Articles for May 2nd, 2011
Malcolm McDowell Says He’s Not That Scary
The DMN‘s Chris Vognar called Malcolm McDowell “pretty scary” in a story the other day, but the actorbest-known for his hooligan’s role in A Clockwork Orange says he’s far from a scary
guy. Even so, “I’ll take it. It’s good acting, isn’t it?” McDowell [pictured] said at a party in Dallas Friday night. “I think my wife is more scary than I am.”
The British-born McDowell doesn’t even think Terrence McQuewick, the Hollywood agent [warning: clip's for adults only] he plays on TV’s Entourage, is an especially scary character. “He operates in a sea of sharks. Hollywood is crazy,” said McDowell, in town for appearances at the USA Film Festival and Texas Frightmare Weekend. “I’m very fond of Terrence. In fact I would have liked him as my agent.
“Where Ari [Gold] is ego-driven and out of control, Terrence is more cultured. He enjoys the life of it, the wealth,” McDowell went on. “A lot of agents thought I’d based Terrence on them, but I didn’t. He was ballsy with Ari; he wouldn’t take any s*** off him.” McDowell said he hopes Terrence will reappear on the popular HBO series, which is scheduled to end with 10 episodes this summer after eight seasons.
Some Mavs-Lakers Pre-Game Reading
I’ll say Mavs in seven. Not sure what I’m basing that on yet other than my blind, almost dangerous devotion to them, and The Big German. Anyway, here are some others’ takes.
DMN: Death Good for bin Laden, Bad for Texas Murderers
Because of the newspaper’s high-profile stance against capital punishment, it was a little surprising to read today’s DMN editorial cheering on the swift dispatch of Osama bin Laden with almost-giddy praise. I mean, according to news reports, the president OK’d an operation to kill the terrorist leader without even giving the poor guy a fair trial! Some say the Al-Qaeda mastermind was the recipient of a Navy SEAL “double cap tap,” meaning two bullets in the head to ensure a rapid demise.
To be clear: President Obama (and his predecessors) and those brave SEALs deserve credit and kudos for hunting bin Laden down and delivering some old-fashioned, eye-for-an-eye justice. But it’s also instructive to learn that according to the Morning News standard, the “death penalty” (without a trial, yet) is good for certain people–namely, really evil tall bearded guys who are alleged to have offed lots of people–but bad for convicted murderers who’ve gone through multiple trials in the state of Texas. This will be interesting to recall the next time the paper starts haranguing supporters of capital punishment.
Behind The Scenes With Dallas Mavericks Creative Director Cash Sirois
This might not get you pumped, necessarily, for Game 1 of the Lakers/Mavs series. But it will get you thinking about it.
Just kidding. If the end doesn’t get you fired up, you are dead inside. And outside.
Things To Do in Dallas Tonight: May 2
Gigantic rain boots are not just for the Scottish marshlands. They’re also helpful for wading through downtown. In contrast to our gloom and doom, it’s a nice sunny day in Los Angeles, where our Mavs will play (beat) the Lakers in game one tonight. Now, I am not a sports fan. I somehow ended up at a Rangers game last Wednesday and when I couldn’t spot C.J. Wilson, the human male equivalent of a unicorn, I spent nine innings trying to help my friend find an apartment in New York that wouldn’t require black market organ donation.
That being said, I do actually like basketball, and I’d like watching the finals if my sparsely furnished apartment’s sparse furnishings included a TV. Which is why tonight’s watch party at the Granada sounds pretty perfect. Show up, sit down, watch the game in high-definition on a 30-foot screen. For free. For those who like to plan in advance, reserve a fajita dinner for $8 bucks (choice of chicken or beef, black beans, cilantro rice, and salsa) and they’ll save you a prime seat. Hungry for something else? Here’s a handy list of restaurants nearby. I’d do Gloria’s and just walk over to the theater closer to tip off.
Should you not feel like watching the aforementioned sweaty display of athleticism, maybe a romantic melodrama is more your speed. Join FrontRow for the third installment of their free film series, Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life at the Texas Theatre. For more things to do tonight, go here, and have a safe and happy evening.
Signs of the Times at W’s Dallas Security Gate
Besides two cop cars, three TV trucks, four radio-station vehicles, and a couple of AP people, it was pretty quiet this rainy morning at the security gate leading to the Preston Hollow street where Laura and George W. Bush live. If the police were there to marshal the crowds gathered to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden, they had an easy time of it, because, unlike last night, there were no crowds.
Just some little flags stuck into the ground nearby, a spray of red white and blue balloons, and a bunting-festooned sign on the gate that read, “President Obama Forgot To Say Thank You, President Bush!” Someone reported that the former president had left the neighborhood around 6:30 this morning and hadn’t been seen since. Oh yeah, there was one other item of note: a hand-scrawled sheet of paper lying on the ground, soaked from the rain and folded in half. When you opened it up it read, “Winning! Obama 1, Bush 0.
Los Angeles Lakers Beat Dallas Mavericks in 6 Games
The Los Angeles Times‘ Lakers blog has saved you all a lot of time and heartache by determining, via a NBA 2K11 video-game simulation, that the Mavs will fall to LA in six games.
But the Mavs will win tonight, 93-89.
The Mavericks shot 41 free throws, including 20 in the final quarter, while the Lakers got only 29 trips to the line. That sparked Jackson afterward to suggest Cuban bribed the NBA so that Dallas could secure the first game, since he was upset the Lakers secured home-court advantage over Dallas.
David Beckham Jets from Royal Wedding to Pizza Hut Park to Play FC Dallas
On Friday, famed English soccer ball-bender David Beckham was a guest at the Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey in London. From there he spent his Sunday in our own beautiful Frisco, Texas, where his LA Galaxy  lost to FC Dallas.
Those Who Care About American Soccer take Beckham to task for placing a higher priority on William and Kate than on his MLS teammates. Still, it appears that many fans showed up in a monsoon last night at Pizza Hut Park specifically to see Beckham:
The average crowd at FC Dallas games this year is just over 16,000. For this game featuring David Beckham, OBE, over 21,000 fans showed up. Oh yes, the guy can play like a drain, but the fans still want to see him. Then I probably need to pose as a financial expert to assess the marketing advantages that the mere mention of the guy’s name has brought MLS. And all the media attention.Â
So here’s my marketing contribution: Allow me to suggest that a unique opportunity has been missed. DB could have generated the greatest-ever publicity coup for MLS if he’d leapt to his feet in Westminster Abbey and pulled off his tux to reveal a Galaxy shirt. I can’t imagine that the Archbishop of Canterbury would have yellow-carded him, and, after all, royal weddings don’t come around too often, do they?
President George W. Bush Was Dining at Rise When he Heard About Bin Laden Death
I don’t know if I buy this story, told on a Star-Telegram blog, about how former President George W. Bush was at Rise restaurant in Inwood Village last night when he was informed of the death of Osama bin Laden. Something about the tale just doesn’t ring true:
Bush appeared relaxed at first. [Star-T reporter Chris] Vaughn’s 12-year-old son briefly spoke to the former president and recommended Bush try the lobster souffle.
About 8:20 p.m., however, “it got weird,” Vaughn said.
“We were leaving and noticed a couple of SUVs pulled up quickly in front of the restaurant, and the president came out,” Vaughn said. “He hurriedly jumped into one of the SUVS, and the caravan of vehicles took off.”
The anniversary couple thought it was unusual that the president left his wife behind.
I mean, a 12-year-old recommending the lobster souffle? Really?
Leading Off (5/2/11)
Osama Bin Laden Killed — The Local Angles: After news broke that Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces, about a dozen people gathered at the North Dallas house of former President George W. Bush (here’s some video of the revelers). Bush called the death “a momentous achievement.” Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson reminded us that despite taking out al Qaeda’s number one, “the fight is not over.” True that, echoes this Dallas Morning News editorial, “but it is a victory nonetheless.”
Southwest Grows By 25 Percent Today: The almost 40-year old Southwest Airlines will complete its $1.4 billion purchase of AirTran Airways today, which puts AirTran’s presence at Dallas-Fort Worth International Aport in limbo. Per the Wright Amendment, AirTran will have to vacate the airport if Southwest doesn’t want to lose gates at Love Field. But a spokesperson for Southwest says the changes won’t happen immediately.
Fires Worsened By Landscape Changes: It turns out humanity can take some of the blame for the Texas wildfire destruction. The fires, which have burned 2 million acres since December 2011 2010, were made worse by a combination of poor land management, urban sprawl, and the introduction of new plant growth that has changed the face of the Texas landscape.
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