Yesterday’s New York Times’ Arts & Leisure section had a small piece on a movie we’ve written since last summer–and just about every week since we started this danged blog. Stephanie Goodman asked: What becomes of local filmmakers Mark Birnbaum and Jim Schermbeck’s movie The Big Buy: How Tom DeLay…
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, who’s as (R) as they come and who keeps homes in Ennis and Arlington when he ain’t doing Big Business’ bidding in D.C., has a pretty lousy rep among lefties on a number of issues; they don’t call him “Smokey Joe” because he’s against companies filling…
So the Wall of Sound Festival is finally gonna happen; in roughly 18 hours, the doors to Fort Worth’s Ridglea Theatre will open to throngs of people hungry for local music greatness. Dallas Observer staffers and contributors will be there in droves (no name tags, sorry, but you can find…
The Fort Worth Startle Gram offers tips today on how to get to “Texas Moor Speedway.” Location for fast-moving North African Muslims or destination for thrill-crazy high-altitude British fields? You decide. –Andrea Grimes…
Secret Machines–Dallas-to-NYC ex-pats Josh Garza and bros Ben and Brandon Curtis–release their new disc Ten Silver Drops on April 25; Interweb users, feel free to get it now from iTunes. We review the disc next week, but if you want a sneak peek, here’s the video for “Lightning Blue Eyes,”…
Former Inside Edition anchor Bill O’Reilly, who apparently has gained some renown as the right-wing’s Jon Stewart, has a new favorite newspaper: your own Dallas Morning News. Actually, it’s hardly his fave; turns out, in Papa Bear’s estimation, Dallas’ Only Daily has turned so sharply to the left it’s not…
When I was in high school, the school participated in a program called Shattered Dreams just before prom season. It’s meant to instill fear of drunk driving in the hearts of binge-drinking high schoolers who may imbibe on their magical evening. The point is to create a shockingly real, disturbing…
I’m already a C-SPAN junkie–more gut-busting laughs and wrenching human drama than in a season’s worth of E.R.–but now I’ve got a better reason to watch than Karl Rove’s keynote address at the annual conference of the Republican National Lawyers Association, which airs live today at 3:15 p.m. (Swear to…
There has to be a lot of hooplah going around about the Dallas Mavericks upcoming playoffs run, because I can promise you that if there was only minimal hooplah, I wouldn’t have any idea it was even basketball season. (Heart you, Mark!) Anyway, what would hooplah be without viral videos?…
Is there anything Adelfa Callejo won’t protest? Of course, we ask with love; she’s a powerful and sincere attorney-activist-advocate whose life story is so compelling that in 1999 a Stanford law student made her the subject of this comprehensive paper that serves as a pretty inspirational tale. But you know…
Or, at least, you better. Texas Rangers fans, your old friend Kenny Rogers returns to the south park known as Ameriquest Field this weekend as a Detroit Tiger. Rogers, last seen in these parts attacking Fox 4 cameraman Larry Rodriguez for no good reason, takes the mound Sunday afternoon. And…
A few people fell for our Dirk Nowitzki April Fool’s prank, including Mike Rhyner and Greg Williams, hosts of “The Hardline” on KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket), but most people didn’t. The song did make its way around the Internet, though, which was good enough for us. One blogger called it…
Looks like the great white robes got a shout-out from Rolling Stone. Odd timing for the Polyphonic Spree’s forthcoming album, which is due out this summer, but, hey, take what you can get, right? Stranger still, the pAper chAse, cited not only as “punk” but also a “trio,” may get…
Well, really, not much of a kick to this one, but Rhino Records announced the first Old 97’s greatest-hits album today, set for release on June 20. Since Rhino’s at the helm, that means material from the semi-Dallas band’s various record labels–Big Iron, Bloodshot and Elektra–will be combined on one…
Plan your holidays around something different this year–like, say, football. The NFL just released its 2006 schedules, and your Dallas Cowboys close the season with home games against the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas night and the Detroit Lions on New Year’s Eve afternoon. The Cowboys and new receiver Terrell Owens…
Some people should not be allowed to use Photoshop. Others, on the other hand… Ladies and gentlemen, presenting Mr. and Mrs. Mark Cuban and their lovely family. –Robert Wilonsky…
There are a lot of things changing in the world of journalism these days. Craigslist is striking fear into the heart of ad sales people, newspapers have to have fancy online presences to compete, and reporters are spending as much time online as they are at the courthouse tracking down…
One of the few bright spots in the Dallas Independent School District is heading elsewhere. Deputy superintendent Jim Scales is taking the top job in Hamilton County, Tennessee, a beleaguered school district–which is putting it mildly. According to that school board’s chairman, Chip Baker, “Forget about being 136th in the…
Steve Shin wants the Club Dada name and the logo. Apparently, he just didn’t want Club Dada. From all accounts, the re-opening of Club Dada went swimmingly last Friday night; the mayor spoke, the bands played, the drinks flowed. Long gone are the bad memories of former owner Steven Shin,…
Well, it is an improvement: Variety’s reporting that producers for the movie version of Dallas, which I feel like I’ve already seen and walked out on at this point, have chosen a replacement for departing director Robert Luketic. Her name is Gurinder Chadha, and she’s best known for Bend it…
He ain’t the biggest waste of talent in NFL history. But he is the fastest. At this point in his afterlife, Alexander Wright was supposed to be kicking back and cashing in on a star-studded career adorned with Super Bowl rings and supersonic highlights. The NFL’s fastest player in the…
Last September 1, an armada of water taxis left the Hotel Cipriani bearing America’s royalty. Movie stars attending the International Venice Film Festival were staying at the luxury island inn, and the small boats were the only way to get to the theater. Everyone was dressed for the black-tie premiere…
