Yearly Archives: 2011
Tracy: Don’t Believe Your Lyin’ Eyes, I Love Steve Rose
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Actor Colin Firth played King George VI in “The King’s Speech.”
He stammered.
Steve Rose plays Mr. Johnson County in two KC Star zoned editions on Wednesdays.
He smirks.
Even for a guest columnist, a picture is worth a thousand words. So there he is, Mr. Smug, Steve Rose, finally writing for the Star, But only on Wednesdays, and only in two Johnson County zones. Rose’s expression in the Star‘s mug shot reminds me MSNBC host Chris Matthews smirk.
So what pearls of wisdom did Rose’s kickoff columns impart?
Starbeams: Red Light Cam Revenue Busters & Funk’s Squirrel Nest
New regulations for red light cameras are being enforced in Missouri, including posting signs to alert drivers to the fact a red light camera is ahead. The rules are being imposed because, of the 24 cities in Missouri using stoplight cameras, only 24 were using them to generate city revenue.
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Thanks to the shooting rampage in Tucson, Kansas City mayor Mark Funkhouser has been assigned a full security team.
Tony: Clay Chastain Is A Real Outsider Politico
It’s far too cliché to simply wish that Clay Chastain go away.
Think about this: Not even the current (and outgoing) Mayor could win a light rail election. But Clay did. And then it was overturned because the plan supposedly wasn’t feasible.
Like it or not he was instrumental in the development or at least the inspiration to get Union Station going. And in the current political and economic climate, his name recognition is a lot better than more mainstream Kansas City Democrats.
Still, without status in either political party and pockets not deep enough to make a serious election effort. Chastain remains an outsider and now the City Attorney says he can’t even run as a write-in candidate.
OTC: Is K-State Hoops Ready To Rebound?
“This is rock bottom. Kansas State is 0-2 (in the Big 12). My guess is the last two days, which have been a feeding frenzy for fans, media, The Star today’s got a thing (on Martin and K-State), my guess is this is the worst it will be for K-State this year.”Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: That is a mighty bold prediction when you consider KSU has shown almost no awareness of the hole they are digging for themselves. Read on.
“Now come five games that the college basketball world will use to judge their talent, resiliency and potential. Respond well, and nothing is out of reach. But continue to fail, and this could be the beginning of an awfully ugly ending. …Things are bad right now, but what if K-State is 2-6 halfway through the league season? … His teams have always played better when they felt doubted, so it would be in character to start winning now. The alternative could get ugly. There’s a lot more than one season’s results depending on it.”
Sam Mellinger, as K-State prepares to play Texas Tech, @ Mizzou, @TAMU, Baylor and @KU, Kansas City Star
GH: KK predicts a 25-point win over hapless Texas Tech this Saturday in Manhattan. It would be a nice respite from the plunge.
Today: The Social Network & the Journalists.
If you haven’t seen the movie, "The Social Network" yet, the DVD came out this week…
So just do it, OK?
And if you haven’t "friended" me on Facebook yet, better hop to that as well. I’m about three or four shy of the social network’s 5,000 friend max. So any day now we’re probably going to have to find another way to consumate our friendship
I know, I know, it’s cruel but you’ll find another reason to go on living…
Speaking of payoffs, the once-mighty Kansas City Star redesigned its Web site recently many of you may have noticed. I think it looks good. And at the bottom of its home page or whatever, it sports a hip little row of trendy options for news geezers to stay abreast of the changing times.
Twitter, text alerts, mobile… even Facebook, the social network.
But for all it’s still heavy duty clout, the newspaper’s only been able to enlist a paltry 177 Facebook friends.
Hovick: We the Jury, Horribly Guilty
At the start of this week I had the pleasure and pain of being called to serve as a juror…
The day started off easy and organized. Monday was a snow covered morning, so I was glad to trade my long commute to downtown for the less than three miles journey to the county courthouse.
A very positive start to the day.
I was impressed by the number of staff directing potential jurors through the county buildings. They were very well organized and prepared. The courtroom was warm and bright. At all times we were told what would take place in the next hour.
The judge was informal at the start. He explained the importance of being able to see and hear everything going on through out the day. He spoke for 20 or 30 minutes trying to detail what we could expect and if we were chosen to be on the jury and that the trial would take five to six days.
Then the judge thanked us several times and talked about the importance of serving as a juror. He has 17 years experience on the bench and believes in the system. He explained there would be 36 people randomly chosen out of the 150 in the room. And that the 12 serving on the jury would be selected from the 36.
I was one of the 36.
Glazer: Another Comeback for Stan The Man?
Stan the Man Is back…
KansasCity mayor Mark Funkhouser has appointed two-time mayoral candidate Stan Glazer – as in my dad – to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Stan met with the four other potential appointees and gave them his thoughts on making Kansas City more prominent in the minds of convention folks and visitors.
Stan – who was mentioned in yesterday’s front page Star story on the Mayor not wanting bodyguards – is excited to help. The story said it was Glazer who first refused police protection when he ran against Kay Barnes. Stan said then, "If elected, I will not have a police officer with me to save the city $200,000 in expenses over my four year term."
Funk agreed with Stan. And Stan spoke highly of Funk during his first run for Mayor in the early 2000’s.
Go: ACBs, Tech N9ne & Ida McBeth Top This Weekend’s Don’t Miss List
If you know what’s good for you, you will do as I say…
Starting with tonight, Friday, January 14, 2011
The ACBs and the Kinteks – 8th Street Tap Room in Lawrence
Dirty, crowded basement? Check. Cheap drinks? Check. A local band that has been steadily building some indie buzz? Check.
Ever since performing at the December Noise for Toys benefit with the Noise FM and Cowboy Indian Bear, I’ve been looking forward to catching the ACBs again. Definitely a must see.
Joe Miller: Following the Money in KC’s Mayoral Race
I’ve combed through all the mayoral candidates’ campaign disclosures and I have this to say: Deb Hermann rules the roost.
True, she has less cash on hand than Sly James, whose bogus poll claims he’s in second place. But the range of people who have contributed to her indicate that, out of all the candidates, she has the strongest base of support.
First off, she has some of the heaviest hitters of the business establishment. The Chamber of Commerce gave her $3,000, as did the Downtown Council (which gave the same amount to Rowland). She got three grand from Hallmark. Another thousand from Terrance Dunn, CEO of J.E. Dunn. Tom McDonnell, of DST, forked over $3,000. And so did his wife.
These are big deal contributions. Especially coming this early in the primary season.
STARBEAMS: KC affordable to live in; fewer snow removal complaints
Kansas City ranks #13 on the new Forbes.com list of most affordable cities. Omaha is the most affordable place. Apparently, Forbes is trying to come out with a new city list 52 WEEKS OF THE YEAR.
Kansas City’s Black and Veatch engineering firm has won a bid to build a power plant in Afghanistan. Kandahar and Helmand are years behind developed nations as most residents are just now learning the Electric Slide.
Donnelly: Sporting KC Surprises With SuperDraft Pick, Harrington Signs
I’ll be honest, I did not see that coming.
Neither did any of the so-called experts, insiders, or bloggers. Even CJ Sapong, Sporting Kansas City’s first round pick in the MLS SuperDraft, was surprised when his name was called as the 10th overall pick:
“I was surprised. Coming into the combine I was just trying to get drafted…”
Tracy: New Overland Park City Manager Married to a Mad Housewife
Talk about the odd couple…
The photo of buttoned down new Overland Park city manager Bill Ebel in the Johnson County Sun gives the impression the city maybe hired a Brooks Brothers model. Ebel’s wife Theresa‘s Facebook pic on the other hand looks more like she’s running an ashram.
The point being, sometimes opposites attract.
Tony: The Star Promotes A Cavalcade Of Crappy Local Songs
It’s a simple matter of fact that most songs about this town suck.
For now and ever more Wilbert Harrison’s rendition of Kansas City will define this town not only because it was a number one hit that garnered mainstream success but also because the year it hit the charts (1959) was really the last time anyone cared about this po’dunk place.
Sadly, the Kansas City Star FYI section’s recent song contest was not only pointless, it just might affirm my argument. Take a look:
Joe Miller: Bogus Leaked KC Mayoral Poll vs. Reality
Regarding the recent KC mayor’s race poll that was leaked to TKC…
I’m not ready to say it’s a complete contrivance. But I will say it’s complete bullshit.
In case you haven’t seen it, the poll names Mark Funkhouser as the frontrunner. That’s deceptive because, in the crowded field, he’s leading with a pitiful 26 percent. It also says:
Dissatisfied with the current leadership, voters are looking to replace Mark Funkhouser in the mayor’s office: Mark Funkhouser is personally (40% favorable/54% unfavorable) and professionally (28% positive/72% negative) unpopular and more than 6 of 10 voters say they would definitely (40%) or probably (22%) vote for another candidate to replace him as mayor.
Some of that is probably true. For instance, the 72 percent unfavorable on his job performance.
But the 26 percent?
Jack Goes Confidential: Green Hornet is BroMatic Action Comedy & Less!
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Getting THE GREEN HORNET to the big screen has been a long and winding road.
Creative differences, budget and screenplay disagreements kept this property in ‘turnaround hell’ for decades.
It finally arrives in theatres this weekend and could very well become the year’s first post-holiday hit despite the mountains of negative notices from critics.
THE GREEN HORNET of course based on the old comics and short lived TV series which first introduced martial arts legend Bruce Lee as ‘Kato’ to American audiences.
Does anyone even remember who played the actual Hornet in the series?
Starbeams: Placentabook, Klinger & Britney – Oh My!
The nursing student who posed with a photo of a human placenta on FACEBOOK has been allowed to finish her degree. Doyle Byrnes, who’s graduating in May at JCCC is thrilled with the ruling from a federal judge. It still it was in poor taste. I only post photos of human placentas on PLACENTABOOK.
Jamie Farr, better known as KLINGER, is back at the New Theater Restaurant January 19th. Why don’t they go ahead and change the place to the FORMER M*A*S*H STAR THEATER?
McTavish Weekend: Shrek-tacular? Twiggy-tastic? Do Tell!
“Shrek the Musical” has almost everything you could ask for in a truly entertaining all-ages romp based on the first and best installment of the Dreamworks hit animated movie franchise.
The Broadway Across America show running through Sunday at the Music Hall definitely delivered the satiric and toe-tapping goods in Wednesday’s opening night performance. It featured everyone’s favorite big green ogre with a Scottish brogue not looking for love but still finding it amid a bevy of fractured fairy tale characters, from a civil-rights-minded Pinocchio to a sarcastic Gingerbread Man no less sassy for being stuck on his baking tray.
Eric Peterson as Shrek delivered the right mix of stubbornness and tender-heartedness in the title role, along with an audience-pleasing enthusiasm for repeatedly uninhibited farting and belching. Hey, give the people what they want, right?
Shauna: How to Avoid Being a Winter Fashion Victim
Ugh, it’s that dreaded time of year again…
Arctic wind chills, the need to wear so many layers that you look like that annoying little kid from A Christmas Story in his snow suit. Ice scrapers and salt. And the oh-so-wonderful snow/slush mixture that just makes everything really filthy and gross.
Hold it! Why do we live here in the winter again?!
A few of weeks ago I went to see a show at The Midland by AMC, stepped out of my car and immediately froze my butt off.
Not wanting to wear a coat, hat, gloves, etc was a huge factor. But who wants to carry all that and juggle their $8 beer while trying to maneuver through the masses to the stage?
Calculating wardrobe options to a winter concert can be complicated.
JAZZ TIME: Leawood’s Got It Going On
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I know what you’re thinking: Jazz in Leawood– you mean Kenny G playing "White Christmas" over the muzak at Chico’s in Town Center? Well, drop by West Chase Grill at 119th and Roe most any night this month. There’s music out there, man.
Chef/owner John Westerhaus has always put out a tasty spread. His lobster spring rolls are serious appetizer heaven; and he knows his way around scallops and sea bass. But it’s not a fish place by any means– steaks and chops reign supreme at West Chase, along with the tastiest (and most wallet friendly) Kobe Beef burger around (add the bleu cheese for a paltry three quarters of a buck– it’s worth it). Great wines– and at least 20 by the glass– and a mixologist who knows his stuff, and you’ve got one of JoCo’s happiest eateries.
And now you can add jazz to that receipe for some warm fun on a sub-zero night.
