here. At least until Wick or Tim ask me to quit writing so much about “Republican stuff.”
Controversy! NBC Channel 5 Anchor Kim Fischer Makes Down Syndrome Joke!
First there was the matter of the pole-dancing pictures on her Facebook page. Now Uncle Barky alerts us to the fact that NBC Channel 5 reporter and anchor Kim Fischer is making Down syndrome jokes on her Twitter feed. I demand outrage! And I demand it now! (In all seriousness, Fischer should know better.)
Can the Rangers Go 161-1 This Season?
I took some guff from commenters when I wondered whether the Rangers could go undefeated this season. Okay, fine. As it turns out, they will not go undefeated this season. But it’s time to confront the fact that the team has a distinct outside chance of going 161-1 this season. Think about it. Just a few years ago, Alexi Ogando was trafficking in humans. Until this year, he’d never even started a game as a pitcher. Now his ERA is 0.00. ERAs don’t get much lower than that. If Ogando doesn’t allow a run this season, that 161-1 record suddenly looks very achievable.
DART Buses Attacked on South Dallas Route
Yesterday, Jason posted an item about DART ditching part of one South Dallas route over safety concerns. But the release from DART didn’t say exactly why there was concern for safety. It said only: “The detour is prompted by safety concerns for bus operators and passengers and will remain in effect until further notice.” So I asked DART spokesman Morgan Lyons what was going on. His response:
“In the past year we’ve had about 30 incidents where people have thrown rocks, bricks, etc. at the bus. We’ve had operators hurt by those objects or glass broken by the thrown objects. It’s a portion of the route and it happens after dark. We did the same thing on a route a few years ago. We have previously suspended service to a charter school because of safety problems caused by the students as the rode the bus.”
SMDH.
Leading Off (4/12/11)
Mavs Down Rockets in Overtime. Read Jonathan Feigen’s column about his team’s loss in the Houston Chronicle. It’s hard to imagine a more generous, understanding assessment of a team that failed to make the playoffs.
Ron Kirk Endorses Mike Rawlings. The most boring mayoral race in forever rolls on. According to Gromer Jeffers (sub req), Kirk, who is the U.S. trade representative for Obama, said “he was making the endorsement as a Dallas resident, not as a public figure.” Similarly, today I plan to make passionate love to a passel of Swedish lingerie models, but I’ll be doing it as a Dallas resident, not as a husband and father.
Man Walks for TV Cameras. Our Urban Affairs columnist, Patrick Kennedy, was interviewed on Channel 33 last night for a story about whether it’s possible, given the high gas prices, to live in Dallas without a car. If you want to see some sweet B-roll footage of Patrick walking, check it out.
Arlington Marine Killed by Friendly Fire. From the Los Angeles Times: “In what appeared to be the first case of U.S. troops being hit by ‘friendly fire’ from a drone aircraft, two American servicemen were killed by a Hellfire missile after apparently being mistaken for insurgents moving to attack another group of Marines in southern Afghanistan.” One of the casualties was Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Smith of Arlington.
Richard Chiu Writes Us From Paris About the Statler Hotel
By now you know that the old downtown Statler Hilton has been sold. Finally. The Ricchi Investment Group out of San Antonio bought the thing from Hamsher International. But in late 2009, it looked like a mysterious fellow named Richard Chiu was going to save the landmark. Then, well, it didn’t look like that. As the hotel’s future grew murky, Brendan McNally wrote a story for us in June 2010. He tried to interview Chiu, with no success.
So it came as a bit of a surprise, when we received the following letter from Chiu today. It is dated April 8, 2011, and was sent via international mail from Warwick’s Paris office. Chiu takes issue with some points in the story. We stand by it.
Home |
Masthead |
News from D |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Subscribe |
Advertise |
Privacy Policy |
Customer Service |
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index