Radio Daze

Let me get this straight: Greg “The Hammer” Williams is on “personal leave” from KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket). And, right now, Jennifer Engel is announcing that today’s show will be her last on ESPN-103.3 FM. Hmm. How do you feel about The Ticket’s new afternoon drive-time show: Rhyner & The…

Opening Can of Worms, Pouring Barbecue Sauce All Over Them

Seems yesterday’s Dickey’s item is almost as popular as Wednesday’s posting about Rebecca Aguilar’s suspension — well, OK, not quite. Regardless, for those so interested, news that Dickey’s is franchising across the country — not to mention across the pond — has spawned a heated debate about where to find…

When’s the Last Time Your Boss Got Arrested?

Jim Larkin, left, and Michael Lacey As many of you know, the paper version of Unfair Park is part of the Phoenix-based Village Voice Media chain of alternaweeklies; we’re one of 16 papers nationwide. Michael Lacey is executive editor of Village Voice Media; Jim Larkin is chief executive officer. And…

Why We Love Tony Romo

Speaking of Tony Romo’s love life … A couple of weeks ago, Richie mentioned that Romo co-hosts a radio show every week from the Gaylord Texan. And it’s kind of awesome: Romo, usually dressed in a white tee and jeans, will talk about damned near anything he’s got on his…

The One Thing a Dallas Cowboys Fan Wants to Hear

In the upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly, Carrie Underwood says, yeah, she and Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo were this close to being a couple. (This, after previously insisting they were just good friends.) But Romo wouldn’t commit — couldn’t, says the former American Idol, who’s now dating some other…

Meet Judge Jim Foster

Holy crap: Man oh man oh man. Just met Dallas County Judge Jim Foster for the first time. Wow. In more than a decade of writing nasty things about public officials, we’ve never been speechless or felt a twinge of conscience, but writing an accurate description of a chat with…

Gunfight at the Trinity

As of a year ago, I had been writing critical stories and columns about the Trinity River project for a decade. I went to work for the Dallas Observer in 1998 in part because I knew it was the one place in Dallas where I could write honestly about the…

At Screams Zombies Need Brains

My prey is just around the corner. I can hear it before I see it. The child’s high-pitched whimpers reach my ears as I crouch behind a fence. The gaping wound in the side of my head is sticky. I am exhausted. But my hunger is not yet sated. I…

Gone Too Soon|Checkmate|City Hall Corruption|Devil in the Details

Gone Too Soon No relevance: I’m not sure I understand the relevance of this issue and how it really relates to Carter Albrecht or Darin Archer (“Better to Rust,” by Jonanna Widner, October 4). By saying that Carter was not an addict or an “asshole” (again, relevance?) and yet lump…

The Dallas Cowboys’ Dumbsday Defense

Dear Reporters, Because of the magnitude of yards and high volume of points surrendered by our defense this season, we will not be talking about our unit or the other unit. We will be taking all questions immediately following Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings and second-year quarterback Tarvaris Jackson,…

Play Time at Dallas Children’s Theater

Last year Dallas Children’s Theater did several performances of The Secret Life of Girls, a play about bullying among teenage girls. The play revealed that along with depression and cutting, eating disorders is one way victims of bullying manifest their pain. Rebecca, a character in the play, gives hints throughout…

Tick … Tock … Ticket

As consistent as a metronome, and slightly more entertaining, KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket) again dominates the sports-talk radio landscape in quarterly Arbitron ratings released this morning. Make that: The Ticket dominates the entire local radio landscape. Radio numbers are tricky and can be easily be twisted into deceptive appearances, but…

Some Locals Cutting Down on Expenses, Kinda

Middle-class Americans formerly addicted to begging and borrowing are spending less and saving more, reports Newsweek in a story about the death of the “latte era.” To make the case, the story focuses on two local couples: 34-year-old computer engineer Brian LaCroix and his wife Yvette, who make $200,000 combined…

Keepin’ it Ambreal For One More Week

The producers at America’s Next Top Model almost got us this week. Opening with the short, spunky Janet proclaiming herself the “house mom” and Dallas’ Ambreal getting significant screen time, we weren’t sure which model was going to get canned — but any time a model gets that kind of…

Beard’s Out of ICU and Finding He Has Many, Many Friends

Amanda Newman sends an update concerning the health of beloved Dada doorman John “Beard” Brewer and the benefit concert scheduled for October 28: He’s doing well. They’ve moved him out of ICU and into a regular room. He’s been looking forward to being in a real room because, as he…

Fort Worth Episcopal Diocese Ready to Fight the Church Over Property

Earlier this month, leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth said they were considering leaving the Episcopal Church, which they consider too liberal, and affiliating with “another province of the worldwide Anglican Communion,” according to this Dallas Morning News story. And as reporter Sam Hodges pointed out, “Should the…

Scattershooting …

The best reason to try out for the Dallas Desperados, we’re thinking. Scattershooting … while wondering whatever happened to this guy. The Lakers might be dumb enough to trade Kobe Bryant. But, sorry, Mavs fans, they aren’t stupid enough to deal him to a Western Conference team … If the…

Dickey’s Wants the World to Eat Its Meat

The original Dickey’s barbecue, founded in Dallas in 1941 In the St. Louis Post Dispatch, of all places, Roland Dickey Jr. talks about the plans to turn the family business into the nation’s favorite barbecue franchise — and, yeah, that’d be Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, like you couldn’t figure that out…

He’s Schutze. He Scores.

The Dallas Morning News just called and made us take down the photo of Jim that appears in today’s paper. And they were so serious about it too. Wanh. I’ve just spent an hour moderating comments for the item about Rebecca Aguilar’s suspension — thanks, Instapundit! I had planned on…