STREET TALK

The largest retrospective ever assembled of the works of Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro will be on exhibit at Spectrum Center in North Dallas through October. More important, the artist himself will be on exhibit – so to speak -in Dallas for a few days this month. Pomodoro is coming from his native Milan to Dallas for the first time. Although his spring schedule is booked with stops in Copenhagen and New York City, the 56-year-old artist just couldn’t miss the TACA Auction Preview Party. Pomodoro also may be making an appearance because he is pleased with the nature of the presentation (some of the works will be displayed outdoors). He says he prefers to see his artwork displayed where “people can lean their bicycles [on the artwork]” rather than placed in a museum or gallery.



During the current session of the State Legislature in Austin, there have been heated debates about pari-mutuel betting in Texas. Dallas Sen. Oscar Mauzy has insisted on including dog racing with the horse racing bill. Former Dallas reporter Dave McNeely, now a reporter with the Austin American-Statesman, added a little comic relief to the issue: “Including dog racing on a horse racing bill is like sharing your mint julep with a wino.”



Now that Ann Richards has settled into her new position as state treasurer, her opponent in last fall’s race has settled into a new position of his own. Republican Allen Clark, who now lives in Austin, has started a real estate firm that will form syndicates to acquire existing apartment complexes. He hopes eventually to expand into real estate development, and he wants to get back into politics soon.



If you’re unfamiliar with the face that goes with the name Roger Horchow, you’ll soon have a chance to view the mail-order magnate’s mug on television. Horchow recently did a national commercial for DHL Airways, a document courier service. Apparently, Horchow has a habit of speaking slowly and distinctly, which at first didn’t work well for a quick TV spot. But after some practice, he was able to speed up his syntax and still retain his wry style. A representative from the courier service says that although Horchow is the only Dallasite who has done a commercial for the company, another prominent citizen is waiting in the wings for his or her shot in the limelight. Keep your eyes open.



Kay Bailey Hutchison has decided to get into publishing. She recently purchased A Great Cities’ Guide, Dallas, a publication for visitors to the city. The guide was the property of the Dallas Downtown News, but publisher Lyn Dunsavage decided to sell it to Hutchison and a partner. Hutchison says she’ll expand the guide to include North Dallas and Las Colinas and, after a year or so, franchise the product to other cities.



Remember the chimp that got into trouble in Richardson last fall because she bit a child? Well, she seems to have bounced back from the ordeal. For six weeks this spring, LuLu the chimp and her owner/partner, Michael Stower, traveled to India to film Jani Dost (Best of Friends). It seems that LuLu was quite a star, playing two different parts (a good chimp and a bad chimp). Since the film was shot in two different languages, LuLu had to play each scene twice. The Indian moviemakers learned about LuLu from pro tennis player Vijay Amritraj, a friend of Stower’s.