Kris Kobach, Harvard-Oxford-Yale-educated Kansas secretary of state and dedicated crusader against illegal immigration, might be pleased to know that the immigration drama A Better Life is showing on just one local screen (at the AMC Studio 30). Based on a true story, the movie recalls Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves in its simplicity and basic plot. The neorealist drama may…
The film production debut of media-baron spouse Wendi Deng Murdoch (that lightning-reflexed spiker of Parliamentary foam pies), Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is entertainment fit for a trophy wife: predictable, dull and dreary. Mrs. Murdoch No. 3 has reportedly transformed her husband’s life, influencing major business decisions (particularly those involving her native China), moving him from the staid Upper…
The Trip, an award-winning BBC comedy series starring Steve Coogan and directed by Michael Winterbottom, is now a partly improvised feature-length film. In both the film and series, the premise is the same: After his girlfriend abruptly leaves him, Coogan (as a fictional version of himself) invites his friend, the Welsh comic and impressionist Rob Brydon (also playing himself), to…
We start watching the video again, and I know by the timer in the upper-left part of the screen that Jacob Higgs has less than three minutes to live. The footage is from a security camera in a corner of the bar. “Is he reaching for the assault rifle there?” asks Nancy, whom I first met two weeks before in…
Those Darlins For whatever reason — possibly because they’re from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, or because they tend to wear boots in promo photos — Those Darlins often get tagged as a cowpunk act. The sound of this three-fourths girl group has traces of country and punk, but if you put on a blindfold and listen to its latest, Screws Get Loose,…
There’s a lot of water in Parkville these days. The Missouri River has aggressively swept over its banks, flooding English Landing Park and dampening local businesses. That would include River’s Bend Restaurant & Bar, which didn’t seem very busy on any of my three recent visits to the nine-month-old venue. There could be other reasons, though. This restaurant operated for…
Today is the official opening day for Urban Table, the new concept by the team behind BRGR, at 8232 Mission. The opening date was delayed a week, says partner Alan Gaylin — who operates the business with Glynn Roberts — so that an additional air-conditioning unit could be installed on the roof. Smart thinking when the heat is again punishing….
Not one Big 12(-2) football game has been played, and there are already rumors of implosion for the 10-team conference. The unholy alliance of ESPN and the University of Texas has left Texas A&M angry that (1) UT’s Longhorn Network wants to broadcast high school football games and (2) the network also wants to air a Big 12 conference game…
Fat City just received a phone call from the assignment desk of a local TV station: “Hey, where can we get a sugarcoated Satan sandwich in Kansas City?” asked the assignment editor. He was referring to Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver’s morning tweet railing against the debt-ceiling deal. The Rev. Cleaver called the deal a “sugar-coated satan sandwich. If you lift…
You probably have no desire to have your inside mirror your outside right now, so hot coffee might just have taken a backseat to Diet Coke or some other method of caffeine injection this summer. If so, you’re missing out on one of life’s great joys — iced coffee. The Roasterie, in a move that’s sure to prove popular as…
It’s been five months since chef Charles d’ Ablaing took his leave from the kitchen at Webster House to replace Jason Wiggins as executive chef at Chaz on the Plaza at the Raphael Hotel. The staff at Webster House hired a recruiting firm to assist in finding his replacement: “We looked at candidates in Kansas City and across the country,”…
It’s been a rough few years for women’s rights in Kansas, so it’s good to see pro-choice winning the legal battle to keep abortion services in the Sunflower State. This morning, U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten ordered Kansas to resume funding Planned Parenthood immediately. Planned Parenthood contended that if the state took away its $330,000 in federal Title X annual funding, the organization would…
BY NICK SPACEK More than 10 years ago, on the eve of my 21st birthday, I saw another configuration of Kansas City musicians get together to play AC/DC covers at El Torreon. In a bit of synchronicity that displays the depth of love for the Aussie band’s music, quite a few of the same players were onstage again on Sunday…
Jessica Thomas isn’t above fighting below the waist. Thomas is the Kansas City grandmother who brawled with an armed burglar who had busted into her home at 43rd and Pittman and threatened her grandchildren. Thomas was pistol-whipped, and she suffered a broken arm and cuts on her forehead. But she got in her kicks. She told KMBC that the burglar…
UPDATE (12:09 p.m.): It was a fun thought while it lasted. Randy Moss’ agent has told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Moss is retiring. Moss’ agent, Joel Segal, told Schefter: “After weighing his options and contemplating offers, he’s decided to retire.” Although Moss could always change his mind, which doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility. Original Story (11:19 a.m.):…
Guys can sit around and talk about beer forever. Still, it’s not often that you get the chance to chat with the man who actually makes your beer. Boulevard Brewing Company founder John McDonald will be talking at the Kansas City Central Library (14 W. 10th St.) on Wednesday, August 3. Categories: Dining, Food & Drink
Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver is not a fan of the debt-ceiling deal. Not at all, as you can see in the above tweet. Can anyone tell me what a “a sugarcoated Satan sandwich” is? Cleaver has spent the last three hours on Twitter railing against the deal. After the jump, read the rest of his tweets, including his arguing that…
Someone had the bright idea to dump dishwashing detergent in the Seahorse Fountain Saturday night. This caused the fountain to bubble over with suds, as you can see in this video from NBC Action News. The downside of the prank is it’ll cost the city about $1,000 to repair the fountain, which sits along Ward Parkway near Meyer Boulevard. Categories:…
