KevinBoie_FOX4's Blog

A FOX 4 staffer has a personal connection to a horrible story we're covering today about a minister accused of unthinkable crimes.

The man, who is a minister in Alabama and graduated from a Dallas high school, allegedly killed his wife, froze her body for years and terrorized his eight children -- raping at least one of them.

When I was working to put the story on the Web site, she saw the man's mug shot and the vague recognition quickly turned to shock as she realized the suspect had been a close friend of a relative.

When she said so, we were all gap-jawed, actually.

Personally, I've never had so close a connection to a potential criminal. What about you?

The verdict is in -- we're guilty of fear mongering and turning a blind eye to blind justice, and common sense. The evidence? Three pervasive little words: "Do Not Attempt."

They're the must-have legal lingo of the litigious age. I see them every day in TV land, especially in commercials.

Exhibit A: The Quiznos sub commercials featuring various individuals eating $5 bills. The tag line is "If you’re going to eat $5, shouldn’t you get your money's worth?" Like clockwork, as the ravenous diner stuffs the fin spot into his or her gullet, the tried and true "do not attempt" fades in at the bottom of the screen.

Exhibit B: The Burger King commercials hocking a new sandwich you simply can’t wait to devour. To illustrate the point, one ad shows a man at the drive through plowing into the car in front of him, pushing it past the drive through window so he can place his urgent order for the beloved burger. You know what's at the bottom of the screen below the action.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you. Doesn’t this meet the legal definition of insanity? Getting sued sucks. It can cost time and money. But doesn’t the likely outcome of would-be frivolous lawsuits factor in at all?

Let's say I down a $5 bill. It gets lodged in my throat and requires surgical removal, causing pain and, of course, "emotional distress." I sue Quiznos and the case actually makes it to the courtroom. My testimony goes something like, "I was really hungry, had no food at home and that's when I saw the commercial, your honor. I never thought about satiating my appetite with currency -- never even knew it was possible -- until Quiznos suggested it was."

Could the judge, would the judge, actually rule in my favor? Even if he did, isn’t it likely the case would be thrown out on appeal?

My point, jury people, is that a few brave corporations should take a stand -- throw that ridiculous legal disclaimer out the window and take on any resulting lawsuits. Doing so might stem the tide of idiocy and make common sense the rule of the land. Case dismissed.

It's not easy coming up with new ways to tell similar stories day in and day out, so it's inevitable that you'll hear us deliver a cliché or two.

In the news biz, we have fun tracking the clichés du jour. In fact, one of our trade Web sites recently posted some current and timeless phrases that you've likely heard a million times.

I've listed a few of the worst offenders here -- most of which I hope to never hear or see again.

How do you feel about news clichés? Do they grate on your nerves like they do mine? What are some of the faves you love to hate?

"The rain did not dampen the spirits of..."
"As you can see behind me"
"Pain at the pump"
"Every parent's worst nightmare"
"Lucky to be alive"
"Speaks out"
"No stranger to…"
"Took to the streets"
"For more on this story, go to our Web site."
"Neighbors say they never expected this to happen in this quiet neighborhood."
"Gearing up"
"It happened again."
"It looks like a war zone."
"Shots rang out"
"Breathing a sigh of relief"
"Ignited a firestorm of controversy"
"Parents are up in arms"

Which local news Web site is best? We were put to the test in a new article in D magazine's CEO edition.

I had the pleasure of being featured in the article, which breaks down our market's four major TV news Web sites.

"This Just In! Web Fight" also rates the sites. Read the grade we got compared to our competitors and see if you agree (or disagree).

We're re-designing our site soon, but feel free to offer your suggestions on ways we can improve. (Or shower us with kudos and compliments.)

Read Article Here.

Did anyone see today's Good Day segments with reporter Krystle Gutierrez and her clone?

If you didn't, I thought I'd share because it's pretty amusing and the odds are probably one in a million.

As it turns out, the woman Krystle interviewed was wearing the same exact outfit, right down to the earrings.

Here's one of the clips. Enjoy!

I can't get it out of my head. Can you?

You need not have watched the latest edition of "Ameircan Idol" to know the man being called the next William Hung -- Renaldo Lapuz.

His dreadfully monotonous AI audition song "My Brother" is everywhere -- entertainment TV rags, the Web and even on FOX 4 news.

Know where else it is? In my head.

At first it was funny. I would purposefully sing it to and with my fellow newsroom-ers.

But I wasn't laughing when it slipped into my morning shower like a psycho killer, stabbing me repeatedly with its booming chorus: "I am your brother! Your best friend forever!"

Maybe it's happening to you, too. It's happening to my fellow Webber Alice K., who unaware that I am writing this blog post, just now said to me "This stupid ****ing song is stuck in my head."

Please make it stop. And if you haven’t heard the song, click here if you dare, but don’t blame me if you end up sharing your bed tonight with the killer chorus.

The end of the year is fast approaching and that means it's time to reveal the top stories of 2007.

Think you know which news stories generated the most traffic to myfoxdfw.com? I'm sure some might surprise you.

Without any further a due. It's time to reveal this year's top 10. Drum roll please.

10.) Mom, Son Use BBQ Tools to Stop Suspected Child Rapist
Story Here

9.) Alleged Fetus in School Locker Turns Out to Be Fruit
Story lost in cyber space. Original story here.

8.) FOX 4 Chopper Makes Emergency Landing
Story Here

7.) Police: Denton Teacher Had Sex With 13-Year-Old Former Student
Story Here

6.) Woman Claims Made-In-China Flip-Flops Burned Feet
Story Here

5.) Racing Legend Recovering After Crash
Story Here

4.) Police Discover Large Marijuana Field in Southwest Dallas Sunday
(In the interest of full disclosure, this is actually a combo deal of a few similar stories that sort of became one big one.)
Story Here

3.) Video Shows Jet Ski Going Over Spillway
Story Here

2.) Mom Indicted for Selling Daughter
Story Here

1.) Patience Pays Off Big for Dallas iPhone Fan
Story Here

Well, there you have it. And here's to next year!

We members of the Web team have finally completed the move to our new home. Actually, we've been here for a while, but today we installed the last pieces of equipment that made our move completely, well complete.

We never solved the murder mystery that sullied this joyous occasion, but as you can see from the photo pasted below, the stain from the body is still on our carpet. And who has time to dwell on a little killing when you have a roomy new workspace complete with all the equipment you need to get the job done?

I use the word "roomy" loosely because while our desk accommodates all of our technology, there's little room for anything else -- like a box of tissues. You'll find those stuffed behind one of my monitors, along with a cacophonous pile of various office supplies, blank CDs, hand sanitizer and lotion, and my energy bars.

What about our bags, purses, umbrellas and other personal carry-ins, you ask? You'll find them at our feet, where we do the River Dance on them all day long. I'm fond of rolling over my man purse and jamming the strap between the wheels of my chair.
 
Hey -- it ain't easy finding room for 11 monitors, four PCs, five keyboards and mice, four phones, a DVR, tape decks, router and switcher -- not to mention four bodies and all the junk they carry around.

Speaking of bodies -- if there ever was a murder at the Web desk, and I'm not saying there was, we simply don't have the space to have left the evidence lying around.

Work continues as we prepare to move our Web desk to its new home. During my last update, some of you commented that the picture of the construction looked like a crime scene.

Well, do I have an titillating update for you! In the rubble, our Web producer extraordinaire, Alice, spotted what looks like a ... well, look at the pictures below and you be the judge. (Cue dramatic organ music.)

The first is just a general shot followed by Alice's shocking discovery. Please note Alice's fine manicure and hand modeling ability.

Saws are buzzing, hammers are pounding and screwdrivers are twisting. There's a big move on the way.

No, FOX 4 isn't relocating, but the Web desk is. Our current quarters are shall we say ... cramped. So, we're changing things around in the newsroom a bit to give us some more elbow room.

Some of the reporters had to vacate their desks at a moment's notice but their new digs are not bad and aside from some good-natured ribbing, they've been very cool about it.

Here's a picture of the mess so far.

Hello, friends. Network maintenance on our blogs is rescheduled for tonight beginning at 11 p.m. and will last for approximately 6 hours. Our tech team was not able to execute the fix on Thursday. Apologies! (Don;t kill the messenger.) During this time you will be unable to blog. Again, sorry about the inconvenience and thanks for your patience!

This just in -- myfoxdfw.com is now delivering breaking news alerts and noon headlines right to your e-mail inbox!

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Blend 80s pop princess Cyndi Lauper with the rap stylings of Dizzie Rascal and you've just whipped up a mashed song.

Music mashing is a hot new trend and The Hood Internet has the right recipe for perfectly pairing seemingly odd couples. Do the mash -- there are no monsters here, despite the Frankenstein science behind the melded melodies.

The Hood enjoys mixing indie band beats with pop stars and rappers, and they do it to satisfying ends. The site lets you listen to and download a few dozen tunes.

More: The Hood Internet