KC Confidential

It’s not always the size that counts!

Case in point B & B Theatres‘ brand new LONGVIEW 7 movieplex opening this weekend at 3201 SW Fascination Drive in Lee’s Summit, Missouri

It’s the second B & B Theatres location in this suburban Kansas City community joining its recently remodeled LEE’S SUMMIT 16 on NE Douglas street.

To suggest that LONGVIEW 7 ranks above other area multiplexes  would be an understatement.

The seven-screen complex is an ultra-luxurious experience offered in a boutique-style presentation.

Awaiting moviegoers at LONGVIEW 7 is B & B Theatres’ premium large format ‘Grand Screen’ offering with its massive wall-to-wall curved screen over four stories tall and enhanced by the DTS-X full bodied sound presentation. Continue reading →

I’ve done tons of radio and TV interviews all over the country and never made a buck…

That’s about to change.

I’m proud to say my pipes will be heard nationally on several radio stations.

Voice over gigs like, “Did you watch the Super Bowl just to see the commercials? Then I’m 93 per cent sure you don’t have a penis. 610 ESPN!”

How did it happen?

My buddy Rob Lane was in a local gym a couple weeks back and ran into an agent who sells voices to radio stations nationally. They discussed each other’s work and the agent asked Rob if he knew a guy named Craig Glazer.

Turns out the dude used to live in KC and heard my, “Think About It” spots on several stations here over the years. Now he lives elsewhere but was in town for a visit.

And the agent told Rob, “That guys got the pipes for national spots, I’d like to speak to him”

So we spoke and I did a demo at SteelCity Media in Westport at Q104 and the Mix…sent it to him and he sent it out to thousands of buyers and we got action right away.

My first spots go to San. Francisco and other California stations…mostly sports and rock stations and I’m so pleased to get this opportunity.

I remember years back I used to be on sports radio with 610 Sports Nick Wright. Continue reading →

Bill Self looked like the cat who inhaled a canary at the end of the Big 12 Tourney…

And no wonder; Self turned a good-not-great Kansas squad into a champion winning his 14th straight title. While capturing a ONE SEED in the Big Dance with a real shot at the Final Four, Self proved he’s the area’s all time best coach.

KU faces Penn tomorrow afternoon in Wichita.

MU faces Florida State and K-State faces a tough Creighton team in game one.

To reach the Final Four Kansas may have to conquer Michigan State – that will be a tough one. However with the much improved play of Malik Newman – now a weapon with his offense – and Devonte Graham on fire and the return of Doke and some added help from an improved De Sousa, KU is a tough out today with a real shot at the prize.

On a sour note…

The usual bar, shopping and dining crowds that come in for the Big 12 were way down.

The Plaza, downtown, Westport – even P & L were way down.

Yes, the games were full and fun, but there was less traffic all over the city.

Why? Continue reading →

Is it time to ban imposter, poseur rock?

Allow me to explain.

I never had a problem with crooners like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald or Tony Bennett performing well into their sunset years and beyond. Sure it was lame and all when they’d forget some of the lyrics and sad and disappointing when their voices didn’t hold up, but the senior citizen-esque nature of the music was relatively forgiving.

Because they were doing things largely as they’d always done them – in an easy going, low libido manner

Then again, those artists didn’t begin their careers by smashing drum kits, lighting guitars on fire, trashing hotel rooms and the like. They were always kinda sleepy.

But rock n roll bands bring an entirely different set of expectations.

Unfortunately time has taken severe tolls on the relative athleticism exhibited by many rock bands in their hey days rendering them shadows of the performers they once were ( as they hobble through their stage shows like Brewer & Shipley at the Uptown last week.)

Hey, best I can tell Barbra Streisand and Robert Goulet never played air guitar, so the drop off in on stage exuberance tends to be far less noticeable than it might be for artists like Joan Jett and Pete Townsend.

So what’s my point? Continue reading →

Speaking of over-the-hill Oscar Action…

Anybody else notice that this year’s Kansas City Star Academy Awards coverage all but disappeared in the wake of the newspaper shutting down its entire FYI Section this past year?

For decades – including the 16 years I wrote for the section – Oscars night was an all-hands-on-deck affair for entertainment section staffers.

And where the section normally went to print early in the afternoon the day before the newspaper came out, they would hold the printing of the section until as late as midnight on Oscar’s night in order to put out full blown, comprehensive coverage of the “big night,” ranging from the results to a fashion section with photos of the best and worst dressed red carpet action.

No mas…

Oh they still splashed a huge photo, headline and story about the 90th Annual Academy Awards atop the front page yesterday, but with nary a local byline – not even a fill-in mention or addition to the syndicated stories that ran – by regular Oscar night contributors like Lisa Guttierez, Sharon Hoffman or even Robert Butler (remember him?).

Worse yet, for a newspaper that still pretends to break national and international daily news on its front page – albeit 18 to 36 hours after the fact – they didn’t even stay up late enough to get any of the three most important awards included in the coverage:

Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture.

What hath God wrought?

Seriously…

Continue reading →

About that recent shootout at Stanford’s…

Comedy club main man Craig Glazer’s always had a pretty liberal overview concerning publicity… something along the lines of “just spell my name right.”

Where many successful businessmen weigh their 15 minutes of fame far more carefully, Glazer seldom shies from everything from explicit details of his love life to run-ins with anybody and everybody from former Chiefs bigwig Carl Peterson to Rock 98.9 bad boy Johnny Dare to the infamous legal battle with his father, former KC mayoral candidate Stan Glazer.

That said, even open books like Craig have limits.

Because pretty much nobody wants to explode across the local news for having a shootout in their comedy club and nightspot at 8th and Walnut in downtown KC.

Hey, at least the dude Glazer’s cleanup crew found lying wounded on the floor of Stanford’s pool room didn’t take a dirt nap…

“No, that’s good, he didn’t die,” Glazer muses. “And there were no victims – they shot each other. The one guy chased the other guy into our club and the cleanup girls were taking out the trash and had left the door open.”

Let the record show this was hours after the club had closed and downtown was more-or-less tucked in and still asleep around 6 a.m.

The $64 million question: Was the dude shot in the club?

“Who knows?” Glazer says, “But there were bullet holes in the pool room.”

Which brings us to the touchy topic of just how safe is today’s much ballyhooed “new” downtown.  Continue reading →

Jennifer Lawrence remains as one of today’s hottest actresses…

She proves it again in her latest psychological spy drama about Russian sex agents.

Based on the novel by Jason Matthews, RED SPARROW has Lawrence playing premier Russian ballerina Dominika to raves from her audiences and legions of fans.

But when she suddenly and severely breaks her leg during a performance, life for the famed dancer changes almost overnight.

Not only does she lose her job but also the many entitlements that went with it.

No longer will the Russian State Department pay for her mother’s care. Worse yet, the rent  money to their apartment is cut off.

Enter her uncle, a Russian agent who now recruits Dominika to use her many charms for the good of the state—specifically to infiltrate the world of an American CIA agent played by Joel Edgerton.

In other words, spy versus spy.

But hold on. Dominika must first be trained in the fine art of sex spying.

And what better place to be educated than at the Sparrow School, run by headmistress  Charlotte Rampling.

How hot and rough does it get?

The MPAA’s hard-R rating pretty well says it all:

“Strong violence, torture, sexual content, language and some graphic nudity.”

And just in case you’re wondering, Ms. Lawrence holds nothing back here either. Continue reading →

BE ADVISED!

Last week Cinemark Theatres made a startling announcement that as of February 22, 2018 the exhibition company would no longer permit its customers to carry large bags or packages into its theaters.

Cinemark’s official announcement states that, “in an effort to enhance the safety and security of our guests and employees any bags or packages measuring larger than 12″ x 12″ x 6″ will not be permitted into a theatre.”

Exceptions: Medical equipment and diaper bags.”

The release goes on to state that, “Cinemark does not provide a general area to check bags or any personal belongings not allowed into the theatre.”

However, “Cinemark reserves the right to inspect all bags and packages entering the theatre.”

Can one blame Cinemark being the first national circuit to implement such strict new rules?

Probably not. Continue reading →

KU coach Bill Self won his 14th Big 12 title in a row by beating Texas Tech on the road 74-72!

Superstar senior Devonte Graham had a huge night doing it all to give Kansas the big win. With that win, KU broke the tie with UCLA for the all-time record of 14 straight titles. Kansas had shared that distinction with John Wooden‘s team until last week.

It’s a record that could stand forever.

This new record sets hall of fame coach Self apart from other Kansas City programs like the Chiefs’ Hank Stram and the Royals’ Ned Yost as the area’s greatest all-time head coach.

Yost and Stram both had two title games each winning one. Bill Self also had two national title games winning one and losing one. But winning 14 conference titles in a row I think sets him apart and gives him the nod as this area’s greatest coach.

And who knows, Self might win another national title.

In fact, if the Jayhawks win out they are likely a one seed for the 9th time in Self’s career.

Kansas should wrap up the title for themselves Monday by defeating Texas at home on senior night.

And you have to agree, this might be his greatest coaching job ever.

This KU team was undersized, undermanned and not one of Self’s most talented. Continue reading →

Here’s how we got into this mess…

Reagan legitimized greed and for 40 years America has been beholden to the almighty dollar. If someone is rich, they’re beyond reproach. They’re job creators; they’re more worldly and more intelligent and if you knew your place you would get on the endless treadmill and start running…

In place.

Because the truth is it’s hard to get ahead in America, especially if you’re not born with a silver spoon in your mouth. And if you’re not, you’re demonized, like Obama,- not born in America, “foreign,” “other,” divisiveness rules and there’s no cohesion, you cannot get your message heard.

And its only getting worse.

Twenty minutes ago I tuned into late night TV. I never do that anymore, it used to be a ritual, but it’s passe. Jimmy Kimmel has given up jokes and gone for the jokesters themselves – the right wing, especially Trump. Stephen Colbert goes for the same jugular.

But it’s an echo chamber.

Because those whose minds they want to change are not listening.

And the truth is the most important powers in America are the media owners.

Which is why the right wing attacks them so heavily, to the point too many people no longer trust what they see or read. The end result is we all have our own facts, our own stories, and the nation is ruled by the rich elite.

Until now.

We thought social media was gonna save us, but the problem is that the men running those companies grew up post-Reagan themselves, believing if they deliver for Wall Street, they’ve delivered for the country. And the fascinating thing about social media is there’s no there there – nothing without the public’s participation.

They’re not making anything, they’re just selling ads to our eyeballs which cannot stop paying attention to the train-wreck. But being beholden to the dollar none of these outlets can do the right thing. They’re categorically against it.

Zuck pays fealty to his stock price, so believe nothing the man says if it will drive his numbers down. And Snapchat is about entertainment, not news. And Twitter is the land of fake accounts arguing over what the facts are.

And I’m stuck in the middle with you.

Now when the wool was pulled over our eyes – most especially during the Clinton years, when finances were good, when they stole the safety net – we just stopped paying attention and bought our cars and drank our beer and lived our lives.

Then, life got hard. Bush II gave more money to the rich, broke the nation’s finances, got us into a war benefiting his and his party’s donors and then crashed the economy.

But it was the Democrats‘ fault, it’s always the Democrats’ fault. Continue reading →

 Let me make one thing perfectly clear…

I believe the Kansas City Royals letting Eric Hosmer and the Moose leave was the right call. Even with them the team would have been near the bottom. They just don’t have enough talent to compete.

KC needs to build with new guys over the next few years…if possible.

So some fans are upset with Hosmer for leaving. Get a grip.What would you have done?

Hosmer gave us his younger years and was the biggest name in Royals history since George Brett. He helped lead us to two World Series and one win.

The guy’s a damn good player – just not a superstar – at least not yet.

Getting a more than $100 million deal with an out in four seasons was a great one for Hosmer. And moving to San Diego and the Padres has him in a city where he can still get attention if he plays well and they compete.

Staying with the Royals was a dead end deal… Continue reading →

When it comes to music, the word schlock may be hard to define but I know it when I hear it…

That’s how I’d characterize Sunday’s Peter Cetera concert at the Kauffman Center. The tip off should have been the ready availability of the free ducats I’d been treated to. That and the Lawrence Welk look and hairdo sported by the former Chicago bandmate in promotional pics for the show.

Did Cetera deliver the goods to his aging audience of concertgoers who in some cases looked more like retirees saddling up for a holiday wine and dine at John Knox Village?

Of course he did.

However as one reviewer noted for a Cetera show in Valley Forge three years back, his “show sometimes seemed somehow flat, the room’s energy stilted.”

Might have been the plastic “drum shield” surrounding the drummer that muted the lone, consistently hard driving member of Cetera’s dialed back backup band.

“Don’t do it… even if only for aesthetics,” cautioned one drummer on an online discussion board on the use of drum shields. “You aren’t a back up band for Britney Spears, nor are you playing at church. Rock bands dont use ****************ing plexi- shields.”

Therein lies a large part of Cetera’s problem.

Chicago was most definitely a rock band. Cetera’s current crew? Absent Chicago’s hard driving horns and talented musicians, Cetera’s laid back group did its best to (unintentionally?) turn the old hits into schlock rock. Continue reading →

Well Kansas City sports fans, it’s pretty much all about the Chiefs now…

For years we’ve been a city with a great Kansas men’s basketball team. However this season is a troubled one. KU coach Bill Self is struggling to get his 14th conference title in a row. The Royals are goners with ESPN predicting the team to have the worst position starting lineup in baseball. No power, no offense and average defense equals last place.

So guess what it’s all about?

The Kansas City Chiefs for 2018!

Do you believe Pat Mahomes is THE MAN?

What’s left of the Royals hitting attack will be led by Sal Perez, Whit Merrifield, Brandon Moss, Alex Gordon and Cheslor Cuthbert…not much in power there.

Oh yeah, and a new guy named Dozier. That’s assuming we don’t have Moose or Eric Hosme back…

Both of whom DON’T WANT TO BE HERE AGAIN UNLESS THEY HAVE NO GOOD OPTION.

I’d say the Royals are goners.

Remember, Hosmer will get little attention playing for a bad team – no press and his numbers won’t make him stand out amongst players on post season teams. So little to no attention for him here. Same with Moose.

Looks like a team that will be happy to win 70 games.

And even with Eric, Moose, Sal, Gordon and Cain we still finished under .500 last year!

How long can they sell the former 2015 champs bs?

It looks like a long boring next few seasons and back to the 1990’s stats. Continue reading →