Spring Break
December brought us the usual glut of family films, would-be blockbusters and of course, Oscar bait. Here's a rundown of five that stood out: Atonement Based on a popular novel, "Atonement" is a sprawling epic at times and a quiet mystery at others.
Whether you obtain your music through the iTunes empire, a file-sharing Web site outside the grip of the Recording Industry Association of America, your endangered local record shop, or some shady looking dude on the corner of 39th and Broadway streets, here are some promising 2008 releases, grouped conveniently by genre.
I should have known the night would be interesting when I found out it was my grandma who bought the rock concert tickets. Around Christmas every year I find myself in St. Cloud, Minn. These are often special times for me as I can relax, clear my mind and endure insufferable cold in a mostly predictable program of card games, church and gift unwrapping.
John Lehr is nothing I expected him to be. A medium-sized man in his '40s, Lehr looks more like a friendly neighbor than a big-shot TV executive. Although he is not yet a household name, Lehr is better known as the original Geico caveman in a series of commercials that began to air in late 2005.
Walter Bargen became Missouri's first poet laureate Jan. 8. Bargen has had four books published with BkMk Press, a press that runs out of UMKC. Here are samples of Bargen's work. This poem, "Kristallnacht" is taken from Bargen's book "At the Dead Center of Day," which was published in 1997 by BkMk Press.
What might look like a huge clutter at first is really the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art's newest installation. "Abstract No. 2," is part of the Pile Up exhibit by London-based artist Tomoko Takahashi. With this exhibit, Takashi stays true to her tradition of hoarding various used objects and arranging them in parallel ways.
I loathe eating boxed breakfast cereals. I'm not much of a morning person and I find it hard to stuff a generic breakfast down my throat. I'd honestly rather sleep longer and skip breakfast altogether. Unfortunately, breakfast is a very beneficial part of your daily diet.
"Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street" came two-fold to Kansas City recently. The film release of "Sweeney Todd" has been in theaters since Christmas. The "Sweeney Todd" stage production was put on by Broadway Across America at the Kansas City Music Hall until Jan.
Beginning Jan. 18, the Arizona Theatre Company and the Kansas City Repertory Theatre will be showcasing "To Kill a Mockingbird" at UMKC's Spencer Theatre. Adapted from the book by Harper Lee, the play dwells into the heart and soul of human beings in the 1930's Great Depression.
Tuesday, Jan. 15 Vino 101: Wine Education classes from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 13135 State Line Road, $20 per person, and, of course, you must be 21 or older. Tomoko Takahashi: Pile Up: Art exhibit from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4420 Warwick Blvd.
