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“City Lights” Tonight Downtown

The rain is supposed to stop. But wear your Wellies. The festivities start at 6:30 at Neiman Marcus and end up at the new and very sloshy Main Street Park.

In the lobby of the Merc as you walk by, you’ll see this very cool construction by UNT design students. (In real life, it does not tilt. Only in my photo does it tilt. )This not-really- leaning tower of children’s books will be distributed during the Christmas season.

How Much Money Will Super Bowl XLV Bring?

I was a little confused in reading today’s Dallas Morning News story wherein Super Bowl XLV Host Committee CEO Bill Lively says the North Texas game will have a record impact, but declined to give a figure.

Lively gave us a figure just a few weeks ago: About $500 million.

Granted, the host committee hasn’t yet released any findings of the official economic impact study that it commissioned. So Lively’s number is probably just him doing what he needs to do at this point:  boost expectations. He’s optimistic that North Texas will come in higher than the record take for Arizona in 2008.

Of course some sports economists cast doubt on any estimates in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Pro Bowl Changes Affect Super Bowl XLV Planners

Had breakfast this morning with the NFL’s “Super”-Man, Frank Supovitz (pictured). His official title is senior vice president for events, and he’s the man charged with producing the league’s biggest spectacles, including the Super Bowl. He’s in town for a few days with dozens of event planners from the league and its sponsors and partners for what they term “FAM Week.”

That’s short for “FAMiliarization Week.” (Don’t ask why those first three letters are capitalized.) The Super Bowl XLV Host Committee has organized itineraries for these folks to get to know the area, Cowboys Stadium, and a host of other venues available for events in the run-up to the big game in February 2011.

Obviously putting together a Super Bowl is a major challenge. But the NFL’s experiment of changing the timing of the Pro Bowl will throw some additional hurdles into the process. Couple that with North Texas never having hosted before, and Super Bowl XLV will put Supovitz and his staff to an unusual test. (more…)

World Affairs Council Honors Dr. Kenneth Cooper

Last night SweetCharity and DallasDirt and I represented the D Empire at at the World Affairs Council’s H. Neil Mallon Award Dinner at the Fairmont. This year’s award recipient was Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Aerobics Center. Lots of big shots in the room. I spotted Ross Perot, Tom Leppert, and Roger Staubach without really trying.  Lots of nice things were said by and about Dr. Cooper. Congratulations to him.

In the spirit of the evening, our table was like its own little United Nations. (more…)

Steve Martin Benefits Central Dallas Ministries

Last night I was at the benefit concert for Central Dallas Ministries at the Meyerson Symphony Center, featuring Steve Martin and bluegrass band the Steep Canyon Rangers. It was fantastic. I bought the tickets without realizing it was a fundraiser–I’m just a big fan of Steve Martin, even when he’s playing banjo–but I left impressed by the story that Central Dallas Ministries told about the surge in demand for their help this year. They said they’ve already had to distribute twice as much food so far in 2009 than they did in the entirety of 2008.

The fundraising goal for the night was $50,000. Steve Martin joked that Central Dallas Ministries could claim to have raised more money this year than in any year in its history, had it not been for paying his appearance fee. Anyway, the show was peppered with nice bits of comedy between the songs, which were themselves great fun. Martin is a master entertainer, and he makes it look effortless. But anyone who’s read his memoir of his early days can attest to the fact that he’s a perfect example of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule.

One bone to pick with WFAA’s Gary Cogill, who introduced Martin at the start of the show. In running down a portion of his filmography, you mention the execrable Three Amigos, but not what’s probably his best movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles?

Super Bowl XLV Workshop Pumps Up Local Business Owners

   That’s Henry Yiu and Katherine Dress of Plano-based Pacific Dynasty International. They were among the more than 800 small business operators who showed up for the first workshop of the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee’s Emerging Business Program at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth this afternoon. Henry and Katherine’s company imports a whole bunch of LED devices. You’ll note the row of lights attached to the bill of Henry’s cap, and the scrolling electronic message sign hanging around Katherine’s neck. The glowing orbs that they’re holding up are LED-toting centerpieces for tables.  They’re hoping to get their products used at Super Bowl-related events.

I also met Barry King, a former creative director with Radio Shack’s in-house ad department, who has spent the last several years selling barbecue sauce made from a recipe he invented 20 years ago. His Fort Worth-based brand is Brothers, and you can find it at Central Market. “If I get my sauce in your mouth, game over,” Barry proclaimed confidently. He’s hoping to get his products into what’s sure to be a host of gift baskets and party favors handed out at events throughout the week leading up to the Feb. 6, 2011, game.

What Barry and Henry and Katherine and what seemed like a sea of PR people on the first couple rows of the big audience heard wasn’t some dry Power Point presentation going over the particulars of the procurement process. This is the North Texas Super Bowl, and it’s clear that our local host committee plans to do everything big. Even its business workshops. (more…)

How to Make Money Off Super Bowl XLV

I previously mentioned that the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee is having its first Emerging Business Program workshop tomorrow at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.

One correction: While the Emerging Business Program is only for minority- or women-owned businesses, any local business owner or entrepreneur is invited to attend the first workshop. Participants can learn about the procurement process for providing Super Bowl-related services.

With between $300 million and $500 million in local economic impact expected from the big game in 2011, there are lots of pie pieces available.

What You Missed Last Night: Two by Two First Look

If you didn’t go to last night’s Two by Two First Look Party, benefiting amfAR and the Dallas Museum of Art, here’s what you missed. Hint: Gavin Rossdale sang (meow), Christian Siriano showed off his Spring 2010 collection (fierce), and lots of people partied (natch). If you’d like to go to the Two by Two gala on Saturday night, good for you. Get more info here.

Local Talks About Being in First Production at Wyly

Our friends at Oak Cliff People have a wonderful story about Cedric Neal, one of the cast members of  A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It begins tomorrow at the Wyly. The cast is made of locals, who are more than elated to be in the first production at the new theater. Judging from the story, Neal is quite a character. I especially liked his quote about how great the theater is.

“Now here comes the Oak Cliff in me,” Neal said. “It’s the bomb. It is a thing of beauty, and I just don’t know what angels and spirits were so kind to me that I get to be part of this first show in this wonderful new building.”

If you want tickets, go here. But be forewarned: at some point, fairies will be fighting with Nerf balls.

Bill Lively: No ‘Margin of Failure’ for Super Bowl XLV Fund Raising

Bill Lively, CEO of the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, told a gathering of Dallas bloggers at Hully & Mo last evening that there’s no “margin of failure” when it comes to the committee’s need to raise $30 million for North Texas’ first crack at the big game in February 2011. This was after he joked that he’d need to buy a gun and shoot himself if the effort falls short of its goal.

Lively acknowledged that the committee’s fund-raising efforts have recently required some “course correction” – changing their tactics, getting “a little more aggressive” – in this difficult economy. He said they’re still ahead of where they’d hoped to be at this point, but could easily fall off the pace within two weeks if they don’t keep pushing. North Texas leaders are hoping to put on the biggest, best Super Bowl ever, and so they’ve set that big $30 million goal. They were aiming to bring in half of that through $1 million sponsorships — so far they have 10.

When I asked him if there’s some aspect of the committee’s grand plans that might be scaled back if it doesn’t look like they’ll raise all that money, Lively said flatly “We’ve got to raise the money we’re committed to raise, to meet the bid expectations.”

Leading Off (10/16/09)

1. June Jones is bringing in real mustangs to inspire his Mustangs. Some of the SMU faithful fear that the Shetland ponies that have served as the team’s mascots since 1932 will be crowded out. When it comes to the image of a fearsome football team, size matters, sure. But which dimensions should we be measuring? “The two mustangs that SMU has embraced may be larger, Peruna supporters admit, but they are geldings. Just how powerful can they be? Unlike them, Peruna remains a rollicking rogue with an eye for the full-sized mares.”

2. Time to pick tomorrow’s really big game. I expect my alma mater, Trinity University, to put a beatdown on Sewanee: University of the South, 42-10. (You likely remember my Tigers from this astounding play.) As for that little contest out in Fair Park? Sorry, Krista, I’ll take the Longhorns, 30-20.

3. Highland Park High School alumnus Clayton Kershaw got the Game 1 start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series last night. He started strong, but fell apart in the fifth inning. The Dodgers lost, 8-6. I blame the 21-year-old southpaw’s lackluster playoff beard.

Tibetan Monks Play in the Sand at Crow Collection

Because the Arts District is our new neighborhood, I strolled on over to the Crow Collection of Asian Art to take in a little lunchtime culture. The museum has a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery constructing a mandala throughout this week. Those are millions of grains of sand that the monks are using to construct “the green Tara,” which, one of the monks explained to the 40 or so people gathered for a free noontime talk, is a “deity for accomplishment.”

Through meditation the monks cultivate an energy that they manifest into physical form through the sand, and “that energy has the potential to uproot all sufferings.” He left us with the impression that just viewing the mandala can make a person feel better.

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Tibetan Monks at the Crow Collection This Week

On Sunday, seven Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta began a mandala to celebrate new beginnings, in this case the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center this week. My one IPhone photo does no justice  to the ceremony (the nice pictures sent by the Crow Collection people were too big for the blog, or so WordPress tells me).

The intricate work on the mandala will continue all week on the second flow of the Crow Collection.  On Friday, there will be a prayer flag presentation ceremony at 6 pm, with viewing until midnight. On Saturday, the monks will conduct a shamala meditation sitting from 1 to 2 pm. On Sunday, the monks will conduct a closing ceremony in which the mandala is dismantled, reminding us of the impermanence of all things.

Anders on AT&T PAC: Where’s All the Grass?

SweetCharity and I picked up Helen Anders of the Austin American-Statesman (formerly Helen Bryant of the DMN) early this morning for the dedication ceremony of Dallas’ $354 million AT&T Performing Arts Center. (Helen’s staying with her daughter in Arlington.) Local movers and shakers like Tom Leppert, Jim Oberwetter, Bill Lively, Michael Hinojosa and Jan Strimple turned out in force for the outdoor event, which took place in chilly, foggy weather more reminiscent of San Francisco than Dallas. When the speakers mentioned the grandeur of the center’s “public park” during the ceremony, Anders kept whispering, “What park?!”–a theme she continued in her interesting blog post about the event. SweetCharity weighed in with a report on all the hoopla as well.

Cattle Baron’s 2009: The Motion Picture

Our SweetCharity blog and Mr. SweetCharity have been all over the mess that was last weekend’s Cattle Baron’s Ball. But we live in a visual culture. Who wants to read when you can just wait for the movie?

Well, People Newspapers has the video up today.

I don’t think you’d want to take off your shoes at Cattle Baron’s either. As Glenn noted, people didn’t.

Trinity Audubon Center Plans Anniversary Fest

I was at the dedication of the Trinity River Audubon Center last year. But I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to get back since, so I can’t speak about anything other than the fact that they’ve got a pretty cool building out there. But it sounds like there will be some fun this weekend at Nature Fest (sponsored in part by People Newspapers):

The Trinity River Audubon Center, which features 120 acres of urban forest and an ecofriendly education building, is getting set to celebrate its one-year anniversary on October 10 and 11 with its inaugural Nature Fest. Opened in October 2008, the center contains interactive exhibits set at different levels to allow children to experience nature up close. Nature Fest 2009 will include workshops on topics such as Nature Deficit Disorder, introduction to kayaking, composting, water conservation and energy conservation. Children will learn how to make nature arts-and-crafts projects, meet Texas wildlife and enjoy face painting and storytelling. Yoga, Tai Chi, guided trail hikes and architecture tours, picnics and a juried art show and sale are some of the activities on the schedule. (more…)

How to Get Rich Off the North Texas Super Bowl

Estimates I’ve heard about the direct economic impact of Super Bowl XLV on North Texas range from $300 million to $500 million. How to get yourself a piece of that pie?

The Super Bowl XLV Host Committee will host the first of three scheduled workshops for its Emerging Business Program on Oct. 27 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth. This program is just for minority- and women-owned businesses that want to find out about the many procurement opportunities leading up to the big game at Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6, 2011.

But be warned: “The Super Bowl is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” host committee executive director Tara Green told me she’s been telling organizations all over the region. Don’t count on the Super Bowl funding your retirement plan. So if you’re not already in the porta-pottie business (for example), now is not the time to start investing heavily in hopes of a mighty windfall.

If you own a business and don’t qualify as a minority or a woman, you can still contact the Host Committee about being included on a giant list of vendors that they’ve been adding to since almost the very moment that North Texas was awarded the game in May of 2007.

If you are qualified for the Emerging Business Program, you can register here. Details after the jump: (more…)

Party Over the Trinity on Friday

This Friday evening, the Trinity Trust Foundation is throwing what it’s calling a “bridge fair” on the Continental Bridge to celebrate the progress being made on the Marget Hunt Hill Bridge (full release after the jump). Santiago Calatrava will be in attendance. The band Boys Named Sue will play, and the foundation promises other “delectable delights.” Tickets cost $150, a price point established, I believe, to keep Jim Schutze from attending. D Magazine is a media sponsor, so I’ll be there. Look for me wherever the delectable delights are located.

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Cowboys Stadium World’s Greatest Erector Set

Two days after losing the first regular-season game at their new home, the Dallas Cowboys have dismantled the field. Jerry Jones, who skipped yesterday’s presentation with the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, was the keynote speaker at today’s North Texas Commission membership luncheon at Cowboys Stadium.

As he got under way, he explained the presence of the big crane, as well as the welders who sent sparks flying from catwalks high above what is usually the field. He said there were about 300 workers in the building finishing up the 5% of construction that remains to be completed.

Obviously, Cowboys Stadium is  a complicated project. He reminded us that the much-discussed digital screens above the field cost more to build than the entirety of Texas Stadium.

Faith Hill, Sting to Play Super Bowl Concerts

Roger Staubach, chairman of the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, broke the news about the talent to the crowd at the North Texas Commission annual membership luncheon at Cowboys Stadium this afternoon. As part of the year-long run-up to the February 2011 game, a three-concert series is being planned.

Faith Hill will kick off the Kick-off Series with a concert at Bass Hall in Fort Worth in March. “I’m picking her up from the airport,” Staubach joked (I think.)

Sting will play the Winspear Opera House in Dallas in May. The third act, for a concert at Cowboys Stadium next September, hasn’t been signed yet, Staubach said.

Better picks than Diana Ross?

Who Will Be the Big-Deal Entertainer at Gene and Jerry Jones’ Saturday-Night Soiree?

There’s a headliner coming to town to perform at Saturday night’s gala preceding the home opener at the new Cowboys Stadium. No one is talking, but our society sleuth and SweetCharity editor Jeanne Prejean thinks whoever entertains the chichi crowd at Gene and Jerry Jones’ party will also sing the national anthem at the big game against the New York Giants.

Drew Barrymore Skates Over to Mockingbird Station Tomorrow Night

As Big Bob mentioned over on Unfair Park, to promote her roller-derbying directorial debut, Whip It, Drew Barrymore will be gripping and grinning at the Urban Outfitters in Mockingbird Station tomorrow night around 7 p.m. (You can find all the relevant details after the jump.) Also, she’ll be made an official member of the Dallas Derby Devils. Which, of course, now means we’ll be teammates.

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Project Green Summit Coming to Fort Worth and Richardson

Tim is the eco-friendly one on staff, what with the Prius and all, but a commenter asked me to draw the attention of FB Nation to the upcoming Project Green Summit, which happens September 15 in Fort Worth (11:30 a.m.) and Richardson (7:30 p.m.). It’s being put on by WFAA, is subtitled “Putting Green into Action,” and will be keynoted by actress Daryl Hannah, who apparently is, like Tim, an environmentalist of some repute. Everything else you need is in that second link.

What To Do in Dallas This Labor Day Weekend

Staying in town? Looking for something to do? Never fear. Our girls-about-town Kyle Kearbey and Sarah Eveans did the legwork for you.

When Ross Perot Questioned I.M. Pei

Dallas’ much-praised Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center turns 20 years old next month, and one of the people behind its success is EDS founder Ross Perot, who ponied up $10 million to build the place. During an event at NorthPark Center last night to announce a Sept. 12 gala marking the Meyerson anniversary, the diminutive billionaire recalled an early exchange he had with I.M. Pei, the symphony hall’s world-renowned architect. Perot noticed that some of the center’s ceiling tiles were cut at different angles, and he asked Pei why. The architect replied it was because he wanted the ceiling tiles to match the floor tiles exactly. “Who would ever notice that?” Perot asked. Replied Pei: “I will!” To which Perot said: “Well, you are I.M. Pei–and I am ‘I Will Pay.’ “