KC Confidential | Hearne Christopher, Uncensored

Hearne: The Bill Self Controversy Nobody Will Touch

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

Tyler Self

Nepotism, anyone?

Heading into the NCAA tourney, the University of Kansas is flying high.

They’re in sole possession of twin Big 12 championships; they’ve won 30 games; and just about anybody and everybody has them as all but a lock for the Final Four with a strong possibility that they. could. go. all. the. way.

So what’s not to like, right?

Well, how about the fact that fabled KU coach Bill Self has given up two slots on the team to a pair of lackluster players, his son Tyler Self and former KU great Danny Manning’s son Evan Manning.

“It’s got to be the worst case of nepotism I’ve ever seen and yet nobody’s bitching,” says Stanford’s Comedy Club main man Craig Glazer. “Because KU is one of the best teams in the nation and there are some really excellent players out there that could be playing for KU. But they’re being passed over for the two worst players on the team. I find that rather unusual for a team as big as KU.”

Yet mum’s the word in terms of media/public criticism. Continue reading →

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | 45 Comments

Sutherland: Fanfare for an Uncommon Man

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Dwight D. Sutherland, Jr.

Two months ago one of the most interesting people in Kansas City was laid to rest after a funeral “fit for a field marshall” (in the words of Alec Guiness from the 1959 classic “Tunes of Glory”)…

The life of Landon Hill Rowland was an extraordinary one so it was only right that his passing should be marked with an appropriate ceremony.

The memorial service at Grace and Holy Cathedral for Rowland on January 8^th was standing room only, with over 1,200 people in attendance. This was not surprising, since in the 53 years since Rowland came here as a young lawyer he’d had friends throughout the entire Kansas City community.

Starting as a brilliant court room lawyer, at the old Watson, Ess, Marshall & Enggas law firm, Rowland made many contacts in the business and professional worlds before becoming a top executive at Kansas City Southern. Under his direction, the company diversified, moving into a number of different fields, including data processing and mutual funds. There was many a slip and set-back along the way, including a hostile takeover attempt by George Soros and a multi-billion dollar anti-trust verdict, which could have destroyed the business if it had not been overturned on appeal.

Throughout the entire quarter century Rowland ran Kansas City Southern Industries, he showed not only grace under pressure in difficult times but vision and imagination about the business’s potential when the sailing was smooth.

Anyone who was associated with Rowland for any length of time would agree that it was his ingenuity in tackling challenges that was his most striking trait. Continue reading →

Posted in Dwight D. Sutherland, Jr. | Tagged Dwight Sutherland | 4 Comments

Glazer: Looking Like KU (Not MU’s) Year

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Craig Glazer

Kansas is the No. 1 seed of the top four seeds in this year’s NCAA tourney…

KU won its 12th conference title for the Big 12 and in what has become somewhat rare, won the Big 12 Championship tourney here in Kansas City this past weekend.

KU coach Bill Self has generally not made the tournament in KC a must but the Jayhawks are so good they cruised to the title anyway.

In a season that looked like it might be off one, with Kansas seemingly lacking energy and desire early on, boy did they turn this into a season to remember.

With a 30 win regular season and a team that has several stars, most feel they will land in the Final Four.

Kansas fans are used to being a No. 1 seed, however this year’s title appears to be up for grabs with no real favorite.

KU clearly changed its battle cry with the way it finished the season. Led by senior Perry Ellis and his 16.7 PPG and the emergence of super star guard Devonte Graham, look out.

Eight years ago Self won it all -could this be his second national title? Continue reading →

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged Craig Glazer | 14 Comments

Jack Goes Confidential: ’10 CLOVERFIELD LANE’—Tension-Filled Doomsday Thriller

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Jack Poessiger

Make no mistake, 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE is really weird, and it’s really SCARY!

What it’s NOT is a sequel to 2008’s CLOVERFIELD. nor is it CLOVERFIELD 2.

Let’s just say that producer J.J. Abrams‘ new sci-fi shocker is a distant cousin to the original, or as the Abrams likes to refer to it, a “Spiritual Successor.”

And just to make sure there’s no misunderstanding, this isn’t one of those phony “found footage” horror flicks either.

It’s actually a two-in-one doomsday, suspense thriller.

It’s about what’s inside and what is outside a doomsday bunker.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

What we’ve got here is a young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) breaking up with her boyfriend.

We see her driving off to hopefully a better future while he keeps calling her on her cell trying to get her to change her mind. Continue reading →

Posted in Jack Poessiger | Tagged Jack Poessiger | 2 Comments

Glazer: Move Over NFL, Get Ready for Hillary v. The Donald

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Craig Glazer

Donald Trump won big again…

Not only that, his margins of victory were large again. The negatives that had been hurled his way seemingly didn’t stick. Trump held a one hour news conference as soon as he knew he’d taken Mississippi and Michigan, and during that one hour speech he made it clear that he feels it’s close to over with him being the Republican nominee.

Now he’s talking about uniting the party so they can beat Hillary Clinton. He even had a nice chat with Paul Ryan. He says he likes Ryan and they can and will work together soon.

Lets be honest.

If Trump takes Florida and Ohio its over.

True, John Kasich may win Ohio. However it really just makes him a potentially stronger candidate for vice president under Trump. More importantly, if Trump falls short on delegates for the convention, he could team up with Kasich. The Ohio Governor would make a strong number two on the ticket.

Marco Rubio will likely lose Florida to Trump and that’s the end of Little Marco.

At this point in time. Rubio has won next to nothing.

Lying Ted Cruz is clearly the No. 2 man in the race, but that’s mostly because he won his home state of Texas. He really has few other big wins.

Now let’s talk turkey.

Hillary Clinton will defeat Bernie Sanders and be the Democratic candidate.

It now appears clear that Trump will be her rival for the White House. And as Trump has pointed out, the enthusiasm for Hillary and the Dems has fallen hard since Obama was elected. Far fewer Democrats are going to the polls to vote versus the Republicans. And Hillary losing Michigan to Sanders was a strong signal that she can be beaten in November.

One key state that has in recent years always gone to the Dems is New York. And it’s likely that state would go to Trump. And as he continues to gain energy, Hillary’s campaign just doesn’t show the same excitement.

We all know many of the negatives on Trump. Continue reading →

Posted in Craig_Glazer, Uncategorized | Tagged Craig Glazer | 45 Comments

New Jack City: Missouri Senator Fights Hotel Deception

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Jack Poessiger

Hats off to Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill…

She’s taking on the hotel industry which likes to add all those hidden charges to your bill.

They call them “Resort Fees” and other fancy names.

But basically they’re fees tagged on to your bill when you check out—even though your hotel room may have been pre-paid including the taxes.

Las Vegas is big on such fees where the Strip’s luxury palaces tag on anywhere from $20 to nearly $40 per room night.

Same in many popular Florida properties and increasingly throughout California.

If you ask what these resort fees cover they’ll tell you the pool, gym, local phone calls—all things which normally are free.

I call it a rip-off! Continue reading →

Posted in Jack Poessiger | Tagged Jack Poessiger | 3 Comments

Hearne: A Death in the Family @ 18th & Grand

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

It was the beginning of the end…

Late last summer I misplaced a credit card that paid my monthly subscription fee to the Kansas City Star. The net result being the gang at 18th and Grand cut me off. Poof, I was history.

No more predictable, dull Jenée Osterheldt columns; no more Sunday snooze fest courtesy of cranky Charlie Gusewelle; and no more death watch columns from yours truly chronicling the downward spiral of a newspaper with more than 2,000 staffers a dozen years back to maybe 400 and change today.

Time to move on.

That’s basically what happened, because when the subscription people at the Star called repeatedly to try and get me back in the fold I was too busy to talk. Combined with the fact that I was taking the Lawrence Journal World and USA Today, it was all too easy to let things lapse – and lapse they did.

Suddenly, here I was living in Lawrence and working for BMW and Volkswagen in Topeka while sorting out the sad remnants of a failed marriage. The net result being that my awareness of all things Kansas City gradually began to fade and my writing output on local issues plummeted.

Perhaps you noticed! Continue reading →

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged Hearne Christopher, Jenee Osterheldt | 30 Comments

Glazer: Donald Trump Married to the Mob? Nah

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Craig Glazer

Here come the mob stories involving Donald Trump…

It’s a fact that mob connected Robert LiButti was a regular at Trump’s Atlantic City casino some 25 plus years ago. Libutti was involved with mob boss John Gatti, according to the feds. Libutti was later banned from Atlantic City casinos, including Trump’s. And Trump’s casino was later fined $200,000 for allowing Litutti to gamble there.

However Trump was never directly involved in any criminal investigation.

Trump’s take: “I don’t know who he is. I wouldn’t recognize the guy if he stood right in front of me.”

However, Litbutti’s daughter says they were often guests of Trumps, flown to the hotel on the Trump helicopter and that Trump and her dad were friends and she even met his wife and children back then.

Hey, it’s tough to be a big time casino owner and not be involved with some of the big time gamblers who are often of questionable backgrounds. I’m sure there were many more, that’s just the way that business has always been.

What is of concern is that Trump will just lie at the drop of a hat about anything that he did in the past that’s not going to help him gain the Republican nomination for president. Maybe he’d be better served to say, yes, I knew him, but I wasn’t involved with his affairs. He was just a high roller at our casinos and we should have been more careful as to not get fined for allowing his presence after he was banned. Instead he plays dumb. Not the first time.

While Trump is clearly the popular guy in the race and this old story won’t likely do him in, it’s another chink in his armor. You know the old line, “Behind every fortune there is a crime.”

Well, maybe not if it was handed to you. Continue reading →

Posted in Craig_Glazer | 17 Comments

Lefsetz: The Definitive Account of Why Donald Trump Matters

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Bob Lefsetz

Television makes stars…

Didn’t we learn this during the MTV era, when suddenly Duran Duran came out of nowhere and started selling prodigious amounts of product? Some consider “Off The Wall” to be superior to “Thriller,” but the latter far outsold it. Because of the videos, because of the airplay, it became a phenomenon. And although it was Michael himself who came up with the moniker “The King of Pop,” he was certainly the most famous and successful musician in the world at that time.

Politics is show business for ugly people.

And these ugly people – usually better educated with greater powers of reasoning than the faces on TV – believe they rule.

But they don’t, not in the consciousness of America.

The political class has disconnected from the populace; Washington, D.C. is in a bubble; the average person is clueless as to Congress, maybe not even knowing the name of their own representatives. However they’re aware of Donald Trump, because he’s on TV.

Furthermore, despite being deep into his 60s, Trump understands the modern star paradigm, which is to keep yourself in the news day after day, to create story. Funny how Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump are smarter than all the marketers in Hollywood, yet they’re excoriated for it. But not by the public, the people they’re appealing to adore them.

And you know television… You beam into people’s homes and they think they know you, even if this is far from the truth. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bob LefstezLefsetz: | 14 Comments

New Jack City: AMC Consolidation Boosts Leawood Based Movies Circuit

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Jürgen Poessiger

Former AMC Theatres honcho Stan Durwood has to be celebrating somewhere…

The tiny movie theater chain Durwood built with his family decades ago is about to become the largest in the world. Not that AMC wasn’t already a mighty player in the industry, ranking # 2 in size behind Regal Theatres.

However, with the announcement by AMC’s new president and CEO Adam Aron that they’re about to acquire the nation’s fourth largest circuit CARMIKE CINEMAS, will make the Leawood based exhibition company the largest in the world!

That’s right, with 8,380 screens in 663 theater locations, Leawood, Kansas is now the movie theater capitol of the world.

Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Continue reading →

Posted in Jack Poessiger | Tagged Jack Poessiger | 10 Comments

Jack Goes Confidential: ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’—Tina Fey Goes to War

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Jack Poessiger

True story? Up to a point…

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT is based loosely on New York Times reporter Kim Barker‘s 2011 non-fiction book ‘The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan.’

Uh, very loosely.

Because in real life Barker was a print journalist working for the Chicago Tribune, while in this film she plays a cable network TV reporter.

On screen the 40-something journalist is portrayed by Tina Fey as a fish-out-of-water who’s bored with her desk job in the news room. So when the boss asks for volunteers without family and kids to cover the Afghanistan conflict, Fey raises her hand.

It would be her chance to finally shine in FRONT of the camera.

So with no combat coverage experience, Fey throws herself into the assignment ignorant of any protocol.

Billy Bob Thornton plays the commanding officer into whose unit Fey is being embedded. His biggest worry is that she not have sex with his men—making for some funny confrontations. Continue reading →

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged Jack Poessiger, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | Leave a comment

Stomper: The Definitive Donald Trump Analysis

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Stomper

I’ve neither the insight nor the bravado of our esteemed commenter Harley…

That said, I must confess to having erred more often than I ’d like to admit. And while I’m not quite ready to admit being 100% wrong on Donald Trump, it sure looks like the Fat Lady’s about to cut loose with regards to the GOP Presidential nomination.

Which means I now must confront my Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment.

How did we get here and what does it mean? Is what appears to be the inevitable selection of Donald Trump as the GOP nominee for president merely a simple recalibration of the Republican Party that Democrats must also do from time to time or does it portend something more ominous for us as a nation?

The “darkening of the skies,” Weimar, Germany moment that Dwight Sutherland referred to in his recent piece here?

My intention is only to give my assessment of how we got to this point where The Donald looks to be the choice of the Republican voters as their nominee. I won’t predict what may or may not happen from this point on. However, it does look to be a very bumpy ride, with lots of intriguing twists and turns

And frankly, I can’t wait for the next few months to unfold. Continue reading →

Posted in Stomper | Tagged Stomper | 37 Comments

Jack Goes Confidential: ‘London Has Fallen’—So Has The Acting

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Jack Poessiger

Was there REALLY any good reason for a sequel to OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN?

The 2013 action-thriller grossed just under $100 million domestically and did another $51.1 million at the international box office—not to mention $35 million in the domestic video market.

Yeah, that’s the ticket!

So what we’ve got here with LONDON HAS FALLEN is the re-teaming of Aaron Eckhart as the U.S. President with Gerard Butler playing the head of security.

The timely premise moves the setting to London where the British Prime Minister has suddenly died and the world’s most powerful leaders are about to attend his funeral on short notice.

The event now becomes prime target of a middle-Eastern power player and killer thugs set on devastating the British capitol while taking down the world heads in the process. But their main conquering trophy is the U.S. President.

And there is no one to trust. Continue reading →

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Lefsetz: Nobody Under 30 Cares About The Oscars Anymore

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Bob Lefsetz

Could it be that no one wants to hear what actors have to say (which generally speaking is nothing)?

We’re at the threshold of the death of Baby Boomer constructs, and art too. The belief was that when classic rockers passed, concert attendance would crumble, but live events are burgeoning. There are more stadium acts now than there were at the beginning of the century and youngsters have an attachment to performers from their era, and are interested most in those who have something to say.

Well, it’s complicated.

We have too many two-dimensional stars in music, those who are propped up by the work of others. But no one doubts that Taylor Swift‘s words are her own. That’s what made her the biggest star in the land, along with a plethora of hooks. But actors, playing roles, reading the lines of others – there’s no there there.

If you want to entice the younger generation you’ve got to include their heroes, not just their infrastructure.

Sure, it’s great to employ Snapchat, to shoot selfies, but today’s adolescents are enthralled by YouTube stars and others who evidence a personality. There’s a human bond between them and their heroes and there’s this feeling that the famous and the hoi polo are in it together. It’s not about being put on a pedestal, especially not in a culture where kids view themselves as stars, especially on Instagram. Right now that site is driving the culture, it’s mostly where you’ve been with whom, but also about fashion. However no one can afford the outfits worn by the stars Sunday night, but they can put together a look from cheap and vintage clothing.

So the Oscars have become unmoored from their audience.

This self-hating outfit, which sells lowest common denominator cartoon tripe to the masses leaves those flicks in the rearview mirror and trumpets low-grossing adult fare at awards time.

No wonder younger people don’t care about the Oscars, they’re not adults! Continue reading →

Posted in Bob Lefsetz | Tagged Bob Lefsetz | 7 Comments

Hearne: How (Not) to Fix KU Football

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

Simons Says

Rhetorical questions, anyone?

Coming up with clever column ideas isn’t always easy. Case in point, Lawrence Journal World boss hawg Dolph Simons, Jr.’s most recent effort.

His latest; What Will It Take to Turn KU Football Around?

Now there’s a $64 million question for sure, and one that’s already been asked probably 64 million or so times. However unless someone has an idea or four on how to answer the question, why bother to pose it?

“The KU team and coach Bill Self are in the national spotlight, about to wrap up a 12th consecutive conference championship,” Simons begins. “Tickets for a game in Allen Fieldhouse are in high demand and carry a high price tag. Self and his assistants recruit on a national and international level for top prospects. The success of the program strengthens morale, pride and enthusiasm among alumni and helps student recruitment and private fundraising.

“Interest, support and excitement for the basketball program is sky high, but, across the campus, at the KU football office, the mood must be far different.”

Gee, ya think?

That’s what I call great insight!

Read on.

“Various representatives, such as the coach and athletic director, try to put a good face on the situation, but, right now, it is a sad story.” Continue reading →

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged Dolph Simons, Hearne | 15 Comments

Glazer: The Great American Reality Show

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Craig Glazer

Will Hillary Clinton need to hire comedy writers to fend off Donald Trump?

Because at this stage of the game the Republican presidential race has turned into a comedy/reality show.Even straight laced Marco Rubio has gotten into the act big time. Not so much as a candidate who can best Trump but as a zinger-slinging put down artist.

Trump on the other hand has attacked his fellow candidates when needed from Day One. But now with Rubio and Ted Cruz desperate to stay in the race, both have come after Donald with harsh and often funny attacks.

Rubio’s the most aggressive with one liners even more painful than Trumps.

For example:

“Donald Trump doesn’t want to make America great, he wants to paint it orange.”

“The reason Trump doesn’t sweat is his pours are full of tanning spray.”

“Trump calls me little Marco, and yes, he’s six foot two and I’m not, but he has small hands….and you know what that means.”

Wow! What happened to all those talking about how Rubio will govern? Continue reading →

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged Craig Glazer | 14 Comments

Hearne: Future Vision Gets Reality Check

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

There’s a fine line between Big Brother and George Jetson….

Millions of Baby Boomers grew up delighting in the antics of Fred Flintstone and his feet powered cars, but at the same time with their eyes pointed toward a future of the flying cars in The Jetsons.

Because back in those early days of space travel and men on the moon, anything seemed possible. Society had scaled the heights with technological wonders such as microwave ovens, cordless telephones and home delivered pizza. Could individual rocket packs and driverless cars be far behind?

Of course not!

Then again, here we are in 2016 where futuristic things like fracking, drones and terrorism are part and parcel of our daily lives, and yet floating cars and teleportation are nowhere to be seen.

Pretty much all we have to show for the past 30 years in that regard are Star Trek reruns and movies. Until now.

Ah, but thanks to Google (aka Alphabet) driverless cars appear poised to leave human error behind the wheel of a car in the rearview mirror.

At least that the way things appeared to be going until a Google piloted, driverless Lexus SUV slammed into a bus outside San Francisco. Continue reading →

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged Hearne | 4 Comments

Jack Goes Confidential: ‘Triple 9’—The Code on the Street is Never Black & White!

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Jack Poessiger

TRIPLE 9—strange title…

It’s actually the police code (999) for “officer down.”

And what we’ve got here is a bad-ass criminal gang made up of ex-Special Forces pros taken in by the Russian Mob to rob banks.

Then there are the dirty cops who make sure that everything goes down smoothly.

The team includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Clifton Collins, Jr. and Kate Winslet.

It’s them against good-guy cops Woody Harrelson and his nephew Casey Affleck.

And when these two factions collide, all hell breaks lose!

Plans are turned upside down when an unsuspecting rookie set up in an attack triggers a breakneck and action packed finale tangled with double crosses, greed and revenge.

We’re talking two hours of relentless, high-voltage and ruthless crime drama. Continue reading →

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged Jack Poessiger, Triple 9 | 4 Comments

Paul Wilson: Hitler – Huge Dick, Tiny Penis – Kinda Like…

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Paul Wilson

In recent days, medical records of Der Führer have been released…

All for a book by Jonathan Mayo and Emma Craig, called “Hitler’s Last Day: Minute by Minute,” And the reports indicate that the Nazi nut job is believed to have had three kinds of genital abnormality.

Not since Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove has there been this much low hanging sexual innuendo and metaphors to chose from.

Face it, Hitler’s list of abnormalities were legion. However for this writing I’m only focused on his junk.

First and foremost, he suffered from an undescended testicle.

That, in and of itself, is not all that rare. But he also suffered from a far more rare condition called penile hypospadias in which the urethra opens on the underside of the penis. Continue reading →

Posted in Paul Wilson | Tagged Paul Wilson | 35 Comments

Glazer: Scribe Has a Message for the Trumpster

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Craig Glazer

It’s like this…

Donald Trump wants to “Make America Great Again.”

Shouldn’t be a problem. The list of what this country needs is long. However, I would argue that America already is great. That said, Trump’s gaining ground with one liners like, “We don’t win anymore.”

Frankly, I’m not sure that’s really true either, but it doesn’t matter if people buy into both ideas.

So what sets America apart as being so great?

Outside of 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, there hasn’t really been any combat on our nations soil since the Civil War. And no other major country can say that. Not China, Japan, Russia, England, the Middle East, Europe – even South America.

On second thought, there is Canada.

We are the best protected people in the world.

In fact, even street crime is far more of a threat than an invasion or even a terrorist attack.

Our major cities are all stocked with beautiful homes, apartments, shopping areas, entertainment, parks and plenty of sight seeing. We have beautiful beaches, mountains and rivers. Continue reading →

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged Craig Glazer | 49 Comments

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