It’s like this…
Didn’t get a comment back from Tony of Tony’s Kansas City re Continue reading
Category Archives: Hearne_Christopher
Hearne on the Street: What’s in a Name? Try “Waldostock”
Almost out of nowhere the biggest little St. Patrick
Slam This: Insurance Exec Waxes Mellow After Grappler Guzzle
Take it easy on former pro wrestler Verne Gagne, is the advice of Football & Cheerleading Club of Johnson County honcho Continue reading
Fraudulent Flyer Elicits Anger, Finger-Pointing, Embarrassment, Apology
The anticipated OK Corral shootout between Merriam mayor Continue reading
KC Confidential is Looking for a Few Good Men…and Women
All Ye All In Come Free… Now that I’ve finally – repeat finally – learned how to link, who knows? Maybe I’ll take up texting. Anyway, now I’m ready to rumble – sorta. To that end,
Hearne on the Street: Dodge Ball, Dress Codes, Theater, Hendricks & Sportz
This time last year the Kansas City Star dodge ball team I assembled got its you-know-what handed to it by Kansas City’s finest, the KCMO Police Department…
That was then…
For this year’s charity News versus Blues tourney – spearheaded by KCTV morning anchor Dana Wright – the Kansas City Confidential team fared far better. We actually won some games.
The Star Continue reading
Bottom Line Bottoms Out: Local Media Gossip Site Eats Dirt
I can’t remember when I stumbled onto PR dude John Landsberg’s Web site, Bottom Line Communications (www.bottomlinecom.com), eight, ten years ago? Probably via a Google search.
It was loaded with dullish drivel about how his public relations techniques could help company’s amp up their bottom lines. Get it?
Early on he cited my Kansas City Star column in a flattering way, as being a no-nonsense, cut-to-the-chase vehicle that required people to be clear, concise and candid – unlike me, of course. That’s how his clients should engage the media, Landsberg proffered. Follow him and wear diamonds…
But sandwiched amidst those ding-dong directions were a handful of edgy, interesting and entertaining – if generally little-to-poorly-reported tidbits and observations about local media and sports.
Hey, that’s how I remember it anyway… Continue reading
Warfare in Wally World: Will Kennedy’s Unseat Lew’s?
This much is known: when the watering hole/eatery known as Lew’s opened five years back, Tanner’s was king of the hill in Waldo…
Since then the once-sleepy suburb has morphed into a party zone that rivals more established and/or widely-hyped hangs like Westport, Martini Corner and Power & Light.
With one huge difference…
Things like murders, muggings, massive musterings of inner city youth, discriminatory dress codes, hordes of training-wheels drinkers with fake IDs and date rape drugs are virtually unheard of in Waldo. Party there and you can pretty much bank on living to tell the story.
Tanners, Hannibal’s, 75th Street Brewery, The Gaf and the tiny neighborhood joints that have been the backbone of Waldo’s nightlife are all going strong.
But the current King Kong of Waldo is now Lew’s – hands down.
There’s a new contender in the hood though – the once burnt, not a bit shy Kennedy’s. And since it opened a week or so back, the see-through people magnet has been packed.
The $64 million question: will it vie for Lew’s crown? Continue reading
Tony to Mike Hendricks’ Wife: You Want Me
smart fortwo: Flying V, Stanford’s & Flea Market toast 1st Birthday at Aristocrat
One year ago Cowtowners were flocking to Aristocrat Motors, to see, test drive and plunk down orders on the brand new smart fortwo. Hip, trendy, thrifty – affordable even – only began to describe the new gotta-have-it rolling automotive artwork…
Not since the early days of the VW New Beetle had the general public gone this ga-ga for a cruising conveyance. Not even in the case of BMW’s popular Mini Cooper.
Flash forward to the present…
Things have changed: $4 gas is but a faint memory – as is $3 gas and $2 gas. Oh and, in case you missed it, the economy tanked. Woe is pretty much everybody.
Translation: the little known secret is you can actually walk into the dealership, pick out a smart – including the ultra-rare, limited edition Brabus model – and drive it home that day.
Which brings us to the Saturday’s smart fortwo birthday bash…
The 8 a.m. tip off time will include service, sustenance and schmoozes. Continue reading
Whatisname’s KC takes it up the @%$ from Mrs. Hendricks
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“Of course, he called (my husband) Continue reading
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Maybe you missed it – I almost did…
Stricken Star columnist Mike Hendricks wife aka Roxie the Cockeyed Optimist took the nattering nimrod known as Tony to the woodshed earlier this week….
But instead of fighting blarney with blarney stones, Roxie took the high road to lay Tony low.
“It seems this blog was mentioned in something called Tony’s Kansas City,” she writes. “Note to female readers: Tony is one of these guys who must constantly prove his manhood by putting up centerfold-type shots with lots of cleavage. Well, I guess in fairness he may not be compensating. Maybe he just wants to be able to brag about the hits on this mess of a site and hope we won’t realize it’s just the same 10 teenagers in their moms’ basements clicking in over and over again.”
If that seems a little harsh, read on…
“Tony is a bitter and unhappy blogger,” Roxie continues. “He does not like the Star. Even so, as the names of those laid off began to dribble out, he played it all solemn. ‘Damn,’ he wrote, after announcing the first few names.
“Of course, he called (my husband) Continue reading
Maye Day: Marilyn Maye at Jardine’s Sunday thru Wednesday
Allow me to cut to the chase.. Do not miss Kansas City crooner Marilyn Maye at
So Many Bill Nelson’s, So Few Mission Hills Council Candidates
No War of the Roses here, honest
Peregrine: “Cream Cheese Crotch”
Coki stops by
St. Patrick’s Westport 2009: Plenty of Poop, Very Little Droop
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Baggy pants wearing inner city youth went mostly missing at this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Midtown, according to media and eyewitness reports….
Hey and they didn’t even dial in a discriminatory dress code.
Some Westporters were wondering if the large numbers of school-skipping African-American youth that have regularly attended the downtown parade would follow it to Westport. You may recall that Westport has wrestled for years with the issue of kids hanging in the street outside bars in the wee hours on summer Saturdays.
Didn’t happen, says Westport businessman Bill Nigro.
“It was huge, the number of people that came to the parade was just huge,” Nigro says. “And the number of families that came was huge, but the number of inner city people was less than in recent years – it was a really good-looking crowd.”
For the most part, Nigro characterizes the parade and post parade action in Westport as tranquil.
“This was the first time in recent years they didn’t have any major incidents at the parade, none,” he says. “And Westport didn’t have any incidents all night even. At 2 a.m. our security staff said they had no incidents other than they told a few drunks to go home. That was it. No fights, just a couple of drunk shoving things.”
Which is not to say that the day went entirely problem-free… Continue reading
Missing in Action: Star Newsroom Massacre Memoir
It’s out there somewhere, it’s almost certain… The standard issue Star news story, written usually by business reporter Dan Margolies re Monday’s newsroom bloodbath appears to yet have reared its head. In layoffs past, the Star generally ushers forth with … Continue reading
This Just In: Happy Birthday Liza & Savannah – No. 12
It’s that time of year again… The green beer swilling masses are off the streets and peace has returned to the humble Cowtown. Hold it right there. With twin daughters Savannah and Liza Christopher turning 12, how peaceful can it … Continue reading
Hendricks to Hearne: Open Mouth, Insert Dirt Nap
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One man’s public playground can be another’s don’t-breathe-a-word-of-it zone…
Such would seem to be the case with embattled Kansas City Star columnist Mike Hendricks. The highly flappable Hendricks and his wife have been on something resembling a tear since the newspaper hauled him in last Friday, and made him an offer he may not be in a position to refuse: take a one third pay cut and say adios to vacation pay and most remaining benefits – or else…
It’s a tough road to hoe, but arguably not as tough as that other Star staffers – myself included – were ushered down.
Hendricks and his wife’s knee jerk reactions to his denegrading downgrade: trash the Star.
Nothing surprising there, but when his publicly posted words were reported here on Kansas City Confidential, Hendricks went kill-the-messenger on me:
“You can’t get much lower than mining facebook for gossip that you can pass on,” he posted Wednesday. “A certain person is now dead to me.” Continue reading
Fact Check, Anyone? Star Layoffs Spark Blogger Guessing Game
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Gruesome as Monday’s newsroom bloodbath at the Kansas City Star was, it wasn’t nearly as gawdawful as some local bloggers had projected...
A “source close to the situation” projected that 67 people might be “affected,” one media wannabe Web site “reported.”
Enough already.
The actual known number of newsroom layoffs Monday was closer to the 32 figure KC Confidential harvested two weeks back, which grew last week to 40 and change.
So what actually went down?
At the close of business yesterday there were 29 widely known newsroom casualties with another half dozen-plus news staffers facing either pay cuts, loss of benefits, paid vacations and part timer status or the now somewhat standard six months pay layoff check.
The marquee names, if you will, were City Hall reporter DeAnn Smith (identified as an investigative reporter by one slightly over zealous blogger), books editor John Mark Eberhart and veteran reporter/gambling and tourism columnist Rick Alm.
That said make no mistake, many fine journalists took a bullet on an otherwise beautiful spring-like day.
However a sexier story lay unreported and hanging in the balance… Continue reading
Two Columnists, One Blogger & Facebook
Two casualties of the Kansas City Star’s latest layoffs and cutbacks: Continue reading
Self Worth? KU Coach Sells Out to Sprint
Seems even ESPN isn’t allowed to utter magic words like “March Madness” in ads like the ones in the March 23 issue of its magazine. Too costly, I suppose – they had to settle for “Handling The Madness” Which brings … Continue reading
