Articles for May 16th, 2012

Kim Schlegel Whitman Wants You To Bring Your Own Dessert

This makes me giggle. Kim Schlegel Whitman was on The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda yesterday to share “8 Tips for a ‘Cent’sible Wedding.” You’ll recall that KSW had her own wedding at the Meyerson, complete with the orchestra and the choir. I understand it was an amazing wedding. But ‘cent’sible? One of KSW’s tips for Kathie Lee and Hoda was to have guests bring their favorite family recipes for a dessert bar. That’s the part that makes me giggle.

posted by Tim Rogers | May 16th, 2012 2:34pm | filed under Awesome Things | 15 Comments »

Actor Nick Stahl Is Missing

According to this, his wife filed a missing persons report on Monday. Stahl grew up in Plano and Richardson, and I recall seeing him at City Tavern one night a while back, around the time Night of the White Pants was filming around here.

(Aside: two other local connections, both Jim Schutze related. Stahl starred in Bully, based on Schutze’s book of the same name, and — unless my memory is failing me — that yellow muscle car in the White Pants poster (click that link) belongs to Schutze. I swear he drove it to the Observer office at one point.)

Hope he turns up soon, and safe.

posted by Zac Crain | May 16th, 2012 2:20pm | filed under Local News | 4 Comments »

Craig James: I Didn’t Hire Merrie Spaeth. Wait, What? Oh, Hire. Yeah, I Did That.

As Craig James’ futile senate bid spirals into what I assume will be a future filled with semi-lucrative gigs speaking about his faith and whatever at churches and tent revivals in San Angelo and Abilene and deep in the piney woods of East Texas, he still has a few chances left to screw up on national TV. Like, let’s see, when was — oh! Today:

On Wednesday, James told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: “We didn’t hire a PR firm.” But when Todd pressed the issue, noting that James had indeed hired Spaeth Communications, James acknowledged that he had. “There are PR firms for what I needed,” he said. “We needed somebody who could represent us.”

Wayne Slater guesses James was trying to differentiate between hiring Spaeth’s company before getting Mike Leach fired at Texas Tech (when most people disliked him), rather than afterward (when everyone disliked him). Anyway, I look forward to his forthcoming book with Robert Jeffress, Breaking Satan’s Tackles: Craig James on Faith, Football, Faith, and Failure.

posted by Zac Crain | May 16th, 2012 1:25pm | filed under Politics | 11 Comments »

Crooked Arrows: The Local Connection to the Lacrosse Movie Everyone Is Talking About

What? You haven’t heard about Crooked Arrows, the new lacrosse movie opening this weekend? It’s like Hoosiers, only with hunky Brandon Routh as the coach instead of a recovering alcoholic, and a bunch of Native Americans instead of Indiana farm kids. Really? No? Not ringing a bell?

Anyway, Jacques “Bunky” Vroom III (who recently returned to Dallas) co-produced the film. Kelly and Wade McClure and Stuart Fitts are investors. I know at least one husband of one managing editor who will be watching this one. Here’s the trailer.

posted by Tim Rogers | May 16th, 2012 12:36pm | filed under Movies | 3 Comments »

Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: May 16

Yesterday, I ordered a Clown Shoes Muffin Top and took it out on Strangeways’ patio to people watch and wait for a friend. We stumbled out an hour later, giggly as all get-out. Muffin Top is one seriously strong beer (10% ABV, which would make it an imperial IPA, but this one is non traditional because it’s brewed with Belgian yeast to make it Tripel-style), tapped for the bar’s craft beer week celebrations. There should still be some left if you feel like getting accidentally sloshed on a beautiful evening in Dallas.

Speaking of, Nana’s Media Bar+ Grill hosts another beer week event worth checking out: Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Boss Tom’s Golden Bock. The beer is four bucks, Boulevard cicerone Jeremiah Wallis will be there, and chef Anthony Bombaci created the small plate menu to pair with it perfectly. This would be better, of course, if they planned to pour additional Boulevard brews, but beggers, choosers, yada yada. If you’re not feeling like beer, you should join ShopTalk’s own Raya Ramsey at DISH tonight. She’s locked in a friendly cocktail battle with a few other media types.

I say friendly, but you should know by now that we’re a competitive bunch here at D Magazine headquarters. She’s in it to win it. So go, try the restaurant’s newest cocktails, and vote for your favorite–which will of course be Raya’s concoction, the Jasmine Garden. Raya has all the ingredients here, but it’s made with gin, which means I’m sold.

Over in Fair Park, the Ochre House starts previews for Cicerone tonight, and you can still get tickets. It’s Matthew Posey’s adaptation of Henry Miller’s semi-autobiographical Tropic of Cancer, almost definitely the least sexy book mostly about sex every written (Close second: 50 Shades of Grey?). Posey plays Miller as an older man reflecting, through rose-tinted glasses, on his past life in the City of Light. The reality of 1930s Paris is somewhat more sordid than his romantic tales imply. This probably goes without saying, but leave the kids at home.

For more to do this evening, go here.

posted by Liz Johnstone | May 16th, 2012 11:09am | filed under Things to Do in Dallas | (0) Comments »

Sorting Out The Three Mikes

I fear I may have confused some of you with my relentless, possibly pointless posts about Mike Rawlings. To that end, I’ve made a Venn diagram to help. Feel free to print it out and save it.

posted by Zac Crain | May 16th, 2012 9:24am | filed under Petty Feuds, Politics | 12 Comments »

80% of JC Penney’s Facebook Comments Are Negative

New CEO Ron Johnson says “the transition has been tougher than expected.”

Yup.

posted by Wick Allison | May 16th, 2012 8:27am | filed under Business | 5 Comments »

Leading Off (5/16/12)

DISD Leaders Are Updating Résumés, Reapplying for Current Positions. Yesterday, 68 DISD employees were told they have to reapply for their jobs. The positions include 20 executive directors, 10 coordinators, five assistant superintendents, and a chief. In all, there are 36 openings. This means some will not have jobs. And they’ll be applying for the positions against outside candidates. This is all part of new Superintendent Mike Miles’ overhaul plan.

Deion Has to Pay Pilar $10,500 a Month in Child Support. He also has to pay $3,500 a month for the house and $275,000 in attorney fees. Of course, Pilar had originally asked for $24,000 a month to pay for her schooling, photos, and grooming. It’s all for the children, she claims. Right.

Denton Girl Wins National Handwriting Contest. Yes, you read that correctly–there is a national contest for handwriting. I appreciate the art of good handwriting. And so does the Immaculate Conception Catholic School, which has a handwriting wall of fame and a writing championship in seventh-grader Lauren Will.

posted by Krista Nightengale | May 16th, 2012 6:46am | filed under Leading Off | 2 Comments »