Archives: August 2010
What’s in a rapper’s name?
Whether you’re trying to glean insight into your favorite MC’s handle or come up with a name for your own fledgling rap career: the Grand Taxonomy of Rap Names lays it all out on the table. Titles, Crime, Alphanumeric, Physical or Metaphysical Attributes and Wordplay: just a few of the categories. Look at it up close here. (Via Idolator) Categories:…
Gaga goes drag for Japanese Men’s Vogue
The September issue of Japanese Men’s Vogue features Lady Gaga in drag as Jo Calderone, an Italian mechanic who has, supposedly, never had his picture taken before. Gaga hasn’t exactly admitted that she and Jo are one in the same, but given Jo’s bone structure, Gaga’s penchant for disguises and stunts, and the fact that photographer Nick Knight, a frequent…
David Fincher, please take note: soundtracking the Goon
Imaginary Movie Soundtracks are just that — the soundtracks to movies that doesn’t exist. We pick the songs, write the story, and your mind makes the movie. We’re taking a different tack with this week’s soundtrack. Eric Powell’s comic The Goon had a short animatic debut at this year’s San Diego ComiCon, but has yet to find a backer. The…
Read the Signs
Every Wednesday, Unity Temple on the Plaza (707 West 47th Street, 816-561-4466) celebrates Kansas City’s musical heritage by throwing a jazz concert. The weekly series Spirituality and All That Jazz comes cheap at $7 and starts at 7 p.m. This week’s featured player, Scott McDonald, started playing piano at age 7. Superstitious readers (or slot players) should interpret the repetition…
From Messina to Midtown
A source of pride for those who trace their ancestry there, Sicily is a big triangular island in the Mediterranean Sea that boasts a deep history, Europe’s largest volcano and some of the best cuisine in the world. Kansas City, a Midwestern city straddling Jackson, Cass, Clay and Platte counties, is known for its meat-based cuisine, jazz music and some…
Eagle Watching
Are you ready for an exhibition? A Friday night scrimmage? You are, based on the buzz generated by the Kansas City Chiefs moving their practice facilities from Wisconsin to the bustling metropolis of St. Joseph. Yes, NFL preseason games are glorified practices and have very little to do with how a team might perform when games actually count. But Chiefs…
Moving Pictures
New song? Check. New video? Check. Guaranteed photo spread from a local publication to help drum up a buzz about the first two items on the list? If you’re Roman Numerals, check. Local style zine Faction outfitted Roman Numerals when the band recently made a video for their song “This Motion.” It screens publicly for the first time during a…
Brews and Noodles
You’ve gotta love an event where someone hands you a 24-ounce “pounder” of PBR as soon as you waltz through the door. That’s part of the plan for Pabst Presents: A Spaghetti-Western Death Country Carnival at Knuckleheads (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456). As if the name Death Carnival wasn’t enough reason to wrangle your ass down to the East Bottoms, five bands…
idol cheers
“What’ll you have, Norm?” “Well, I’m in a gambling mood, Sammy. I’ll take a glass of whatever comes out of that tap.””Looks like beer, Norm.””Call me Mr. Lucky.” George Wendt, the actor who portrayed high-functioning alcoholic Norm Peterson on the long-running NBC sitcom Cheers, comes to Kansas City — home of his alma mater, Rockhurst University — to host the…
Takers
Acting as both producer and plot fulcrum, T.I. is the big human attraction in Takers, possessing the raw energy that charisma vacuums Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen (front and center) lack. Director John Luessenhop works around them in this cheerfully derivative attempt to merge the epically ponderous L.A.-scapes of Michael Mann’s Heat (criminals versus police, with equal screen time for…
Range of Reasons
Demoralized Royals fans have run out of reasons to feign interest in the club. By this time in the season, they’ve attended games out of delusional optimism, interest in a particular young player, or the opportunity to use cheap tickets. Usually, though, fans have attended out of mere habit. Here’s another reason to go: At 7:10 p.m. the Royals face…
Happy-Hour Hit list: Adult Milkshakes
Thick, creamy and slightly boozy, the adult milkshake is more like a dessert than a cocktail. Not for the calorie-conscious, these frozen drinks are available at the following local burger joints.• Blanc Burgers + Bottles (10583 Mission, Leawood, 913-381-4500). At the Mission Farms location, try a tiramisu from the “Grown Up Shakes” menu. It’s made with Three Olives Triple Shot…
Asylum Denied
As evening falls on southern Mexico, Sarah (not her real name) is shopping at a fruit market a block from her house. It is Friday, and her father, an investigator for the State Judicial Police, is home relaxing on his night off. Wearing blue jeans and an unbuttoned shirt, he is sweeping his front porch, waiting for his daughter to…
Producers Produced
Those who doubt Mel Brooks’ contribution to American culture should keep in mind that the venerable comic has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony over the course of his career. That’s right, President Skroob has EGOTed. The Tony, for The Producers, was the most recent (2001) and actually was one of a record-setting 12 awards, including…
Local Style
Using as many reclaimed materials as possible and inspired by the DIY cultures of music and art, clothing designers Amanda Gatten and Rachael Marie Longgrear have created a punk-and-western couture clothing line. See the women’s handiwork at the (UN)SceneKC Fashion Show at Crosstown Station (1522 McGee, 816-471-1522). Also featured: Wop on Top’s girly partywear with an urban twist, the progressive…
Oh, that smell
Bacon has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years despite or, more likely, because of its reputation as a fat-riddled, salt-laden, nutrition-deficient cut of meat. But let’s not think about all that. Let’s celebrate bacon in an effort to help disabled children and adults rehabilitate from their injuries and find employment — something brought about by the Rehabilitation Institute…
Scott McDonald
Pianist and vocalist Scott McDonald performs with Tim Whitmer and The Consort Band during this week’s Spirituality and All That Jazz Concert. Wed., Sept. 1, 7 p.m., 2010 Tags: Night & Day, Scott McDonald, Tim Whitmer
Find The Pitch
