Yearly Archives: 2011
New Jack City: Sin City Sex, Part Deux—Leaving Las Vegas
Last week I passed along the do’s, dont’s and misconceptions of just how open Las Vegas actually is these days—and nights…
"Babes To Your Room," billboards proclaim – but not for sex! They’re entertainers. And that’s basically what they’ll do for you: ‘Entertain.’
And be careful – ever since the recent mayoral campaign Vegas vice squads have become more vigilant and increased sting operations have turned many a bachelor party into nights in the slammer!
So what are your legal options?
Today: Trash Talking Local Writer Takes the Measure of Kanrocksas
As concert reviews go, writer Hampton Stevens coverage of Kanrocksas in The Atlantic was something of an anomaly…
"A Rock Festival, as Seen for its Trash," reads the headline.
"On a sweltering night five days ago, the thick, newly-trampled grass of the Kansas Speedway was glazed by multicolored confetti, fallen steamers, shards of popped balloons, and luminous, half-spent glow-sticks," Stevens begins. "The white stage lights were glinting off the hundreds of aluminum cans and plastic bottles that once held water, soda, sports drinks, liquor and beer.
"This was the waste of the inaugural Kanrocksas Music Festival, which boasted an impressive lineup that included Eminem, Muse, Flogging Molly, Primus, Kid Cudi, A Perfect Circle, D12, Okay Go, Cage the Elephant, and Ween."
Stevens even bestowed a Kanrocksas "prettiest trash" distinction on The Flaming Lips – a "high honor…made even more impressive by the presence on the bill of Bassnectar and Girl Talk, whose audiences also know a thing or two about popped balloons and glow sticks," Hampton quipped. "The Lips’ trash was so pretty, in fact, it was almost a shame to see the janitorial teams from City Wide Maintenance come to clean it up. But come they did, just as their crews in red tunics did after every one of the almost three-dozen performances at the two-day event."
The flip side of all that, uh, "pretty" trash: The porta potty action.
New Jack City: ‘THE HELP’ Needs None!
THE HELP has done what very few films ever achieve…
It opened big—and then got better with age.
Based on Kathryn Stockett‘s best-selling novel and starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Chris Lowell, Cicely Tyson and Sissy Spacek, the picture opened just semi-wide Wednesday, August 10 to impressive boxoffice numbers. But when Fox’s tentpole RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES hit practically every theatre two days later on Friday, August 12, THE HELP ended up in second place for the weekend.
That all changed this weekend when the Mississippi based drama pulled a major upset.
Hearne: Star Closes Comments Section on Lame Plaza Kids Curfew Cover-up Story
We all make mistakes…
And some of you like nothing more than to document mine. Be it a lowly typo or spelling error. Fair enough. But within reason, KC Confidential has been reasonably transparent about allowing readers to have their say. Even against our/my better judgement.
That said, how lame and transparent is it when Kansas City’s paper of record writes a story about a prickly subject – a curfew aimed at young blacks on the white-as-can-be Country Club Plaza – and puts it to bed tonight sans the ability for readers to register a comment.
Not one.
Glazer: Forget The Plaza, “Black Kanrocksas” Descends on Westport Tonight!
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On the heels of last Saturday’s shootings on the Plaza comes tonight’s Young Jeezy festival in Westport….
I didn’t know about it until a friend of mine, Chocolate Becky, of "Little Dick Bitch" fame on Johnny Dare called and told me she’s going to the show. She said it’s the same crowd that would go see Lil Wayne who played Sprint which draws a young, black, hip-hop crowd. And she was surprised Westport was having it given all the problems on the Plaza and Power & Light District.
She wanted me to meet her afterwards at Boulevard Nights on S.W. Blvd. but she’s afraid there’ll be violence there. She was also surprised that this show is at the Beaumont Club. She thinks it should have been at Sprint."
Hearne: Forget the Media Hoopla, Tonight’s Plaza Curfew Likely to be More Snore Than Gore
We’ve got a funny news media in this town…
And I’m not just talking about the Star – Kansas City’s 800 pound gorilla – although count them in. The situation with young black kids hanging out in mostly white areas where they’re not wanted has been going on for years. More than 10.
None of this is new. And with rare exception, It’s not about buzzwords like "flash mobs."
I covered this at the Star for years in my column. More often than not when no one else at the newspaper was covering it. So allow me to shoot from the hip for a minute to make a point.
I can’t tell you how many times over the years I reported on the problems with young, urban blacks at AMC’s Ward Parkway theaters. I haven’t been out there at night this summer, but they still have the signs posted in the mall obviously pointed directly at those problems.
I covered the exact same troubles off and on for years at AMC’s Crown Center theaters. One night I got pelted from behind by kids in the crowd just walking down the sidewalk. They didn’t know who I was, just some lanky, white loser dude. City busses were brought in to load the kids on when the movies were over and transport them back to the inner city.
Sound a little racist? Crown Center sure as heck didn’t want those kids ’em hanging out front of the mall twidlling their thumbs.
Caitlin: Got iPhone: ‘Is there an app for that?’
With iPhone App, “Kiss Me Thru the Phone,” you can upload a photo of someone, adjust and rotate the image, and…kiss your phone.
If you are the laziest person on earth, the “iPhone Blower” will apparently blow out your birthday candles for you.
And if you are a sleazebag, the “Tiger Text” app lets you recall text messages and self-destruct sent messages within one minute.
There are endless apps—some beneficial, some entertaining, some useless…although I must admit Tiger Text could save a lot of drunk-texters from morning-after embarrassment…
Although I try to keep my phone pretty svelte, I have recently discovered a few helpful fashion, shopping, and style apps—all of which are free.
Glazer: Preseason Swoon Preview of Things to Come for This Year’s Chiefs
So Chiefs coach Todd Haley‘s now 1-9 in preseason games with the Chiefs…
Yes, the Chiefs first team played better than it did last week. Matt THE FRANCHISE was 6 of 14 passing for 73 yards. That’s three more yards than when Baltimore beat us with in the playoffs last year.
Chiefs mini receiver/back Dexter McCluster looked good with four catches and D-Bowe had three nice catches for 43 yards. But no big plays for Matt. Our lone score came from backup quarterback, Tyler Palco.
Our field goal kicker is still suspect from outside the 40. Our first team defense was better and kept us in the game until the fourth quarter when Baltimore lit up the Chiefs. The Chiefs led 13-10 but then managed to give up a ton of points and lose 31-13. Similar to that blasting Baltimore gave us in the playoffs a few months back.
What else did we do?
Starbeams: Celebrate ‘Go Topless Day’ This Sunday, After KC’s New Plaza Kid Curfew
Sunday is national GO TOPLESS DAY. An organization called GoTopless is encouraging women to rally for the right to be shirtless in public like men. Completely unrelated, Janet Jackson performs at Starlight Monday night.
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The Kansas City City Council has imposed a curfew for Kansas City. The curfew is at 10:00pm for people under 16. 11:00pm for people under 18. And if you’re on the Plaza, P&L, Zona Rosa, 18th and Vine and Westport, the curfew is 9:00pm if you’re under 18. You can stay out later if a parent or guardian is available. I hear Casey Anthony is available.
Glazer: Chiefs Nation Ready to Rumble; Somebody Tell Vegas
So here we go Chiefs Nation…
Here’s our chance to get some payback for last year’s playoff loss to the Ravens of Baltimore. Yes, it was ugly – 30-7 Ravens over the Kansas City Chiefs in their only playoff game last season.
Uh, the Chiefs, not the Ravens.
Remember? Joe Flaco had a nice day with 265 yards in the air, two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 115.4. Outstanding. Our guy Matt the FRANCHISE, uh, 9 of 18 passing, three interceptions, no touchdowns, 70 yards passing and a quarterback rating of 20.4.
WHAT? THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT!
Hearne: 610 Sports Nick Wright & Blogger Tony Botello Slug it Out on KMBZ
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Forget about the so-called local sports talk radio war…
Jock sniffers have waged those for decades and will continue until the end of days, as long as know-it-alls roam the radio dial. I mean, how easily entertained are we when a sleepy, bored Jason Whitlock calling into Nick Wright‘s show on 610 Sports causes local bloggers to behave like they just witnessed the Thrilla in Manila?
Hyperbole aside, are local sports fans really that bored? Well, it is Royals season.
But what amounts to a family blood feud errupted yesterday on KMBZ host Darla Jaye’s show…
No Whitlock-like pussyfooting around, this was the real deal. Blogger and KC Confidential contributor Tony Botello was doing his weekly stint on Jaye’s show and talking about getting sued for defamation when all hell broke lose.
"Nick Wright called him – he’s the son of the guy who’s suing Tony – and Darla pretty well stayed out of it and it was just an assslapping between those two guys," says earwitness Jack Poessiger. "It was hard hitting radio."
Hearne: Will KC Firefighter Louie Wright’s Lawsuit Mean The End for Tony’s Kansas City?
I wanted to start this off with something like, "Nobody likes a lawsuit"…
But I’d be lying. Lawyers like ’em. People who work at law firms must as well. It’s a paycheck. Judges probably like ’em. People who think they’re gonna win, kick somebody’s ass and / or make a boatload of money undoubtedly like ’em.
So how about this instead? People who get slapped with lawsuits don’t like em. They cost money, take lots of time and sometimes you lose. Meaning more money, more time and more stress.
When Louie Wright, president of Local 42 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, filed a defamation lawsuit against blogger / KC Confidential contributor Tony Botello this week, Botello wasn’t happy.
"I am both ill-equipped and completely unprepared to face a lawsuit of any kind…" he emailed the Pitch."This probably means the end of the blog."
Wait! The end of Tony’s Kansas City? No way! Really?
"Not anytime soon but it’s definitely a possibility and it shows people the real stakes of the game," Botello shot back.
"Well, if they do hit me with the multi-million dollar verdict, I think that makes it pretty much open season on me," he says. "So it wouldn’t be worth it."
Starbeams: Punk Kids & Lawyer Ban on Plaza Elicit Wave of Nostalgia
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Katy Perry packed Sprint Center Wednesday as concertgoers wore everything from purple hair to cupcake bras. But even with all that, I still couldn’t get her attention.
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People are stealing copper from the
KC SCOUT
signs, the signs that alert you to upcoming traffic problems in the metro. Specifically from the cameras that show traffic problems. The copper can then be melted to make pennies. So far, the only suspect is my stockbroker.
Sounds Good: Buzz Beach Ball@LIVESTRONG, HOD & Grisly Hand@Knuckleheads, Quixotic@Crossroads(FREE), Dumptruck Butterlips@Perry Bar & Grill, Janet Jackson@Starlight
Have you ever rolled up to someone’s house to pick them up, blasting Janet Jackson or something?
Then, before they come out, you put in a different cd, cue it up right at the exact moment that makes you seem like you’re the coolest ever.
And when they get in and ask what you’re listening to, you say something nonchalant like, "Umm, oh, that’s the new Bon Iver album. It’s been stuck in my player for weeks."
Then you drive to some cool-ass, acrobatic/ hip hop/ electronica show that is kinda like Cirque du Soleil but with awesome beats and bolster your coolness even further. I mean, Brandon Draper is there, it’s in an arts district, and it’s totally free.
This is going great, you think. Then, on the way home, she finds the Janet Jackson cd and asks, "Is this yours?"
You scramble, "Are you kidding? That’s my little sister’s. Janet sucks, she just rode the coat tails of her brother for 30 years."
And then she says, "Oh, I love this album. It’s really sexy."
You make a mental note to slap yourself in the mouth when you get home…alone.
Never happened to you? I can’t be the only one…
Donnelly: Scary moment After Idiot Hits Sporting Goalie in the Head With Projectile
After dominating the game early, Sporting KC finally found joy in the 25th minute. 
The LIVESTRONG crowd erupted in celebration of a spectacular goal by breakout midfielder Graham Zusi that KC coach Peter Vermes called “a bomb,” putting Sporting up 1-0 over the visiting Portland Timbers.
The big screen flashed with images of “Brisket Bob” slicing his way through some juicy KC barbecue, poking fun at the Timbers’ practice of firing up a chainsaw to cut through a massive log each time they score a home goal.
At the other end of the pitch, Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen laid motionless just to the side of the net…
Glazer: Humble Scribe Welcomes Bubba Starling to Loserville; See Ya, Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya
So the Royals got their man, Bubba Starling...
No. 1 draft pick, big bucks, 19 years-old and a world beater. He may be with our big league team as soon as 2013. So you’d think with Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Melky Cabrera and now Starling, the Royals could look to 2013 as a year to at least win the division if not more.
Right? Wrong.
At first glance, the Royals look decent on paper. They actually do. They’ve got four starters who will likely hit more than 20 homers for the first time since Pete Rose played (OK, maybe that’s a bit too far back). Their best weapon, Melky Cabrera, gets nearly no ink or buzz. I don’t get it. THIS GUY IS TRADE BAIT? WHY?
Melky is hitting .311, has 16 homers and 73 RBI"s. All team bests. HE IS THEIR BEST PLAYER right now, not Hosmer or Gordon. He’s still young.
I say, keep this guy if we can afford him.
Jack Goes Confidential: : ‘FRIGHT NIGHT’ is Cult Blood-Sucking—Revisited!
Was there a good reason for remaking Tom Holland‘s 1985 Cult-Classic FRIGHT NIGHT?
Frankly I can’t think of any!
But give producer Michael DeLuca credit for keeping the reboot real. After all he did tell the entertainment media that the original "has a very special place in his heart."
Taking advantage of the current vampire craze, this new tongue-in-cheek edition has Las Vegas High Schooler Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) suspecting that his new next door neighbor Jerry—played by Colin Farrell-–is a vampire! And that he and his hot girlfriend are now Jerry’s next victims. Matter of fact Charley’s best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is convinced of it.
Mother Toni Collette takes longer to persuade. But when there’s a blood-sucker to slay and you live in Vegas, why not call upon the expertise of a local hocus-pocus headliner from the Strip for advice?
That’s what happens when Charley now seeks the services of a Chriss Angel-like dude.
So why the R-rating?
Edelman: STARLIGHT GETS IT SMART & FINAL WITH XANADU
I never could figure out why they called that store "Smart & FInal…"
I mean, it’s got all the same crap as a low rent Target. What’s so Smart and Final about that?
Then I checked out XANADU at Starlight this week– now THAT’s Smart and Final. The final show of Swope Park’s 2011 season is about as clever as outdoor musical theater gets. Like I said, Smart and Final.
Douglas Carter Beane writes terrific plays (THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED at the Unicorn several seasons back is more than proof of that). And his book for the musical of XANADU is a hoot. Instead of slogging through the sentimentality of your usual boy meets girl songfest, XANADU offers up "a children’s musical, but for 40 year-old gay men" (per Beane).
Its whipsmart send up of the horrible big budget film that set back movie musicals at least a decade (and killed off Gene Kelly) is chock full of those kinds of zingers— including a few none too blunt barbs at the whole juke box musical genre of which XANADU is an audacious member.
Glazer: Tears Shed as Iconic Comic Tommy Chong Leaves Deep Impression on KC
It was nice having the Chong’s back one more time…
You know, Tommy Chong – of Cheech and Chong – and his wife Shelby, who played Stanford’s this past weekend. We had a nice time. It was a reminder of how things used to be and in many ways no longer are. The crowds were very respectful of him and his wife. Everyone was smiling and in good spirits. And it was cool because there was so much going on, a Chiefs home game, Farm Aid nearby, the stock market mini crash, school starting, Plaza riots – about anything you could dream up.
Yet they packed the club up as always.
The Chongs did a meet and greet for everyone who wanted to see them after each show. Tommy signed everything put in front of him. He’s a national treasure. There are no comedy duos like Cheech and Chong today. Maybe Penn and Teller, but it’s just not the same. No big movies like there were in the Cheech and Chong days.
Tommy stands for the past, legalizing weed, being a free spirit, making our nation’s leaders listen to the people…
