Five stories that have North Texas talking: “Dallas” TV stars are back in town, a little kid is making a big impact at Dallas City Hall, the Dallas Wind Symphony “boldly goes where no band has gone before,” and more.
The sinister scoundrels, the slime buckets, the scheming lovers: They’re baaaack! The cast of Dallas is in town to start filming season 3 of the reboot, and we assume they’re back to their back-stabbing ways. They started shooting late last week. You might bump into the stars around town. Well, maybe not. So your best bet might be to check them out on Twitter. Josh Henderson tweeted a picture of himself sitting in the middle of a highway, taking a break from shooting. Jesse Metcalfe, who recently visited Austin and San Antonio, showed off his new Mercedes that he got in Plano. Julie Golanzo declared on Twitter: “Ooooo Dallas. You're a chilly surprise this morning. Time to get bundled up. #ilovefall #Dallas.” Jordana Brewster, who just had a baby, showed a picture of a gift she received – baby clothes with a Tootsie roll theme. Even Linda Gray, Dallas’ grande dame, is tweeting away: “My first scene with my son John Ross (Josh Henderson) today! It's going to be a good Season!” The third season will air on TNT early next year.
- A little guy making a big impact on Dallas City Council: The Dallas Morning News has this delightful profile on a kid who’s trying to overcome a tough life and making connections with Dallas’ politicos. David Williams isn’t “tall enough to see over the speakers’ podium, but he often has important business to discuss with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and his City Council colleagues. So every few weeks, the 12-year-old southeast Oak Cliff boy signs up to address city leaders on topics such as school safety and domestic violence. He sometimes comes with a PowerPoint presentation. When it appeared some council members were not listening to him at a February meeting, David asked, ‘Do you feel it is acceptable for City Council members to be up and walking while their constituents are addressing them?’” He has met with Rawlings to discuss domestic violence and how it affects youth. David, who’s 4 feet, 4 inches tall, wants to eventually be a politician known around the world.
- Six Flags Over Texas denies negligence: A Dallas woman fell to her death from the Texas Giant roller coaster over the summer, but Six Flags Over Texas is denying liability in the July accident. The Arlington theme park says in a court filing that it complied with inspections and maintenance procedures recommended by the German company that built the ride, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The family of Rosa Esparza sued Six Flags last month, saying in court documents that she was upside down in her seat and holding on for “dear life” before she fell to her death. Six Flags reopened the ride last month – the Texas Giant comes with new seat belts, as well as sample seats at the ride’s entrance so that customers can see if they will fit.
- The Dallas Wind Symphony says it best: “Boldly go where no band has gone before.” The symphony performs Mars Attacks! tonight at 8 at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. The symphony “explores the frontiers of time and space, Hollywood style!” performing music from creature features, including “Alien,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Independence Day.” The best part: The concert features an audience costume contest. Tickets range from $10-49.
- Poet Laureate Reads Poetry At Austin College: The 2014 Texas Poet Laureate, Dean Young, will offer a poetry reading at 4:30 p.m. today in the Caruth Administration Building at Austin College in Sherman. Young, an English professor at UT-Austin, has published 12 books of poetry and one volume of prose on the aesthetics of poetry. He’s earned numerous awards and honors for his poetry, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Read one of his poems here.
Before we go, let’s start the morning off on a good note with the old-school “Dallas” theme:
