Glazer: Scribe Saddles Up for Weekend Football Picks

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Craig Glazer

BBPCDmLCUAASFpf.jpg-large It’s still too early in the season to get a great read on all of the teams…

And college football is much tougher early on this year than usual. The top teams are winning, but not as many of them are covering the spreads.

Missouri is looking solid and ready for a run at a nice bowl again.

Kansas is its usual horrid self.

Kansas State came off a closer game than expected but looks to be bowl bound once again.

I think both K-State and MU will win 8 games or more this year.

I also think the pro football picture will get clearer after this weekend.

There are lots of close match ups but the ONE that will not be close is Denver vs. Kansas City. Unless Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe have the games of their lives, I see a three touchdown loss coming – maybe worse.

Because the only thing that’s going to stop Denver Sunday is Denver. Continue reading →

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Sounds Good: The Schwag @ Granada, Mudhoney @ Riot Room

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Matthew Donnelly

Friday, September 12th

The Schwag at the Granada in Lawrence

Remember when the Feds busted Schwag lead man Jimmy Tebeau for owning the property that hosted the annual Schwagstock festival?  The law man came down hard on Jimmy because people were selling drugs (gasp) at a camping and music festival (double gasp).  And he happened to own the land it was on.  Total bummer, right?  Well, he spent his time in the clink and he got out a few months ago.  So now the band whose goal is to “preserve and perpetuate the music and vibe of the Grateful Dead” are back with a vengeance.  And Jimmy kept his dreds!  Should be a chill night… Continue reading →

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Calvin Sense: President Obama Decides to Use Some ‘Calvin Sense”

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Calvin Sense

p.txtDoes everybody realize President Obama must be reading KC Confidential?

I bet even Hearne didn’t realized how many powerful people visit this site.

Below are excerpts from some of my previous postings which the President in his speech about ISIS said he would be enacting.  Don’t interpret this post as bragging, we’re all just having fun:

Calvin Sense: “Let’s Bomb Everything & Let God Sort it Out”

Some readers took my phrase “Bomb everything” as meaning indiscriminate bombing. However, that’s not what I meant, I meant bombing just the military part of ISIS.

Then I added:

“As I’ve written before, the US should stay out of any conflict in this area and only help the countries there who are friends of America through military aid.”

In other words follow the Arabic saying, “My friend’s enemy is my enemy, and my enemy’s enemy is my friend.” 

Hopefully through our system of spy satellites, drones – and I hope spies on the ground – the terrorist training camps and activities can be monitored and destroyed once and for all. ”

Last night in the President’s ISIS speech he mentioned several allies who will be helping in the fight against ISIS, just as I’d suggested.  However, in the end once ISIS is destroyed, the people who are in ISIS now will simply move up and take charge of things or form a new organization with the same philosophy but a different name.  Continue reading →

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Hearne: Star ‘Opinion’ Scribe Steve Paul Steps Up to the Plate

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

Steve PaulBravo!

Thumbs up to newly-minted Kansas City Star editorial page editor Steve Paul for his piece Sunday, “American Royal Needs to get Real on Kemper Issue.”

I’ve known Steve for years and in short, he’s a brainy, artsy guy who isn’t really the type to go around cornering people and spouting off about civic issues. So other than having tons of time-in-service and the fact that he’s a longtime Kansas City guy, Paul wasn’t exactly an obvious choice to leave the comfortable confines of the FYI and Arts & Entertainment sections for the Opinion or editorial section. Let alone run the whole show.

“He brings a wealth of knowledge to the role, as well as a critical eye, keen curiosity and deep appreciation for the importance of opinion work in our community,” publisher Mi-Ai Parrish said last month in a canned comment attached to the newspaper’s announcement of Paul’s promotion.

Get real, Parrish barely knows Steve Paul.

She’s spent more time fussing with decorating duties for her office and the newsroom makeover the past three years since arriving here than she has plumbing the depths of Steve’s body of work at the Star. Continue reading →

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Jack Goes Confidential: “THE DROP” – A Mob Drama With Heart  

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Jack Poessiger

the-drop-bannerTHE DROP is not so much a mobster movie as it is a character study…

And make no mistake, that character is Tom Hardy playing the part of a Brooklyn bartender caught in the middle between the mob and the law.

The film also marks James Gandolfini’s final performance playing the Hardy bar’s previous owner who now oversees the daily drop—sort of a money laundering process for the watering hole’s new Chechen owners.

But a robbery of the bar complicates matters as the Chechen crime lord doesn’t seem–or want—to understand.

Then there’s that matter about an abandoned and beaten pit bull puppy Hardy discovers in a garbage can and which soon becomes his new companion. Continue reading →

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Sutherland: Villains, Victims & Self-Loathing, Among the Well-Informed

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Dwight D. Sutherland, Jr.

kjongdamonThe key to understanding much of liberal thinking is to grasp the interplay between the concepts of guilt and victimhood…

We are told, for instance, that all of us are guilty as Americans of consuming a disproportionate share of the world’s resources, as well as polluting and despoiling the planet.  This guilt is shared by other rich, white, nations; who are equally beholden to the Third World; thus the need for, “A North-South Dialogue.”

That the actual pollution generated by China, India, and other developing countries exceeds that of Europe and the U.S. is ignored by most schemes to limit global warming/climate change, like the Kyoto Accord, which exempts those developing countries from its limits on carbon emissions.

To the “progressive” mind, the record of reaction and repression abroad of the U.S. is more than matched by the actions of the American government and business here at home.

As a recent letter writer to the Kansas City Star said, we need to remember “our country’s dark and shameful history” (as if this form of national self-loathing was universal among all thoughtful and well-informed Americans!).

But what good does seeing yourself as the villain do unless you have victims to feel guilty over?  Continue reading →

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Hearne: IKEA Short Sheets KC on ‘Grand Opening’ Meatball Schmooze

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

100578578-162639610.530x298Would you believe KC is actually bigger than Miami?

True story – a population of 467,000 versus 419,000 – although there’s more to the tale-o-the-tape when you factor in the two “metro” areas. That’s where the Florida city smokes Greater KC, with 5.5 million people to our 2 million.

Which still doesn’t explain why Kansas City came out on the short end of the stick with “the world’s largest furniture seller’s” meatball schmooze promotion.

That’s right, IKEA Merriam plans to give away but a fraction of the much-ballyhooed  yet you-probably-can’t tell-em-from horse meat – Swedish meatballs that IKEA Miami gave away two weeks back at its grand opening.

Yet both giveaways were described as “meatballs for a year.” Continue reading →

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Starbeams: Death by Asteroid or Chiefs? iPhone 6 Snobbery & IKEA

Posted on September 9, 2014 by admin

asteroid3An asteroid barely missed the Earth Sunday. Scientists say, if it had hit, it still wouldn’t have been as bad as the Chiefs disaster.

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Apple just announced that the new iPhone 6 will come with a free, “I’m Better Than You” t-shirt.

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First my virginity, now my credit card info.  What else will be stolen at Home Depot? Continue reading →

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Donnelly: Sporting KC Needs Playoff Push After 4th Straight Loss

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Matthew Donnelly

Embedded image permalinkOver the weekend, Sporting Kansas City dropped its 4th game in a row, this time on the road at the New York Red Bulls.

The boys in blue have been in a death spiral for the better part of a month now, though to be fair, they were a bit sharper against NY than they have been lately.  Not that it mattered, because Thierry Henry sealed the 2-1 Red Bulls’ win with a right footed rifle shot that blasted the top corner of the net.

“I mean it’s a world-class finish,” said Dom Dwyer.  “He puts it right in the top corner, but we’d like to close him down quicker…”

The KC defense gave the still-dangerous Frenchman way, way too much space at top of the box on the play, but like Dom said, the strike was still world class. Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew_Donnelly | 5 Comments

Calvin Sense: Fundamental Politics & Ferguson, Mo.

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Calvin Sense

ob-1Class is in session…

The President has delayed issuing executive orders concerning the immigration issue, stating he needs more time to figure out what to do.

Obviously the real reason is President Obama doesn’t want the Democrats to suffer in the mid-term elections for what will probably be his unrealistic approach to dealing with the immigration issue.

His solution will be whatever can garner more votes from the Hispanic community for the Democratic Party, regardless of the detriment it causes American taxpayers.

This is fundamental politics, people!

Speaking of fundamental politics, this leads to the question of how could it happen that in Ferguson, Mo. two-thirds of the citizens are African-American but the political leadership is 99% white?

The answer is simple, African-Americans in Ferguson, Mo. have gotten away from the fundamentals of American politics. Continue reading →

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New Jack City:’ The Identical’ – Faith-Based Bomb Offers Up Bogus Quotes

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Jack Poessiger
"Bad to the Bone" J.C., Heaven

“Bad to the Bone”
J.C., Heaven

Faith-based movies don’t by definition have to be bad movies…

Yet time and time again these low budget “message movies” lack good writing, direction, production values and/or acting.

The word cheesy often comes into play when reviewing them.

And since much of the marketing for such films is done via churches and religious organizations, minimal marketing dollars are usually spent on mainstream TV, radio, newspaper or on digital outlets.

Happily the quality of faith-based movies has improved in recent years.

Several of the newer titles in the genre didn’t just simply hit you over the head with their intended messages. Movies like HEAVEN IS REAL, GOD’S NOT DEAD, SON OF GOD and the recent football / message drama WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL.

Which brings me to the new Christian Elvis-like musical drama THE IDENTICAL. Continue reading →

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Hearne: What to Expect @ IKEA Merriam’s Wednesday Wilding

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

Royals White Sox Base_Schu(6)About the only thing missing will be Star staffers and celebs hawking papers on street corners to commemorate the grand occasion …

With local media tripping over each other trying to kiss up to the new IKEA store here, it’s somewhat surprising that nobody’s hinted at what to expect on opening day when the Swedes throw out the first meatball in Merriam.

The $64 million question: will IKEA draw more opening day than the Royals?

Guess we’ll see, and if anything is to be gleaned from the grand opening of IKEA’s 39th store opening in Miami two weeks ago here’s what’s likely to be fueling pandemonium when the doors open at 9 a.m. Wednesday: Continue reading →

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Glazer: Note to My Fans, Sorry I Got Carried Away Yesterday

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Craig Glazer

Forgive Me 9-1Okay, it was a bit much, I got a little carried away yesterday…

My Chiefs story was a little overly harsh as a result of my being put down by radio and comments section folks over my all summer long call that the team would suck. However it was clear to me after last year’s final game that the Chiefs would be very bad without some major additions.

Unfortunately, I saw no such additions, just a bad team getting worse.

Sure, some local media guys said, “We’d take a step back.” Maybe have an 8-8 or 9-7 year. But by preseason’s end I saw KC as a team looking to win a game or two maybe three.

And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why it was just me. Continue reading →

Posted in Craig_Glazer | 19 Comments

Hearne: Kansas City Star’s IKEA ‘Blowjob’ First of Many

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

ikea-evilJournalistic integrity, anyone?

I don’t know if IKEA advertises much in print publications like the Kansas City Star, but I suspect they may. I’ll tell you this though, the advertising department at the Kansas City Star and the publisher know and judging from the blow job the newspaper unleashed Sunday on Merriam’s about-to-open IKEA store, they’re hoping to cash in on that advertising.

Which likely explains why the Star ran a total fluff piece –  not even written by an actual journalist – on the cover of its house and home section Sunday.

Once upon a time – not that long ago – the Star prided itself on, at the very least, the veneer of objective journalism. There was always the freedom for columnists like me or interested parties from various organizations with vested interests to weigh in with opinion pieces here and there.

And at least they were identified as such. No mas. Continue reading →

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Glazer: Does, ‘I Told You So,’ Sound Too Harsh, Chiefs Fans?

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Craig Glazer

i-told-you-soWell Homers, time to say give the Glaze a little credit…

Nobody – and I mean nobody – in the local media, save maybe Bill Maas, thought the Chiefs were one of the NFL worst teams.

Except for me, of course.

After the preseason I saw that they had nothing on offense or defense. Discount the preseason if you will, but today those unimportant preseason details came into sharp focus.

Right, Lefty?

When you have precious little talent and zero winning ways you actually do need to step it up in the four preseason games. Continue reading →

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Leftridge: The Hunt for Blue October

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Brandon Leftridge

HFBOThe Chiefs start their 2014 campaign on Sunday against the dreaded Titans of Tennessee. That’s cool, and I’m excited—go football!—but to be honest, I’ll probably be mostly watching the Kansas City Royals take on the New York Yankees. (On TBS, no less!)

See, in case you missed it, the Royals are still in first place of their division this late in the season since 1985. And if you’ll recall, 1985 was the last time the Royals won a World Series… or even made the postseason, for that matter.

So this is kind of a big deal.

In fact, it’s one of those deals where, I almost don’t even feel like talking about it. Like jinxing a pitcher in the middle of a perfect game or a no-hitter, I feel like somehow, by even mentioning the postseason in relation to the Royals– and in an actual, plausible manner no less– I will curse them. Continue reading →

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Hearne: ‘The Point’ Most Listened to Station in KC August Radio Ratings

Posted on September 5, 2014 by admin
The Point morning show host Kelly Urich

The Point morning show host Kelly Urich

A pair of surprises top an otherwise sleepy August radio ratings book…

For starters, Entercom’s The Point 99.7 FM has come into it’s own and is now the most listened to station in the Kansas City market with a cume of 528,800 listeners.

“The Point has become a powerhouse,” says one radio exec not associated with the station or Entercom. “And I imagine it’s No. 1 in women listeners 25-54. It has the highest cume of any station in the market and that’s saying something. For two months in a row now The Point’s been the most listened to radio station in Kansas City.” Continue reading →

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Glazer: This Week’s NFL & College Picks by the Master of Tease

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Craig Glazer

Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 8.43.23 AMSeattle looks kinda unstoppable after last night’s destruction of a very good Green Bay team…

Even Packers QB Aaron Rogers couldn’t get rolling against that Seahawks defense. We just might have a Super Bowl repeat champ for the first time in over a decade. Hey, I have the Packers and Eagles as dark horse Super Bowl teams. So wow, Seattle is a monster. Of course injuries can always derail good teams.

Super Bowl finish will not apply to our Chiefs.

The boys in red will be looking to avoid an embarrassing season. I’m sure they feel 7 wins would be a good year. I see them winning just 5 or 6 games. So seven would surprise me. There’s no chance at 8 wins and 9 would be impossible. But hey you never know.

If the Tennessee Titans slam our Chiefs – and I kinda think it will be a close game – then look out, because our guys start out 0-6 real easy.

Even a win won’t save this mess. Continue reading →

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Hearne: Scribe Recounts Encounters With Joan Rivers

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.
Joan Rivers and Lynne Koplitz

Joan Rivers and Lynne Koplitz

“I blame my mother for my poor sex life. All she told me was ‘the man goes on top and the woman underneath.’ For three years my husband and I slept in bunk beds.”

There you have it, classic Joan Rivers.

You read KC Confidential because we go deep, right? To that end, let the record show that Rivers broke into show biz playing a lesbian who had a crush on Barbra Streisand. 

True story.

Rivers pyramided that inauspicious beginning into multiple appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and Tonight Show and later Paul Wilson fave, The Carol Burnett Show, Hollywood Squares and the Mike Douglas Show.

Here’s where I embarrassingly tell you that I kinda remember thinking Rivers was hot back then – for a fleeting moment. Blame it on adolescence.

I mean, what else could it have been?

Similar to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Game what you now undoubtedly expect, is how Rivers career trajectory inter-spliced with that of local hero Craig Glazer of Stanford and Sons comedy club fame.

Did their paths cross?

“Yes, twice,” Glazer says. Continue reading →

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Starbeams: Death of Joan Rivers & Free Speech, Red Friday, David Lawrence Naked

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Kelly Urich

IMG_3087Ten years from now there will be no comics like Joan Rivers because the world will be so politically correct, our vocabulary will be reduced to 50 words that don’t offend people.

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Happy Red Friday!  For the first time in ages we get to celebrate the Chiefs being that “other team.”

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This is first year in decades when I feel compelled to dig up my old Royals jacket.

                                                        ******* Continue reading →

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