KC Confidential

Lauren Ward
Disses Hickman Mills & Kansas City

About last night’s gargantuan Tony Awards ceremony in New York…

As I mentioned yesterday, one of the Kansas City Star‘s three front page feature stories Sunday implied that Kansas City was in for a big night on Broadway.

“Spotlight is on Kansas City at Sunday Night’s Tony Awards,” read the headline.

The implication being that Hickman Mills grad Lauren Ward and the KC Rep’s “A Christmas Story, The Musical” were strong candidates to bring home big time Broadway theater awards so we should all watch last night’s Tony Awards.

I mean, this was front page deal, right? Wrong. Continue reading →

There’s a reason the Kansas City Star promotes its Sunday edition as a coupon cornucopia…

Starting with the fact that it’s a no brainer. Smart businesses market to their strengths and clearly the Star views the vast tonnage of grocery coupons and ad inserts as it’s strong suit. And I’m sure for many people that’s true, but for many others like me, eh.

Paging through today’s Star, it struck me, not for the first time but it hit home, there really isn’t very much news or compelling content in the Sunday paper. Despite that it’s the newspaper’s main profit center.

It’s mostly filler really. Continue reading →

Will Gregory

About fleeing-the-scene media blogger John Landsberg…

First a quick reminder, I too will miss his “reporting” on the comings and goings of local television newsies. Landsberg’s takes may have been fuddy-duddy at times (and they were), but Bottom Line did its best filling a niche nobody else has really attempted to fill since the women folk in FYI at the Star ran off media dude Barry Garron in the 1990s.

Let me go on record here that I too will don a black armband when Landsberg moves his grandpa sweater collection to South Carolina.

As a going away gift to readers however, he opened up with some departing shots and explanations about local media and himself.

Let’s take a look. Continue reading →

There are benefits to driving hundreds of miles into the desert…

Besides of course, the roadside marvels, gourmet dining, etc. For one, I got to check out a local alt weekly, The Santa Fe Reporter.

Funny thing.

In a town roughly one-twentieth the size of KC, during what might be described as the “off season,” The Reporter is whomping ass by comparison to the Pitch with 56 pages, more than 60 percent of them ads. Compared to a recent 44 page Pitch with less than 60 percent ads – many of which were promotional “Pitch Presents” ads, likely to have been discounted or free.

Now brace yourself for a sex shocker. Continue reading →

Inquiring minds want to know…

What was it that caused KCTV to bid an un-fond adieu to “Better Kansas City” co-host Kelly Jones while retaining her on air partner Lisa Holbrook?

While the comments section is more often than not a minefield of misinformation and caustic cracks, every once in a while what appears to be a hidden truth will surface.

Take “interesting facts” entry yesterday in the story about Jones unhappy seeming departure from Channel 5: “another rumor has it was too many complaints about her.”

Bingo!

So says a source who spoke with stationalities at KCTV about the waffle-loving, not-so-dearly departed lifestyle show host. Continue reading →

This just in…

When’s the last time you had – you know – heavy duty romance at the movies?

Never?

Well, here’s your chance. The days when drive-in movie theaters were called “passion pits,” owing to the conveniences afforded by dark parking lots and steamed up car windows are in the rear view mirror. And chances are many if not most of you missed out on that action. Like I did.

But tonight you can travel back in time – free of charge – to the Boulevard Drive-In at 1051 Merriam Lane in KCK. Continue reading →

Maybe now she’ll date the Scribe…

I don’t watch much local television news. Never did really…

I’ve spent far more time reporting on and writing about local TV news personalities than basking in their tube time.

Stories that ranged from a major news anchor who a Kansas City Police Chief told me was arrested in Westport for flashing a two girls – the matter was dropped after the women opted not to press charges, the chief said – to trying to track down whether Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton hit on former, smoking hot Channel 4 anchor Kelly Minton.

Neither of those stories made it into my column, despite there being plenty of evidence to support  both.

Which brings us to KCTV’s Kelly Jones. Continue reading →

About the closing of the Halls Plaza retail store this summer…

This is no minor bump in the road, ladies and gentlemen. The shuttering of one of Kansas City’s most prestigious retail operations by arguably it’s most prestigious, locally headquartered corporation is not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.

Check out how Halls describes its Plaza location on its website:

“Halls Plaza is a luxuriously appointed jewel in the crown of Kansas City’s most famous and prestigious shopping district, the Country Club Plaza.”

Got that? Halls Plaza is the jewel in Kansas City’s crown jewel, that being the Plaza.

There’s more. Continue reading →

Here’s one that kinda slipped between the news cracks recently…

That Wichita is considering fines of up to $1,000 a month on residents and businesses that use too much water.

We don’t hear too much about water shortages in these parts – not like my adopted cities of Tucson and Santa Fe – but a wise old sage at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum advised my young daughters several years ago to study hard and specialize in water rights law for the future. Continue reading →

Six down, sixty some to go…

The reapportioning of the rock festival formerly known as Kanrocksas continues. This time out Live Nation will present headliners Imagine Dragons, Capital Cities, twentyonepilots, Family of the Year and Churchill at Starlight on Friday June 28th.

Crossroads KC already snagged Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros late last week to headline on Saturday June 29th, on what would have been Kanrocksas second and final day.

Make no mistake, the Dragons bill at Starlight – a mini fest in its own right – is coup for both the theater and Kansas City music fans. Continue reading →