KC Confidential

Ever wonder about Fox News see-through glass news desks for women anchors?

Hey, let’s get real…former Fox News boss Roger Aisles knew exactly what he was doing and how to get ratings.

Then along came the #MeToo movement which would eventually bring him down.

If all this sounds interesting, then “BOMBSHELL” is your movie!

The plot is a revealing inside into one of the most powerful and controversial media factories of all time and the bombshell story of the women who ultimately leveled the man who created the empire.

The newsroom drama employs some of today’s top actresses to recreate the sexual harassment claims against Fox News chairman Ailes with Nicole Kidman in the role of Gretchen Carlson, the first to accuse him.

Margot Robbie plays Kayla Pospisil, who appears to be a compilation of women subjected to Aisles inappropriateness at all levels.

But it’s Charlize Theron who steals the show. Continue reading →

He doesn’t have enough name recognition…

Welcome to the 21st Century, where you think your niche is national, but it’s not.

My favorite example is SNL… Funny or not, who exactly watches that show anymore? Same deal with prime time network television. Advertisers go for the largest share of a shrinking market, but this decline in numbers evidences the spread of attention over many more genres/influences/ideas.

Kind of like record companies and radio.

Terrestrial radio has the largest share of ears, but that no longer means it dominates, and by focusing on these outlets, record companies are dooming their futures.

That’s the story of the 21st Century, the inability of the usual suspects to pivot. They always wait too long and are supplanted by more nimble newcomers.

The monied-class and New Yorkers think everybody is familiar with Mike Bloomberg, after all, doesn’t he run Wall Street’s information pipeline, wasn’t he mayor of New York?

All true, but most people are not paying attention – they’re not actively investing in stocks and they don’t care about New York – they may even resent New York, which is why Bloomberg is polling at 5%.

Klobuchar, Yang…they had the privilege of being in the debates, which garnered ratings superior to network prime time. So, now more people know about them.

So, if you’re running a national campaign…but should you be running a national campaign?

Musicians keep lamenting that they can’t break through. Maybe they don’t have to break through, maybe they should be satisfied they’ve got an audience at all, and try to grow and superserve this audience.

That’s right, there is no Music League.

Despite the Grammys, there is no kumbaya, no coming together, no overall scene. You’re on your own, and it’s not so much that you’re competing with everyone, but yourself…which path do you want to choose?

Kinda like Mike Bloomberg himself.

He was laid off by Salomon Brothers. Rather than look for another gig at a bank, he started a whole new business, he thought he knew better.

That’s the 21st Century in a nutshell…

Do you think you know better? If you do, you can have an impact. If your goal is to compete with others on their terms…good luck.

The funny thing is as tech closes ranks, art has become ever broader.

You can’t compete with Facebook or Google or Amazon…

They’ll just buy you or put you out of business. But in art…with the distribution pipelines free, you’ve got a chance.

And this is the time for art.

When the world is focused on money, when leaders spin untruths, now is the time to speak truth to power. Assuming you know you aren’t about money but message, that if your fans won’t keep you alive you don’t deserve a career to begin with.

Bloomberg could run in New York, but he can’t run nationally. Continue reading →

So many mysteries, so few readily proven answers…

Like, the location of Jimmy Hoffa’s body? Whatever became of D.B. Cooper? Who was Jack the Ripper? Where’s Cleopatra’s tomb?

See what I mean?

To that illustrious list, now add: Was caustic KCC comments dude Harley secretly comedy club maven/scribe Craig Glazer?

That appeared to be the case.

However Craig denied it – even after he’d been busted for making up an entire cadre of fake commenters.

Then after Craig died – just over a year ago – the unthinkable happened.

Harley vanished…never to be heard from again.

At first there were a few weak-wristed attempts by copycat commenters.

But after nine long years, there was no mistaking the posers from the genuine article.

For whatever the reason, ding-dong time had come, and the hated Harley was no more.

At which point the circumstantial evidence seemed compelling…

Craig and Harley had to be one and the same.

Sadly, no death bed confession was to be had.

When last I visited Craig, lying on the hospital bed that was to be his last resting place, he was so out of it and weak that all I could do was turn on the pre season Chiefs game for him to see his newfound hero – who he called Pat Mahomes – breeze to an easy win.

His words were few and unintelligible.

So I did what any mouth-breathing columnist might do; rang the bell, closed the book and blew out the candle for both Craig and his egregious alter ego, Harley.

Even his longtime  “pal” Bill Nigro had to wonder.

Flash forward with me now to a few weeks back when a funny thing happened… Continue reading →

“Buttigieg Struggles to Square Transparency With Lack of Disclosure on Consulting”

Raise your hand if you know what McKinsey & Company is… it might as well be Blackwater!

This is what it’s come down to folks, whether you want business as usual, rule by the monied elite, or a revolution.

The Republicans had a revolution.

The RNC lost control of the party.

Donald Trump won the nomination.

And except for a few Never Trumpers, who don’t hold elected office, the whole party has gathered together under King Donald.

You see, the rich wanted more and the poor wanted change – they were sick and tired of paying for everybody else when they couldn’t make ends meet.

Meanwhile, the Democrats argue amongst themselves, paying attention to identity politics more than big issues. That’s how Elizabeth Warren got traction, by issuing policies and by being for the little guy. Sure, she used to be a Republican – she grew up in Oklahoma for godssakes – isn’t it a badge of honor to change your mind? She saw how medical bills and bankruptcy ruptured families and she wanted change.

And the Republicans – and many Democrats – hate her for it.

You see the ruling party – the elite, the rich, forget whether they’re on the left or the right – don’t want to lose control.

But they should.

As for Elizabeth Warren, she lost all credibility during the second debate, when she wouldn’t answer the question about how her medical plan would be paid for, suddenly she looked like every other political weasel. Continue reading →

From Marvel’s Hulk to meticulous practitioner, Mark Ruffalo adapts well to just about every role that comes his way…

He proves it again in “DARK WATERS” in which he plays a corporate defense attorney who usually practices on behalf of large corporations.

The film is based on the true story of how this attorney came to switch sides and single handedly–-and successfully—take on an environmental lawsuit against a mighty chemical company and expose its lengthy history of secret contamination and deadly pollution in the process. A gripping pursuit that almost costs him his family and career.

If you enjoyed the Oscar-winning investigative thriller “SPOTLIGHT,” then “DARK WATERS” is for you!

It’s been called the biggest corporate crime in American history as attorney Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) through family ties, takes on the task of uncovering the dark secret that connects the growing number of unexplained animal deaths to the giant DuPont corporation—a stunning, whistleblowing  expose that speaks volumes of American greed in the worst perspective. Continue reading →

“Did ‘The Irishman’ Take a Bite Out of the Thanksgiving Box Office”

“Don’t blame Netflix’s ‘The Irishman’ for the Thanksgiving box office being down this year.”

Just the fact they’re debating this proves the point.

The Irishman on Netflix was an event. Other than Frozen, was there a picture in the theatre you had to see?

Furthermore, platform releases died years ago, everything is day and date and that’s what Netflix affords!

You’re going to see this debate in the trades on a regular basis now.

You see theatrical distribution is dying.

Theatres don’t like it, the Academy doesn’t like it, many directors don’t like it, but the public LOVES being able to see fresh movies on streaming services.

Nothing has legs anymore. You’re here today, gone tomorrow.

If your plan is to spread the marketing of your art for over a year, you’re out of touch and dreaming or you just haven’t gotten traction yet.

No one wants to be left out anymore. When you close the door…

The dirty little secret is today’s audience can miss anything. Nothing is so important everybody has to see it. Whether it be a movie or series, or the impeachment hearings.

There are many offerings, we’re overwhelmed and we prioritize based on our own desires.

And one desire, which has nothing to do with technology, is to be a member of the group.

That’s what art affords, assuming you deliver it in a way that’s palatable to the audience.

And sure, there are Boomers who will seek out an art house film after the first week of release, and sure, kid pictures like “Frozen” might last more than one week, but that’s because it didn’t fit into your schedule. Or it was too crazy at first, with so many people going, or you were waiting for the feedback to make a decision whether to partake.

But streaming services allow people to partake INSTANTLY!

The movie business is swimming upstream in a country where Amazon’s focus is on SAME DAY DELIVERY!

I’ve got to ask you, why go to a store? That’s why malls are dying. Shopping can be entertainment, but it’s time-inefficient. And the outlets have become so talent lean, nobody is working in the store and those who do are unfamiliar with the product/unhelpful.

But we’re supposed to wait months to see a flick on the flat screen? Continue reading →

Think Grumpy Old Men meets the Godfather…

Okay, maybe it’s me, but after spending three and a half hours choking down what I was led to believe was the next big mob movie, The Irishman, I can report that I was the only one of a party of four who didn’t fall dead asleep by the movie’s end. And two of those four were 20-somethings.

“I’m curious to see how they make all the actors look so much younger,” said one prior to the movie’s start.

How, indeed…

The main stars – Robert De Niro, age 76; Al Pacino, age 79; and Joe Pesci, age 76 – are just a hop, skip and a jump from being octogenarians.

Spoiler alert: The answer to the above question about how they could be made to look younger is, the movie begins with the three amigos playing their actual ages, then flashing back to the days when they were young, up-and-coming gangsters.

Which for the most part, unfortunately, comprises most of the film.

The problem:

Even with a ton of makeup and soft focus cameras, there’s no escaping that these dudes are way over the hill.

Example: at one point De Niro dismantles a dude by tossing him into the street and stomping the living daylights out of him. Trouble is, De Niro’s body is so old and brittle, he looks like a senior citizen beating up on another senior in the cafeteria line..very unconvincing.

And one thing you will not see in this movie, is anything approaching sex or romance with a hot-looking woman. No way any of these over-the-hillsters could pull that one off halfway convincingly without creeping out the entire audience. Instead, we get matronly mom types cast as bit players that no red-blooded American movie dude would gaze at with horn dog eyes.

Am I being picky?

Of course, I am.

But unless I miss my guess, you will be too – and whatever you do – do not have a couple beers or cocktails before you wade into this sleeper. I suggest a large latte from Starbucks and a really good night’s sleep. Continue reading →

OK, Boomers…

Now that was a waste of time. I bet more people sat through the Sondland hearing than this dreary, mostly self-congratulatory, so-called debate

It’s not business as usual.

Donald Trump has proven that. So what do the Democrats say, what does the establishment say, what does the media say? Let’s go back to the old rule book! It’s almost as if Trump is Napster and the Dems are the labels.

And you know what? CDs never came back. That’s right, streaming replaced files, and reinvigorated recorded music revenues to boot!

So who is complaining?

THE OLD PEOPLE.

The boomers who think their doody doesn’t stink. Who believe since they lived through the ’60s and can wear skinny jeans and own smartphones that they know what’s going on.

But they don’t!

As a matter of fact, boomers are retiring in droves – passing the baton – but they want to give one more middle finger to those younger than they are. They want to keep everything they’ve gotten, all the spoils, and screw the rest of the public.

Now this is America.

Where no one can sacrifice. Jimmy Carter said to wear a sweater to stay warm during an energy crisis and he was excoriated. You can’t mess with the American way of life, which is all about raping the environment and pillaging while you’re at it. But if you speak to the younger generation…

The younger generation that’s into experiences, not assets.

The younger generation that’s hobbled by student debt.

The younger generation with even fewer opportunities for upward mobility than their contemporaries in Europe…and they’re PISSED!

So what do we get during the debate?

ALL THE THINGS THEY’VE DONE.

As if nothing has changed.

I’ll tell you what’s changed. We need passion. Trump is a great salesman. Amy Klobuchar starts talking and my eyes roll into the back my head. It’s a new day, talk about new day problems.

That’s why I’ve been excited by Elizabeth Warren. You can see she believes what she’s saying, the passion underneath, the refusal to play to the polls. Continue reading →

While we’re in the midst of Tinseltown’s Thanksgiving offerings, a look ahead to what the studios will be serving up  as Kansas City’s 2019 holiday fare…

Continue reading →

Wait for it…

From the get go the chances of new Pitch owners stumbling onto a pot-of-gold at the end of the alternative publishing rainbow were slim to none.

That said, with the Kansas City Star on the ropes, and little to nothing waiting in the wings to fill an already gaping local news gap, all things considered, what’s left of The Pitch is doing the unthinkable.

Slowly but surely it’s rising from the former newsweekly’s all-but-certain grave and unleashing a monthly mag that’s actually worthy of note. And trust me, that’s far from easy.

Do the math; far more worthy and successful  alt zines like the Village Voice and Boston Phoenix have long since gone for their dirt naps. Meanwhile what’s left of Atlanta’s Creative Loafing and St. Louis’ Riverfront Times appear to hanging by a thread after multiple ownership changes.

Yet the Pitch – which never came close to the successes of those legacy alt weeklies – has been able in a single year to morph from a newsprint weekly into a high quality magazine.

Complete with interesting tales and takes that seem to somehow overcome the loss of immediacy as a monthly – no easy task that.

Not only was its recent “best of” issue an entertaining read, it had a fair handful of ads.

Go figure… Continue reading →

What we have here is not so much a racing movie…

It’s more of solid storytelling of a competitive friendship set AGAINST the world of racing—and marketing.

FORD v FERRARI takes place in the early 1960’s when Henry Ford II saw his company’s sales fall and the entire Ford brand in need of major image building.

Ford’s strategy: To acquire perennially dominant Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari,. and have its name help boost his brand.

Just one problem…Enzo Ferrari nixed the deal.

So now what?

That’s when the eccentric American car boss had his marketing VP Lee Iacocca hire legendary car designer and engineer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and his race car driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale).

Their assignment: To create and construct a revolutionary racing car that would BEAT Ferrari at the grueling 24 hours race at Le Mans, which in turn would bring back the glory to Ford—not to mention to their car sales.

The big test for Ford’s new GT40 would come in 1966, when the Detroit-based manufacturer finally achieved its goal which ultimately led to the very popular Cobra and, of course, Mustang.

So IS there still interest in a story set against the backdrop of Formula One racing in this age of NASCAR? Continue reading →

Once upon a time, he was a hellraiser…

Former Channel 5 political operative Dave Helling made his bones busting local pols for bogus ad claims. WDAF and later KCTV called Helling’s segments, “Truth Watch.”

So edgy was Helling that The Pitch gave him a column at one point, and after he flunked out of news anchoring and was touching up his television news resume, I hooked him with Kansas City Star editor Mark Zieman, who did the print journalism unthinkable; brought Helling aboard as a serious, print reporter (as opposed to tv talking head), and he’s been there since.

Unfortunately, full time news coverage and column writing at a newspaper is a far cry from tv news, and Helling failed to distinguish himself – nothing close to his TV successes.

Give him credit though for surviving a decade-plus of Star layoffs that saw the newspaper shrink from more than 2,000 employees to maybe 200 or fewer today.

Now with guardian angel Zieman leaving McClatchy, Helling is desperate to make a mark.

Bringsing us to his hail Mary column…

“Chiefs should rename Arrowhead Stadium for Lamar Hunt” Continue reading →

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 03: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg consumes a dog at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest weigh-in ceremony on July 3, 2013 in New York City. The annual hot dog eating event is expected to draw up to 40,000 fans on July 4, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

I’m not sure whether this works or not…

Not quite a year ago, before the circus began, I said that if Michael Bloomberg ran, he’d win.

But he didn’t…run that is.

Which surprised me, since you don’t become a billionaire – certainly on Wall Street – without an ego. Didn’t Bloomberg have the law changed so he could run for a third term in New York City? That takes chutzpah. I figured he either had skeletons in his closet, or believed he was just too old.

The story today though is he believed Joe Biden would win, so he stayed out. How delusional is he? I knew Biden had no chance, first and foremost because he’d blow himself up. He has a long history of this. Furthermore, we know there are Biden fans in Scranton and Delaware, but anywhere else? He’s like an opening act, a favor for the agent, someone tolerable if you come late, who you don’t mind missing.

Now in tech, where Bloomberg made his money, there’s a first-mover advantage. The key is to run so fast – as Mark Zuckerberg once said, “move fast and break things” – so no one can catch up. Bloomberg owns the terminal space, even when it was discovered the company was spying on its customers, despite there being talk of an upstart, nobody challenged the behemoth.

So…

Getting in late is kind of like RFK in ’68. Yup, RFK didn’t think he could win, but then when Eugene McCarthy was getting all that traction, he felt it’d be easy – like taking candy from a baby. Unfortunately, Kennedy was shot – and ultimately in a year of unrest, where the convention itself was a site of protest and police overreaction – the candidate was Hubert Humphrey, and he lost.

Biden isn’t even Humphrey…

But the lesson of ’68 is, there are incalculable grass roots, disaffection with the status quo, that the inside players and the media aren’t in touch with.

So that brings us to George McGovern. The year 1972 was not 1968. The younger generation was licking its wounds, the mass protests were over, it was the wrong time. Which is the lesson the DNC does not get – it’s not 2016 anymore, it’s 2020 – and people have changed.

Which brings us to Michael Dukakis.

That’s the paradigm the DNC is afraid of. It believes Elizabeth Warren is Dukakis, but it’s not 1988 anymore. Sure, it’s important to study history, but also not to be blinded by it. If history repeats at all, it’s with a twist.

And the history we’re talking about is 2016, and the twist is now.

Donald Trump tapped into discontent. The DNC and its cronies believe it was all white supremacists, hogwash! I know three people right off the top of my head who voted for Trump, all friends. One a famous musician, from one of the bluest states. Trump pointed out the flaws in globalization, the raw deal for the rank and file. And Hillary Clinton was damaged goods, the right had defined her.

Now the right has defined Adam Schiff.

They pushed back and Schiff shut up. WRONG!

Anybody will tell you you stand up to the bully. As for this newfangled b.s. that you need to campaign without mentioning Trump’s name… THAT’S NOT THE WAY HE PLAYS!

Get into the street fight! Continue reading →

Something bitter this way comes…

For Kansas City based movie exhibitor AMC Theaters, that is. That’s because no industry is exempt for the advancement of technology –  not horses, shopping malls, CDs and DVDs, daily newspapers – none of the above and far more.

And for the past 20-plus years – far longer, truth be told – movie theaters have been fighting the good fight to remain viable.

First it was color movies, then Cinemascope and 3D, next multiplexes in the suburbs with gigantic screens and surround sound. More recently, moviegoers are being wooed with luxurious theaters featuring comfortable seating and a wide range of upscale movie eats and liquor.

Television presented arguably the first major threat to mainstream movie theaters, but tiny black and white screens, tinny sound and ridiculously few choices gave movie exhibitors a definite edge. On top of which, it took like forever before films wound their way onto the small screen.

No mas…

These days the window for passage from box office to what amounts to as home box office is measuring in months – usually around 90 days – and that window continues to shrink.

Plus the advent and affordability of huge screens with ultra high definition pictures, complemented by killer surround audio systems, continue to make the option of waiting a few months to watching movies on-the-cheap, in the comfort of your own home (with even more comfortable seating and better, wildly more affordable food and beverage options) continues to take a toll.

Now, on top of all that, comes a boffo box office smash being released by streaming giant Netflix that’s taking it to AMC, Regal, etc like never before.

In the form of a three and one half hour mob movie called The Irishman. Continue reading →

School buses stop as traffic moves along The Paseo near 16th Street on Friday, May 11, 2018, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Time to turn the page on political correctness…

We’ve been headed down this road for a long time, but the election of Donald Trump really kicked political correctness into high gear – seriously high gear.

When a Japanese-American baseball player can’t pop on a hat at the White House that reads, “Make America Great Again,” where are we headed?

And yes, we live in a world where people of differing colors and ethnicities can still find themselves on the short end of the stick from time to time. However when you look around the globe, it’s a helluva lot better here than most countries all things considered – and like the Beatles said – it’s getting better every day.

Trouble is, we’re trapped – temporarily with luck – in a media-fueled culture of woke.

“Woke means being conscious of racial discrimination in society and other forms of oppression and injustice. In mainstream use, woke can also more generally describe someone or something as being ‘with it.'”

Face it, nobody can get away with anything anymore – off color jokes, political leanings other than to the far left, opinions celebrating religious beliefs or just about anything that passes for conservatism.

One public slip and you’re cooked.

Most folks who lean a bit towards traditional values and thinking, must remain in hiding, lest they be outed and branded as racist, sexist or whatever.

There is no middle ground for the woke culture.

Embrace it, or hide out until something like the Paseo vote comes along and…

That’s when we find that nearly three quarters of Kansas City Star readers disagree with the editorial interlopers from out of town who embrace all-things-woke. And love nothing more than scolding locals for their perceived shortcomings.

Not because the Paseo supporters  are flaming racists.

Continue reading →