Tag Archives: Larry Hovick

Hovick: Have a (Clothing Optional) Happy Father’s Day, Courtesy of Midland by AMC

Statistics don’t lie…

Dads get the stiff end of the stick – plenty of puns intended – on their national holiday

Mom, Mom, Mom
Is the normal cry in the household
And Mom is who a Dad really wants to hear from when the kids are sick
Mom is who Dad really wants to hear from when the kids need a ride to anything and he’s busy watching sports Or when Dad could be away from the house at a sports bar with other Dads
Mom is who Dad really wants to hear from when his daughter at any age wants to have the talk
You know, when her body starts to change
Go ask your Mother, is the standard Don’t Disturb Dad line
But when the kids want money – who they gonna call?
Uh, Dad

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Hovick: Give It Up For Mother’s Day 2011, Badass

 

Moms
We all got ’em or we wouldn’t be here
Moms have spidey sense
They know when their babies are sick
Moms know when their babies are sad
And they know when their babies need an ass wupping

Once a year, we have a special Sunday dedicated to the women who gave us life
Oh yeah, Dad donated but your Mom did most of the heavy lifting
Your nine months of development caused her to gain a lot of weight and probably made her ass not look so good in her jeans, so she maybe switched to stretch pants to be more comfortable
I know guys who took total advantage and ate like crazy while their wives were pregnant
Sympathy weight they told me
But when their wife had the baby and lost the weight she gained, the guy was still a fat ass
What is up with that?

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Car: Ford Strikes Blow for Parents, Teenagers Take Hit

 

I’m not a die-hard Ford cheerleader,..

But I was impressed with the look and technology in the 2010 and 2011 Fords.  

My Dad was a Ford guy. And my father-in-law recently bought a Ford product because the company didn’t take any Obama money.   

And on two recent road trips in a 2011 Taurus, the features in the car sparked my interest to do more research. So I sat down with Chris Gorup at Shawnee Mission Ford and Chris kept bringing up Ford’s MyKey system. 

MyKey debuted as a standard feature on the 2010 Ford Focus and is now a no-cost feature on nearly all Ford and Lincoln models

MyKey allows parents to access and set MyKey limits through the vehicle’s message center. 

Meaning that when your teenage vampire inserts a programmed MyKey into the ignition, the system reads the transponder chip in the key and then sets limits on what sort of mayhem your kid can get away with. Or not.

It’s wickedly Big Brother!

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Car: 2011 Ford Taurus Limited Delivers

I had the pleasure of driving a 2011 Ford Taurus Limited twice last week courtesy of Budget Car rental…

Then heading out on a pair of 400-plus mile trips. I’m here to report the Taurus kept me entertained, comfortable and safe.

Let’s take a closer look.

Curb appeal

The 2011 Taurus was my favorite at the Greater Kansas City Auto Show earlier this month.

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Hovick: Death of a Concert Artist, Danny Mayo

 

My friend in the concert business Daniel “Danny” Mayo died of a sudden heart attack in his sleep this past weekend. 

I’ve talked to quite a few mutual friends and the surprise of losing Danny, his passion, his art and his sense of humor is a loss to many in the Kansas City entertainment industry.

Danny painted on a big canvas. 

He created stage and lighting designs for private events for many years.  And he had a long list of loyal clients. Charity organizations could count on Danny to light a mountain on a molehill budget. Danny was a welcome sight in every venue hosting an event in Kansas City. 

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Car: Decisions, Decisions, Navigating the 2011 Greater Kansas City Auto Show

I went to the greater Kansas City Auto Show twice last week
On Friday my gear head brother Steve and I raced through the show
He knows everything about cars
If he doesn’t know something his commitment to baffling you will win any automotive argument

Saturday, I went back with my wife and our ten year old was along for the ride
There are so many makes and models
How do you choose?

I am all over the place when choosing which vehicle I want to drive full time
I mean I am hot on one model and then just like that I will turn and want something else

But what about you?

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Car: Greater Kansas City Auto Show Next Week Triggers Harrowing Muscle Car Flashbacks

The Greater Kansas City International Auto Show revs up next week

The Kansas City Convention Center will be filled with that new car smell. I go every year with my brother Steve and our boys. Cars are a passion for us and I think Detroit has come full circle on some of the models I drove in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

The new Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger and the Ford Mustang remind me of the muscle cars I fell head-over-hot rod heels for back then.
I’ve owned a few fast cars in my life and hindsight being 20/20. I’d give almost anything to have one or two of them parked in my garage right now.

My High School love Mary dropped me like a Ford Pinto gas tank in the early 70s.

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Hovick: Hallmark Nails Valentine’s Day, Secrets to a Successful Relationship

Think of Valentine’s Day as a reminder to share your feelings with the person you are closest to.  

If you are married and this is only the second time each year, including your anniversary, that you express your love for your spouse, you need to put down the remote and take a good look at the road your relationship is headed down.

This morning, while drinking my coffee and watching one of my favorite local newscasts, it predicted the warm up, I didn’t channel surf as the first barrage of commercials commandeered the screen.  And the Hallmark ad I saw got it right, this year.

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Hovick: Guilty as Charged But at What Price?

 

The jury got it right…

21-year-old Simon Angilda was found guilty as charged.

He will more than likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the crimes he committed.

I predicted that outcome last week.

I never thought it should have gone to court in the first place.

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Hovick: We the Jury, Horribly Guilty

At the start of this week I had the pleasure and pain of being called to serve as a juror…

The day started off easy and organized. Monday was a snow covered morning, so I was glad to trade my long commute to downtown for the less than three miles journey to the county courthouse.

A very positive start to the day.

I was impressed by the number of staff directing potential jurors through the county buildings.  They were very well organized and prepared. The courtroom was warm and bright.  At all times we were told what would take place in the next hour.

The judge was informal at the start.  He explained the importance of being able to see and hear everything going on through out the day.  He spoke for 20 or 30 minutes trying to detail what we could expect and if we were chosen to be on the jury and that the trial would take five to six days. 

Then the judge thanked us several times and talked about the importance of serving as a juror. He has 17 years experience on the bench and believes in the system. He explained there would be 36 people randomly chosen out of the 150 in the room. And that the 12 serving on the jury would be selected from the 36. 

I was one of the 36.

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Hovick: Memo to Myself; It’s Not Too Late to Make a Difference in 2011

Ho, Ho, Ho Merry Christmas! 

Oops, that was last week. It was a Merry Christmas weekend for the Kansas City Chiefs – they have one more game left in the regular season but they’ll celebrate 2011 by being in the playoffs. 

So the Chiefs made a major change in 2010. What about the rest of us in Kansas City?

What are we going to do to better ourselves in 2011?

Are we going to make a change or a resolution?

I went online to look up some of the top resolutions and of those, these are my top three to share with KC Confidential peeps:

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Hovick: T’was the Night Before KC Christmas …

 

T’was the night before Christmas when all through KC
Fans believed in the Chiefs under Coach Haley

Arrowhead was changed but the history is there
In hopes that the playoffs soon would be here.

The team was nestled all snug in their beds
With visions of Super Bowl rings in their heads.

And Scott Pioli in his coat and Todd Haley in his cap
They will sleep at the end but for now they’ll just nap.

When out on the field, there arose such a clatter
The fans were all there because now the games matter!

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Hovick: Happy Thanksgiving. No, Really

 

It’s that time of year...

My mother always says you don’t have to look far to find someone less fortunate. 

So what am I thankful for?

A lot actually. Who wouldn’t be with the bang up year we’ve had at the Midland. With more to come.

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Hovick: Bogus Ticket Broker Tickets Flood Mellencamp Show

 

John Mellencamp was a sold-out show at the Midland by AMC last Friday. But not everyone with a ticket was able to get into the concert.

Why? Shady ticket brokers and / or sellers.

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Hovick: Midland by AMC Explodes in November

 People aren’t generally comfortable with change, but it’s part of life…

The Chiefs are 5 and 2, seven games into the season and KC Confidential is also making a change for the future.

Hearne has found a way to switch it up in the past keeping many people coming back to bitch or blog which is our right as Americans.

At the Midland we are all about change.  

Fall is one of the busiest times of the year for our concert season.  The variety of artists and the number of events continue to be on the rise just like the number of wins for the Chiefs.

I’ll give you a glimpse of what some of you missed and many enjoyed in October here at the Midland and what lies ahead this month!


 

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Hovick: 3 Minute Warning; Widespread Panic, Louis CK, Pickups, Lost Loves & Beer

Most songwriters seem to tell their stories in about three, maybe four minutes tops.

My wife and I are country fans. I listen to the lyrics and each song is a story about love, pickup trucks or dumping your love and sometimes crashing your pickup with your love in it. Continue reading

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Hovick: How to Party at the Midland for the Good of Mankind

Everyday people do good things in Kansas City everyday…

You don Continue reading

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Hovick: Comets, Brigade, Motley Crue, American Royal All Indebted to Rich Noll

A moment of silence, please…

Kansas City Missouri Assistant City Manager Rich Noll, only 51 years of age, passed away Sunday from a massive brain aneurysm. Continue reading

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Hovick: Indie at Midland on Fire Wednesday thru Saturday

When’s the last time you had a martini while you were getting a manicure?

Could happen if you stroll into the the Midland by AMC’s stunning new Indie bar on Thursday August 26th for our new Martinis & Manicures night.

I’m serious…

We’ve teamed with our neighbor Zafar Salon and they handle the manicure portion of the festivities while we take care of the martinis. Continue reading

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Hovick: My Brother the Car. Hey, See Your Doctor

Why is it as we get older Continue reading

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