Spotted in the parking garage beneath Barney Allis Plaza last Tuesday night. — Nadia Pflaum Categories: News
Television is dead. The first writers strike in 20 years has ended production on every show that we’re willing to admit still matters, so — other than an expressed desire to return to the womb — there’s absolutely no excuse for staying in the house anymore. Look: WE MISS ALEC BALDWIN, TOO. And this abrupt hiatus in his startling…
You know things are going to get ugly in Paris Hilton’s lawsuit against KC-based Hallmark Cards when one of the greeting card company’s recent court filings begins with this paragraph: “Paris Whitney Hilton (‘Hilton’) is a privileged, jet-setting heiress to the Hilton family fortune, the center-of-attention ‘celebutante’ at the most lavish parties and exclusive events, and a consummate self-promoter…
The hot-stove talk says the Royals are interested in Jose Guillen, a tantrum-prone slugger who has spent time in eight different organizations. If the Royals import Guillen’s right-handed stick, Dayton Moore, the team’s general manager, stands to take a credibility hit. Since taking over in 2006, Moore has spoken frequently about building a team of upstanding citizens. “I would…
Strap on your blades. It’s skating season again. The Crown Center Ice Terrace opened earlier this month for its 35th year of frosty pirouettes and cliché dates. Regular admission costs $6; adults 60 and older and children 5 and younger get in free. Bring your own skates, or rent a pair for $2. Through January, rink hours are 10 a.m….
In the competition for international prestige in the mid-20th century, the Soviet Bloc had a lot on the line. For a while, the U.S.S.R. maintained its lead over the United States in the space race, launching the first satellite, dog, man and woman into orbit. Maintaining a cultural and technological edge reflected on national ideology — communism itself was at…
Located in the Kansas City Jazz District, the Blue Room (1616 East 18th Street, 816-474-8483) is known for its live music. But the historical site regularly plays host to another kind of jam as well — Jazz Poetry Jams. The spoken-word events take place on the third Tuesday of each month and feature various poets. Tonight, poet-in-residence Glenn North and…
Get a visual crash course today in Filipino history at the Folly Theater (300 West 12th Street, 816-474-4444) during Historia: A Philippine History Through Dance and Music. Presented by the Filipino Cultural Center, the show features 35 dancers, one for each year of the existence of the Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Troupe. “What I’m so proud about is the second generation…
There are two reasons to check out the College Basketball Experience Classic that begins today at the Sprint Center (1100 Walnut). First, our new arena wasn’t built for the likes of Garth Brooks — it was built for men with a ball or a puck, damn it. Second, they’ve got brackets. That’s right, if you go to the classic’s Web…
Dressing layer upon layer, donning a kimono and tying an obi are parts of the elaborate process that transforms a woman into a geisha. But this ritual is just one facet of geisha life, a topic that fascinates Kansas City artist Robyn Nichols. A real geisha provides another dimension to Nichols’ annual art show, from 6 to 9 tonight at…
Kevin Sink’s Holiday Photography Show at the Digital Labrador (2130 Washington) is a tribute to the artist’s versatility of vision. It includes images from Bhutan — a small Asian kingdom perched atop the Himalayas — as well as the closer-to-home Flint Hills. The show contains large prints, some 30-inch-by-40-inch color shots, plus some panoramic shots up to 80 inches wide….
Broadway sensation Urinetown first showered audiences with scathing satire in a pre-9/11 New York City at the Big Apple’s Fringe Festival. An updated, free-to-the-public production of the critically lauded musical is coming to the Carlsen Center’s Polsky Theatre at Johnson County Community College (12345 College Boulevard in Overland Park), brought to you by the school’s drama department.In the story, a…
The Kansas City Fiber Guild and the Weaver’s Guild of Greater Kansas City are tightly woven entities, allowing dues-paying fiber and textile artists to form a more perfect union and enjoy a stronger presence in the local art market. Each year, the guilds focus their joint efforts on the Creative Hand Show and Sale — a two-day event that showcases…
Totally free idea for KKFI 90.1, courtesy of Night & Day: Print up T-shirts that read: “It will be a great day when independent radio gets all the money it needs and Clear Channel has to hold a bake sale.” We adapted that from some hippie bumper sticker we saw on the back of a Prius. Anyway, the perpetually fundraising…
A dude who was host of Comedy Central’s Crash Course in Comedy must know a little something about the subject, right? And a co-founder of the New York Comedians Coalition needs a take-charge attitude, yes? Ted Alexandro meets these comedic criteria, combining a little world-weary befuddlement, intelligence and Queens attitude. Conversational, observational, a bit political and totally rational, Alexandro picks…
For all the trash talk on Dave Matthews and John Mayer, no one questions their ability to shred. Australia’s John Butler is an out-of-his-noggin guitar player, but ultimately his songwriting abilities will dictate whether he takes first-stage Bonnaroo or second-stage Wakarusa. In that regard, Butler is off to a good start, mixing the ragtag Philly soul of Marah with the…
Hatha yoga can be practiced using the downward-facing-dog position and breath control. Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion and is practiced using kirtan, a chanted devotional mantra that encourages what its practitioners call a “consciousness transformation.” Bringing the ecstasy to KC is Dave Stringer, a world-renowned master of kirtan. From 8 to 10 tonight, Kansas Siddhi Yoga West (1717…
The holiday crafts market happening this weekend at 1331 Union has the word “alternative” in its name for a good reason. “There will be no crocheted potholders,” organizer Laurenn McCubbin promises. “But there will be a potholder that says ‘Love your pussy.’” Also for sale at the Art Tarts Alternative Xmas Crafts Fair: saucy, handmade greeting cards, lingerie and ornaments…
The modern, domesticated North American turkey descends from the wild turkey, or meleagris gallopavo. The male can be distinguished by a more prominent beard and an explosive, authoritarian gobble. But that’s never stopped anyone from eating one. The big birds were praised, humiliated, roasted and enjoyed long before Spanish conquistadors stumbled upon the Aztecs, spears blazing. Turkeys are now a…
If these high school kids are any indication, youth activism is making a determined comeback — even in Johnson County. This past summer, a group of students at St. Thomas Aquinas High School organized a rally for peace along Quivira Road. But, c’mon — kids today are apathetic, more inclined to sit at home surfing MySpace than take a political…
When tractor-tire salesman Tim Manson isn’t moving big rubber, he’s probably engaged, one way or another, with the artistic vagaries of oral fabulism. As a performing storyteller, he writes and regales with the River & Prairie Storyweavers, an area group engaged in an increasingly rare American tradition. “There’s not one right way to tell a story,” Manson says. “One of…
In the song “Work,” Bob Marley sings about the weekly grind while encouraging unity and a brighter tomorrow. In the spirit of this positive outlook comes today’s Roots Family Reunion at the Madrid Theatre (3810 Main).The event is like a music festival and a business convention rolled together, with the overall goals of strengthening local commerce and supporting Midwest reggae,…
Some women are turned off by beards, though history shows that beards represent power and sexual virility. Perhaps your man who’s rockin’ chin pubes is a king among men. Or maybe the dude’s just a bum and too lazy to shave. Regardless, a well-groomed beard is a marvel — at least at midtown dive Chez Charlie (3809 Broadway, 816-753-9247).”A couple…
Do you like to see your name in the paper? Even if that paper is The Kansas City Star? The Star’s FYI section is forever soliciting submissions. This year alone, FYI’s editors have asked for your favorite celebrity look-alikes, ugly pets, fireworks displays and nursery rhymes for the new millennium (not making this up). Well, the Department of Burnt Ends…
