Articles for February 27th, 2012
An Honest Assessment of Tim Rogers’ Hat In That Post About Michael Hinojosa’s Golf Game
It’s terrible. Just terrible.
Organizers Pump Up Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Bash
Gail Thomas and the head of Victor Considerant
The Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” blasted over the loudspeaker. Channel 8′s Brad Watson interviewed event producer Todd Fiscus of Todd Events. An all-female mariachi band called Mariachi Rosas Divinas performed. And City Manager Mary Suhm was spotted peering over the side (looking for a body, maybe?). It was all part of the scene on Dallas’ newest bridge today when organizers for the upcoming Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Celebration let people know that this weekend’s really, really big show over the Trinity River will go on, rain or shine (in case of the former, the Friday portion will be moved to Gilley’s).
Think big, as in Lyle Lovett and his Large Band. A street fair, Aztec dancers, special films, a 5K run, fireworks, and much more. (One major caveat: just 6,750 people will be allowed on the bridge at any one time.) The photo shows Gail Thomas, president and CEO of the Trinity Trust, a celebration sponsor, talking about some of what’s planned in front of a giant head depicting Victor Considerant, an explorer who founded the French-speaking La Reunion colony in today’s West Dallas. Victor’s one of the 12-foot-tall puppets that will appear as part of Saturday’s Parade of Giants. The parade’s a highlight of Bridge-o-Rama, a West Dallas Chamber of Commerce bash that will complement the MHHB festivities.
Photo credit: Jeanne Prejean
An Honest Assessment of Michael Hinojosa’s Golf Game
The author with Hinojosa on the links
Sunday morning, I teed off at 7:30 at Tenison Highlands. The course wasn’t busy, perhaps because the temperature at that hour was just a few ticks over 40. So my playing partner and I went off as a twosome. By the par-3 fifth hole, the twosome behind us had caught up (our play having been slowed by the foursome in front). As the men drove up to the tee box in their cart, I couldn’t help but notice that they each wore a thick, luxurious mustache. Each had his own mustache. They weren’t sharing a mustache. If that’s the way that came across, I apologize for the confusion. Moving on: introductions were made. Their names were Joel and Michael, they said, giving firm handshakes. “Michael, as in Hinojosa?” I asked. Of course it was. Hard to miss that mustache. Turns out, DISD’s former superintendent comes to town every couple of weeks or so because his wife is still here (for now). They’re doing the long-distance thing. She periodically flies out to Atlanta, where he now works. Joel is Michael’s brother, and he’s been teaching him the game of golf. Michael has only been playing for three months. Here is my assessment of his game, after playing 14 holes with him:
Terrell Owens Makes Wranglers Debut, Faces Foreclosure
In case you didn’t notice — and chances are, you didn’t — embattled wide receiver Terrell Owens made his debut with the Allen Wranglers over the weekend. He caught three passes (all three for touchdowns) and was named the Player of the Game, despite not touching the ball in the second half. See highlights here. While some outlets describe the crowd as “huge,” the game was not sold out. (The 5,000+ attendance is still more people than came to all the Wranglers games combined last year.)
That’s not good for Owens, who despite a 50-percent ownership stake in the team will only play in home games. Owens’s personal and financial troubles have been well documented, but they’re getting worse. Soon two of his foreclosed-upon Dallas condos (one in Azure and another at 3701 Commerce St.) will be auctioned off.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Feb. 27
I really enjoy the Jurassic Park movies. In fact, when I saw this article, my immediate thought process went something like: “This is totally happening. Jurassic Park is real. I want Jeff Goldblum to be my tour guide.” But before the films, there was Michael Crichton’s book(s). And this iconic T-Rex cover.
Chip Kidd, the guy who designed that cover and also the cover of Murakami’s 1Q84, a book I have complained about ad nauseum, is here this evening to speak about his exceptionally cool career as part of the DMA’s Arts & Letters Live series. He tell you how modern book jackets are designed, knowledge you can save for that rainy day when you finally complete the next Great American Novel. Seriously, this stuff works. His cover for 1Q84 convinced me that this 900+ page monster was something I really wanted to read.
And speaking of movies, which we have been doing here at the office all morning long, Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys have a show at the House of Blues. Their song “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” was featured in The Departed way back in 2006. Scorsese has cleaned up in the technical award categories since then. You can still get tickets via the HOB’s website.
For more to do tonight, go here. And if you haven’t voted in our Best of Big D shopping survey, please go here to do so now.
Dallas Is Low on Government Handouts
The New York Times notes that Americans’ reliance on government benefits has more than doubled since 1969. Interesting that Alaska and the South are more dependent on federal transfer payments than California. Go here for the interactive version of this map:
Du Jour Magazine To Launch in Dallas
An alert, job-seeking FrontBurnervian points us to the news that Jason Binn (founder of Hamptons, Ocean Drive, Gotham, chief adviser of the Gilt Groupe) has plans to launch in select cities a website and accompanying magazine called Du Jour. It’s a luxury thing. So they apparently hired Fancy Nancy to name it. The print version is slated to roll out in the fall.
Delonte West Really, Seriously Did Not Have Sex With LeBron James’ Mother
This is why I really like Delonte West. He doesn’t just give everything he has every second he’s on the court, he’s also the kind of guy who’s willing to talk about his struggles with bi-polar disorder, and the strange life of a journeyman NBA player in this hard lockout-shortened season. As you can read in this lengthy behind-the-paywall profile from the DMN‘s Brad Townsend (or in this free blog post that went up Friday night) West is also the kind of guy who will publicly address the weird rumor that has plagued the last few years of his career: that he, in Townsend’s words, “had a sexual encounter with Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James’ mother, Gloria.”
From the story:
“West says he wants to permanently squash the rumor not just for his sake, but mostly for James and James’ mother. West says both were supportive during his three seasons in Cleveland.
In fact, West says Gloria James reminded him of his single mother, Delphina Addison, who raised Delonte and his siblings to be ‘happy-poor, just enjoy life and the blessings that God has given us.
‘If we want to continue to grow as a human race, what are we teaching our kids if we try to make humor and fun out of stuff like that?’ West says of the rumor. ‘Number one, something like that never happened. I don’t know where they got that from.
‘For a strong black woman like that, for people to try to tear her down, that’s terrible. That’s terrible in so many ways.’”
Stars Owner Tom Gaglardi Assaults Local Editor
As you can see from this video, Tom Gaglardi is not afraid to play rough. I am still recovering.
The Morning News and War Hysteria
On Saturday morning, readers were confronted with two competing versions of the situation in Iran.
Front page of the Dallas Morning News:
IRAN STEPS UP NUCLEAR WORK, INSPECTORS SAY
Tehran may be closer to bomb with capacity jump
Front page of the New York Times:
U.S. AGENCIES SEE NO MOVE BY IRAN TO BUILD BOMB
Honing Technological Skills
No hard evidence it has decided to make nuclear warhead
The Times version, reported by James Risen and Mark Mazzetti, notes that their conclusion represents the consensus of America’s 16 intelligence agencies. The News version was “from wire reports.” (What does “wire” mean? Telegraph?)
Leading Off (2/27/12)
Trinity River Project Backers Find New Ally in Sen. Cornyn: No matter who wins Sen. Kay Bay Hutchison’s senate seat, backers of the Trinity River Corridor Project will have Sen. John Cornyn stepping up to take her place as the project’s champion in Congress. Cornyn, clearly not speaking with Jim Schutze in mind, told the Dallas Regional Chamber Friday that “there is a lot we can do with the Corps of Engineers and with the regulatory part of this to help remove obstacles and help expedite the Trinity River Corridor Project.” I hope those “obstacles” don’t include the corps’ general opinion that building a toll road in the river bed is a really dumb idea.
Will Dallas ISD Teachers Follow Through With Sickout? This Wednesday is supposed to be the day when Dallas teachers bang-in sick en masse to protest the school board’s decision to extend the teachers’ workday. But will the educators keep their nerve? On the blog Teachers for Change, the anonymous organizer writes, “I am disappointed in how many of you are giving in to the fear.” It is illegal in Texas for employees to strike or organize work stoppages against school districts.
Animated Short Doesn’t Get Into USA Film Festival, Goes On To Win Oscar: Last night’s Oscar winners included Deep Ellum-based Reel FX’s co-founder (and Traveling Man co-designer) Brandon Oldenburg’s animated short, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.” Curious fact: the Oscar winning short was rejected from the USA Film Festival.
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