On this date in

1927, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston for the murders of two men during a 1920 robbery. Up until they were strapped in the electric chair, they claimed they were innocent. A third person executed with them was Celestino F. Madieros who said he witnessed the April 15, 1920 murders and that Sacco and Vanzetti were not there.

1912 dancer Gene Kelly was born in 1912

1926 heartthrob Rudolph Valentino died at the age of 31.

City won't raise our taxes directly, only indirectly

The City of Dallas is working this shell game on Dallas taxpayers called PILOT, which stands for Payment In Lieu of Taxes. The city charges utilities such as TXU and the cable companies a franchise tax because of the fact these utilities have to dig up city streets and their vehicles are constantly traveling on and wearing down those same streets. Dallas Water Utilities, however, does not pay a franchise tax because it is part of the city. PILOT, therefore, is the money Dallas Water Utilities pays the city instead of the franchise taxes other utilities pay.

PILOT is a feature of the city manager's proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The money from PILOT is being used for new business development. Last night at District 3 council member Dave Neumann's budget town hall meeting at Kiest Park I asked Mr. Neumann to convince me that PILOT wasn't simply an example of the city taking money out its left pocket and putting it in the right pocket. His first reaction was "Well, to a large degree that's exactly what it is," but then tried to justify it by claiming that because Dallas Water Utilities is an enterprise fund (meaning essentially that it is self-supporting -- what it spends comes solely from the money it charges households and other municipalities for water and not from tax dollars). He also used some strange logic to suggest that Dallas Water Utilities, because it is an enterprise fund, is really not a part of city government (an argument that the city manager, who appoints the director of the Water Department, might disagree with). I argued that the Aviation Department is also an enterprise fund and the city is not forcing that department to make any payments in lieu of taxes. He tried to tell me, yes, but the private businesses on airport properties are taxed, which I suggested was a different subject altogether and had nothing to do with the Aviation Department itself, but only that airport property was not a tax-free zone.

But here's the real point. In another section of the budget, there are recommendations to increase the water rates. I am convinced a water rate increase is justified -- our water infrastructure is dangerously aged and I want water coming out of my faucets and not flooding city streets because of main breaks. But I keep wondering how much of that rate increase is going to reimburse Dallas Water Utilities for those payments in lieu of taxes. Because DWU is an enterprise fund, some of that increase must be going to that added expense.

So when the city claims it's not raising our property taxes to fund this upcoming budget, it is telling the truth. But it can't claim it's not indirectly raising our taxes, it is simply sneaking the tax increase as part of the water rate increase.

Build your own shopping center

The folks developing the Lake Highlands Town Center at Skillman and Walnut Hill claim citizen input is important in deciding what retailers will be recruited to locate there. They have held a series of town hall meetings to gather citizen opinions and now they are promoting this Web-based survey. If you live anywhere near the proposed center, this might be worth your time. The while survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Go for it!

Director to attend North Texas premiere of award-winning documentary

From everything I've heard and read, Lior Liebling (pictured here) is one amazing and unique young man and is the subject of a what Philadelphia Inquirer film critic Carrie Rickey calls a "poignant and profound documentary" called "Praying with Lior."

Lior has Down Syndrome and pretty much prays and prays loudly all the time. The film tells the story of how his faith in God and his constant praying has illuminated his family and those who surround him. That makes sense, I guess, because in Hebrew, his name means "my light." Yoni, Lior's brother says of Lior: "If there is a God, Lior is definitely closer to God than anyone I know." The film climaxes with Lior's bar mitzvah with all those whose lives he has changed in attendance.

"Praying with Lior" (you can see the trailer here) will be shown in a special screening at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 4 at the Angelika Film Center at Mockingbird Station. Ilana Trachtman, the film's director, will attend the screening to discuss how she discovered Lior, how she wound up praying with him, and the challenges involved in filming the Liebling family saga. In addition, there will be an update on the progress of the Special Needs Initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. Tickets are $9 and must be purchased in advance by calling Melissa Bernstein at 214-239-7134 or by going to the 3StarsCinema Web site.

Truth in advertising here: I must admit to a special bias on this subect. Five or so years ago, two of my best friends, James Nix and Luke Mayberry, got me involved with special needs individuals in general and Special Olympics basketball in particular. They have made me vocal proponents of raising the awareness of special needs individuals. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Not only that, I'm a Jewish film fanatic with a special affection for documentaries.

I will be talking more about this film and this screening in upcoming entries to this journal.

Lieberman to be VP choice again?

Eight years ago Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut was Al Gore's choice to be his running mate in the presidential elections. Which means, of course, if the popular vote decided presidential elections, Lieberman probably would be the vice president of the United States today.

Instead, he's being seriously considered to be a bridesmaid again, but this time on the other side. Word has it that GOP presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain is seriously considering Lieberman, a man McCain considers a close, personal friend, to be his choice for VP. It has already been announced that Lieberman, who currently is listed as an independent, will speak at the GOP convention.

Choosing Lieberman and the timing of an announcement of that choice makes a certain Hollywood-style diabolical sense. I have been told that McCain plans to announce his VP choice a week from this Friday. For those not paying attention, that's the day after the Democratic National Convention ends, a day when all the media attention would naturally be focused on newly anointed Democratic nominee Barach Obama. What better way for McCain to steal the spotlight away than by naming Lieberman as his running mate. No other choice would have as big of a news value.

Of course, this choice would further alienate the far-right wing, but, when push comes to shove, where is this wing going to go?

The correct answer to the Jenny destination quiz may be C):

According to this story in the Dallas Morning News, here's the Bob Dylan tune the City Council may be singing to Jenny the elephant:

Clouds so swift
Rain won't lift
Gate won't close
Railings froze
Get your mind off wintertime
You ain't goin' nowhere

I don't care
How many letters they sent
Morning came and morning went
Pick up your money
And pack up your tent
You ain't goin' nowhere

Buy me a flute
And a gun that shoots
Tailgates and substitutes
Strap yourself
To the tree with roots
You ain't goin' nowhere

One man reporting machine Robert Wilonsky over at Unfair Park spoke with Dallas Parks and Recreation Department Direct Paul Dyer about the decision to keep Jenny at the Dallas Zoo.

Finally, since this is an administrative decision and has nothing to do with overall policy, here's my plea to Angela Hunt and the rest of the City Council: BUTT OUT!!!

Inquiring minds want to know

Today in executive session, the Dallas City Council is supposed to be discussing a lawsuit titled "United States of America v City of Dallas." It's probably nothing, but still ....

Think it has anything to do with the cases against former city officials?

Hmmm....

We're No. 1

Almost two weeks ago I commented on the fact that Sports Illustrated had named Georgia as its pick to win this year's college football national championship. I brought it up because Georgia's quarterback is local hero Matthew Stafford and I even had the opportunity to see the majority of Stafford's games during his senior year at Highland Park. When I wrote that journal entry I said "I don't know if I agree with the pick."

Since I wrote that, both the USA Today and the AP preseason polls have named Georgia as their picks to win it all. And I'm beginning to see why. Georgia is returning most of its starters from a team that won its last seven games last year, the last six by scoring an average of 37.8 points a game. And, when the season was winding down, I did remember thinking that Georgia, not LSU, was the stronger Southeast Conference team.

So am I convinced now? I would be if it weren't for Georgia's schedule that features road games at South Carolina, at Arizona State, at LSU, and at Auburn. That's not to mention the annual clash with Florida in Jacksonville. That's tough. If they can finish a schedule like that undefeated, win the SEC title game and then BCS Championship Game, they would earn the right to be considered one of the greatest college football teams of all time. However, I just can't see any team surviving a schedule that tough undefeated.

The next team to be considered is Ohio State just because it has played in (and lost) the last two BCS Championship games. Could this finally be OSU's year? The Buckeyes play in the much overrated Big 10 Conference which is even weaker than usual this year and the team's only real test (and it's a doozy) will come Sept. 13 when it journeys to Los Angeles to play Southern Cal. If it wins that one, Ohio State finishes the season undefeated, No. 1 in all the polls and then gets smashed again in the BCS Championship game, possibly by Georgia. If USC wins that game, and the one the following week at Oregon State, I can see the Trojans finishing the season undefeated (they play Arizona State, Oregon and Cal--the other class teams in the Pac 10 this year--at home). And Georgia --if it can survive that brutal schedule -- will find itself in a much tougher battle against USC than it was in its bowl game last year against Hawaii.

And what about a team from the Big 12 making it into the title game? I can't see it -- the Big 12 looks like a demolition derby waiting to happen. Only Oklahoma has a shot to finish the season undefeated because it doesn't have to play Missouri during the regular season and gets Texas Tech at home. Tech has not won in Norman since 1996 (that's pre-Bob Stoops, in case you were wondering). Of course, OU would probably have to face Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game and that could be doomsday for the Sooners.

Then there's Florida. I like Florida's schedule. It's one big test before the Nov. 1 showdown with Georgia will come Sept. 20 when it plays Tennessee in Knoxville. But then the Gators won in Knoxville two years ago, coming back from 10 points behind in the third quarter, on their way to their last national championship.

So, who am I picking to finish No. 1 and win it all? Because that Sept. 13 game is in Los Angeles, I'm going to have to go with Southern Cal, but Florida's spread offense could give the Trojans' strong defense a real fight in the BCS Championship Game.

New movies to be released this week on DVD

Chronicle of an Escape (2007) **1/2 Turns the chilling story of Argentina’s military regime and its large scale political murders into a tense, exciting escape thriller. Though functional on its own terms, this fourth feature by Israel Adrian Caetano feels hollow at the core, leaving a feeling of lingering disappointment over a missed opportunity to probe recent history.

Deal (2008) * To think that a semi-major studio financed a production this low-rent and listless is amazing: Since when did MGM start making student films?

Freshman Orientation (2007) *1/2 This movie is not incompetently made. Nor is it badly acted. But there’s not a fresh idea in it, and everyone on screen seems to be in a different comedy.

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour (2008) **1/2 For parents who were unable to secure tickets for the young fans in their households, this movie is nothing short of a godsend. She has boundless energy, a wardrobe that won’t quit, and enough real teenager in her to come across as more than a mere Disney creation.

The Life Before Her Eyes (2008) *1/2 Director Vadim Perelman is big on slo-mo lyrical effects and confusing time shifts, making the movie unnecessarily arty and detracting from what could have been a searing psychological study.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) *** Bharat Nalluri directs with a light touch and a great eye for costumes and sets, which are gorgeous enough to make up for any contrivances in the plot. It’s pure romantic fantasy, and you won’t believe it for a minute. But it’s fun to watch Miss Pettigrew and Miss Lafosse live for a couple of hours. Francis McDormand’s performance slowly builds a solid integrity, and contrasts well with Amy Adams’ more flamboyant turn.

Prom Night (2008) * Director Nelson McCormick and screenwriter J.S. Cardone don’t have one original thought between them, but they do appear to share an obsession with characters opening hotel-room closets in which the steel hangers gleam ominously. The movie offers less gore than the average Band-Aid commercial and fewer scares than the elimination episodes of "Dancing With the Stars."

Quid Pro Quo (2008) **1/2 The first half of this film is among the most jaw-dropping things I’ve ever seen: Who knew there was a closeted subculture of people pretending to be paraplegics? Nick Stahl and Vera Farmiga give layered, restrained performances that keep what might have been a schlock fest with an improbable twist ending from devolving into trashiness. Instead, writer-director Carlos Brooks and his actors manage to render an involving and thoughtful story from some pretty dubious material.

Street Kings (2008) ** I enjoyed parts of this movie but I didn’t believe one thing about it, and I couldn’t get past Keanu Reeves’ unsuitability to his role. He may someday play a cop on the edge convincingly, but the edge needs to be sharper than this.

Legal issues surrounding raising the pay of day laborers

I would like the Dallas City Council to address some legal issues while the council members are considering forcing a private company to pay their workers more for picking up garbage and also while the council considers an even more important, although related, issue which is whether my garbage pickup schedule should be cut in half.

Let me address the second issue first. The council will consider this idea Wednesday which is whether more areas of the city should be scheduled for once a week garbage and recycling pickup. Today, most of the city is on a schedule of twice a week garbage pickup and once every other week recycling. However, that part of North Dallas located north of LBJ and west of North Central Expressway went on the "one-and-one plan" earlier this year which has resulted in an increase in recycling in those areas. Where each household averaged recycling 28 pounds before the switch, each now averages 51 pounds. The next area to switch to this schedule is that part of Dallas located roughly south of LBJ, west of North Central and north of I30. That switch is to take place next February. Phase 3, the area located east of North Central and north of La Vista/Garland Road, is to take place February 2010. That would include my area, that small forgotten area of Dallas that is located north of LBJ and east of North Central. My particular neighborhood is unique in that, for whatever reason, we can't have rollcarts. We still must use the old black bags for trash and the blue bags for recycling. And finding blue bags around here is not easy -- our neighborhood has to go to a lot of effort to recycle. The upside to this is that we already have once-a-week recycling pickup.

But I digress. The briefing to be presented to Council Wednesday will recommend that both Phase 2 and Phase 3 be implemented immediately. The briefing argues that the money saved by this implementation could be used by the Council to raise the pay of the day laborers who pick up the garbage without further increasing the proposed sanitation rate hike currently in the City Manager's proposed budget. The current proposal calls for a sanitation fee increase of $1.45 per household/per month and that's if Phase 2 is implemented (it would be higher if Phase 2 isn't approved). The cost of paying the day laborers the amount being considered by the Council would raise the rate another 27 cents a month. However, if the Council goes to Phase 3 immediately, there is even a possibility the sanitation rate increase could be lower than the $1.45 now being considered. Neat, eh?

Well, not so fast. I am concerned about legal and liability issues in raising the wages paid these workers. Here are questions I would like asked of our city officials (and hopefully answered).

1. Does the company that has the contract to provide say laborers to sanitation have contracts with any other city departments and, if so, could the city legally raise the wages of those laborers sent to work for the Sanitation Department and not those assigned to work for the other departments?

2. Can the city legally demand Company A pay more to day laborers sent to work for the Sanitation Department without requiring Company B to pay an equal amount to day laborers sent to work at other city departments? And, if the city can do this, does it incur potential liability for instituting such a plan?

3. This is more of a constitutional question: Since the federal government assumes the right to set a "minimum wage" does the city have the right to demand the minimum wage a private company pays its employees? And, if so, does that mean it will be required legally to demand every company who wishes to bid on a city project be prepared to pay its employees that minimum wage?

4. And if the answers to these questions are what I think they might be, what will be the financial impact on the City of Dallas?

These are just some things I was thinking about on a lazy Sunday afternoon while watching the opening of the English Premier League season and pondering where I might get my hands on some blue bags.

The correct answer to the Jenny destination quiz is D): None of the above

Jenny the Elephant -- the Jenny profiled just a couple of days ago in the New York Times -- yes, that Jenny -- will not be going to Tennessee as Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt and her animal huggers want. Nor will she be going to a safari in Mexico, the original plans of the Dallas Zoo. Nor will she, as Dwaine Caraway suggested in last Wednesday's City Council meeting, remain in Dallas to be joined by another elephant or two or three to keep her company. (I actually liked that idea, although I knew it would never happen -- a city that is in as dire financial straits as Dallas is right now can't afford to expand its elephant exhibition at the zoo.)

Paul Dyer, director of the city's Park and Recreation Department (which has oversight over the zoo) has come up with a fourth option and has already brokered agreements with the animal rights folks to go along with his plan. The zoo folks will go along with it because, well, Dyer is the boss of the zoo folks. I have absolutely no idea what The Dyer Solution is, but I know he plans to reveal it soon, perhaps as early as Monday.

No Robin for this Batman

With the incredible box office and critical success of "The Dark Knight," Warner Bros. is chomping at the bit to begin work on the next Batman feature. The studio, of course, wants director Chris Nolan to return, but he has not agreed to anything as of this date, which really doesn't mean anything.

However, most people agree that the late Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker is the major reason for the success of the current film. The question is how to you top that? Batman's history includes a number of formidable villains that are being discussed, including:
Catwoman (there are a lot of people who say it's time for another woman in the mix to create some sexual tension for Batman).
The Riddler (would this character be taken seriously after being played by Frank Gorshin and Jim Carrey? Most think Nolan could do magic with The Riddler, however).
Deadshot (seems a little minor to me).
Ventriloquist and Scarface (a guy running around with a doll--I'm not too sure this would work).
Black Mask (Not that well known, but is gruesome enough to be formidable).
Hugo Strange (seems too close to the Scarecrow character, what with that fog mechanism of his).
Word is out that the Penguin and Mr. Freeze definitely won't be considered.

And neither will Robin. Warner Bros. said the introduction of Batman's well-known crime-fighting partner almost killed the franchise back in the 1990s. As one observer was quoted as saying (in what could be one of my all-time favorite quotes): "There are just too many negative connotations for Batman running around with a younger man in a leotard.’’

Saggy pants may be banned in Midlothian (not that Midlothian)

Dwaine Caraway's campaign is catching on, albeit far from his home. Caraway tried to convince his fellow Dallas City Council members to enact an ordinance banning the wearing of pants that barely rise above mid-thigh. The rest of the council just chuckled and said "That's cute, Dwaine, now go back and play" and nothing really came of it, except that Caraway got national exposure including an appearance on, as I recall, Oprah Winfrey's television program.

Now, according to this story in the Chicago Sun-Times, a town outside of Chicago that has the same name as a town outside of Dallas is considering enacting a nuisance violation punishable by a $50 to $100 fine that would, according to the article, "curb the exposure of body parts rather than merely targeting baggy pants." Of course, a law like that could affect a number of overweight construction workers as well. It'll be interesting to see how that works out.

Incidentally, Midlothian would be the second Illinois community (the first was Lynwood where anyone exposing three inches or more of underwear in public gets hit with a $25 citation), to enact an anti hip-hop clothing ordinance.

See what you've started, Dwaine.

Leppert, Caraway get it; Hunt doesn't

I just got to hear the last few minutes of the Dallas City Council discussion surrounding the ultimate destination of Jenny the Elephant, but it was enough to hear council member Mitchell Rasansky do his imitation of another zoo animal and to see that Mayor Tom Leppert and council member Dwaine Carraway understand the responsibilities of a Dallas City Council member, but Angela Hunt doesn't. Although Ms. Hunt certainly does know how to play to the masses -- she grandstands with the best of them and, in doing so, she manages to rally a lot of supporters to her side. It just goes to prove that the right way to conduct city business is not always the most popular way.

Ms. Hunt knows that few Dallas residents have a copy of the Dallas City Charter on their bookshelves; she knows that most Dallas residents have no idea when a city council member violates that charter.

Ms. Hunt has an interesting definition of micro-management. According to her, it's not micro-managing when you interfere in a departmental decision she doesn't agree with. This is like saying she supports freedom of speech as long as the speakers are on the same side of the argument that she's on. Plus, I'm not sure she's even that good of a listener. During today's city council meeting, a representative of the American Zoological Association said the AZA supports the notion that personnel trained in animal management are the proper individuals to make animal management decisions. Right after she spoke, Ms. Hunt said, in effect, "Don't pay any attention to what this woman's telling you; she's biased in favor of this facility in Mexico." The AZA woman didn't even recommend a destination for Jenny the Elephant; Ms. Hunt was criticizing this woman for saying something she didn't even say.

But the AZA woman nailed it. No matter how Ms. Hunt tries to twist it, whether Jenny is sent to Mexico, to Tennessee, down to the 7-Eleven, or anywhere else is a management decision and not a policy issue. And, as Mayor Leppert so perfectly stated it today, "At some point we have to let the people hired to make these decisions actually make these decisions."

Carraway, on the other hand, did move the argument over to a policy discussion. He said it should be the policy of the city council to operate a first-class zoo (something I have gone on record as disagreeing with, and since I have already dealt with that, I see no need to repeat it here) and, the way he sees it, having a first-class zoo means having a first-class top-notch elephant exhibit. He is arguing that, perhaps, the city should not consider getting rid of Jenny at all, that perhaps it should be adding to the number of elephants at the zoo and not subtracting from it.

I know it's not fashionable these days, especially among local bloggers, to disagree with Angela Hunt. But those who agree with her agree on the substance of her argument. I could care less about the substance. The issue here is simply this: She is overstepping the authority given to her by the City Charter by even engaging in the argument. Leppert and Carraway seemed to understand that, at least from the brief moments of the discussion I witnessed today. I fail to see why Ms. Hunt can't grasp that.

It's interesting to note that former Mayor Laura Miller understood it as well, although she didn't like it. She wanted to be free to do what Angela Hunt is doing now. But at least Ms. Miller tried to do it the proper way, by changing the City Charter to give her more authority in daily management decisions. That effort, as we all know, failed at the polls.

Grades for movies to be released this week on DVD

CJ7 (2008) ** A bit of a letdown. Stephen Chow, the manic comedian who has gained fans worldwide for his outrageous slapstick and special effects-driven antics in "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer" takes a backseat this time — and that's part of the problem: This is lesser Chow because there is less Chow.

Felon (2008) **1/2 Stephen Dorff as an ordinary Joe trapped behind bars with warring ethnic psychopaths and Val Kilmer immerse themselves in difficult roles.

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (2008) *** Director Georgina Garcia Reidel deserves credit for depicting the possibility of finding love at all ages, something that larger and more mainstream movies so often shy away from showing.

Smart People (2008) ** The ensemble cast can't bring enough to overcome the unoriginal setup and predictable story arc.

Movies out this week on DVD I haven’t seen:
The Killing Gene (2008)
Watching the Detectives (2008)

With apologies to Lerner & Lowe

She did it! She did it! She said that she would do it, And indeed she did. I thought that she would rue it; I doubted she'd do it. But now I must admit it That succeed she did.

Welcome to the big time

I haven't seen any other mentions of this, so I will leap into the breach. When folks talk about the Big 12 football powerhouses, the conversation usually involves Texas, Oklahoma and often Nebraska. So I found it quite interesting that Sports Illustrated's college football preview featured both Missouri and Texas Tech in its pre-season Top 10. And who did it pick to win it all? Georgia, quarterbacked by former Highland Park star Matthew Stafford. I don't know if I agree with that pick but I will say this: This year's World Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, or whatever the game between Florida and Georgia is called, may feature the year's two best college football quarterbacks on the same field.

The ballad of Brett

I thought the Green Bay Packers were clever in the Brett Favre trade they negotiated last night with the New York Jets. The more valuable Favre becomes for the Jets, the more the Packers get in return. If Brett does nothing but show up to the Jets camp, the Packers get a fourth round draft pick in 2009. In Favre participates in half of the Jets' offensive plays this season, that draft pick becomes a third rounder. If he participates in 70 percent and somehow the Jets make it to the playoffs in a division that includes the New England Patriots, the Packers get a second rounder. If it's 80 percent and the Jets make it to the Super Bowl over the Patriots, the Colts, the Steelers et al, the Packers get the Jets' first round pick in 2009. Neat.

I also think the Pack was wise to divest itself of Favre. He's been holding the team hostage for too long -- not only this season but in his protracted will he or won't he retire announcement delays for the last couple of years. Favre admittedly had a good season last year, but that followed a couple of mediocre ones. Will the real Brett Favre stand up? I'm betting the Packers are going to have to settle for a third round pick from the Jets at best.

But this whole affair has thrown some much needed excitement and anticipation into the upcoming NFL season, as far as I'm concerned. Brett Favre in a New York Jets uniform is a wonderful wild card to throw out there and I'm anxious to see how it plays out.

Paris Hilton becomes relevant

I did not see John McCain's original attack ad in which the presumptive Republican presidential nominee accused his Democratic counterpart, Barach Obama, of being nothing more than a "celebrity" -- comparing Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears -- thus, unfit to be President. I did hear a lot of folks, including many McCain supporters, said the ad crossed the line. Whatever.

But I did see this one produced by the folks at a Web site called "Funny or Die" (unknown to me before this episode but which is now bookmarked) in which Paris Hilton cleverly responds to the McCain ad. It is worth watching.

OK, we've got the Democrats, the Republicans, the Greens and the Libertarians. We need to start a party for Paris Hilton. (No, not that kind of party; I'm talking about a political party. But now that you've mentioned it, that kind of party could be fun, too.) One of the first steps is to announce the site of Paris' Party's national nominating convention. I'm volunteering my house. If not for the convention then perhaps for that other kind of party. Whatever

Divorces -- Entertainment Style

Let's see, actor Morgan Freeman is injured in an automobile wreck late Sunday night driving home in a car belonging to a female friend who happened to be in the car with him. I guess I shouldn't be surprised then at this news that Freeman and his wife of 24 years are getting a divorce. But this one, the divorce of my Emily Robison, my personal favorite Dixie Chick, caught me by surpise and saddened me.

Bowling for Cubs

Mark Cuban went bowling last night. Not here, but in Chicago, where he apparently endeared himself to members of the Chicago Cubs by participating in something called the Kerry Wood Stike Zone Celebrity Bowling Tournament. Now one could argue, albeit not convincingly, that Cuban was there not because he was interested in purchasing the Cubs but because the oft-injured Cubs pitcher who organized the tournament is from the Dallas area and he was just there showing hometown support.

But according to this story in today's Chicago Sun-Times, the Cub players participating in the tournament were pretty much taken with Cuban. In fact one of them, pitcher Ryan Dempster, was quoted by the paper as saying: "It would be great (if Cuban bought the baseball team). He's done tremendous things with the Mavericks. If he became owner of the Cubs, I'm sure he'd do wonderful things."

How to lose friends and negatively influence people

Suppose I sponsor a contest in which I promise the winner will receive his or her choice of the one of the following prizes:

• A week's vacation for two on the French Riviera
• A brand new, fully equipped Cadillac Escalade
• A high-definition multi-media room installed in your home
• $50,000 in cash

Now let's suppose you won the contest and you picked your prize. Doesn't matter which one you picked, but whichever one it is I tell you, "Sorry, you can't have that one. Pick another one."

"But I want the one I picked. You said that was one of the choices."

"Sorry about that. I probably shouldn't have made that one of the choices. Pick another one."

"But I don't want another one. The only reason I even entered your stupid contest in the first place was to win the prize I've picked. So give me that one."

"Can't do that. Pick another one."

"No."

"OK. Then I'll pick out one for you. Here you go, a beautiful 4-piece matching luggage set."

Now, should I wonder why you suddenly have lost all trust in me? Should I wonder why you think I'm displaying signs of cowardice? Should I wonder why you think I'm even lower on the evolutionary scale than pond scum?

Should Dallas city leaders be wondering why many of their constituents, including yours truly, think the same thing of them right now?

Look, it wasn't a bunch of fiery revolutionaries marching on City Hall that demanded a street be renamed in honor of Cesar Chavez. It was the City of Dallas that held out this carrot. And then, when the majority of respondents in a poll said "Hey, that's a great idea. Let's do that," the city pulled the carrot away. But instead of referring to these city leaders as the cowardly, spineless, untrustworthy pond scum they were, the injured parties just said, "Well, OK, let us pick another street to name after this man."

Now, instead of conceding this point, taking their victory and marching off into the sunset, the cowardly, spineless, untrustworthy pond scum are saying, "Nope, we're going to fight you on this one as well." The city leaders (except those who names are Garcia, Medrano and Salazar) have mishandled this entire affair from the beginning and, instead of owning up to their own mistakes and facing the consequences of their ineptitude, they are running away from it like cowards.

Dallas has become ashamed of what it has become. Instead of taking pride that it should be a center for diverse cultural exchanges it's trying to create more divisions than its suburbs with their illegal immigrant policies (which are not illegal immigrant policies but Hispanic discrimination policies -- I doubt if anyone with an English accent has been stopped anywhere in Dallas County in the last 20 years and been asked to prove they are here legally).

Dallas is still a backwater city divided by racial hatred. It has been ever since I moved here and sadly it continues to be that way. There is simply no other explanation for its sorry behavior in this whole street renaming controversy. It was the city that first gave people the choice of renaming Industrial Boulevard after Cesar Chavez. If the City had no intention of renaming a major boulevard after this person it should never have introduced the possibility.

I felt ashamed when I read the names on the City Council's Trinity River Committee who said they would oppose renaming Ross Avenue after Cesar Chavez. What they don't realize is the issue has nothing to do with the Ross Brothers, after whom the street was named. They were probably pretty fine folks way back in their day, but we are no longer living way back in their day so who they were and what they did is completely irrelevant. You can't turn the clock back to a Dallas that used to be. You can't click your shoes together and return to a black and white world. Besides, one of the things we're learning from the Innocent Project and the DNA evidence freeing wrongly convicted individuals, is that those black and white world was ... well ... just a white one.

Now you may be wondering whether I'm advocating randomly changing any and all street names just to suit the times we are living in. And my answer to that question is a resounding "yes," if that is the will of the people. In fact, there is name for that kind of governmental process. It's called democracy.

I don't mind the anti-renaming sentiment coming from my neighbors in the white community. That's who they are and I do not expect broad-minded thinking from them. But, frankly, I did expect more from those who claim they are "leaders" in this city. I don't know why I should expect it -- come to think of it they have never displayed any traits of real leadership to date, so I guess I shouldn't expect them to suddenly change their ways. But then those same leaders should not be wondering why so few people vote in municipal elections, why polls indicate the population doesn't trust city leadership.

Our city council does not have a Linda Koop on it, nor a Ron Natinsky, nor a Mitchell Rasansky, nor a Dave Neumann. Instead we have a Mr. Jones, a Mr. Jones, a Mr. Jones and a Mr. Jones. You know, the guy made famous in Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man":

"Something is happening here, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones."

A collective Olympic yawn

Is there anyone out there who is even midly excited about the upcoming Summer Olympics?

The Chicago Cubans?

Except for George Steinbrenner, how many owners of major league baseball teams can the average person name? Sorry, Ted Turner sold his interest in the Atlanta Braves years ago. Unlike their counterparts in other major professional sports, baseball owners like to remain in the background and they certainly don't like it when someone tries to rock the boat.

It appears that prominent boat rocker Mark Cuban is the highest bidder to purchase the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and all that comes with owning that franchise. But is being the highest bidder enough? In 2002, Charles F. Dolan, the chairman of Cablevision, was denied the opportunity to purchase the Boston Red Sox because the other owners and commissioner Bud Selig didn't feel he fit in. Instead, the franchise was awarded to the third highest bidder, John Henry, who, in a slight ironic twist, is now a major Cuban supporter.

All of this is examined in an interesting story in today's New York Times. But one question that is not answered is whether, if Cuban is successful in his pursuit of the Cubs, he will sell the Dallas Mavericks. It is generally agreed that the Mavericks' window of opportunity for an NBA title is shut and it will be a long time before it re-opens. With all the improvements in Western Conference teams, there is genuine concern whether the Mavs will even make the playoffs this year. This is arguably the best time for Cuban to sell if he has any desire to. However, Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer posed exactly that question to Cuban recently and the Mavs owner dashed one of his famous e-mails to Wilonsky telling him in no uncertain terms he had no intention of selling. In fact, it was in the same no uncertain terms Hillary Clinton used when she said she had no intention of dropping out of the presidential nomination race until the Democratic National Convention later this month.

Grades for new movies to be released Tuesday on DVD

The Counterfeiters (2008) Swift and compelling, winner of the most recent Oscar for best foreign-language picture, "The Counterfeiters" may not be destined for the large international audience that embraced last year’s winner, "The Lives of Others." But it’s a tougher film, with a more provocative moral dilemma at its center. Grade: A-

The Killing of John Lennon (2008) The film never moves past a superficial understanding of its subject, whose transcribed ramblings may not be the best key to unlocking his fractured mind. The movie gets inside Chapman’s head but never under his skin. Grade: C-

Miss Conception (2008) Miscast and miscalculated, this move hopes to collect on Hollywood’s recent baby-on-board craze, delivering instead the least credible take on human pregnancy since Arnold Schwarzenegger gave birth in "Junior." Grade: D

My Brother Is an Only Child (2008) This film isn’t a critique of the left but a film about the consequences and responsibility of "political action." Director Daniele Luchetti measures social justice not in ideals but in positive change and the compassion with which it is accomplished. Grade: B+

Nim’s Island (2008) Jodie Foster seems to be having real fun, twitching and skittering around, that steel jaw of hers comically tense. But this family movie shouldn’t be about a shut-in trying to get from A to B; it needs to be about an unconventional girl growing up and helping an equally unconventional grownup cut loose on a volcanic island. Sadly, this movie is a missed opportunity. Grade: C+

Rogue (2008) A killer crocodile and a sturdy cast do what’s required in this competent horror yarn filmed in eye-catching Aussie outback locations. More restrained than his no-holds-barred psycho-thriller hit "Wolf Creek," director Greg McLean’s film wants only to be a good B-movie and succeeds with regular scares and a monster worth the rental price. Grade: B+

And here's some cheese for your dog

There are a number of reasons I find Los Angeles an attractive place -- the Hollywood Hills, Venice, Topanga Canyon, the ocean. The are other reasons I wouldn't want to live there -- too spread out, smog and the constant threat of fires, mudslides and earthquakes. Now you can add this as a major item in the "No to Los Angeles" column.

Grades for new movies to be released Tuesday on DVD

The Band’s Visit (2008) A remote, Israeli desert town is the setting for this droll, endearing comedy about an accidental cultural exchange that very quietly says some very important things about contemporary Arab-Israeli relations. Grade: A-

Doomsday (2008) Just to shake things up a little, I guess, the creators of the laughably over-the-top films thought it might be fun to turn the survivors of a deadly epidemic, rather than its victims, into maniacal murderers. Grade: C

Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008) The jokes all revolve around weed, stereotypes, and Neil Patrick Harris; the stereotype stuff is by far the funniest. Grade: B-

Never Back Down (2008) The movie speeds up and slows down as though controlled by a director in the grip of competing medications. For those who make it to the final beatdown, however, the only pill worth taking is the one that makes you forget. Grade D+

Shine a Light (2008) This movie is about giving us a privileged glimpse of the Rolling Stones in action. It's a record of an astonishing musical chemistry that has been evolving, with no signs of calcification, for nearly five decades. As a bonus, there are delicious guest appearances by Buddy Guy and Jack White. Grade B+

PETA: People Exterminating Tame Animals

Ran across this item today on the Dallas observer's blog and every time I read about "PETA bigwigs" like Debby Leahy telling folks they shouldn't hunt, fish, eat meat or fish, or go to zoos and circuses I'm reminded of PETA members Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook who were charged awhile back in Norfolk, Va., with 31 counts of animal cruelty and eight counts of illegally disposing of dead animals.

Hinkle and Cook, you see, thought that what's even worse than zoos, circuses and Mexican safari parks were animal shelters. So Hinkle and Cook decided to liberate all the animals from animals shelters in an around Norfolk. They went to the shelters and told the folks there that PETA wanted to give all these animals a good home and that they had come to deliver these animals to the cat and dog version of that elephant nirvana in Tennessee. Only what they actually did was load the animals in the back of their windowless, cage-lined van where they killed them with drugs the PETA pair were not legally authorized or trained to dispense. Then they stuffed the carcuses in garbage bags and tossed them in shopping center dumpsters.

PETA says it will use money collected through their "animal rights" fundraisers to pay for the legal defense of Hinkle and Cook. You see, PETA thinks its OK to slaughter dogs and cats they take under false pretenses from animal shelters but it's criminal for organizations like the March of Dimes, the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the American Cancer Society to use animals for research designed to save human lives. PETA president Ingrid Newkirk has said repeatedly "Even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS, we would be against it."

So here's hoping that someone -- anyone -- who goes to this PETA sponsored "Save Jenny" rally at the Dallas Zoo Sunday has the gumption to ask the PETA people there about Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook and then question why they support their extermination and unceremonious dumping of thousands of domestic cats and dogs every year yet have a problem with efforts to help an elephant retire to Mexico.

Concerns about Angela's hunt

Angela Hunt needs to raise her sights. Instead of worrying about whether Jenny, an African elephant now housed in the Dallas zoo should spend her final days in Mexico or in Tennessee, she should be examining policy that enables City of Dallas to be in a business that it might not belong in and probably is not that good at.

Dallas has a council-manager form of government. Essentially that means that an elected city council sets overall governing policy for the city, but it’s left up to the city staff, headed by the city manager, to take care of the day-to-day operations of the city. Former Mayor Laura Miller tried to change this model to give the mayor more say-so over daily operations of the city, but her plan was decisively rejected by voters.

Briefly, here’s the deal. Elephants, so I’ve been told, are much like Bud Abbott or Oliver Hardy – they really need a companion to get through life. Jenny’s companion at the Dallas Zoo, an elephant named Keke, died in early May and since then Jenny hasn’t been doing so hot. Instead of trying to obtain a new companion here, zoo officials looked for a place to move Jenny where she could have proper care as well as the companionship of other pachyderms. They found such a place in Africam Safari Park, a forested wildlife park located 80 miles southeast of Mexico City in the state of Puebla.

Immediately, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals leaped into the discussion. PETA, you see, opposes the idea of zoos, circuses and such, and since the Africam Safari Park is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is must therefore be a zoo. PETA would rather send Jenny to Guantanamo than anything accredited by the AZA. PETA rallied its local supporters who obviously felt they had an ally in Ms. Hunt, the closest resemblance we’ve had to Don Quixote on the city council since, well, perhaps Max Goldblatt. The self-proclaimed protectors of animals were correct: Ms. Hunt galloped down to Mexico where she took some incriminating videos at the Africam Safari Park of elephants swaying (I am told that, unlike yours truly when I’m listening to the Rolling Stones sing “Brown Sugar,” elephants are not supposed to sway). Then she went to what she wants us to believe is the closest thing to elephant paradise in the western hemisphere, a place called The Elephant Sanctuary near Hohenwald, Tenn., which is about 80 miles southwest of Nashville.

Now, I’m not going to get into an argument here about whether Jenny should be spending the rest of her life in Mexico or in Tennessee, but neither should Ms. Hunt. That is not part of her job description. Those are operational decisions made by the city’s staff, just like the city charter mandates. In this case the decision was made, or at least approved, by Gregg Hudson, the executive director of the Dallas Zoo and also of the Aquarium at Fair Park.

Does Angela Hunt have a role in this at all? Yes, she does and it is a far more important one than becoming the Dian Fossey of the local elephant set. As one of 15 individuals elected to set establish city policy, perhaps Ms. Hunt should be devoting her time and energies into studying the question of whether the City of Dallas should even be in the business of operating a zoo. I have maintained for years the city should not be in this business. The city isn’t good at it. In fact, I had a one-on-one discussion on this very subject late one night with former City Manager Teodoro (Ted) Benavides when he was facing a budget crisis similar to one the city is facing today. Now I’m not an expert on zoos, but I have been on numerous occasions to the San Diego Zoo and the Bronx Zoo and, to my untrained eye, those are fine zoos. The San Antonio Zoo, when I lasted visited it 20 or so years ago, while not in a class with San Diego or the Bronx Zoo, seemed to me to be a worthwhile visit. The Dallas Zoo? Not so much. It seems to exist solely because someone decided many years ago that the city needed a zoo – any zoo will do – so we got this one.

Fort Worth, on the other hand, has a much better zoo. I would like Ms. Hunt and the other members of the Dallas City Council to examine the following question: Why shouldn’t Dallas just get rid of it’s zoo and join Fort Worth in marketing that city’s zoo as a regional attraction?

I would rather see the tax money that currently goes into running the Dallas Zoo be used to maintain and upgrade other park facilities around the city that are showing signs of neglect. Now that’s a policy matter and one that I would like to see members of the city council seriously consider. That is their proper role, not second-guessing or overruling the operational decisions of the city’s staff.

I sided with Ms. Hunt on her fight to keep a high-speed roadway out of a city park. I broke ranks with her on her opposition to a Dallas Convention Center Hotel because the preponderance of evidence shows it could be a financial boom for the city (and I was concerned that she was showing too much allegiance to officials from Crow Holdings who have the most to lose, financially, from the construction of such a hotel and thus should never be positioned as objective sources). But her trips to Mexico and Tennessee during the council’s July recess period come across like grandstanding of the highest order. Call me a cynic, but she seems to be playing re-election politics at the expense of a lonely elephant when there are a lot more important policy decisions she should be concerned about.

Grades for new movies to be released tomorrow on DVD

21 (2008) What might have been a complex story dealing with greed and high-stakes betrayal among the young intellectual elite in America’s gaming playground is instead treated as a slick, glossy romp. Grade: C

Duck (2007) Writer-director Nic Bettauer hits upon some important themes, including homelessness, environmentalism and the plight of the elderly, but not enough care has gone into developing the subsidiary characters who merely come across as types. Grade: C

Heartbeat Detector (2008) Here, knowledge and understanding raise more questions than they answer, and the film ends not in closure, but in openness. It is precisely those qualities that give "Heartbeat Detector" its epic sense of humanity. Take them away and you’d be left with a leaner but markedly less compelling workaday workplace thriller: "Michael Clayton" with Nazis instead of lawyers. Grade: B

The Last Winter (2007) Like his "Wendigo," Larry Fessenden’s latest film has a lot of mumbo jumbo about ancient spirits revived and angered by human disrespect — the old Indian-graveyard paradigm, as clunky as ever. But the context is overpoweringly eerie. Grade: B

Towards Darkness (2008) Antonio Negret’s sloppily executed film plays like a car commercial and a military-recruitment promo. Grade: C-

I feel dem ol' catfish blues a-comin' on

After reading this, I feel some kind of blues song is in the works. "Got my pole, got my yarn, goin' down to the catfish farm." No, that's not it.

"Watcha gonna do when the farm runs dry and nobody's got catfish to fry?"

OK, I'll keep working on it.

They're our Mexicans, by gum, and if we want to execute them, we will

This story from today's New York Times begins: "Despite pleas from the White House and the State Department, as well as an international court order to review their cases, Texas will execute five Mexicans on death row ..."

But the illuminating part of the story is here:

"On Wednesday, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ordered a review of five of the Texas cases after Mexico complained that the convicts, all men, had not been allowed a chance to talk to a Mexican consul after their arrests, as required under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. But that argument holds little sway in Texas, a place with a long history of upholding the death penalty and of telling other governments to mind their own business."

Lucky Lupe

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez can consider herself lucky, I guess, that she's not running the Cook County jail. My favorite quote from this New York Times article about conditions in the Chicago hoosegow was this one attributed to U.S. attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald: “You can’t have conditions where people are dying and being amputated.”

Grades for new movies to be released this Tuesday on DVD

The Bank Job (2008) Jason Statham, possibly the greatest B-movie leading man of this era, stars in a complicated and clever imagining of what might have happened in the mysterious 1971 London bank heist dubbed the "Walkie-Talkie Robbery" - in other words, it was unbelievably high-tech. Grade: B+

College Road Trip (2008) The whole project is a cloying, artificial mess. The slapstick comedy doesn't bite, and the formulaic sentimentality doesn't grip. Grade: D-

Penelope (2008) First-time director Mark Palansky is trying for a deft, hip, modern fairy-tale feel, but the odd material, sprawling story, and complicated tonal balancing act get away from him, and the film winds up as a poorly paced tug-of-war between sweet quirk and sloppy camp. Grade: C+

Shutter (2008) Ostensibly a remake of a Thai film — by a Japanese director with a Hollywood cast — this plays more like a video copy of "The Ring" that’s been so degraded that all the good bits are no longer visible. Grade: D

Step Up 2 the Streets (2008) The reason for all this dull-to-offensive story stuff is, of course, the dancing, which has its moments but overall seems so calculated to impress that it loses all other reason for being. Grade: C-

Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding (2007) Your enjoyment of this film will depend on your tolerance for tasteless behavior, extravagant overacting and a decibel level to rival the unveiling of Oprah’s Favorite Things. Grade: D+

The Year My Parents Went On Vacation (2008) This sweet, yet unsentimental film is about growing up, losing innocence, and longing for a place, and people, to call home. Grade: B+

Wish I had thought of that

My new favorite name for a band: Wes Niles and the Texas Skeeters. They are a cover band (you can find their set list for Saturday night's gig at Enchilada's here) which means their buzz is worse than their bite. It also means I will never go out of my way to see them live, but I really do like that name.

Josh Hamilton's great walk-off

The NBA season is over so I guess it's time to get serious about baseball, although I usually don't get that serious until after Labor Day. But this deserves some recognition and years from now millions -- I mean millions -- will tell you they were in Arlington Stadium tonight and witnessed it up close and personal.

Eat this

Jonny Bowden is the author of a book called "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" and they include such popular items as purslane and goji berries (don't even bother to ask).

Fortunately, someone from the New York Times asked Bowden to come up with some healthy foods that shoppers could actually find in their neighborhood grocery stores but often never make it to the checkout counter. Here's what he listed:

1. Beets. Bowden says they contain natural red pigments that could fight cancer.
2. Cabbage. Contains a chemical that is believed to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
3. Swiss chard. Protects aging eyes.
4. Cinnamon: Could help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
5. Pomegranate juice. Lowers blood pressure.
6. Prunes. Contain lots of antioxidants.
7. Pumpkin seeds. Contains lots of magnesium which many believe prevents early deaths.
8. Sardines. They contain loads of vitamins.
9. Turmeric. May contain anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
10. Frozen blueberries. That's right. Not fresh, but frozen. They are associated with improved memory, that is if you remember to thaw them.
11. Canned pumpkin. Who knew the pumpkin was more than just something to carve at Halloween? Lots of vitamin A.

If you would like to learn more, especially some helpful hints on ways to eat all these goodies, chick this out.

Suit claims Dark and Lovely is really Dye and Die

The autopsy's conclusion was quite clear. It said Cornelia Morris of Chicago died of "an anaphylactic reaction to hair dye." So if someone in your family dies this way, what are you going to do? Naturally, you're going to grieve for a few minutes and then sue.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Morris family has sued the Loreal Company saying its Dark and Lovely product was responsible for Cornelia's death. The 10-count suit (the paper didn't elaborate on the various counts) seeks $500,000. It seems Cornelia was dying her hair two years ago when she began having trouble breathing and later died at a hospital.

Loreal issued the pat "We always care deeply about the safety of our products" spiel before slamming the door. I really can't see this going to court, but I would really like to know how much Loreal is willing to shell out to make this go away.

"Dark Knight" already illuminating theater marquees

It's become a clever gimmick. A movie can't open until a certain date but if you want to stage a public relations coup, you say your movie -- one you really want to promote as a blockbuster -- will not wait until the regular showtimes on opening date. It will stage special screenings that begin one second after midnight on the day in question.

George Lucas started this trick with his later "Star Wars" segments. Now Warner Bros. is getting into the act with "The Dark Knight," the latest entry in the Batman franchise.

Here's the deal, though. The last Batman flick, "Batman Begins," directed by Christopher Nolan, was the first film in the series to get it right -- to portray Batman on screen the way he was created in the comics. Not only that, the film was credible on its own. The movie didn't open all that strongly, but positive word-of-mouth carried it to respectable profitability and then DVD sales were phenomenal. Now comes "The Dark Knight," also directed by Nolan, and anticipation is naturally high.

Not only that, word is already out that Heath Ledger's final performance on film as The Joker in "Knight" is a knockout. There's already Oscar talk floating around Ledger. OK, so you might call that hype, but it's working.

How do I know? Well, try and get a ticket to one of the opening midnight showings of "The Dark Knight." For the most part, they are completely gone, sold out. There was such a demand for them the theaters decided to let the demand spill over and they scheduled 3 a.m. showings. Now they have sold out and theaters are selling tickets to 6 a.m. shows. That's right. 6 a.m. And that's in places I've never heard of before. Like Eagan, Minn. Does anyone outside of a 100-mile radius of Minneapolis know where Eagan is or really even care? It certainly doesn't have the reputation as the movie-going capital of the Iron Range, but there you have it -- four hours before the local movie house usually opens for the day, the theater will be having its third showing of "The Dark Knight."

Want to see it in iMax? Lotsa luck. According to the New York Times, all the showings at the Lincoln Center, to cite one example, are sold out for the entire first week of "The Dark Knight"'s run. Well, almost. There's a few seats left for some of those 6 a.m. showings.

Grades for new movies to be released this Tuesday on DVD

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007) The documentary is a rigorously thorough biography and an impassioned accolade. Director Julien Temple spends as much time on Strummer’s life before and after the Clash as he does charting the band’s powerful musical and political influence. Grade B+

The Ruins (2008) The characters never evolve past mere functionality, and the adherence to certain tried-and-true horror tropes — the good girl who doesn’t want to go but does, the generic naughty kids who get it first — feels workmanlike, robbing the story of any real suspense or surprise. Grade: C-

Sleepwalking (2008) Charlize Theron, Dennis Hopper, Woody Harrelson. As Bill Maher, in his feature directing debut, brings in surreal touches and puts on literary airs, the drama’s grip loosens, and its vernacular turns increasingly wooden. Grade: C-

Stop-Loss (2008) Ryan Philippe. Despite several attempts, I’m still waiting for the drama that convincingly captures the experience of soldiers who’ve fought in Iraq. "Stop-Loss" isn’t that film, but at the very least its efforts are honorable. Grade: B-

Superhero Movie (2008) The gags are consistently weak, though actor Miles Fisher, who, according to the Internet Movie Database, was born right here in Dallas in 1983, turns in a hair-raising impression of Tom Cruise. Grade: D+

I'm going to tell everyone

I read a lot of mysteries and recently I read a craftily written one from 2001 by Harlan Coben called "Tell No One." It was one of those that lived up to those flyleaf raves such as "You can't put it down" and "a real page turner." In short, it was one of the best thrillers I had read in a long time.

I loaned it to My Hero who not only enjoyed it as well but pointed out to me that the film version of this book was being made by a French production company. I know I scratched my head when she told me this, wondering how Hollywood could let it get away. Now, I'm discovering that it's probably a good thing the Southern California movie moguls didn't grab this one.

The film, directed by one Guillaume Canet, opened this week in Manhattan and received a rave review from Stephen Holden in The New York Times who called it a "delicious contemporary thriller" and compared it to two other mystery films that are favorites of mine, "The Big Sleep" and "Vertigo." Now comes word that the film was won four Cesar Awards, which is the French equivalent of the Oscars, including one for veteran French character actor Francois Cluzet, who won the Cesar for best actor.

I have no idea if and when the movie will play in Dallas. (It opens next weekend on the West Coast.) I checked out the Morning News' Summer Movie Guide and it wasn't listed in there. But, if you're interested in some trailers or clips from the film, you can find them here. I'm hoping there's at least one theater in town that can find a place to squeeze this one in around "Hellboy," "The Dark Knight," "Mamma Mia" and "The X-Files." If not, this city loses all credibility as a sophisticated movie town.

Handicapping Leno

I've never been much of a Jay Leno fan. If I'm watching late night talk show television, I prefer the anarchy of David Letterman to the safety net of Jay Leno, but then I always preferred the Marx Brothers to Laurel & Hardy as well. So there you have it.

But I also realize that, when it comes to ratings, Leno beats the worldwide plants off Letterman, so there's a lot of head scratching going on about Leno's retirement from "The Tonight Show" next year. Of course, retirement may not be exactly the right word for it. It seems the suits at NBC are not-quite-gently shoving Leno aside to make room for Conan O'Brien to move into the hall0wed chair once occupied by the legendary Johnny Carson and, before him, Jack Paar.

So what becomes of Leno? Funny, I should ask because a pair of Chicago Sun-Times reporters speculated on just that question today, listing, in descending order of likelihood, what Jay might do next. I found it an interesting read and, in case you hadn't heard, I've never been much of a Jay Leno fan.

C'mon Texans -- It's time for another march on Washington

It's looking more and more like the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is the place to be this July Fourth weekend. For one thing, Her Royal Tallness will be headlining a concert at this event Saturday (her opening act will be Guy Clark, for heaven's sake). Then on Sunday she will be hosting (I'm not making any of this up) a 75-minute cooking class (eat your heart out, pardon the expression, Lisa Garza) at 12:15 p.m. followed by more concert performances at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.

If you missed her during her recent appearance at the Granada Theater you should kick yourself. Not only was I there watching a magnificent concert unfold right before my eyes, but I had the amazing experience of being able to dance with the two most incredibly spectacular and wonderful women in the entire city of Dallas, although, admittedly, one of them was visiting here from a neighboring state.

But I digress. It says that "Texas: A Celebration of Music, Food, and Wine will focus on the great heritage of music, food, and winemaking from every region of the state. ... The National Mall will host demonstrations, performances, and famous Texas talk about the Lone Star State's proud history and its contemporary traditions. Up to a million visitors will hear presentations of Texas blues, swing, conjunto, country and western, gospel, and tejano music; see demonstrations of wine making; enjoy diverse culinary traditions, old and new, from barbeque to Vietnamese soups, from kolach making to chicken fried steak."

All that, and Her Royal Tallness, too. When I say I'm contemplating a trip to the Mall this weekend, I'm not talking about a shopping excursion.

The future is secure

This news means I'll sleep a lot easier tonight. For a minute there, I thought we were in trouble.

The big one busted Madame Marie this time

In the song "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," which gets a lot airplay this time of year in sophisticated radio markets (Dallas not being one, you probably won't hear it here), Bruce Springsteen sings "Did you hear, the cops finally busted Madame Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do." The Madame Marie he is referring to is Asbury Park fortune teller Madame Marie Costello, who's been telling fortunes on the Boardwalk since the 1930s.

A memorial service was held for Madame Marie today. She died last Friday, according to her great-granddaughter. She was in her mid-90s.

Not so fast there, XM Satellite and Sirius

Back at the end of March, I wondered how the Justice Department could figure that a merger of the only two satellite radio companies in the entire whole wide world would not constitute a monopoly. At the time I thought I was a majority of one but it turns out there's a handful of senators who are mad as hell about this and are not going to stand it anymore either. At least, they're going to put up a tussle about it. You can read what they are doing here, but it includes forcing the merged company to, among other things, set aside 50 channels for minority and non-commercial informational programming. They also want to require the merged company to include HD-capability in their receivers, which means the devices would carry free, over-the-air signals, as well as satellite broadcasting. Now that would eliminate the monopoly thing, as far as I'm concerned.

If this had happened anyplace else but Pasadena

Fortunately, I didn't spend a lot of time in Pasadena, Texas, but it was enough to tell me I never wanted to go back. I won't go into the whys, but my parents moved a lot when I was growing up and I wound up not staying in any one place very long. The clan landed in Pasadena just in time for me to complete the final semester of my senior year of high school. Upon graduation, I left Pasadena behind for college, only two return twice and then only briefly. My mother wasn't so lucky. Within a year, my father died and my mother never moved again until late in her life. But I'll get to that in a second.

My first return visit to Pasadena -- 20 years after I left -- was to attend a party at Gilley's that followed the Houston grand premier of the movie "Urban Cowboy." I had remembered Gilley's as a comparatively small bar on Shaver Street in Pasadena and I had spent time with a lot-less-famous Mickey Gilley there on many occasions. His mega-club, out on Spencer Highway, was the one spotlighted in the movie and it was actually financed and built 11 years after I left town by local con man Sherwood Cryer.

My second trip back came when I learned my mother had Alzheimer's and was about to be placed in an assisted living center in Pasadena that made St. Elsewhere seem like the Mansion on Turtle Creek. I quickly drove to Pasadena, packed my mother along with much of her clothing and other personals in the Jeep and took her to Austin to place her in a facility that, of course, I couldn't really afford.

But that's not the point of this story either. The point of the story is that Pasadena, at the time I lived there, was the most segregated city I had ever lived in. Not because whites were confined to one part of town and blacks to another. No, it was the most segregated city I had ever lived in because blacks did not live there at all. There was not a single black resident of Pasadena when I lived there, in the entire history of the town before I lived there, and for many years after I left. It was revealed, after a myriad of lawsuits were filed, that all the realtors had an unwritten agreement among themselves that they would not sell any property to African-Americans. Apartments also went along with this policy. Blacks were effectively barred from Pasadena, Texas.

That's why this story about a man in Pasadena getting away with the murder of two immigrants (he thought they were blacks) didn't surprise me when I read it. It made me angry, but it didn't surprise me. I felt as though I should be reassured by some police detective who could pat me on the shoulder and tell me "Forget about it, Jake. It's Pasadena."

Supreme Court gets its facts wrong in child rape decision

The Supreme Court based its argument on banning capital punishment for child rapists on the fact that 30 states that had a death penalty did not impose it for child rape and neither did the federal government. Thus, the court said, the death penalty in these cases is unconstitutional because it is "unusual."

However, it turns out that fact is fiction.

Only two years ago, according to this story, Congress revised the Uniform Code of Military Justice to allow for the death penalty for child rape. However, according to the story, "Anyone in the federal government — or anywhere else, for that matter — who knew about these developments did not tell the court."

I'm not sure the Supreme Court can call a mulligan on a decision. But perhaps now is a good time for the justices to take a closer look at the "cruel" part of this whole "cruel and unusual" argument.

Ordinance? We don't need no stinkin' ordinance

Maybe if Leona Helmsley had owned a hotel around these parts, the Dallas City Council might not have had to act so decisively to sterilize all those furry critters. Maybe the city could have solved its budget deficit and named the proposed convention center hotel the Dallas Helmsley in return for a bone from her estate.

We are the Manchurian Candidate

Yeah. Sure. This is who we should hold up as role models. The Chinese Communists who interrogated American prisoners during the Korean War. Let's pattern our behavior after those guys. You mean we already are?