Yearly Archives: 2011
Jack Goes Confidential: Steven Spielberg Dishes Up Top Notch Family Fare
The WAR HORSE is rated PG-13 because it contains battlefield sequences that may be too intense for young kids.
Having said that, let’s applaud director Steven Spielberg for delivering the type of epic adventure film here we just don’t see much anymore.
WAR HORSE is an odyssey-like story of a boy’s pursuit of his horse Joey which has been drafted by the British army by an England on the brink of joining the European conflict World War 1.
Jack Goes Confidential: Cameron Crowe’s ‘Zoo’ Delivers Exceptional Family-Fun
Typecasting a film as a ‘Family Movie’ can often backfire…
It’s such a broad term and can be a turnoff to adult moviegoers. Well we’ve got two such branded cinematic entries in Kansas City this holiday weekend and the good news is that both do the description justice.
The first is director Cameron (JERRY MAGUIRE) Crowe’s funny, inspirational true story about the magical power of family to persevere in the face of extraordinary challenges.
Sounds Good: Blueprint Jazz@I-Bar, Dave Shelton’s Holiday Jam@8th Street TapRoom
I know most of you are probably nesting down this weekend, spending time at home with the family, or making that dreaded road trip to the relatives’ house that you spend the rest of the year largely ignoring.
But after all that small talk and pretending to care about your second cousin’s promotion in the HyVee meat department, you may need to cut loose with a stiff drink and some chill music to calm those frazzled nerves.
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Or maybe you’re just a hopeless barfly who can’t get away from the scene for just a moment, even on the one weekend that’s supposed to be all about friends, family, and counting your blessings.
Either way, here are a few things to distract you from the twisted train wreck that is the holidays…
Hearne: The Off Kilter, Last Minute Christmas Gifts Giver’s Guide
It’s gonna be hard to top Brandon Leftridge‘s tongue-in-cheek, holiday gift suggestion of a totally real Opossum…
Or Jack Poessiger‘s dream holiday meal of a "crisp" Christmas Goose. But I’ll try. Shouldn’t be too hard to make it a little easier on the gift givers as well as the recipients.
Let’s start with the $12.50, handmade, pewter Atahualpa bottle stopper at Hobb’s in Lawrence.
"You know who this guy is?" asks Hobb’s owner Mark Swanson. "He was the last Inca emperor."
Who doesn’t need something like that to jam into their favorite bottle of Mezcal?
Looking for something at a higher price point? Not a problem.
Today: Former Jardine’s Owner Saddened by Events, Fox 4’s Tabloid TV Coverage
The past three weeks have been tough for Jardine’s founder Greg Halstead…
Halstead opened Jardine’s in 1992 as a restaurant and bar, but within months realized he’d made a mistake. The joint was losing money and Halstead called his pal Ron Schoonover – the former manager of Kansas City’s Playboy Club – to ask advice. Schoonover was running a successful jazz-themed bar and restaurant downtown called The Phoenix and he greenlighted Halstead’s idea of adding jazz to Jardine’s mix .The rest is history.
Hearne: Buyers Line Up for Chance to Buy Plaza Jazz Club Jardine’s
It may be "all quiet" along the battle lines in the Jardine’s jazz club saga but…
The staff is gone – a couple of them fired, others told that they’d been fired. Many of KC’s top jazz musicians have joined a boycott of Jardine’s. A boycott allegedly spearheaded by Sons of Brasil trumpet player Stan Kessler, whose stepson – now former Jardine’s server – Raja called the cops on minutes before Kessler’s band showed up at the club to play, but then walked out.
No two ways about it, it’s been ugly. Not to mention confusing.
Yet while things have been relatively quiet in the media, that doesn’t mean there’s not been plenty going on behind the scenes, in places TV cameras are of little use.
New Jack City:The Bottom 10 Films That Made ‘Going To The Movies’–WORK!
Who said that going to the movies is all fun?
Not when you had to suffer through these turkeys like I did. And to think they were all comedies.
Here then is the bottom of the 2011 barrel:
First runner up (# 11): LARRY CROWNE: At what point did director Tom Hanks realize that directing himself here–along with Julia Roberts —was a huge mistake?
# 10— NEW YEAR’S EVE : Director Garry Mashall’s low rent followup to Valentine’s Day
# 9—THE SITTER: This one’s obviously been around a while since Jonah Hill not only still looked porky here but had done much better with MONEYBALL.
# 8— ARTHUR: Was there any reason for Russell Brand to remake this classic? Must’ve looked good on paper but it didn’t translate onto the screen.
Donnelly: Sporting KC Firestarter Graham Zusi Gets Recognition He Deserves
So now it’s official. Officially official…
It’s a drum I started beating early last season after watching a few Sporting Kansas City games. It was so obvious. And I kept pounding that thing all season.
Graham Zusi is the best player on the team.
Not only is he the best player, he also happens to occupy the center midfielder position, a spot that can dictate the entire flow of a game and determine the personality of a squad.
As the 2011 MLS regular season neared its end, I cast my media ballot in Zusi’s favor for team MVP, though he ended up losing to Jimmy Nielsen, who had a solid year as well between the pipes.
But now it’s not just us die hard SKC fans that know about Zusi.
Glazer: Power & Light District on the Ropes as Plaza Takes Top Spot
Last Friday after afternoon my brother Jeff and I had some business downtown…
As we were leaving the area around 1 p.m. we decided to take a look at what was up in the Power & Light area. To be fair it was daytime, however this is Christmas shopping season and it was about 50 degrees and clear outside. Power and Light boasts that it has 50 stores, shops, restaurants and bars all under (kinda) one roof. A billion dollar entertainment romp.
Yes? No.
There was nobody – and I mean nobody – down there. We stopped at about six major restaurants and found zip. The main, most popular one, McFadden’s had about six people eating and drinking inside. The manager said "Well, its daytime, there’s not much going on. We had some people in earlier, try the weekend nights."
Starbeams: The Top 5 Things That Happened at the Gates BBQ Fire
Gates BBQ in Leawood suffered fire damage early this morning...
TOP 5 THINGS THAT HAPPENED AT THE GATES FIRE:
#5. Firefighters arrived and began yelling, "Hi, May I Help You?"
#4. Out of habit, KCPD ran inside the building and placed their trays on the counter.
#3. Spectators got a great deal on some REALLY burnt ends.
Today: Thumbs Up to Joco Leaf Ban, H&M Shopping Report & Star’s New ‘913’
Something for everyone today, even Jardine’s haters and future Jardine’s lovers…
One of my all-time, good-for-the-earth, suburban pet peeves is taking a step towards being eliminated. Starting in January, yard waste will no longer be picked up in Johnson County and dumped in landfills.
Hats off to the Johnson County Commission for doing the right thing.
Today: Neverending Jardine’s Saga, a Mother Weighs in on Firing Rumors & More
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Amidst the back-and-forth tales of Jardine’s firing its entire staff lies a single, glaring contradiction…
The local news media – including this site – bought into and reported that owner Beena Raja had fired the Plaza jazz club’s entire staff. That fifteen people had been unceremoniously turned out on the streets right ahead of the holidays.
Nevermind that none of that had been confirmed with Jardine’s. Or later, when Raja was finally cornered she denied it, saying the general manager/cook had resigned, two staffers had been fired and another walked out. Not surprisingly a local waiter blogger championed the staff firing story without even attempting to contact Raja.
Worse yet, a local TV news organization that has lead much of the news charge on Jardine’s woes employs a reporter who’s daughter worked at Jardine’s and is alleged to have been among the three servers Raja found drinking for free at 4 a.m. Thanksgiving morning.
None of the stories I’ve seen disclosed that potential conflict to viewers.
Now let’s get to the heart of the matter.
Jack Goes Confidential: Tom Cruise Delivers on ‘MISSION’
Paramount’s release pattern for MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE-GHOST PROTOCOL has been confusing at best to the average moviegoer.
Many fans hit their local megaplexes this past weekend only to find out it wasn’t playing there—YET!
It opened only on IMAX screens last Friday.
Regular theaters weren’t scheduled to open the blockbuster until today (12/21). But then with Columbia Pictures’ THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO moved its opening up from today to yesterday (12/20) at 7:00 p.m., so Paramount did one better. They also moved MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE 4’s regular engagements up one day and beat TATTOO’s first performances by 2 hours—starting shows at 5:00 p.m.
Glazer: God Save The Kansas City Chiefs! Scribe Tortured by Love / Hate Affair
So last night Stanford’s had its holiday party on the Plaza at the hot new Zocalo restaurant and nightspot…
Take it from me it’s THE place to be on weekend nights now. Pretty ladies ages 25 to 45, sharp guys, plus it’s a money place. Nice.
The food is good, too and there’s a large bar area. Anyway, I sat with my brother, Jeff, his girlfriend and my long time pal Joel, a manager at Stanford’s. We grew up together and Joel was explaining how great the NEW CHIEFS are.
"Boy, if we’d had Kyle Orton a few weeks back, we’d be in the playoffs. Beating Green Bay (which may have cost me some nice dough that I’ve waited all year for) was so sweet. The Chiefs proved who was the best team in the NFL."
WHAT?
Hearne: Mission Improbable, Taking It To The Imax
Let me begin by saying this is not a movie review…
However, I did see the new Tom Cruise movie Mission Impossible last night. In all its Imax glory. Jack had assured me it was top notch – and I won’t argue that – however I’ll pass along a few things worth noting.
Starting with the really intense, really loud opening scene.
Jack Goes Confidential: Unsettling ‘GIRL WITH DRAGON TATTOO’ Evokes Intense Experience
For many, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is the most highly anticipated film of the holiday season…
Others—especially those who read the book or saw the original, subtitled foreign version—are worried that director David Fincher’s americanization of Stieg Larsson’s powerful thriller won’t translate well in Hollywood’s hands.
Well, I’ve got good news and bad news.
Come to think of it, it’s all good news. Finche’s version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO delivers—and then some. And for the record I’ve never seen the original, but friends who’ve seen both Swedish and American versions tell me that Mr. Fincher’s new film has far exceeded their expectations.
Another plus: You’re not bothered with subtitles.
Glazer: Scribe Reaches Out, Conjures Up Christmas Spirit
These are tough times for all of us – even me…
Family deaths, film and TV deals getting even tougher now on projects – it’s hard out there for all of us. I help many friends who are in need with their problems paying bills but money is tighter for me too. We should all try and help those in need in any way we can.
And it doesn’t always have to be just about money. It can be warm phone call, a kind email or a card to let people know that you care.
I know things get a little overheated at times on this site.
I also know many of you readers think I am an egomaniac and only care about myself.
Jack: Anybody Up for a Christmas Goose?
My wished for Christmas present this year probably won’t show up under the tree…
Come to think of it, what tree? Bah, humbug!
Were it to, however, It would come from a kitchen instead of a chimney, accompanied by the most incredibly, wonderful aroma.
I’m wishing, of course, for a great, crisp Christmas Goose dinner complete with potato dumplings, gravy and red cabbage.
OK, so I’m German already.
Urich: My Big, Wet Christmas Gift to Kansas City
For decades people met "under the clock" at Union Station…
But we’ve gotten away from that tradition so, I’m proposing a new holiday tradition: "Kiss Under the Clock."
It will be unveiled Friday morning at Union Station, and if you’re fortunate enough to kiss someone under Union Station historic clock, you have to drop a buck in the giant Salvation Army bucket.
Donnelly: Need a Last Minute Gift Idea? Flip ’em a Bird (or Two)
It’s getting to be pretty hectic for down-to-the-wire Christmas shopping…
That is, for people like myself who inevitably wait until the absolute last second. If you’re like me, every year you tell yourself this holiday season will be different. This year you’ll get going early and get the shopping done by Thanksgiving so you can kick back and relax as the days inch closer to Christmas.
No jam-packed checkout aisles, no fighting for parking at the Legends, no swearing at soccer moms in minivans as you cut them off and slide into the space they’ve been waiting for with their blinker on for 5 minutes.
Sounds like a plan, right?
