KC Confidential

Memo to Sam Mellinger: don’t quit your day job, dogg…

Writing about sports minutiae’s one thing – and something Sam does a pretty decent job of – but sorting out real life news issues over chicken wings and beer isn’t exactly a recipe for solving real world woes.

Yet here comes Sam on the front page of Thursday’s Star – bright eyed and full of boyish naiveté – ready, willing but unable to solve a controversy surrounding KC’s proposed streetcar route.

How could he?

All Mellinger really did was take a couple of cheap shots at outspoken Westport businessman Bill Nigro and get a single bar owner and a bureaucrat to sit down and politely agree to disagree on whether the streetcar should go down a blighted Main in Midtown or a more evolved Broadway past Westport and closer to the Country Club Plaza.

Look, there are lots of things one can tweet their way into but having a kumbaya  moment  may have made Mellinger feel good but the controversy is still alive and kicking.

A little background:

Westporters in KC’s entertainment district feel they’ve earned a streetcar stop – especially since while most of ’em aren’t being allowed to vote on the issue (which is bogus and something Sam the Man didn’t even touch on), yet they’re the ones who are going to be tapped for an involuntary, giant chunk of change to pay for it.

Nigro’s take that Mellinger didn’t bother calling to get:

“I’ll shut up when they bring the streetcar down Broadway.” Continue reading →

I’m going to be brief because I’m in much pain with this news…

My younger brother Jeff Glazer – my partner in Stanford’s for decades – has been on life support at Menorah hospital for the past several weeks. Jeff had some internal bleeding and I took him to the hospital for them to examine and heal him about four weeks back.

Jeff had been in the hospital a couple days when he couldn’t breath. He’d contracted a lung problem and they’d put him on a breathing unit (life support). To ease the pain, he was put on a lot of pain medicine and kept asleep. With tubes down his throat it was simply a horror to see. Though in critical shape the doctors felt good about his surviving and eventually returning to normal. 

Sadly with all of our family feeling things might work out, I got the news today that he had contracted brain cancer and it was not something they could fix. Continue reading →

This weekend Disney/Marvel ushers in the 2018 summer movie season by unleashing the Marvel Universe to its world wide fan base…

They did it two years ago in early May with CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and last May with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 2.

But hold it right there, it’s still April, right?

Disney wisely moved up its superhero extravaganza AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR to (probably) give it an extra week’s separation from 20th Century-Fox’s highly anticipated DEADPOOL 2 opening in three weeks on May 18th.

Smart move!

What we have with INFINITY WAR is like the creation of the ultimate living comic book.

Two and a half hours of non-stop cinematic amazement. Continue reading →

Let’s be real…

Amy Schumer is not who first comes to mind when thinking of hotties in movies today.

While talking about Shumer’s new comedy of body image issues she confided that she didn’t care how this (movie) makes her look or sound. She just wanted to be the funniest version of herself she could be.

The film is called I FEEL PRETTY and Schumer surprisingly tones down her usual R-rated raunch approach to PG-13 levels.

Know what?

IT WORKS!

Here Schumer plays plain and chubby Renee Barrett, an ordinary, man starved woman struggling with feelings of insecurity and self-esteem. Continue reading →

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE REMEMBERS CHRIS FARLEY — NBC Special — Pictured: Chris Farley — NBC Photo

It’s not easy being the younger brother of a superstar…

Especially when your big brother is Saturday Night Live’s Chris Farley and you’re also a comic. The pressure can be immense. So it is with Kevin Farley.

Growing up was a challenge, Kevin says.

His brother was the center of attention both at home and later nationally viahis stardom.

The younger Farley eventually gained some attention with his comedy on stage and in films like Tommy Boy, Black Sheep and The Waterboy.

And  he finally got some really nice notice for his clever and memorable role in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Thing was, Kevin is a look alike for his brother and has many of the same manners on stage and with his voice..but he’s his own man.

Years ago, as Kevin’s career began taking off, Stanford’s had Kevin at the Legends and he rocked the room all week.

He also helped open the Stanford’s at Overland Park a few years back.

Shortly after his appearances a tStanford’s Kevin got his big break: the starring role on the TBS series, ” Still The King” with co star Billy Ray Cyrus. The series featured Billy as an Elvis impersonator and Kevin his parole officer… very funny and the TBS No0. 1 show the past two seasons.

Kevin also produced, starred and directed “I Am Chris Farley” the life story of his famous brother who as we know passed away at too young an age.

Kevin was in big demand…

He did tv shows like”Drunk History” as Al Capone and countless others.

Today he’s a theater act and is doing more tv roles and film parts.

Kevin enjoys Kansas City and  Stanford’s so he’s  playing in the midwest and decided to stop in this week and do a special one night stand at Stanford’s. Continue reading →

What a way to go…

Driving down 18th Street last night  after The Darkness show at new concert venue The Truman I found myself gliding past the grounds of my former employer, the Kansas City Star.

At which point you might say I became blinded by the light.

Because smack in front of the newspaper’s stately courtyard and front entry stood a massive, tacky, homemade three dimensional real estate sign. Brightly lighted for all to see, no less.

And blocking the charming fountain, American flag and the building entry.

Did I mention that it was tacky?”

Really tacky.

It gets worse…

“After more than a century of stories, a new story is being written,” the multi faceted sign reads.

Followed by a giant commercial real estate ad for the available space now that like 90 percent of the staff has been walked the plank.

“3,000 – 65,000 SF Office Space

5,000 SF Rooftop patio

Data Center

30,000 SF Marketplace

AND MORE”

“That sign is ginormous,” gasped a local attorney. “It’s terrible and it’s right in front of the flagpole. It’s like this monstrosity that blocks the entire courtyard.”

As for the building’s real estate slogan, “What’s the new story?” the attorney quipped. “That they have an enormous amount of vacant space?” Continue reading →

One of the best expositions of the way political journalism can be misdirected towards base ends is George Orwell’s essay, “Politics and The English Language.” It contains the following gems:

“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful . . . and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”

“There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.”

I often thought of these apothegms during last year’s shuck and jive session at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library with the newly named Kansas City Star editorial board.

As we all know, the Star, like every print newspaper, is struggling to survive.

The newspaper’s total number of employees has fallen from around 2,000 (spread out over five offices) to 240 in one location at the last count. Advertising revenues have plummeted, along with paid circulation, which fell 33% in just two years.

The average number of pages in the daily paper has shrunk from 40 to 50 pages in its prime to 15 or 20 today. Like grade schoolers trying to pad an assigned essay, the Star has increased the size of the print and the number of pictures in each edition of the paper, all framed by increasingly generous margins.

So desperate is the paper’s management that they sold off both the company’s expensive new printing plant (“The Press Pavilion” in typical pretentious “Star speak”) and the historic Star building  for a fraction of what they were valued at a few years ago.

The purpose of the event was to introduce new members of the editorial board to the community. The director of the library, R. Crosby (“Cris”) Kemper, III, was the moderator.

Kemper started by introducing new editorial page editor Colleen Nelson; new editorial writer Melinda Henneberger;  recently axed, longtime Star cartoonist Lee Judge; political reporter David Helling; freelance opinion columnist Steve Kraske; community outreach editor Derek Donovan; and columnist Mary Sanchez.

Nelson came to the Star from the Wall Street Journal, Henneberger from the Washington Post. The others are longtime Star veterans.

Kemper asked each to give a little of their personal history.

He opened by saying the editorial board had “gone away for a while,” which is a euphemism for the laying off of all the Star people who had previously constituted the board. These include Barbara (“Fake Laugh”) Shelly, Yael (“Abracadabra”) Aboulhalka, Lewis (“Buck Tooth”)  Diuguid, and Steve (“Mean Drunk”) Paul.

McClatchy’s apparent solution to the death spiral was to hire two new expensive out-of-town journalists, both relatively young and inexperienced, both with problematic backgrounds. Continue reading →

Tough question, given the team’s likely calibre of play…

It’s hard to believe our Kansas City Royals were world champs just three seasons back. After in 2014 the they backed into the playoffs, got hot and went to a World Series only to lose late in game 7.

Can KC baseball fans live off that for decades again?

It’s true after a team wins a title they often fall off, but you’d think the ownership would at least try and keep things rolling and be a playoff contender, right?

So what did KC do to insure a future of good baseball here?

Not much.

We did sign Alex Gordon to a long term zillion dollar contract. Unfortunately, while today he’s still a very good outfielder he’s one of baseball’s worst hitters in a starting position player role (around .200 with no power).

The Royals did go out and get Ian Kennedy to help the pitching staff – oh joy.

And we did hold onto Eric Hosmer, Moose and crew who were already under contract to show off our champs for a couple seasons, even though the Royals were struggling to be a .500 team and never really were in contention.

You know the drill.

Adios now to any hopes for post season play for years or decades to come.

Remember what happened post 1985?

Now the good news:

KC finally won its first game this season hammering the Tigers 1-0 behind Jakob Junis perhaps the one bright spot in our pitching rotation this year. Danny Duffy got hammered in the home opener with a truck load of homers and now starts with a ll.25 ERA.

But don’t worry, it’s early right? Continue reading →

Isn’t it about time we got a female version of PORKY’S?

Maybe not, but that’s what we’re getting anyway.

This raunchy comedy, co-produced by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, is called BLOCKERS.

Why?

Because parents including Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and WWE star John Cena stumble onto their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity on prom night—which is right around the corner.

Not if their overprotective parents have anything to say about it!

What follows is a war between the older generation and three best friends since childhood who want it in the worst way on their big night. Continue reading →

What a way to go…

With six players in double digits for Villanova tying an NCAA Final Four record for 3 point shooting, Kansas got trounced and lost 95-79 last night.

Only Devonte Graham and Malik Newman seemed to show up for KU with both scoring over 20 points but with no help – the KU defense was just a no show.

As KU coach Bill Self admitted after the game,”We were just never in it.”

Kansas was out of the game in just a few minutes.

Kinda like last year with Oregon, game over and fast from start.

Kansas fell behind early by 15-20 points and never challenged Villanova the entire way. It was an ugly end to a fun ride and a great fun season for the Jayhawks. Continue reading →

Ernest Cline‘s 2011 pop culture sci-fi novel READY PLAYER ONE had- and still has today – an impressive following…

However bringing this fantastical delight with its nostalgic elements to the screen takes a very special filmmaker…a cinematic storyteller, if you will.

Let’s face it, this project in the wrong hands would greatly detour from the message of the story of young Wade Watts’ attempt at gaining control of a virtual universe.

But with director/producer Steven Spielberg at the controls you’re in for a rollicking ride that will keep you glued to your seat for the film’s entire 140 minute-long running time.

The year is 2045 where Wade Watts and others are barely surviving in a ramshackle part of Columbus, Ohio known as The Stacks.

The only way out is to escape to the so-called Oasis, a virtual reality world where one—as a personally designed avatar—can be ANYONE and DO ANYTHING their mind can dream up. Continue reading →