If you traveled the length of John Malkovich’s medulla oblongata, hung a sharp left at the desk where Samuel Beckett’s Krapp recorded his last tape and walked through the adjoining door of the interstellar hotel room at the end of 2001, you might end up in the vicinity of Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York — a two-hour loop-de-loop thrill ride…
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Elvis is in the building. Or at least his coat is, through the work of Peter Warren, one of three artists in the Blue Gallery’s current exhibition. Warren is a transplant from Brooklyn who embraces a recycling aesthetic. His stable of materials includes champagne-bottle wire, fertilizer bags, lottery tickets and a host of other detritus. His pièce de résistance here…
I’ve seen Radar. Twice. In Kansas City theaters, I’ve clapped for Gary Burghoff, Don Knotts and Marion Ross. I’ve stared down Barry Williams (Greg Brady) and Gary Sandy (WKRP). Back when I was young enough to be excited at such a prospect, I even caught William Katt, star of The Greatest American Hero, who was rumored to have flubbed so…
Anti-violence activists pull up to the corner of 27th Street and Benton, cars following as slowly and methodically as a funeral procession. Everyone is wearing the same black T-shirts with the name Aim4Peace printed across the chest as they unload signs from their trunks. They’re here for a march. The plan is to let the neighborhood know there’s a new…
Circuit City filed for bankruptcy last week, which was sad news for the city of Merriam. The electronics retailer played a feature role in a taxpayer-supported development there, off Interstate 35. That was the plan, anyway. Circuit City was the only tenant on the verge of moving into Merriam Village, a new retail center with an uncertain future. More than…
No one is running Kansas City, Missouri, so thank goodness there’s a big daily paper to keep an eye on things. What? Uh oh. Hang on — there’s a new source for unbiased information on the Web? Awesome. Some of the laid-off lifers from The Kansas City Star must be … oh. What the Funk? As legal action continues to…
Dear Mexican: I recently received the autobiography of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, in which Ronnie described his friend Jimi Hendrix as part black, Cherokee and Mexican. I’ve always read about Jimi’s grandmother being Cherokee, but this was the first that I read about him being Mexican. I Googled Hendrix’s name with the word “Mexican” and received many hits. Is…
Martin: “Fantasy Island,” November 13 Justice Ain’t Free I usually like David Martin’s columns, but his criticism of Kansas City’s Municipal Court judges is unfair. Kansas City’s Municipal Court is the largest municipal court in the state of Missouri and, most likely, the first place that the average citizen comes in contact with the criminal justice system. The trips the…
By CHARLES FERRUZZA On the same day that my review of local bar dining hit the streets, I received a couple of phone calls from regulars at the City Tavern complaining that the new changes at this six-year-old Crossroads restaurant included one they were not happy about. Melissa Stevens of the Patricia Stevens Modeling Agency made the first call. “Shawn…
%{}% By JUSTIN KENDALL The Wichita Eagle is Twittering George Tiller’s pretrial hearing for those who need a minute-by-minute account of whether former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline exceeded his authority while investigating Tiller’s abortion clinic. See such exciting updates as: Another investigator, Jared Reed, noted in the meeting with the psychiatrist, “Dr. doesn’t believe we have a case to…
By JUSTIN KENDALL ESPN writer Dana O’Neil has a fascinating story on the not-quite-cheating-but-it-looks-bad areas of college basketball recruiting. The story highlights the recruitment of Daniel Orton, a top-10 player who signed to play for Billy Gillispie’s Kentucky Wildcats. Orton’s father, Larry Orton, was paid thousands of dollars to give 16 speeches at Kentucky-sponsored summer basketball camps. Even Orton’s stepbrother…
By DAVID MARTIN Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders has proposed a budget that slices $4 million out of the general fund. But in these austere times, the county-supported renovations of Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums are feeling no pain. The 0.375-percent sales tax that pays for the bulk of the stadium work is producing almost as much revenue as it did…
%{}% By CHRIS PACKHAM TV Science: Unhappy people watch more television, wow, what a perfect opportunity to wind up my dick-punching fist (my right fist) and punch television right in the dick like an edgy cultural firebrand who totally rejects your precious rules, society. But you know what? I am lame and I totally like television. Last night, I saw…
By JUSTIN KENDALL The Kansas Republican Party stripped 17 Johnson County precinct committee people of their voting rights for contributing to Democratic candidates. The Kansas City Star quoted state GOP executive director Christian Morgan saying the Kansas GOP’s executive committee will determine whether the precinct committee people will get their voting rights back. Morgan said some would. Some wouldn’t. But…
By OWEN MORRIS In the Pitch Forks newsletter this week I mentioned two wine events, one being the release of Beaujolais nouveau, which happens tomorrow as it does every year on the third Thursday of November. A quick primer: Categories: Dining, Food & Drink Tags: Beaujolais noveau, wine
By OWEN MORRIS The first time I ever had Christopher Elbow Chocolates, I was living in Lawrence and rarely traveled to Kansas City, much less downtown. If I did, it was for a special occasion. And after hearing so much about Chris Elbow’s amazing chocolates, I decided to make a special occasion. I had trouble finding the store at first….
By JUSTIN KENDALL Brilliant at Breakfast is not happy with the “liberal” Wichita Eagle for attaching a photo of Barack Obama to a story on George Tiller’s pre-trial hearing. Obama isn’t a part of the Kline-Morrison-Tiller hate triangle, but he is considering repealing a global gag on overseas family planning groups, one that denies them U.S. funding if they mention…
This week, my Wayward Son column focuses on Ben Grimes, a Kansas City musician returning home to play a show after having moved to Nashville a year ago. The former Golden Republic frontman is bringing his newish project, Soft Reeds, to the Record Bar on Wednesday, November 26 (also on the bill: Hidden Pictures). Grimes is not alone in this…
By ANDY VIHSTADT After taming the cougars of Wisteria Lane last Sunday, Ontario’s Tokyo Police Club is taking another step towards diversification. Earlier this week, keyboardist Graham Wright offered up his first solo effort, The Lakes of Alberta, via Bandcamp. It’s much folksier than the typical TPC fare, so fans of handclaps and group chants might be in for a…
%{}% By OWEN MORRIS Top of the muffin to you! Can we finally settle that muffin tops are only good when they are actually on the top of a muffin. Muffin tips are not good on women wearing too low of jeans and they are especially not good as a cereal. Here’s the thing: when a restaurant uses food from…
