She’s Gone

� Danny Moloshok/Blue Pixel for MBP 2006 Dallas’ Zayra Alvarez is outta contention to join Supernova. We’d offer her our sympathies, if only we could figure out how that’s supposed to be a bad thing. Those of you watching Rock Star: Supernova last night know that Zayra Watch 2006 has…

DPD Not Jacking Around

A week ago today, WFAA-Channel 8’s Brad Watson aired a piece in which he spoke to two women who had been the victims of attempted carjackings in Northwest Dallas. Fact is–both of the incidents, which involved possible “young males” following the women (and their young children), blocking their paths and…

T.O. Going A.W.O.L.?

Terrell Owens is now the spokesperson for something called the National Alliance to End Abuse, though it’s unlikely that refers to coaches and teammates. The most famous cyclist in Dallas Cowboys history returned to the field yesterday. But just because Terrell Owens is back with his team doesn’t mean he…

Printing Money

This comic, featuring the first appearance of the Spectre, went for $119,500 over the weekend. I know, that means nothing to you. Just stop laughing. Over the weekend, Heritage Auction Galleries started offloading the famous Davis Crippen comic-book collection about which we’ve written a few times–and the three-day auction of…

The Return of G.I. Jerk

Is this Phil Haberman’s real military ID or a phony, like the man pictured on it? Phony Special Forces soldier Phil Haberman, the self-proclaimed war hero who was anything but, is still out there spinning his stories on MySpace and dating sites. And he’s tangled with Greensickle, a blog whose…

Google Gets New “No Shit, Sherlock” Function

In case you’re wondering, Dallas is obsessed with weight loss, trucks and gay cowboys. That’s what we here at Unfair Park have uncovered after a good half-hour of research on Google’s best new time-waster, Google Trends. Just enter a word. Any word. Or a phrase. Any phrase. “Bill Parcells,” for…

Canton Cowboy

Let the quarterback controversy begin. No, not that one. Sure, Dallas Cowboys backup Tony Romo looked decent in last Saturday’s preseason opener. But c’mon, Romo wasn’t built in a day. And Drew Bledsoe didn’t start tiptoeing toward Canton overnight. The only hot debate surrounding America’s premier sports position this season…

Change Is Gonna Come

On a fiercely hot Tuesday afternoon, Yolanda Davis sits outside and watches her two children–a 10-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy–ride bikes up and down weary Collins Avenue in South Dallas. Davis says she is 30 and does not work because she has a criminal record that keeps her from…

Pubic Enemies

You might want to think twice about complying the next time you hear “spread ’em.” We’re not talking about your last encounter with the Dallas SWAT squad. We’re talking about the delicate matter of laser hair removal. This week a court hearing is scheduled for Jimmy Earl Adams, owner of…

Out of Focus

It’s just after 2 p.m. at Bryan’s House, and most of the 2-year-olds have fallen asleep for their afternoon naps. They sleep in a semicircle, each boy or girl on his or her own miniature cot. Across the hall, the 3-year-olds are stirring. One girl with beaded hair is making…

Caffeine jitters

Caffeine jitters: So the McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., owner of financial services firm Standard & Poor’s, has sued local coffeehouse Standard & Pours over alleged trademark infringement (see “Poor Standard & Pours?” by Robert Wilonsky, July 6). As we reported on the Dallas Observer’s blog Unfair Park, fans of the artsy…

The Gospel of Ole

The Gospel of Ole Lose yourself: I’m glad someone finally had the courage to publish a book about the real Ole Anthony. Thank you, Wendy Duncan. And thanks to the Dallas Observer for having the journalistic savvy to follow up on it (“The Cult of Ole,” by Glenna Whitley, August…

Gone to Hell

Brian Harkin The Herrling Court Apartments in Fair Park have been abandoned for years, and rather than tear it down, the city keeps paying to board up the windows. There’s also two years’ worth of litigation. None of that’s cheap. Janet Spugnardi is a lawyer in the code compliance section…

The ABCs of ACS Lawsuits

They don’t call him “Rich” for nothing. Well, it is former ACS CEO Jeffrey Rich’s last name. But some shareholders ain’t happy about how he got so, well, rich. We’ve spilled much virtual ink in recent weeks documenting the troubles at Afflilated Computer Services Inc., which is being investigated by…

Ring of Dishonor

Used to be Dwayne Goodrich had his picture on football cards. Now, all he’s got to show for himself is this 2003 mugshot. When Dallas Cowboys Rayfield Wright and Troy Aikman were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this month, we were reminded of what happens when…

Budget Your Time

The town hall schedule reveals two things: when and where you can go to talk about the proposed 2006-2007 budget, and a schedule of Angela Hunt’s upcoming appearances. Thank me later, Jim. The proposed 2006-2007 city budget is available for your perusal; check out for yourself where City Manager Mary…

Honey, You Need Some Knights Like These

Over the weekend we experienced something we weren’t truly prepared for. In a showing that wasn’t entirely unlike a Spinal Tap concert, Blood on the Moors provided a debut performance at the Double Wide that rocked our non-existent balls off. Featuring members of [Daryl], Shiloh and Macavity (don’t worry boys,…

A Letter to the Editor (of The New York Times)

I can only wonder what people in Manhattan say when they get a letter like this one from Dallas, which appears in today’s edition of The New York Times: “Re ‘What Will the License Plates Say?’ (editorial, Aug. 11): You say that Texas has named a state bat. Actually, the…

Q&A with DTC’s Richard Hamburger

Richard Hamburger, who announced today he’s leaving the Dallas Theater Center, regrets he didn’t provide more of a home to local talent. Some of his critics have have said the very same thing. He’s in the middle of casting, directing and designing Dallas Theater Center’s fall production of Cat on…

Really Gotta Get Into Real Estate

This afternoon, Behringer Harvard, a commercial real estate company headquartered on Dallas Parkway, issued a press release announcing it sold a five-story office building located at 1909 Woodall Rodgers Freeway “in the dynamic Uptown submarket of Dallas.” Only it didn’t say to whom or for how much–or mention the fact…

No Knock on the Maquiladora

Roberto Coronado and Jesus Ca�as, two researchers at the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, released a study today in which they report that the Mexico’s maquiladora industry grew at a 6.2 percent annual rate in May. Reuters follows with a story that reports that for the year, or at least through…

Local Lit Fit

Former Dallas attorney Mark Gimenez’s new book–old one, but new to you in paperback–is out in a few days. There’s a small, but growing, stack of books written by local authors piling on my desk, and it is one mixed bag of lit. Random House’s Anchor Books imprint has sent…