Author Archives: admin
Jack Goes Confidential: ‘THE DEBT’ Has Unexpected Payoff
There’s been any number of memorable Nazi hunter thrillers over the years…
MARATHON MAN and THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL are the standouts.
Now add THE DEBT to that genre’s lineup, which builds its action and intrigue across two different periods of time.
The storyline here begins in a 1997 Tel Aviv setting focusing on three Mossad agents. Agents who back in the 60’s flushed out a Dr. Mengele-like Nazi butcher who practiced his horrific trade in Hitler’s old concentration camps.
Yeap, the secret agents nailed him, alright.
Trouble is, they pulled it off in 1966 during the Cold War in of all places, East Berlin. Smuggling him (as well as themselves) into West Berlin back then entailed major complications. Not to mention an uncomfortable sexual triangle.
Starbeams: KC Schools Sellout. Rick James Son of Sly? Dead Cats & Lady Gaga Peek-a-boo
Former Kansas City Schools superintendent Dr. John Covington will make $225,000 this year as Detroit’s superintendent. And he took a $175,000 signing bonus. In other news, this morning I was walking through the Plaza and panhandler Jerry Mazer gave ME money.
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The Mayor of Kansas City’s son turned himself in on a charge of grabbing a woman and punching her last Thursday night at the Point nightclub near Westport. The 23 year old Kyle James posted a $500 bond. He was handcuffed during another disturbance near Power & Light District last month.
Wait a minute…is this a story about RICK JAMES?
Hearne: Out-of-Town Writer Puts one Over on Star with Bogus Cow Stampede Story
I didn’t fare too well asking venerable Boulevard Drive In owner Wes Neal for his most twisted tale…
I mean, c’mon. Kids sneaking up on the movie projector, making finger puppets on the screen?
That’s it?
Nearly 60 years of lording over one of Kansas City’s top passion pits and no streaking stories, no shootouts, no plane crashes, no public sex. Just bunny ears on the big screen. Pretty pathetic.
Turns out there was one thing that jumps out….
Sounds Good: Marilyn Maye@Jardine’s, Hospital Ships@Replay, Gillian Welch@Liberty Hall
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We’re going to take it down a notch this week…
Last week was a time to focus on the eccentric bands – the impeccable perfectionist swank of Steely Dan, the weirdo jazz of Dweezil, and the category-less TV on the Radio.
Don’t know about you, but I could go for something kinda simple, something classic, timeless…
Hearne: KCK’s Boulevard Drive In Survives Good & Bad Times – In Car, On Screen Sex
Summer’s almost done, but it’s still not too late to check out your friendly, neighborhood drive in movie theater…
You’re out under the stars, holding court in the front of your car, the bed of your pickup and/or in the lawn chair of your choice. The massive outdoor movie screen glaring back at you.
Kind of like a poor man’s Starlight Theatre…
Or as the Web site driveinmovie.com describes it – celebrating "the presence of the past." Which worked for me since my trip to KCK’s Boulevard Drive In Saturday entailed watching this year’s sendup to the 60s sci-fi hit, "Planet of the Apes."
While affording me the opportunity to grill the longtime owner of the "world’s greatest drive in theatre," octogenarian Wes Neal.
Starting with the quadruple bypass heart surgery he had on his 82nd birthday.
Donnelly: Why Won’t Vermes Stay Aggressive Late? SKC Crushed (Again) in Last Second
Well, it happened again…
Despite dominating 3/4ths of the game and leading FC Dallas 2-0 late in the second half, Sporting Kansas City found a way to give up last second goals and hand over three crucial points that were already penciled in under the win column.
And damn it was an exciting game, back and forth action all night.
Dallas scored twice in the final few moments to win 3-2. At the final whistle, a large contingent of the 20,000 plus in attendance at LIVESTRONG rained boos down on the home team. For the previous 90 minutes, though, the atmosphere was the best of the year inside the best stadium in MLS.
However KC has a serious problem this season with their lack of ability to close out games. Remember the Seattle game, Sporting’s first loss at LIVESTRONG, where stoppage time goals ripped away the game?
A similar thing happened in Portland, though that game ended 3-3.
After the game, Sporting midfielder Roger Espinoza offered little to explain the letdown…
Glazer: Humble Scribe Brushes Critics Aside With Gloom & Doom Chiefs Forecast
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Your humble scribe tried to warn you a month ago that this year’s Chiefs team was not any good…
Using stats to do so, no less. Still many of you doubted my NFL knowledge. Now let’s look at where the team is today.
Nowhere.
The only real bright spots in a terrible preseason are Ricky Stanzi, new defensive star Justin Houston and maybe Derrick Johnson. The offensive line was horrible. So was the defensive line. We showed ZERO offense, except for Ricky (cause he’s so fine he blows our minds).
Glazer: It’s Time to Get Off President Obama’s Back
I keep hearing the same thing, over and over…
"He’s ruining the nation! Get him out of there!"
All this on president Barack Obama. Why? Looks to me like he’s doing a nice job, given what he inherited from George Bush and all the problems going down around the world.
Under Obama’s watch we’ve nearly doubled the stock market from a Dow around 6,000 (under Bush) to until-recently, over 12,000. Under Obama’s watch we found and killed Bin Laden. Under his watch we unseated Lybian Strong Man Gaddafi. Under Obama’s watch we’ve also seen some very positive changes in middle eastern countries like Egypt. And maybe Syria next.
Hearne: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II; KC Needs Urban Movie Plex for Kids
Unruly kids, bad parenting, floodlights overhead, police on horseback, the latest Hollywood blockbusters…
This is not the stuff from which flash mobs are made. Maybe that one a couple years back. But sexy as the term "flash mob" is for lazy media types wanting to dial sensationalism into Plaza kid curfew stories, it’s time to deal with the realities of the situation.
Poor kids from poor parts of town want to go see blockbuster first-run movies just like their suburban counterparts.
It’s the American Condition. The kids see ads for "Fright Night" and they wanna see it.
Just one problem…
New Jack City: KC’s Celluloid Movie Summer—The Good. The Bad. The Easily Forgettable
As Kansas City’s movie summer flickers to a screeching halt let’s reflect on what approximately $4.4 billion in North American ticket sales bought moviegers at the nation’s boxoffices.
Here then my take on the endless summer of 2011
First there were the this summer’s three major sleeper hits
Translation: Pictures that far exceeded expectations and where great word-of-mouth built their ongoing performance
* Judd Apatow’s BRIDESMAIDS written by and starring Kristen Wiig. This one started out totally as a chick flick. But once the guys discovered it they loved it just as much!
Donnelly: Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa@The Midland by AMC, August 26, 2011
You could tell Dweezil was having a great time from the moment he and his band walked onto the Midland stage a few minutes early at 7:56.
He was all smiles as he announced, "We’re gonna start this with something kinda fun that you can dance to."
The eight piece band launched into the Zappa classic, Dancin’ Fool, sounding in sync and full, with the distinctive sound of jazz xylophone accentuating the rare musical style that Frank Zappa explored. It became quickly apparent who the real fans in the audience were.
I mean, people who really like Zappa are, well let’s just be honest, a little bit eccentric usually, right?
You have to be slightly twisted deep inside to truly appreciate what Frank Zappa did for years with his unique brand of music. He put premiums on extremely complex rhythms, mixed with the most off-the-wall lyrics and storytelling, mixed with an ethos that always tried new and weird things just for their own sake.
So like I was saying, people that like Frank Zappa REALLY like Frank Zappa.
I counted at least three standing ovations during Dweezil’s hour long set…
Glazer: Hey, Ricky! Matt Cassel is Done, Bring on the Quarterback Controversy
With my sharp eye and clear vision of this years Chiefs season we can say this: ITS OVER…
This is a lost season. There are simply way too many holes to fill with a tough schedule. Not like last year when we played Grandview every week, and still needed lots of luck to win those 10 games. Oakland, Baltimore, Denver and Oakland showed who this team was at season’s end. Oh yeah, add San Diego to that list. Ugly. Down the stretch we were 2 and 5, guys. One of the NFL’s low level ball clubs.
Last year’s Chiefs were phonies.
You know it. I know it. The NFL knows it. And the team surely knows it. Head Coach Todd Haley damn well knows it. And maybe some guys on radio should know it too, huh?
So about last night…
Jack Goes Confidential: With ‘OUR IDIOT BROTHER’ What You See Ain’t What You Get
Hail to the primo trailer-makers for creating the smoke and mirror previews for OUR IDIOT BROTHER…
That’s not to say that the movie is necessarily bad. It’s just not a rip-roaring comedy. OUR IDIOT BROTHER could almost qualify as an art house entry, which means that the masses that’ll be attracted to it (thanks to its sly marketing) may end up disappointed.
OUR IDIOT BROTHER stars Overland Park export Paul Rudd as Ned, a simple minded kinda dude. An irresponsible man-child of sorts selling organic veggies from the little farm that he toils with girlfriend Kathryn Hahn and his beloved dog Willie Nelson.
He’s a goodhearted soul. And when a friendly cop tricks Ned into selling him a little weed, it’s promptly off to the slammer for him.
Fast forward eight months as Ned is released from jail only to find his girlfriend with a new stoner. Furthermore, she’s not giving up Willie Nelson.
Glazer: Hang onto Your Parents, No Matter How Bad They May be
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We only have one mother and one father – I mean real ones…
Not someone who married one of your parents after they split. It’s tough being a child to a parent. Too many parents expect way too much. And often parents live vicariously through their offspring.
My father, Stan, was the kind of parent who just didn’t want to be one.
People who know him and my brothers say Stan Glazer was a terrible father.
Without a doubt. All three of his sons – me included – ended up in prison at one point or another.
Donnelly: Steely Dan@Starlight Theater, August 25, 2011
When I was younger, I hated Steely Dan. Not that I even knew who they were.
There was a radio show every Sunday night called "Reelin’ in the Years," that played classic rock and other "oldies." Appropriately, the theme song for the show was the Steely Dan song by the same name.
What is this old crap, I thought?
Plus, my parents listened to the Dan on long road trips. Yuck.
Then, in college, I "discovered" Pretzel Logic. THIS is the band that played that theme song?
I got hooked.
Thursday night was my first Dan show, and I must say I was impressed…
Starbeams: Santa Lands SUV in KC Attic, Apples Fall on Jobs Report, iPhone 5 to Sprint
An SUV lost control, hit an embankment and landed in the attic of a house at 43rd and Kensington Wednesday. There was speculation the driver could have been drunk…or Santa.
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Kansas City School Superintendent, Dr. John Covington unexpectedly resigned because of conflicts with the school board. He is the 26th superintendent the district has had in the past 40 years. The good news? He can be my Facebook friend now.
Car: Libyan Rebels Liberate Gadhafi’s Tricked Out Fiat 500
Like it’s been said, it’s been a long, hot summer…
Seriously. I spent like two weeks bouncing around Tucson in mid July, taunting locals about how cool the desert was compared to here. It was, too because it was monsoon season. I thought for sure I’d dodged the 100 degree temps and humidity bullet until I got back and Mother Nature spanked the you-know-what out of us for two more weeks.
Now it’s time to really get back to work and make KC Confidential bigger and better. And what better way to start than restart the Car coverage with a stunning scoop – props to WhiteMamba – about the Fiat 500 being the ride of choice for ousted Lybian strongman "Muammar el-Qaddafi.
But first a local update on the 500 and a shout out to comments dude Rogger…
Hearne: A Closer Look at the Nick Wright – Greg Hall 610 Sports Pissing Match
Forget who won or lost yesterday’s on-air tete a tete between 610 Sports host Nick Wright & sports media blogger Greg Hall…
The inside baseball nature of the confrontation probably left most listeners wondering what to make of it. That said, readers of KC Confidential were likely all-too familiar with the subject given most of Hall’s coverage of Wright went down right here over the past two years.
So, against my better judgment, let’s take a look.
Frankly, I’m not sure who "won."
Hall wisely pimped Wright into bringing him in the studio rather than calling in over the phone where it would be easier for Wright to steamroll him. And to a large extent, Hall’s strategy worked. Listeners who contacted me – ages 30 to 60 – felt Hall came out on top. But not by a landslide.
A closer listen while transcribing the confrontation, showed that Wright had the better arguments, but got distracted and wasn’t able to hammer home his points as well as he might have.
Example…
Wright started by nailing Hall for calling him a coward and accusing him of plagiarism. Which clearly Hall had done in the past week.
But Wright allowed Hall to wriggle free by saying that he never used those exact words.
True enough, but to borrow a line from former KCTV investigative reporter Dave Helling, here’s the "Truth Watch" on that.
Hearne: 610 Sports Nick Wright Lays Down ‘Explanation II’ – Bashes Local Bloggers
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And now, the rest of the story…
Look, I get that most readers, sports fans and people with things going on in their lives besides penning vitriolic comments under assumed names don’t much care about who got some news scoop first.
Just the facts, ma’am and they”re happy.
An earthquake jolts the East Coast, who cares if Fox or CNN reported it first. People want the full, accurate story, the news. Not touchdown dances and gotcha stories claiming some kid with a microscopically small twitter account spread an unconfirmed rumor a couple hours before the actual news was reported.
It’s silly.
