Articles for June 10th, 2011
Great Mavs Video for Your Eyes
Stop what you’re doing and watch this right now.
Programming Note: Tune to Fox 4 at 5:20 Today
If you’re near a television at about 5:20 this afternoon, may we suggest that you flip on KDFW (Fox 4), where they’ll be reporting on our special edition of the magazine: Why Black Achievers Choose Dallas.
Robbie Douglas, previously part of the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, was our publishing director for the issue, and she’ll appear on the broadcast to represent our efforts.
This Week on FrontRow
Ahead of your weekend planning, catch up on everything that has been going down on FrontRow this week. In the world of theater, we have reviews of Undermain’s brilliant race-study, The Shipment, Broken Gears’ acting switcheroo, The Hand, and the lackluster Broadway musical, Billy Elliot, which landed at the Winspear this week. Also, The Shipment is directed by SMU’s Stan Wojewodski, and our own Liz Johnstone has the story of the former head of Yale’s drama school’s long relationship with the wonderful little theater downstairs on Main Street. And this summer we’ll be looking at the characters behind the local theater beginning with Lee Trull, the starving actor who landed his dream job. Oh, and have we told you about the dancer from Fort Worth who trained Natalie Portman and the boys in Billy Elliot?
In the art world, we have a review of Marcelyn McNeil’s lovely abstracts at Conduit, as well as this week’s gallery openings. Also, we’ve launched a new series this week that looks at a work from our local museums’ permanent collections. For the first installment, Courbet’s The Fox in the Snow.
Big happenings in the local dance scene this weekend with the debut of Bruce Wood’s latest project. But can the acclaimed choreographer fill the void for real employment for Dallas-Fort Worth dancers?
And, of course, we have reviews of the latest films to hit movie theaters, including Super 8, Beginners, Submarine, Blank City, and the seductive French historical drama, The Princess of Montpensier.
Finally, a couple of plugs: join us at D Magazine’s office on June 20 for a conversation about the local theater scene with a panel of local critics, as well as Veletta Lill and Stan Wojewodski. And don’t forget, next week we kick off the first installment of our latest film series, “Dallas, Outlaws, and the American Dream,” and we will screen Bonnie and Clyde at the Kessler Theater on June 16. More info on the series, including the ideas behind its theme, here.
Friday Fun: Beat the Heat Vicariously
In honor of Adam McGill’s late-great regularly amusing Friday feature, a game via the folks at American Airlines who have taken advantage of their dual stadium naming rights to create an iPhone shooting game. It’s rather simple. If you like the Mavs, shoot baskets for them. The 10 people who like the Heat will shoot baskets for them. Then, when the Mavs fans crush the Heat’s fans, we can claim we are better than them in all possible ways. Currently the Mavs are only ahead by about 100 baskets, so go.
City of Grapevine to Install Animatronic Gunfighters
Via Grapevine Texas Online, I learned that the Grapevine City Council this week approved the purchase and installation of two animatronic gunslingers to wow what I assume will be huge crowds at their new Convention and Visitors Bureau building. And I mean, why not? Got to spend those hotel tax dollars somehow.
But the report was sorely lacking in details. So I visited the council agenda to find out more about these custom-made figures, which will be named “Harris and Sam Bass.” An Ohio company has been contracted to create the figures, which are to be of thin build and between 6-foot-6 and 7-feet tall.
Harris is to have a thick, bushy mustache, like that of Grapevine CVB executive director P.W. MacCallum’s Uncle Steve. (Says so right in the contract). The designers have also been given Lee Van Cleef, a character actor frequently seen in old television and film westerns, as a model. Sam Bass is supposed to look, presumably, like famed outlaw Sam Bass. The cost is only $161,840.
They’ll fight each day for about four minutes, at noon and 6 p.m. And why doesn’t the city of Dallas have a set of these? Get on it, DCVB.
Here’s hoping they are as awesome as the Colonel Sanders installation the same company created: (more…)
Need Math Help With Dirk Free Throw Bet
I need help from someone who has a bigger math brain than I do. Last night, as Dirk was taking some free throws, I made a bet that he wouldn’t miss two in a row, and I gave 1,000-to-1 odds. I won a dollar. But was that a smart bet?
Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend: June 10-12
I have nothing pithy for you today. I know, I feel weird about it, too. But it’s the weekend and everyone is so happy. Let’s get started, shall we?
Friday
Brad Pearson for FrontRow recommends that you drop everything and go see Super 8 right now. He describes it as E.T. meets The Goonies meets Jurassic Park. I’ll let you guess which one of those movies appears in my top ten list.
Tonight, BarBelmont is hosting Richard Palomino for Latin-style jazz. They’re putting on free live music every Friday evening in addition to their Barefoot concert series. Jazz fans in general will like this— a bunch of local artists are lined up to play over the next couple weeks. Other genre-specific musical happenings include Eli Young Band out at Lone Star Park after the races. The concert won’t start until around 10:30 pm, but go before 9 pm to get in for cheap.
Marion Barber Puts His Hot Rod on the Market
He spent more than $130,000 building his 750-hp Impala with 24-carat gold rims. Now it’s for sale.
Law Man Walking: Nature Treks With Bill Holston
He takes nature walks. You read about them — with the idea that hopefully, maybe you’ll be inspired to do the same. Today Bill brings us an adventure in Oak Cliff.
Surfing Champion Andy Irons Died of Heart Attack in Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Hotel Room
Bethany mentioned a few weeks back that the cause of death for Andy Irons, who was found last November in a hotel room near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, was still undetermined.
Now it’s determined. He had a heart attack at age 32. A secondary cause of death was also listed as drug ingestion. The toxicology report indicated the use of cocaine within about 30 hours prior to his death.
Former Playmate Boots Up for Children’s Museum
Michael and Jodi Andretti
She’s a former Playboy “Playmate of the Year”–the first one ever to have a college education–and starred in Zebrahead’s video called “Playmate of the Year.” The former Jodi Ann Paterson was also in the movie Dude, Where’s My Car?, playing “Ramdar, the super hot giant alien chick.” And, last night, the woman now named Jodi Andretti was in Dallas for a fundraiser at Gilley’s put on by her husband’s Michael Andretti Foundation. The bash benefited the Children’s Museum in the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science and Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway.
Michael is the son of race-car driver Mario Andretti and a racing champion himself. He and Jodi tied the knot in 2006, making Jodi the step-mother of Michael’s son Marco (she’s just 12 years older than Marco, who’s also a race-car driver). When Jeanne Prejean took this photo of Michael and Jodi outside Gilley’s yesterday, Jodi expressed concern that Michael hadn’t had a chance yet to change into his cowboy boots (the dress code for the party was “Cowboy Chic”). Doubt if anyone noticed as they were all looking at Jodi, anyway.
DMN Says It Was Duped By City Leaders on Toll Road
Jim Schutze, of course, has already commented on the couple-of-days-old Dallas Morning News editorial that basically says, “We were duped by the bad politicians who told us the Trinity toll road picture was completely rosy.”
Specifically, Schutze (and well, me too, for the record) had a problem with this sentence in the editorial (italics of incredulity added by me):
This newspaper — and likely plenty of voters — took leaders at their word when they proclaimed that the highway could be built in the floodway.
Let’s take three steps back and just gaze at that sentence – hell, I’ve been gazing at it for nearly three days now, mouth agape. This newspaper took leaders at their word. Why? Why would you do that? Now, I’m not saying they should’ve wholesale bought Angela Hunt’s side either, not at all. What I am saying is that when you are a newspaper – the newspaper of record for the city, no less – your job is to do the opposite of take leaders at their word.
You dig. You fact-check. You ask tough questions. But take them at their word? Really?
And why now? Why this story in particular? Why not take Parkland’s management at their word? Why not ignore anything but what comes out of DISD’s PR department? The DMN can be like a dog with a particularly meaty bone when it comes to some subjects – why not this one, too?
Leading Off (6/10/11)
Mavs Take Their 3-2 Series Lead to South Beach. Yes. I know you want Zac to write something awesome about this and possibly this, and that I’m a girl and this is sports. Later, poppets. Right now, juice boxes for everyone!
Miami Heat: Misunderstood Heroes? Here is a story about how the media is really mean to Miami and doesn’t care that the Mavs are big jerks, too.
TAKS Trouble in DISD. Early 2011 TAKS scores indicate a possibly significant jump in schools rated academically unacceptable. How significant? There were seven. Now there may be 33.
Watkins To Lose Three. Dallas County DA Craig Watkins will lose three of his top prosecutors to private practice, it was announced yesterday. Leaving are first assistant Terri Moore, as well as Mike Ware and Kevin Brooks.
What To Do On Sunday. Duh. As for the rest of the weekend, it’s gonna be hot. So I recommend just standing in a pool of cold water with a cold beverage in your hand, and not moving. Until Sunday, that is.
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