Glazer: Take Off the Training Wheels, It’s Time for The Star’s Sam Mellinger to Grow a Pair!

When Sam Mellinger took Jason Whitlock‘s place on the sports page of the Kansas City Star I  really thought he was going to be outstanding…

Now that he’s had the post for about a year, uh, I don’t see much excitement there.

Maybe the Star has put the brakes on Sam’s ink, but he’s become a total "homer" and kinda boring. Of course our sports world in KC is horrible. We have no good teams, but hey Sam could have gone out of the box.

For example, which Chiefs are using roids? Investigate it, Sam, it’s all out there. Or how about a story about the Royals having No Future? That would be a good one. Or, will this be Matt’s last year here?

Something, anything!

Instead Sam tows the party line way too much.

Again the Royals are a mess and hard to write about so DON’T. Go to something else. Even an occasional WHERE ARE THEY NOW on ex Chiefs and Royals who mattered would be worthwhile. People love that one. I do.

Today Sam wrote about Mike Moustakas’ future. Mike is the new power hitter who’s been with the Royals now for a month and a half. Mike has ONE homer, ONE? HE IS HITTING .206. Right now, HE STINKS. HE IS A BUST. Write that!

The entire youth movement is a JOKE, Sam – there is no movement.

Hello, it’s all bullshit. Where have you been? The Royals are deep in last, have worst record in the American League, 20 games out just half way through the season and are a near cinch to lose 100 games. Oh second worst record in baseball just in front of Houston (who was in the playoffs just a few years ago with Beltran).

Sam, you wrote about the "movement in 2012" to be a contender?

What are you smoking, brother?

This poor organization couldn’t spell contender. WE DON’T HAVE ONE PITCHER to go with our NO HITTERS.

Yes, the defense is better, Sam. Wow. NO STARTER IS HITTING .300. WRITE THAT. Even our new hero Eric Hosmer is doing just decent, not great, with a .260 batting average. And P.S., he’s no longer talked about in the national news, ever. I do think he will be a good one, just him though. Gordon is also above average. Butler is, as you kinda wrote once, worthless on this crap team. By the way Billy is also well below .300

Sam, remember how Jason used to light it up? He would have destroyed this team in the paper and be calling for a NEW OWNER. Clearly with the Glass Family this team is the all-time joke of baseball.

Get tough, Sam. Be brave, grow a pair. Let’s start some stuff. You are a very good writer but your content is weak, sir. Hey, I like you, but you have made nobody forget Jason. Nobody, not even Nick Wright, who has you on all the time.

My writing style is at best average, but my content is strong, therein lies the difference.

Lets go Sam!!!! I’m rooting for ya!!!!

 

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 33 Comments

Glazer: Rising Star T.J. Miller to Join Pal Nick Vatterott in Cameo @ Stanford’s

I have been in the entertainment biz long enough to know most people you help on the way up, forget you fast once they make it to the top…

They say nice things, but God help you if you need them for anything. Then there are the rare exceptions, like Lewis Black, who became a top three comedy star in the early 2000’s. Yet he came back to help open our club at the Legends in 2007. Lewis was getting around $100,000 per show, but since we were pals, and he gave us credit for helping jump start his stand up career he came in twice for much, much less money.

Great guy.

A few years back we gave another young comic a shot, T.J. Miller.

He had few headlining gigs at the time but I liked his clips and he had a couple credits. He was doing a series called "Carpoolers" and had a nice part, co-lead in the film Cloverfield. Still he was not well known as a stand up comic. He came in, did great, was fun to work with and couldn’t have been nicer. In fact we had his family to each show, they were in town from Denver. We became buds – who knew?

Since then Miller has without any question been one of Hollywood’s most sought after comedy film stars of the new Brat Pack. His credits are just too many to name but here are some: How To Train Your Dragon (now shooting Dragon Two) Yogi Bear (park ranger Jones), Unstoppable,Gulliver’s Travels, Get Him to The Greek,The Goods, She’s Out of My League.

Now he’s shooting three new films including one with Steve Carrel (The Office) Our Idiot Brother w/ Paul Rudd and is THE star of a new film with Heather Locklear.

There’s more…

He’s a regular when time permits on Chelsea Handler. I don’t know where T.J. finds the time.

Now TJ has asked me to help jump start his co-stars career, Nick Vatterott. Nick is outstanding and has been on Jimmy Fallen twice this year. So Nick will headline and as a total bonus TJ is coming in this week to Co Star with his best friend.

Damn nice of TJ. We can no longer afford him, yet here he is in anyway.

"I can’t tell you guys how much I love Kansas City," Miller says. "It’s my home away from home. My two favorite clubs are Comedy Works in Denver and Stanford’s in KC. The Glazers are worth the price of a ticket just to watch each night. And my favorite radio guy – without a doubt – is Johnny Dare."

Come see this twosome this week – Wed-Sunday. TJ has so much talent and charisma it’s scary.

P.S. Cheech and Chong‘s Tommy Chong will do ONE club this year. ONE. Chong live at Stanford’s August 12/13 four shows. Last time to KC it was Cheech and Chong at the Midland and it sold out.

More summer fun.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 9 Comments

Joe Miller: Confessions of a Corporate Journalism Hit Man, Part I

 

When I came to Kansas City to work for the Pitch in 2000, I was an enemy invader.

A few months before I arrived for my first day of work, the paper had been bought by a corporation, New Times, and there was a lot of tension between the new ownership and the old staff. For years, The Pitch (then Pitch Weekly) had been your classic alternative weekly staffed by underpaid, bleeding-heart, left wing writers who were free to write about whatever the hell they wanted to write, and who, truth be told, weren’t that good at it. New Times, on the other hand, owned a dozen or so papers around the country that all looked exactly the same, with formulaic stories that were beholden to no ideology, left-wing, right-wing or other-wing, and they’d won a shitload of journalism awards.

I’d wanted to work for New Times for a number of years. They owned Westword, Denver’s alt weekly, which I’d read since I was a teen, and I knew they paid well, had excellent benefits, and actually spent money on things that reporters need, like public documents. Plus I wanted to win an award or two.

When I sent my résumé to them in late 1999, I was working as editor of the Boulder Weekly, and barely making it on my meager salary. I applied at the same time for a job at the Lawrence Journal-World, and that job came through first, so I moved to Kansas shortly after the turn of the millennium.

Still, I kept in touch with the folks at New Times, just in case. 

One early summer evening, I met New Times’ executive assistant editor, Andy Van De Voorde at McCormick and Schmidt’s on the Plaza for an interview. He said, “Joe, I want to hire you because I think you’ve got the taste for blood, and we need some good investigative reporting at this paper.” (Which was saying something, because at that point in my career I’d done little more as a reporter than exude ambition.) 

I told him I’d think about it, my main hesitation being the paper itself.

Frankly, I thought it was awful, full of ponderous, thinly reported stories and loads of typos and grammatical errors. In a later conversation with Van De Voorde, I told him straight up: “The paper sucks.” Which pissed him off, I could tell, but he couldn’t argue with it.

I decided to do some due diligence and find out a little about what it’s like to work at the paper by calling up some members of the editorial staff. The problem was, the corporate staff hadn’t informed the editor, Bruce Rodgers, that they were looking to hire me. So when I called Shawn Edwards (a name I’d picked at random from the masthead) and told him I’d been offered a job, it came as a surprise attack in the escalating war between the locals and corporate headquarters, and a clear indication that Rodgers wasn’t going to be editor for long.

I later learned that Rodgers had forbidden anyone on staff from talking to me. He characterized me as a Pitch wannabe who was stalking the staff in hopes of landing a job.

I’m sure it sucked to be him. 

After much thought, and also after coming to terms with the fact that I couldn’t hack it as daily journalist, I decided I would take the job IF New Times hired a new editor for The Pitch. Van De Voorde said they weren’t ready to make an announcement about that yet.

I went to Colorado to visit family and friends and scheduled a meeting with Van De Voorde, who had office at Westword. He told me they were ready to make a change at The Pitch and he wanted to introduce me to the in-coming editor. That’s when I first met C. J. Janovy, who was managing editor of Westword at the time.

Her demeanor was very cool, almost smug. Later, after I got the job and we’d been working together for a while, she told me that she’d already known about me and my work at Boulder Weekly and she wasn’t impressed.

I started a month or so later, a few days after Rodgers had been officially dethroned and Janovy had taken his place. The longtime Pitchers were more or less cordial to me, but I’m pretty certain I rubbed them the wrong way.

I’m sure they saw me as a harbinger of the cold-hearted corporate journalism evil that was going to completely subsume the “Power to the People!” publication they’d all poured their hearts and souls into for years.

And I played the part.

At one of the first editorial meetings I attended as a staffer, I talked at length about the progress I’d made on my first cover story, an account of the Bledsoe brothers of Oskaloosa and the murder of Camille Arfmann. The highlight of the story was courtroom testimony that one of the brothers had confessed to the crime despite not having done it because he didn’t want it known that he’d fucked a dog.

Which is bad enough in its own right, and it had Janovy and maybe one or two of the other new hires laughing uproariously, but I decided to go for the kill by describing the Bledsoes as apparent in-breeds with sloping foreheads and too-small, flipper-like limbs.

I looked over at Rodgers. 

I can still picture his shocked, incredulous expression. It was a look that said, very clearly, How could anyone be so mean, classist and arrogant? 

How indeed. 

But that was the ethos of New Times (now Village Voice Media). More on that tomorrow. 

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 15 Comments

Caitlin: Rumors of Fall 2011 Womenswear Collection from Kanye West

Rumors of a Fall 2011 Collection from Kanye West have been circulating since last spring, and after reading recent interviews with Kanye’s mentor, Louise Wilson, I think it is safe to say that a fashion collection from Yeezy himself is about to drop.

 Wilson, Professor at London’s Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design speaks highly of Kanye’s potential in the realm of fashion: “I’ve known him for two years now and he’s incredibly knowledgeable about fashion, he’s a global phenomenon.”

 

True, Kanye isn’t new to the realm of fashion or art. He has designed shoes for Louis Vuitton, attended fashion shows in Paris, and held internship positions at Fendi and the Gap.

 

In May, Kanye even launched a collection of 100% silk twill scarves via French art and design team, M/M Paris (Mathias Augustyniak and Michael Amzala).

 

The team created hand-drawn, ornamental frames to adorn the five George Condo paintings featured on Kanye’s last album, My Beautiful Dark and Twisted Fantasy, and these same images are depicted on the limited edition scarves.

 

But aside from all this, a ready-to-wear collection is a different beast entirely. 

 

I can’t help but wonder…what does Kanye West think women should wear?

 

His collection is expected to be mostly womenswear, a collaboration with established British designer Louise Goldin. Goldin’s last Ready-to-Wear Collection, Fall 2010, featured futuristic, geometric clothing with military-esque plaiting, gold trim, and metallic leggings. Although many of the looks feel too sci-fi, many separates are completely street-worthy and wearable.

 

Goldin also has made sweaters with bullet holders, cargo leggings, and fabulous knitwear.

 

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if Kanye’s own style influences the collection, if his mix of sophisticated blazers, graphics, bold colors, and street wear will shine through. 

 

Either way, as a Kanye West fan, I can’t wait.

 

Soon enough he’ll have a high-brow fashion posse. They’ll all be super yeezy and walk around saying, “That’s Dior Homme not Dior homie.”

 

Posted in Food_and_Fashion | Tagged | 4 Comments

Joe Miller: City of Broken Dreams

Every once in a while, a stranger will tell me they appreciated the way I handled the whole Funkhouser situation, the way I went from being the former mayor’s top lackey to being all over the newspaper and TV news spilling all the secrets of the administration. The kind words bring little comfort, though, because I know from experience that in Kansas City no one ever criticizes anyone to their face, and that for every compliment I’ve received, there are likely dozens and hundreds of people who think I’m schmuck, even people I’ve never met.

Now as I’m ready to leave this city, after a ten-year run that started at the Pitch and peaked with a critically-acclaimed book and marriage and a stint in the highest office in town, I feel dread everywhere I go.

When I go to Midtown, I fret about bumping into my former editor who stopped speaking to me in 2004, after I wrote a totally arrogant and stupid blog post criticizing her paper’s political coverage.

When I go to Brookside, I worry I’ll spot Funk and Gloria or any number of people I worked with in their office, or that I’ll see some business or civic leader I’ve skewered in print or behind their backs.

When I go to the Crossroads Arts District I feel despair because I was instrumental pulling several gallery owners and artists onto the Funkhouser bandwagon, and then, all at once, I was telling the whole world how badly he sucked.

Last summer, I tried to get in touch with one of those gallery owners to apologize. He wasn’t in, so I left a note with an assistant that read simply, “I’m sorry,” and included my phone number. He never called.

Now Hearne wants me to write a ten-part series about my eleven years here. And because I need the money, and despite the fact that it would probably be best for all concerned if I kept my fingers away from the keyboard, I’m doing it.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time harping on Funkhouser and his wife; I’ve already done more than enough of that, I’m sure.

Same goes for Steve Glorioso, Terry Riley, Ed Ford and a lot of the other assholes I’ve written about over the years.

And I’m not going to rant about tax incentives, not much. Nor under-funded infrastructure. Nor the lack of people out enjoying Berkley Riverfront Park, or the place where the Riverfront Heritage bike trail ends abruptly after a mere 50 feet of pavement, nor jobless teens hanging out every night at coin-operated car washes on the Eastside because they have nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, or how when I meet people from Lawrence say that they always go to the Power and Light District when they come to KC and drink at the tax-subsidized national chains instead of going to truly Kansas City places like the Crossroads or 39th Street or even the Plaza, or when I found out that the nationally famous Central High School debate squad no longer exists because an overzealous superintendent axed the measly $75,000 contract that had enabled hundreds of inner-city kids to participate in an intellectually enriching activity that suburban kids take for granted, or the smell of shit stench that wafts out of our hundred-plus-year-old open sewer system, or of when I see how beautiful everything is around Ward Parkway and compare it to how awful everything is around Benton Boulevard, and on and on and on.

Instead, I’m going to mostly just tell stories, and let whatever observations and insights and themes about Kansas City emerge from those stories. 

But I want to start the whole thing here, with an acknowledgement of how badly I fucked things up for myself here in Kansas City by making some of the dumbest mistakes of my life in front of a city of one-point-however-million people.

And that sucks. For me.

Not for you, obviously, because despite all the problems, it’s a pretty kick-ass town, with just about anything you’d ever want in a city, for low, low, super low prices. And a lot of stuff you can’t find nowhere else.

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 18 Comments

Today: Arizona Getaway 2011; Lots More Joe, Lots Less Me

Everybody needs a vacation, whether they deserve it or not…

I obviously don’t, but I’m taking one anyway. And contrary to popular midwestern logic, that it makes no sense whatsoever to party in Tucson in July, I’m here vacationing without you.

A somewhat best kept secret; the monsoon season goes down in mid-July and August here, bringing clouds, rainfall and cooler temps. And Tucson’s temps are far cooler than Phoenix/Scottsdale – the totally yuppified areas most vacationers prefer. What heat there is, is dry and bearable, sans the merciless humidity of KC.

Here’s the really good part…

Far fewer loser tourist types abound at this time of year and you get incredible deals at resorts like the Hacienda Del Sol. For like a fraction of the dough "in season." So for the well-informed, it’s a no brainer.

Why I come here in the first place? Went to school and lived in Tucson for four years. So friends and familiar haunts beckon my return.

But enough schmaltzy stuff…

I’ll continue to write some, but as you have undoubtedly noticed, I’ve retained former Pitch top gun and award winning author Joe Miller to unleash a series of going away columns. One a day – this week and next. Joe is going legit as a college professor and he’s leaving KC for all time in a few short weeks.

Far as I can tell, Joe’s going to travel through time to his early, first years in KC. Give his impression of the landscape. Record a bit of pop culture history. And lay down essentially the good, the awful and the truly ugly.

Meanwhile, I’ll share a couple details of the road that may be of interest…

For starters, like some of you, I was a somewhat stunned when controversial Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill in April to implement a 75 mph speed limit. It went into effect July 1st.

Four buck gas was just beginning to rear its ugly head. We were mired in no less than what passes for three wars in the Middle East which are were about – guess what? – us wanting to drive gas hog SUVs and trucks and have cheap gas. And now we’re green lighting speed limits that do little other than waste fuel.

Typical Kansas backward thinking, right? Not exactly.

What I’ve discovered – since I’m on a driving vacation in a 50 mpg Toyota Prius – is this time out Kansas is not alone.

Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona are also on the 75 mph plan. So we’re all going down together.

 

Let’s review:

Vacationing in Tucson in July and August totally makes sense. Practically everybody in the free world thinks driving 75 mph in Hummers and giant SUVs is a good thing. And Joe Miller is  going to light a going-away fire on Kansas City on his way out of town.

In other words, nothing is sacred anymore. And that’s the name of that tune…

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 4 Comments

Donnelly: Stoppage Time Goal Saves Sporting Again, Plus Brazilian Midfielder Signed

 

Sporting Kansas City refused to lose on Saturday night in Houston.  Omar Bravo vs Houston Dynamo

No, they didn’t win either.

But they did extend their unbeaten streak to eleven games, the second best streak in all of MLS this season.  And they did it again with late game heroics – this time from central defender Aurelien Collin – snatching a point on the road after trailing for the entire game.

Houston took the lead in just the 8th minute off a Brad Davis free kick from about 30 yards out that sent KC keeper Jimmy Nielsen tumbling into his near post. 

But for the rest of the game, Sporting essentially dominated, giving up few real chances to Houston.  Despite KC’s dominance, however, and despite Houston seeing two red cards and being left with only nine men, Houston keeper Tally Hall came up with huge save after huge save to keep his squad’s hopes alive. 

In the end, SKC recorded 24 shots while Houston managed just 6.

KC Coach Peter Vermes was pleased with the effort overall.

"I think from the opening whistle, that we dominated the game," said Vermes.  "I think we had the run of play and Brad Davis had a great free kick. Outside of that, they really had no chances through the run of play. We shut most of their game down."

The tying goal came in the 90th minute, as KC pounded again and again on Houston’s back line with crosses.  There were certainly more than a few solid chances that could have – should have? – been finished.  But between bad luck and an opposing keeper who just seemed to get a hand to everything, Vermes’ boys were staring down the barrel of a pretty tough defeat. 

Kei Kamara vs. Houston DynamoWith mere moments left in the game, Collin received a pass on top of the box, took a touch, and fired a low missile.  Luckily, the shot glanced off a Houston player and changed direction enough that even the red hot Hall couldn’t readjust in time. 

After the game, Collin acknowledged the fortuity of his goal. 

"I was lucky. They were solid in their defense. Their goalkeeper was very, very good today. We finally scored in the end, so I’m very happy for the team. With the condition of that game, we should have won."

Yes, they should have won. 

Which is why most die-hard Sporting KC fans were thrilled when the team announced on Sunday that Brazilian midfielder Jéferson wasMidfielder Jeferson signed and will become the team’s third ever designated player.  The 27 year old comes to KC by way of Brazilian super power Vasco da Gama, and is expected to add some punch to the Sporting offense.

“We are excited to have gotten Jéferson based on the fact that he is a player with the attacking qualities that can really help our team with the final pass and also scoring goals," commented Vermes. 

But the question is, will this Brazilian go the way of so many super talented foreign players who underestimate the pace and physicality of the MLS, only to be sent home packing within a year or two?  According to Jéferson, no way.

"I’ve been preparing physically to be able to come here and make an immediate impact," said Jéferson. “I’m very excited to be here and I come with the goal to help the team fulfill its goal of making the playoffs and ultimately going to the final.”

That seems awfully similar to what I heard from Claudio Lopez a few years ago, but let’s reserve judgment for now. 

After all, this guy is still in the prime of his career, unlike some of the aging internationals that see MLS as a nice little vacation to wrap up their careers.

Also:

Sporting takes on English Premier League giants Newcastle United this Wednesday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.  Game time is 7:30.
 

Posted in Sporting_Kansas_City | Tagged | 3 Comments

Donnelly: Gin? Check. Juice? Check. Snoop Dogg Coming To Crossroads July 26th

 

Try this out: Ask your mom if she’s ever heard of Snoop Doggy Dogg.

I bet she has, and I bet she knows he’s a rapper.

And I bet she even knows that with so much drama in the LBC it’s kinda hard being Snoop D-O Double G. 

Okay, maybe not that last part, but it just goes to show you what a ridiculously wide swath the Doggfather’s career has carved out.

I mean, my mom doesn’t know who Dr. Dre is, who Eminem is, or who Jay Z is.  So take that HOVA.   

But she knows that Snoop is "that skinny guy who smokes a lot of weed and was on The View that one time.  And he seems like a pretty nice fellow."

As if the mom research wasn’t enough to show just how far Calvin Broadus, Jr. has come from his teenage years as a member of the Crips in Long Beach, California, consider this:

His first album, Doggystyle, was released in 1993 and it sold over 800,000 copies in its first week which, at the time, was the fastest selling album of all time for a debuting artist. 

Now consider this:

I grew up in small town Nebraska – NEBRASKA! – and I think I heard Doggystyle on friends’ car stereos no less than 8 gillion times.  I can pretty much recite the entire album word for word, and I’m not even really a rap fan.  To my generation, Doggystyle was probably as influential as Nirvana‘s Nevermind.

Yeah, I said it. 

But you see what I mean?  Very wide swath.   

Mr. Dogg recently released his eleventh studio album, Doggumentary, and of course he’s hitting all the hot spots.  No, not NYC, Atlanta, and Miami.  Try West Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Cincinnati, and Cannes. 

Yeah, that’s right – France.   

Oh, he’ll hit the big markets, too, but not before stopping in Portugal. 

And he’s coming to the Crossroads to drop a beat or two on KCMO’s collective ass on Tuesday, July 26th.

And just as an added bonus:

After recently offering his services to KC legend Tech N9ne for Tech’s latest release, I’m thinking there might be a special appearance in the works by some members of the Strange crew. 

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 5 Comments

New Jack City: K.C. Worships At the Altar Of TRADER JOE’S!

Remember watching the opening of the Berlin Wall on TV in 1989?

Thousands of East Germans crushing their way through the newly opened border into West Berlin. But where were most of them really heading to on their first visit to freedom?

The supermarkets and department stores, that’s where!

That’s where everything they didn’t have in the East was available for the asking on fully-stocked shelves.

Fast forward to this week’s hot July weekend in Kansas City and Friday’s grand opening of not just one, but two TRADER JOE’S grocery stores—the upscale sister business of German owned ALDI stores.

A grand opening without any advertising no less!

(Note: TJ’s takes all credit cards. Aldi doesn’t take any. And the second TJ location is at 119th and Roe in Leawood.)

Barricades at Ward Parkway Center, security officers, long lines, humanity in mass. You’d think these people had never been to a modern supermarket. Or God forbid, a WHOLE FOODS.

As I was driving past the new Trader Joe’s off State Line Friday morning, I swore to stay away from the place for at least a month before checking it out. But curiosity got the best of me Sunday afternoon and off to Ward Parkway Center it was.

Trying to find a parking spot anywhere close was a major challenge. But I lucked out with a spot on the far north side of Target’s parking area.

What did I find inside the new store?

Massive crowds, many semi-empty shelves that couldn’t be restocked fast enough and some pretty tasty looking goodies. Pricing at first glance seemed to be good to average. A six pack of Beck’s beer $6.99, while a gallon of milk sold for $2.99—good prices.

Did I stock up?

No way! Eight checkout lanes. Each with lines at least 20 shoppers deep.

Will I go back? Sure, why not—when things have settled down a bit that is. Until then, it’s HyVee, Price Chopper—and dare I suggest–Whole Foods for me.

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | 4 Comments

Glazer: P&L District Implements Stern Measures to Fend Off Urban Hordes

The shooting of a 16-year-old there last month has propelled Power & Light District into high gear…

The game plan: Eliminate the urban/hip hop crowd from the downtown entertainment district.

The teenager was shot in a P&L parking garage at 1:40 a.m. after the R. Kelly concert. Obviously Kelly, a popular black singer, has had his own issues with the law.

And as we all know, most established concert venues try NOT to book black acts. Other than crossovers like Bill Cosby, Tina Turner and even Snoop Dog. There’s simply too much violence surrounding the younger urban shows.

Surprised, huh? Uh, no.

Now P&L has added some new twists: A $10 COVER ON FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS.

And get this one…

THEY ARE ACCEPTING CREDIT CARDS AT THE DOOR FOR ADMITTANCE ON FRIDAYS.

Why? You guessed it. Most young blacks HAVE NO CREDIT CARDS. Hello.

Cash is allowed on Saturdays due to concerts and tourists.

What else? Oh yeah, COUNTRY MUSIC ON THURSDAY NIGHTS EVERY THURSDAY WITH YOUNG COUNTRY 104.3. Young blacks don’t like the country music and stay away.

Westport, which has had a much more peaceful summer, had a tragic death a few nights ago when 19-year-old Halle Steele collapsed to the floor, hit her head and died. She was a KU student, best known for her work on the channel 6, Lawrence TV Show, "The Not So Late Show."  According to a Westport spokesperson, paramedics were on the scene in seconds; she had heat stroke, fell and accidentally hit her head and passed away.

With the recent closings of two of the three major black dance clubs in the Midtown area, Karma and Zen, the P&L as well as Martini Corner have seen a big rise in black attendance and increased violence this summer.

"When I go down to look at their crowds, now I see the urban core – blacks being more than 50% of the total crowd now, especially after 11 PM," says a source who asked not to be named. "It always leads to violence and even the death of a strong district. We all know what it has done to Westport over the last 20 years. But there seems to be no real answer to the problem."

P.S. The 16-year-old from P&L was hit by a flurry of bullets fired in the garage, taken to a hospital and dumped off by an unknown man; he left her there and took off.

Nice of him, huh?

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 33 Comments

New Jack City: Harry Potter Breaks All Records, Massive Crowds Pack Plexes!

Friday’s opening of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS-PART 2 raised the bar for Hollywood tentpoles by grossing a massive $92.1 million at North America’s boxoffices.

A good part of that huge number came courtesy of the blockbuster Friday 12:01 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. "midnight" shows which saw record-breaking ticket sales of $43.5 million.

HP8 is now on track to score a whopping $180 million-PLUS in its initial 3 day domestic opening weekend

By comparison THE DARK KNIGHT set the previous North American 3-day opening record of $158 million in 2008.

Overseas, where HP8 got a 2-day jump start over its U.S. opening, the film enjoyed a $75 million Friday bringing its initial total global take (3 days international and 1 day domestic) to a whopping $249.6 million.

Exit polling at theatres throughout the country indicate high audience approval of the film and exhibitors are already reporting high numbers of repeat business.

So may the Force—make that the Wizard—be with you!

 
 
 
 

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | Leave a comment

Glazer: Humble Scribe Sizzles in the Summer Sun @ Woodside

 

"Summer lovin had me at last, summer lovin had me a blast"…

Truer words never spoken. I love the summer – even the 100 degree heat. It makes people go to the pools and that’s where the fun really starts. All those hotties!

Woodside has a smokin hot happy hour afternoon on Fridays. Bring a guest day starts at 3 and goes til 7 p.m.. And it’s always sold out – like 300 plus adults, mostly 20s and 30s – and oh yeah, me.

I ran into an old flame who asked that I not identify her – I think you can guess why. And Black Barbie was there and wanted to drive my Porsche. I let her but it turned out she didn’t know how to drive stick, so I had to jump in and put my foot on the brake before she ran into another car.

Woodside have a live DJ on Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays are loaded as well. Weekdays half full, no other pool in town has all that and that busy. The Jones is not open during the week.

Hey, are you like me?

Doesn’t summer bring out all the good memories? You know, school’s out, driving with the top down, hot chicks, cruising, outdoor concerts. Man, its the best even if it is too hot. Hey, I’ll take clear and 100 over cloudy, snowy ice, rain and 18 degrees anytime. Our winters tend to depress us.

Had a fun time at Woodside with Reno 911’s Carlos Alazraqui and yes he is the voice of the Taco Bell Dog.

"Yo quiero Taco Bell" He did a fun show. Even my doctor came. I had another fun ex girlfriend, Jessie come with me to Woodside. She may have a better body than even the "bodybuilder lady" who I haven’t dated lately. And don’t forget the Mermaid. She’s been hitting the gym daily and you sure can tell.

You meet new people, that’s what summer is about.  Adventure. Even for vets like me. It’s always THE time of year. Then…"it gets cold that’s where it ends.

"I had to make our true love die…Summer dreams ripped at the seams..but oh..THOSE SUMMER NIGHTS."

Yep, just when we need it most, it’s over.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 30 Comments

Starbeams: KC Council OKs Backyard Chickens; Top 5 Cool Things

The Kansas City Council unanimously approved a measure that allows more people to have backyard chickens.  You can now own up to 15 chickens but you must keep them at least 100 feet from your neighbor’s property.

TOP 5 COOL THINGS ABOUT HAVING CHICKENS IN YOUR BACK YARD:

#5.  Makes it easy to call in sick with bird flu.

#4.  You can finally get to the bottom of why they cross the road.

#3.  In this weather, you’re just a short stroll away from EXTRA CRISPY.

#2.  If you stutter, chickens still think you’re cool. Ah said, ah said.

#1.  More opportunities for our favorite joke, "How do you like your eggs? FERTILIZED!"
 

Posted in Starbeams | Tagged | 1 Comment

Glazer: SOS, Save Our Star; Hire Hearne & Jason Back

 

Enough is enough, sometimes we have to admit we made a mistake and fix it fast…

The Kansas City Star, which I do like overall, needs a shot in the arm bad. Really bad. The fix is not more big ads on page one or hiring more inexpensive young writers with limited talent. No.

HERE IT IS KANSAS CITY, DRUM ROLL..HIRE BACK HEARNE CHRISTOPHER AND JASON WHITLOCK NOW!

Both should have one-off stories on Page One for a bit, then alternate that for a couple days a week.

Lets face it THE STAR HAS NO STARS.

Right now there are almost no name writers left that anyone knows or follows. Sure we have Joyce Smith in business, Steve Kraske now and again – but he’s mostly on radio – and new guy Sam Mellinger in sports. That’s nice, but doesn’t generate the water cooler talk of Whitlock and Hearne.

It just ain’t happening Kansas City Star.

Whitlock without a doubt caused a stir. Hearne gave us an entertainment column that has never been replaced and is badly missed. Nobody covers local stars or political people at all. That’s unheard of at a large newspaper. NO LOCAL COLOR.

Whitlock and Hearne would do just that. Both well known names in this city. Like them or not, people want to read and hear what those two think about PEOPLE.

Nobody cares what Jenee Osterheldt thinks or anyone else in FYI. Or almost anyone in sports. BORING.

I know both guys. Let me tell you this as a fact; HEARNE is a hard working guy, he never is off duty, never. That guy was all over this city daily, getting stories. Whitlock found gems with sub par teams and made Carl Peterson the "evil empire." Without him, NO STORIES on Peterson.It was Whitlock who uncovered the fake world of King Carl.

Hearne made stars of local colorful characters like my dad Stan Glazer (only Hearne really covered his first run for mayor and Stan nearly won), panhandler Jerry Mazer, Holly Starr, all the nightlife on the Plaza, Westport, Downtown and out South: Only Hearne.

Now if you are a somebody with no national coverage, you get zero cover from the paper. FYI only knows two KC names, Rob Wriggle and Paul Rudd, both actors with many credits. Sorry, David Cook you are OUT.

Yes, they throw me a bone now and again.

So put up the billboards KC Star and get some action for a change. Nothing your marketing does has worked since you cut ties with these two household names. Nothing.

KC Star, here is the great news; since you guys are cutting costs everywhere: Hire both back at much less dough. Hearne, yes its true, has his own money. Jason may be down a little in that area and needs the money, but both NEED THE ACTION.

Jason was a star here, he wants to come home. Bring him back, bring him back. Having these two back would be like the first several episodes of "Two and A Half Men" with CHARLIE SHEEN BACK,and behaving..off the chart.

This is marketing genius by uh, guess who? OK, I can be a consultant for a couple of dollars.

Save the planet. Save the Paper HIRE HEARNE AND JASON BACK ASAP. PLEASE FOR ALL OF OUR SAKES. Thank you.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 30 Comments

Glazer: Time to Erect a Statue of KC’s One & Only Superstar, Tom Watson

I got up early for radio to be at Johnny Dare’s at 6:50 AM…

Glad I turned on my TV at 4:40 AM. It was dialed into the British Open. And I looked up just in time to see Tom Watson take a 4 iron to tee off.

The ball was like a layup right into the hole – a hole in ONE.

I thought to myself, is this older tape? NO. It was live from THE BRITISH OPEN at 10:55 their time, 4:55 our time.

OH MY GOD, A HOLE IN ONE!

WATSON in his 60’s is without argument people: OUR ONLY CURRENT WORLDWIDE SUPERSTAR.

That’s right, only Watson is a current mega star in the sports world when you mention Kansas City. There is no other name that at this time matters, NONE. Just Tom Watson. Eight Major titles including five British Opens, two Masters and one US Title, six-time golfer of the year.

Kansas City’s favorite son Tom Watson.

Watson said it was his 15th hole in one of his entire life. He did it front of 30,000 people live at that spot in the British Open. It was perfect ,looked almost unreal. And it didn’t go in lucky, it went in DEAD ON.

The shot brought him to even and five off the lead. Once again the man is in the hunt for his 6th British Open Title. He is the fan favorite by all accounts and THEY LOVE HIM. Maybe we should Love him a bit more back home.

Sure, he has everyone’s respect, but he has been for years now our only SUPER STAR that’s still in the game.

Tom ranks up with our big three, Len Dawson and George Brett. Tom deserves a statue as does Lenny. Brett has his in front of the Royals stadium. Maybe somewhere like on the Plaza, Legends, or at the sports complex ALL THREE together. Watson is just something else.

Until I saw that shot, it just had never sunk in with me about how great the man truly is and has been.

We love you, Tom Watson. You are a true Kansas City Sports Hero for the ages. All the very best sir.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 16 Comments

Hearne: Go Figure, KCFX’s Slacker Wins Men, Johnny Dare Women in June

Here’s a bit of a shocker…

Former KY102 and 99.7 KY personality Slacker has taken over as Numero Uno among men listeners, ages 25 to 54, in morning drive from 6 a.m to 10 a.m. weekdays.

Go ahead, squint, rub your eyes, stare in disbelief, Slacker nosed out The Rock 98.9 FM’s Johnny Dare for top ratings honors with a 12.5 audience share to Dare’s 12.3. Let the record show that PPM or metered ratings tend to skew more toward music format than personalities, but it’s a remarkable feat nonetheless.

Here are the rest of the Top 10 stations in morning drive for men…

  1.  KCFX FM and Slacker with a 12.5 share
  2.  The Rock and Johnny Dare with a 12.3 share
  3.   WHB and Steven St. John and Nate Bukaty with a 5.7 share
  4.  The Buzz and Afentra with a 5.4 share
  5.  The Vibe with a 4.6 share
  6.  610 Sports and Bulldog Bob Fescoe with a 4.4 share
  7.  KMBZ and E.J.and Ellen with a 4.3 share
  8.  KPRS and the Tony G & Sean Tyler with a 4.1 share
  9.  Funny 102.5 with a 4.0 share
  10.  Jack FM and Nycki Pace & Bryan Truta with a 3.8 share

Now brace yourselves for the Top 10 morning shows for women listeners, 25-54 on weekdays

  1. The Rock and Johnny Dare with a 7.9 share
  2.  Mix 93.3 and Rocket & Teresa with a 7.5 share
  3.  Q104 and Mike Kennedy witha 7.1 share
  4.  KLRX or K-Love and Lisa & Eric with a 6.0 share
  5.  KPRS and the Tony G & Sean Tyler with a 6.0 share
  6.  Jack FM and Nycki Pace & Bryan Truta with a 5.1 share
  7.  KCMO AM and Dick Wilson with a 5.1 share
  8.  Alice FM and bj, Howie & Erica with a 4.9 share
  9.  The Buzz and Afentra with a 4.7 share
  10.  KCUR Public Radio with a 4.5 share
  11. The Vibe with a 4.3 share

Needless to say, there’s a whole lotta shaking going down in the wide world of local radio!

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 14 Comments

Today: What’s in a Name? Jazz Club Owner Changes Name…Again!

Where to begin…

See, there’s this woman who worked her way up through hard charging, powerful partying and blind faith into becoming the most powerful and influential person on the Kansas City jazz scene. She’s from India, of all places and you probably know her as Beena.

For me it’s a bit more complicated…

Because when I first met Beena while I was working at the Kansas City Star, she was a cocktail waitress-turned club manager and about to turn owner of the jazz joint known as Jardine’s just off the Plaza. She married a local blues guitarist named John Brandsgard shortly thereafter and rapidly rose to become one of the most colorful, prolific characters in my column, alongside luminaries such as Craig Glazer, Clay Chastain, Will Gregory, Chris Fritz, Jeff Fortier, Larry Sells and Holly Starr.

In other words, there was almost nothing she wouldn’t do or say to further the interests of the jazz club she loved so dearly. Within reason.

From throwing testy-tempered Karrin Allyson under the bus to you-name-it. In short, Beena was my kinda grrrl.

Now here’s where it gets a bit prickly…

She started out as Beena Brandsgard – simple enough. But then she got divorced, naturally I reported on the D in my column. Then she flew the coup back to India for like four years and when she moved back to KC two years ago, she told me her name was now Beena Rajalekshmi.

So Tony and I faithfully reported on her ensuing trials and tribulations under that name. Trouble is, she never bothered to change it from Brandsgard and ultimately we were forced to abandon ship on "Rajalekshmi" and revert back to calling her "Brandsgard."

Kind of a pain and slightly embarrassing but we survived.

But as of tonight, Beena’s back to her old tricks – she’s changed her name again. Who knows if it’s legit, but who are we to explain to somebody who they actually are?

And so – against my better judgement – I’m here to tell you that there no longer is a Beena Brandsgard nor a Beena Rajalekshmi.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Beena Raja.

"You know, Rajalekshmi is too long," Raja says.

Oh, great, does it stand for anything?

"Raja is like ‘the king’ in India," Raja says. "And Rani is the queen. The real reason I want to change my name again is Brandsgard is kind of a bad karma. So that’s a small step for mankind."

But something approaching a giant leap for the readsers of KC Confidential…

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 6 Comments

Hearne: And Now the Rest of the Radio Ratings; Top 10 Men & Women

Now it’s time to lay down the numbers most important to radio executives and advertisers…

The Top 10 highest rated radio stations for the month of June for Men and Women, ages 25 to 54. In prime time – from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Monday through Friday, where 85 to 90 percent of a radio station’s revenues are derrived and its heaviest duty air personalities slug it out for the survival.

Let’s start with men…

  1.  KCFX FM The Fox with a 12.7 audience share (classic rock)
  2.  98.9 FM The Rock with an 11.5 share  (rock)
  3.  The Buzz with a 6.1 share  (alternative)
  4.  WHB with a 5.8 share  (sports talk)
  5.   KMBZ with a 5.1 share  (news talk)
  6.  610 Sports with a 4.9 share  (sports talk)
  7.   Q104 with a 4.8 share  (country)
  8.   Funny 102.5 FM with a 4.3 share   (comedy)
  9.  The Vibe  witha 3.6 share     (contemporary hits)
  10.  KPRS FM with a 3.3 share    (urban)

Now the ladies, if you will…

  1.   Mix 93.3 FM with an 8.0 audience share  (hits)
  2.   KLRX K Love with a  7.2 share  (Christian)
  3.   The Rock with a 6.5 share  (rock)
  4.   Q104 with a 6.1 share   (country)
  5.   The Buzz with a 5.9 share  (alternative)
  6.   Jack FM  with a 5.7 share   (adult hits)
  7.   Alice with a 5.5 share   (adult album alternative)
  8.   KCMO 94.9 FM with a 5.5 share    (classic hits)
  9.   KPRS with a 5.5 share   (urban)
  10.   The Vibe with a 5.0 share (contemporary hits)

Worth noting; That KCFX nosed out venerable powerhouse The Rock and how The Buzz has evolved from the station and format that was on Death Row a handful of years back to something approaching a powerhouse in both men and women.

And give it up for KLRX or K-Love – a strong No. 2 in women – a contemporary Christian signal that’s grown from niche to nouveau riche. Michele Bachmann for President, anyone?

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 2 Comments

Donnelly: Blind Pilot at the Bottleneck, July 14, 2011

I don’t think Blind Pilot lead singer Israel Nebeker ever stopped smiling throughout the whole show at the Bottleneck Wednesday night.

Hell, he’s probably still smiling, even though I hear, via Tweet, that the band is having some trouble out in western Kansas, probably due in part to their 1977 Crown school bus that is their home on the road.

According to the band, the old bus is "a very bad decision according to most tour managers we have met. But a great adventure according to us."

But sometimes, when something feels good you just go with it.

Everyone seemed to be feeling good at the ‘Neck, including the multitude of younger folks walking around sans beverages with black X’s on their hands.  The bar was pretty full, especially for a weeknight, probably about 2/3 of capacity – not too shabby. 

As Portland’s Blind Pilot strummed their way through accessible folk-pop songs the audience reflected the bands’ smiles with their own.  I thought to myself these guys sound like they should open for Jack Johnson.   

The first thing that really jumped out at me was the three part harmonies on nearly every song.  Nice.  That and the very quiet yet tasteful song arrangements.   

For example, there was a squeeze box type thing on several songs that was just barely audible as an echo, making the listener strain a bit to really hear what was going on, forcing a kind of attention that more "out front" sounding acts can never seem to command. 

Same type thing in another song when one of the band members picked up a trumpet just to add that particular tone to the chords.  And same with the keyboard that just emanated a ghostly, soft sound that was almost easier to feel than hear.

Big props to the soundgirl, who did a great job all evening, except for the last song (I’ll get to that in a minute).

All the musical subtleties were really effective, especially when matched with the band’s endless smiles and good natured stage banter.  Sometimes it makes a big difference, as an audience member, if you feel like the band is truly appreciative of where they are, what they’re doing, and not jaded by the road and endless bad food.

I was a little surprised, though, that most of the songs they played were off of 2008’s "3 Rounds and a Sound."  I mean, it’s a great album, don’t get me wrong, but the band is supposed to be releasing a new album in September so I was expecting to get more of a taste of the new stuff.

And that’s really my only little gripe about this show, if you can even call it a gripe.  Actually, that’s not really a gripe. 

In fact, the show was great.  Perfect energy and simple songs executed nicely.

As their set drew to a close, Nebeker announced to the crowd that, "We got one more for you!"  But the Bottleneck crowd didn’t want it to end.  Boos rained down

Startled, Nebeker confided, "We actually are going to play more, we just say that you know?  When I say ‘we got one more’, I mean it like when a band says ‘we got one more.’" 

This drew some chuckles and cheers.

After the song, the band ran upstairs into the shitty green room and then emerged a minute later.  But instead of plugging back in they stepped off the front of the stage into the audience and played unplugged quietly.  Some in the room weren’t paying attention and had to be told to shut it so everyone could hear.

When they finished, the crowd showered the band with an ovation the likes of which I haven’t heard at the Bottleneck in a long time. 

I’ll admit though, I thought the encore was a little gimmicky.  But as good natured as the band was all night I was willing to play along.  I guess I just selfishly wish I could have heard the unplugged stuff sound as good and balanced as the preceding set.

But I get it.  And I like it. 

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Hearne: Read Her Lips; No More Ida McBeth @ Any Other KC Clubs but Jardine’s

Madonna, Shakira – entertainment giants like Live Nation have been signing artists to exclusive deals for years…

Now Jardine’s is getting in the game. The Plaza jazz club has inked an exclusive deal with the Queen of Kansas City Jazz, Ida McBeth. Meaning, no more club gigs at the Blue Room, Point or Phoenix downtown, if you wanna catch the Queen, you’ll have to go to Jardine’s.

"I signed an exclusive contract with her," says Jardine’s owner Beena Brandsgard. "Ida will only play at Jardine’s. No more Blue Room dates after her last gig there in September. And no other local clubs."

There’s more…

"She had a manager, but I’m taking over as her manager and booking agent," Brandsgard says. "So from now on, all of Ida’s gigs are going through me."

Includeing outdoor festival and event bookings, private parties – you name it.

"I will not restrict myself," Brandsgard says. "I’m going to evaluate everywhere Ida plays and I’ll only pick the very best for her. I’m taking her up to the next level."

As for landing the biggest jazz fish in KC’s musical pond, "I mean, it’s huge for me," Brandsgard says. "It’s Ida – she is Kansas City."

For information about landing Ida McBeth for your event or party email Beena or cALL 816 719-5575

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 2 Comments