Yearly Archives: 2011
Jack Goes Confidential: ‘WATER FOR ELEPHANTS’ Is Top Notch Romantic Drama!
To call WATER FOR ELEPHANTS a chick-flick is a complete injustice to a film guys will enjoy just as much—IF– you can convince them to go.
That said, eventual good word-of-mouth about the movie should underplay any pre-perceptions.
Based on Sara Gruen’s acclaimed best selling novel, this transfer to the big screen shouldn’t disappoint its millions of fans, despite that director Francis Lawrence had to squeeze volumes of material into the film’s 2 hour running time.
Set during the depression and near-end of the prohibiton era of the early 30’s, the story has young veterinary student Jacob (Robert Pattinson) drop out and jump a circus train after his Polish immigrant parents are killed in a car wreck.
But this traveling circus is no Barnum & Bailey which had a reputation of being a true family show.
Sounds Good: The Civil Wars@The Bottleneck; Ghosty@The Replay; Interpol@Beaumont Club
For those of you that missed Nathaniel Rateliff at the Bottleneck a few weeks ago, slap yourself in the mouth… now.
Go ahead, I’ll wait.
You know you messed up. (Read the review down below somewhere, then think about why you don’t own any throwing knives).
The fifty of us that did go to that desolate Friday night show were treated to stripped down songs with raw emotion spilling off the stage and splashing onto our shoes.
I know, gross right?
A similarly intimate show might be brewing Friday at the same iconic venue…
Take 26.2: My Time At The 2011 Boston Marathon / Part I
The cannonballs that have taken up residence where my thighs once resided still roll and stab with each forward step. Curbs look like waist-high cement walls to my post-marathon bod. It is in this state of repair that I pen this tale of my trip from Hopkinton to Boston for the running of the 115th Boston Marathon.As marathons go, I am pretty much a noobie. At least that’s what my son calls rookie Xbox players who get trampled by his “supreme awesomeness.” As I approached the age of 55 the summer of 2009, I decided it was now or never to run 26.2. I picked the Tucson Marathon in December because it was downhill and well, it was Tucson in December. Think of the scenery. And even the mountains.
Glazer: The Corncob Files, a 420 Day Remembrance
So this is the day, huh, 4/20 right?
For me it’s a time of remembrance. Of the first time I smoked the devil weed. All of us have stories. Like many things, the first time is, well, not always the best time. Sure wasn’t for me.
My best pal, Jeff and I bought a gram of hash.
His older brother, Doug, told us this was the way to go. So Jeff and I went to 7-11 and got a corncob pipe. We put some tin foil over the hole and placed pinches of hash in the bowl. Then we lit the hash.
Just one problem.
New Jack City: Feel Good, Do Good Time, KC Variety Club Kidz Need You!
And now a public service schmooze on behalf of the Kansas City Variety Club children’s charity. The all-volunteer organization that raises $$$ for mobility equipment for special needs children in Greater K.C.
Kansas City’s chapter is hosting two fun events in support of K.C. Kids.
The first is MAGIC FOR KIDS this Saturday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m. Magician-performers Todd Lamanske, David Henderson and Tom Bergoon will take the stage at K.C.’s IMPROV CLUB at Zona Rosa to entertain and dazzle with a nonstop roller coaster of illusions and laughs.
Today: Happy 420 Day! Proceed at Your Own Risk
Just how widespread is 420 Day nowadays?
So much that a mere mention of the national holiday for pot smokers in the checkout line at Sam’s Club in Topeka elicited a comment from checkout dude Nick.
"What high school kid hasn’t heard of 420 Day?" Nick quipped. "Half the students at school would take off on that day."
Meanwhile, back in KCMO, Coffee Wonk owner Micah Riggs has seen better 420 Days…
Starbeams: Fat R Us & Top 5 Tweets from Loose Park Tree
Just another national list where Kansas City ranks in the the FAT TOP TEN.
It’s about time we add another ‘S’ to the end of Kansas.
*******
I’m trying to decide if I’m more embarrassed I follow Charlie Sheen on Twitter, or a tree in Loose Park that began Tweeting recently. That’s right, a 100 year-old tree in Loose Park has its own Twitter account. @PENNY OAK.
The tree is tweeting in honor of Earth Day this Friday.
TOP 5 TWEETS FROM PENNY OAK:
Donnelly: Always Change A Losing Strategy – SKC Flounders at Columbus
Over the weekend Sporting KC lost to Columbus, 1-0, in a game that many had pegged as a win.
This dropped SKC to 1-2-1.
There are not a lot of positives to take away from the game, and in fact, the team seems to have reverted back to its 2010 form.
SKC managed just one or two shots on goal for the entire game.
Yes, the ownership group is passionate and innovative and yes, the stadium looks sweet – but that doesn’t matter without the result on the field.
The next few games will be key in determining just how big of a party we can expect for the home opener at the new stadium on June 9th.
New Jack City: Film Row Loses Last Vestige of KC’s Cinematic Past!
For decades, Film Row – the area between 17th and 19th streets on Central and between Wyandotte and Broadway on 18th Street – was the midwest’s connection to the movie biz.
All the major Hollywood studios had distribution offices there. Warner Brothers, 20th Century-Fox, Columbia Pictures, Paramount, Allied Artists, MGM, Universal Pictures, United Artists, Walt Disney and a handful of independents. Each facilitated the distribution of motion pictures to the midwest’s theater screens from what is now called the Crossroads district.
The tall building at the SW corner of 18th and Wyandotte was the national headquarters of the biggest distributor of movie advertising accessories. Known as National Screen Service, it shipped trailers, posters and ad materials to theaters all across the country.
Glazer: The Rise & Fall of Kansas City As We Know It
Seems like just a few years ago there was a line that went forever to see a new movie on the Plaza…
It was the EXORCIST. I was so excited to see it I went to the early show. Got the last ticket available, and made my girlfriend see the later show with my brother. Big mistake, I was so shaken by the movie, when I got home alone I put my .38 handgun on the table in front of me. Just waiting for my cat to turn his head all the way around and – bam! – the cat gets it!
He lived.
Yep, back in those days, a guy could walk to Volcker Park, hear a live band, smoke a joint – maybe even drop some acid. Have a nice fun little adventure, you know. Swing by Winstead‘s, get a cheeseburger, fries and a shake. Check out some hot babes in their mom’s convertible. Maybe get a phone number or two. Later that night – maybe after midnight – scoot down to one of those all night hot tea joints. More babes, more numbers, more music, more fun.
Never worried about DUI checkpoints – they didn’t exist. Or drive-by shootings. Worst thing you’d see was a fight now and then between long haired dudes over some hippie-looking chick.
Glazer: Could It Be Magic? Royals Tantalize
Well, it’s finally happening…
The Royals, for the first time since the George Brett Era, look like a good team. This is by far the best team we’ve seen since all the BS about young teams, rebuild teams and on and on started 20 years ago!.
Why? Simple:
Billy Butler and more important, Alex Gordon.
Glazer: The Manly Art of Trash Talking Your Way to the Best Sex Imaginable
The inside scoop on how to keep several girls happy for a long time?
No, it’s not by giving them money – not for me anyway – although it’s better to have some around. It’s more about providing an escape, a fantasy if you will.
Sure, it always starts out with the hope, on both sides, that it will lead to a serious dating situation. But that doesn’t apply if both of you know in advance that it’s just a fun, sex thing. And after most relationships cool off, what we are left with is this: WE ALL NEED TO RELAX AND ESCAPE.
It’s as simple as that.
So if in the girl’s mind you meet those requirements and she meets yours – bam! – it can last for years.
Jennifer: Nick & Jake’s Wine Dinner Channels Kid Rock, “Whole Barnyard”
The thought of wine dinners can spark images of stuffy food, long, intolerable discussions about pairings and hanging with people who have fat bank accounts and narrow minds…
But things are changing.
I attribute it to many factors. Young people have stepped up their game and their world travels and food experiences have sparked an interest in what crosses their palette. In turn wineries have taken notice of this changing demographic.
Have you looked at wine labels lately?
Gone are the etchings of vineyards. In their place, bold graphics and eye-catching photos and art vie for your attention.
And in this economy, restaurants are challenged to find new, creative ways to attract customers. So food wine = a quick boost to the bottom line and repeat customers. Great chefs can take pride in their creations, but restaurant owners know the bar is where the action is .
All of these factors have led to impromptu wine/food events popping up all over town.
Donnelly: Plain White T’s at the Bottleneck, April 12, 2011
"Let’s make this a moment, Lawrence," urged lead singer Tom Higgenson as girls and women screamed uncontrollably. No panties or bras were flying through the air or anything, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if they had been.
Higgenson was about to play "Hey There Delilah" solo, on a makeshift stage at the back of the room following the full band’s set. The effect was executed well, and Higgenson got back to the stage without being ripped to shreds by teens and cougars alike.
Just think what would’ve happened if they hadn’t played "Delilah," the song that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 a few years back, and that you might pay someone to erase from your memory permanently (it’s pretty catchy).
Bad things…
Today: Groupon & The Hard Fought Battle for Daily Deal Dollars in Kansas City
The Golden Age of Groupon is upon us…
The question is, for how long?
Comments section skeptics aside, businesses across Kansas City have taken advantage of Groupon’s email blast, deal-of-the-day marketing propostions. It’s not about undermining the value of a product by giving away the farm for half price. In less than two years here, Groupon’s forged the image as a proven means of reaching hundreds of thousands of locals with offers they can’t resist. Offers that work for both the biz and the customer.
It’s that simple.
However we may be nearing the turning point.
Car: Ford Strikes Blow for Parents, Teenagers Take Hit
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I’m not a die-hard Ford cheerleader,..
But I was impressed with the look and technology in the 2010 and 2011 Fords.
My Dad was a Ford guy. And my father-in-law recently bought a Ford product because the company didn’t take any Obama money.
And on two recent road trips in a 2011 Taurus, the features in the car sparked my interest to do more research. So I sat down with Chris Gorup at Shawnee Mission Ford and Chris kept bringing up Ford’s MyKey system.
MyKey debuted as a standard feature on the 2010 Ford Focus and is now a no-cost feature on nearly all Ford and Lincoln models
MyKey allows parents to access and set MyKey limits through the vehicle’s message center.
Meaning that when your teenage vampire inserts a programmed MyKey into the ignition, the system reads the transponder chip in the key and then sets limits on what sort of mayhem your kid can get away with. Or not.
It’s wickedly Big Brother!
Take 26.2: GH Takes On The 115th Running Of The Boston Marathon
Friday morning my wife and I board an airplane at KCI and head east where I’ll run in the 115th Boston Marathon. The 26.2 mile race starts at 10:00 AM (ET) Monday in the small burg of Hopkinton, MA. It follows Route 135 northeast through Ashland, Framingham, Natick and through the screaming coeds at Wellesley College near the halfway point. Then it’s on through Newton and up one of the sport’s most feared and revered icons just past the 20-mile mark, Heartbreak Hill.It is this hill that concerns me most. It is this hill that has driven me over the past six months to take the harder, hillier training run instead of the flatter, faster course. Snowy weather, cold north winds and winter dark mornings have been my companion as I attempted to prepare for Heartbreak Hill. Am I ready? I don’t think anyone can adequately prepare to run up a steep three-part 1.3 mile incline 20 miles into a marathon – and then run the final five miles to the finish in raucous Copley Square.
Sounds Good: Fourth of July @ Bottleneck, Amon Amarth @ Granada, Soft Reeds @ Replay, Jeff Beck @ Uptown
Don’t do it for me. Do it for you. 
This weekend, check out a couple of great local bands that you really need to see, if you haven’t by now.
And also, maybe think about checking out a Viking Rock band.
Yes, there is such a thing.
You can even wear your viking hat and chain mail that’s been collecting dust since the ren fest. Of course it makes you look cool. I’m not just saying that…
Jack Goes Confidential: Slasher Puzzle Reboots ‘SCREAM’ Franchise!
Can the SCREAM franchise be resurrected?
SCREAM 4 certainly takes a good stab at it by trying to redefine the genre’s slasher story which was successfully launched in 1996 and ground to an end in 2000.
Original survivors back for the reboot include Neve Campbell again as Sidney Prescott, Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers and of course bumbling Sheriff Dewey Riley portrayed again by David Arquette.
SCREAM 4’s storyline is a simple one, as popular self-help author Sidney returns to Woodsboro for a book signing and while in town connects with Dewey and Gale who are now man and wife.
But Sidney’s homecoming: BAD IDEA!
OTC: Kobe’s Mouth Is His Problem, Why Make It Yours? / Big 12 Deal Good For KC
“I think it’s very easy for a straight white guy to say that words are (meaningless), slurs are no big deal. … You know, that’s a terrible lesson for kids to learn – that’s sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt me. Words can hurt you so much more.”
Nick Wright, on Kobe Bryant being fined $100K for calling an NBA referee a faggot, 610 AM
GH: Count me among the straight white guys who don’t get it. Why should words be harmful? It is up to the recipient of a slur to determine whether or not they are going to be harmed or impugned by a verbal attack of another. Why would you grant your assailant this victory over you? Name calling is the one of the most overhyped and ridiculous practices that continues to breathe life because of oversensitive adults. Kobe was/is an idiot. Who the hell cares what he is yelling at a ref? Everybody needs to get over the color of their skin, their sexual preference, their god, yada, yada, yada — and the fact so many of us differ in many ways. We are not the same. Live with it.
