Articles about Grudges

Clive Davis Called Burleson Native Kelly Clarkson a ‘Sh*tty Writer Who Should Be Grateful For The Gifts That He Bestows’

Let’s go straight to the source, KellyClarkson.com:

So I just heard Clive Davis is releasing a memoir and spreading false information about me and my music. I refuse to be bullied and I just have to clear up his memory lapses and misinformation for myself and for my fans. It feels like a violation. Growing up is awesome because you learn you don’t have to cower to anyone – even Clive Davis.

First, he says I burst into “hysterical sobbing” in his office when he demanded Since You Been Gone be on my album. Not true at all. His stories and songs are mixed up. I did want more guitars added to the original demo and Clive did not. Max, Luke and I still fought for the bigger sound and we prevailed and I couldn’t be more proud of the life of that song. I resent him dampening that song in any way.

But, yes, I did cry in his office once. I cried after I played him a song I had written about my life called “Because Of You.” I cried because he hated it and told me verbatim that I was a “sh*tty writer who should be grateful for the gifts that he bestows upon me.” He continued on about how the song didn’t rhyme and how I should just shut up and sing. This was devastating coming from a man who I, as a young girl, considered a musical hero and was so honored to work with.

But I continued to fight for the song and the label relented. And it became a worldwide hit. He didn’t include that in the book.

Team Kelly, all day. Listening to Since U Been Gone on loop for the remainder of the day, in solidarity.

posted by Bradford Pearson | February 19th, 2013 2:13pm | filed under boom!, Celebrity, Defiance, Grudges, Music | 1 Comment »

And Here’s the Original “So God Made a Farmer” Ad, Made For Farms.com in 2011

Posted on June 1, 2011. In the video’s “About” section: “Farms.com is pleased to be working with Ram Trucks and support the ‘Farmer’ Super Bowl commercial.” Still a great commercial, but come on folks.

posted by Bradford Pearson | February 4th, 2013 8:46am | filed under Animals, Appreciation, Grudges | 2 Comments »

Twenty Years Ago Today, the Dallas Cowboys Destroyed the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII

If the pains of the past three seasons are still too much, don’t continue reading. Just skip ahead to watching Michael Jackson’s Halftime Spectacuganza. I’m watching it with fresh eyes – I was eight when it first aired – and it’s glorious. Multiple Michaels, a lightshow during daylight, James Earl Jones, everything.

As for the game, a few reminders:

- 52-17
- Troy Aikman was 22 of 30, for 273 yards and four touchdowns
- Emmitt Smith ran for 108 yards and a touchdown
- Michael Irvin caught six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns

Dry your eyes, mates.

posted by Bradford Pearson | January 31st, 2013 12:02pm | filed under Competence, Gripes, Grudges, Shipwrecks | 5 Comments »

If You Like Hockey Fights and Oil Terminology, Last Night’s Stars Game Was Your Eden

Neither Zac nor I (two of three people in the office right now) watch enough Stars hockey to know if this kind of terminology is commonplace, but it certainly is entertaining. During last night’s Stars-Red Wings game, a scrum broke out. It was a pretty good fight; a flurry of upper-cuts will do that. The best part, though, was the call, which included the following phrases:

- “Ahhhh the West Texas pump jack!”
- “He got hit with one late, but man was he pumping oil early!”

This barely makes sense in Dallas, but boy was it entertaining.

posted by Bradford Pearson | January 30th, 2013 8:52am | filed under Awesome Things, boom!, Defiance, Grudges, Hold On To Your Effin Hat | 2 Comments »

Allen Iverson Says Thanks, But No Thanks; Breaks All of Our Hearts

Mosley, Crain, and I had some very interesting fan fiction plans for Iverson's life in Frisco, so this is obviously disheartening.

posted by Bradford Pearson | January 29th, 2013 9:52am | filed under Enemy List, Grudges, Let's go Mavs! | (0) Comments »

Woodrow Wilson Grad Tim Brown Thinks His Coach Sabotaged Super Bowl XXXVII

Not really a good week for Notre Dame and crazy stories, but here’s another one. Woodrow Wilson graduate, Heisman Trophy winner, and Oakland Raiders legend Tim Brown took to Sirius NFL Radio Saturday and basically said Bill Callahan blew the Super Bowl on purpose:

“We all called it sabotage . . . because Callahan and [Tampa Bay coach Jon] Gruden were good friends,” Brown said.  “And Callahan had a big problem with the Raiders, you know, hated the Raiders.  You know, only came because Gruden made him come.  Literally walked off the field on us a couple of times during the season when he first got there, the first couple years.  So really he had become someone who was part of the staff but we just didn’t pay him any attention.  Gruden leaves, he becomes the head coach. . . .  It’s hard to say that the guy sabotaged the Super Bowl.  You know, can you really say that?  That can be my opinion, but I can’t say for a fact that that’s what his plan was, to sabotage the Super Bowl.  He hated the Raiders so much that he would sabotage the Super Bowl so his friend can win the Super Bowl.  That’s hard to say, because you can’t prove it.

“But the facts are what they are, that less than 36 hours before the game we changed our game plan.  And we go into that game absolutely knowing that we have no shot.  That the only shot we had if Tampa Bay didn’t show up.”

Thing is – as our Tim just pointed out to me – Brown’s said this before, more than a year ago, on The Ticket. I couldn’t find audio of the interview, but it’s mentioned in this SB Nation story about Callahan’s tenure at Nebraska.

posted by Bradford Pearson | January 22nd, 2013 10:52am | filed under boom!, controversy, Grudges | (0) Comments »

Take a Bow, Brandon Formby

I can’t remember the last time something in the Metro section made me laugh even once, so Brandon Formby deserves a standing ovation for inspiring three guffaws with today’s story headlined “Price refers to Dickey as ‘Honey Boo Boo.’ ”

Granted, when you’ve got the long-running battle between County Commissioners John Wiley Price and Maurine Dickey to work with, you’ve got a head start on writing something funny. But Formby knocks it out of the park with this passage:

Price was referring to the nickname of a child named Alana who stars in the breakout reality TV show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. The girl lives in rural Georgia and competes in beauty pageants in between belly-flopping in mud puddles and playing with a pig named Glitzy.

If Dickey knows any of Alana’s viral sound bites – “You better redneckognize,” “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with bein’ a little gay,” “My special juice is gonna help me win” – she didn’t respond with any.

The giggles don’t stop there. But, unfortunately for Formby, Dickey’s tenure on the commissioners court ends this month.

posted by Dan Koller | December 12th, 2012 1:19pm | filed under Appreciation, Grudges, Media | 5 Comments »

Texas’ State Fruit — the Grapefruit — Is Under Fire

Photo: Rachelle King

When I first moved to Texas two years ago, I ate so much grapefruit that my now-wife had to force me to stop. I was getting sick, but I couldn’t get over how cheap the fruits were (four for $1 last week at Sprouts). Even the grapefruit juice was cheap, defying all of Ocean Spray’s supply-chain economics. I would eat a grapefruit for breakfast, and wash it down with a glass of grapefruit juice. Scurvy didn’t stand a chance in that apartment.

I’d send photos of grapefruit prices to my dad with pithy comments like, “Bet you wish it was this cheap in New York!” and he’d text back something like “You really need to get a life.” I defended grapefruit to everyone, and loaded my cart with them every week.

Now Slate seems to think they’re the worst fruits ever harvested, a scourge on our stomachs and stockings. From their completely off-base piece this morning:

This killjoy has already invaded our breakfast routines. Its baleful pink, white, or red flesh shines from thousands of tables. Its pulp gets stuck in our teeth. Its juice stains our clothes. And now, we are asked to inflict the scourge on our relatives, shipping it off in packages of 12 or more in order to demonstrate our love?

No. Grapefruit is unwieldy, disgusting, and in some cases dangerous to eat. It is indisputably the worst fruit anyone has ever put on a plate.

No, you’re unwieldy, disgusting, and in some cases dangerous to eat, Katy Waldman. (I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. Truly. You’re probably lovely. I’ve resorted to playground tactics.) She goes on to explain that the compounds in grapefruit inhibit the proper processing of some medications, meaning grapefruit is literally killing you. This, no. The same warning is on the side of every bottle of pills I’ve ever seen, and it’s never stopped me from washing down an antibiotic with a beer.

She also mentions grapefruit tastes disgusting and is impossible to eat. Erroneous! Erroneous on both counts! The truth is, when properly ripened, grapefruit is delicious, and, with two minutes of time, easy to eat. Get it together, Waldman!

posted by Bradford Pearson | December 10th, 2012 12:03pm | filed under Appreciation, Dining, Enemy List, Food, Gripes, Grudges | 10 Comments »

KDGE-FM Lays Off Program Director Josh Venable

I guess I should say, KDGE-FM lays off Josh Venable again, part of a nationwide culling of staff at Clear Channel.

After Josh was laid off five years ago, he went to L.A., where he worked for another Clear Channel station, 98.7 FM, working afternoon drive. Eventually, as music director, he helped 98.7 regularly beat the venerable KROQ in the ratings. That brought him back to Dallas — to the station at which he started when he was 19 years old — in July 2011, where he took over as program director. But now he’s out (again), as the radio business continues to shrink. (I should point out that Josh is my oldest and best friend, so drawing me offsides in the comments won’t take much work.)

posted by Zac Crain | December 6th, 2012 3:11pm | filed under Friends, Grudges, radio | 13 Comments »

Exxon Mobil CEO Awarded $4.6 Million Bonus

Geez, gas prices amirite? $3.29 by my house. Seems there’s gotta be a way to drive those prices down, help the consumer:

The chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corp, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, will take home a higher salary next year and his bonus increases 5 percent.

The Irving, Texas, company’s board of directors awarded Rex Tillerson, the company’s chairman and CEO, a bonus of $4.59 million, up from $4.37 million last year, a filing Tuesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed.

A $4.59 million bonus? Like, that’s not his salary? Or the salary of an entire company? Wait, maybe it will get better:

Tillerson’s salary will rise 5 percent to $2.71 million effective January 1.

The CEO will receive about half the bonus in cash by the end of this year, while the payout of the balance is linked to the company’s earnings, the filing said.

Tillerson was also granted 225,000 shares of restricted stock, the same amount as last year.

Get out. Kindly leave.

posted by Bradford Pearson | December 5th, 2012 9:33am | filed under Business, Economy, Gripes, Grudges | 8 Comments »

Registration Deadline for PARK(ing) Day is Friday



I’m sure you remember last year’s PARK(ing) Day. It was the one day of the year that many metered spots downtown were transformed into park-type spaces. Well, it’s happening again this year, on September 21 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. We’ll be out there. The Park and Rec department will be there (they did a great “trail” last year), and so will bcWORKSHOP, Which Wich, El Centro, Downtown Paws, and the Nasher, among many others. And, of course, the UT Arlington School of Architecture will be there. I’m not even going to try to compete with them. I’m sure they’ve been working on their design since their win last year.

Though there’s a great lineup of people and organizations participating, there is room for more. The organizers want to make this bigger and better than last year’s inaugural Dallas PARK(ing) Day. So go register. You have until tomorrow. (And if you don’t think you can get something together in two weeks, let’s chat. I’m telling you it can be done.)

posted by Krista Nightengale | September 6th, 2012 9:09am | filed under Events, Grudges, Urbanism | 1 Comment »

Mark Cuban: ‘No Chance’ Of Retiring Jason Kidd’s Number

As my internet pal Trey Kerby points out here, since Jason Kidd played better in New Jersey and Phoenix, it was and is more likely he’d get his digits in the rafters elsewhere. But, yes, Mark Cuban did go on the record as saying he’s not doing that here, and it all stems from the way J-Kidd left town this summer.

Which brings us to my favorite pointless sports debate: which current/recent Mavs will get their numbers retired? Dirk Nowitzki’s No. 41 is a no-brainer. Other than that? I’d argue that, despite his new ridiculous Celtics tattoo (total JET move), Jason Terry’s No. 31 has a decent shot. (I mean, 31 will always mean swagger aficionado Nick Van Exel to me, but I doubt that’s getting it done.) And maybe Michael Finley’s No. 4 at some point, since he’s back with the team in some capacity. (The championship with San Antonio might have scotched that idea permanently, but I think the Mavs having a banner puts it back on the table, but, like, right at the edge, kind of teetering, sort of making the host uncomfortably eye it.) Really, that’s probably it. Everyone else is known better elsewhere or wasn’t here long enough or whatever.

As for Mavs from the past, I renew my request for Mark Aguirre’s No. 24, Derek Harper’s No. 12, and [JIM SPANARKEL JOKE GOES HERE].

posted by Zac Crain | August 21st, 2012 1:35pm | filed under Grudges, Sports | 6 Comments »

John Wiley Price Grabs Clay Jenkins’ Gavel

Sounds like a euphemism, but it happened today at the commissioners court meeting. I’d make another video, but Krista’s not here and Tim’s on vacation.

posted by Zac Crain | July 3rd, 2012 1:08pm | filed under Grudges | 2 Comments »

How To Fix the Nasher/Museum Tower Issue

So listen, the other day I was watching Superman II and I totally came up with an idea that will fix everything.

It happens toward the end of the movie, when General Zod is using his laser beam eyeballs to heat up semi trucks and make them explode. So then Superman comes in and uses his freeze-breath thing to cool the truck down, and bends the truck’s mirror to reflect the laser beam burny thing back on Zod.

And then it hit me. All the Nasher needs is a carefully placed mirror reflecting toward the Museum Tower. Then it can fry them right back.

You’re welcome. Just tell me where to send the bill.

posted by Bethany Anderson | June 16th, 2012 10:38am | filed under A D Magazine Guess-tigation, Arts, Awesome Things, boom!, controversy, Drinking, Grudges, How-To, Hypothetical, Local Government, Local News, Movies, Schemes, Science&Technology | 12 Comments »

Mike Leach Still Doesn’t Like Craig James

Or, he will write basically whatever you want when he’s signing your copy of his Swing Your Sword. Either way.

posted by Zac Crain | May 9th, 2012 8:42am | filed under Appreciation, Grudges | 1 Comment »

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