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Danny FulgencioMarc Cassel of Park​Skip to Page 98 of The New York Times Style Magazine that came with this morning's paper -- that's where you'll find "Tex Mix" by Sandra Ballentine, a single page of what's in in Dallas, "this much-misunderstood town" where "most fillies wouldn't be caught dead with big hair." Ballentine sorts through eight "buzzy nightspots" and "interesting shops," which are: Grange Hall, Ceylone et Cie, The Joule, Cabana, Forty Five Ten, Tei-An, V.O.D. and Park, where "you haven't lived until you've tasted the chicken-fried steak."I wouldn't go that far, but, still, one of the more thorough and thoughtful to-do-Dallas lists offered by an outsider (Ballentine is the magazine's beauty and style director).

Danny FulgencioMarc Cassel of Park​Skip to Page 98 of The New York Times Style Magazine that came with this morning's paper -- that's where you'll find "Tex Mix" by Sandra Ballentine, a single page of what's in in Dallas, "this much-misunderstood town" where "most fillies wouldn't be caught dead with big hair." Ballentine sorts through eight "buzzy nightspots" and "interesting shops," which are: Grange Hall, Ceylone et Cie, The Joule, Cabana, Forty Five Ten, Tei-An, V.O.D. and Park, where "you haven't lived until you've tasted the chicken-fried steak."I wouldn't go that far, but, still, one of the more thorough and thoughtful to-do-Dallas lists offered by an outsider (Ballentine is the magazine's beauty and style director).

​Cleared out the TiVo last night after watching American Idol for DC9 and realized I just haven't been watching enough of the CW of late. I had totally missed that the 14th cycle of America's Next Top Model was set to premiere. And that, Friends, is unheard of in my reality-recapping world. So ...Long story short: Tyra Banks and her posse narrow down the list of wannabes from 49,308 to 12 in Los Angeles, with the top dozen making the trip to New York, where they'd meet Lucky Number 13. Weird. Whatever. Doesn't matter. What does? The 13th model was none other than 22-year-old Ren Vokes from Grand Prairie, though she was ID'd as a Dallas girl."I'm a free spirit that can't be caged," she said. Looks a bit like early Winona Ryder sporting Pete Doherty's wardrobe, until hair magician Sally Hershberger did her thing and gave her a funky fringe, which, turned out, was the first haircut Ren received from someone other than herself in seven years. But you know which hair she doesn't cut? No, silly. Her armpit hair."Did you come to a modeling competition with an armpit full of hair?!" screamed celeb stylist and Tyra henchman Jay Manuel.

​Cleared out the TiVo last night after watching American Idol for DC9 and realized I just haven't been watching enough of the CW of late. I had totally missed that the 14th cycle of America's Next Top Model was set to premiere. And that, Friends, is unheard of in my reality-recapping world. So ...Long story short: Tyra Banks and her posse narrow down the list of wannabes from 49,308 to 12 in Los Angeles, with the top dozen making the trip to New York, where they'd meet Lucky Number 13. Weird. Whatever. Doesn't matter. What does? The 13th model was none other than 22-year-old Ren Vokes from Grand Prairie, though she was ID'd as a Dallas girl."I'm a free spirit that can't be caged," she said. Looks a bit like early Winona Ryder sporting Pete Doherty's wardrobe, until hair magician Sally Hershberger did her thing and gave her a funky fringe, which, turned out, was the first haircut Ren received from someone other than herself in seven years. But you know which hair she doesn't cut? No, silly. Her armpit hair."Did you come to a modeling competition with an armpit full of hair?!" screamed celeb stylist and Tyra henchman Jay Manuel.

​After 18 years of providing Lower Greenville with an award-winning assortment of "cool stuff for cool people," Lula B's Antique Mall will be closing its doors at 2004 Greenville Avenue effective April 1 leaving one less retail destination in the area. But before you get too misty-eyed, the shop and its dealers will be moving Lula B's vast collection of vintage apparel, vinyl records and retro home furnishing to 2639 Main Street in Deep Ellum. And, no, this is not an elaborate April Fools' Day joke according to Lula B's co-owners Mary Ann Kaylor and Patrick Springer, who tell Unfair Park they've been considering the move ever since the shop branched out back in October with the opening of the larger Lula B's West on 1010 Riverfront Boulevard, where, they say, the sister store's receipts promptly equaled, and then exceeded, those of the original Greenville location. But with all the work spent opening, and filling, the 12,000 square feet of space at Lula B's West, the co-owners said the plan to move the original shop was put on the backburner. But when the shop's landlord asked Lula B's to sign a five-year lease agreement that included a substantial rent increase, that was that. "We were either going to have to close or find a new spot," Springer says this morning. "We were absolutely not going to sign the new lease."

That's all, Vokes.​When a reality show begins by focusing on a particular contestant, follows said contestant through show and pokes contestant with a big stick to see if said contestant will react, it's usually a fair bet she's leaving. She's out. Auffed. Adiosed. Knives will be sheathed; bags will be packed; tears will be shed; garments will be rended.Our girl from Grand Prairie, Ren Vokes, had been ready to jet from the House of Bitches and Mayhem since last week. Hell, they way she talked about it last night, she'd been ready since Minute One, but she stayed on because of her mama. Because all mothers dream that one day their daughters will wind up on the 14th season of Tyra Banks's show on The CW. Look it up.But where to we begin with this sad sack's tale? She is fascinating, this Ren -- she, who lists her occupation as "Living." She told the confession cam that, sorry, she did not want to be here any longer, not after last week's meltdown: "Normally, I would've said, 'I quit, bye, guys, I'm done,' but modeling is my mom's dream for me." Then she offered a torturous tale about how Mom always did like her brother more, until Tyra beckoned with offers of riches and rags. Said Ren, once her mom found out she'd be on the show, she started being nice to her and even took her shopping for nicer clothes, then stuck her with the tab when she got a call from the brother and had to step, ya know, outside.But Ren, she is the fair-skinned black sheep. She likes the work, not the drama nor the bitchiness. Which reminds us: There is a show to be recapped full of drama and bitches. But will our Ren, frail swan and neglected child, survive? How in the world could she?

That's all, Vokes.​When a reality show begins by focusing on a particular contestant, follows said contestant through show and pokes contestant with a big stick to see if said contestant will react, it's usually a fair bet she's leaving. She's out. Auffed. Adiosed. Knives will be sheathed; bags will be packed; tears will be shed; garments will be rended.Our girl from Grand Prairie, Ren Vokes, had been ready to jet from the House of Bitches and Mayhem since last week. Hell, they way she talked about it last night, she'd been ready since Minute One, but she stayed on because of her mama. Because all mothers dream that one day their daughters will wind up on the 14th season of Tyra Banks's show on The CW. Look it up.But where to we begin with this sad sack's tale? She is fascinating, this Ren -- she, who lists her occupation as "Living." She told the confession cam that, sorry, she did not want to be here any longer, not after last week's meltdown: "Normally, I would've said, 'I quit, bye, guys, I'm done,' but modeling is my mom's dream for me." Then she offered a torturous tale about how Mom always did like her brother more, until Tyra beckoned with offers of riches and rags. Said Ren, once her mom found out she'd be on the show, she started being nice to her and even took her shopping for nicer clothes, then stuck her with the tab when she got a call from the brother and had to step, ya know, outside.But Ren, she is the fair-skinned black sheep. She likes the work, not the drama nor the bitchiness. Which reminds us: There is a show to be recapped full of drama and bitches. But will our Ren, frail swan and neglected child, survive? How in the world could she?

Doesn't this cheap and trendy top make you desperate to have a baby?​One of my most vivid junior high memories from Mansfield's Worley Middle School comes from seventh-grade health class, wherein it was Coach T.'s job to teach us about the birds and bees -- without mentioning trees, hives, wings, honey, feathers, queens or anything else related to birds and/or bees. The special magic of abstinence-only education was mostly, but not entirely, lost on me as a Bible-thumping 13-year-old. I do remember thinking it was bizarre when Coach T. told our class, "I can't say the 'c-word.' I can't tell you to use the 'c-word,' the rubber thing that people use to prevent pregnancy when they have sex, which they absolutely should not do unless they are married. Remember. I am not allowed to tell you to use the c-word if you think you are going to have sex. Do not have sex until you get married."Between Coach T.'s veiled recommendations and a screening of the Miracle of Life, the mere thought of which continues to this day to turn me off the idea of ever having children, it even seemed to me as a sheltered, True-Love-Waits kid that the messages I was receiving about sex at school were mixed at best. And the real-world effects of keeping sex a secret from kids -- which Texas public schools do so love to do -- are and have been showing their figurative baby bump for some time. But hey, lucky for us! At least all those teen girls we haven't empowered with the knowledge of how their bodies work and how to assert themselves with regard to their maturing bodies and sexualities will look great in the latest fashions, thanks to cheap and trendy teen favorite Forever21, which announced this month that it'll be launching a maternity line in five states -- Arizona, Alaska, California, Utah and Texas.

​A couple of nights back I was watching Channel 8 when, strange, an H&M ad popped up -- strange since there's no H&M in Dallas yet despite your myriad requests. Turns out the hip-n-affordable clothier has launched a national ad campaign -- featuring, as Pete pointed out this morning, none other than Erykah Badu performing Muddy Waters's "Mannish Boy." Hell of a cover too; more about that below. But, first:It was exactly one year ago that Sue Sernett, H&M's real estate manager in Chicago, told us the chain would be expanding into the Dallas market by, oh, "late 2010 or early 2011." Since then, radio silence. So, upon the occasion of the locally connected ad campaign, I called Sernett this afternoon and asked for an update."We're coming," she said. "We're hours away from making an announcement." Well, OK, not really hours, she says, but any moment now -- early next week, more than likely. Maybe. She'll say no more, only: "Stay tuned."Now, about Badu's connection to the clothier.

​They've been on pre-sale since forever, with "mid-September" as the made-available date. (And at $31 too, including shipping and handling!) But Texas Rangers exec veep of communications John Blake just sent word: Beginning today, "the official Claw & Antler Shirt is now available at the Majestic Grand Slam Shop at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the club's Team Stores in Dallas and Arlington." And at $26 too. Finally, something to wear when this is in the wash. Gooooooo Rangers!