Scene and Heard

Alan Peppard: Kevin Jonas' NorthPark Excursion

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:31:14 -0600

Having the Jonas Brothers living in North Texas is a bit like living near Abbey Road Studios during the heyday of the Beatles. You never know when they'll show up.
Thursday, the brothers had a day off from their tour (Wednesday night, they packed 'em in at Pepsi Center in Denver). Eldest brother Kevin Jonas used his downtime for a little shopping at Barneys at NorthPark.
And he was with a young woman. Were they a couple? Kind of looked that way.
Just so we've got it straight: Nick Jonas may or may not be back together with Miley Cyrus after she made a surprise appearance during their recent show at Cowboys Stadium. Last year, Joe Jonas was dating Taylor Swift, but now he's not.
And Kevin was with a mystery woman at NorthPark.
Check.
During his NorthPark excursion, Kevin was also joined by an unobtrusive security guard who stayed close, but not too close.

Mr. Dallas: weekend tippling tips

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:53:06 -0600

Today: There's a launch party for the Web site Chick Talk from 5 to 8 at Iron Cactus.

Saturday: Veritas Wine Room offers small bite plates and wine pairings from 2:30 to 5:30 for $10. Wish Ultralounge, which is always celebrating something, is celebrating Justin Lane's birthday. The Boardroom hosts a "Luau Patio Party," starting at 7:30, with help from its Victory Park neighbor Havana Social Club.

Mr. Dallas: Thursday's tippling tip, Bolla Bar specials

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:05:33 -0600

The Stoneleigh Hotel hosts the first of three summer events called "Stoneleigh Under the Stars" tonight. Bolla Bar there will feature half-price appetizers, half-price martinis and other drink specials from 6:30 to 10:30. Chill-loungy Shock of Pleasure will perform. Lissome siren Kelley Christian won't be on board to sing, however.

Will be there nice and early (101 degrees in a suit, here Mr. Dallas comes). The series continues July 23 and Aug. 27.

Jon and Kate Gosselin getting divorce

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:16:09 -0600

Two of reality TV's foremost obnoxoids (and that's saying something) are getting divorced. Watch for more details from Darla Atlas on DallasNews.

Alan Peppard: Miley Cyrus Flies Under Radar at Galleria

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:09:42 -0600

Miley Cyrus' surreptitious visit to Dallas last weekend was like the plot from her latest Hannah Montana movie: Part of the time she was an adored superstar surrounded by security and performing for tens of thousands of people, the rest of the time she was a normal, anonymous teenager.
As we all know now, when the Jonas Brothers kicked off their world tour Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium, Miley made a surprise appearance on stage to sing the duet, "Before the Storm," with her ex-boyfriend Nick Jonas, who may not be an ex anymore.
At 1:20 p.m. Saturday, Miley sent the following tweet to her nearly 1 million Twitter followers: "In one of my favorite cities with my favorite people. Guess where I am and what I'm doing. I will never tell :)"
On Sunday, Miley was back to being a normal--though, well funded--teenager. She and her mom went virtually unrecognized when they made a low-key shopping run to the Galleria.
Miley and her mom, Tish, did some serious browsing at Ylang 23 jewelry boutique. The young star was particularly enamored with the store's Virgins, Saints & Angels line, which features elaborate crosses and other religious imagery on fancy necklaces, rings and earrings.
The big question remains: Are Miley and Nick Jonas back together? They dated for two years, and then broke up.
Last week on Larry King Live, Larry asked brother Joe Jonas if his girlfriend was as famous as Nick's. Joe replied, "I don't think anybody's as famous as Miley Cyrus," Joe answered.
Stay tuned.

Alan Peppard: Amber Campisi Joins Kendra

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:35:48 -0600

It's a lead-pipe cinch that the spotlight will always find Amber Campisi. The come-hither eldest daughter of restaurateur Corky Campisi is now part of the reality TV gang on E!'s new show Kendra, a spin-off of the Playboy Mansion-based favorite, The Girls Next Door.
E! has built the show around 24-year-old Kendra Wilkinson, formerly one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriend collective. She is now engaged to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett.
Kendra invited Amber to come from Dallas and move into her L.A. pad. Amber is now a supporting player on the show. Kendra and Amber have a common Playboy lineage. Kendra dated Hef and Amber was Miss February 2005.
What do they do for fun?
Well there's always in the at-home stripper pole.
"It's such a good workout, especially before my wedding," Kendra told TVGuide.com. "I want to be in perfect shape. The pole was the first thing I had installed. It's my centerpiece."
But that can only last so long. Last week, Kendra announced that she and Hank are expecting a baby.
Season one of Kendra featuring Amber Campisi kicked off on June 9. Check it out Sunday evening's on E! at 9 p.m. Central.

Alan Peppard: Romo, Spud, Barkley and Gang at Primo's

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:22:38 -0600

The new President's Table at Primo's on McKinney Avenue is still waiting for a presidential visit, but Thursday night it was used for nobility. Sir Charles Barkley dined at there with a coterie of well-known sporting types.
Primo's new owners, Phil Lacerte and Frank Bonilla, designated a corner table as the President's Table in case George W. Bush wants to drop in for Tex-Mex. No W. yet.
Joining Sir Charles was sports entrepreneur Kirby Schlegel as well as Tony Romo, Spud Webb and pro golfer Anthony Kim.
The President's Table group ate tacos and drank beer while watching sports on TV.

Alan Peppard: A-Rod and Kate Hudson On A Date

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:27:33 -0600

Kate Hudson and Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez had a grand plan for a super secret dinner together in Dallas that was nearly foolproof.
They slipped in a side door at Al Biernat's steakhouse and went straight to a private room. Nobody knew they were there.
No one knew until the end of their meal when they walked right through the dining room and out the front door in full view of other patrons.
Now, I'm no specialist in covert ops, but that seems like the flaw in their plan. A-Rod and Kate Hudson walking through a busy restaurant will get noticed.
Perhaps, the muscle-bound slugger threw some fear into the staff because when I phoned proprietor Al Biernat for confirmation, he uttered words that are anathema to him: "No comment."
Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly and Al has gotta tell you who is in his restaurant.
"No comment," he repeated before changing the subject.

Alan Peppard: Kate Hudson Dating A-Rod?

Sun, 31 May 2009 14:07:59 -0600

Apparently, it wasn't mere chance that led actress Kate Hudson and New York Yankee Alex "A-Rod" Rodríguez to be staying at Hotel ZaZa at the same time last week.
Could they be K-I-S-S-I-N-G?
Well, hopefully not too ostentatiously, because she had her son, Ryder, and his nanny in tow.
Just before traveling to Dallas, Kate was spotted cheering for A-Rod at the new Yankee Stadium. The blogosphere is smoking with reports of cozy couple spottings of the two in New York. A-Rod was here to play his old team, the Texas Rangers.

Alan Peppard: Jonas Brothers Get Some Ice

Sun, 31 May 2009 14:02:13 -0600

Yes, tween screamers: The Jonas Brothers actually live in North Texas and they do things as mundane as leave the house to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Last week, a trio of Jonases dropped into the new Rita's Italian Ice shop in Bedford, the first North Texas outpost of the Philadelphia company. It's a hop, skip and a short drive from the Jonas family home in Westlake.
At 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday, band members Kevin and Joe Jonas stepped into Rita's with their 9-year-old brother, Frankie Jonas, also known as the Bonus Jonas and Frank the Tank.
The visit was clearly a treat for the youngish women manning the counter at Rita's. You can check out photos of them and the Jonases here.

Alan Peppard: Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo Bring the Beef

Sun, 31 May 2009 13:59:09 -0600

Why did nobody bother Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo during their Saturday night dinner at Al Biernat's steakhouse? It must have been those burly bodyguards who were with them.
But wait, those weren't bodyguards. They were Tony's teammates.
The reservation was in linebacker Bobby Carpenter's name. At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Bobby was not the biggest presence. The party of 12 also included 6-foot-8, 318-pound tackle Marc Colombo. He's not the kind of guy that aggressive paparazzi or autograph seekers want to agitate.
Tight end and Romo BFF Jason Witten also joined the group.
No private table for this crowd. They plopped down right in the middle of the dining room, drawing lots of curious stares but no serious intrusions.

Alan Peppard: Bushes Get a Penthouse View

Thu, 28 May 2009 12:51:46 -0600

It's hard to beat the view from the Truman Balcony, but former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, came as close as you can get in Dallas with their Memorial Day celebrations.
The Bushes were dinner guests at the Crestpark penthouse of real estate doyenne Allie Beth Allman and her husband, Pierce. From their aerie, one has an unobstructed view of Highland Park and its leafy environs.
Among the guests was the hardest working sportscaster on Fox Troy Aikman and his wife, Rhonda, and Bush pals Debbie and Jim Francis.
Former White House social secretary and special assistant to the president Lea Berman joined the gathering with her husband, Wayne Berman, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce and now managing director of Ogilvy Government Relations. Also present was President Bush's new chief of staff Michael Meece.

Alan Peppard: D Art Slam's New Dallas Nine

Tue, 26 May 2009 14:21:59 -0600

Hats off to Fashion Industry Gallery founder John Sughrue for seeing that F.I.G. is not just a place to wholesale clothes. It's also got a groovy vibe as an art venue.
In February, F.I.G. hosted the Dallas Art Fair in its sleek urban space on Ross Avenue, across St. Paul from the Dallas Museum of Art. This weekend, it will welcome the first D Art Slam, a three-day juried art exhibition co-sponsored by D magazine and featuring 150 local artists.
"This is a bookend to the Dallas Art Fair which was about national and international contemporary art," says Marlene Fogarty, director of communications for F.I.G. and wife of John Sughrue. "To be a truly great city, you need a thriving local art scene. D Art Slam is about the local artist who often works in obscurity but whose work is equally inspired."
On Thursday night, D Art Slam's VIP preview party will feature several hundred well-dressed locals who will hear who has been selected as members the new Dallas Nine.
In the 1930s, the original Dallas Nine artists were leading exponents of the regionalist movement. While the group fluctuated above and below nine members, the core group is usually considered to be Jerry Bywaters, Harry P. Carnohan,Ö John Douglass, ÖOtis Dozier, Alexandre Hogue,Ö William Lester, Perry Nichols, Everett Spruce and Thomas M. Stell Jr.
A jury of art pros including painter Dan Rizzie and UNT professor Richard Davis has selected a group to make up the new 21st century Dallas Nine.

More changes to GuideLive.com

Thu, 21 May 2009 18:22:02 -0600

We've taken a lot of your feedback and have made several changes to the new GuideLive.com, including adding "GUIDELIVE IT!" sections at the top of each tab (Events, Movies, Restaurants and Performers) to help you search for things that matter most to you.

GUIDELIVE IT! PERFORMERS is where you'll find listings for that night's live music options, and DJs spinning, plus a list of popular places to hear that live music in case you're looking for somewhere new to check out. GuideLive.com now is loaded with things to do and places to go for the nightlife crowd, including nightclub events, which include happy hours and drink specials, and restaurants, clubs and bars to help you wind down afterward.

Give us a shout or leave comments below if you run across any other concerns regarding the new GuideLive.com.

Alan Peppard: Celebrating Highland Park Village Sale

Thu, 21 May 2009 08:55:15 -0600

On Wednesday, Highland Park Village changed hands from one dynasty to another when Heather and Ray Washburne and Elisa and Stephen Summers closed on the purchase of the landmark shopping center from the family of 94-year-old real estate icon Henry S. Miller Jr. and their long-time partners, the Polchow family of New Orleans.
The mirth was palpable at a celebratory party Wednesday evening on the second floor of the Highland Park Village Mi Cocina where buyers and sellers convened for margaritas and snacks with enough rich friends to mount a hostile takeover of NorthPark.
Heather Washburne and Elisa Summers are sisters. Their grandmother was H.L. Hunt's oldest child, Hunt Petroleum matriarch Margaret Hunt Hill. Their father is businessman Al G. Hill Jr. who co-founded World Championship Tennis with his uncle Lamar Hunt.
Ray Washburne is co-founder of Mi Cocina and its parent company, MCrowd (Taco Diner, Mercury Grill, et al) as well as CEO of the real estate firm Charter Holdings. Stephen Summers, a principal with Expedition Capital Partners, is the new go-to guy for leasing at the Village.
Among the celebrants packed into the Mi Cocina party were Henry S. Miller Jr.'s four children, Vance Miller, Patsy Donosky, Henry S. Miller III and Jackie Stewart.
"They handed over the actual keys to Highland Park Village to us today," said Ray. "It was the keys to the front office."
Developer Harlan Crow is about as social as the late-life Howard Hughes, but even he made time to come by for the party. Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt (Heather and Elisa's second cousin) attended as did Debbie and Jim Francis (close friends of George W.'s) and Murchison dynasty representative Ken Murchison and his wife, Suellen.