Pulse of the CITY

for the record

PUBLIC DEFECTORS

Another loss for Channel 8.

■ The erosion continues in the news team that brought WFAA-TV 20 years of ratings dominance. Robert Riggs jumps ship Dec. 1 to open a Dallas office for Hillco Partners, an Austin-based public affairs firm.

Riggs came to the Belo station more than 20 years ago as part of the “Oklahoma mafia” brought in by then-station man-ager Ward Huey and news director Marty Haag. The group included anchor Tracy Rowlett and reporters Riggs, Doug Fox, and Byron Harris.

But last year, the station lost Rowlett to Channel 11 after bungled contract negotiations. Haag retired Oct. 1. Huey has announced he’ll retire on Dec. 31. Of the original team, only Fox and Harris remain.

“I want to go out while I’m on top,” says Riggs, 50. “Television is more of a young person’s game. As Dirty Harry used to say, a man’s got to know his limitations.”

For years Channel 8 built ratings by providing reliability. Viewers could count on seeing the same faces day in and day out. But in recent months the broadcast has become Fruit Basket of the Week as the station tweaks its newscasts to fight off a strong challenge from Channel 5. Look for more defections in the coming months.

What’s Next For Nancy?

Post Norman, Brinker may head to Washington.

AFTER ALMOST 20 YEARS OF marriage-and seven years after a serious polo accident sent him into a coma- power couple Norman and Nancy Brinker are calling it quits. Their $10 million Palm Beach mansion has been sold, and Nancy has sent pals her new address in the neighborhood. But will her next home be in Washington. D.C.?

Since the Brinkers’ union in 1981, Nancy has built a national reputation as the passionate and photogenic founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, named after her sister who died of breast cancer at age 36. She’s credited Norman, the 69-year-old head of restaurant conglomerate Brinker International, with giving her a platform by supporting her work at the foundation. As an advocate for breast cancer awareness, Brinker brought the issue front and center, raising millions of dollars for research and. in the process, collecting a formidable Rolodex.

In recent years, Nancy. 54. has become immersed in GOP politics. She was a Bush Pioneer- one of those who pledged to raise $100,000. She could be spoiled among the favored on stage after Bush delivered his speech at the Philadelphia convention. At the moment she’s busily preparing the inaugural gala with Phyllis George and veteran hostess Buff y Cafritz.

Nancy did not return phone calls (nor did Norman), but her own political ambi- tions are no secret, Her name frequently comes up as a possible candidate for an elective office. As a pro-choice Republican, however. she would be unlikely to survive a GOP primary.

A more realistic scenario: Nancy moves to Washington to become the premier hostess of the Republican Restoration. As political insiders know, the most powerful place in any administration is to the right of the hostess at the most fashionable dinner table. With her connections and charm. Nancy is sure to make hers the holiest ticket in town.

QUOTABLES

“I may be the only person in the room without a cell phone.”

-Jack Kilby, at a news conference after winning the Nobel Prize for Physics for inventing the technology that makes cell phones (and a lot more) possible.

Sister Christian

Jessica Simpson brings class to the teen queen throne.

DALLAS NATIVE JESSICA SIMPSON, 20. HAS OFFI-cially joined reigning teen queens Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera on the pop music throne. After blowing audiences away as the opening act on Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca tour last fall, Jessica’s debut album. Sweet Kisses, went platinum this summer, securing her a coveted spot among the princesses of pop. But the crossover success is no surprise to the Baptist girl who claims her virginity is her most prized possession.

“I knew that in pop music 1 had more of a chance to reach more people.” her web site proclaims, adding thai she knew il was “in God’s plan’’ for her to touch people through her music. The J.J. Pearce graduate honed her skills at Heights Baptist Church where her father served as a youth minister, When she was 12, she met teen divas Spears and Aguilera at a Mickey Mouse club audition. Jessica bombed. “I froze.” she says, “but the experience made me even stronger and more convinced thai I was on the right path.”

The right path for Jessica was the gospel circuit, where she spent years developing her voice and wowing audiences with an a cappella version of “Amazing Grace.” After a failed attempt to record an album on a now-defunct gospel music label, Jessica signed with Sony Music Entertainment, where she claims Sony CEO Tommy Mottola was “genuinely impressed with my beliefs and completely supportive.”

Simpson’s crossover to pop has been phenomenally successful. Three singles from her debut album. Sweet Kisses, have hit the top 10: “1 Wanna Love You Forever,” “I Think I’m In Love Willi You,” and “Where You Are,” a duet with Simpson’s real-life squeeze. Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees. She is already working on her next album, duc oui early next year. The WB is currently developing a series based on the singer’s life, and according to Rolling Stone. Simpson recently signed on to record a track for Rugrats in Paris.

Real-life Adventure

New children’s book tells Texas tale.

THE MIRACLE of Island Girl by Stephen Gage is the first original children’s title to be published as “print-on-demand” book. Rather than producing thousands of copies and shipping them to bookstores, Dallas-based AuthorLink Press (www.authorlink.com ) prims each one as it is ordered. (The book can also be ordered through online bookstores such as amazon.com.)

Stephen Gage is the aller ego of Dallas writer Stephen Michaud, best known for his two bestsellers on Ted Bundy. Although this is his first foray into the world of children’s books, Michaud bucked the system by turning out a non-fiction work, unlike most books targeted for children ages 5 to 8. Miracle details the true story of a dog that conquered danger with the help of an animal-loving woman named Midori. Pat Stowers, wife of Dallas author Carlton Stowers, illustrated the book.

Michaud, a former D Magazine senior editor. got the idea from a story he covered while at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He tested il on his own children, 7-year-old twins Alexandra and Spencer. The next volume in the series is called the Perils of Percy the Pelican, another true story about a bird that got tangled in a trot line at Lake Lavon and was nursed back to health. The series will determine whether Michaud can transition from writing about serial killers to upbeat tales of animal rescues. It was also lest whether “print-on-demand” books will score with readers.

STATS

2,500

Number of light strands used on Dallas Galleria Christmas tree

26

Number of light strands used on the average Dallas Christmas tree

100,000

Number of lights on the Dallas Galleria Christmas tree

1,300

Number of lights on the average Dallas Christinas tree

72,000

Volts of electricity used by the Dallas Galleria Christmas tree

3,120

Volts of electricity used by the average Dallas Christmas tree

2,000

Volts used by U.S. prison system to electrocute prisoners

36

Number of people the Galleria tree could electrocuta

l

Number of people the average tree could electrocute

sources Dallas Galleria. TXU. MSN Encarta. always Chrstmas and More

QUOTABLES

” These people love that dog more than some of my clients love their children.”

-Attorney Randall Warm-brodt about a custody dispute over a pet chihuahua that has so far cost $16,000 in legal fees.

TWENTY QUESTIONS

As the year comes to a close, here are a few things we didn’t get to.

Could it be that when Troy Aikman lost his single status, he lost his love for the game? Shouldn’t Jerry Jones repaint Texas Stadium before breaking ground on his proposed golf course community in McKinney?Does anyone else remember the Dixie Chicks standing on the street corners in the West End playing for spare change? Will somebody please explain how you are supposed to know when to dial a 1 before 817? Where did film director Robert Altman get the idea that all women in Dallas wear feathered hats? Can we all agree that all the downtown lofts and apart ments need a full-service grocery store and not another mini-market? Were we sleeping when the phone company added the 469 area code to Dallas numbers? Where does Medieval Times get their jousters? When will the city have parking spaces deep enough for Suburbans so that small cars can back out without getting smacked in the rear end? Wouldn’t it be a perfect world if all school-aged children wore uniforms? Shouldn’t the next sports team in Dallas be called The Grackles? What’s the deal with those concrete balls on Central? What’s the betting line on the date Mike Moses will quit? What ever happened to Chip Moody’s comeback? Will McKinney Ave.’s new bricks be any less bumpy than ils old bricks? Why in the world did Stephan Pyles think he’d actually have creative control at Carlson? When are we going to get a Krispy Kreme in Dallas? Did anyone really think Highland Park would approve a tunnel underneath Mockingbird? Are the Maharishi people who want to build the tallest building in the world (in the Colony) the same people who owned the Hiltop Inn? Why is Outdoor World indoors? BOUNS ROUND: Where is Don Meredith?

Luxurious Legs

Tim verdict IS in: Patterned hosiery is the easy way to add an edge to your wardrobe. Whether it’s as simple as fishnets or as bold as hot pink shimmery tights, underwear has never made such a statement,

On Model: Black dress by Diane von Furstenberg. $245iUltimo. Hosiery by Wolford, Highland Park Village. Shoes by Dolce & Gabbana, $490lUltimo. Walch by Baume & Mercier, available at Richard D. Eiseman Jewels. North-Park Center. Hematite earrings by Joy Designs. $100/Ultimo.

All hosiery (above) by Wolfordl Highland Park Village. Leopard print available at Neiman Marcus.

WHAT SANTAS

ARE READING

DR. CARL ANDERSON is dean of the Dallas Santas. For the past 12 years, he has been Santa at NorthPark. Anderson is a counseling psychologist whose doctoral disserta-tion explored children’s reactions upon discovering trie truth about Santa Claus. (There’s nothing to worry about.) Anderson wrote All I Want For Christmas Is…, a collection of letters given to him by children. Some are funny: some will break your heart. When he’s not opening letters, Anderson reads author Joe Lansdale. Tin reading Freezer Burn,” he reports. Don’t put it in a stocking unless the person is a Lansdale fan.”

Dallas attorney and Santa H. GUY SMITH has lit the Highland Park Christmas tree on the first Thursday of every December for the past 20 years. He arrives at the ceremony atop a fire truck. ’A few times they needed the truck so I had to return to the station in the back of a police car.” Smith laughs. “Behind the cage.” Smith is reading Who Moved My Cheese?, by Spencer Johnson. “I’d recommend it to everybody, it’s great for any organization.”

FREDERICK PASILLAS is the owner of Santa Claus Discount Tires on Marsalis. “I give such good deals that my customers started calling me Santa Claus.” Pasillas says. “I read mostly magazines- Time, Popular Mechanics, and Tire Review. ’ Pasillas does like Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, “I like the ’old boys,’” he says. “I read a good book over and over. Four or five times.”