Star Gazing
In March, for the first time in D Magazine’s history, we dedicated a cover story to the one thing that you and we love most: celebrities. In a painstaking process, we figured out a formula to rank our favorite Dallas personalities. Unfortunately, as with all lists, some people didn’t make the cut. But there’s always next year.
I respectfully desgree with your rankings of Dallas celebrities. How is it possible for such a list to be compiled without including Roger Staubach? He’s arguably the best quarterback in Dallas Cowboys history, a Heisman Trophy winner, Super Bowl MVP, and member of the NFL Hall of Fame. I guess your “equation” does not take into account truly impressive accomplishments.
BRIAN MILLER
Plano
We certainly concur with your selection of our sister, Sally Horchow, as one of your 100 celebrities, but we take issue with her being described as a “catalog mogul.” While our father was a catalog mogul (and two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer), Sally is quite accomplished in her own right. You can find her writing in the New York Times, Elle, and other magazines, and she has been an on-camera personality on the AMC network.
REGEN H. FEARON
LIZZIE H. ROUTMAN
Dallas
Charley Pride not a top 100 Dallas celebrity? Give me a break!
JERRY LASTELICK, ESQ.
Dallas
First of all, thank you for including Erykah Badu in your 2003 Celebrity Issue. However, I would like to make one comment regarding the timeliness of the feature and her characterization based, it seems, largely on hair.
Where have you been? Erykah Badu hasn’t worn her hair like that in almost two years! Presently she is sporting an afro. It is my hope that you will stay more current than that if rankings (even jokingly) are based on fashion, which is a very trendy medium.
WARD WHITE, ATTORNEY AT LAW
Counsel to Erykah Badu
When one sees a list titled “TOP 100 Celebrities of Dallas,” one is led to believe that this is going to be a list of people who actually live in Dallas. Well, to my surprise, when I read this list, I couldn’t help but notice that most of these people don’t even live here. Instead of a math formula from an SMU professor and a Google search, maybe D Magazine needed to invest in a Dallas phone book. It seems to me that if you were a celebrity and had a layover at DFW, you could make the list.
JASON HATHAWAY
Dallas
Our Biggest Fans
Occasionally, amid the letters scolding us for abusing Mark Cuban or folks in the oft-maligned Mesquite, we are blessed with notes of appreciation.
This is a simple little note to tell everyone associated with D Magazine that it’s my favorite publication. I appreciate all of the articles and photos, especially when there is an emphasis on the White Rock Lake area. I love being a true Dallasite, and your magazine covers the city perfectly. I recently renewed for two more years and I couldn’t be more satisfied. Thank you for making our city look great.
JONATHAN HARRISON
Dallas
What I didn’t love about the old D: stories on how great it was to live in the northern suburbs and happy families everywhere. As a single, inner-city, white male, what I love about the new D: on-the-mark dining reviews; peppier design; and sharp, funny satire. In the March issue, I especially loved the Katy Trail piece [“A Field Guide to the Katy Trail”], which is easily the biggest singles bar in the world, and the article about Polyphonic Spree [“The Biggest Rock Band in the World”], my new favorite band. Keep up the improved work.
THOMAS CARAWAY
North Oak Cliff
In Defense of Today’s Youth
In a March Pulse story titled “Department of Dead Wood,” Jessica Shapard reported that, according to the National Opinion Research Center, people aged 18 to 29 are not reading newspapers as much as they used to. She also poked fun at their fashion sense.
I must say I am offended by Ms. Shapard’s sadly pessimistic view of today’s youth. Her analysis seems to suggest that the intelligence/literacy of a population is directly related to the number of newspaper subscriptions. Did I read that right?
I’m sorry, but someone should make Ms. Shapard aware that we are living in a time when an individual can come by his or her knowledge of daily domestic and international affairs by any number of means, of which newsprint is only one. I am 27 years old and have read a newspaper almost daily since I can remember, without ever having owned a newspaper subscription. On the days I cannot stop to read the paper, I get my news from one of several Internet sources. Welcome to the Information Age, Ms. Shapard. It may surprise you to know that the “sorry youth of today” also reads D Magazine.
AMY HARDING
Dallas
Ms. Shapard Replies: In the brief story that Ms. Harding is referring to, I also bemoaned the trend of kids walking around with their pants riding too low. I went on to say, “We predict their pants will be around their ankles by 2012.” So while Ms. Harding stays current by reading news on the Internet, that habit has apparently not sharpened her eye for sarcasm. Alas.
