Fly the Gay-Friendly Skies

The Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign Foundation — which bills itself as “the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization” — has released its list of the Best Places to Work 2008, and four local companies made the cut: American Airlines, GameStop, Brinker International and J.C. Penney…

Dallas’ Food Friends Noodling Around With P.F. Chang

Jack Baum, chairman and CEO of Food, Friends and Company, is adding another eatery to the portfolio. Dallas’ Jack Baum has plenty of eateries under his Food Friends and Company banner, among them Wapango and Cozymel’s Mexican Grill. And he’s had his hands in plenty of other plates: He turned…

Showdown at 11:10

Punch. Counter-punch. This morning at 11, 103.3-FM ESPN debuts Michael Irvin’s show. Not just coincidentally, KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket) is promoting a “major announcement” around 11:10. Don’t get your radio thong in a wad over either event. Irvin, who has been in court all week fighting a former contractor, will…

The Flood Next Time|Andrea Does Austin|Goodbye, Sleaze

The Flood Next Time Living on high ground in Oak Lawn, far above the Trinity Valley and many blocks above the low ground that houses the highbrows of Turtle Creek/Uptown/Park Cities, I feel safe and secure in my choices. I am but one of the 47 percent of the Great…

In Da House

In da house: Excuse Buzz while we kick off the year with a little in-house news, because we know Dallasites are endlessly fascinated with every little thing media folk do—even though most media folk we know personally are, not to put too fine a point on it, boring. At least,…

Cuban Detour to Texas

Enveloped by darkness, a tractor rumbles down the hills that surround Cuba’s western coast. The tractor pulls a cart loaded with a makeshift boat constructed from aluminum tubing and an old car motor. Fourteen Cubans cram into the craft, destined for a twisting river that leads to the Yucatán Channel…

Cotton Bowl: Goodbye, Dallas. Hello, Palace.

And now, we wait a year for the divorce to be final. Endure patiently, football fans; even fake it if you have to. It’s just one last half-assed embrace. Just one more lame—and lame duck—season of our Cotton Bowl suffering as a second-tier game in a fourth-rate stadium. On January…

Dishing It Out

You’ll need to carve out a week to read The Onion’s interview with Anthony Bourdain, but it’s worth it — and not just for the local connection briefly contained therein. During the Q&A, Bourdain’s asked about his experience as a guest judge on Top Chef — specifically, whether “the judges’…

Newspapers Are a Bad Investment? Tell Me About It.

Thanks to some dude named Anthony Noto at Goldman Sachs, newspaper stocks are tanking today. Seems Noto, who Forbes recently said was pretty good at picking stocks, said today that he “anticipates ad sales will weaken further as economic conditions continue to deteriorate in 2008,” and Goldman Sachs today is…

What’s $60 to $150 Million Among Friends?

Back on November 27, Dallas Morning News Trinity reporter Bruce Tomaso wrote a story bearing the headline “Dallas mayor wants to expedite Trinity River Project.” Tom Leppert, speaking at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre Hotel, talked about being aggressive and moving forward quickly. Councilmember Dave Neumann, who is Leppert’s chosen…

Dallas Is On the Map, Baby!

On my way to the office this morning, I noticed a peculiar vehicle — which I initially registered as some kind of … storm tracker? Only upon closer inspection, I discovered it was a Windows Live street-mapping SUV. It’s a bit sleeker than all the various Google cars I’ve seen…

A Giant Myth

Rocky’s trainer, ol’ Mick, alluded to it when he warned his love-struck boxer, “Women weaken legs!” I half-ass joked about it when I wrote, “It just doesn’t feel right.” But up in New York, the very unbiased (wink) media is latching on to Tony Romo’s weekend jaunt to Mexico with…

Radiohead’s Coming to Dallas, Finally

Not 15 minutes ago, Radiohead issued a press release announcing its 2008 U.S. tour. And while no specific dates are mentioned for the Good Records top-seller, specific cities are — and for the first time since March 1998, I believe, Radiohead will play Dallas. Also among the 22 cities is…

Holy Conflict of Interest! (Maybe?)

Yesterday, The Dallas Morning News reported that the Dallas Police Department and the University of North Texas are teaming up to create a crime-fighting institute. According to the story, the goal of the institute is to “train the next generation of Police Department leaders” by helping them get college degrees,…

Now, Now, Voyager?

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, a supporter of Dallas-based Voyager Expanded Learning — but why, some wonder. On December 20, The Washington Post ran a lengthy piece questioning the relationship between Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, the ranking Democrat and chairwoman of the Senate’s D.C. appropriations subcommittee until a year ago, and…

Dallas Going Green? Far As You Know.

Danielle McClelland, assistant director of the city’s Public Information Office, sends word that the city today will unveil its new git-yer-green-on Web site: www.GreenDallas.net. Only, don’t bother trying the site just yet — apparently the thing ain’t going live till after today’s press conference, during which, I believe, Tom Leppert…

A Metal Monument, Or: Trying to Build a Bronze Statue of Dimebag Darrell

Ideally, the statue of Dimebag Darrell would be larger than this eight-and-a-half-inch, $99.95 figurine. The two dudes trying to erect a “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott statue in Dallas got a big boost this week: Revolver (“The World’s Loudest Rock Magazine!”) ran a little piece about the efforts of Houston’s Joey Riordan…

June Jones: Must Be the Carpet

So why did June Jones leave Hawaii for SMU — besides the money? Apparently, it had something to do with the carpet. Yesterday at his press conference, typically a colorless affair, Jones veered from tradition and dumped a bit on the school he just left when he was asked to…

A Honey Creek of a Deal

If you live in the gigantuous Honey Creek Apartments complex on Ferguson Road and LBJ Freeway, you just got a new landlord — and from the sound of some of the reviews here, not a moment too soon. (Among the problems cited by current and former residents: rats, bed bugs…

On the Brinker

Headline from The Dallas Morning News, posted at 7:50 a.m.: “Brinker predicts 40% gain in earnings.” Lead paragraph: “Brinker International Inc. Monday predicted its second-quarter earnings per share from continuing operations will be up nearly 40 percent, despite falling customer traffic at some of its restaurants.” Headline from the Associated…