Face It, Most Air Travel is Emotionally Distressing

As it turns out, two women filed suit against American Airlines over lengthy stays on the tarmac in Austin in December ’06. Monday we mentioned Catherine Ray of Arkansas, whose lawsuit alleges she was a victim of “false imprisonment” when her Oakland-to-Dallas flight was stuck on the tarmac in at…

Dallasites Love Their Jobs!

Turns out that as the year ended, Dallasites were pretty happy with our lots lot in life — at least compared to the rest of the country. The Hudson Employment Index, which measures workers’ confidence and contentment, was released this morning, and the year-end wrap-up reveals that on average, only…

Luxury Buyer, Beware

Luxury retailers, beware: Shoppers are suffering a bad case of ennui, and they’re not likely to get well soon. Causes for their illness include everything from rising oil prices to slumping housing prices to “a lack of confidence in the political process in both major parties and in the executive…

The Playmaker Gets a Radio Gig

It figures that one of our final items of 2007 would deal with sports radio — though, to be fair, it has nothing to do with KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket). Well, not really, though if memory serves former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin did used to have a weekly…

“Indefinitely” Is Turning Into a Long, Long Time

KDFW-Channel 4’s Rebecca Aguilar — still missing more than two months later Rowlett’s Marisa Trevino is a friend of Rebecca Aguilar’s; she’s very clear about that in her Scripps News-syndicated column about Aguilar’s continued absence from KDFW-Channel 4, from which Aguilar was indefinitely suspended in October following her polarizing parking-lot…

Lying is the New Winning!

KDFW-Channel 4 It’s a pretty good bet that when Priscilla Ceballos told WFAA-Channel 8’s Byron Harris last week that she didn’t want to be on camera for faking her daughter’s contest-winning Hannah Montana essay, she didn’t figure on making national and international headlines days later. But, hey, shit happens. Like,…

Clearly, Tony Romo’s Head Not Right With Balls

Two weeks, Tony, two weeks … Our year-ender’s forthcoming, but a few quick ones beforehand. As in: While prepping the ’07 adios, and watching Tony Romo throwing for 86 yards and one pick yesterday, I was reminded of this October quote from Carrie Underwood, concerning her break-up with Tony Romo…

Meet the New Boss

Mark Donald, the new editor of the Dallas Observer The Dallas Observer will begin the new year with a new editor: Mark Donald. His should be a very familiar name to longtime readers of the paper version of Unfair Park: Mark — who now demands to be called Mr. Donald,…

Deuces Out, Dallas

I’ve packed up my carnivorous plant and my reporter’s notebook-sized marker drawing by Tony Bones. The mini-cassette of my brief interview with Gavin Rossdale is carefully tucked away in Ziploc. The Hornbuckle research practically needed its own box, but I managed to get what’s left of every unused promotional item…

Cook on New Year’s Eve? By Which You Mean “Drink,” Right?

Richard Chamberlain — not, not that one. In case you missed Today yesterday — we did — Chamberlain’s Steak & Chop House bossman Richard Chamberlain was on the NBC morning show offering up his menu for “an easy at-home NYE feast,” which included pomegranate-glazed salmon, mini beef medallions with honey-glazed…

Sangers? Gone. Foley’s? Gone. Macy’s? Yup, Gone as of Today

Moments ago, Macy’s announced that it would be shuttering nine “underperforming stores,” and Dallas is on the list — more precisely, the Valley View Center location, which opened as Sanger-Harris in 1973 before turning into a Foley’s. According to Macy’s, the department store takes up 300,000 square feet and employs…

Come Fly With Them

Southwest Airlines is trying to lure folks who think the airline’s boarding and seating-selection process is tantamount to “chaos,” in the word of one business traveler quoted this morning in USA Today. The Dallas-based carrier is also looking to make, oh, an extra billion in annual revenue by 2009. Hence,…

Dallas No Dallas? Y’Don’t Say.

“We’re so much more than Dallas the TV show,” says a Dallas tourism rep in a story that I swear I read back in 1987. Only, nope, it’s from today — in a Chicago Tribune by way of Kansas City Star piece about how Dallas is still trying to recover…

Tom Hicks’ Regret

The most interesting revelation from this lengthy Associated Press story about Tom Hicks’ ownership of Liverpool FC? This one, easily: Hicks could have purchased Dallas’ MLS franchise but decided not to. “In hindsight, I probably made the wrong decision,” he said. Still, he’s always welcome to sell the Texas Rangers…

Oh, Cliff!

Yes, yes, the sale price of existing single-family homes is dropping all over the place — in Dallas, even, for the first time ever. But this morning Investor’s Business Daily finds the one place in the DFW where land is going, going and dang near gone: Oak Cliff. As in:…

Dallas Police Department Discovers the World Wide Interwebs

Whilst tending to the morning YouTube sweep, I stumbled across surveillance-camera footage shot at a 7-Eleven at 9820 Walnut Street, taken just before the store was robbed by two men. The video was posted by the Dallas Police Department, and it marks the department’s debut on the YouTubes. “We are…

Moore From Pakistan, Courtesy CNN

Getty Images’ John Moore was on CNN moments ago, talking about his hell of a day. A Friend of Unfair Park sends word that my old pal John Moore — who, as I mentioned this morning, was in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, attending the rally at which Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto…

As Far as Simpsons Go, I’d Rather Be Writing About O.J.

O dream of dreams, o hope of hopes fulfilled! For truly, Blonde Ambition is now available in its entirety online. Now we can all get educated on the issues and talk about the politics of gender and why everyone’s shitting on Jessica Simpson for this embarrassment of a film and…

A Screen Door Slams Shut

Turns out, Joel Harloff won’t be cookin’ at the Screen Door in One Arts Plaza after all. Contrary to what was noted in our final meal of 2007, Joel Harloff will not be commanding the kitchen in the upcoming Screen Door (a Modern Southern Kitchen) when it opens in One…