Articles for October, 2011
Ticket Giveaway: State Fair of Texas
If you’ve been dragging your heels on a visit to the State Fair, well, knock it off. It all ends this weekend, and we’ve got your chance to win four free passes to fried heaven, courtesy of Chevy. All you have to do is click here, and fill out the Wufoo form to win by midnight tonight. We’ll pick a winner on Thursday.
Once you’re at the Fair, consider dropping by Chevrolet Town Square. As I said in this week’s handy guide, they’ve got charging stations for phones—a nice perk. But what’s even better is the chance to pick up a free VIP wristband for FrontRow Live on Nov. 3, which gets you exclusive event access and a cool swag bag. Since you’re joining us that evening anyway, why not? You can track down the wristbands at the Cruze and Sonic Launch Pad.
Update: Since these are physical tickets, winners should plan to drop by our office to claim their tickets.
Leading Off (10/19/11)
Get a Fountain Just Like Those at Fountain Place. Yesterday, Neiman Marcus released its Christmas book. The release comes two weeks later than last year as shoppers are shopping later. Some of the more extravagant gifts include a million dollar fountain (designed by the same firm that designed Fountain Place’s fountains) and 10 2012 Ferrari FFs worth $395,000 each. As the recession continues on, more and more of the gifts in the catalog are more reasonably priced (i.e. less than $250). Personally, I’d like the “woman-cave,” which is much like the inside of the bottle on I Dream of Jeannie.
Ferris Wheel Possible Downtown. Dallas County Commissioners want to bring a 17-story Ferris wheel to the middle of Founders Plaza. It would follow the same idea as the observation decks/Ferris wheels in cities like London and Paris. If all goes according to plan, the Ferris wheel will be spinning by March 2012. And if all goes according to my plan, I will have an I Dream of Jeannie “woman-cave” in one of those seats.
Game 1 of World Series Tonight. Right. So. I’m on the bandwagon. I’ve watched some games now. (Still can’t get the channel changer to work, but have found a good bar.) And I’m pumped for tonight’s game. Here are a few articles talking about things about tonight’s game. I’d love to give you analysis, but it’s difficult as I’m just relearning baseball terms. So read and deduce for yourself.
State Fair of Texas Picture of the Day: Oct. 18
Photo by Jason Janik
Check out our guide to plan your own trip to Fair Park.
And be sure to check off these items on the Dallas Must-Do List.
Laura Bartlett, Comedian, Will Decide Next Presidential Election
Laura Bartlett is part of a local stand-up comedy troupe. She’s pretty funny. And according to this Reuters story, she will be the deciding factor in next year’s presidential election. Because she’s also a mom who shops at Wal-Mart.
“Wal-Mart Moms” are, apparently, the new Nascar Dads, which were once the new Soccer Moms:
“To political operatives, Wal-Mart Moms are no joke. They’re defined as women with kids who have shopped at the popular discounter within the past month. They’re generally white and working-class, with almost half having household incomes below $50,000. And just how big a political punch do they pack? In an age when candidates scratch and claw for every 1 percent of the vote, they represent a full 16 percent of the electorate.”
Watch out for the prime demographic for 2016, which will be either Chili’s Tweens or Bank-of-America Step Dads.
Texas Rangers’ New Hand Signal Explained
My wife and I have assumed all season that the Rangers were trying to make their hands and forearms resemble a snake. As it turns out, they were going for a duck, as in “ducks on the pond,” the baseball terminology for runners on base.
How do I know? You can’t get a much more official source than this.
DMN Executive: In Three Years We Won’t Print Seven Days a Week
Mark Medici, the vice president of audience over at the Dallas Morning News, was giving a talk in Chicago yesterday when he apparently told the crowd: “we know in three years we won’t have a seven-day paper.” Looks like Dallas might soon look like Detroit, where both major newspapers are now delivered only three days a week. Follow ups expected over at Poynter.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Oct. 18
Awesome web intern Carol Shih has been writing a regular blog for SideDish called “Good Asian Grub.” Quite a bit of Asian grub involves seafood. I’m not a fan. So when I saw Carol’s post this morning, my first pre-coffee thought was, “Man, I want a waffle iron that makes fish-shaped pancakes, but I really do not want to eat a pancake that tastes like fish.” My friend helpfully reminded me that gingerbread men do not actually taste like people. Which made me think about the fact that gingerbread men definitely do taste better than gingerbread stars or moons. Which brings me to my point: it’s officially cold enough today to bake holiday cookies. Excited? I am.
Not ready to fire up the oven just yet? The Dallas Wind Symphony takes over the Meyerson tonight with a concert featuring John Mackey’s Hymn to a Blue Hour, billed as one of the composer’s more subdued concerts. Fun bit of trivia: Not only is Mackey a living, breathing human, but he also wrote the accompanying music for the Dallas Theater Center’s production of Twelfth Night way back in 2001. Don’t worry, though. Richard Wagner’s Overture to Rienzi fills the evening’s long-dead musical genius quota. You can still find seats on the orchestra level, and also in the upper tiers.
Over at the Bath House Cultural Center, the Echo Theatre kicks off their fall staged reading series featuring three lady playwrights. The theme is acting on impulse. As I’m sure you know, us lunatic females are prone to do every once in awhile. But seriously, folks. I know people hear the words “staged reading” and think, “boring.” I’m here to tell you that two of the best theatrical experiences I’ve ever had have been staged readings. Produced and directed well, they’re a fun way to see new work or something that you might not here otherwise with a unique focus on the strength of the script. Tonight’s play is Brilliant Traces, by Cathy Lou Johnson. It’s set in Alaska during a blizzard, in which a hermit responds to a pounding on his door only to be cruelly devoured by a rare Russian sub-species of the Yeti named Sarahpalinsnowmobilemonster. It really is set in Alaska, during a snow storm. The rest you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
For more to do tonight, go here.
The Other Arlington Team That Plays in October
So remember how Sunday the Cowboys actually looked like they were about to beat New England and its quarterback, Mr. Shinylocks Supermodelmarried? And then remember how the Cowboys just kind of didn’t win? Or maybe you plumb forgot that there was another team that plays in Arlington in October?
Well, now many (seriously, go look at a Google news search) are saying Jason Garrett has lost faith in his quarterback, Tony Romo, which led to conservative play calling Sunday by Garrett, which led to lack of cojones in the last quarter, which led to New England surging ahead to win.
Which leads to the question: If Garrett doesn’t trust Romo, what does the rest of the season look like? At this point, they could possibly still win the NFC East, but how likely is that?
DJ Prince William, DJ Sober, and Lars Larsen To Perform at FrontRow Live
We’ve added a handful of musical acts to our November 3 event at the Dallas Contemporary, and we have full details right here. You can get your FREE tickets to the event where you will drink FREE beer and eat offerings from five food trucks right here. And don’t forget to keep checking back with our FrontRow Live page as we add additional elements to our eclectic fun-for-all night. If you want a taste of what to expect from the new acts, download a set by DJ Prince William and watch Lars Larsen’s video for Neon Indian’s video “Mind, Drip” before checking out all the demo videos of his video synth on his website. See you there.
Stephen Colbert Uncovers Nefarious Conspiracies by Both WFAA and Mark Cuban
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Sport Report – NBA Lockout & Colbert Super PAC’s Ad | ||||
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Last night on his show Stephen Colbert reamed our very own local WFAA for failing to air his Colbert SuperPAC ad about the NBA lockout and how the owners are trying desperately to save the season even as the NBA players foil their valiant attempts.
But then he realized that it may in fact be Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who is ultimately responsible.
Top 5 Reasons For Texas Rangers Fans to Hate, Hate, Hate the St. Louis Cardinals
So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
—Sun Tzu, predicting a Rangers sweep in the 2011 World Series
Texas Rangers fans, you know yourselves. Now it’s important that you take a moment to come to know the enemy. I’m here to help.
I was born in Springfield, Illinois. There comes a time in the life of every child of central Illinois when he faces a decision that will shape the man that he will become, one which may very well be the single-most important decision in determining his life’s course. He must decide to pledge his heart to one of two Major League Baseball teams. I made the right choice. I chose the Chicago Cubs, and so I’m uniquely qualified to explain just why you should hate their arch-rivals: those smug, self-satisfied Misery-ians known as the St. Louis Cardinals.
Perhaps the very fact that the Redbirds are facing off against your beloved Rangers in the 2011 World Series, starting Wednesday, is enough of a reason. Nevertheless, I want you to understand that there’s so much more to loathe.
Leading Off (10/18/11)
Nolan Ryan: Rangers in Six. Obviously, not news that the team president picked them to win. But the guy does have a knack when it comes to predictions.
Exoneree Drops Lawsuit Over Compensation. The state comptroller wanted to stiff Johnnie Lindsey for four years of payment, since he was serving a concurrent sentence. But he ended up getting an extra $408,000.
Arlington Car Thief Hits a House With Bait Car. For some reason, the police didn’t deactivate the car, even though they watched him drive for 10 minutes. So, obviously that sting was a smashing success. (NAILED IT.) Odd detail: “He then drives for several minutes using his shirt to steer and then parks and gets out of the truck.” His shirt?
Fall Is Here. Finally.
State Fair of Texas Picture of the Day: Oct. 17
Photo by Jason Janik
Check out our guide to plan your own trip to Fair Park.
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