The Kingpins of Cowtown

Couldn't someone save the cheerleader!?!

This video of a cheerleader getting flattened by the hard-charging high school football squad has become a web phenomenon.

Poor Cali Kaltschmidt, a homecoming queen and cheerleader in Washington State, was just trying to adjust the banner for her team, when a thundering herd of football heroes burst through the paper and trampled her.

One of those players was her boyfriend, who didn't even know he'd turned her into roadkill. And Cali's sister, Sierra, was holding another cheerleader on her shoulders when she saw her sister get flattened like Wile E. Coyote.

Cali's OK, thank goodness, which means her pain is being mortgaged into hours of enjoyment for twisted souls like us who are bored out of their skulls at work. Oh, and to make Matt Lauer richer.

Claire Bennett, where are you when we need you?

Biker chicks and bowlers: Match made in Halloween

I am soooo moving to the marketing department!!

These biker chicks really know how to have a good time -- and they didn't laugh at my costume.

Calling all Rat-a-tat-Scat packers

People who are hipper than I -- and that describes the entire populace of Fort Worth/Dallas -- may want to know that a new hangout for jazz cave dwellers is slated to open in early December.

Video goddess Kristin Campbell, who is much hipper than I, alerted me to the news about The Scat Jazz Lounge, which will occupy the basement of the old Woolworth building at the southeast corner of Fourth and Houston streets in downtown Cowtown.

If I can stay awake past 11 some night, I'd like to check it out.

My Halloween nightmare

If you're the only one in the office who wears a Halloween costume, is it really Halloween? Boy, do I feel like Michael Scott.

But I feel safe in saying that I'm the only assistant managing editor at the Star-Telegram dressed as a bowling pirate! That's something, right?

You can call me Long John Bowler ... or Elton John Bowler.

If you are in the same lonely boat that I am today, send me your photo and I'll post it here.

Here's one right now:

Sabrina the teenage witch disappears

A shocker last night on DWTS: Sabrina the Cheetah Girl got the gate.

That's right. The perky, pudgy blonde with the hip-hop moves and 1,000 watt smile is a goner. Carrie Ann was on the verge of tears. Bruno was apoplectic. And Len looked like he was going to wag his finger at the fans really hard.

Even glib host Tom Bergeron seemed disappointed in the fans for not supporting Sabrina, but I say take a moment to study the demos on DWTS. Not a lot of teeny-boppers watching. Nope. It's the Marie Osmond, over-40 set ... and they voted to keep her and Jane Seymour alive, even though they are both weaker dancers than Cheetah Girl.

I say, if you bill your show as a popularity contest, you have to live with the consequences. Spare us the false shock and dismay, judges. Sabrina just wasn't the people's choice.

Dancing in the dark

I told myself that after Mark Cuban got kicked off Dancing With The Stars I'd stop giving up my Monday and Tuesday nights to that sillines.

But after my son went to sleep last night, darn if I didn't check the DVR menu and speed through the show. And without Cubie, the dancing has really gotten serious.

Gonna be tough getting rid of someone tonight, though if I had to guess now I'd say it's gonna be Marie Osmond or Jane Seymour.

A teenager's take on being caught in the fires

On Wednesday, I shared the story of my family's ordeal fleeing the wildfires in San Diego, but of course I did it from behind the supply cabinet -- here in the comfort of my unthreatened office in Fort Worth.

No matter how scared I was for them, I couldn't come close to relating the experience of a 16-year-old girl being woken up in the middle of the night and told to grab a few of her things and go.

This morning, I got an e-mail from my cousin Tara, who wrote about her experience. Read her words here, and know that there are many other kids out there coping with the aftereffects of being in the fire.

p.s. Happy Birthday, Tara. (She had her 16th birthday party on Saturday, the day before the fire started.) Below, are a couple of photos she took during the escape.

Great news from my family in California

After several days of waiting, wondering, and trying not to lose hope, my aunt and uncle and cousins got the best news possible: All three of their houses survived the San Diego wildfires.

After their terrifying odyssey and escape from Escondido early Monday, they were finally able to get back to their neighborhoods in the Rancho Bernardo area of northern San Diego. And though some areas were devastated, their homes escaped any major damage.

It's truly a blessing -- one we hope many other families are finding, too. Though we know the scope of the devastation is great, we can keep our fingers crossed for more happy endings. And we can help by contacting one of the many noble agencies offering assistance to the victims of the fires.

For now, a big sigh of relief for the Alperts -- and a big hug to all my family, and all the families out there that need one. Keep the faith. 

-- Rick

Escape from Escondido

While I blogged last night on Dancing with the Stars, my thoughts were elsewhere. (Yes, I know, it's hard to believe that I think of anything but bowling and reality shows, but, I do. ... Oh, and football.)

You see, my aunt and uncle and cousins are among the hundreds of thousands of people evacuated from the wildfires in San Diego, and we're still holding our breath, waiting to hear what we hope will be good news. The best news, of course, is that they're all OK, but we still don't know if their houses are safe from the raging fire. I talked with my Aunt Sandy yesterday, and she recounted their scary escape from Escondido. I wrote about it, and you can read it here.

No mention on Mark Cuban or DWTS anywhere, I promise.

The Cuban Shuffle comes to an end

He had a great run, but Mark Cuban's days as a TV ballroom dance man have come to an end: The Mavericks' owner and the "incredible bouncing billionaire," was shuffled off of Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday night.

Can't say I'm surprised; he's been hanging on by sheer will and public appeal for a few weeks now. But his partner, Kym, dressed as I Dream of Jeannie, couldn't blink away the reality that Cubie just couldn't compete with the superior cast of dancers who remained. As one of the fans said during the overstuffed results show; "It's time for Mark to go, so we can see some serious dancing."

Cuban and the lovely Jane Seymour were in the bottom two, but did anyone really believe that Dr. Quinn would get the death certificate? Not likely. (I'm predicting she'll be in the final three.)

For his part, Cuban went out in style, first with an entertaining Revenge of the Nerds fantasy dance on Monday, and then a standing O from the studio audience Tuesday. He also revealed that he lost 30 pounds, which means he's ready to stalk the court at the AAC, screaming at refs, just in time for the Mavs' regular season.

Here's hoping the Mavs mambo their way to an NBA title this season, and Cuban does a celebratory cha-cha with the trophy -- and David Stern.

We can dream can't we. Way to go, Cubie!