This Weeks Day-By-Day Picks

Thursday, November 13, 2003

Tommy Chong and Arnold Schwarzenegger were both caught on film smoking funny-looking cigarettes in the ’70s. But that’s where the similarities end. Schwarzenegger glorified violence for more than twenty years, and Chong stuck with the funny stuff. Now, as Schwarzenegger gets ready to take over the governor’s mansion, Chong’s in the big house for selling glass bongs and pipes to burners. Shelby Chong, Tommy’s wife, is on the outside doing tribute shows and raising awareness until he finishes his nine months in jail. She appears at Stanford & Sons on Metcalf (10635 Floyd in Overland Park, 913-385-3866) starting at 8:30 p.m.

Friday, November 14, 2003

Pigs are often scorned, but piglets are beloved. Similarly, our culture is not always appreciative of plays, but playlets are another matter. Whenever we go to see playlets, we want to take them home, pet them, feed them and cuddle with them. Enter CrossCurrents’ Nickel and Dime Playlets. These are contest-winning, five- and ten-minute plays, all performed tonight at 8 at the Just Off Broadway Theater, 3051 Central. Among the characters are a penguin and a U.S. senator. If those aren’t the makings of a rollicking good time, then our name’s not Bob. For information, call 816-361-5417.

Saturday, November 15, 2003

During today’s Kids Place Holiday Fashion Show, young models showcase the latest in children’s fashions. Which, in case you haven’t noticed, look more like adult fashions every year. Why on earth would anyone dress a ten-year-old in slutty J. Lo pants and a halter top? We don’t know. It worries us. But Crown Center’s a family kind of place, and we expect these kids to be wearing family kinds of clothes. Included are previews of dresses, suits and coordinating outfits for girls and boys — family-portrait-type stuff. This event takes place at 1 p.m., which leaves all afternoon for parents to take their child models skating on the Ice Terrace after they’re done rockin’ the jumper look hardcore. For information on the fashion show, call 816-221-9707. For information on the Ice Terrace, call 816-274-8411. Crown Center is located at 2450 Grand.

Regardless of what people say about rural Kansas, it is very pretty. Soon the leaves will be gone, and all will be gray, and then you can come bitching to us about ugly if you want to. But we still have a couple of weeks before we have to put up with that shit. For now, we got to represent. If you take a trip to Manhattan, Kansas, today, stick around for a show by a band called I Hate Hamlet at the Manhattan Performing Arts Center (1520 Poyntz Avenue, 785-537-4420). We know nothing about this band, other than that it has a ballsy name to take on in a college town. Imagine all the English professors who are reading this right now, wringing their hands and muttering, “Be wary then; best safety lies in fear: Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.”

Sunday, November 16, 2003

Imagine if our moms made us take Argentine tango lessons instead of ballroom dancing when they were grooming us for the prom. Whereas the tango uses many of the same step patterns as the foxtrot or even the Texas two-step, the Argentine form is more — how you say? — sensuous. Ko-Arts presents a night of tango at the Westport Presbyterian Church (201 Westport Road) with live music by Tango Lorca from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. and a free lesson starting at 7:30 p.m. For details, call 816-931-9545.

Monday, November 17, 2003

When strolling the grounds of the Kansas City Zoo today (admission costs $7.50), you may notice that a 10,000-pound African bull elephant named Dale is no longer there. Dale was a very sick elephant. The obit that the zoo sent out after the elephant was euthanized reads: “Dale’s passing marks the second death of an African bull elephant at the Kansas City Zoo this year. Casey, the zoo’s 52-year-old elephant, was found dead September 24, 2003, in the zoo’s elephant compound. The two deaths are believed to be unrelated.” Believed to be? Calm down, there’s no reason for alarm. Casey was old, and Dale died of a viral infection. And we’d encourage zoo visitors to take solace. Dale is gone, yet he is not gone; as one of three elephants whose semen was routinely sought for artificial insemination, he is the father of many. There’s that, and then there’s the fact that samples of said semen are still in storage at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. That’s comforting and all, but zoo people, we have one request: Let’s make this the last time you send out press materials that make us think about elephant come. The zoo, located at 6700 Zoo Drive, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information, call 816-513-5700.

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Other-era admirers like us might enjoy the current exhibit at the Kemper, Jean Lowe: The Course of Empire. Lowe, a San Diego-based artist, is known for life-sized installations in which she creates elaborately decorated period rooms from paint, canvas, enamel, resin and papier-mâché. Her salon rooms, often drawing on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century French design, are forums in which she inverts the original purpose of the salon (for the aristocracy) to critique social, political and economic issues in our own culture. The Kemper is located at 4420 Warwick. For information, call 816-753-5784.

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Hump day is an occasion best celebrated with beverage in hand. At the Brick (1727 McGee) you not only can drown your midweek sorrows while soaking up the devil’s fermented elixir with steak-dinner specials but also stick around and enjoy the live sounds of the Von Hodads, local Western surf rockers who recently staked out a sweet 7 to 9 p.m. gig for themselves every Wednesday. They’re calling it the Western Surf ‘n’ Turf, making the Brick feel like a newfangled saloon on hump day. (Sometimes their shows even include dancin’ girls — but not this time, so slow down, pardner.) This week, the Von Hodads open for Steve Turner, Marc Olsen and Thom Hoskins. The show starts at about 10:30 p.m. For information, call 816-421-1634.