Posted on September 9, 2008 at 1:35 p.m.

I don't get it....Ross Avenue is named after the Ross family who contributed greatly in their own way to the formation of Dallas making it the city that it is. Without people like them, and the Akards, and Ervays, etc. Dallas would not be Dallas. These early leaders (business, political, etc.) helped plant the seed that became our city like it or not. Without them Dallas would not have started its evolution to what it is now which means there wouldn't be a desire to do this name change ona street. In a way, Ross' success is what is causing his namesake downfall.

Perhaps 100 years from now Cesar Chavez Ave (if it does have the name change) will fall out of fashion as p[eople forget who he was and a new name will be given to it. Very Orwellian.

I still can't fathom why they don't want to change the name of Live Oak where the Latino Cultural Center, which is supposed to be the pride of the Latino community, to Cesar Chavez. There was no Mr or Mrs Live Oak.

On Changing Ross Avenue to Cesar Chavez makes logical sense

Posted on September 4, 2008 at 5:20 p.m.

If you perform a classical ballet like Swan Lake or Coppelia it's expected that you have a live orchestra, BUT if it's a modern ballet it's usually OK and more acceptable to have canned music. The trap TBT has fallen in to is that they usually only present classical ballet instead of modern ballet and audiences are tiring of it. Most large ballet companies spend most of the time presenting modern pieces and relegating the classics to a "treat" where they bring out all the stops (and the orchestra).

Of course to do modern ballet you need good modern day choreographers, and while Ben Stevenson is good he is highly stylized. There needs to be more variety. Their (TBT) idea of modern is Balanchine who now has been dead for over a generation, and while Balanchine is genius the dance world has moved on, and I suspect so have the audiences!

This by the way is coming from someone who used to dance ballet for a living!

On DFW musicians to protest Texas Ballet Theater

Posted on July 29, 2008 at 3:10 p.m.

Honestly as someone who has gone to Bennigans, Chilis and TGIF I can see why Bennigans closed. The last three times I went there (and it was to three different locations) the food wasn't very good, there was issues with cleanliness, and then I had a lovely 6 legged creature in an entree and they handled that one disastrously:

I called the waitstaff immediately back to the table (i had yet to take a bite) and pointed out the brown critter traipsing through the lettuce. She removed the entree, which was appropriate and didn't return. After I flagged a waiter down and told them of what had happened I was informed that their kitchen was approaching closing time (it was nearly 10 PM)so I wouldn't be able to order anything else. Not a problem, I was no longer hungry due to the ick factor but we had dinning companions that wanted refills on drinks and water and perhaps a bill. I didn't expect to have to pay for my food but we were a large group, surely they weren't going to comp all of us? That would have been the grand gesture but I relaized my situation was probably a freak incident and I was willing to cut them some slack. The bill came, and my entree was on the tab. I informed the waiter that perhaps it shouldn't be on it seeing that I was unable to eat it when a live animal stared back at me from my plate. By that point the manager became involved and informed me that I had to pay for it since I had ordered the entree. Surely the staff person had informed him that I had a live cockroach in my shredded lettuce on my plate of nachos! He told me he'd have to go verify the story with the waiter. He came back, the waiter had been cut for the evening, and he begrudgingly said "well I guess I have to believe your story. People are always trying to pull st like this by putting bugs in their food so that we comp everyone's meal." I informed him I was not asking for him to comp everyone's meal but only my entree, and that I usually don't carry live bugs with me. He sighed, grumped, and then obliged.

Chili's at least reinvents their menu with some degree of frequency as does Friday's. In fact, Friday's as a chain has expanded as of late because they keep re-inventing their menu. I used to seldom go to Friday's but their customer service has become top notch (at least at the few I've frequented) and their food actually is good for the price.

So nope, I won't miss Bennigans.

Resquiecant in pace.

On UPDATED: Plano-based Bennigan's chain shuts down

Posted on July 23, 2008 at 11:45 p.m.

Yeah...I have an unhealthy obsession with wigs...I guess 'cause I lived for so many years with a guy who dressed mannequines, and styled wigs for them!!! LOL

Say hi to the Omega's folks for me! Is my pic still up from my Mexican soap opera days????

On Theater Review: Mr. Pim Passes By

Posted on July 20, 2008 at 8:43 p.m.

I wonder how they'll handle Halloween?

On Dallas gay bar to ban drag queens on "Trashy Tuesday"

Posted on July 3, 2008 at 1:18 p.m.

I used to own a business in Deep Ellum in the 90's and through the first part of this decade. I loved the neighborhood. I used to hang out in the early and mid 80's in DE too. Every two years people have cried out "Deep Ellum: is dead. I served as a board president of the DEA about a decade ago. The probelm with DE is multifaceted. Most of the property owners, would look out for themselves first, which is understandable. Because there wasn't one major investing group it was hard to build any sort of consensus and develop the neighbrohood. Also the demographics changed. The biggest culprit in the de-evolution of DE was gross neglect by the city. Ron Kirk payed lip service to the nieghbrohood, Laura Miller ignored it, and their attitudes influenced all aspect of city services, police, zoning, etc.

On an average Saturday night there's be 60K people patronizing the neighbrohood, but we'd get assigned maybe 4 police offciers max. Where else would you have that many people, many of them drinking, and have THAT little coverage? Especially with the number of bars and people drinking? Crime became an issue.

A social trend developed too: people quit supporting small independent businesses. This phenomena has been reported widely in the retail and restaurant industry. Closures of independent retail/restaurants didn't just happen in DE but everywhere in the city, and across the country. This would challenge any neighborhood that was this eclectic.

Then DART made it's plans...access to the neighbohood would be cut off. Yes, you can get in and out but it's not easy. I knew then that with the neglect of the neighborhood by the city, the neighborhood having a hard time uniting, the trends of consumers, and then the main inflowing and outflowing arteries being cut off or causing major detours, the neighborhood would go into cardiac arrest.

So what now?

Not much can happen then until DART is finished. Any smart biz owner is going to be hesitant to open a biz if their consumers can't get to it.

Perhaps one real estate group buying much of the property will make the city take notice, and re-focus their attention to the neighborhood. By the time they redevelop the buildings DART should be done with its messy construction.

There was always fear of one major stake holder in the neighborhood. But most major developers are smart, they realize they must create a destination. Putting another Chili's will not be a draw, but a mix of old and new, independent and corporate might just work. Haight Ashbury in SF is that way, Melrose in LA is that way, The East Village in NYC is that way.

I do think Deep Ellum will survive. But folks, it won't be the same as it was in the 80's. It wasn't the same in the 90's, but it prospered. The 00's have been very rough, but hey, the neighbrohood has been called dead plenty of times...even back in the 50's! But it will change...and I have a feeling it might be for the better...especially for the new youth that will enjoy the 'hood. I may not enjoy it as much -perhaps because I've outgerown it? Hopefully not!

On Mayor Leppert's Deep Ellum Town Hall meeting draws crowd, answers prefab questions

Posted on June 23, 2008 at 10:30 p.m.

gosh Jason, I guess my postings must be coming across as much more serious then I am intending. I'm actually laughing here while I type! didn't mean to sound so dour!

On Theater Review: Homeland Insecurity: or How I Learned to Love the Patriot Act

Posted on June 23, 2008 at 10:27 p.m.

I know I just said night ya'll but I do need to clarify one thing implied as to why I got a good review from Mr. Soden:

I did have an artistic relationship with Mr. Soden...Over a year ago he hired me to direct a play of his. He owes me no favors nor do I owe him any favors...

But if that implies the motive for a good review then in the true interst of disclosure the reviewer should have stated that she's worked for differnt theatres that are in DIRECT competition with my theatre group.

The theatre world is a bit incestuous. If having a previous association disqualified critics, ther'ed be none in this town!

On Theater Review: Homeland Insecurity: or How I Learned to Love the Patriot Act

Posted on June 23, 2008 at 9:53 p.m.

Yes, Scott, you made my point. Thank you!

You were a teen back then, and I'd venture to guess you were probably living at home for most of the years prior to 9-11. Were you clued into the world and understand it? Yes, but unless you were emancipated at an early age you hadn't lived for YEARS experiencing the freedom of going into concerts without being frisked or wanded, been able to walk into airports without having everything double and triple checked, having to have extensive background checks for passports, or even needing a passport to be able to leave the country, or going into most government building without having to go through metal detectors, or even carrying pliers or a box cutter on a plane. 9-11 happened and so many of our freedoms went away. Yes, you may know about it, and experienced it some, but you did not have a lifetime of experiences in this area to have it abruptly change thanks to the Patriot Act and post 9-11 paranoia. This play is about how even now our freedoms are slowly and methodically being removed right in front of us and no one is questioning it.

And I know you'll hate me for saying this becaue you might perceive it as a personal attack, but it really isn't: The implication in this play by having Corporal Jenkins be young (he's 24 in the play) is that because most young people have not fully experienced the changes they aren't clued into them and the ramifications of ignoring what is happening and they will allow it to continue and grow. By jenkins being young it also implies that young people aren't as tolerant to having an open discussion and take it personally when a contrarian viewpoint is presented. It's not a pleasant message. Debatable? yes. But nonetheless these are some of the points this comedy is making.

By the way...ANOTHER review came out and it's also a good one....it gave me a chance to send out a funny email press blast:

"Reviews are in and MOST critics love the show. In the American tradition of government censorship we won’t quote from the single negative review..."

And we quote the good reviews!

LOL. So see even a bad review helps! I've barraged and terrorized this page long enough. It's time to put it to bed.

Night ya'll!

MB

On Theater Review: Homeland Insecurity: or How I Learned to Love the Patriot Act

Posted on June 23, 2008 at 12:08 p.m.

You make a good point Morrison, perhaps clarification is needed:

The comment about the younger people is not condescending it's a fact. I've had other young actors who are friends of mine come and tell me that the show itself doesn't seem relevant to them because while they understood it it didn't connect to them because of the enormous shift this country has gone through after the post 9-11 experience, and they too fouind it tedious. They weren't old enough to grasp on a personal level the change. I can tell you I can't relate to the Kennedy assasination in the same way that someone older then me because I didn't experience the shift the country went through after that event. I understand that the people in the country began to truly distrust its government after the way the assasination was handled and thus fueled conspiracy theories that would never have been spoken out loud before that. So a play based on that shift wouldn't hold my interest because I wouldn't relate to it, especially a play where there is a lot of discussion. I too would probably find it boring, just like Homeland Insecurity didn't hold the reviewer (and as we've now discovered other young people's interest).

We've stated in the publicity that this show isn't really for all. This show is definitely targeted to an older demographic.

As far as the productions values...curiously enough while she criticized it, other reviewers applaud it....

ANOTHER glowing review has come out. This reviewer is older (which follows the pattern I mentioned). Check out:

http://www.edgedallas.com/index.php?c...

You know, you can't please everyone!

But all this furor over this review is helping ticket sales! So thanks!

Mark-Brian

On Theater Review: Homeland Insecurity: or How I Learned to Love the Patriot Act