Category Archives: Hearne_Christopher
Hearne: Yeah We’re Fat, So Rank Us
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Enough with the phony surveys..
A funny thing happened during yesterday’s breakfast interview/meeting with Mancow in Chicago. In what came across quite innocently – at least at first – Mancow called out the women in Kansas City for being overweight.
Fat, actually.
"Are you shocked by how big the women in Kansas City are?" he mused. "They are so huge."
Hey, it’s not like this comes as a news flash or anything.
The Cowtown’s been on the receiving end of countless "Fattest Cities" surveys over the years.
Hearne: My Breakfast with Mancow; Death of Radio, Fat Girls, Andrew Breitbart’s Death & $4.69 Gas
You know you’re in Chicago when the drive in from the outskirts is 10 times worse than the entire rest of the trip…
Turns out there’s something to be said about quality of life and all that falderol we take for granted in KC. Somebody remind me to check out the train accommodations here next time. Speaking of checking something out, get a load of the gas prices here, fellow flyover types. My nine gallon Fiat fillup ran an eyebrow arching $43.00 @ $4.69 a gallon.
Caught up to KC radio export Erich "Mancow" Muller for breakfast at Chicago’s ritzy new Palomar hotel downtown. The Cow was hanging there with wife Sandy and their twin daughters for Spring Break.
A few hightlights….
Hearne: Steamboat Arabia Puts Kibosh on ‘Buzz Under the Stars’ @ City Market
Talk about buzzkills…
In one of the more oblique press releases ever penned, the Kansas City City Market wrote late yesterday:
"The City Market is interested in the success of our tenants thus does not anticipate booking a 2012 concert series as a response to a concern from the Steamboat Arabia Museum that concerts have and continue to put their artifacts at risk. Investigation of this matter is a priority at this time.
"The past five years the City Market has partnered with AEG Live and Entercom Radio for the “Buzz Under the Stars” Concert Series hosting artists such as Mumford & Sons, The Killers, Incubus, Death Cab for Cutie and Offspring. This great partnership has brought more than 120,000 music enthusiasts to enjoy the atmosphere of concerts with downtown Kansas City, Missouri as its backdrop. We thank you for your patronage."
Talk about carefully-worded- "does not anticipate" – how could it get any vaguer?
Hearne: Glen Campbell Farewell Tour Erupts in Sad Controversy, Headed to KC April 26th
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Not that long ago the celebrity gossip on Glen Campbell was pretty generic…
He was still raising heck and garnering typical big star headlines like, "Glen Campbell Given Jail Time" in June 2004.
Or, "Country singer Glen Campbell issued an apology to his family and fans Tuesday after being arrested Monday evening on charges of driving drunk and kicking a police officer," in a 2003 CNN story. "Campbell, 67, spent several hours in a Maricopa County jail cell Monday evening on drunken driving, hit and run and assault charges after a series of incidents police say started with a minor car wreck near his home in Phoenix."
Believe it or not, those were the "good old days."
More recently the news has turned sadder, much sadder.
"A nasty family feud has erupted over music legend GLEN CAMPBELL’s $50 million fortune," read a headline in the National Enquirer last October.
Hearne: Missie B’s Lays Down the Skinny on Rumored Move to Westport
Close but no drag bar…
Late last week Craig Glazer was told by radio station staffers at Wilks Broadcasting in Manor Square that Missie B’s was taking over the space America’s Pub vacated in January. Glazer had earlier confirmed that Missie B’s had looked at the Pub and other locations in Westport, so after being told by the radio station dudes to check out the workers hard at it in the club, he did and they copped to being with Missie B’s.
They were all wrong, but there’s more to the story.
Hearne: Where’s the Easter Bunny When You Need Him? Mayor’s Son & The Westport Killing
News coverage can get a little dicey – even high profile murders in Westport – when they go down Easter Sunday…
So it was that lots of local news organizations had a puzzle piece here, a puzzle piece there concerning the late night shooting of Kendrick L. Williams early Sunday morning. It appears Williams was a 22 year-old rapper who had performed that night at Ink Magazine‘s Middle Of The Map music fest in Westport.
Ink is owned by the Kansas City Star – which used its weekly Preview entertainment insert to plug the fest to Geritol-sipping readers.
And kudos to the Star for doing damage control up front by owning up to the fact that its fest appeared to be at the center of the confusion. As well as for tracking down KC Mayor Sly James’s double talking spokesdude about a rampant rumor that the mayor’s trouble magnet son Kyle James might have been in play at the scene of the crime.
Here’s what the Star reported:
Hearne: Plaza Patron Weighs in on Urban Teen Problem Through Kid’s Eyes
At the risk of starting a comments section race riot and against my better judgement…
I’m going to share with you an interview I conducted on St. Patrick’s Day on the Country Club Plaza. A conversation with 39 year-old suburban mother of two, Ann Thompson. Thomson was there on a shopping spree at Urban Outfiters, H&M, Bananna Republic and Standard Style, if that tells you anything about her.
Thompson’s take on the scene outside Seville upon observing the behavior of dozens of black urban teens and the Plaza Security police in afternoon on a warm, sunny afternoon?
Hearne: Westport Invites Kansas City to Celebrate 420 Day on April 20th
Smoke ’em if you got ’em…
Don’t look now, but one of America’s most infamous holidays – 420 Day – is about to splash down in Westport. That’s right, local smoking rights champion Bill Nigro is spearheading an annual bash celebrating the fine art of smoking pot. Right here in River City.
"Well, we’re not calling it 420 Day," Nigro hedges. "Our event’s called the Westport Smokeout and we’re going to do some fun things. Jerusalem Cafe’s going to have a Hookah bar and our feature band is going to be The Pornhuskers."
Never heard of the legendary Pornhuskers? Read on.
Hearne: The Bugs May Be Exterminated but E-Tickets Continue to Confuse
It’s been a slippery, seven-month slope since Kansas City went paperless…
You know, with e-tickets. so unless your an aging biker who likes to park illegally in front of LatteLand on the Plaza, chances are, you’re gonna get one of these one of these days – maybe just for parking somewhere in KC, so listen up.
Or you may end up like Stanford & Sons‘ Craig Glazer did three weeks back.
E-tickets are not your grandfather’s friendly, yellow, or beige, carbon copy tickets. Not even close.
They’re two-feet-long and four and a half inches wide to begin with.
Which is a lot to love, especially given what’s missing on them, namely the fine amount and where to mail it in. Suffice it to say, Glazer was verklempt, perplexed and confused.
He called the phone number on the ticket and landed in Kansas City’s 3-1-1 Action Center which proceeded to spit out prereorded, confusing water bill options before offering a municipal court, city services or a live body option.
Hearne: Law Breaking Bikers Get Pass from Police, Plaza, Who Opt Instead to Hassle Urban Teens
A funny thing happened on the way to the Plaza Saturday afternoon…
Those beefy biker dudes who commandeer the 15 Minute and No Parking spaces at 318 West 47th outside LatteLand – were nowhere to be found.
Had the Plaza finally forced Occupy LatteLand to find a new, legal home away from home? Had Police and Plaza Security finally teamed to enforce local traffic and parking laws – the ones that govern cars but for years have been ignored where hordes of illegally parked motorcyclists gather every weekend on the Plaza?
Hearne: Airport Parking Groupon, Anybody? Fly Me
From the ever short annals of Groupon – the email discount biz I’ve long defended – comes an unusual proposition…
Look, in spite of what some readers have groused and grumbled about, there are sound reasons for businesses such as restaurants and oil change artists to go the way of the Groupon. It’s a great way to advertise and reach a ton of potential new customers. The discounts – when well thought out and properly structured – make total sense.
As often as not, it’s win-win deal for both the issuer and the customer buying it.
And now that everyone under the sun is in the game, the question becomes, what won’t they Groupon?
Hearne: New KMBZ Biz Channel Faceplants After Mike Shanin Refuses to go on Air
Radio can get messy at times…
It’s pretty much a bloodsport anymore with kickass air talent having to work for pennies on the dollar with precious little support.
And if you think the nearly 1,500 people that have bought the farm at the Kansas City Star in recent years is an anomaly, think again.
Stroll through the ghost town headquarters of local radio stations here and count the empty desks.
But let’s move on, shall we?
Hearne: The Jazz Train Wreck Known as Jardine’s Erupts into Bidding War
Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned train wreck?
And for the past four months, the wreck that won’t go away involves Kansas City’s leading jazz club Jardine’s. But hold it a minute before we go any further.
I hereby promise not to bog down in the endless stream of details – the few ups and many downs of this pathetically sad, ridiculously lame tale of musical chairs.
Suffice it to say, there are plenty of losers and villains in this jazz soap and precious few good guys and gals. But after making contact with Jardine’s owner Beena Raja and most of the key players yesterday, I can now report that…
It’s still a nightmare of monumental proportions.
Hearne: The Myth that Roy Williams Has Been Forgiven
As Jayhawk fan extraordinaire Brett Mosiman so eloquently stated last week, many, if not most, KU basketball fans have moved beyond their bitter hatred since being cruely jilted by North Carolina coach Roy Williams nine years back…
I’ve got a slightly different outlook on the subject.
When someone lies to, pledges eternal devotion and then summarily dumps their significant other it can get ugly. Starting with the five stages of grief, which I unfortunately experienced first hand the hard way three years ago courtesy of my ex.
You know, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Hearne: Never Ending Saga of Jardine’s Takes Another Confusing Turn
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The following is a rhetorical question and requires no response from the inhabitors of the Comments Section…
Like they give a darn what I think, but here goes.
In what amounts to another confusing turn of events, it appears that American Century has green-lighted its leasing agents to open the bidding for the closed-since-last fall jazz club known as Jardine’s.
Giving the appearance that the dudes who leapt into the media spotlight last fall – Messrs. Robert McCain and Joseph FulgenzI – have failed to do what they told the Pitch and Fox 4 three months back; that they’d reached a deal and were the new owners of the fabled Plaza area jazz club.
The latest?
Hearne: The Truth & Nothing But The Truth (Wink) About KU, MU & Roy Williams
With a pair of Kansas teams in the Sweet Sixteen and Missouri on the ropes, it’s time to check in with Brett Mosiman, one of KU’s staunchest supporters and local promoter of Crossroads and Wakarusa fame…
First a little handicapping.
The surprising KU women’s basketball team – its ranks depleted by crippling injuries to frontline stars – faces perennial powerhouse Tennessee Saturday.
"They lose by 30 to Tennessee," Mosiman predicts.
And KU’s mens team tonight against North Carolina State?
"The mens team skates into the Elite Eight against North Carolina."
The $64 million question: Do KU tried and true still hate Carolina coach Roy Williams for leaving them for NC?
Hearne: Beleaguered Head of Star Parent Company McClatchy Hits The Road
Go figure…
In a curious unfolding of events, the head of the Kansas City Star‘s parent company McClatchy is stepping down to take the top spot at The Associated Press.
Which comes as a bit of a head scratcher.
Because prestigious as heading up "one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering" as the AP describes itself may be, it’s hard to imagine Gary Pruitt taking down the kind of coin he has at McClatchy at a not-for-profit.
For example Forbes pegged Pruitt’s "total compensation" for 2009 at $3,753,229.00.
Hearne: KU Women Giant Kill Their Way into NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Don’t look now but KU‘s basketball team is headed to the Sweet Sixteen…
And no, I’m not talking about the lucky devils on the KU mens team that squeaked past Purdue the other day.
Nope.
I’m referring to the AMAZING KU womens basketball squad who have been playing the best basketball in the state of Kansas the past two weeks since entering the NCAA Tourney.
That’s right, bring on the hyperbole because these ladies deserve it.
Hearne: Urban Youth Mount Unwelcome Return to Plaza on St. Patrick’s Day
They’re back and they’re black…
Much has been said of how bustling Westport was on St. Patrick’s Day. To which I can add, ditto for Waldo. The Well, Quinton’s and Kennedy’s were on fire.
Which brings us to KC’s other prominent people magnet, the Plaza.
After spending several hours there Saturday afternoon and evening, I can report that comparably, outside of O’Dowd’s and maybe the sports bars the Plaza was a St. Patrick’s Day bust.
Don’t get me wrong.
There were plenty of locals out and about, shopping, dining, enjoying the weather and beautiful day. They just weren’t – for the most part – adorned in tacky green getups and stumbling around drunk.
Which by Plaza standards is a good thing.
The day also marked the notable return of a crowd the Plaza’s been loath to welcome.
Hearne: MU Blue; Don’t Play it Again, Sam, Kleenex is for Crybabies
Little help?
I don’t know of anybody who’s sung the praises of Star sports columnist Sam Mellinger more than I. From the get go, I saw things in Sam that foretold of a bright future.
Allow me to remind.
When he started the column two years ago, Sam He Am had big shoes to fill.
Amidst third degree belt tightening and rather awkward circumstances, the newspaper had lost its two top sports guns, Joe Posnanski and Jason Whitlock.
And Whitlock on his way out had unleashed a scandal involving the paper’s newly minted main editor with an attractive, highly placed female sports editor who worked under him. Whitlock publically accused the two of having an improper relationship.
It was plenty ugly and mum was the word on the subject at 18th and Grand.
