Now, when we tell you what today’s participatory sports event is called, we want you to try and remain calm. Don’t overreact. Although it’s extremely scary-sounding, it’s just a name. OK, starting at 9 a.m., the Plaza Tennis Center (4747 J.C. Nichols Parkway, 816-784-5100) is host to the Spring/ Summer 2011 Bracket of Death. Now, “Bracket of Death” just refers…
Belly Dance United is a performance troupe that combines Middle Eastern dance stylings with modern theatrical techniques and the naming conventions of U.K. football clubs. But did you know that belly dancing involves way more body parts than just the belly? Every body part — including the thigh, shin, arm, trunk, most of the spine, and other parts — is…
It’s been a little more than nine years since Zach Lovely opened his shop, Lovely Skateboards, on 18th Street. In 2006, he began another operation in the West Bottoms — Union Press Screen Printing — and started to produce clothing, skate decks and other street-style items, keeping the Lovely name alive through trunk shows, loft parties and art openings. The…
Don’t get master chocolatier Aaron Dearinger started on the chocolate fondue served at the Melting Pot restaurant: “It’s not real chocolate. It’s a pre-liquefied processed product. A confectionery compound.” At 6 p.m., Dearinger shows that the best chocolate fondue in town is the kind that most people can make at home — with high-quality dark chocolate and very, very slow…
This is not a write-up about a certain handsome prince who got hitched recently. From all those conveniently romantic moments on display in the tabloids, we can see that the young couple is living out a safe, old, boring fairy tale. That’s great. But honestly, high-drama relationships are far more satisfying to watch. Catch one onscreen at 10 a.m. in…
Feelin’ shaggy but don’t want to throw down for a high-dollar haircut? Show some solidarity with young folks who suffer from cancer and make the trek to Grandview for a new do at the St. Baldrick’s Foundation charity event. The world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood-cancer research, St. Baldrick’s asks for your hair and your permission to shave it…
In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration suggested capping SPF (sun protection factor) levels at 50 and above. Given that these are determined by comparing the time it takes to burn without sunscreen with the time it takes to burn with it, it’s probably OK to assume that sunscreen between SPF 50 and SPF 100 is pretty much a marketing…
In the early 1980s, multi-instrumentalist Billy Ebeling used to drive from Lawrence to Westport to busk for rent money. Fortunately, he was able to turn his harmonica-and-accordion street performances into paid appearances that eventually allowed him to travel and play in Australia, New Zealand and South America. He’s been back in KC since 2000, and very recently he released an…
UPDATE (3:47 p.m.): Ronald Oliver, 40, was the victim of last night’s homicide. Police say charges are still pending. According to the Star, Oliver and another man got into an argument during last night’s NBA Finals game between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. The other man allegedly stabbed Oliver, who was seated in a chair, in the chest.Original…
Dear Coca-Cola, We, the people of Kansas City, are ready for a Coca-Cola Freestyle — the flavor squirting soda fountain capable of creating more than 100 soft drinks from a single vending machine. We understand that you had to work out the kinks since it debuted in 2009. We’ve patiently watched you roll out 650 locations, including two in nearby…
Artists are beginning to announce fall tour dates. It really must be June. British folk troubadour Frank Turner is a semi-reformed punk who writes jaunty, melodic songs. He’ll stop by RecordBar on October 6 in support of his new album, England Keep My Bones, out June 6 (via Paste). Into It Over It and Andrew Jackson Jihad will support. Doors…
The cameras will be rolling at Extra Virgin (1900 Main) this afternoon as the Food Network and chef/host Curstin Stone stop by the Crossroads restaurant from 1 to 5 p.m. Chef Michael Smith will be filmed making the duck-tongue tacos, which went on the menu last year. Extra Virgin is offering another incentive to diners with half-price duck-tongue tacos and…
Samantha Fish has been keeping busy since our own Berry Anderson profiled the young blueswoman last summer. She has spent much of 2011 over in Europe, touring with Girls with Guitars, but she’s back in KC tonight for a record-release party at Knuckleheads for her debut studio album, Runaway. We checked in with Fish yesterday briefly to see what else…
Most of us are rarely around in the moment that animals become meat. And for many, it’s that disconnect that allows them to enjoy meat without thinking about their dinner’s previous pre-plate exploits. As CNN Money reports, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is spending a year attempting to erase that disconnect by eating only the meat of animals that he himself…
A Kansas City sportswriter apparently refused to accommodate the makers of a movie and may end up in the film as a result. The Twitter page of a baseball writer in Chicago indicates that Dick Kaegel, who covers the Royals for MLB.com, would not give up his seat in the press box while a scene in Moneyball was being shot…
Wednesday got off to a dangerous start for employees at The Kansas City Star. Just around the first-cup-of-coffee hour, a haze filled the newsroom, reporter Bob Cronkleton reported via Twitter. The fire department showed up to investigate, and everybody was sent out of the building. The dutiful Cronkleton stayed on the story, tweeting later, “Haze is gone out of newsroom….
The upper-level patio at McCormick & Schmick’s (448 West 47th Street) on the Plaza got a major face-lift just in time for summer. There now are two main seating areas, tables under oversized white umbrellas, and a collection of patio chairs organized around a central fire pit. But perhaps most importantly, the patio has a dedicated outdoor serving staff. Categories:…
Kill numerous birds with but a single stone tonight at Crosstown Station, where for $10 you can catch some very fine Kansas City and Lawrence acts while contributing to the Joplin relief effort. All proceeds from the event, which also includes raffles and live and silent auctions, go to Olathe-based volunteer group Heart to Heart International. Jeriney, who hosts Homegrown…
The widow of a slain Independence insurance agent is now accused of being a black widow. A grand jury indicted Teresa Stone on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, alleging that she conspired with former pastor David Love to kill her husband, Randy Stone. In March 2010, 42-year-old Randy Stone was found shot to death inside his Farmer’s Insurance…
There are only so many hours in the day, and restaurateur Victor Almo — owner of the four-year-old Art of Pizza in the Crossroads and the nine-month-old restaurant of the same name in Westport — has simply used up too many of them. Last week, Almo put up a “closed” sign in the window of the Westport location and locked…
Lonely Twin, the second album from Hospital Ships, is out next week, June 7. But you can stream it right now over at Spinner, so you know what it sounds like before you buy it with your money. And will you look at this? The Pitch has a story on bandleader Jordan Geiger (above) out today in the print edition. You…
Kansas City can pretend it has an NHL franchise on September 27, when the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins play a preseason game at the Sprint Center. The match-up comes tinged with cruelty. The Kings are owned by AEG, the company that operates the Sprint Center but has not been able to tenant the building with a pro hockey…
