Sleepless in Midland

Free gun locks

A press release from the city:

The Midland Police Department and the Midland County Sheriff's Office will provide free firearm safety kits to local residents through a partnership with Project ChildSafe, the nationwide firearms safety education program. The safety kits, which include a gunlock, will be distributed beginning June 29, 2004, at both the Midland Police Department (601 N. Loraine) and the Midland County Sheriff's Department (400 S. Main).

Residents are encouraged to pick up a Project ChildSafe safety kit so that they can securely store their firearm. Each kit contains a safety curriculum and a cable-style gunlock. The locks fit on most types of handguns, rifles, and shotguns. The goal is to prevent a child or any other unauthorized person from accessing a firearm in a home.

Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, is funded by a U.S. Department of Justice grant with additional funding provided by the firearms industry. Gunlock safety kits will be distributed in all 50 states and the five U.S. Territories.

In 2003, the Midland Police Department and Midland Sheriff's Office distributed close to 7,000 free gunlocks.

Keep those kiddies safe.

Class Action Lawyers, the last to learn.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal editorial page contained an item by Steven Malanga titled "Class Action? Third Aisle to the Left." It's an opinion piece about the sexual discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart which was just given class action status by a federal judge in San Francisco. In it, Mr. Malanga provides a thorough Fisking of the case and the law firm representing the plaintiffs. (The WSJ piece was adapted from a City Journal article titled The Tort Plague Hits Wal-Mart - A federal judge dignifies a flimsy claim.)

One sentence struck a cord with me:

To gin up this argument the lawyers rely on anything they can get their hands on that purportedly shows that Wal-Mart's "culture" is hostile to women, including the fact that Sam Walton used to take his top managers quail hunting once a year—an activity, the suit contends, that men are more comfortable with than women.

If the plaintiffs' lawyers are contending that men or more comfortable at a quail hunt than women, then that contention itself is demeaning and discriminatory. Women represent the fasting growing demographic of new participants in shooting sports. Readers of these pages know that some local individuals recently conducted a Women on Target program to introduce women to recreational shooting. The first clinic dealt with handguns, and the second clinic involved rifles. If there is enough interest in shotguns, then another clinic will involve shooting shotguns. But, this ain't San Francisco, and they may be a little bit behind the times about those sorts of things out there.

Now, I am not familiar with the facts of the lawsuit. The handful of original plaintiffs may have actually suffered from discrimination because they were female. But, the tort system for so long has provided a way for some people to mine for gold in the courthouse especially when they've got a company as successful as Wal-Mart in their sights.

Cingular, Cellular One, or TracFone

I've been asking people which cell phone carrier they use, and it seems that cell phone users in our local area primarily use services provided by Cingular or Cellular One. But, one person responded that he uses a TracFone that he bought at Wal-Mart.

The TracFone requires the purchase of a phone plus a minute card similar to the long distance calling cards available in many stores. It's not clear how the minutes on the card are transferred to the phone, but once they are in there the phone can be used until the minutes are used up. A screen on the phone keeps track of how much time is left.

The least expensive card is one that can be purchased for $19.99 which buys 40 minutes. The least cost per minute appears to be the 400 minute card at a cost of $79.99 which comes to slightly less than $0.20 per minute. But, the cards expire after 60 days unless they are reloaded with additional minutes.

A one year card costs $94.99 and provides for 150 minutes which comes to $0.63 per minute. So, maybe a person could buy the one year card, use up those high priced minutes, then continue the year with a cheaper card. But, the website doesn't make it clear whether it can be done that way.

Their advertised advantage is that there is no contract to sign, no credit check, and no monthly fee.

One drawback is that the number someone has to dial to reach the phone has an area code for who-knows-where, and so it's a long distance call for them. But, on the bright side, it would certainly discourage those long winded callers.

Anyway, for someone who wouldn't use a cell phone very often it might be a tempting way to go.

Water. Falling from the sky!

More rain today! A half inch in the old gauge!

It came down between noon and 1:00 p.m., and once again I got caught out in it. But hey, it's fun! Just like the kids out there wading in those water filled streets, I'm loving it!

Oh, how I hope this drought is ending!

West Texas - like another planet

This picture was taken by Spirit Rover as it reached Columbia Hills on Mars. It's the Astronomy Picture of the day for today, June 28, 2004.

The above true-color picture shows very nearly what a human would see from Spirit's vantage point. The red color of the rocks, hills, and even the sky is caused by pervasive rusting sand.

What's striking is that if you threw in a few Mesquite trees it would look remarkably like the West Texas landscape.

When turtles cross the road

Yesterday morning I saw a turtle walking down the alley - not a very common sight around here. When turtles get out on a roadway or alley sometimes it's a sign that rain might be coming. And, sure enough, we got a rain yesterday evening around 5:00 P.M. Boy, did it rain!

My backyard gauge had about 1.5 inch of rain in it. That's not a tremendous amount, but when it comes down in as short of a time span as it did yesterday then it means flooded streets, stalled cars and missed suppers.

The streets of Midland serve as a drainage system for rain runoff. So, when there's a heavy downpour - however rare that might be - then certain streets become rivers. You can't go anywhere while it's happening, but it's a cheap and efficient way to disperse the water. Yesterday the streets did the job nicely, but those of us who were out in it had a rough go of it.

There were lots of stalled cars. And, nothing will encourage alternate routes than a sight of a dead car in high water. Maybe I was lucky, but I managed to get through it all.

Perhaps it's time to take another look at the local 100 year flood map (large PDF file) to try to plan out alternate routes in the event it happens again soon. And, here's a little item dated 12/10/03 in these pages about that flood map.

It's been a while since we've had a major flood out here. But, for a review of the big one of 1968 click here.

Bill Clinton- left handed autographs

I didn't know Bill Clinton was left handed. But, there he was on MSNBC at a book signing. He was autographing with his left hand and shaking hands with his right hand. Very little time wasted. The crowd was hustled by in assembly line fashion, and he didn't linger with any one of them. In and out. A very efficient time management operation.

Update - 6/25/04: Redman emailed this link which tells us that the following Presidents were left handed:

James A. Garfield
Herbert Hoover
Harry S. Truman
Gerald Ford
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton

Very interesting. Thanks Redman.

Update - 6/28/04: Paul Greenberg in Townhall.com provides the origin and date, September 27, 1980, of the first application the term "Slick Willie" to Mr. Clinton. Via Vodka Pundit.

What's in Gatorade?

There was a time when we were all told that it was bad to consume too much sugar. But, there doesn't seem to be any sugar added to anything these days. It's a syrupy sweetener of some sort, and in many cases they use high-fructose corn syrup which has gotten a lot of bad press from nutritionists - there's an unproven theory that says high-fructose corn syrup is at least partly to blame for the rise in type 2 diabetes.

When Gatorade was invented the back story was that a college football coach asked a biochemist to determine what substances the players lost during a sweaty workout. The answer was water, glucose and sodium. So, they concocted a drink. And in the early days a bottle of Gatorade had on its label that it contained water, glucose, sodium and food coloring. But not today.

I'm looking at a Gatorade label right now, and here is what it says:

Ingredients: water, sucrose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial water-melon flavor, salt, sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate.

Well, I suppose that if we are to restrict our sugar intake then this should do the trick. Not exactly. From what I understand, those chemical soups, or "syrups", have all of the detriments of sugar and then some. Maybe the sugar high one gets from drinking such a mixture might be a little bit higher, but the resulting low is also lower. Like off a cliff.

Buh bye Gatorade. You're off my grocery list.

Al Franken & Air America

Today's (6/21/04) print addition of the Wall Street Journal contains an interesting front page article about the financial problems of Air America, the company responsible for Al Franken's liberal radio talk show. (Online subscribers shouldn't have any trouble finding it.)

In sum, they didn't take in enough investment money to pay for the implementation of their ambitious plan. But, that didn't stop them, and they were soon out of money.

The original plan was to get stations to agree to run the Air America lineup 24 hours a day. But, stations balked, and Air America ended up with expensive leasing arrangements. Without revenue to pay for it the original investments were soon spent. Bills weren't being paid, and key people resigned. Others were forced to resign.

Piquant LLC is the resulting entity in control, and according to the article, they are following a more conventional plan of trying to get local stations to pick up their lineup.

Well, I probably speak for much of the blogosphere in wishing them luck. I've written about Al Franken in these pages before, see here. It's fun. Bloggers need subject matter, and this one is chock full of it. We need raw meat. We need people to Fisk, and Al Franken was an easy target. So Al, while I never heard your radio show, I miss it already.

Al, maybe this will help. Each morning look into the mirror and say to yourself: "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And by golly, people like me!"

Skating Competition in Midland

Another skating competition is scheduled for June 26 at the William-Sam Skate Park located at Beal Park in Midland. It's for "Masters," i.e., "old people." Actually, they define a master as someone 30 years of age or older, so they really aren't old at all. Here's this from the press release:

The competition and skating event is for those 30 years of age and over. The event will draw skaters, even in their 50's, to Midland. Skaters of all ages are invited to attend as spectators.

Now those 50 year old skaters should be a sight to see. Emergency room please stand by!

Midland expat blog

When I get around to updating the blog roll I'll be adding a category for Midland expats. Take for example, Aunti Cracker, a former Midlander who's now living in Oregon, the poor dear. But, not to worry, she can hold her own. Here's a sampling:

So Madonna wants to go by the name Ester. I guess if you concert tour gets no attention and no one buys your CD and everyone hates you video's. You gotta do something to get some attention. So why the HELL not change your name. I guess the riverdancing to pop music was not working out foor her.

If people don't already think you are a total whack job, why not convince them that you are. It seems to me that Madonna, I mean Ester has a few too many Yes, people in her life and she needs to get one or two No, people in her life. Somebody needs to tell these people when they have stepped over the edge. Some one should of stopped her long ago. Like say when she was dating Dennis Rodman.

And another thing why would Courtney Cox name her baby after a dog. Cocoa is a dogs name, come on folks get a GRIP. Now the poor child has to go around be called like a dog. I guess at least the did not name the kid Apple or Orange. When you are naming your child you have to consider is this a name that they are going to get made fun of for the whole time in school. Why didn't they just name the kid D.O.G. Permalink.

And this:

Is Theresa Heinz sexy and cheeky. if cheeky has anything to do with having a poofy funny looking face. Well then she's cheeky. She is definitely not sexy . ARRGH. Every time Dean sees her he screams. I hear Stevie Wonder thinks she's sexy.

A recent poll by a radio station in Boston showed 80% find her unattractive.

And just to let you know Kerry is funny looking too. Permalink.

I'd say "good luck" to you Aunti Cracker, but I think you're doing all right without it.

What the heck happened to Glenn Glazer?

Glenn Glazer was a witty and entertaining early morning tv weather guy on Big 2 here in Midland until recently. But, he just vanished.

The local stations build up their tv news and weather personalities, but when they leave for better jobs, they just disappear from the screen without any explanation at all. Mr. Glazer has been absent from the Big 2 screen for over a month, and I kept waiting for his return from a vacation. But, no Glenn.

Well, he's been found. He's got a new gig working for KENS in San Antonio.

Have you noticed? KENS already has hired a weekend successor: a meteorologist who comes from a three-year TV stint in Midland. He's Glenn Glazer. He grew up in Maryland and also covered the Gulf Coast at a West Palm Beach, Fla., station. Source: MySanAntonio.com

Sorry you had to leave us, Glenn. Our loss is San Antonio's gain. Best of luck to you and be sure to check out the zoo while you are there.

Update - 6/25/04: Thanks for the comment, Glenn. We miss your appearance on the Big 2 early morning show, but I suspect that with your talent we'll be seeing you someday on a national network or cable show. Best wishes and good luck.

Good deeds and everyday heroes

Here's to the unsung heroes amongst us. They do good deeds, they help people, and they usually get nothing more than a "thank you" in return. So, hats off to those people.

Midlander Jon Lindgren has written and is directing a film which he hopes will become a tv series titled "Everyday Heroes" featuring some of the good deeds done by those everyday heroes. The segment filmed Tuesday in Midland was supposed to capture the goodness of one of the victims at the Columbine shooting in contrast with the killers. It shouldn't take much to contrast anyone from those killers, but the victim they plan to feature apparently really was an asset to her community.

Lindgren said his objective in making the series was to create "absolute pro-America shows that exhibit values like compassion and kindness." Source: MyWestTexas.com.

Good luck with the show Mr. Lindgren. We'll be watching for it.

"Friday Night Lights" - the 1st trailer

Screen shot from trailer

Update 6/14/04: PEGJOVI sent this screen shot of a crowd scene from the FNL trailer. And, she's in there somewhere.

Thanks Pegjovi. See you in the movies!

----------------------
A "Friday Night Lights" movie trailer can be seen at Yahoo. Be sure to check out the still shots there, too.

Thanks to Allen at GruntDoc for that link.

World Naked Bike Ride

The World Naked Bike Ride was yesterday, June 12.  Dang.  I missed it.

Did they have one in Midland?  There was one in Austin.  A line at that link says it was a success and "post-mortem report to follow."

"Friday Night Lights" - the book's author

Fans of "Friday Night Lights" author H. G. Bissinger will get a chance to meet him and get his autograph at a book signing from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. tomorrow, June 11, at Hastings Book Music & Video located at 3895 E. 42nd Street in Odessa, Texas.

Update 6/13/04: David J. Lee reported in the 6/12/04 Odessa American that 200 people showed up for the book signing and that about 100 books appeared to have been sold by the end of the signing. Here's more from the article:

The book about Permian High School's 1988 football season spurred controversy about racism and ethics in the city of Odessa.

"My sense is … times heals a lot of wounds," Bissinger said. "Let's face it. They're so ga-ga over the movie, they're like 'What book?' "

Movie director Peter Berg, Bissinger's cousin, is making a film based on the book.

[James "Boobie"] Miles said he believes the city has changed greatly since 1988. "There's no more black and white," he said. "That was 15 years ago. Let it be in the past."

And, Ken Brodnax in the 6/13/04 Odessa American reports that Mr. Bissinger had come to Odessa because Sports Illustrated had sent him back to write a story about how Odessa has changed. And, Mr. Brodnax had some interesting tidbits about Mr. Bissinger:

Still, the author admits that the phenomenal success of the book (he said it still sells about 35,000 copies a year) can sometimes be a burden.

Bissinger likens the attention given to him for writing "Friday Night Lights" to the football hero who is always frozen in time during his glory days. "It's sort of the nonfiction version of the high school quarterback. I've actually written other things in my life." The author said he thinks some of his later books are actually better-written. He went to Hollywood a couple of years ago to be a writer and producer for the popular television drama "NYPD Blue."

"But 'Friday Night Lights' is my badge, and sometimes I wear it proudly and sometimes I wonder, honestly, if it would have been better if I'd written it at a later time in my life."

We'll be watching for that Sports Illustrated article.

Ronald Reagan's boot

I lost it.

Ronald Reagan was a great president, and we are all much, much better off than had he never lived. I know, some people don't want to give him credit, but they are mistaken.

But, his passing, for me, wasn't really an emotional thing. He was an old man with Alzheimer's disease. It was bound to happen sooner or later. And, he's been out of the public eye for fifteen years.

But, right up there on the screen. A riderless horse. An empty boot. I lost it.

What a sad day.

Reno 911

On the teevee tonight - the season premier of Reno 911 starts at 9:30 CDT on Comedy Central.

The last season ended with most of the main characters getting shot in a practical joke gone horribly wrong. But, not to worry. The writers and producers should have no trouble resurrecting them for the terms of their contracts.

As with any comedy, the show had some hits and misses, some funny bits and some space fillers. But, there was one scene in one of the last season's shows that really flipped political correctness on its head. One of the squads was called to a disturbance - a fire in someone's front yard. They arrived to find a bunch of guys in sheets and hoods burning a cross. Okay, they look like klansmen, and we all know what that means.

One pretty good comedy trick is to create an expectation in the viewer's mind then reveal something entirely plausible but completely different from what was expected. So, here it comes.

The officers approach the klansmen telling them they can't burn a cross on someone's property. But, the leader explains that they are on his own property. Well, it's the symbolism of the burning of the cross. It's a racist thing. But, no. This is not a racist thing. Those days are long gone. These klansmen have learned the errors of their old ways, and this cross burning symbolizes the brotherhood between white people and black people, the unity that now exists between black and white. It's meant to ridicule and caricature the bad old ways. And then the klansman reaches out to hug the black officer who isn't going to have any of it - he's so frustrated that he's hopping mad. Funny stuff but off the political correctness charts.

Anyway, I saw that bit when it was on the first time. And, Comedy Central has re-run the entire season since it ended. I watched portions of some of the re-runs, but I haven't stumbled across that scene again. Could it have been edited out? Possibly, or perhaps I just didn't stumble onto the right scene.

Anyway, it had a few funny bits last season, and I'm going to give it another shot this season. Check it out.

"Friday Night Lights" - a kegger scene?

Was there a "kegger" scene in the movie "Friday Night Lights"? Check out Leslie's comment following this post.

Thanks Leslie! We'll be watching for you!

Reagan's passing, Democrats' response

Tom Daschle had a televised press conference on C-SPAN, and it was so similar to the televised oposition responses following Presidential speeches that I thought it must have been Democratic response to Ronald Reagan's death. A couple of things stood out. First, according to Mr. Daschle, the only thing Ronald Reagan will be remembered for will be the powerful persuasiveness of his personality. And, here's a priceless soundbite: "The country was no safer when Ronald Reagan left office than it was when he entered office."

Holy cow! You would think this was an election year! Well, it is. Daschle is running for re-election, and he's probably just talking to his constituency. And, that's why it's so scary.

D-Day history on the History Channel

This past week the History Channel served us up a bunch of stuff on D-Day, and no matter how many times I've seen these historical accounts there's always something there I didn't know.

It seems that on D-Day the first team of guys that were expected to hit the beach were in the Navy Combat Demolition Unit (NCDU), and they were tasked with the job of landing on the beach and blowing up the barricades all the while trying to keep from getting shot. What a horrible job that much have been. They had a high casualty rate, but somehow they got the job done.

Over and over in these D-Day accounts we hear how resourceful the Soldiers and Marines were. Conditions on some of the beaches were much worse than they were led to believe, and it was just raw and pure commitment to getting the job done with whatever means they had available that got them through it.

There's a oft quoted line that goes something like this: "a battle plan is good only up until the first shot is fired." And, that must have been true on D-Day. What a job those guys did!

I'm reminded of that quote when opposition party loyalists moan about poor planning for Iraq. Our leaders need a little room to maneuver, and we need to appreciate their resourcefulness and accomplishments rather than complain because we weren't handed a nice notarized blueprint ahead of time.

Eisenhower and D-day, the movie

A&E network had an excellent made-for-tv movie titled "Ike - Countdown to D-Day." Dwight David Eisenhower became the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces during WWII, and the movie purported to recreate the meetings and events during the weeks before the D-Day attack on June 6, 1944. Oh yeah, did I say it was an excellent movie?

A&E replayed it several times last week and at least once more on Sunday, the D-Day anniversary. And, it will probably be on again soon, and if so I'll plan to tape it to watch a few memorable moments again.

One such moment was an encounter between Ike and General George Patton in Ike's office. Patton was called before Ike for having slapped a soldier in a hospital and having proclaimed to the press that it was up to the Anglo-Saxons to free Europe. Ike was trying to placate the Russians who were expected to carry some of the weight, and Patton's remarks apparently ruffled them.

So, Ike had Patton on the carpet about it and made it clear that Patton could get sent home unless he behaved. The movie producers show us a contrite Patton with a quivering lip practically begging Ike not to send him home. Patton's version of the events probably varied, but it was interesting to see something that would never have appeared in the movie "Patton."

Patton and British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery were media hogs. But, Ike shunned the spotlight. Ike told one of his confidants that he didn't want any press attention focused on himself. He said that he was trying to get those generals to cooperate, and he was having a hard enough time of it as it was. He sure didn't want to end up competing with Patton or Montgomery for print space.

Another memorable scene showed Ike and the other generals giving a briefing for the King and Queen of England, and the movie producers showed us a humorous moment prior to the briefing. The event took place in an auditorium run by Montgomery, and as Ike started to light up a cigarette, Monty instructed him that there was no smoking in the building. So, about that time the King and Queen enter along with Winston Churchill, and soon there was a full audience. The King lit up a cigarette. Winie lit up a cigar, and within about five seconds half the people in attendance were puffing on something, including Ike. The movie producers show us Monty's face as he scowls with the indignity of having just been rolled over by a force more powerful than himself.

And finally, there was that remarkable scene just prior to D-Day when Churchill tells Ike that he planned to make a speech to the British people once the attack had commenced. Ike vetoed that idea. "I'm expendable, you are not," he told Churchill. Ike wanted to save Churchill and the other leaders any humiliation in the event that the invasion was a failure. Ike would take the blame and protect the others. What a classy guy!

Update: It looks like the next showing will be on Saturday, June 12, at 7:00 a.m. CDT. So, set the VCR.

El Banco Bandido. Arrested!

Big Spring bank robbery, January 7, 2004

There has been a rash of bank robberies in the area, the most recent one having been in Abilene on Wednesday, June 2nd.

And, on Thursday two individuals, Oscar Ibarra and his brother, Irad Ibarra, were arrested. According to the Abilene Reporter-News Oscar Ibarra admitted to Wednesday's robbery in Abilene and to robbing one bank in Big Spring, two banks in Lubbock and four banks in Odessa. Here's more:

Abilene police and FBI officials say the brothers were both involved in Wednesday's robbery at the American State Bank at 3402 N. 1st St. More than $2,500 was stolen, according to a statement filed by the FBI in federal court.

According to the FBI, a lone bank robber entered the bank and gave one of the tellers a note indicating he had a gun and ordered her to hand him the money in her drawer. The robber was seen leaving the scene in an older model tan extended cab pickup that also carried another man.

About an hour later, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers saw a truck matching the description in the parking lot of the Flying J Plaza in Tye. Tye is just west of Abilene in Taylor County.

Regular readers of this blog might recall my previous observations about the inferior quality of the photos apparently taken by bank surveillance cameras. If anyone wants to revisit those items they can be found here, here, here, here, and here. Note that the robbers were caught because a witness got a glimpse of the get-away truck and provided that information to police. The information was quickly dispersed, and the DPS spotted the truck. As far as I can tell the surveillance photos did not help.

Television news coverage - I taped the three local tv 10:00 o'clock news shows last night (Friday) specifically to see what they said about the bank robbers' capture. Channel 7 skipped it entirely. But to be fair, the arrest took place on Thursday, and they may have covered it then. Big 2 News had a brief but adequate coverage. Channel 9 covered the details sufficiently but went overboard with efforts to humanize the story by having a reporter knock on Mr. Ibarra's door and report that no one was home. And their interviews with some neighbors revealed that they, predictably, thought that it was a good thing that the robbers were caught. Oh come on. What else could they say? But, I suppose someone somewhere has determined that that is what viewers want to see.

(Apologies to those who are fluent in Spanish and to Ms. Miller, my high school Spanish teacher. "El Banco Bandido" is not the best word usage, but it just has a ring to it to these Anglo ears.)

"Friday Night Lights" - Commentary from Anonymous Houston Extra

The other day we heard from an Anonymous Houston Extra who worked in the Houston production of the movie "Friday Night Lights." AHE has checked in with another commentary about the movie and how the citizens in west Texas may be portrayed.

I have a personal comment about why the FNL book and movie were made. I think it's actually quite simple. I remember very well hearing about an author going into Odessa back in the 80's to write a book about the high school football team there. I said even back then to my wife, "oh my goodness, are these people so naive that they can't see this carpet-bagger is coming in to do a tap dance all over them." But times were tough, and I guess the people of Odessa just wanted to believe something good could come about from it.

Bissinger could have picked "Any Town USA" to write a book on high school football. The fact is that Bissinger needed a stereo-typical Texas town environment where exaggerated plots could be amusing and believable to outside readers. Odessa was perfect because it was an isolated Texas town and virtually unknown to most of the country... everything would be real and believable to the reader. With Odessa he had license to incorporate racism, a society filled with under-educated "red necks" and a mentality that "winning the football game" is everything.

I think it's so silly when people ask Berg why he made FNL. He's Bissinger's cousin that's why. The movie isn't "Schindler's List" you know, and it's not even about football. It's about Peter and Buzz just wanting to make a buck creating a film they hope people will view as entertainment... and you can expect Berg to do whatever he can to make it entertaining including a lot of exaggeration. I heard extras say scene after scene "I would never act like that in public". I also watched the opening scene of the championship game where one of the coaches (not Billy Bob) getting his defense fired up to take the field. He starts yelling over and over "this is your opportunity to legally assault somebody. I want you to go out there and assault somebody."

The people of Odessa need to take these caricatures with a "grain of salt". I just hope the movie doesn't go overboard and get too "cheesy". Otherwise, Peter and Buzz will get their nice contract salaries, Odessa will get pie in the face one more time and Universal will get a nice big tax write-off like Alamo gave Touchstone.

Yes, we all hope the movie doesn't go overboard. West Texas is flyover country even for other Texans, and it's a rare opportunity to get some national exposure. But, if they do get too "cheesy" with the movie, then we promise to try to maintain our dignity as we read that it was a box office bomb.

UPDATE: Anonymous Houston Extra checked in again with this:

Also a personal FYI... I got a nice card with photos from the friend who accompanied actress Eloise Broady on the FNL set. Eloise is a past Playboy centerfold who plays a "dizzy" girlfriend of a rich Permian Booster. I know what you are wondering but let me stop you now... she is clothed in all the photos. In real life she is married to John Paul Mitchell the hair products magnet and owner of Patron Tequila. In the rush Eloise's friend was mistaken by the director for an extra and used in several takes also. There was nothing stuffy about Eloise or her friend. They cut-up and had fun the whole time they were there.

Have a great summer and I'll check in after release of FNL.

Thanks! We look forward to it!

"Friday Night Lights" in Texas Monthly

An emailer said that the June issue of Texas Monthly has a short item about the movie. The excerpt he sent appears to be an analysis of director Peter Berg's intentions based on a reading of regional newspapers. Here's the excerpt:

Thus far, Berg's comments on how hard-hitting the film might be have varied. On the one hand, "I was never interested in an in-depth, investigative profile of the sociological issues surrounding the community," he said in the San Antonio Express-News. "I wanted to make a movie about high school football." Then Berg told the Houston Chronicle that his movie will be "very true to the book, especially in tone ... It is a very real look at an intense and sophisticated program." Either way, expect his film to be softer than the book, less because Berg is worried about sparing Odessans' feelings than because in Hollywood, you just don't show a coach saying, as one does in the book, that without football, his prize running back is just "a big ol' dumb n---er."

Well, you don't say it anywhere. Even in Texas Monthly.

Thanks for that email.

Quote of the day

"Just because you deserve something doesn't mean you'll get it. And, just because you get something doesn't mean you deserve it." - Condoleeza Rice in a speech to college graduates, heard on a C-SPAN promo.