Glazer: Look for Chiefs to Fade Away & This Week’s Picks

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Craig Glazer
Chase Daniel

Chase Daniel

Last call, anyone?

Game 16 for the Kansas City Chiefs is Sunday at Arrowhead against the Chargers. And even though KC lost its starting quarterback and the Chargers need just this win to make the playoffs, the Chiefs are a one point favorite at home.

Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers is banged up but will start. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is out injured. Enter former Missouri star Chase Daniel. His only prior start for KC resulted in a loss to the Chargers last year. I expect to see the same outcome tomorrow.

However having Chase in there the Chiefs might create some downfield throws and maybe even a touchdown to a wide out, something the team hasn’t had in nearly two seasons Continue reading →

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Leftridge: New Year’s Eve, Craigslist Style

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Brandon Leftridge

NewYearsEveWell, Christmas is over and our lives are terrible again, but we can get shit back on track by having a festive time next week, too. Wednesday is New Year’s Eve, a magic night when people who don’t drink that often drink way too much and those who drink too much as is spend a weird amount of time ridiculing the once-a-year lushes.

I’m somewhere in the middle and I can’t stand the holiday for one simple reason: the expectation that Something Fun Needs to Happen. See, if you’re not a total jackass, you gussy up real nice-like and go to some swanky hotel shindig where you eat a five-course meal (one of which has to be braised _____ shank in an apricot demiglaze) and then listen to some bad local party band do covers of Prince songs until the ball drops. Then you retire to your comfy hotel bed (this is all part of the inclusive package) and laugh about “how (you) haven’t been up this late since you were ____,” and you then have tired sex where at least one party doesn’t finish.

If you’re not ritzy enough to get down with that, you might end up at a friend’s house with a bunch of other people who are also not very wealthy, and you’ll drink too much there and eventually end up hitting on the host’s wife while your wife sits in the corner angrily playing Candy Crush and pretending like she’s somewhere else. You’ll end up getting pulled over on your way home and there goes your job in the accounting department of Home Depot, because “Home Depot is a family-based business, Mark, and we have no place for drunk drivers.” Continue reading →

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Hearne: Non-Review Review of ‘The Interview’

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

The-InterviewI’ll keep this short…

First let me say though that the controversial Seth Rogan, James Franco movie “The Interview” should definitely be high on your list of holiday must-see movies. And go see it at a movie theater, the massive screen and killer audio at the Cinetopia Overland Park 18 are definitely worth the price of admission.

Look, I’m no movie critic – although all to many of these so-called critics are little more than film groupies who know how to write and relish seeing free movies before anybody else in the general public. Trust me, locally speaking, I pretty much know them all.

That isn’t to say every once and a while someone like the Star’s Jon Niccum or Jack Poessiger don’t distinguish themselves as truly exceptional. Unfortunately too many of the rest simply love the sound of their own owns and needless pontificating.

And face it, who wouldn’t like making a living by seeing several movies a week for free, before anyone else and writing about one or two? It’s not like the Star’s Robert Butler would have been a bank exec or trial lawyer had his newspaper gig not presented itself.

On top of which, movie reviews are inherently problematic. Continue reading →

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Valentine: The Night Before

Posted on December 25, 2014 by Mark Valentine
SantaVal

Original art by Mark Valentine

‘Twas the night before Christmas…

And all through Crown Center

The Shops were all closed and it felt just like winter

The Mayor’s Tree was all lit in a holiday glow

And the ice rink was empty, but ready to go.

The kid is in bed dreaming of Santa and Elves

And we’re sipping the Single Malts we hide on top shelves. Continue reading →

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Jack Goes Confidential: ‘The Imitation Game’—Eccentric Tale Of Code Cracker

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Jack Poessiger

THE IMITATION GAMEMuch of the credit for World War II ending in 1945 instead possibly a couple of years later can be attributed to a gentleman named Alan Turing…

Benedict Cumberbatch portrays the brilliant British mathematician and cryptanalyst responsible for breaking the Nazi’s complex Enigma Code that allowed the Germans to communicate strategically and completely undetected by the Allies.

Needless to say, Turing’s discovery saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

Turing, with the support and financing of Winston Churchill, surrounded himself with a think tank of some of Great Britain’s most brilliant minds which ultimately achieved the breakthrough.

And yes, a woman became part of Turing’s inner circle. She’s portrayed by Keira Knightley.

But as Hollywood might have had it, this pairing did not lead into a relationship. You see Alan Turing was gay. Continue reading →

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Jack Goes Confidential: ‘Big Eyes’ Paints Imbalanced Courtroom Showdown

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Jack Poessiger

timburton-bigeyes-painting-tsrWhenever Tim Burton’s name is attached to a movie, curiosity drives me to want to check it out…

So it is with Burton’s latest outing, BIG EYES. And yet, but for the fact that it’s a true story I probably would have blown it off.

And a strange story it is…..

Set in the early 1970’s, a divorced woman named Margaret (Amy Adams) and her young daughter have moved to San Francisco in search of a new life. To support herself she paints kids’ portraits—the ones with the big eyes, remember?

That’s when con man Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) enters her life, sweeps her off her feet, marries her and talks her into continuing the big eyes picture painting business.

All the while widely promoting the curious art pieces as his own! Continue reading →

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New Jack City: ‘The Interview’—Not In Your Backyard?

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Jack Poessiger

sethrogenjamesfrancopuppy1201If you want to see that raunchy, goofball comedy THE INTERVIEW, it may take a road trip…

Is it a case of freedom of speech with the big movie theater chains?

I don’t think so. I believe it’s a matter of principle, a business decision based on Sony Entertainment’s new road map for distributing the movie.

Here’s my take:

When Sony contacted major theater circuits Wednesday morning advising them of the re-instated December 25th release date for THE INTERVIEW, the studio allegedly let it be known that they were also actively pursuing a day-and-date release of the film on OTHER distribution platforms including Video On Demand and streaming.

And this just in, Sony inked a deal with Google Play and YouTube Movies to make “The Interview” available online at noon Kansas City time –  nearly a day prior to the theatrical release. Continue reading →

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Hearne: Star Flubs Telling Readers Where to See ‘The Interview’ Christmas Day

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

_75827240_koreaMy wife and I will be going to see “The Interview” on Christmas Day…

And although Jack warned me I’d have to stay up for a late, late show if I wanted to see it – and  Tim Engle at the Star choked out two reports yesterday to let folks know where they could catch the controversial movie – at Screenland Armour and a couple other off-the-beaten-path plexes – he missed the boat on giving Star readers news they could use.

Engle forgot to check with Kansas City’s premier “independent” movieplex. Continue reading →

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Hearne: Lame Magazine Study Ranks Manhattan Atop Lawrence

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

K StateEnough with these bogus magazine “Best Of” magazine scams…

What’s the best city to live in, the best go to college in, to raise a family, maintain your girlish figure, to visit, to retire, to start a biz – the options are endless. And each and every year some magazine nobody ever heard of shows up with the “best,” “fattest,” “richest,” you-name-it category and chokes out a list of dozens of”competing” cities for everyone to get bent out of shape about.

Not.

I mean seriously, how long does it take for readers to clue into the fact that these are publicity scams intended to get whichever magazine a bunch of free PR from area newspapers, television and radio stations. More publicity means more magazine sales and more magazine sales means more advertising dollars. It’s pretty simple, really.

Trick is for the zines to try come up with the most interesting methodology to spin whoever they say is the best, worst, fattest or fittest. Then the local media chimes in about how accurate or how bogus it all is and…voila…mission accomplished. We media types fall for it every time – some worse than others.

Take the Lawrence Journal World‘s front page story headlined, “Best College Town? Manhattan Tops Lawrence, Study Says.”

Talk about pimping locals about something that simply isn’t true. Continue reading →

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Hearne: Moderated Comments, Anyone? Smartman, Scribe?

Posted on December 22, 2014 by admin
see+no+evil

Smartman, Harley & Scribe

A funny thing happened late last week…

Not ha-ha funny, more curious funny. I’d just added a pair of words to the KC Confidential “forbidden words list” – the one I started four years ago to combat that clever rascal smartman.

You remember smartman, right?

He was a gentleman employed in the concert biz that I met in the 1980s when he was more-or-less running the Uptown Theater. Some friends and I hired smartman – Marti Dolinar in real life – to produce Firm Productions first concert at Municipal Auditorium. FYI it was “The Happy Together” tour with The Turtles, Grassroots, Buckinghams and Gary Lewis & The Playboys.

The smartman was a crusty dude, old beyond this years, with a voracious appetite for all things sex, drugs and rock and roll. To describe him as rough hewn would be an understatement because the dude was crass to the 10th power. Which likely comes as little surprise to longtime readers of his many colorful, depraved, bitingly funny and often insightful comments. He was as they say, “a piece of work.” – an unapologetic piece of work that ran off untold numbers of readers, contributors and advertisers.

Frankly, something had to be done.  Continue reading →

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Star beams: UPS Drivers Top Alex Smith, Chiefs Put Out Call to Sung Woo Lee & Hillary Alerts

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Kelly Urich

ups1sdfsdChiefs quarterback Alex Smith has what my wife calls the “Kelly Urich Syndrome.”  He has trouble going deep.

                               *******

Why is it the Chiefs can’t complete a pass for more than 5 yards, but the UPS guy just threw a perfect spiral from the truck to my front porch?

                                *******

How can we get Royals super fan Sung Woo Lee to start liking the Chiefs?

                                 *******

The Chiefs playbook was written by Sony.

                                 ******* Continue reading →

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Glazer: It’s True, The Chiefs Are Super Bowl Bound

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

super_kcwolfThe Chiefs stockings Sunday were full of coal…

From coal town, no less – Pittsburgh, Pa.

Yep, the Steelers pretty much ended the Chiefs season. Actually it ended when they couldn’t beat the gawdawful Oakland Raiders a few weeks back.

The team was never the same.

Well, maybe the Chiefs are back to where they were before, that being AVERAGE. And this year that was kind of a good thing, because most of us thought they would win just five or six games. Instead they won eight, with one game to go. So in a small way they over achieved – they went from suck to okay. Continue reading →

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Glazer: Scribe Brushes Aside Bah Humbugs, Wishes Readers ‘The Best’

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Craig Glazer

bad-santaIt’s the most happiest time of the year now, right?

You know, Christmas. That’s what the songs say anyway. Sure, for the folks with financial strength and tight families, that well may be the case. HAPPY TIMES. Nice.

However for most of us it’s pressure on the wallet time, pressure on our time, and family arguing. Yep, for all too many of us it’s, Christmas – bah humbug!

You think maybe because I’m Jewish I don’t do Xmas? You’re wrong.

Like many Jewish Americans we look at this holiday as a family time of year. A time to celebrate with those we care most about – our wives, kids and friends. So it’s not really about religion it’s about family and the joy of being an American.

That’s how I see it anyway. Continue reading →

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Glazer: Sad Sack Chiefs Hang onto Playoff Hopes & This Week’s Picks

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Craig Glazer

imagesThe Chiefs still have a shot at the post season…

However as I mentioned last week they need to win out both of their last two games to get there. It’s possible they could lose one of the next two and still get in, but not likely.

If the Steelers beat KC and the Ravens win this weekend, that’s the end of the road for the Chiefs. They would both have 10 wins to our 8 and we’d be more than one back so a final win over the Chargers wouldn’t save the Chiefs season.

Kansas City must beat the Steelers on their home field Sunday and that’s something they haven’t done in nearly three decades. Unfortunately, my feeling is they won’t do it Sunday either.

Again, to pretend that having an average NFL quarterback and no receivers outside one back and an above average tight end will get you to the big game or anywhere close is pretty unrealistic.

The Chiefs front office has taken the middle road for sure. With Alex Smith and a team of just OK ability the Chiefs will be an average team for years to come. And no, they will never challenge for a Super Bowl. Their goal is to keep you interested all year and maybe, just maybe back into a wild card game or two.

It’s a business and Chiefs fans are the ATM machine. Continue reading →

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Leftridge: Royals Add More Pieces Through Free Agency

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Brandon Leftridge

1219coverAfter the ho-hum signing of designated hitter Kendrys Morales, the Kansas City Royals unleashed a flurry of punches in the 12th round, signing outfielder Alex Rios as well as starting pitchers Edinson Volquez and Kris Medlen. While two of the jabs were on target but weak—Volquez and Rios—the Medlen deal could end up securing a judges’ decision. (Except it’ll take a long while for the results to arrive; Medlen will be out of commission until June or possibly July.)

In general, it feels like they missed the haymaker.

Unless general manager Dayton Moore pulls a rabbit out of his sleeve and blows our collective minds with some sort of blockbuster deal to land the Baseball Superstar KCC’s Craig Glazer so desperately pines for, this will probably be remembered as the offseason after the long-awaited World Series appearance where they signed a bunch of retreads in a thrifty effort to capture old magic. Continue reading →

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Valentine: Judging American History Out of Context

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Mark Valentine
Feinstein

Original art by Mark Valentine

Americans do not approve of torture…

That said, most of us are conflicted about “The Torture Report.”

There are some big problems with it. First of all, it didn’t stop any of the torture. The techniques were abandoned years ago. Second, the release of the report made Americans and our allies less safe by opening old wounds and offering propaganda opportunities for our enemies.

On the surface, it appeared to be California senator Dianne Feinstein inflicting a wound on the CIA to get even with them for looking at her emails. Aside from the decision to put us at risk for such a personal reason, the report made the mistake of passing judgment out of context.  Continue reading →

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Hearne: The Flip Side of News-Talk Station KMBZ’s New Split Personality

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Hearne Christopher Jr.

Unknown-1Once upon a time – not that long ago actually – KMBZ 980 AM was taking down in excess of $6 million a year in billing…

But you know,  times change – listeners get older, advertisers loose interest or boycott – and then whamo – next thing you know you’re KCMO Talk Radio 710. As in, you’ve gone from the penthouse to the outhouse and nobody under 50 even remembers that there was a time when you actually mattered.

which explains in part why the powers that be at Entercom Kansas City opted nearly four years ago to simulcast KMBZ 980 on 98.1 FM instead of making the arguably more obvious choice of moving 610 Sports to the high ground.

At this point however, that’s all water under the bridge. Continue reading →

Posted in Hearne_Christopher, Uncategorized | 15 Comments

New Jack City: Exhibitors Were Right to Pull the Plug on ‘The Interview’

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Jack Poessiger

UnknownMy take on movie exhibitors pulling THE INTERVIEW from their screens for Christmas?

It was the right thing to do.

Ultimately the circuits dumping the movie led to Sony Entertainment scrapping the picture for good.

Yet as late as early yesterday afternoon,  evening press screening of THE INTERVIEW that night was still on. I didn’t receive word of the that cancellation until around 4:00 p.m.

So why am I taking this pro theater cancellation stand? Continue reading →

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Jack Goes Confidential: Reese Witherspoon Captivates In Gritty ‘Wild’

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Jack Poessiger

FOX_3558.psdIf you read Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail you’ll be happy to hear that the film follows the book quite closely…

You may also be wondering how well WILD translates to the screen.

Rest assured that DALLAS PLAYERS CLUB director Jean-Marc Vallee pulled it off.

Of course a lot of credit has to also go to co-producer and star of the film Reese Witherspoon who gives it her all.

As Cheryl Strayed she brings to life a soul that after years of reckless behavior, sex addition and the destruction of her marriage, searches for a fix to turn her life around.

Witherspoon finds it along the Pacific Crest Trail, an 1,100 mile stretch of powerful terrors, pleasures and maddening physical encounters.

All the while being haunted by memories of her mother played by Laura Dern. Continue reading →

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Starbeams: Kathie Lee Fingers Cosby, Sprint-NASCAR Divorce, New AMC Movie Deal

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Kelly Urich

rs_300x300-141216112622-600.-kathie-lee-gifford-hoda-kotb-bill-cosby-2011Kathie Lee Gifford says Bill Cosby once tried to kiss her.  I’m going to defend Bill on this one.  HE must have been drunk.

                                                          *******

Sprint will drop its NASCAR sponsorship after the 2016.  “That’s terrible news because I LOVE using my fancy cell phone!” said no NASCAR fan, ever.

                                                           ******* Continue reading →

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