ON THE MARKET: HOMES OF THE ROARING TWENTIES PART TWO

1. 339 West Hollywood. Built 1924. 4/2. 2334 sq. ft. $325K. Kuper & Sothebys RE

2. 108 East Rosewood. Built 1929 . 4/3. 2589 sq. ft. $250K. Phyllis Browning RE

3. 811 East Magnolia. Built 1920. 2/1. 1073 sq. ft. $199,900. Century 21 Burroughs & Assoc. RE

4. 434 West Gramercy Pl. Built 1928. 3/1. 1372 sq. ft. $199K. Kuper & Sothebys RE

5. 1915 West Kings Hwy. Built 1928. 3/2. 1509 sq. ft. $179K. Kuper & Sothebys RE
This wraps up our homes of the 20's feature. If you have any suggestions for future "on the market" postings, give us a holler!

CHRYSLER: FIRST GERMAN, NOW ITALIAN

All those German lessons gone to waste! After being bought by Daimler-Benz, now it looks as if the once American Chrysler is to be bought by Italy's Fiat. All this after the government gets ready to help Chrysler say "arrevederci" with a 4 billion dollar going away gift. It's difficult keeping track of the auto biz these days, with Korea's Hyundai being made in Alabama and Jaguars, once owned by Ford, being made by India's Tata Motors, and the fate of Hummer, Saab and Saturn currently up in the air.

Let's put it this way - these days, it's ABD. That means anywhere BUT Detroit. Sad but true.

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!

Cloris Leachman is 83 today. Here's a shot from The Last Picture Show. Cloris won an Oscar for her role in 1972.

DON'T PANIC OVER SWINE FLU, Y'ALL!

Funeral Costs Can Be Lowered By Shopping
SAN ANTONIO -- Many people are finding out they can save money by shopping around for funerals.
While a casket can cost thousands, John Carlson, the owner of Caskets Plus, said his retail casket business is doing well during the weakened economy.
"I think the shock that people find out is the cost of dying," he said. "You can make your own casket in the garage and the funeral home will have to accept it."

THERE'S PLENTY WRONG WITH OUR LOCAL MEDIA, BUT IN THIS CASE IT'S JUST PLAIN BAD TIMING, IN LIGHT OF ALL THE SWINE FLU NEWS.
WE COULDN'T RESIST - THIS ITEM FROM KSAT STUCK OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB!

This is the sort stuff we'd make up, but thanks to KSAT we don't have to!

FAREWELL, PONTIAC....

Another American automotive icon is biting the dust. GM announced it will discontinue its Pontiac division by 2010.

FAMOUS FOLK FROM SAN ANTONIO - GUESS WHO!

This San Antonio native is more famous for his invention than for himself........

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY GIRL!

Here's one of our fave singers Ann Peebles, doing her hit "I Can't Stand The Rain". This original 'weather girl" was born today in 1947.

SUNDAY'S CHILD!!!

Happy Birthday to Carol Burnett, born April 26,1933 right here in San Antonio.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!!

A big old Texas yee haw to Katy native Renee Zellweger, born today in 1969.

REAL ESTATE: HOMES OF THE ROARING TWENTIES PART ONE

Here's a random sample of homes on the local market. This week we're travelling back in time to the era of prohibition, flappers, and hot jazz.

1. 331 E. Kings Hwy. 3/3, 2886 sq. ft. Built 1928. $429K. Phyllis Browning RE
2. 301 W. Hollywood. 3/3 3141 sq. ft. Built 1925. $695K Kuper & Sothebys RE

3. 163 Park Hill Dr. 3/3 3718 sq. ft. Built 1929. $850K Phyllis Browning RE

4. 224 W. Kings Hwy. 4/3, 4045 sq. ft. Built 1924. $1.25M Kuper & Sothebys RE
Stay tuned for next week's "on the market" when we present part 2 of The Roaring Twenties, with period homes under $400K.

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE, DUDE!

Happy birthday to designer Jean Paul Gaultier, born today in 1952. Known for his Madonna cone bras among countless other fashion firsts, the epoch of his career was being honored by The Simpsons.

GOOD NEWS FOR TEXAS FILMS

A nice double feature today for movie fans - Governor Perry signed a big ticket incentive bill for filmmakers using Texas as a location AND San Antonio based Film Classics Productions short film "Four Minutes Till The End" is screening in Cannes.

WHO'S TRYING TO UNLOAD THIS CRIB?

We smell pro basketball money here, especially after seeing those numbered jerseys on display in the family room (click on pic to enlarge). Any of you sports fans out there want to hazard a guess? This 4 bedroom, 7 bath spread in Elm Creek is on the market with Kuper & Sotheby's for $3.5 million.

SPEND FRIDAY NIGHT WITH A BUNCH OF MONKEYS!

If you ever woke up feeling like you've spent the night in a zoo, you may want to experience the real deal. San Antonio Zoo is having Roar n' Snore April 24. Camp out in the zoo, have a night time snack, breakfast in the morning and see what the lions and tigers and bears do at night! OH MY! http://www.sazoo-aq.org/files/Roars_n_Snores2.pdf

SAN ANTONIO LOSES BID FOR BIO LAB TO KANSAS

No, this is NOT a picture of the morning after Fiesta. San Antonio lost a bid for a project would include a high-security biosafety level 4 laboratory, in which scientists would work in spacesuits to protect themselves from potentially deadly pathogens. A local consortium is still fighting for the lab, which would have employed about 300, and in the event of an accident, would cause our pets to grow numerous additional heads.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY BOY!

Happy 63rd to director John Waters (left), shown here with his late leading "lady' Divine.

BUT CAN YOU WEAR IT TO LAS PALAPAS?

It's official! Two of our favorite things at once! Eva Longoria Parker will be a guest judge on this season's Project Runway, starting August 20th.

MOVE OVER DONKEY LADY, YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY GHOST IN TOWN!

We've had a rough couple of days. So when we came back to "work" today we welcomed the discovery of a fantastic website devoted to supernatural, super freaky sightings of thangs from the great beyond. Turns out the Alamo City is just oozing with ghastly, ghostly stuff! Check out all the gory details at www.ghost411.com/texas_hauntings

FAMOUS SAN ANTONION - GUESS WHO!

Last weeks' was too easy. Let's see if anybody can get this one!

WE'RE HURTING TODAY, Y'ALL

Some of you may know that WhiteChocolateMess has been suffering from some disc degeneration, and the last few days have been hell. The rain didn't help. So bear with us. As our muscle relaxers start kicking in, we'll come up with some tid bits for you. Stay tuned!

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY GIRL!

Let's give it up for one of the original chunks of white chocolate, Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien, aka Dusty Springfield, who was born today in 1939. Dusty left us in 1999 after a battle with breast cancer, but her legacy of blue-eyed soul continues to influence new generations of singers.

ARE THESE BOOTS WALKING?

Here's a depressing little post tax day item. The Chicago based General Growth prioperties, which owns our two fancy pants retail therapy properties North Star Mall and Shops at La Canterra, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company says that the malls will remain open - as long as y'all keep showing them the money.....it looks as if that nasty old recession we keep hearing about may just be starting to hit our little neck of the woods.

DON'T MESS WITH TEXICO!

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Fast food giant Burger King apologized Tuesday for an advertisement featuring a squat Mexican draped in his country's flag next to a tall American cowboy and said it would change the campaign.
Mexico's ambassador to Spain said posters released in Europe for Burger King's new Tex-Mex style "Texican whopper," a cheeseburger with chile and spicy mayonnaise, inappropriately displayed the Mexican flag, whose image is protected under national law.
The ambassador wrote a letter complaining to Burger King and requested the ad campaign be discontinued.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY BOOK!

Happy belated birthday to The House On Mango Street, the coming-of-age novella by San Antonio resident Sandra Cisneros, originally published in April 1984.

UPDATE: LOCAL JESUS CAN KEEP LONG HAIR

Somerset Student Can Keep Long Hair
Jesus Figueroa Granted Exemption Because He Is Native American

SAN ANTONIO -- Trustees with the Somerset Independent School District voted Monday night to allow a high school senior to keep his shoulder-length hair.
Jesus Figueroa, a Native American, was granted an exemption to the district's grooming policy based on his religious beliefs.
Figueroa's parents filed a federal lawsuit after their son served three in-school suspensions for refusing to cut his hair. They claimed his civil rights were violated.

FAMOUS SAN ANTONION - GUESS WHO!

Last week's was easy as hell. Let's see who will be the first to guess this week's.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY GIRL!

A big happy birthday to Caroline Rhea (left) who turns 45 today.

THREE BIG APRIL 11TH BIRTHDAYS!!!

Since WhiteChocolateMess is taking the rest of this weekend off to tend to social obligations, we're giving you THREE, not one, BIG APRIL 11th BIRTHDAYS! And this is quite a fascinating trio. Joss Stone is 22, Louise Lasser is 70, and Oleg Cassini would have been 96.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS?

We never fail to be amazed at the level of STUPIDITY in our world but every now and then we come across an example of STUPIDITY that is so incredible we can't resist. Ponder this morsel:
LONDON, April 10 (UPI) -- The British pop act Pet Shop Boys has declined to change its name to Rescue Shelter Boys at the behest of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

REAL ESTATE: HOMES WITH CEE-MENT PONDS

We promised you some available homes with cee-ment ponds so here are four random picks under $200k.

1. 1431 Hillcrest Drive. 4/2, 1992 sq. ft, .42 acre. Cosmetic Fixer. $114K. Century 21, 210-479-1222

2. 4507 Trailwood Drive. 3/2, 1619 sq. ft. $134,500. Michael Guerrero, 210-833-5022

3. 116 Travertine Lane, 3/2, 2189 sq. ft. $170K. Bob Leonard, 210-581-2025

4. 15402 Elm Park Street. 3/2, 2305 sq. ft., $199K. ERA 210-494-1985

EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL!

it's almost time for our weekly look at what's on the local real estate market. Since the mercury rose above 95 today, we're getting a sneak preview of summer. So naturally we're envisioning lounging around one of them fancy cee-ment ponds like they have out in Hollywood. We'll be showing some local homes with in-ground pools under $200K, proving that anyone can have that Ellie Mae Clampett lifestyle! Round up the critters and get ready for a nice, cool dip.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY BOY!

Actor, singer, writer, professional athlete and lawyer Paul Robeson was born today in 1898. At the height of his fame, Robeson decided to become a primarily political artist, and his FBI file became the largest of any entertainer's in history. It is also believed that he was imprisoned by the CIA and given shock treatments to "knock the activism" out of him. Whatever the truth may be, this dude scared the hell out of the governments of several countries.

WE HAVE A QUEER FEELING ABOUT A LOCAL STRAIGHT BAR...

"Guerrilla Queer Bar" Fiesta Social EventGuerrilla Queer Bar (GQB), a monthly social event for Queer folk and their fabulous friends, will "invade" a straight bar from 6-9pm tonight to socialize while raising the level of style in the bar.

To heighten the suspense, a "troop alert" will be posted on http://invadesa.com/ revealing the location the day before the event, Thursday, April 9.

EASTER WEEKEND CAMPING BAN LIFTED!

Camping out at Brackenridge Park is an Easter tradition for many San Antonio families.
Grab the tent, the sterno, the pinata, some cold refreshing beverages and your laptop (so you can keep up with this blog) , because starting at 11 p.m. Thursday, the park curfew is being lifted. Holla!
You'll have all weekend to sleep under the stars and get some practice at living outdoors, which could come in very handy during the housing crisis.
The curfew goes back into effect at 11 p.m. Easter Sunday.
Many other parks throughout the city are also lifting their curfews.

ANOTHER MORMON GONE WILD!

AURORA, Colo. (AP) -- A former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints allegedly operated a Ponzi scheme from his suburban Denver home for about 15 years, bilking investors out of millions of dollars to collect religious art and classic cars.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Denver by the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges Shawn Merriman, an unlicensed broker, collected up to $20 million from investors in several states to support a lavish lifestyle.

Wonder if Merriman donated any of that funny money for Prop. 8?

JACK WRANGLER DEAD AT 62

Adult film star JACK WRANGLER has died after losing his battle with a lung disease.The former child actor became a gay porn pin-up in the 1970s but went straight after falling in love with and marrying singer Margaret Whiting.