Hearne: Befuddling Departure of Mike Shanin from ‘KMBZ Empire’ Explained

Let’s straighten out all of this confusion where Mike Shanin and Entercom are concerned, shall we?

First of all, forget pretty much most of what you may have read or heard about what was blogged locally about the aging radio veteran’s untimely departure from News Radio KMBZ 980/98.1 earlier this year and more recently KMBZ’s new, weak sister business station at 1660 AM.

When Shanin refused to go on the air on 1660 on March 5th, hours before the station’s launch, the question was why?

And if you recall, one reason offered here was that according to sources he was upset that Entercom had not hired a producer to do the leg work and much of the heavy lifting in terms of booking guests and doing research for Shanin’s weekday business show on 1660.

A former Entercom manager who had hired Shanin to read business reports on KMBZ and 61 Country several years back noted that Shanin was not a business reporter per ser with a business background, describing him rather as a "rip and read " guy when it came to business news.

So quite obviously Shanin – who’d been demoted from his comfortable perch doing afternoons on KMBZ talking about news – would have been hard pressed to deal in complex business news and issues and foster intelligent discussion with local business leaders.

Hence the need for – at the very least – a true producer for his show on 1660 AM.

Instead what he got was the board op dude who did afternoons on KMBZ.

A guy who makes sure the commercials and news breaks, etc. run. Not the seasoned professional business news producer Shanin was counting on.

Thus Shanin continues to tell others in the industry that "the reason he didn’t take 1660 show was in fact they would not hire him a producer," says a source. "But he lied about that to Bottom Line so it would not sound bad or lazy."

Naturally management was furious with Shanin for refusing to go on the air at the last minute, but allowed him to continue to promote the new business station at 1660 by rip and reading business news on KMBZ. And if you recall, I wrote that under the circumstances, the chances of that continuing for very long were slim and none.

So it is, that Shanin and KMBZ have now parted ways and former KC Business Journal staffer Krista Klaus has replaced Shanin there, as well as on 1660. Obviously Klaus is a far better fit.

However, Entercom says Shanin will still be allowed to do voice commercial spots for advertisers on KMBZ (duh) and may be contracted in the summer or fall to do some political reporting for the station.

As for the concept of The KMBZ Business Channel at 1660 AM moving at some point to KMBZ 980 AM’s slot, don’t hold your breath.

That is a possibility, Entercom says, except for one thing.

"Very few stations around the country doing business get much if any ratings," says a broadcasting industry insider. "In fact, I don’t know of any as a matter of fact. For example, WBBR in New York City is ranked 37th in 12-plus, which means there aren’t a lot of people interested in that format on the radio. And New York is the financial capital of the world."

No way Entercom would be dumb enough to kill KMBZ 980 and replace it with business news, he adds.

"There’s no way anybody’s going to take that signal and put local business on it. That is so far out in left field, I don’t care what they’re telling people. That’s the dumbest thing in the world. That would kill KMBZ. If they would do that, that would be unbelievable. They’d be better off launching another talk format on 1660 and going up against KCMO 710 AM."

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 6 Comments

Hearne: Jardine’s Founder Fires Off Angry Email, Owner Raja Responds

There’s more than one meaning for the word jazz…

Don’t bother looking it up, I’ve got it right here; "insincere, exaggerated, or pretentious talk."

And where the neverending saga of fallen Plaza area jazz club Jardine’s is concerned there’s been plenty of that.

Let’s think briefly about the lies, tabloid TV, confusion and subterfuge that’s gone down at Jardine’s since last November when the you-know-what hit the fan. The interested parties that have come and seemingly gone. The catty behind-the-scenes dealings that went awry. Larger than life personalities reduced to cartoon-like, lowest common denominators. And lastly, of the endlessness of it all.

We good? Now here’s the latest.

A week ago Jardine‘s founder and former owner Greg Halstead fired off an angry email to the leasing agent for Jardine’s space:

"As you know, I have a financial interest in Jardine’s per my Agreement with Beena Brandsgard Raja," it begins. "You have a copy of that Agreement.

I have recently learned that you will not respond to messages from Paul Wilson regarding his interest in buying Jardines. Wilson has been interested in buying Jardine’s since early January and that you, of late, will not respond to either his phone messages or his e-mails.

I have been told that Robert McCain and Joseph Fulgenzi are no longer pursuing to lease the Jardine space because of, according to them, your failure to communicate with in a timely or professional manner.

I also understand the Matt Jones, proprietor of the Phoenix Jazz Club is no longer interested in buying Jardine’s because of your refusal to communicate with him.

I stopped trying to contact you roughly 10 weeks ago because you would not return my phone calls or respond to my e-mails…"

Got all that?

Raja, however, begs to differ.

"He calls me all the time," she says of the leasing agent for Jardine’s space. "And I talked to him today, too. He’s one of the greatest property managers I’ve ever had."

As for the other players mentioned in Halstead’s missive, "You know what?" Raja says. "The gay guys got plenty of calls back – that’s bullshit. And Matt from the Phoenix met with (the agent) at Jardine’s, I was there. What is Greg talking about?"

Jones is no longer interested in Jardine’s, Raja says. "And I haven’t talked to the gay guys for a month or more," she adds.

Speaking of which, my last contact with McCain was a text on March 28th reading; "spoke to halstead today, have a call out to american century. funny how things all changed today after we did all the due diligence"

McCain did not respond to requests for comment today and yesterday on whether or not he was still in the running for Jardine’s or if he’d heard recently from the leasing agent for the space.

The latest from Jardine’s suitor  Paul Wilson:

"Yeah, I’m still interested," Wilson says. "I mean, I’m far less interested than I was two months ago, but if eveything lined up, I’d still be interested."

On the leasing agent front, Wilson says it’s been three weeks without a return call or email since he submitted a list of seven questions pertaining to the lease to the leasing agent for American Century.

Raja’s bottom line:

"Hearne, I got screwed. I signed the lease termination that Friday, so I’m out of the lease but I still have the license and I’m talking to a couple people. And I talked to American Century today and they’re going to keep it as a bar…I don’t want to be a part of it, but I’m hoping for the best. It’s my name and my license and nobody else can get it."

That is, without making a deal with Raja first, and a ‘for sale’ sign is up on Jardine’s Web site.

stay tuned.

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 15 Comments

Jack Goes Confidential: Cinematic Soapster Puts Forth Efron As ‘THE LUCKY ONE’

Mention Nicholas Sparks‘ name and visions of popular romantic dramas come to mind…

Like MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, DEAR JOHN, NIGHTS IN RODANTHE and, of course, THE NOTEBOOK.

Contrary to popular belief THE VOW wasn’t one of them.

So when I mentioned to friends that I would be going to a preview of Sparks’ latest best seller to screen adaptation THE LUCKY ONE earlier this week, they were giving me that "I feel your pain" look—as in I’m glad it’s you instead of me.

But these judges were guys. And THE LUCKY ONE is totally, 100% pure chick flick.

Here Zac Efron stars as U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault returning home to Colorado from his third tour of duty in Iraq—the survival of which he credits to a photograph. A picture of a mysterious blonde he found after a firefight which killed his fellow Marines but kept him out of harm’s way.

On the back of the photograph the words, "keep safe" were written.
 
Was she his lucky charm?
 
So after returning home shellshocked, Efron makes it his mission to track her down. Just him and his dog wandering all the way to Louisiana where he finds her managing the family’s run-down kennel with her young son and grandma Blythe Danner.
 
She’s Beth played by Taylor Schilling, a divorced mom with baggage, including a major case of mistrust and a jealous ex who’s the s.o.b. deputy sheriff of the county.
 
But this being a Nicholas Sparks based motion picture, of course the two (eventually) hit it off. Along the way, overcoming all sorts of her personal complications which include her brother, a Marine who was killed in Iraq and, and……….

No I’m not going to give it away. You figure it out.
 
My favorite (?) tearjerking line on Zac having found her picture: "It was like finding an angel in hell."
 
Efron here all buffed and on his way to becoming a romantic leading man, facial hair and all.

And once he gets his acting skills out of first gear will probably succeed.
 
That said, there’s decent enough chemistry between the two leads, and wise grandma Danner adds just the right amount of looks and wisdom to the proceedings to keep the female audience satisfied.
 
As for guys being dragged along to this 101 minute long, date night, chick flick—hey, she’ll owe you.
 

THE LUCKY ONE: The girls will raise 3 out of 5 fingers. You will be waiting for what’s to come after the movie.

 

JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES Friday mornings at 6:40 a.m. on NewsRadio KMBZ AM & FM / and anytime on Time-Warner Cable’s K.C. ON DEMAND-Channel 411.

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | 1 Comment

Starbeams: The Heartbreak of Royals Baseball x Three & Boston Marathon

The Royals are finally becoming the team we’ve been hoping for.  The team that breaks our hearts in April instead of teasing us through May.

*******

Tornado watches were issued 48 hours before radar detected powerful rotation all over our region.  Now if the Royals could just get Dave Eiland to spot a powerful rotation…

*******

I’m hoping the Royals pitchers get caught putting a foreign substance on the ball…..accuracy.

*******

The top three winners in the men’s and women’s divisions of Monday’s Boston Marathon were all Kenyans. That’s great news for president Obama as he enters another presidential run.

 

Kelly Urich hosts the morning show on The Point 99.7 FM

Posted in Starbeams | Tagged | 2 Comments

Whinery: Why Sporting Kansas City is the Best Team in Town

Had the privilege of attending Saturday’s Sporting KC game with one of the owners, Patrick Curran, and got some insight into why they are undefeated and the BEST professional team in Kansas City.

“Sporting starts and ends with the fans” Curran says.

And after touring the facility, I agree.

More money was spent per seat at Livestrong Sporting Park than Dallas’ Cowboys Stadium and it shows. This fan-centered philosophy of the ownership is what sets Livestrong apart from say, Arrowhead.

How does Sporting take care of the “average” fan?

Anyone can go to sportingmembership.com, fill out a small form and be eligible for a FREE ticket to for up to three matches a year! They even built a private club for members with a great bar area and after parties following the games. Concessions are also reasonably priced throughout the Park.

And “high roller” fans willing to shell out $250 per match for Field Club tickets- which are sold out for the season- get taken care of in a way Chiefs fans paying a similar price can only dream of.

For example, there’s a sit down dining area with real food.

Saturday it featured salmon, fettucini, hummus as well as the more traditional stadium treats like nachos and brats. There’s also an open bar all included in the ticket price, and you get to see the players take the field and watch post game interviews.

What do you get at Arrowhead for that price? Not much.

You still get the privilege of paying nine bucks for a 12 ounce beer. Which was OK during the “King Carl” Peterson era when the Chiefs were exciting and contenders year after year. Before the mediocre, $24 million under-the-salary-cap team we’ve got now.

And don’t even get me started on the Royals.

However I don’t hold their management as responsible as the Chiefs. That’s because until there is true revenue sharing and a hard salary cap, small market teams like the Royals – unless they’re blessed with another owner like Ewing Kaufman – will continue to be little more than farm clubs for the Yankees and Red Soxes of the league.

Can you imagine how good the Royals would be if we could afford to KEEP the players brought up through their system?

Of course, the 800 pound gorilla in the room for the Royals, Chiefs and Sporting is where their owner’s live.

Everyone who owns Sporting lives in the Kansas City area and were at the game Saturday night. The owners of the Chiefs and Royals don’t live here, are not a part of the Community and I think that matters.

Curran added at the end of a match leaving Sporting with the best record in the league at 6-0; “This is the team we wanted to bring to Kansas City, a team the fans can be proud of.”

Judging by the fan intensity throughout the game, I say, Mission Accomplished!

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 29 Comments

Glazer: It’s Wait til Next Year Time Again, Royals Fans

Nearly everyone was on this year’s Royals bandwagon, right? Even me…

 And I’m the guy who for several years has called our two pro teams "no shows." Yep, this was to be THE YEAR THE ROYALS STEPPED UP. Yes sir, a year to remember.
 
The team had an O.K. start on the road with three wins and three losses. Starting pitching was very good with an ERA of just over 2.00. Hitting was decent, not great. Hell, Eric Hosmer had two homers. Nice start.

Then the Royals came home.

Friday home opener. Luke Hochaver, the Royals Ace gets the start. Sold out stadium. And before the Royals even get to the plate it’s 7-0 Cleveland Indians. Yep, seven runs in half an inning. The fans were stunned.

This is the home opener? This is our year? O.K. we had a bad game. We’ll come back.

Cleveland is horrible. They came into the game with the league’s worst team batting average. But what followed led to this: more than 20 runs in all three games before the fourth inning by the "Cleveland Bombers" and a 9.00 ERA by the Royals starters.

They all stunk, poor fielding, poor base-running, poor timely hitting and even poor relief pitching.
 
Yep, by the 8th inning of game three at Royals stadium (Kaufman’s House), the once sold-out stadium was back to the normal crowd of 3,500. Nobody was there. Nobody cared. "Same Old Royals."

Want more stats? Hosmer is hitting just over .200 and the rest of the so-called stars are not much better. Only Danny Duffey who gets to be hammered tonight by Detroit, has not been jacked yet as a starter.
 
I will have to swallow some crow on this one.

While I was over the top on purpose, I did believe the Royals were going to be a solid team this season. I expected the strong hitting and defense to overcome some pitching issues.

But the way it looks now, I no longer can see that happening.

I know its early, but the ugly handwriting is on the wall. As George Brett says, "Poor starting pictching cannot be overcome with great hitting – won’t happen." 

Brett’s correct, we still stink. Maybe next year?

Nah, winning is a culture we just don’t have in KC other than the Kansas Jayhawks.

So bad, so sad.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 62 Comments

Hearne: Old Age Reaches New Highs, Lows with 91 Year-Old Walt Bodine & 104 Year-Old Judge

A pair of stories making the rounds today has to make you wonder about the sanctity of youth…

That august Kansas City radio talk show host Walt Bodine of public radio station KCUR FM is retiring is one thing. Bodine’s 91 and the awful truth is management’s been counting the days, waiting for him to bail for probably 20 years. And as significant as Bodine’s contributions have been, his retirement is long overdue.

And that’s just the tip of today’s Really Old Dudes iceberg.

The story that gets me – really gets me – is about the slimy dude who helped his wife scam KU for all those basketball tickets ($2 million worth that they know of) appealing his 46-month sentence from a year back.

That’s right, former KU athletic department consultant Thomas Blubaugh wants his sentence reduced to 33 months. He’s in the slammer in Oklahoma and thinks the sentencing judge relied too heavily on heresay.

Now the kicker…

Blubaugh’s sentencing judge was a 104 year-old Kansas man by the name of Wesley E. Brown.

Turns out Brown was the longest serving federal judge, oldest federal judge still hearing cases and the oldest dude to serve as a federal judge in the history of this country when he checked out on January 23rd.

This guy was probably rolling his own cigarettes when Bodine was still in diapers.

Check out this six year-old photo of Brown on Wikipedia. Below it, it says: "No higher resolution available."

No higher resolution indeed – this guys high school picture was probably in pen and ink.

But enough about Brown and the KU ticket scandal – back to Bodine.

I’ll never forget – nor will a certain KCUR general manager by the name of Patricia Cahill – the day in 1996 when she told the world Bodine was history.

It was 16 years ago then that the Star trotted out a largely pro-Bodine, front-page story about his axing.

"KCUR-FM calls a quick ending for the dean of KC broadcasting’s radio show," read the partial headline.

"He was told after completing his one-hour show Monday and before undergoing outpatient eye surgery that his contract would not be renewed and that `The Walt Bodine Show’ had been canceled," it reads.

Bodine’s take at the time: “It came as a total shock to me.”

The story noted that Bodine had been legally blind since the mid-1970s and that "several sources close to Bodine and the station, who declined to be identified, said the quality of his show had declined in recent years (and) he was often ill-prepared to interview high-profile guests."

Despite which the local media beatdown of Cahill was so intense she nearly had a nervous breakdown and Bodine was rehired.

“The venom that I hear on the answering machine from the messages that we’ve got at the station – it scares me, it’s so mean,”  Cahill told me at the time. “And people are so quick to judge without knowing all of the details. And that scares me in a way, too. ” 

Cahill reluctantly accepted being the scapegoat for Walt’s axing but told me then it was not a one-woman decision.

Like the anonymous dudes in the front page story, Cahill would have liked to have laid down the story-behind-the-story on Bodine’s firing but…

"I can’t,” she told me. “It is not possible for everyone to know everything that happened … because it’s a personnel matter, it’s a confidential matter. ”

As for Bodine not being given an on-air, Goodbye Mr. Chips farewell, "People don’t say ‘Goodbye’ on the radio," Cahill told me. "They say ‘Hello’ on the radio."

Times have changed…

This time around Bodine will indeed be allowed to say goodbye on KCUR at 10 a.m. April 27th.

And as for Cahill, she’s slated to retire in June after 25 years at the station.

Her parting shot this time around: "We hope Walt will still come by the station," she told the Star. "We don’t want to lose track of Walt or to let our listeners lose track of him."

Speaking of losing track, in a perfect world, this story would have been written by Star television and media beat writer Aaron Barnhart. However, as I wrote here two months back Barnhart has been out of sight since late last year. That after previously being diagnosed with cancer that was thought to be in remission. Sources say Barnhart’s unexplained departure is thought to be health related.

All of which adds up to the one thing; it’s sucks getting old sometimes.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/15/3557209/imagine-kc-radio-without-walt.html#storylink=cpy
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Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 23 Comments

Hearne: Four Months After the Fact, Anthony Bourdain (Finally) Does KC Tonight

They seek him here, they seek him there, those foodies seek him everywhere…Is he a chef or merely a drunk, that demmed abusive Bourdain punk.

The "unrepentant" drinker, smoker and cusser of bad words Anthony Bourdain hit KC last December, mixing business with hedonism – playing the Midland downtown (courtesy of former KU concert king turned theater bigshot Steve Traxler) – and working up a future show about what Kansas City that airs tonight at 8 p.m. on the Travel Channel.

Look for it to be part not-so-fine dining expereinces and part and drunken expedition. With The Black Keys tagging along for the ride. And as KCC reported last year he hit BB’s Lawnside BBQ and Stroud’s, to name two. He also reportedly polished off a a raucous post-Midland wilding at the Cigar Box downtown.

But since nobody around these parts I know of stalked him, the specifics of Bourdain’s local tour shall largely remain nameless until tonight other than to say he told a gathering of kickass local chefs and foodies like Michael Smith that he loved Oklahoma Joe’s.

That said, here’s a mix of Bourdain’s front and backstage comments and asides as a tuneup for tonight’s show. I’d lay down a few more, but you try reading my scribbled-in-the-dark notes from last year.

On the Iron Chef"Do you like that show? I hate that show. I like the Japanese version – I love the dubbing."

On Man v. Food show’s Adam Richman..."I like him, but the show concept I’m a little uncomfortable with. Then something about Ed Hardy Douche-wear. "Why do we watch this show? Look in your hearts, because we want him to die."

On traveling to world basically wasted and drinking…"the local beverages – we’re not alcoholics, we’re tele-fucking-professionals."

Bourdain’s nickname for the three top fast chains…"The King, the Clown and the Colonel."

On local healthy eating habits…"I’ve been here five days and cheesy corn’s about the only vegetable I’ve seen."

Most amazing political feat..."I got Ted Nugent to drink the second beer of his life. That’s a big win for me."

On growing old gracefully..."I’m a parent, sorry. Come on, who wants to see their dad rock? So I got rid of the thumb ring, earring and Ramones t-shirt. Cool is not giving a fuck, but when you have a kid, you definitely give a fuck."

In response to a set up question from an audience member trying to pimp an area high-end eatery..."Fuck Justus Drugstore."

On his wife..."She’s like a wolf. All she eats is protein. I married an Italian who will not eat pasta. I married Chuck Norris."

On a certain historic, downtown restaurant..."I’m a sentimentalist. We went to the Savoy Grill and New York restaurants would kill to have that room. It is awesome – you know I respect places like that."

What to expect on tonight’s show…"We’ve been here shooting for a week and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and disturbed by what we’ve found."

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 7 Comments

Donnelly: Sporting Passes Big Test, Stays Perfect With 1-0 Win Over Real Salt Lake

It’s official.

Sporting Kansas City is killing it. No, we don’t need to get into the whole "Sporting is the best pro team rght now in Kansas City" thing,  because that undermines the legitmacy of MLS soccer.

Let’s just call it like it is. SKC are 6-0, have sold out 3 of 4 home games, and have allowed one goal this whole season- and that was off a set piece as a result of a horrible call from the ref.

This past Saturday’s game at LIVESTRONG against Real Salt Lake was one that most considered a likely preview of the MLS Cup Final. Fittingly, the atmosphere was electric, as everyone’s now come to expect.

When it was all said and done, Sporting Kansas City remained perfect at 6-0, though they did finally allow a shot on goal for the first time in 335 minutes.

Allegedly.

"The header at the end was actually offside," commented KC boss Peter Vermes of RSL’s only "shot on goal" that came near the end of regulation. "They actually did not get a shot on goal."

Though the season is young, Sporting Kansas City of the Eastern Conference and Real Salt Lake of the West have both already established themselves as the class of the league, along with New York and Seattle.

When the game started the respect that both squads have for each other was apparent right off the bat, with some cagey play to begin while the two sides felt each other out. Sporting seemed content to just sit back and keep their shape, guarding against any initial rush that Salt Lake might bring.

The opening was so tentative in fact, that KC’s playmaker Graham Zusi had barely even touched the ball until about ten minutes in.

But KC started looking like their old selves around the 22nd minute mark, keeping the ball and knocking it around. They also began pressing a bit higher than they were at the beginning of the game- one of their trademarks- which seemed to open the game up for both teams.

Right before halftime, KC finally broke through off a classy headball from CJ Sapong.

Or so it seemed. After CJ rose and directed a lofting header into the opposite side netting, the ref immediately disallowed the goal for an alleged shove.

Replays showed that the Salt Lake player either tripped or took a dive, and Sapong barely even made contact. At halftime, boos rained down upon the ref, who up to that point had called a very consistent game.

Early on in the second half, KC was back on the front foot, though both teams were creating a little bit. Crazily, KC earned 9 corners in the first half, and 4 or 5 more in the first twenty minutes of the second half. Those kind of numbers are fairly unheard of.

 And it was ultimately a corner that KC used in the 63rd minute to finally get on the board. Wild Frenchman Aurelien Collin rose up and connected at the far corner of the six-yard box virtually unmarked to bulge the back of the net right in front of a cheering Cauldron to put the boys in blue up 1-0.

Sporting nearly cashed in another corner 10 minutes later, but Salt Lake keeper Nick Rimando made a fantastic sprawling save and punched the ball off the line.

After the ref blew the final whistle it was obvious the weight that the Sporting players and coaching staff felt with this game, fists pumping and hugs all around. Everyone lingered on the field longer than usual, which may have been what prompted one overzealous fan to jump the barrier and get taken down immediately by a couple cops, who threw the guy into the goal, tangling him in the net like a flopping fish.

Again, KC simply outworked their opponent and efforted themselves into a win. 

"I don’t think that I’ve seen anything like that before in my life," said White Puma Jimmy NIelsen. "That’s credit to the whole organization and the team. Our defense starts with C.J., and if he’s in good position, he’s making the midfielders’ job easy. And if the midfielders’ job is easy, that makes the defenders’ job easy. And if the defense is in good position, it makes my job very, very easy."

And the defense has been golden so far.

"I’ll put us two up against anyone in the league right now," said Matt Besler of his partnership with fellow center defender Collin. "Our team is very confident, especially our back four. He’s been great all season."

 

Posted in Sporting_Kansas_City | Tagged | 6 Comments

New Jack City: ‘Twi Hards’ Reshoot Update

There’s no denying it…
 
The TWILIGHT saga has been hugely successful with its fan base.
 
How successful?
 
The first Twilight back in 2008 had nearly $192,800,000 in domestic ticket sales.

One year later NEW MOON shattered the original’s take with a boxoffice total of $296,600,000 plus. Then
ECLIPSE during the summer of 2010 broke the $300 million mark.
 
And then came last year’s BREAKING DAWN-PART 1. Not only did it garner some of the worst reviews from the critics, but its boxoffice take fell to $281,287,000.
 
BREAKING DAWN 1 was directed by Bill Condon who’s also doing the franchise’s final chapter—BREAKING DAWN-PART 2—set for release on November 16th.
 
Read whatever you want into what follows.
 
Deadline Hollywood reports that Condon and some of the Twilighters are heading back to Vancouver for some reshoots, pick up shots and additional technical work.

Here’s part of what Condon posted on Facebook about his fine tuning of the final chapter:

"Our part two puzzle is finally coming into full view and in a few weeks we’ll be heading back north to pick up some additional shots—the last tiny missing pieces.
 
"We’re not shooting any new scenes or dialogue, just some technical work with some of our cast and stunt actors.
 
"Before too long we’ll have another trailer for you to decode. And wait until you see the first posters—they’re unlike any TWILIGHT images you’ve seen before…"
 
Should we be reading anything (serious) into the announced reshoots?

That would depend on whether you believe in black helicopters, I guess.

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | 4 Comments

Glazer: They Said It Couldn’t Be Done, but Nick Wright is The Man in Sports Radio

A year ago there were some questions from some of you oldsters about would Nick Wright make or even to be on the air in a year or two?

Remember?

I wrote several times, not only would he be on the air in KC – that is if ESPN didn’t grab him – he’d be THE MAN, in local sports talk radio. And, guess what?

Step aside, naysayers because, a year later, Nick is THE sports guy in Kansas City, no argument.

610 Sports and Entercom, has built their ENTIRE day around Nick. "That’s Wright."  He comes on any show he wishes, just about whenever he wants too, day or night. When a big scoop occurs, it’s Nick to the mic, baby. Anytime, anywhere.

He’s talked about daily by all the other on air guys at 610, Bob Fescoe, Danny Parkins, Josh Klingler, Carrington Harrison, and Nick’s gang…Mark Carman and Jared Carter.

Yep, Nick is the go to guy on sports in KC pretty much. And 810, you wonder, what is their position? While the unofficial numbers show them as leading here and there, it’s kinda not true. Those radio surveys are somewhat bogus to begin with.

WHB, led by Soren Petro and Kevin Kietzman, are becoming the Mike Murphy‘s of sports radio. In other words, tired, yesterday’s news.

Now Mike had a damn nice career, but in the last few years was a geezer guy – meaning older listeners, not at all hip, etc. That often happens as guys get towards the end of the line in broadcasting. "Same old noise" – or so it seems.

Nick has become the No. 2 man in the building at Entercom, trailing only Johnny Dare in power today.

Dare has ‘building power" – something Nick is moving towards. He has sway over things that happen in general around Entercom is what that means.

Wright’s co-stars talk, well, kinda in some awe of him.

They say he has a big ego, is kinda a know it all and  is wrong on his sports picks, but he’s still the king.

And they are all under his watch. Yes, Nick pokes fun at Jarad and Mark, his on air crew, and often makes some insulting comments about other day part guys. All of this to effect his "personality" to the station.

AND IT’S WORKING.

Wright is a graduate of Syracuse University with honors.

Considered one of the top media colleges in the nation. Wright started with 610 in 2007, he did 6-9pm, then 9-11am and now he has the cherry spot for sports radio in KC at 2-6pm.

Wright’s career seemed to take off to the top when he interviewed Jason Whitlock two years ago about Jason leaving the Star and KC completely.

Whitlock still makes on-air visits with Nick every now and again. In fact Nick’s guest list is impressive and modern from Sam The Man Mellinger at the Star to every big time, online sports site writer in the nation. And of course, all the name sports stars from KC and beyond.

Nick had the inside track with former Chiefs Coach Todd Haley. Hey, the guy’s smart, fast and on the money.

I used to go on as a a guest Nick’s first couple years and I enjoyed it. But now he’s all about HIS trademark and HIS crew.

Hey, it works. Nick is THE sports guy in KC today.

Even the Pitch had him "Sports Personality of The Year" in one of those otherwise bogus "best of" issues.

Make way for the new King of Sports in Kansas City and his name ain’t Whitlock, it’s "What’s Wright With Nick Wright"

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 67 Comments

Hearne: Yeah We’re Fat, So Rank Us

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.

Personally, I don’t put much stock in these "reports." Fittest, fattest, best place to raise kids, start a family, retire, party – the list is endless. The way I view them is as contrived means for magazine’s like Men’s Fitness to bolster flagging readership and sales by working up phony formulas that they know will get picked up, reported and discussed by local newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations.

Instant PR.

Aside from the contrived hype, it’s not like there’s zero basis for reaching some of these conclusions. Take Men’s Health‘s 2010 ranking of KC as the country’s 6th fattest city…

You needn’t go much farther than the Plaza to support that case, but have you been to Topeka lately?

And after spending a few days wandering around Chicago I can see where Mancow’s coming from. The sidewalks are crawling with people of every age and stripe here, who with rare exception appear far skinnier that the people we see waddling about in KC.

So yeah, from my observations there are far fewer women of great weight roaming the streets of Chicago than Kansas City. It’s fairly obvious.

That said, after assigning an F to Kansas City in fattness, Chicago barely eeked out a D from Men’s Health, coming in as 22nd fattest. Frankly, I don’t get it?

Most of the fat people I see in Chicago here look like they’re from out-of-town.

Like from Kansas City or Topeka.

Or that state I rambled through on the way here – what’s it called? – oh yeah, Iowa.

You can’t get much fatter than Iowa. Yet the only city out of like 100 to move Men’s Fitness’s Fat Meter was Des Moines with a C- and in 39th place.

Look, I just have one question:

Who is Men’s Health trying to kid with these bogus rankings?

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 22 Comments

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….

"Let’s talk about radio," Mancow says. "It’s a mess. Look, I’m the best buggy whip maker there is. Everybody’s afraid. The Internet’s the new shiny toy and the writing’s on the wall. People in radio aren’t making money. Thankfully, I’ve already made my money."

Mancow returns to KC a time or three a year for Gates Bar-B-Q, dinner at the Savoy (the old ways die hard) and the odd canoe misadvernture. But the longer he’s away, the less likely his one-time dream of returning and running a small radio station with his brother becomes.

"I just don’t think I can come back," he says. "Ive been gone too long."

Then – out of the clear blue sky – Mancow hits me with The Question:

"Are you shocked by how big the women in Kansas City are?," he asks. "They are so huge. When I was a kid going to Southwood Elementary in Raytown, we all made fun of the one fat kid. Now I would imagine, they all make fun of the one skinny kid."

 

On the conspiracy front, Mancow addressed the recent death of his friend, conservative political commentator Andrew Breitbart.

Breitbart checked out March 1st at the ripe, young age of 43 on the day he was to have released a huge story that would have rocked the Obama presidency. After his death a story was posted on Breitbart’s Web site revealing "Obama’s love for far-Left radical Saul Alinsky" and the world collectively yawned.

That wasn’t the story Breitbart planned to release that day, Mancow says.

Mancow’s take on Breitbart’s death:

"He was murdered. We were working on a TV show and I talked to him every day and he told me he had information that was going to bring down Obama. He kept saying, March 1st, March 1st. And he died on the day he was going to bring it out, on March 1st. He died at (something like) 2 a.m. – he went for a walk and died of natural causes.

"I’ll tell you what’s suspicious about this. Stars die all the time of obvious things, and we’re not allowed to say anything until the coroner’s report. But this guy dies of natural causes and case closed."

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 21 Comments

Starbeams: The Top 5 Signs You’re a Royals Fan

THE TOP 5 SIGNS YOU’RE A ROYALS FAN:

#5. You’re legally blind but you can still read the scoreboard.

#4.  Every time you pass a fountain you stop and look for the other team’s ball.

#3.  You make fun of Cardinals fans for wearing camouflage while you’re wearing powder blue.

#2.  You’re really more into public drinking than you are baseball.

#1.  You only get loud when you see hot dogs racing.

Kelly Urich hosts the morning show on The Point 99.7 FM

Posted in Starbeams | Tagged | 1 Comment

Leftridge: Yost Must Keep Broxton in Check, Even if Broxton Threatens to “Yokozuna” Him

It’s easy to overreact. It’s easy to look at the Kansas City Royals’ just-concluded West-coast trip and think that the sky is falling. It’s both upsetting for the fans and demoralizing for the players to leave Wednesday evening from Oakland thinking that the team should easily be 4-2 instead of 3-3.

Game 3 against the A’s was in the bag. After taking the lead in the 12th, the Royals watched their dream slip away like so much bacon-wrapped-sausage sliding down Broxton’s gullet.

Closer Jonathan Broxton, that is.

When the behemoth took the mound in the bottom of the inning, however, it didn’t feel good. Perhaps I’m conditioned by so many nervous hours spent watching Mike MacDougal’s hat fly across the infield as he uncorked a wild pitch in the bottom of the 9th; maybe I’m still troubled by nightmares of an aging, incompetent Roberto Hernandez laboring his way through yet another blown save. Whatever the case, it felt blown as soon as it began.

You already know the rest. 

 An error by normally-dependable shortstop Alcides Escobar. Two walks by the Gargantuan. A Coco Crisp (Hey! Hi Coco! Remember us?!) ground-out that brought in the tying run.

And then, history. Back-to-back hit batters to end the game.

First, the “as-phenomenal-as-advertised” Yeonis Cespedes (who gave an icy glare after the plunking; really, dipshit? You think that was intentional?) and then the “never-as-good-as-advertised” Jonny Gomes (somebody stole your “H,” bro!).

The Gomes HBP ended the game, and landed Broxton an ill piece of history: the first pitcher to “accomplish” such a “feat” since 1966. Somewhere (likely in an assisted living facility in Massachusetts), Stu Miller—the last man to lose in such irregular fashion—is laughing manically… it doesn’t matter that it’s at a gravy stain on his pants or possibly at the antics of an invisible clown at his bedside—just know that he’s laughing. 

But I’m not.

And the several thousand other Royals fans across the world aren’t, either.

Because you shouldn’t LOSE games like this. As a young, inexperienced team who learns on the fly, this is a particularly sorrowful lump of shit to spoon down. It tastes like grease from fried fat-back, and hot-dogs stuffed into the crust of a pizza, and misery, and years of disappointment.

Therefore, I’m imploring Ned Yost to keep a tight-leash on Broxton.

You give him a month of save opportunities, max. If he manages to blow two saves within that period—and they needn’t be consecutive, either—you slide his ass down the depth chart. You’ve got two suitable replacements in Greg Holland and Aaron Crow, ol’ Neddy Boy. Don’t end up looking like an idiot.

If he succeeds, you keep running (briskly walking?) him out there.

Broxton’s a big boy (TWO REGULAR PLAYERS CAN FIT IN HIS PANTS! LOOK!), and he can take it. He’s been around long enough to know that it’s business, never personal, and if he loses his spot because of ineffectiveness, he’s got no one but himself to blame.

(He’s been there before, too. After a rocky second-half of the 2010 season closing for the Dodgers, he lost his gig to Hong-Chih Kuo. That’s right, THAT Hong-Chih Kuo).

I want two things this year: an exciting Royals season full of growth and encouraging results (I’m not going to get stupid and demand a postseason—not yet), and to complete this time machine I’ve been working on so I can go back to 1978 and make sweet, sweet love to Thelma Evans from Good Times.

The latter is coming along nicely. I’ll be damned if I let Jonathan Broxton fuck up the former.
 

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 3 Comments

Jack Goes Confidential: ‘The Three Stooges’—A Knuckleheaded Misadventure That Works—for GUYS

Let’s be completely upfront…
 
There are chick flicks that lend themselves very well to Girls Night Out movies. Like next week’s THE LUCKY ONE with Zac Efron from the pen of The Notebook’s Nicholas Sparks.
 
THE THREE STOOGES doesn’t fall into that catagory.
 
Matter of fact, I would suggest a Boy’s Night Out here with a couple of drinks and a cigar before meeting up with Larry, Moe & Curly at the megaplex.
 
It’s a guy thing.
 
The Three Stooges churned out nearly 200 shorts between 1934 and 1959 and found a whole new life on TV—and they’re still banging each other over the head on cable.
 
Enter fans since childhood, Peter and Bobby Farrelly who, when it comes to comedies, march to the cinematic beat of a different drummer.

Who can forget their DUMB & DUMBER, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, KINGPIN, ME, MYSELF & IRENE, SHALLOW HAL or STUCK ON YOU?
 
Well, they’ve taken the Stooges concept—sound effects and all—and built a present-day, PG-rated storyline around it. A three act play of sorts of how as toddlers they were left on the doorsteps of an orphanage and taken in by a nun.

And now, all grown up (so to speak), helping to save their childhood home from being forced to close its doors forever. Along the way bruised, battered and bewildered and becoming embroiled in an oddball murder plot. It’s pure slapstick.
 
But who to cast in the roles of the Three Stooges?
 
Through the pre-production era of the film names such as Jim Carrey, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe were being tossed around. But when everything was said and done the Farrelly Brothers instead went for lesser known names and faces.
 
And that’s a good thing!
 
In the three starring roles we find Sean Hayes from ‘Will & Grace’ as Larry. Curly’s played by Will Sasso from ‘Mad TV’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother’ while Moe’s clone in the movie is ’24’ and ‘Up All Night’s’ Chris Diamantopoulos.
 
They’re supported by the likes of Jane Lynch as Mother Superior, Jennifer Hudson, Craig Bierko, Brian Doyle-Murray as Monsignor Ratcliffe, Kate Upton, Stephen Collins and Larry David as mean-spirited Sister Mary-Mengele—not to mention a touch of Reality TV stardom for Moe who stumbles into Jersey Shore, taking on The Situation, Snooki and the rest of MTV’s misfits.
 
There are plenty of twists, turns and goofy setups along the way that will have you laughing out loud.
 
Did I mention my suggestion of drinks before the show? SOITENLY!
Make this a Two Drink Minimum movie.
 
Oh and just before the end-credits roll, a couple of hunks claiming to be Peter and Bobby Farrelly come on screen with a violence disclaimer of sorts—explaining how the Stooges’ weapons in the film were in fact just rubber substitutes.

Kinda like, Don’t Play With Matches, Kids – just another (almost) politically correct infusion from the wacky Farrelly’s.
 
Ninety-two, non-stop minutes of laffs with THE THREE STOOGES raising 3 out of 5 nostalgic fingers.

JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES Friday mornings at 6:40 a.m. on NewsRadio KMBZ Am & Fm and anytime on Time-Warner Cable’s K.C. ON DEMAND, Channel 411.

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | 16 Comments

Starbeams: Santorum’s Titanic, Christie’s Belly Blast, KCPD’s Donuts & Royals Boulevard Bullpen

Rick Santorum drops his bid to become Republican nominee on the anniversary of the Titanic leaving Southampton.  Coincidence?

*******

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said the U.S. is full of people "sitting on the couch, waiting for their next government check."

Then his belt buckle exploded and injured a reporter on the front row….who went home and waited for a government check.

*******

KCPD settled a lawsuit for $1 million. The 2007 case involved an officer who had a diabetic reaction after eating a donut.  He began firing his gun and accidentally hit a truck driver.  In his defense, the donut was delicious.

*******

Moveover, InBev and Miller CoorsBoulevard Beer will be available in the stands at Kauffman Stadium.  Boulevard has even purchased a giant sign on the Hall of Fame building in left field. This is incredibly convenient when you order Boulevard Wheat because the Royals bullpen can provide plenty of lemons.

Kelly Urich hosts the morning show on The

Posted in Starbeams | Tagged | 1 Comment

Sounds Good: Leftover Salmon@Liberty Hall, Leon Russell@Knuckleheads, Quixotic@Midland, Cults@Granada, School of Seven Bells@RiotRoom

I know I’ve said it before, but this week’s Sounds Good has something for everyone. 

OK, maybe not the sluts and motorheads. But the jocks, geeks, dweebies and dickheads are all covered. 

First up is a nice happy Thursday night show in Lawrence to get your weekend off right, featuring a storied band that plays what the kids call "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass."  They’ve been on an extended break since the death of their banjo player and founding member Mark Vann at way too young an age – 39. 

But they’re back and rejuvinated with a youngster, Andy Thorn, filling in admirably and providing some new life to the band…. 

Thursday, April 12th

Leftover Salmon w/ The Infamous Stringdusters at Liberty Hall in Lawrence

Leftover is a longtime heavyweight of the bluegrass scene, and is probably more responsible than any other similar act for the genre’s crossover into the jamband thing that exploded in the 90s.   They formed in 1989 in Boulder, and were one of the first to incorporate drums into the traditional string band setup.

I remember seeing them many times in Colorado in the early ‘00s at the Fillmore in Denver and at the ice rink in Vail, among others.  They often paired with the String Cheese Incident and were a huge draw at that time, luring out the massive dreadlock and beard crowd with their slamgrass mash up of rock and country.   

Their best, and perhaps best-known album is 1999’s The Nashville Sessions.  The record featured big-timers like Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Widespread Panic’s John Bell, Blues Traveler’s John Popper, Earl Scruggs, Waylon Jennings and Lucinda Williams.

And they have a new record coming out soon, their first in about 8 years, entitled Aquatic Hitchhiker.  It’s scheduled to drop on May 22nd and it’s the band’s first ever album of all original material.  Definitely count on hearing a bunch of the new stuff at Liberty Hall on Thursday, along with a ton of their old fan favorites.  Like Yonder Mountain, these guys aren’t afraid to play till their fingers bleed or the beer runs out. 

Friday, April 13th
 

Leon Russell w/ Trampled Under Foot at Knuckleheads in KC

Behind the long white hair and beard, and underneath the trademark cowboy hat sits Leon Russell, Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famer.  He’s been around the block a time or two (thousand), but at 70 years old, he’s still getting after it.  His most recent album, not counting several “best of” releases, is 2010’s The Union, a collaboration with Elton John that was nominated for a Grammy.

My personal favorite album, though, is the classic Leon Russell & The Shelter People that included some sweet swinging takes on several Dylan tunes as well as the Russell classic Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen.  Come to think of it, I’m going to Spotify that album right now, it’s been awhile.    

Living legend?  Yep.  I know that phrase is thrown out there way too much by us music critic folks, but it’s really apt in this instance.  

   
 

Saturday, April 14th
 

Quixotic Fusion at the Midland in KC

Aerial acrobatics?  Check.  Blistering break beats?  Check.  Seizure inducing lighting?  Check.

Sounds interesting right?  Check out my article about this up and coming KC performance troupe for more info, then get your ass to the Midland on Saturday. 

That is all.  
 

Cults at the Granada in Lawrence

If Pitchfork likes this NYC indie pop band (and they really, really do) then you have one of two options.  You either jump on the bandwagon of hipster-dom and get those neon pink sunglasses.  Or you up the ante and go uber-hipster on their asses by declaring that Pitchfork is no longer cool and has become the new Rolling Stone.  Leave it to a hipster to tell other hipsters that being a hipster isn’t cool anymore.  That’s soooo hipster.   

So what’ll it be?
 

 

Sunday, April 15th
 

School of Seven Bells at the RiotRoom in KC

Having just released their third full length album entitled Ghostory on Vagrant Records, this duo has set out on a national tour that includes smallish venues, a bit smaller than what I would have expected for a band that’s garnered quite a bit of hype along the way.  I know what you want to know before you even ask: yes, Pitchfork likes these guys.  There, now make your decision.

The group plays an airy-shoe-gazey-ethereal blend of electronic sounds mixed with guitar and floating lyrics, and is apparently bringing along some friends for the road, according to guitarist Benjamin Curtis.  In an interview with Stereogum he said, “Well it’s a little different now, we’ve got drums, bass, and another friend of ours playing keys and singing backup, so it’s a bigger band than we’ve ever had. It’s cool and I’m loving having all the musicians on stage. It’s such a great sound.”

And of the new album he said, “I guess we wanted to have this energy happening, like you see when there is a big, awesomely tight rock band just really rocking. I guess people in different worlds take that sound for granted. We’ve played with so many kinds of bands, including lots of electronic musicians who I love but rarely kind of capture that kind of “big” sound live. I like to see a band interacting and just killing it onstage, rather than going to a show in Brooklyn and seeing a kid stand behind a computer and not really feeling it.”

 

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 5 Comments

Glazer: America’s Insatiable Appetite for (Sports) Destruction

Are they witch hunts half the time? Of course…

There are so many sports scandals in the news today, you can’t keep up. They’re daily – hourly at times. Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino got dumped after totally rebuilding the football program. Petrino took his team to a Cotton Bowl win over K-State and a No. 5 ranking last season.

So the guy has a 25 year-old hottie on the back of his bike, crashes, gets cut up, tries to shut up the embarrassment, can’t, gets FIRED. Yes, he was cheating on his wife. Yes, 10 or 20 years ago this would have been swept under the carpet with no press or a watered down version of the story coming out. But today, it’s big News. Why?

Because we’re hungry to see the BIG DOGS FALL

Sean Payton and Greg Williams are toasted for looking the other way while their players got paid to try and hurt the other teams guys. In fact Williams gave a long, loud speech to his team on that very subject. It was recorded for a film.

Payton out for the year, Williams likely will get a job in a year or two, but in the college ranks.

Has this been going on for years? You bet. Every team was doing it, so we are told. Payton and Williams with others including coaches and players will be made examples of.

We all know how well that works.

Poor Tiger Woods. I was listening to 610 Sports on the way home from work after the Masters. The late night national guy on the station said,"Worst fall from grace in sports history – Woods is done – he is lost. He’s a loser."

WTF?

I thought he just won a tournament a not too long ago? He’s done? Oh, because he got upset at the Masters and acted UPSET. Yeah, he was a bit of a crybaby. Worst fall from grace? Hello, did you miss out on Mike Tyson‘s rape conviction that sent him to prison for six years?

And how about Michael Vick? Tyson went to effing prison. Sorry Nick Wright, you mentioned once that Vick did some real time, behind a wall, in a cell.

But Vick was in a camp, never in a cell, never in any danger.

Oh yeah, Vick tortured little animals and ran a huge gambling concern. Lets give him a year or so in camp – hey, he’s still a great draw, lets bring him back. Sorry Greg Williams, you ain’t no Michael Vick, you’re done.

My favorite is O.J. Simpson.

OJ’s the one who started all this sports-drama, scandal mess we’re in today.

A few of these like Vick and the covered-up dope case of Sam Hurd are for real. Most are simply media witchhunts. Who did I forget?  Oh yeah, Brett Favre, Kobe, Big Ben and Joe Paterno. Who can keep up?

So what have we learned from this house of cards?

That the public likes to build up a star like Favre or Tyson just to watch them fall.

No, you say? You mean, you believe only a couple guys in baseball take steroids? Just Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and one or two others. Lets put Clemens in jail! He lied to the grand jury, hell he lied to congress! Right? We’ll set an example.

Take  OJ Simpson, who it’s been rumored confessed everything to Oprah – "Yes I killed her in self defense."

We all know what a badass Nicole Simpson must have been. And don’t forget Ron Goldman – they must have been a tag team.

Yes, we enjoy the rise and the fall. Why? Because most of us don’t get a shot at the golden ring.

Making millions of dollars a year playing or coaching sports. These men become living Gods. Wine, women and fun are all theirs for the taking. Or so it seems. The rest of us have to pay bills, take maybe one vacation a year, and end our careers with just a few bucks.

Hell Ryan Leaf went through millions before he ended up in a one bedroom dump apartment addicted to pills and lord knows what else.

"WHERE’S MINE?"

Now we don’t all feel this way. Most of us just enjoy the games, want our teams to win for hometown pride etc. Hell, we even buy the jersey’s with our guy’s name on them. How queer is that?

The answer to all this: We all know the example thing never works.

"Mister Wilson, I can’t let you leave this court without punishment, you did cross the white line and we just can’t have that in Johnson County. An example must be made. One hundred dollar fine and fifty dollar court cost!"

Yep, that’ll fix things.

The answer’s simple: Education.

Most athletes rarely see a classroom. Not the ones going pro. Sure there are a few but not many.

College, even high schools, need to have mandatory classes on handling investments, buying a home, how not rush into a marriage. Simply classes on REAL LIFE. Even special ones for men and women who are thinking of going into pro sports.

Everything from agents and managers to what is a C.D..The NFL has a ‘Group Class’ for handling money.  By then its kinda too late, "They ain’t listening."

If you’re a pro and want to stay out of all this noise…STAY HOME!

Rent some movies. Bowl. Don’t get married. Only take your lady out to eat and be home by nine. Save your money for retirement from sports. Get ONE nice car, one nice apartment or condo and just CHILL. Oh yeah, don’t drink or do drugs.

On second thought, nevermind, we need the noise.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 10 Comments

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 StarsConcert 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?

"This is not a new thing, this has been going on for years and years," says Steamboat Arabia main man David Hawley. "It’s just gotten worse. You know, the speakers have gotten bigger and bigger and they have to bring them in on big trucks now."

In the early days of City market shows, a stage one fourth the size of the ones in use in recent years backed directly up Hawley’s museum.

"Then they moved it around 1998 or 1999," Hawley says. "As I’ve told people, if you can hear them, we can work around that, but if you can feel them, then we have a problem. But they (say they) need the sound pressure levels to drive the intensity. Last October is when the concrete fell out of our ceiling."

That was at the Death Cab for Cutie concert.

"They had a good time," Hawley says. "Although they didn’t have too many people. Some of the shows have had as many as nine or ten-thousand people.

"But you know, the sound engineers cater to the bands and when the band says, ‘Crank it up,’ they do – that’s their job. And our job is to protect what we do. And (the City Market) said, ‘Well Dave, let’s just insure it for you.’ But accepting insurance, for us to agree to that is like saying, ‘It’s okay to break things as long as we get paid for them.’ And that’s notm our position. We’re not a big organization supported by a big foundation or anything – it’s just us and the people who come to see us."

And hey, how do you insure the Mona Lisa?

When it’s gone, it’s gone – some things just can’t be replaced by a pile of cash.

"You know if we were the Nelson, we wouldn’t be having this discussion," Hawley says. "Somebody wouldn’t be glueing down the Chinese dishwhere, the concerts would stop."

Contrary to rumors, Hawley and the museum has not taken legal action against the City Market over the dispute.

"We told them we would hire an attorney to protect the collection if we have to," Hawley says. "They told me on Good Friday, they’ve got to get this done by that day or Monday and I told them if we have to, I would lawyer up. And I told them that a month ago. I can’t have things breaking here and if I have to I would lawyer up.

"They sent some engineers over here last November and again two weeks ao, but we’ve not seen that report yet."

Hawley things the City Market has more than enough fair warning and time to move the event to a city-owned park just to the east or to Richard Berkley Park on the river where the Irish almost drowned a handful of years back.

"You know, if you want to do it,then jump in and do iit," Hawley says. "There’s nother easy about digging up steamboats either, but you can’t expect a business like ours to be okay with havng your things damaged and broken just so they can do a few concerts."

Hawley as almost last to learn his landlord was poised to cancel the concert series, after City Market sent out a press release yesterday in the middle of the local 6 p.m. news.

"I didn’t hear about it until I got a call from Channel 9 News that they had called the season," he says. "I didn’t get the email because they’re upset with me."

And Hawley feels bad for other City market businesses that will miss out on some selling opportunities.

"I know and I feel bad about that," he says. "But I don’t think they would want to see us lose our collection."

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