Starbeams: THE TOP 5 WAYS TO KEEP A GORILLA CONTAINED @ KC ZOO

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

The Great Gorilla Escape from the Kansas City Zoo has been blamed on a failure to lock two cage doors.
 
THE TOP 5 WAYS TO KEEP A GORILLA CONTAINED:
 
#5.  Inform him that a dangerous man is on the loose in Swope Park.
 
#4.  Tell him you’re working a deal to get him on the roof for a Toyotathon.
 
#3.  Ask him to explain why the apes on "Planet of the Apes" had English accents.
 
#2.  Tell him to eventually type the complete works of Shakespeare.
 
#1.  Gorilla Glue.

Kelly Urich is the morning show host on The Point 99.7 FM

Posted in Starbeams | Tagged | 3 Comments

Entree News: Esquina Reopens, Will No. 5 be a Winner for Locker Room & Eat at Fuzzy’s

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

Chef Robert Krause‘s restaurant Esquina in downtown Lawrence closed a couple weeks back…

Supposedly for a makeover and conversion from Esquina’s "Latin American" cuisine to Mediterranean or as some staffers indicated, Italian.

Loosely translated: No more more chips and salsa, a new menu and a "new interior."

Esquina reopened a few days ago, somewhat surprisingly sans a name change.

It’s still called Esquina, which technically works with its description of the new menu:

"Come experience the flavors of the Mediterranean with a Spanish flair! Esquina features a sophisticated menu
in an intimate, unique setting now with full table service and an expanded wine list."

The Italian menu talk is another matter.

Outside of the Pan Con tomate and Olives starters, the Paella entree, Scallop Ceviche, Pellegrino Sparkling Water and a couple deserts, Esquina’s new menu retains enough Spanish influence to warrant keeping the name.

The question being, will the new decor and menu changes be bold enough to attract the customers Esquina could not?

*******

The Locker Room opened on Saturday Feb 18th.

The location formerly operated as Freddy T’s, Billy B’s, Liverpool, and Afrobeat. It’s still on 99th and Holmes. Good luck with that much cursed location.

*******

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop opened January 26th at 101st and Wornall.

It’s run by owner Sandy Stack and General Manager Cristina Lanham. Both with close family ties to other restaurants and bars in the Overland Park area. They’re well on their way, and Lanham told me that they do a assload of to-go orders….ha ha.

Posted in Food_and_Fashion | Tagged | 3 Comments

Hearne: Landlord OK’s Deal for New Owners to Take Over Jardine’s

Posted on February 21, 2012 by admin

Don’t look now, but the jazz club known as Jardine’s is poised to get a new lease on life…

I know, it’s been a long hard media slog since the club mostly went dark last November. But think about how long The Phoenix downtown was out of commish before new owners breathed new life into it a few years back.

Face it, it’s not like the road to fame and fortune – even in Kansas City – is paved with live jazz music.

Not by a long shot.

And given how ugly Jardine’s closing went down – an employee mutiny, musician boycott, a tabloid TV news feeding frenzy and more – it’s wonderous that in a matters of weeks, days even, the club could be back up and running under new ownership.

That’s because, according to sources, a group of potential new owners lead by Robert McCain and Joseph Fulgenzi have been greenlighted by landlord American Century to take possession of the club.

"Yeah, I talked to ’em last night," says Jardine’s founder Greg Halstead. "And as far as I know, American Century has approved the deal and they’re meeting with attorneys today to finalize the whole thing."

A deal that would compensate Halstead for monies still owed from the sale of Jardine’s to current owner Beena Raja, retire major debt and taxes owed, compensate Raja and put Jardine’s and jazz back on the KC map.

Raja declined comment for this column.

"I hope they do very well and from a personal standpoint, I think they have the capability to make the place succeed," Halstead says. "I just hope they keep the place straight. To my understanding there’s not a gay jazz club in the United States."

Stay tuned…

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 25 Comments

Glazer: Furor Over ESPN ‘Chink’ Headline on Jeremy Lin Overblown

Posted on February 21, 2012 by admin

There’s a "Chink In the Armor" of Jeremy Lin…

ESPN had that headline up Saturday for only 35 minutes. They fired its author and suspended well-known personality Max Bretos for saying the following earlier live on the air: "If there is a chink in (Lin’s) armor, where can he improve his game?"

So is there a massive wave of racist hate towards Lin sweeping America? The answer is of course NO.

Lin’s Asian and very few Americans hate Asians.

Sure, he’s a minority and will always have some haters. If he were Latino, Jewish or a few other races, sure there’s always going to be some hate there. But these days, not so much.

The black pro athlete has that spotlight locked down today.

But Jeremy Lin is in the class by himself.

The guy’s on fire and until last night he had his team at 8-1, and beat world champs Dallas at home Sunday. By the way, Lin and crew lost to lowly New Jersey last night, though he had a decent game with 21 points.

In just two weeks Lin has shown he is a top player in the league, with all kinds of odd records for a short stint and scoring in the mid 20’s a game with 8-plus assists etc. Records for a first time starting guard in the NBA.

However its been just TWO WEEKS…

Yes, the guy is outstanding and will help make his team one of the best this season. Before Lin showed up, the Knicks were at best average, led by a wounded Carmelo Anthony who returns soon.

Suddenly the Knicks have joined Miami, Chicago, the LA Clippers, Dallas and Oklahoma City among the elite teams in the NBA. They replace the Lakers, Spurs and Boston…all aging teams falling from grace.

With Lin now the NBA is solid behind the NFL as the number two pro sport in the USA.

That’s right, ahead of baseball. TV numbers have soared.

So why the pretend hate towards Lin?

Because it makes for good media. He’s the real deal, a true Rocky. He’s a graduate of Harvard, where few athletes do well in the NBA. He’s Asian, and they usually are not hot shooting guards in the league.

Actual racist feelings remain for black pros who make millions, have little education and come from bad areas.

Murder, huge drug deals, dog torture, beating their wives….on and on. Many black athletes make millions each year and still can’t behave. So yeah, they bring out a lot of white people’s racist feelings.

Asians (outside of LA gangs) are not too caught up in big time crime. They don’t show up in the newspaper every day doing bad things. In fact, it’s rare. They’re also stereotyped as good citizens, well educated, strong in business and MATH..ha.

But we generally admire them – we don’t hate them.

Yes, I know about Vietnam and Korea, but that was a million years ago. Maybe Lin and others will set a good example for the rest of minority players in the NBA and NFL.

I hope so, but look who’s talking.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 6 Comments

New Jack City: Rolling The Dice for This Year’s Oscars

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve had so much trouble pre-picking the Oscars…

The odds for guessing the winners correctly in several big catagories Sunday are about as good as playing the slots.

Some of the major contests even have the Vegas Sports Books in a quandary.

Granted, when it comes to the top prize—Best Picture—it most likely will be coming down to between THE ARTIST and THE DESCENDANTS.
 
My pick: THE ARTIST
 
= = = = = = = = =
 
THE ARTIST’s  French director Michel Hazanavicius will also be named Best Director.
(Picture and director should—but don’t always—go hand in hand. After all, there is no picture without its director and vica versa.)
 
= = = = = = = = =
 
 
But for Best Actor, the odds are almost dead even between George Clooney for THE DESCENDANTS and Jean Dujardin in THE ARTIST.
 
Sorry George but my pick: Jean Dujardin.
 
= = = = = = = =
 
Same close contest for Best Actress where Iron Lady and (twice) past Oscar winner Meryl Streep is in a tight battle with Viola Davis of THE HELP.

Making the call here is even tougher, since Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher has already won the Golden Globe while Viola Davis as one of THE HELP(ers) recently picked up the top Screen Actors Guild award.
 
My pick: This is Viola Davis’ year.
 

= = = = = = = = = =
 
Other major catagories may have a bit less suspense going into Sunday night’s 84th edition of the Academy Awards.

Like Best Supporting Actor where Christopher Plummer (BEGINNERS)  seems to be the sentimental favorite.
 

= = = = = = = = = = = =
 
Another heated contest is brewing for Best Supporting Actress.

A threesome with THE HELP’s Octivia Spencer vs. THE HELP’s Jessica Chastain. Will they cancel each other out, leaving the Oscar to BRIDESMAID Melissa McCarthy?
I don’t think so.
 
My pick: Octivia Spencer.
 

= = = = = = = = =
 
Next to the Olympics and the World Cup, the Academy Awards is probably the third most watched TV event—worldwide.
 

And the only sure thing about Sunday night will be Billy Crystal who stepped in to host when Eddie Murphy bailed.

Come to think of it slot machines may not be that bad of a gamble after all.

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | 10 Comments

Hearne: Son Pulls Plug on Former KC Mayor’s Estate Sale, Hundreds Hung Out to Dry

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

Scratch one absolutely fabulous and historic estate sale…

Just like that, the executor of the estate of former KC Mayor Ilus W Davis and his wife, civic leader Bea Davis put the kibosh late last week on one of what would surely have been one of the grandest estate sales in recent Kansas City history.

"I was on my way over there when I got the email that it had been cancelled," says former Shawnee Councilwoman Tracy Thomas. "I was hoping to see if he had any mayoral memorabilia or maybe a copy of the Doubleday book I wrote with Walt Bodine that mentioned mayor Davis."

‘It was a helluva sale – not," says estate sale pro Kathe Kaul, who was quarterbacking the grand event. "I don’t want to say much more."

Then again…

So what happened?

"Well, the executor decide to pull back and not sell (some of) the things that were listed for sale," Kaul explains. "He wanted to retain many of the items, which is not allowed as you know…And there were 150 people waiting to get in and we had undercover and off-duty police officers and a dozen staffers."

The number of items up for grabs:

"Well, in addition to 1,300 books, I don’t know, it’s hard to say," Kaul says. "But I’d say, probably 500 other individual items that were tagged and appraised."

As for what the executor – son/author/bon vivant Chris Davis – wanted to keep, "For example, he wanted to keep the entire collection of books," Kaul says. "All 1,300 of them and we had every book open and tagged."

That after Kaul spent days and more than 100 hours researching, putting together and staging the event at the mayor’s Ward Parkway area home at 1001 West 59th Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri.

Items slated to be sold at the two day event include, "Fine 20th Century Art" like a "Pablo Picasso – Spanish/French, 1881-1973 – Femmeaux long cheveux (Franoise Gilot), lithograph…signed lower right in pencil" and Japanese artist Kikugawa Eizan‘s Five Holidays of a Green House.

"Fine Antique Furniture" ranged from a "Late 18th century Irish mahogany drop-leaf gate leg wake table, rounded rectangular single board top flanked by two hinged demilune drop leaves" to a "Tibetan polychrome pine & oak cabinet" and a "Venetian bombe chest with chinoiserie painted decoration & trompe l’oeil marble top."

Other upscale items of interest included a pair of Altec-Lansing "Voice of the Theater" A4 speakers, an "Apricot suede tuxedo loveseat" – even a "painted & silvered double bombe commode."

Double bombe…now that’s what I call toilet!

Needless to say, the list goes on and on ranging from fine jewelry, china and crystal, expensive rugs, statuary and "tribal, primitive & other collectibles."

In other words, it was HUGE!

But in the world of estate sales, Kaul says, it’s a no-no to advertise items that are not for sale.

"Not when those items were the things people came in for," she explains.

Kaul’s take on getting her world rocked and the sale torpedoed 15 minutes prior to opening?

"Oh, I’m disappointed," she says diplomatically. "But you know, I have other sales coming up and they’ll be good sales and I know I operated with integrity. Nobody was mad at me, but they were quite disturbed it was cancelled at the last minute. And some of them had driven in 150 miles and other waited two or three hours for it to begin."

Davis was reportedly in California, preparing to be married this week and could not be reached.

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 10 Comments

Glazer: Scribe Plunks Down His 8 Bucks, Picks Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Winners

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

What started as a few pages of pretty girls in swimming suits a few decades back is now is the biggest selling Sports Illustrated issue of the year…

The entire mag is dedicated to beautiful women in small pieces of clothing.

I find it odd that a sports rag’s biggie of the year is always semi-nude ladies. Why not just buy Playboy and see everything? In fact, many of the girls over the years from S.I. end up nude in Playboy or other zines.

Hey, I’m guilty too. I was in my favorite Quick Trip the other day, S.I. had just come out, I saw the cover and laid down the 8 bucks.

This issue promotes Kate Upton as the new Super Hottie. She gets jacked – but not by much – by Genevieve Morton, another blonde. Then there’s the busty Nina Agdal. Well, most of them are pretty busty, huh?

So if you are tiring of Peyton Manning stories and want to get ready for summer in February….run to your favorite Quick Trip or CVS and snag the nearly 200 pages of these swimsuit beauties. Don’t be shy. A little winter fun never hurts.

It’s a good one, I promise.

And there’s already a debate in the media about whether Kate is too fat to be the cover girl.

That’s right, fat!

She has more of a stripper type body some media "experts" are saying. And VICTORIA SECRET said she looks too skanky for them!

What?

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 6 Comments

Leftridge: Spring Has Sprung, Grass Has Riz, Here Comes Jonathan Sanch…iz?

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

Cue the effed-out Don Henley song that seemingly has NOTHING to do with baseball, yet is played incessantly at major league ballparks around the country and on highlight clip-shows, ad nauseam. You know—the one about Dead Head stickers on a Cadillac, don’t look back, you can never look back. Yeah, that one.

Or you can go with John Fogerty’s “Centerfield,” the baseball song with the deceptively difficult hand-clapping rhythm that makes 30,000 white people look even whiter than they actually are.

Whatever your poison, it’s baseball time, boys and girls. All around the league, pitchers, catchers, coaches and overachievers will be reporting to either Florida or Arizona today, to shake off the rust, lose their Chipotle-guts and start the wheels a’turnin for the next 6 months where we’ll be consistently reminded that, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Boy howdy.

The fresh-faced, eager beavers of the Kansas City Royals are a compelling team for a number of reasons.

First, they’re young. Hungry. Strapping. It’s a different feeling when you’ve got a team full of young guys who aren’t used to losing. Without doing any research I can assure you that Eric Hosmer’s little league teams DOMINATED. That’s what happens at the lower levels. One stud can make such a difference that he changes the complexion of his entire surroundings. Mike Moustakas helped his high school baseball team to a 124-11 record in his four years as a starter.

These guys don’t know how to lose. THEY(‘ll hopefully) REFUSE TO LOSE.

Second, they’re made entirely of beavers. Have you ever seen beavers play baseball?  Talk about heart and hustle. Huh? Disregard.

Finally, the AL Central is weak. The once-and-forever-mighty Twins are a mess. The Indians seem to be rebounding from futility, but they’re not as stacked as the Royals. The White Sox are in this weird, transmorphic limbo, and it’s not really clear if they’re on the precipice of rebuilding, or on the doorstep of South-side sadness.

The Tigers… well, the Tigers are trouble. Barring injury, the Tigers are the easy favorite to take the division. But come on, isn’t their recently signed, devilishly rich, gelatinous blob of a first baseman (Prince Fielder) due for an injury? How healthy can a 600-pound cake-monster actually be? Couple this with an also-obese third baseman with a penchant for booze and spousal abuse, and you could have a house of cards built in a wind tunnel.

So it’s obvious that the Royals can’t compete from a monetary standpoint—at least not on a free-agent, take-no-prisoners, by-any-means-necessary level, so it’s important to supplement these highly-touted youngsters with key pieces who can be obtained for a nickel and shined like a dime. So channeling my inner Minor Threat, I ask the Glass and the Moore (though perhaps with a bit less venom than Ian MacKaye), “what the fuck have you done?”


Jonathan Sanchez:

Sanchez was easily the most interesting acquisition of the offseason.  The left-handed pitcher—who could be a number 3 starter most places, but is probably our ace-by-default—was acquired in November from the San Francisco Giants (along with LHP Ryan Verdugo) for dispensable outfielder Melky Cabrera, a move that both added a nice piece to the Royals’ rotation, AND cleared an outfield spot for promising talent Lorenzo Cain.

The numbers on Sanchez speak for themselves. 3.75 ERA over the past three seasons. 9.355 strikeouts per 9 innings as a starter, good for third best in baseball since 2006. A no-hitter. A division-clinching victory in the final game of the 2010 season, which led the Giants to not only the playoffs, but a World Series Championship, as well.

And he’s 29—hallelujah, he’s 29. That’s typically when a pitcher is reaching their optimal success level. Like a teenaged-boy with an unrestricted, unsupervised internet connection, Sanchez will never be more potent than he is at this very moment. Let us enjoy this magical moment (Sanchez’s 2012 campaign, not the kid who can’t stop pawing at himself).

Jonathan Broxton:

The former Los Angeles Dodger was a curious signing. Not because he’s not a solid bullpen piece—he most certainly is—but because he was a somewhat pricy addition to a unit that seemed to need the least amount of bolstering. When you realize that his addition clears the way for Aaron Crow to audition for the rotation, however, or perhaps casts some doubt on closer Joakim Soria’s continued abilities after last year’s struggles, the picture begins to come into better focus. Broxton is an insurance policy on your kick-ass Fiat.

The mountainous right-handed reliever is capable of striking the shit out of opponents (11.55 K/9), and being the anchor of your tug-of-war team at the company picnic (6’4”, 295 lbs). He was mostly ineffective last year, however, after having surgery to remove bone-spurs. Is this cause for concern? Well, yeah… maybe.

But if it’s not a persistent issue, and he’s really, truly as healthy as can be, this could be a really solid signing.


Bruce Chen:

Look, this signing didn’t set the world on fire. In fact, I heard that it actually made some random ass-hat blogger’s Top 10 Worst Free Agent Signings for 2012. To that random blogger, I say, “you sir, are a Fuckusaurus.” There’s NOTHING wrong with this signing.

The well-traveled lefty has been—and this isn’t saying a ton, but it still warrants some sort of credit—the most consistent starting pitcher the Royals have had since Greinke jumped ship.

He’s endearing. He’s a hard worker. He’s a terrific clubhouse guy, by all accounts. Oh sure, he’s not CJ Wilson or Mark Buehrle, or anyone else who signed a big contract as a starting pitcher this past offseason, but you know what? CJ WILSON AND MARK BUEHRLE AREN’T COMING HERE.

We’re simple folk here in Kansas City, and we make due with what we can. We peek through the window of the adjacent trailer instead of paying to ogle strippers at the Shady Lady, we use deer meat in our Hamburger Helper and we sign guys like Bruce Chen to cost-effective two-year contracts. Deal with it.

Yuniesky Betancourt:

Bruce Chen’s deal was an adorable baby lamb compared to the shitstorm of outrage spawned by the re-signing of much maligned shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt. But yet again, I’d like everyone who freaked out about this one to take a deep breath, put down the pipe you were smoking bath salts out of, and relax. THIS WAS NOT THE WORST SIGNING EVER. This wasn’t Juan Gonzalez or Jose Guillen or Chuck Knoblauch. It wasn’t Reggie Sanders or Benito Santiago and it certainly wasn’t either one of the Davis boys, Storm’N’Mark.

This was the kind of signing—utility infielder with a teensy bit of bat who comes off of the bench for $2 million—that playoff caliber teams make. And no, $2 million isn’t a lot of money. Not today, in this ridiculous fiduciary environment. If that’s your primary concern, you’re not paying close enough attention. Furthermore, if you think he’s blocking somebody, or taking away playing time from someone younger, wrong again.

He’s Willie Bloomquist with a tan. There’s nothing wrong with this. 

And that’s all she wrote, ladles and jelly-spoons. The 2012 additions (and retreads) or YOUR Kansas City Royals!!! It’s not romantic, and it’s not very sexy—though Bruce Chen DOES have a nice smile, now that I think about it—but it’s not supposed to be.

A youth movement—where the team has been living in perpetuity, it seems—isn’t about big name stars coming into our dusty little town riding atop the muscled back of a palomino; it’s about being smart, about making wise decisions and spending your money with purpose, like a poor kid at an arcade.

That poor kid learns early on that he shouldn’t run from game to game, pumping in quarter after quarter and never quite mastering the nuances of any one machine. To be successful and poor, he needs to pick his spots—you know, get really unbeatable at Double Dragon or better yet, Mortal Kombat—and survive off of free-plays.

Plus, Eric Hosmer can totally turn into a dragon and bite other dudes in half. Seriously.

FATALITY. 
 

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 2 Comments

Jolly: Sushi Nightclub Atmosphere = Leawood’s RA

Posted on February 19, 2012 by admin

I thought that the nightclub paired with food scene in Kansas City had all but died out…

At least in Johnson County – but apparently I was wrong. On the Wednesday I went with friends to RA Sushi it was more packed than a Frontier flight leaving KCI.

 Ra is located on 11638 Ash St. in Leawood on the edge of Park Place next to Town Center Plaza. When I arrived at 6pm I was reminded what a nightmare parking is in this area. If you chose to park in one of the large garages in Park Place then get ready for a bit of a walk. Bad weather will make this more unpleasant. But if you can, try to get a spot remotely close to RA or any of the eateries there and good luck. There are just a few parking spots available and for some reason they’re all 30 minutes only. 

What a brilliant idea someone had when designing this area.

It’s literally an obstacle course for female drivers. However you opt to not waste 20 minutes of valuable drinking and dining time, just go to the valet at Loft Hotel next to RA. For $6.00 (not including tip) you can drop your car and if you tell the valet that you are eating at RA, they’ll pull your car up front of the restaurant in about an hour. 

I think a not-so-gifted child could have come up with a better plan for parking with a box of Legos.

Anyway, I showed up at a very full restaurant and met my friends at the bar while we waited for a table. I’d been to RA a couple times before, but this is the first time that I was introduced to the happy hour menu.

Surprisingly, there are some real gems on it that are a great value considering it’s Leawood where many patrons don’t really care about price. The first thing we checked out was the happy hour drink menu. I ordered the mango margarita ($5.00) as did many of my friends and it was very good, but not great.

Because as I watched the bartender make it, they used Finest Call mixes at RA, but it’s not like they were juicing fresh mangos back there. Hey, but for $5.00 it was a pretty good deal.  I did notice while sitting at the bar that all the bottles of liquor on the back bar had cups over the pour spouts.

Most people probably wouldn’t notice this, but it means that RA may have a fruit fly problem.

Now out of fairness most bars have this same problem but they’re not supposed to show the measures they have taken to the customers. Cups should not be on the bottles during hours of operation.

None the less, we were seated in a very dimly lit dining area and greeted by our waitress. RA only has waitresses, there are no male servers. But I’m not the type to yell out SEXEST because it really adds to the ambiance and I love hot young chicks as much as the next guy. 

In addition to the dim lights and hot girls there ‘s constant techno and dance music almost blaring from the many speakers.  Again, don’t get me wrong – I DIG ITHAT. I love today’s artists and I like it loud, however some of the older folks may not like the atmosphere at RA.

There were six of us at our table so we practically raped the happy hour menu. 

We ordered eight items from the menu and they all came at different times. Our server, who apparently had a trainee that night, told us RA has two separate kitchens and food just comes out when it’s ready. Totally OK with us and we thanked her for the heads up.

In no specific order this is what we enjoyed….

First we got two Viva Las Vegas sushi rolls ($7.00 each). Now I have a general rule about sushi; you can totally judge a place based just on their Las Vegas roll.  And so far, that rule has been spot on. The rolls were stuffed with real crab meat, had a light fried tempura batter on the outside with crab and spicy tuna coming out the top like lava in a volcano drizzled with eel sauce.

I can only conclude that they order these from Narnia because they’re so good.

Plus there was an almost wafer thin tempura decoration on the top of all six rolls on the plate. But I never eat the decorations because they go straight to my hips.

Next was the rainbow roll ($7.00) which was just as good. It had an assortment of fresh fish, cream cheese, and crisp cucumber. Next arrived the two plates of pork gyoza ($4.00 each). That’s pork dumplings to the lay person and they were some of the best I’ve ever eaten (although the Cheesecake Factory is No. 1 when it comes to pork dumplings).

Soon after that our pineapple cheese wontons ($4.00) arrived and sadly they were as close as we were going to get to Crab Rangoon for my friend Mollie. They were delicious and the charred pineapple dipping sauce tasted way better than it looked.

It tasted like a Hawaiian luau where everyone was naked. 

Lastly I’ll tell you about my favorite dish of the night, the spicy sesame chicken wings that were not very spicy at all but f@#king incredible. Call me white trash but I LOVE Hooter’s wings. And RA’s wings made a chicken wing from Hooter’s seem like a wing from Buffalo Wild Wings with downs syndrome. The wings from RA were big and full of meat and the sauce was incredible. It was almost like a peanut thai sauce that made all of our mouths orgasm.

By far these are now my favorite wings in the city.

Overall the service at RA was pretty  good. We kind of got double teamed throughout our dining experience from our server and her trainee. At times our server would take our order for another dish, then seconds later the trainee would ask us if we’d like another dish.

They were doing the repeater schtick to us all night. The trainee never seemed to be on the same page as our server nor were they ever there at the same time. But it didn’t affect our great experience at all.

Ra was an excellent dining journey for me…. the music, the great happy hour sushi and tapas, and the atmosphere as a whole – they all worked great together.

Posted in Food_and_Fashion | Tagged | 10 Comments

Whinery: Whitney Houston & The Drug War

Posted on February 19, 2012 by admin

Having just watched the funeral of this legendary performer I can’t help but wonder if the way society treats drug addiction didn’t somehow contribute to her death…

Drug addiction is a public health issue that is primarily handled by the criminal justice system. Instead of throwing addicts into rehab we throw them in prison, which makes no sense whatsoever. A lot of people are of the opinion that drugs are evil, that they cause crime and ruin lives- all of which are true but isn’t because they are criminalized?      

By making drugs illegal the prices are artificially inflated, the proceeds are used to fund criminal enterprises and billions are being wasted in the “Prison- Industrial Complex” warehousing people that are sick and not necessarily criminal.

What if drugs were decriminalized, taxed and addicts were rehabilitated instead of incarcerated?

Take a look at Portugal. Ten years after decriminalizing ALL drugs, abuse is down by HALF!

The success there shows that treatment works where incarceration fails. State spending on drug related problems have also dropped by treating addiction as a public health issue.

The drug war frames addiction in fear, discouraging the addict from getting the help that they need and leaves the State with few resources to help those that need it. 

So how could stopping the drug war have saved Whitney?

It probably would not have. A person with her resources already has access to the finest rehab facilities in the world.

But where even a “mediocre” treatment center can cost 20K a month- who but the rich or the well-insured even have the option to get help? Decriminalization may not stop addiction- nothing will. People are going to abuse intoxicants. But as a Society- we need to move away from demonizing the sick and provide them with the help they need, and a jail cell is just making the problem worse.

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 8 Comments

Glazer: Scribe’s First Love & Peeping Tom Experience, The One That Got Away

Posted on February 19, 2012 by admin

We all had that ONE!

Remember, the first love. No, not the one you slept with first. The girl in your fifth or sixth grade class…that you fell in LOVE with. Remember?

They call it "puppy love," but I call it ‘the real thing – no love in life is ever stronger.

She stood 5′ 5," tall for a fifth grade girl. Her hair was jet black and she had the skin color of a Victoria Secret model before there were any. She was dark brown, always tan somehow. The face of a smiling angel. Her name was Janice Woods and all the boys at Briarwood were in love with this young lady.

That is, all the boys in our fifth grade class. Why wouldn’t you be? For God’s sake she was the fastest runner in the class (remember what a big deal?). She did her hair up daily, smelled like she might already be wearing perfume and she even had boobs. Damn, what else did you want guys? 

Did I mention the boobs?

Yep, everyone dreamed of Janice Woods – me included. Hell, I had no chance. Even our class president, Paul Trimble was in love with her. She sat near him at lunch, and in music class they always were square dance partners. 

I hated Paul Trimble’s guts.

Me and my best pal, Brooks Walters – his dad was so cool, he was a DJ on the radio, Bucky Walters – were all about the Woods Girl. We used to do sleepovers at his home in Round Hill because he lived by Janice. 

We’d sneak out real late at night, maybe 10 PM and go up to her bedroom window and look in. Once we even saw her in a nightgown and you could kinda see through it.

At school we’d pull her hair, throw spit wads near her in class – you know, so she’d know how much we loved her. Sadly, Janice never much looked my way. The year nearly went by and I never danced with her in music class. I was an average runner, so no luck hand holding on the playground either.

But then my time came. Yep. Our fifth grade teacher had us do speeches and I was really good at that. I got up in front of the class and killed it – was funny too. Everyone was laughing and the teacher said – and I’ll never forget – "Now doesn’t Craig look a lot like Tony Curtis, girls?"

Wow, Tony Curtis….

I even had my hair combed back like him and wore those V-neck sweaters. Guess what? Now she looked my way. Thank the Lord!

It happened. She picked me to dance with in music class the next day. My heart leaped. I was on Cloud 9. A week later I was riding my bike, a 10-speed of course, and saw her riding. I caught up and spent an hour talking to her.

Oh my God. I wanted to marry Janice Woods.

All I thought about was her, daily, nightly in my dreams. Maybe she liked me too now. So I got brave and on the playground I kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and hugged me. No kiss though. Yep, I was gonna marry Janice.

A few weeks later my family moved to the Shawnee Mission South school district and I had to change schools to John Diemer something or other. I was crushed. My true love was now far away. But I was sure I’d see her and kiss her again. I was so sure.

It never happened.

My first love, the puppy love of my life was gone forever.

In fact I never saw her again the rest of my life. It took nearly a year to get over. If only I’d had a car back then, I’d have found her and we’d have gotten married. Well, I thought that anyway.

We all had a Janice Woods and we all wonder whatever became of that special girl – the first one we kissed, the first girl we loved.

THE ROAD AHEAD WAS SHINING AND BRIGHT AND OUR FUTURE WOULD BE SO GREAT…for me and my gal, Janice Woods.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 14 Comments

Star Search: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…Who Will Rule KC’s Arts Scene?

Posted on February 17, 2012 by admin

The $64 million question at the Kansas City Star: Who will lord over KC’s arts and entertainment scene?

The guessing game is now on as to who will succeed the newspaper’s features editor, Mary Lou Nolan, my old boss. It’s a big job – riding herd over the FYI and A&E (Arts & Entertainment) sections and Star Magazine.

Or as the mostly male editors at the newspaper tend to regard it, the "womens sections."

When I started at the Star in the early 1990s, one of the first things new editor Art Brisbane did was usher out the two male editors that had been running the section and installing a three woman chain of command. Times have changed however and with the attrition of the past several years there are far fewer women candidates in the pipeline capable of replacing Nolan.

The more obvious editor suspects / candidates are dudes – Steve Paul, Keith Robison and David Frese.

One wild card that could be a frontrunner: INK editor Laurie Mansfield.

Other possible women candidates include highly regarded food section editor Jill Silva and equally competent Star Magazine star Cindy Hoedel.

Interestingly, the announcement of Nolan’s passing came on the heels of the Star staffing cuts Monday.

News reporter Joe Lambe was the lone news reporter axed, sports had just lost KU beat reporter J. Brady McCullough and Nolan’s departure from features made it more-or-less a one cadaver per section affair (not counting business).

Raising the question of whether Nolan took the buyout rather than drop the hammer on somebone else in FYI.

Stay tuned.

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 3 Comments

Today: Uptown Theater Mardi Gras Wilding, ‘Carnivale du Soul’ Saturday

Posted on February 17, 2012 by admin

Get the jump on Fat Tueday this weekend at the Uptown…

The 2012 Carnivàle du Soul featuring the band Hearts of Darkness goes down Saturday night at the Uptown Theater at 3700 Broadway.

"It’ll be a Mardi Gras event with Hearts of Darkness, the band Goodfoot and there’ll be DJs as well," says the Uptown’s Fred Cannon. "The doors are at 8 p.m. and the show starts at  9 p.m. and goes until 1 a.m."

Wanna save some money – like a lot of money?

Skip the high dollar service and "convenience" charges at Ticketmaster and buy your ducats direct at the Uptown for $15 in advance ($20 at the door) or $25 for VIP.

"VIP gets you in an hour early and you get to meet the bands in a private reception," Cannon says. "And you get to download the new single by Hearts of Darkness and Goodfoot. And you get Mardi Gras beads."

Meaning, there’ll be New Orleans style beads-for-flashing going down?

"I don’t know about that," Cannon says. "All I know is it has a Mardi Gras theme to it."

As for just how wild it may be, "You’ll think you’re in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina," jokes Uptown head Larry Sells. "You’ll be having fun and terrorized at the same time."

Incidentally, Ticketmaster prices – with those lovely service charges we all enjoy – start at $21.15 and $32.65 for VIP. Nuff said?

For more information and/or to buy tickets direct from the Uptown call 816 753-8665.

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 2 Comments

Starbeams: THE TOP 5 SIGNS YOU GOT A BAD BOTTLE OF CHOCOLATE ALE

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

TOP 5 SIGNS YOU GOT A BAD BOTTLE OF CHOCOLATE ALE:

#5.  When you realize you’re too drunk to drive you call a Cadbury.

#4.  In the heat of passion you scream, "Oh Henry!"

#3.  You ask girls at the bar if they would like to see your "Willy Wonka."

#2.  You find yourself constantly drunk dialing someone in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

#1.  Nobody knows the truffles you’ve seen.
 

Kelly Urich is the morning show host on The Point 99.7 FM

Posted in Starbeams | Tagged | 3 Comments

Jack Goes Confidential: ‘This Means War’ Makes for 97 Minute Turkey Shoot

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

I had heard good things about THIS MEANS WAR…

But after leaving the critic’s screening last week I had to wonder if the people who’d given me that information had actually seen the same movie I’d  just sat through?

Then there was the full page advance display ad for the film in last Sunday’s New York Times. The sub-headline read: "The most fun you can have at the movies."

Did someone really say that about this movie? Unbelievable.

On closer inspection—and in much smaller type—the quote was attributed to one Maria Salas. Not the New York Times, USA Today, Rolling Stone, Time, Roger Ebert—or even Kansas City’s own Shawn Edwards. But Maria Salas, representing something called terra.com.

‘Nuff said.

Man-oh-man, did I completely misjudge how awful this flick was? Apparently not, because spotting a review of the film a couple of days later in The Hollywood Reporter brought back a sense of sanity.

Allow me quote from that review:

"This perfectly dreadful romantic action comedy manages to embarrass its three eminently attractive leading players in every scene, making this an automatic candidate for whatever raspberries or golden turkeys or other dubious awards may be given in the future for the films of 2012."

THIS MEANS WAR is a lame romantic screwball comedy starring Chris Pine and Tom Hardy as two best buddies who also happen to be CIA agents. Best friends that is until both pretty boys accidentally fall in love—make that lust—with Reese Witherspoon.

With each of the two hunks now pulling out high tech CIA tricks and gadgets to mess up and spy on the other’s dates with Witherspoon – the enemy now being each other!

Meanwhile Witherspoon’s oversexed and married-with-children best friend Chelsea Handler keeps on dishing out lustful advice.

But 20th Century-Fox had to cut Handler’s risque dialogue to get this R-rated picture re-rated PG-13.

As for director McG, his previous CHARLIE’S ANGELS plays like Oscar material by comparison.

No edge. Just silly fluff, as I quote once again The Hollywood Reporter:

"Some films have certain scenes that need to be redone, but on THIS MEANS WAR the whole picture should have been sent back for a reshoot."

I’m reluctantly raising 2 out of 5 disappointing fingers.

 

JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES: Friday mornings at 6:40 a.m. on NewsRadio KMBZ Am & Fm and at 8:20 a.m. on 1660 RADIO BACH. And anytime on Time-Warner Cable’s K.C. ON DEMAND, Channel 411.

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | 2 Comments

Glazer: Comedy Heavyweights Headed to KC @ Improv, Midland and Stanford’s

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

A hot streak for big name comics coming to KC is about to unfold…

D.L. Hughley stops by the Improv this weekend. I worked with D.L. when he had his own series back in the late 90’s. His first show here was at Stanford’s in Westport. However these days we don’t do many urban acts at Legends, so he’s an Improv guy..but still a very funny man. The Improv loves the urban comedy.

On the other side of the scope this March Ron White, the former Blue Collar star is at the Midland. Ron’s a great person. We had him at both Stanford’s in Westport and Overland Park. Before Blue Collar Ron didn’t draw well. He asked me to give him one more shot back around 2000 so I said O.K.

Then Blue Collar hit before Ron got here, but Instead of canceling – we had him at $1,500 for the week – he said, "I’ll still come because you stood by me when things were bad." He simply asked for $3,000 and a small bonus and we gladly said yes, since Ron was already getting $35,000 a week then. Now it’s like 30-50 grand a night.

And Stanford’s is on a roll...

This week it’s America’s Got Talent comic J. Chris Newberg. Chris also did much of the comedy with Dan Cook on last year’s American Idol. He was on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and had the hit song "Drunk Girl." And a week from Wednesday he’s on THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno.

Newberg and Piers Morgan went at each other last year during America’s Got Talent. He eventually roasted Piers on the show. Johnny Dare has him on Friday morning again.

Next week Stanford’s brings in another Dare favorite, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, stars of both Crank Yankers and Heavy Metal Show on VH-1. The two New York boys also did HBO’s Inside the NFL a couple years back as the comedy portion of the show. Florentine is famous for his terrorizing telemarketers CD’s – "I got mail, I got mail, I got mail" – that guy.

Most interesting of all, on March 8-10 at Stanford’s, we have Australia’s Jim Jefferies.

Jim is considered by many to be today’s most talented standup comic – a modern day Richard Pryor from Down Under. His HBO special rocked last year. And he has two more, one out now on Showtime. Jim and sometimes sidekick Eddie Ifft also have a POD cast that is top 5 called "Talkin Shit."  They even target me on the show.

If you want to see an unforgettable show don’t miss Jim Jefferies. And don’t wait because he alway sells out. 

See you all at the shows.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 4 Comments

Leftridge: Tales from the Tweet: Now With More Iron Sheik!

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

Do me a favor. I want you to sit back, close your eyes, and think of the craziest Iranian person you know. I know, I know, this might take a second, but I’ll wait patiently.

There, you got it? Good.

Look, I don’t know who you thought of—the guy who runs the place where you go to get your car fixed, the one who runs the lunch place who makes you feel slightly uncomfortable (because he never smiles while you scarf down your shawarma)—but I promise, unequivocally, that the person who thought of isn’t nearly as insane as the Iron Sheik.

Born Robert Edelman in Adina, Minnesota Hossein Khosrow Vaziri in Tehran, Iran, “Sheikie,” as he refers to himself, is absolutely, certifiably nuts. Cocaine fueled rants on Howard Stern aside, one need look no further than his brilliantly disturbed Twitter feed. Let’s examine.

@the_ironshiek
“i watch the lebron i watch the kobe. if i want i beat the living fuck out of both of them make them cry like virgil. still i respect them”

One of the former WWE Heavyweight Champion’s favorite running themes is hatred of his 1980’s wrestling colleagues. Is this shtick? Can he not break character, lo’ these many years removed?

“Fuck the justin bieber he look like mr fuji.”

“If the tito santana was most famous mexican in history and I was the mexican I would never respect the Mexican”

“Mexican people know I beat the fuck out of the mexican jabroni tito santana. He not worth the taco fuck”

“I love my job I love my business. I don’t love the tito santana he not worth the fuck”

So I’m confused… how does he feel about Tito Santana, anyway? (and seriously—who hates Tito Santana that much? You know, aside from Tito Santana’s kids, I assume)

The Sheik isn’t bashful when sharing his feelings on various aspects of pop culture, either. Listen as his thick, pointy-ended moustache drips with venom:

“the glee is the gay”

“glee show is worse than ultimate warrior and hulk Hogan”

“Fuck the lady gaga”

I’m wondering if I should go ahead and preemptively cancel the “Elton John’s Greatest Hits” compilation I had planned on sending him for Valentine’s Day. Seems like the Sheik may not be a fan of the man-to-man love. Speaking of Valentine’s:

“The Obama wife have same eyebrow as the sheikie. I hope he buy her the wax for eyebrow for the valentine day”

“Chris brown deserve the king kong bundy for the valentine day”

“Chris brown deserve the ultimate warrior and hulk hogan grandmother for the valentine day”

So wait a minute… the guy who rails against Mexicans, gays, and “grasshopper dicks” like the Hulkster and the Ultimate Warrior is taking a stand against lady-punching R&B singers?

Iron Sheik: he’s more complex than you know.

Speaking of “complex,” everyone’s favorite backstabbing-‘Roider-rat is back at it again.

@JoseCanseco
“I am in Mexico with my valentine Leila”

That is SO. SWEET. I’m glad these kids seem to be working things out. Say, Jose, what are you doing in Mexico?

“Looking forwrd to bp tomorrow and launching some bombs into the jungle .happy”

…huh?

“I am going to play this year.”

Oh, sweetmonkeyrapture. I was hoping and praying (yeah, I waste God’s time with this kind of shit) that Jose was kidding. A quick search of the Googles told me that alas, God doesn’t care about my prayers.

From the Chicago Tribune:

“Jose Canseco, who has not played professional baseball in 11 years, will try out with the Quintana Roo Tigers of the Mexican League, the team announced Sunday… Canseco, 47, last played in the majors for the White Sox in 2001, when he hit .258 with 16 home runs in 76 games.”

The embarrassingly named Roo Tigers, who play home games in Cancun, are considered to be a Triple-A product though they have no affiliation with a major league team. Godspeed you tanned emperor, Godspeed.

In other baseball news, the Royals *yawn* did this:

@goldbergkc (Joel Goldberg, Royals Live host, FSKC)
“Royals announce they have picked up the option for Ned Yost for 2013”

And Vlad the Impaler (still one of the coolest, most intimidating nicknames in sports, despite his hobbled, James Caan-via-Misery-knees) said this:

@Buster_ESPN (Buster Olney, ESPN baseball know-it-all)
“Vladimir Guerrero has made it known to the Yankees that he wants their DH spot. IMO, Raul Ibanez still the frontrunner to sign w/NYY as DH.”

Raul Ibanez? THAT Raul Ibanez? LULZ @ the Yankees. He’s a spent, peanut-shell of his former self (and I won’t speculate on steroids, because he likes to sue bloggers). Have fun, Evil Empire!

Oh, and other sports were happening, too!

Since we’re technically in “Hot Stove” territory, but the stove is as hot as it’s gonna get, and tea is boiling over and sizzling on the coils, let’s talk a little offseason football news. Unfortunately, offseason football news doesn’t have some cute, folksy name like “hot stove.” It’s just… offseason football news. And the biggest of the big? Just what in the world will happen to Peyton Manning? He’s due a bajillion dollar roster bonus if he’s still with the Colts on March 8th, and that seems unlikely at this juncture. So where’s a dude to go? According to Nick Wright, Arrowhead could be like, totally feasible you guys!

@getnickwright
“So Chris Mortensen just told me that the Colts doctors DID clear Peyton Manning to play…”

“#Chiefs have 63 MILLION in cap room… KC could sign Carr, Bowe a top O and D Lineman and still offer Peyton 1yr $30M. No reason not to.”

See, I disagree. I don’t think that the Chiefs are “one QB, one O and D lineman” away from serious Super Bowl contention. I just don’t see the rationale of bringing in an aging, swan-necked quarterback for a single, solitary year and failing- once again– to address the long-term need of a franchise QB. This team is starved for depth at nearly every position, and has three huge pieces coming back from serious injury with a general manager who still hasn’t proven he knows how to draft quality players. I don’t think Wright’s plan is the BIGGEST mistake the Chiefs could make, but I also don’t think it accomplishes much other than wasting a pile of cash.

Elsewhere, former Saint, Dolphin, Argonaut and Raven Ricky Williams made a big announcement: dude—we’re out of pizza rolls, brah! Uh, scratch that. He’s retiring.

@SI_PeterKing
“Ricky Williams says he’s retiring. Have a lot of admiration for him. Smart guy, multifaceted. Good human being. Good luck to him.”

Ricky’s an interesting cat and a fascinating case-study for those who believe (quite erroneously, it should be noted) that you CAN’T get addicted to weed. That said, I wish him many happy bongs from here on out.

Finally, former embattled Chiefs coach Todd Haley landed on his feet. I mean, REALLY landed on his feet.

@Englishscope24 (Kim English, Mizzou basketball)
“#Steelers hire Todd Haley as their Offensive coordinator!!! #YESSSSS #Ravens #AfcNorthChamps”

@Mellinger (Sam Mellinger, KC Star)
“If I can play armchair psychologist, Haley’s biggest strength and weakness is that he’ll believe he’s the best coach on the #Steelers staff.”

English, a native of Baltimore and an unabashed Ravens’ fan, made me smile with his youthful exuberance; Mellinger makes a good point. Regardless, Haley must have been praying to the right person and bowing in the proper direction because he went from one of the grossest, least desirable jobs in the NFL to a solid gig that could almost immediately put him back on the fast track to a head coaching spot. Well played, crazy-man, well played.

We’ll close things out with an absolutely “LINsane” tweet from everyone’s least-favorite loud-mouthed asshole, Floyd “Money” Mayweather.

@FloydMayweather
“Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he’s Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise.”

“I’m speaking my mind on behalf of other NBA players. They are programmed to be politically correct and will be penalized if they speak up.”

By now, you’ve probably heard all about New York Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin. The Harvard bred, undrafted youngster has been wowing the nation with his finesse, his hustle and his heart. You’ve probably also already heard an assfull about Mayweather’s Tweet, which was racially insensitive, ridiculous and flat out stupid.

Look, we like Lin because of what I JUST SAID. He went to Harvard. He went undrafted. He was an underdog, an afterthought. As Americans, we ROOT for the lovable loser who makes good against opponents who are bigger, faster, stronger and more gifted. Quite honestly, it doesn’t matter WHAT color they are. Jeremy Lin could have magenta skin with a rainbow colored wang and turquoise colored balls. Is he running circles around genetically blessed freaks of nature who make more taking their post-game constitutional than he’ll make this entire year? Yes. And he’s nailing 3’s as time expires before shrugging his shoulders in a humble, aw-shucks manner.

We root for that guy. WE LOVE THAT GUY.

For someone who makes a living not getting punched that often, Mayweather’s got some serious brain damage.  A few thoughts:

A)    Does anyone oversee his Twitter account?
B)    If so, fire this person.
C)    Mayweather is an idiot.
D)    Mayweather is not worth the taco fuck.
E)    I’m sure the NBA players are SUPER excited that he’s speaking on their behalf.
F)    Dikembe Mutombo always reminded me of the Cookie Monster.
G)    Now I’m trying to decide who would win in a fight between the Cookie Monster and the Count.

That’s all for this installment folks, tune in next week for more Iron Sheik. (I’m being serious. He’s magnificently prolific.)

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 3 Comments

Sounds Good: Red Bull Thre3style DJ Battle@Beaumont, Stephen Malkmus@Granada

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and hopefully you made it through unscathed…

Hopefully you got through that awkward night where you had to pretend you actually have "feelings" and that you care about something other than shoving food down your hole, guzzling brewdogs, and the occasional strange.  

You made it! 

So now forget about all that b.s. you told your sweetie and regain a bit of your manhood by watching some local DJs fight to the death at the Beaumont this Saturday.  I heard that they do it with knives like they did in the music video for Bad by tying their hands together… and then dancing around a bit.

Saturday, February 18th

Red Bull Thre3Style DJ Battle at the Beaumont in KC 

This DJ battle features several top notch KC area DJs competing against each other to advance to the national finals in Orlando, Florida. The performers include Bobby Keys, Brent Tactic, Magnum, CEO, SKU, B-Stee, Who and JT Quick, who will each throw down a 15 minute set. Closing out the show is DJ P with a special set, who will also be one of the judges for the competition. He recently won the BET reality show Master of the Mix, and received a huge novelty check worth $250K for his troubles. P is known for his use of vinyl, as opposed to a lot of the laptops and digital programs that a lot of DJs use these days.

The theme for this event is “party rockin’” so it won’t just be a bunch of cutting and scratching, which, let’s be honest, can get a little monotonous at times.  Hosting the party is Fox 4 movie dude, Shawn Edwards. 

Find out more about the event here: http://www.redbullusa.com/thre3style.

Sunday, February 19th

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks at the Granada in Lawrence

Malkmus was a founding member of the seminal indie alt-rock band Pavement, who achieved a cult following in the ‘90s.  The band’s well publicized ugly breakup in 1999 culminated with Malkmus refusing to sing any lyrics at the Coachella Festival, and then letting other members of the band find out they were finished by posting a note on their website.

But time heals all, right?  Plus, money is cool. 

So in 2010 Pavement reunited for a tour in support of a “best of” album that was well received.  Right after Pavement imploded in 1999, Malkmus started up his other band, the Jicks. They’ve released about five albums to relative critical praise and have a new one, Mirror Traffic, that was produced by Beck and sounds like a bit of a throwback to the Pavement days.  

No doubt this show will be packed, even on a Sunday night. 

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Whinery: Beware the School Lunch Police

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

Just when you thought the “Nanny State” couldn’t get any bigger…

Are you ready for your child’s sack lunch to come under scrutiny? By a government inspector, that is. And you wonder why the government is bankrupt.

North Carolina deemed that a lunch consisting of a turkey & cheese on wheat sandwich, a banana, apple juice and potato chips did not meet the “nutritional requirements.” 

Incidentally, this was exactly the same lunch I packed for a six year old today.

So what was the Inspector’s recommendation?

Why chicken nuggets, of course.

Along with milk and canned fruits and vegetables. Did you know, by the way, that McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets have Silly Putty as one of the ingredients? Can’t imagine anything healthier than that!

According to Federal Government Guidelines- a “healthy” school lunch must consist of milk, two servings of fruit or vegetables, bread or grains and meat. Everything must be uniform in the U.S.S.A. of today…

Want to raise you kid as a Vegan or Vegetarian? Not in this Country. How about Jewish dietary guidelines, where meat and milk cannot be eaten in the same meal? So much for the freedom to raise your children according to your religious tenets.

And what if your kid is a Celiac and can’t eat wheat? Or is lactose intolerant? Prepare to be interrogated!

Keep in mind, the same Federal Government so concerned with the health of your child it recently tried to get pizza classified as a vegetable for school lunches. That’s right. And where does it all end?

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 3 Comments

Starbeams: Whitney Joins Bin Laden & United States of China

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

Whitney Houston dead at 48. She was my first African-American crush…unless you count Tootie on Facts of Life.

*******

Remember when we learned that Osama Bin Laden loved Whitney Houston?  How he owned several photos of Whitney, all of her albums and reportedly HATED Bobby Brown. Turns out that was his one redeeming quality.

*******

President Obama unveiled his $3.8 trillion budget for 2013. It gets worse. On page 700 he suggests we change our name to The United States of China.

Kelly Urich is the morning show host on The Point 99.7 FM

Posted in Starbeams | Tagged | Leave a comment