Arlington, TX

Have you heard of the band New Year’s Day? No, well I hadn’t either, but they have a pretty good song called, “I Was Right.” If you want to check out some of their music, go to their MySpace page. The band is currently touring with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, who I happen to love. I don’t see any Dallas/Fort Worth dates on their calendar yet though.

So what does this have to do with buying cowboy hats? Well, as far as I can tell, Dan and Brad are part of the band’s Street Team and they have embarked on a radio tour to promote the band. They are recording their adventures as they travel across the U.S. by car. They have posted some amusing You Tube videos of their exploits, one of which shows them at Cavender’s Boot City in Arlington shopping for cowboy hats.

For more adventures of Dan and Brad, check their website: http://www.newyearsdayrocks.com/iwasrightradiotour/

Sorry I’m late today. I’m still recovering from Halloween. I think it should be a law that Halloween always falls on a Friday or Saturday. My kids and I were draggin’ this morning. Is it bedtime yet?

Anyway, today’s Thursday so I have a You Tube video to share with you as usual. Today’s video features the UTA Mavericks’ new mascot (who, as of yet, has not been named) doing the “Souljah Boy” with a young fan. The song, actually called “Crank That (Souljah Boy)” is the debut single from rapper Souljah Boy and is currently #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Though it’s not really a favorite of mine, everywhere I go I hear kids singing this song and see them doing the dance featured in the music video.

They both have the moves down, don’t they?

This week’s video is a little less violent than last weeks. Today’s video is from the UTA Shorthorn and it features the 27th annual UTA Bed Races. The races were held this past Thursday, October 4.

If you’re not familiar with the Bed Races, well, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Student groups, sororities and fraternities race beds down the football field in Maverick Stadium. Prizes are given to the top finishers in each division and an award is given for best dressed team as well.

As you’ll see in the video, there was also an attempt to break the record for the world’s largest pillow fight, although I haven’t been able to confirm whether or not they did break the record. A cookie-eating contest was also held. Other events included a 60-foot Obstacle Course and a Bungee Run. Money raised during the event was donated to the American Red Cross.

Arlington, Arlington TX, UTA, Bed Races, Shorthorn, World’s Largest Pillow Fight

When I announced last week that the Wildcatter (aka the Texas Cliffhanger) was being replaced, I had no idea that the ride would be blown to bits. Many times, old rides are disassembled and show up at other Six Flags. This time, the ride wasn’t so lucky.

Dallas Demolition Company was hired to ‘drop’ the freefall ride for the last time. They used six pounds of shaped-charge explosives to implode the ride, which was installed in the Arlington theme park in 1982. Six Flags said over 17 million people rode the Wildcatter, previously called the Texas Cliffhanger. Take a look at this video of Tuesday’s implosion:

Even though this wasn’t my favorite ride, it still makes me a little sad to see it have such a violent ending…like a part of my childhood was just destroyed.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Six Flags, Wildcatter, Texas Cliffhanger, Implosion Video

I found this interesting video of actor Lou Diamond Phillips singing vocals with local band Velvet Love Box at The Flying Saucer in Fort Worth.

Lou is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and got his start acting in the Fort Worth area. His big break was starring as Ritchie Valens in 1987’s La Bamba. Most recently he has guest starred on Law and Order: SVU, Numb3rs and Psych.

Velvet Love Box has been rocking the Metroplex for over 10 years and was voted Cover Band of the Year three times by Fort Worth Weekly. They play regularly at Bronco’s Sports Bar in Hurst and have been the house band for the Dallas Stars since 2000. Find out when and where you can hear them play by visiting their MySpace page.

Arlington, Arlington Texas, Lou Diamond Phillips, Velvet Love Box, You Tube

Today we bring you the Arlington Goodtimes Chorus, a Men’s Barbershop Chorus based here in Arlington. They are a chapter of The Barbershop Harmony Society and a chapter in the Southwest District of Champions. For more info on the group, check out their website.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Arlington Goodtimes Chorus, Barbershop, Singing, You Tube

Football season is upon us in every way. The Pros have opened their season. College is a couple of weeks into it. High School is as popular as ever. But my favorite is watching the kids play. Here’s a video of the first game of the season for the Arlington Optomist 6th grade Vikings playing against the Bobcats.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Football, Arlington Optomist, Vikings, Bobcats, You Tube

Here the North Texas Explorer, Geologist Devin Dennie, tours the Legends of the Game Museum at the Ballpark in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers. The Museum hours are:

April-September
Game Days: 9:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Non Game Days: Monday - Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
  Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

October-March
Closed Sunday and Monday
Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Texas Rangers, Legends of the Game Museum, North Texas Explorer, Devin Dennie, You Tube

This is a great montage featuring the architecture and beauty of the Ballpark in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers:

Arlington, Arlington TX, Ballpark in Arlington, Texas Rangers, You Tube

Today we have a special edition of You Tube Thursday featuring Arlington musician Maren Morris.

If you haven’t heard of Maren Morris yet, you certainly will very soon. At only 17 years old she already has 2 albums to her credit, has been named 2007 Songwriter of the Year and the 2006 and 2007 Female Vocalist of the Year by Fort Worth Weekly and won Rising Star of the Year at the 2005 Terry Awards. She spent last summer touring England and made 3 appearances on the BBC. 

I recently had an opportunity to interview Maren about her upcoming album and blossoming career: (more…)

America’s Got Talent final results show airs tonight. We will find out who goes home with a million bucks, and probably, a new career. Finalists include Arlington’s Cas Haley, Dallas ventriloquist Terry Fator, beatboxer/singer Butterscotch, and 14 year old singer Julienne Irwin. The show starts at 7pm on NBC5 and will include some surprise celebrity appearances and performances by Stomp Out Loud and The Hoff, himself!

Personally, I think Cas and Terry are the frontrunners. It’s a close call for me. I think they are both highly talented and, no matter who wins tonight, will have promising careers ahead of them. Good luck guys!

I’ll leave you with this compilation of Cas Haley’s incredible performances during this season of AGT:

Arlington, Arlington TX, America’s Got Talent, NBC, Cas Haley, Terry Fator, Butterscotch, Julienne Irwin

Did Cas rock the house on Tuesday or what? I thought he did a fantastic job. He’s got some tough competition, including Dallas’ Terry Fator. Be sure you tune in next Tuesday, August 21 at 7pm on NBC5 to see who takes home the million bucks!

Here’s Cas in his final performance singing Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke”:

Arlington, Arlington TX, America’s Got Talent, Finals, Cas Haley, Terry Fator, Stevie Wonder, Sir Duke, NBC5

Arlington’s own Cas Haley is among the 8 finalists on America’s Got Talent tonight. Cas fronts the local band, Woodbelly. In addition to being a terrific singer, Cas is a devoted husband and stay-at-home dad whose love for his family really shines through.

He has given some amazing performances so far and really won over judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hassellhoff…but now it’s up to the fans. If you haven’t had a chance to see Cas perform, check out this video from last week’s episode:

Make sure you tune in tonight at 7pm on NBC5 to root for our hometown boy. After the show, you can vote for your favorite by calling the designated numbers given on the show and/or visiting www.nbc.com. Good luck Cas!

Arlington, Arlington TX, America’s Got Talent, NBC5, Cas Haley, Woodbelly, You Tube

I ran across this while searching for Arlington videos last weekend. I couldn’t resist sharing it with you this week. These are dads of students at Laura’s Dance Dynamics in Hurst. They performed at a recital here in Arlington back in June. What great sports these dads are!

Arlington, Arlington TX, Hurst, Laura’s Dance Dynamics, Dancing Dads, Recital, You Tube

I almost forgot it was Thursday! Oops. 

So how about we enjoy a day at Six Flags…well 4 minutes at least. This video by BanksLeeProductions showcases some of the rides and attractions you can find at our local Six Flags park. Have fun!

Arlington, Arlington TX, Six Flags, You Tube