BRACE FOR THE INFLUX: The travel section of The New York Times picked the 44 Places to Go in 2009 on Sunday. (Why 44? Well, I imagine they wanted to do 50, but you know, with the economy and everything …) Landing at No. 17 on the list is Dallas. Why mention this on an arts blog? The reason it’s notable is the reason Dallas made the list — the arts. More specifically, the upcoming Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, opening Oct. 12. After opening with an excruciating cliche (“Everything is bigger in Texas, and the Dallas arts district is no exception,” natch) the blurb goes on to highlight the “gleaming center” and its starchitect contributors (Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster). The takeaway from all of this is that maybe Dallas is getting a reputation as a city that people would travel to to take in the arts. For those of us who have lived here our whole lives, that’s an exciting thought.

SNL SKEWERS BROADWAY: Saturday Night Live aimed its daggers at the Great White Way over the weekend in a sketch that assembled some of theater’s iconic characters to try and figure out why so many shows are closing these days. A highlight: When the Phantom of Phantom of the Opera accuses Mr. Mistoffelees of Cats of thinking he’s “the Michael Jordan of Broadway.” No one in the room gets the analogy until the Phantom informs them that Jordan was “the Tommy Tune of basketball.” Also funny is image of guest host Neil Patrick Harris portraying Mark from Rent, considering Harris actually played the role on Broadway.

QUOTABLE: “”[Cliburn] silver medalist, that has been my middle name for four years.”

— Joyce Yang, on the lasting impact of her success at the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Yang was quoted in a story on DFW.com about the impending screening audition recitals for this year’s competition.