In a simpler, less complicated time, television sitcoms featured happy families where Dad had a good job, Mom stayed home (and frequently had a cook or cleaning lady to help) and the kids were well-groomed, well-behaved, popular in school and sports and, better yet, were sexy teenage heartthrobs, like Ozzie and Harriet’s Ricky Nelson or the Donna Reed Show’s Paul…
Update (6:19 p.m. June 23): The funeral for Olathe resident and former NBA player Manute Bol is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 29, at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where the 7-foot-7-inch center’s professional basketball career began. That’s according to a Facebook message from Bol’s friend, Tom Prichard, who adds that the funeral is open to the public….
Down at DIY space the Studded Bird (19th and Charlotte — more info here) we’ve got punk fiends Der Todesking, who Spacek reviewed back in March. Joining the band is Lord Van Der Sloot, White Slave, and Triacanthos, none of whom are Google-able but are all presumably punk bands. At the Riot Room, it’s an evening of heavy rock and roll,…
Comedian Jus Jay, whose real name was Jay Ramone Jackson, died June 18. He was 26. Jackson died from complications after a kidney transplant, according to this website. The previous night, he’d gotten big laughs onstage when he performed at Ginuwine’s Arabian Nights Under the Stars charity event. Categories: News Tags: Danny’s Big Easy, Jus Jay
This morning, a crowd of avid soccer fans turned out at Jayhawkers Sports Bar & Grill to cheer on the United States’ World Cup soccer team, which beat Algeria 1-0, taking first place in its qualifying group for the first time since 1930. Here’s what the bar sounded like when Landon Donovan scored the game-winning goal. Categories: News Tags: Algeria,…
Money Shots is a glimpse of random happenings when we’re out and about on Kansas City’s music scene. Shots from Wayne “the Train” Hancock’s set at the Jackpot last night, with the gothic country twang of local openers Adam Lee & the Dead Horse Sound Company. Check out a recording of Adam Lee & the Dead Horse Sound Company set…
Look pretty, don’t taste very good Chef and author Lou Jane Temple has a theory about restaurants that serve healthy cuisine — primarily vegetarian venues, but not limited to those. According to her, the more healthy the food, the lousier the desserts are going to taste. Really delicious desserts, she insists, usually require ingredients that scare away health-conscious diners. You…
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill questioned the vice chiefs of the military’s four branches yesterday on how they plan to improve mental health services and stop the growing number of soldier suicides. “Our heroes need not just the protective armor of the battle field,” McCaskill said during the hearing. “They need the availability of help when they need it.” Categories: News,…
It is called “Slayer: Pinball Rocks,” and you can buy it for $2.99 at the iTunes App Store. Or you can check out the demo on Slayer’s website. Our sincerest apologies for neglecting to mention the International Day of Slayer, during which Slayer fans listen to Slayer really loud, which was observed earlier this month on June 6. More info…
The moderately priced national seafood chain Red Lobster has stopped offering oyster dishes. Orlandosentinal.com reports that Red Lobster — operated by Orlando-based Darden Restaurants — will stop serving dishes like hand-shucked oysters on the half shell because the chain’s supplier, Louisiana-based AmeriPure Processing Company, has temporarily closed due to the lack of supply of oysters from Gulf Coast waters; this closure,…
In his quest to outlaw naked breasts in Missouri, Republican state Sen. Matt Bartle characterized strip-club employees as women forced into prostitution and drug addiction against their will. If he reads this week’s feature story, “Exit Boobies,” he might be surprised to learn that one of those employees is his own flesh and blood, and that she’s not happy about…
It was bound to happen. The Chubby Melt has gone corporate. Friendly’s (an ice cream chain on the East Coast that’s comparable to Steak n’ Shake) has co-opted the specialty sandwich — a hamburger stuffed between two grilled cheese sandwiches — as part of its new line of Big Beef Burgers. The aptly named Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt is described on…
Here’s hoping that this year’s incarnation of the Avett Brothers show at Crossroads KC at Grinder’s isn’t soaking wet like last year’s. Not like it matters: the bluegrass-loving Bros.’ searing folk-rock will heat any soggy fan’s heart, regardless of the weather. They’re still riding the slew of positive reviews of 2009’s I and Love and You, which happens to be their…
Hansen wants you to give Peace Tea a chance. I’m suggesting we “must think for ourselves,” as the graphic suggests on the Razzleberry can. Introduced in December 2009 by the Hansen Beverage Company — the makers of Monster energy drink and natural sodas and juices — Peace Tea is as much about branding as content. The brightly colored iced tea…
U.S. Sen. and Kansas gubernatorial candidate Sam Brownback paid tribute to Olathe resident, retired NBA player and really tall humanitarian Manute Bol on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday. Bol died at age 47 on Saturday from a “broad range of complications,” including acute kidney failure, liver damage and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Categories: News, Politics Tags: Manute Bol, my bad,…
James Christos’ latest report from the road finds the dudes driving down to Houston on the third date in their tour. Here’s a quick shot of what life on the road is like — and why, like Christos says, he’s not too cool to drive himself. Houston, we have lift off (as well as an emergency landing)! After rockin’ the…
A former employee at P.F Chang’s China Bistro on the Country Club Plaza claims that she was asked to wait on African-American customers when white servers refused. Linletta Woodruff started working at P.F. Chang’s in October 2008. In a lawsuit filed in Jackson County last month, Woodruff, who is African-American, claims that white servers requested that black guests and other…
You need some stonewashed jeans and a time machine, sang Eric Earley at the Record Bar last night. Given Blitzen Trapper’s band’s effortless melodies and crystalline harmonies, he’s right: as much as the band is adored by fans of the band’s burnished, roots-rock sound, Blitzen Trapper is not of this era. Instead, the band is known for experimenting with the echoes…
