Articles for August 8th, 2011
Big Rich Texas, Episode 4 Recap
Only Style Network can make murder look fun and Texans look ridiculous, all in a single episode.
And, it’s true, a few cast members are growing on us including this week’s guest, the strip club lovin’ Tony Dorsett Jr.
The episode 4 recap is here.
Where To Buy a Dishdasha in Dallas?
It’s hot. I’m sick of wearing pants to work. My solution: a dishdasha (aka, I believe, a thobe). I’ve been talking to the internet but can’t find a place in town where I can walk in and try one on. Any advice from our Arabic FrontBurnervians?
Jobs Tom Leppert Can Do When He Fails to Win a Senate Seat
If you have fewer followers on Twitter than, say, Tim Rogers, who only ever tweets about Cane Rosso pizza and his reaction to week-old New York Times stories, you’re probably not exactly getting your message out. So, even though he’ll probably let this thing play out, it’s best to come up with some jobs he can do when it all falls apart.
Joe Tone Is a Cotton-Headed Ninnymuggins
When Zac Crain wrote a story for our July issue about the new Observer editor, Joe Tone, I did something that I now regret. Zac’s first draft of the story pilloried the guy. The lead, running 500 words, did nothing but describe, in detail, the exact nature of Tone’s doughiness. Later in the story, Zac went on at length exploring possible reasons why Tone’s toenails were so unkempt (he wore sandals to the interview).
When I got that draft, I said, “No, Zac. I don’t think any of this personal stuff belongs in here. From what I’ve heard, Tone is an up-and-comer in the Village Voice Media chain. Let’s play this thing a little more straightforward and focus not on the man’s billy goat hooves but on the state of the Observer and how Tone’s appointment might affect the paper.” That’s the part I regret.
On Unfair Park today, Tone takes issue with some optimistic figures circulating about the economic impact of UNT’s new football stadium. Fair enough. These sorts of things are always up for debate. Tone makes some good points. But then he conflates the (to his mind) lazy reporting about the UNT football stadium with a one-page ditty we ran in our August issue about relocating Rangers Ballpark to downtown Dallas. One day we were sitting around the office, and someone said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if the Rangers played downtown? We could walk to the game.” And then someone else said, “Let’s do some math and see if we could make it work.” Read the thing for yourself. This wasn’t reporting. It was a guesstigation.
After the kind treatment we gave Tone in July, this is the thanks we get? Well, the gloves are off now. I’ve entered Tone in our upcoming “10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas” contest. Details coming soon.
Is Michelle Beadle “Dallas Enough” To Discuss Here?
I pose this question not just because I’d like to meet Michelle Beadle one day, but also because she seems interesting and entertaining and she’s often involved in interesting and entertaining stories — many of which originate on Deadspin. Like stories about her feud with fellow ESPN personality Erin Andrews, or her relationship with NHL analyst Matthew Barnaby, or this newest one, about what she did not say to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers while drunk. She grew up at least partially in Roanoke, which she references every so often on the show she hosts with the unwatchable Colin Cowherd. She says her career started in a Dallas bus station. And she openly roots for the Rangers and Mavericks. That’s enough, right?
Spread Eagle Saloon To Open in Downtown
Proof that I'm not making up this name.
A lot of things have been opening up downtown lately. And I’m excited for each and every one of them. Yesterday, I discovered a new place that will open eventually. (I should have noticed it earlier, but I rarely walk along the backside of my building.) It’s a bar. And it’s called Spread Eagle Saloon.
Now, I’m not good at naming things. My childhood pet was a potbellied pig. I couldn’t think of a name. My mom asked what my favorite flower was, and I said roses. Thus, the pig’s name became Rosy. My first pet’s name was Flower (she was a rabbit). But as bad as I am at naming things, I think I could do better with my bar than Spread Eagle Saloon. But seeing the theme I apparently work with, it would have been Lily or something, so maybe not.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Aug. 8
I spent a good portion of my weekend (fine, 15 minutes, at two separate intervals, so maybe 30 minutes of my weekend max) pitching our city to a nice young lawyer currently stationed in LA, his cute actress girlfriend, and the nice lawyer’s mom, currently living in San Antonio. Because that’s exactly what we need more of here. You can thank me later.
Tonight, tonight. That’s a reference to the music from West Side Story, not a current Top 40 radio “hit,” by the way. Tei-An is celebrating three years in One Arts Plaza, and it’s quite a good deal. For ten bucks, you’re in for a night of live jazz (Hunter Sullivan, of course), sake, wine, Japanese beers, and lots of tasty things to try. They’ll even let you up on their fancy-schmancy rooftop patio, where you can gaze across this barren wasteland of oppressive heat admire the beautiful lights of downtown. The best thing is that the restaurant is donating a portion of the proceeds to ongoing Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. Nancy has extra info on SideDish (and a cute picture of Teiichi “Teach” Sakurai, the soba master himself.)
Speaking of restaurants doing good, Canary by Gorji in Addison is hosting a series of events benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation that will last through early October. Chef Gorji is leading a grilling class this evening that ends with you eating a three course meal and drinking wine. Twenty percent of the cost will go to fund breast cancer research and awareness.
For more to do tonight, go here.
Episcopal School of Dallas Trial Has Been Dramatic
If you’ve missed Claire St. Amant’s coverage of a family’s lawsuit against Episcopal School of Dallas, you’ve missed a lot. The following courtroom quotes have appeared in her posts:
- “I’m so [expletive] in love with you, my baby. I want you and that beautiful [expletive] in my bed each night, and I want to make babies with you.”
- “My boobies miss you.”
- “I’m having a hard time keeping my pants up. … My daughter says I shouldn’t say things like that.”
- “Father Swann, that is a lie, sir, is it not?”
Testimony from Stephen Swann, the school’s founder and headmaster, was scheduled to resume today.
Leading Off (8/8/11)
Questions Over Senator Royce West’s Business Behavior: Exactly what role Royce West will play in the ongoing investigation into the nefarious dealings of John Wiley Price is still unclear, but the most interesting part of this report in the Dallas Morning News this morning (sub. req.) about the state senator, a long time associate of Price and a powerful presence in local politics, is the section that breaks down his various contracts with government entities, particularly DISD and DART. West has already had his hand slapped for playing loosey-goosey with ethics rules. Last year the Texas Ethics Commission fined the politician for paying rent on an election office from campaign contributions to a company he owned.
Town Outside Dallas Shuts Off Water Supply: Yes, yes, yes, it’s hot. How hot? If we keep hitting 100 degrees through Friday, it will break 1980’s 100 degree day streak, the longest ever. It is hot enough to catch the attention of British papers, and now some fear the drought will persist into next year. But it doesn’t get worse than in the Kaufman County town of Kemp, where the city has turned off its residents’ water supply.
Michael Young Gets 2,000th Hit: It was a little dribbler down the third base line that Young beat out. Not sensational, but somehow an appropriate way for one of baseball’s most underrated players and a consummate journeyman to reach the milestone.
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