St. Louis News Blog

Ray Hartmann, circa early 1990s?

​The St. Louis chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has elected Ray Hartmann, founder of the Riverfront Times, as one of seven people it will induct into the St. Louis Print Hall of Fame next month.

Hartmann will join six other nominees, including Carlos Hurd (a deceased Post-Dispatch scribe who bore an uncanny resemblance to Adolph Hitler) and Mark Vittert, local businessman who never wears socks (trust me on this) and whose money helped launch the RFT and St. Louis Business Journal.

See a complete list of this year's nominees here and view past winners over at this website maintained by the Missouri History Museum.

Spotted during the Super Bowl during the clever and slightly creepy John Beal commercial right after half time.

 

Yes, that appears to be an RFT on the man's lap. Our five seconds of local fame! Take that St. Louis Sinner!

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Mayor Schilly, meet Elliot Davis.

​For the past two-and-half years a group Crystal City residents have been waging an all-out war with City Hall over a controversial plan to build an iron-ore smelter in the Jefferson County town.

The group Concerned Citizens for Crystal City (a.k.a. C4) is dead set against the smelter and the city's cozy relationship with the developer, Jim Kennedy, and his Wings Enterprises.

In January 2008 Riverfront Times' published an in-depth feature on the brouhaha. Then this past, October state auditor Susan Montee released an audit condemning the city and bolstering the arguments of the C4 group.

But the RFT story and state audit had little impact compared to when "You Paid for It" crusader Elliot Davis came knocking on Crystal City mayor Tom Schilly's door last week.

Video after the jump...

There's Bud Light in a fridge made of Bud Light!

​I don't know about you, but none of the AB InBev's advertisements last night hit home with me. Then again, maybe it's because the last thing I'd ever want is a house made of Bud Light cans.

Still, as lame as they were, the beer maker's advertisements still managed to garner three of the top ten Super Bowl ads according to USA Today's annual Ad Meter.

courtesy of Jeopardy!

Wash. U. junior Nick Yozamp is competing on Jeopardy! this afternoon.

​Answer: Nick Yozamp, Washington University junior biology major.

Question: Who's appearing in the Jeopardy! College Championship semifinals at 3:30 this afternoon on KSDK-TV (Channel 5)?

Yes, it's true. Last Thursday, Yozamp trounced opponents from Columbia University and the University of Michigan and won $20,000 (approximately half his tuition) with the Final Jeopardy! question "Who is Albert Einstein?" (Answer: "This person appeared on the cover of the 1946 Time magazine with the caption 'All Matter is Speed and Flame.'")

All this despite announcer Johnny Gilbert mispronouncing his name and  incorrectly identifying his school as Washington University St. Louis. "That preposition 'in' is so crucial," Yozamp noted in his blog memorializing the occasion.

​St. Louis Rams players Ron Bartell and James Butler left St. Louis today to watch the Super Bowl with U.S. troops in Kosovo. (And who said 1-15 season doesn't have its perk?)

Joining the player are two members of the team's cheerleading squad.

In a report today, KSDK Channel 5 gives the cheerleaders' names only as Christa and Ashley and provides the following Emmy-quality video of them today at Lambert St. Louis International Airport.

Warning: TSFW!

Super Bowl weekend is upon us, and while many have spent months anticipating the big game, there's no reason why you can't do other stuff this weekend. After all, a recent Wall Street Journal study found that the average NFL broadcast only has about eleven minutes of action.

So, you can either spend the weekend preparing for those eleven minutes, or you can get out and do something. Avoid forking over serious cash for big-game beer and snacks this weekend with these ten things-to-do for less than $10.

Self-Made Man opens Friday and artist Mark Newport will appear in character. Does that mean he'll don a suit like the one above?

​Mark Newport: Self-Made Man (Friday)
Comic-book buffs and fans of superheroes look forward to Halloween each year. It's the one day they can dress up like their favorite characters without being "too weird." But artist Mark Newport has created a collection of knit superhero costumes that can be worn every day. That is, if you're an artist who knits. An exhibition of his knit creations opens with a public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, February 5, at Laumeier Sculpture Park (12580 Rott Road, Sunset Hills; 314-615-5278.) It's free. Read Mark Fischer's full article here.

The Mentalist, not Jordan Harper

​Jordan Harper left Riverfront Times a few years back for New York City where his now wife was attending graduate school.

Our former music editor (read some of his writings here) has now transplanted once more. This time he's in Los Angeles where he's landed a writing gig on CBS's hit show The Mentalist.

Tonight's episode -- we're told -- will be the first with Harper given a lead-writing credit. (Air time, 9 p.m. on Channel 4 KMOV.)

If you haven't seen the show (or perhaps confuse it with Fox's Mental), here's what Time magazine writes about it:

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Image via The Pitch

K2: it's just like pot, only not.

​If you believe the hype, the synthetic marijuana product K2 is the most potent pot available this side of Amsterdam.

Both the Post-Dispatch and Daily RFT's own Chad Garrison reported this morning on Missouri lawmakers following Kansas' lead and attempting to ban the imitation reefer that bills itself as "herbal incense."

While we wrote that "users [say] it gets you stoned to the bejesus, just like regular marijuana," the local daily took the claims of a few politicians and police officials at face value and upped the ante almost to the point of full fledged fear mongering.

They wrote that it contains compounds that "are at least three times more potent than THC" and produces a "high equal to marijuana." They also quoted a state rep from Springfield -- the one who wants to outlaw the stuff -- as saying "somebody's going to be using this, driving a vehicle and killing somebody." And to frighten the parents out there, they found a sheriff who said he recently found "a discarded K2 wrapper" in the parking lot of a local high school.

So now the obvious question: does this shit actually work or is it just for high school burnouts who can't get their hands on the real McCoy?

Didn't get around to seeing all ten films nominated this year for Best Picture?

No worries. Fake-it-til-you-make-it with these review snippets of the nominees, by our very own Basterds: the film critics of Village Voice Media.

J. Hoberman writes of Avatar that it "is a technological wonder, fifteen years percolating in King Cameron's imagination and inarguably the greatest 3-D cavalry Western ever made. Too bad that Western is Dances With Wolves."

​Avatar
J. Hoberman writes in this December 14, 2009 review:

Let no one call so spectacular an instance of political correctness run amok "entertaining." I look forward to the Limbaugh-Hannity take on this grimly engaging development -- which will perhaps be roguishly interpreted by Sarah Palin  as the last stand of indigenous peoples (like Todd!) and women warriors against Washington bureaucrats. At least Avatar won't win James Cameron a Nobel Peace Prize -- but, then again, it just might. Read the full review here.

Image via

Pam Tebow and the son she chose not to abort, Heisman Trophy-winner Tim.

​By  now you've read about the kerfuffle over Tim Tebow's Super Bowl ad, the one where he and his mom Pam talk about how, when she was pregnant with Tim, she refused to have an abortion for health reasons. You've probably also read that the Christian group Focus on the Family will be footing the hefty bill and that feminist groups have been petitioning, unsuccessfully, for CBS to pull the ad and facing accusations of supporting censorship.

Planned Parenthood can't afford the million bucks it takes to buy airtime during the Super Bowl, but it has created its own video response former Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner and Minnesota Vikings running back Sean James. Since Joyner grew up in East St. Louis and James played college ball for Missouri State, we're claiming 'em.

​Yours truly was on KDHX (88.1 FM) last night discussing blogging and journalism with Post-Dispatch editorial writer Eddie Roth.

Roth has an interesting history. He's in his -- I'm guessing -- mid-50s, and got into journalism only about eight years ago following a career as a St. Louis attorney.

Anyway, the two of us were guests of Collateral Damage host D.J. Wilson, himself a former Riverfront Times' writer. Our conversation about bloggin', traditional media vs. new media and writing for the web is now available for an online listen here.

Listen to it -- if you're really bored -- and understand why I have voice made for print.

flickr.com/photos/portroids

Jon Hamm, representative Missourian.

​Once again, The Daily Beast has figured out a way to make Missourians feel bad. In honor of the Miss America Pageant, the website has decided to rank the best-looking states based on all its residents, not just one representative nubile young woman.

The ranking system factored such unimpeachable criteria as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue, the number of  Miss USA and Miss America winners and the hometowns of 300 models, plus the health and fitness data from the Trust for America's Health. And Missouri came in...44th?

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Dudes kissing is guaranteed to generate a few pre-Super Bowl blog posts.

Folks at the gay dating site ManCrunch.com should be happy today: the buzz about their proposed Super Bowl commercial being rejected by CBS is certainly bringing in the views to the commercial (see it for yourself below).

A representative for ManCrunch said CBS advertising execs told the him that all the ad slots were filled and there was no room for the site's ad. That's a claim ManCrunch questions, insinuating that CBS won't run the ad because it caters to the gays.

With weather like this (in the low 20s), many St. Louisans may find themselves searching the web for airfare discounts to milder climates. But if a flight to the tropics is outside your budget, here are ten inexpensive alternatives guaranteed to warm up your weekend. TGIF. (Here's the weekend concert calendar.)

Image: Tim Curtis

Tim Curtis: See How My Mind Works opens with a free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Craft Alliance Grand Center in Midtown.

​Tim Curtis: See How My Mind Works at Craft Alliance Grand Center (Friday)
When you view a work of art you often wonder what the artist was thinking while making it. When you view Tim Curtis' work you know exactly what he was thinking, but it doesn't necessarily bring any greater understanding of why he did it -- and that's a curious frisson. For his new show Tim Curtis: See How My Mind Works, Curtis has covered the walls of the gallery with small chalkboards, each bearing a brief statement written in a clear hand. The opening reception is Friday at Craft Alliance Grand Center (501 North Grand Boulevard) and it's free. Read the rest of Paul Friswold's preview here.

​Conservatives planning to par-tay in St. Louis next week better also be prepared to pony up: An upcoming dinner with Glenn Beck costs $250.

​So, how 'bout it? Are Facebook friends really your friends? That's a question under debate in the criminal case of an off-duty St. Louis cop involved in a bar brawl in Illinois in 2008.

This morning the Post-Dispatch reports that the ubiquitous Clayton attorney, Albert Watkins, is asking Facebook to turn over records involving several witnesses as well as the Illinois police officers investigating the fight.

Former hometown-owned

"I'd like to congratulate Sarah on running the most successful clothing drive ever."

​light beer Bud Light shared this commercial -- which won't be aired during the Super Bowl -- on Tuesday on its Facebook page.

While not as racy as the ad featuring a guy trying to buy porn, it's still got plenty 'o black censor boxes. It's probably safe for work though.

What say you? Does it make you want to drink more Bud Light?

Amen.

Here in St. Louis we like to think we clap for the other team when they make a good play. We're gracious and forgiving of our pro athletes (fans here give needle-in-the-butt guys like Mark McGwire minutes-long standing ovations.)

We love them, even when they're not talking about sports at all. We'll still watch and listen -- and generally, politely pay attention.

This brings up the much written-about Super Bowl commercial featuring Tim Tebow.

Landing Barmaid vs. Douchebag: Whaddya think, Judge Judy?

​Sometimes Daily RFT is bloggin' so feverishly, we miss super-important events -- such as two St. Louis citizens airing petty grievances before Judge Judy!

This must've aired many moons ago, because the YouTube posting date is in February 2009, but in any case, here's the sitch:

Michelle Downer, a fetching young barmaid on the Landing, accuses "former friend" Jason Gallauhue of the following:

• accepting a ride home from the Landing after a little drinky-drinky
• putting "the moves" on her en route to his place
• yanking her keys out of the ignition once they arrive and dashing into his house

When she follows him in, things grow even more civilized: he spits in her face, she slaps him, she slams his basement door and breaks the window, he "gently" tosses a rock at her car, breaking her windshield.

Judge Judy, of course, cuts right through the spin spun from each side and issues a curt little verdict....check it out after the jump!

The big news on last night's airing of the Jay Leno Show was that the comic would be returning to his old gig and timeslot at the Tonight Show on March 1 after the Olympics. Well, that's the big news for fans of Leno. There's a St. Louis connection to the news-making episode as well.

Dirt Cheap on Leno last night.

​A 2007 television commercial for Dirt Cheap Cigarettes & Beer was included in Leno's latest "look-at-this-crazy-stuff" gimmick, "Bad Ads."

Another weekend is here! Take these ten suggestions for weekend fun that won't break the bank. This list has something for most everyone, from poetry readings to music to nightclub debauchery. Looking for live music? Here's the weekend concert calendar.

ZOMG ROBOTS! at Urban (Friday)

"ZOMG ROBOTS!" is a new dance night at Urban on South Grand. Tron Guy probably likes hipsters, even though he shouldn't. The party starts at 10 p.m.

​ This new dance night at Urban (3216 South Grand, home of the RFT's Best Bartender in '09), gets going at 10 p.m. Friday. There's no cover and it's open to night owls 21-and-older. DJ's 486 and Forensic play electro/indie music until 1 a.m., when the party will invariably move to one of South Grand's 3 a.m. nightspots. While the poster for the event has a very Steam-looking robot on it, bonus points go to anyone who shows up dressed like Tron Guy.

Not content with simply observing Hit a Jew Day, Truman State University sophomore Rachel Oetting Tweeted last Monday,
​

stltoday.com

Tom Uhlenbrock

​Okay, the headline above is a bit misleading. But I just can't resist using the word "staycation" whenever possible -- even if it is so 2009.

For those of you who missed it in this weekend's Post-Dispatch, travel writer Tom Uhlenbrock will no longer file dispatches from exotic locales. After ten years of wandering the globe as the paper's sole travel writer, Uhlenbrock has been re-assigned.

He's now covering the higher-education beat for the daily, meaning the most foreign-sounding place he's likely to visit anytime soon is Champaign -- as in Urbana.

What does this mean for the paper's travel coverage?  

people.com/people/package/bestof2009

​In one of the most critical elections in recent history, a plurality of the two million netizens casting a ballot in People's "Best of 2009" online poll chose Dustin Moyer of Ashland, Missouri as the "Sexiest Dad Alive."

Moyer, 26, was competing in the "Real People" section of the contest. As opposed to the contest exclusively for celebrities, who frankly have become so impressive they are not real.

Moyer's wife told the Columbia Daily Tribune that her husband, a police officer at the University of Missouri, is sexy because he puts his wife and son first. Hmm. We might call that admirable, responsible, selfless or good. But does it make us want to slip into something more comfortable and whip out the strawberries?

No...although....he does wear a uniform...

​That's right. The Gray Lady is planning to start charging online readers.

The plan under discussion now, would allow readers to view a few articles for free online before being prompted to pay a subscription to read additional stories.

No date has been announced yet for the change, though some anticipate an announcement around January 27 when Apple is expected to announce its new tablet computer. The Times and Apple are said to be in negotiations to offer the paper's content via Apple's latest gizmo.

The Times has tried a paid-subscription in the past for its opinion columns, but abandoned that experiment in 2007. 

The question now is will readers be willing to pay this time around? Not according to this poll.

It started out so well for Big Mac. The Cards hired George W. Bush's former press secretary and master of atonement Ari Fleischer to help the team's new hitting coach gently break the news that he was on the juice.

After a misty-eyed interview with local/national broadcaster Bob Costas, media critics at the New York Times praised Big Mac's poise on the screen. He appeared legitimately ashamed. We were all supposed to move on and forgive and forget.

Of course, that didn't happen. The rest of the press wanted to see McGwire squirm and they got the opportunity at a botched McGwire appearance this past Sunday at the club's Winter Warm-Up event.

The impromptu press conference was a disaster. Though the AP headline read "Fans in St. Louis Applaud McGwire," the reality was that Mac hemmed and hawed through six painful minutes of questioning before being funneled out the back door by the club's PR-team.

As the folks at Joe Sports Fan point out, these faces "probably aren't good while engaged in an 'honesty' session":

Image via Joe Sports Fan

​Video of the interview and analysis after the jump...

Satan has finally gotten around to responding to Pat Robertson's accusations last week that a bargain he struck with Haiti 200 years ago is the reason for all of that nation's misfortunes, including last week's earthquake.

flickr.com/photos/15693951@N00

Satan is not having a good week.

​In an open letter to the televangelist, printed in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Devil writes:

Dear Pat Robertson, I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll. You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings -- just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract. Best, Satan

Anyone else get a good laugh while reaching down to pick up the Suburban Journal from the front lawn yesterday?

I don't know about in your neighborhood, but in mine people tend to treat the free weekly like some kind of bizarre -- yet wholly organic -- flora that arrives in their yard each weekend via Mother Nature and not by way of an overweight delivery man in a cargo van.

There -- in their front lawns -- is where people leave the paper to rot ignominiously in its plastic sleeve as if it were a leaf felled from a tree, or perhaps a cluster of grass clippings belched out from the lawnmower. 

You could even say that the newspaper is a pollutant of sorts the way its decaying carcasses line the sidewalks and front lawns in my neighborhood and countless others throughout St. Louis. That said, I couldn't help but appreciate the unintended comic genius of the headline that graced this weekend's paper.

Observe:

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​Apparently we were not slipping into the warm embrace of a public-radio-induced coma last night when we heard Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal promo a story on the South Butt lawsuit.

"You weren't dreaming," confirms Clayton attorney Albert Watkins, who says the segment will air this evening on Marketplace (6 - 6:30 on St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 FM). Watkins is representing Mizzou student Jimmy Winkelmann, owner of apparel line South Butt in a trademark suit brought by North Face.

Says the florid-tongued Watkins of tonight's nationally-syndicated interview on NPR:

"It's pretty damn exciting when the pinnacle of the elite news world has deemed you worthy of coverage."