Top 20 Best Albums of 2014

Normally when I’ve done top year lists I’ve usually done it with movies. But after reading Rolling Stone’s top album list I’d figure I would take a crack at my own top album list. So this will be my last best of 2014 list before I move on to talking about other things seeing how we are a month into 2015. Plus I wanted to do this list because 2014 was a great year in music I thought I would recognize that. So without further adieu here is my list for the Top 20 albums of 2014. Also I figured this would be a great way to recap the music year seeing how the Grammy Awards are this weekend.

20) “Nick & Knight” – Nick Carter & Jordan Knight

Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter and New Kids’ Jordan Knight team up for a duet album with “Nick & Knight.” Carter and Knight combine their generations of boy band sound with songs that sound like something that either BSB or NKOTB would’ve done a long time ago.

Favorite Tracks: “One More Time,” “Drive My Car” and “Just the Two of Us”

19) “V” – Maroon 5

I mean seriously is there anything Maroon 5 can’t make good? Maroon 5 is back with their fifth album as they continue to maintain their pop rock sound but also continuing to be more contemporary. Not to mention Adam Levine continues to make a name for the band as well as himself.

Favorite Tracks: “Maps” and “Sugar”

18) “1989” – Taylor Swift

I have to say Taylor Swift has really out done herself with this album. After the last couple of albums I thought she was starting to repeat herself and thought that she needs to change it up. But she pulled a major 180 by ditching the country image and going for more of a full on mainstream pop image. The sales numbers speak for themselves that Swift should definitely stick to this kind of music.

Favorite Tracks: “Shake It Off”, “Out of the Woods”, “Blank Space” and “Style”

17) “X (Multiply)” – Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is back with his sophomore album and it’s an improvement from his debut album. Not like there was anything wrong with his first album but his second album really sets the musical tone and style that he wants to be known for. But in some of his songs he tends to shift vocally similar to other artists but still making it his own thing and not copying the others.

Favorite Tracks: “Sing” and “Don’t”

16) “Pop Psychology” – Neon Trees

The Neon Trees are back with their third album with major improvements. Their last album was okay but at the same time it didn’t hold to their debut album. This time they avoid repeating their sophomore slump by ditching their alternative sound and taking a page out of Maroon 5’s playbook going for a pop rock new wave sound. If they keep up this mainstream sound they can be the next Maroon 5.

Favorite Tracks: “Sleeping with a Friend”, “I Love You (But Hate Your Friends)” and “First Things First”

15) “Strange Desire” – Bleachers

Bleachers has to be one of picks for favorite new artists from 2014. This new indie band sets the tone of its modern alternative rock sound and even goes with a bit of retro sound. When I mean retro I mean “something you would hear in a John Hughes movie” kind of retro. I know random name of a category right? But it’s good enough to make the list.

Favorite Tracks: “I Wanna Get Better” and “Rollercoaster”

14) “Shakira” – Shakira

Shakira is another artist who has taken her sound to the next level. Shakira continues to make her music come off through her strong presence and personality. When it comes to Shakira we all know those lips definitely don’t lie especially in the “Can’t Remember to Forget You” music video she did with Rihanna.

Favorite Tracks: “Can’t Remember to Forget You” and “Empire”

13) “This Is All Yours” – Alt-J

Alt-J really took a risk in their sophomore album as they decided to go on without their bass player, Gwil Sainsbury. But they pulled it off as their trademark sound steals the show with indie and mainstream music. This band has taken their sound to the next level and I look forward to what they have in store for their future albums.

Favorite Tracks: “Left Hand Free” and “Hunger of the Pine”

12) “Voices” – Phantogram

Another sophomore-hit album making the list is Phantogram. This electronic rock duo up tempos their sound by combing electronic rock with some aggressive pop music. Like Alt-J, this another electronic alternative group that has taken their sound up another level and forward to what they do next.

Favorite Tracks: “Fall In Love” and “Nothing But Trouble”

11) “Gypsy Heart” – Colbie Caillat

Colbie Caillat is an artist that continues to grow and improve as an artist. This time she goes out of her comfort zone as she continues to become a more confident artist and shows her vulnerability with her writing and lyrics. She also drifted away from the fun beach image to more of a contemporary image to tie in with her new music.

Favorite Tracks: “Try”, “Just Like That” and “Never Gonna Let You Down”

10) “Sex and Love” – Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Iglesias is at again! Enrique continues to do what works for him. Which is his usual club dance tracks that make you want to dance the night away and his sophisticated sound that goes back to his Spanish roots with ballads of charisma and emotion. This album reminds his fans on how he has maintained his heartthrob status for so long, well his female fans at least.

Favorite Tracks: “Turn the Night Up”, “Loco”, “Let Me Be Your Lover” and “Bailando” (both in English and Spanish)

9) “Zaba” – Glass Animals

Glass Animals has to be another one of my favorite new bands to break out from this past year. This band has a way of diversifying their sound for each track and allowing the lyrics to set the tone for the different sounds. Some of it is danceable and some it is mellow. Whatever sound they make it work to their advantage. Also this band got exposure from Kansas City’s very own 965 The Buzz by being the first radio station in the US to play them.

Favorite Tracks: “Gooey”, “Pools” and “Hazey”

8) “Make a Shadow” – Meg Myers

Another new artist that got exposure from Kansas City’s 965 The Buzz is the lovely, fierce and talented Meg Myers. Damn I love this artist! She has such a killer voice that is raw around the edges but backs up power. Plus she is awesome live! This is one artist I definitely want to see more of in the near future!

Favorite Tracks: “Desire”, “Go”, “Make a Shadow” and “Adelaide”

7) “Sonic Highways” – Foo Fighters

Let’s just say Foo Fighters never gets old to listen to - ever! This legendary grunge rock band continues to rock out with their eighth album, Sonic Highways. This new album combines underground rock music while maintaining their mainstream modern rock sound with a little homage to classic rock. This had to be the band’s most ambitious album ever. Not to mention for their world tour Dave Grohl decided to have a day where fans go to only the box office to buy the tickets like they did in the 90’s before the internet existed. Well done Dave Grohl you music genius!

Favorite Tracks: “Something from Nothing” and “The Feast and the Famine”

6) “Everything Will Be Alright in the End” – Weezer

Weezer are the comeback kings of 2014! This big comeback album goes back to sound of their earlier albums from the 1990’s which is refreshing for long-time fans. The music may be hooky but at the same it’s what they’re known for. Their leading single “Back to the Shack” speaks for themselves on their comeback to the point where you could’ve imagined hearing this song in the 90’s.

Favorite Tracks: “Back to the Shack”, “Cleopatra” and “Da Vinci”

5) “Kitten” – Kitten

Another new artist to make my countdown list is Kitten. The leader singer, Chloe Chaidez has a powerful and feisty stage presence with powerful vocals and charisma. Some of her songs have a 80’s and 90’s dance tracks but keeping it modern and hardcore. When Chaidez definitely dominates the stage when performing live and a definite must see!

Favorite Tracks: “G Sharp” and “Like a Stranger”

4) “The Outsiders” – Eric Church

Normally I’m not a huge country music fan but Eric Church is one of the few artists that I like and give an exception. Church has a way of expressing his vulnerability through a great amount of guitar riffs in southern rock. Church also has a way with writing great lyrics especially in one of hit songs, “Give Me Back My Hometown” which kind of has a feel of “Springsteen” from last his last album.

Favorite Tracks: “Give Me Back My Hometown”, “Talladega” and “The Outsiders”

3) “Daggers” – Ex Cops

Ex Cops is by far my favorite new act from 2014! This is one band that I hope gets more exposure within the next year or so. They call themselves an indie band but they definitely have their sound stand out without sounding too cliché. They have a sound of alternative and synthpop. Not to mention I love the name of this band because it sounds so badass! Hope to see more of this band and hope they get a wider audience.

Favorite Tracks: “Black Soap”, “White Noise” and “Teenagers”

2) “Supermodel” – Foster the People

Foster the People are back after a smashing debut back from 2011. The band continues to use their winning alternative rock sound that made them successful with their debut. The album features themes like negativity towards popular culture and consumer ideology. Also they’ve improved their sound with importing different instruments and various sounds from other cultures.

Favorite Tracks: “Coming of Age”, “Are You What You Want to Be?” and “Best Friend”

1)   “Lazaretto” – Jack White

Finally last but not least, Jack White taking the number 1 spot on this list. This has to be one of Jack White’s best solo work ever! Jack White used a collection of poems, short stories and plays that he wrote several years ago. White manages to draw the attention of the listener with crazy lyrics but at the same time very colorful as it nods to various key tones and ideas. Well-done Jack White you genius!

Favorite Tracks: “Lazaretto” and “I Think I Found the Culprit”

Top 12 Best Movies of 2014

Now that we’ve gotten the list of top worst movies out of the way, let’s reminisce the best movies from 2014. Especially seeing how we are now in the middle of Oscar season. So without further a due here are my picks for the top 12 best movies of 2014.

12) Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

So far during the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic universe leading up to the next Avengers movie, we’ve been seeing what some of the characters have been up to since the first Avengers movie. This movie comes close to a little more of side-story follow up to “The Avengers” as Captain America continues to fight for what’s right while still adjusting to modern times in the real world along with help from Black Widow, Nick Fury and Falcon. This had to be the best out of the sequels in Phase 2 of the Marvel Universe, nothing against “Iron Man 3” and “Thor 2” but this sequel takes the cake. Not to mention I can’t wait to see what’s in store for upcoming Avengers sequel this summer!

11) Foxcatcher

This haunting crime drama is based off true events from 1984 surrounding multimillionaire John du Pont. John du Pont was a wrestling enthusiast who established a wrestling farm to train a US wrestling team for the 1988 Olympics. Steve Carrell is totally unrecognizable in the role of John du Pont and does a great job at making him look kind of creepy too. This movie is very dark and intense as we experience the subsequent events and consequences.

10) Begin Again

I really loved this movie! This was a great music drama that gives you that feel good vibe. The script is well written with a likeable cast and it also keeps balance with drama and romance without going overboard and getting too sentimental. The movie has a great soundtrack and I highly recommend it! The movie also seems to give a positive message about starting over and pursuing dreams and making them happen.

9) Whiplash

This was an intense movie about a young jazz drummer (played by Miles Teller) who has the ambition of becoming one of the best drummers ever. He is pushed beyond his limits by a fearsome maestro (played by character actor JK Simmons). We get a lot of intense moments of Teller’s character bringing out the best of his skills while he fights the harassment of Simmons’ character. This has to be JK Simmons’ best performance in his career and a likely choice for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars.

8) Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the man of late night in this neo-noir thriller as a freelanced video photographer. This has to be one of Gyllenhaal’s best performances as he comes off as a total psychopath and I almost felt like he was channeling some Robert DeNiro’s acting chops from “Taxi Driver.” The movie is very sharp and well written both in plot and dialogue. The only flaws in this movie were the ending was kind of vague and it doesn’t really accurately portray some of the facts of broadcast business, but never the less, Gyllenhaal has taken acting to the next level.

7) The Theory of Everything

This is well-made and very well acted biopic about Stephen Hawking and his success on the theory of physics as he struggled the rest of his life with motor neuron disease. Up and comer Eddie Redmayne does very well taking on his first leading role as Stephen Hawking. The movie was not only based on Hawking’s life but this based on his wife’s memoir, which focuses on the romance and marriage of Stephen and Jane. Only minor flaw is they maybe focused a little too much on the love story as opposed to Hawking and his study of physics, but other than that it was still a great movie.

6) American Sniper

Bradley Cooper does it again receiving his third straight Oscar nomination this time as Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. Clint Eastwood does a great job directing this war biography on the hotshot sniper who had 255 kills. Eastwood also does a great job in making the battle sequences extended as opposed to a “Zero Dark Thirty” where it’s all about politics and strategy. This movie also seems to show that we should continue to show our appreciation to the troops with more than just a thank you.

5) Wild

This has to be one of those movies where it’s good but watch only once kind of like “127 Hours” minus a few factors. Reese Witherspoon gives her second best performance since she won her first Oscar with “Walk the Line” back in 2005. This is a solo survival journey was based off the memoir of Cheryl Strayed as she embarked on a 1100 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail to find herself. The only flaw about this movie was the quick cut flash backs occurred too much as we go through the journey.ond best performance since she won her first Oscar with “Walk the Line” back in 2005. This is a solo survival journey was based off the memoir of Cheryl Strayed as she embarked on a 1100 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail to find herself. The only flaw about this movie was the quick cut flash backs occurred too much as we go through the journey.

4) Birdman 

Michael Keaton plays a washed up actor who is trying to revive his career through a Broadway production. The funny coincidence about this movie is Keaton’s character was an actor that played a superhero where Keaton in real life played Batman, coincidence? I think so. The only flaw I thought was odd was the Birdman voice that Keaton kept hearing (it kind of seemed like a pale imitation of Christian Bale as Batman), which was the only weird part about the movie. Other than that the movie was well-acted especially with Edward Norton playing a supporting role as a talented but egotistical actor. I really hope Keaton and Norton receive Oscar nominations and both of them win!

3) Kill the Messenger

Not only does this movie make my list for the best movies but it also makes my list for movies that got snubbed by the Academy Awards. Jeremy Renner puts on another Oscar worthy performance as journalist Gary Webb as he plays anti-hero to dig deeper into an investigative story involving the CIA and the Mexican drug cartel. The plot takes its twists and turns as we go through the details within the plot as well as Gary Webb dealing with the rewards and punishments within investigating the story. This movie didn’t get the recognition it deserved. It deserved a wider audience and Jeremy Renner should have gotten an Oscar nomination for this role.

2) The Grand Budapest Hotel

Most of the time I’m not too crazy about a lot of Wes Anderson’s movies but this one I think is his best movie to date. This quirky off beat “dramedy” is about a legendary concierge (played by Ralph Fienes) running the Republic of Zubrowka hotel during the first and second World Wars. He befriends a lobby boy as they embark on various situations and exploits. I salute the Academy for recognizing this movie despite coming out so early in the year where most movies around that time tend to get lost in the mix. It’s smart, funny, visually appealing and very well-acted with a strong cast and some cameos. Great movie!

1)Boyhood

This had to be the best movie of the year by far! This movie was shot in 39 days over 12 years with the same cast. Normally when a movie takes that long to make no one ever lives to brag about it but for this movie it makes sense as it shows the phases of life we see these characters go through in this coming of age drama. There were many things that could’ve gone wrong but Richard Linklater definitely pulled it off. Also it’s totally refreshing to see Ethan Hawke go back to serious acting roots for a change. This movie will definitely win the Best Picture award at the Oscars.

Honorable Mentions:

Guardians of the Galaxy

I ran out of room to include this movie on the top 12 but I figure I would give it an honorable mention. Guardians of the Galaxy had to be the biggest wild card movie of 2014. This movie was based off a lesser-known superhero team from Marvel Comics. The comic wasn’t exactly a household name like “The Avengers”, “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” but that was the one advantage the directors used to introduce this team to mainstream audiences. Not to mention they did use some jokes by making fun of themselves on how nobody has heard of these characters. I look to forward to more adventures with these characters in the near future as well as a potential “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Avengers” crossover.

St. Vincent

Bill Murray gives one of the best performances of his career as he plays a grouchy old man who forms an unlikely friendship with his neighbor’s son. The movie is heartwarming, funny and sentimental.


Those are my top 12 picks and I look forward to what this movie year has in store. See ya at the movies!

Top 12 Worst Movies of 2014

Well it’s that time of year again. It’s a new year where we clean the slate from last year and start over for what’s in store this year. Speaking of cleaning the slate when it comes to the movies I like to clean the slate by counting down the worst movies from 2014. Trust me this wasn’t easy sitting through some of these movies and then having to recap them. But let’s get this over with and clean the slate.

12) The Expendables 3

Sylvester Stallone and his fellow action hero stars are at it again for (like they in the trailer) ONE LAST RIDE. Now I was a fan of the first two movies as they paid homage to all the classic action movies from the 80s and 90s. This time around they didn’t do much to go out with a bang on their so-called last ride. Not to mention they took a page out of Die Hard 4’s playbook by lowering the rating to PG-13 as opposed to the R-rating. Not to mention (aside from Stallone) majority of the original cast got less screen time this time around. This was one last ride that should’ve went out in a blaze of glory but didn’t.

11) Blended

I swear how many times is Adam Sandler going to keep playing the same lousy slacker? I use to be an Adam Sandler fan back in his earlier days but now he’s just playing the same character and just doesn’t care anymore. Sandler reunites with Drew Barrymore for a third time (oh yay like we’ve never seen this before). That plus the movie is too much like another Adam Sandler movie, “Just Go with It”. How original for an actor to rip off another movie of his, NOT!

10.) Transformers 4 - Age of Extinction

Just when you thought it was all over after Michael Bay said the third movie was the last one. Then what happens? It makes millions of dollars and then they make another movie. I love Mark Wahlberg but this movie just doesn’t seem like it’s for him. Plus I thought it was too soon for them to start over with the franchise. Come back a few years later when some time has past. Plus it’s time for Michael Bay to quit ruining popular cartoon franchises from the 80’s and 90’s! I won’t be surprised if Bay starts pissing off anime fans next.

9) Dracula Untold

Ok so Universal wants to reintroduce classic monster movie franchises to modern audiences but an origin story on Dracula? Screw that! I never thought a story on how Dracula became Dracula would be so stupid and so boring. Not really too much more to say about this one. I turned it off half way through.

8) Winter’s Tale

For every movie year there’s one movie based off a novel to make every critic’s worst of movie year list. This one takes the cake for 2014. Not to mention another flop of an all-star cast which consisted of Colin Farrell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe and Will Smith. This movie is part supernatural good versus evil and part love story. But maybe too supernatural which is the main problem of the movie for a live-action movie. No wonder why Martin Scorsese thought this movie was un-filmable when he turned down the directing job. This movie would’ve been better off if it were animated film.

7) A Haunted House 2

This movie is a sequel to a movie that was an excuse for Marlon Wayans to re-live his memories of doing Scary Movie 1 & 2. Other than that it’s just another excuse to make carbon copy spoof movies where it’s just a bunch of punch lines with no set up for the jokes. I’ve seen bad comedy sketches funnier than this piece of crap.

6) Sabotage

Once again Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to do everything he can to find his headlining comeback. His involvement in The Expendables movies doesn’t count. The movie looked like it could’ve been it but all it was nothing but another one of those blow them up shoot them movies.

5) This Is Where I Leave You

I wanted to like this movie but I couldn’t. The movie has a nice comedic cast consisting of Jason Bateman and Tina Fey but those two would’ve been better off with a different screenplay. There were times where this movie had it’s moments but half it of was cheap laughs and not to mention not getting anywhere on some serious moments with clichéd conflicts involving this dysfunctional family.

4) I, Frankenstein

This movie had to be a major rip-off of the “Underworld” movies minus Kate Beckinsale and the vampires versus werewolves factor. Instead of a battle between vampires and werewolves we get Aaron Eckhart versus demons and gargoyles. It’s loud, it’s stupid, there isn’t any interesting characters and it wasn’t creative at all. This screenplay should’ve been tossed into the paper shredder.

3) The Robocop remake

It’s hard to believe that we’re getting to the point where movies from the 1980’s are starting to get thrown into the remake pile. The cast I will admit isn’t the problem of the movie. Especially when you have Samuel L Jackson, Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton in the supporting cast. Joel Kinnamen falls flat with his monotone voice that is a problem for the character trying to maintain his human side while he is machine. The ending is obvious to the point where you see it coming from a mile away. I would rather watch Robocop 3 again than this crap.

2) The Other Woman

Out of all the bad comedies in 2014 this one takes the cake. Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton star in this revenge comic caper as they pay back Nikolaj Coster Waldau for cheating on all three of them. This movie is a complete insult to women as the outcome walks away with no dignity and screwed up morals. I didn’t care at the end when they showed the “here’s what happened to each character” montage.

1)   Need For Speed

Based on the popular video game franchise, this movie comes off as a mix of Steve McQueen movies and The Fast & the Furious franchise thrown into a blender and then completely ripping it off. I like Aaron Paul and I’m glad he’s taking the next approach in his career to transition to movies coming off the end of “Breaking Bad”. However this wasn’t the best choice to start for Paul to begin this phase in his career. The dialogue and the race scenes are so clichéd that we’ve seen all these race stunts before in The Fast & the Furious movies. The wonderful Michael Keaton is wasted in a cameo as a rambling podcast host making it totally obvious he did it for a quick payday. It plays like a two-hour car commercial and a two-hour video game that you’re watching someone else play.

Well now that I got those bad memories out of the way be on the look out for my list of Top 12 Best Movies of 2014.

Be Royal Downtown KC?

After coming off a very successful season including making the World Series, Kansas City is now talking about possibly moving the Royals into downtown. Yeah this isn’t really anything new.

            The first time this idea came up was a decade ago back when Kansas City had plans on revising the downtown area with the Power & Light Entertainment District and the Sprint Center. The city brought up the idea about putting a ballpark in downtown but it never got close to being serious. That was also when the city tried to bring the retractable roof idea on the Truman Sports Complex back into the mix. The idea of the retractable roof failed again but two years later the city decided to renovate the Truman Sports Complex instead to make Kauffman and Arrowhead up to date. 

            It took about two years for Kauffman Stadium to undergo renovations until the 2009 season when the renovations were finished. They widened the concourses, added more seats to the outfield, added a team hall of fame, upgraded the concession stands and restrooms, upgraded the scoreboard to high definition and many other upgrades. 

            After Kauffman Stadium was renovated the idea of a new ballpark was laid to rest and the Royals renewed their lease to the 2030 season. However after the Royals successful 2014 season (which included their first playoff run in 29 years including being runner ups in the World Series) the idea of a downtown ballpark was thrown back into the mix with the recent success.

            Honestly I really don’t see a point in this idea going forward. Sure the Royals have been doing well and made baseball fun again in KC. However, Kauffman Stadium is fine and up to date, if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. 

            Although I will say that the idea and the view of a new ballpark in downtown would look nice. However I don’t see that happening because Downtown Kansas City isn’t big enough to accommodate the amount of traffic for a Royals game. Not to mention there isn’t enough parking spaces in downtown to accommodate the Royals either, which is why Kauffman Stadium is the perfect location for the Royals. Kauffman Stadium has a very a wide location that has the right amount of parking to accommodate the number of fans for the games throughout the season. Plus if there’s one thing the fans like to do at games at Kauffman and Arrowhead is tailgating. If they had a ballpark in downtown the fans wouldn’t be able to tailgate the games. Plus downtown is making enough money off the entertainment it offers with events at Kauffman Performing Arts Center, Folly Theater, Municipal Auditorium/Music Hall, KC Repertory Theatre, KC Convention Center, The Midland and Sprint Center.

            If anything, the city is talking about adding things new with the Royals they should put more things around the Truman Sports Complex. All that is around the Truman Sports Complex now is three hotels, two gas stations, a Taco Bell and a church. Adding more around The K would bring more money to the surrounding area and would keep the Royals where they are and the city can just call it even.

            The Royals are doing better than ever in a very long time, the city should just stay the course and maybe make minor adjustments around the park but other than that leave it alone. Like they always say don’t fix it if it isn’t broke.

Reboot is the new Remake

When it comes to movies, for every original movie idea there’s always a remake that comes around. For today’s sake there’s kind of a thin line between both original and remake which is known as a reboot. These days the way people have labeled certain movies have confused the two to the point where upcoming re-creations of movies have been labeled as a reboot as opposed to a remake. Or vice versa to some extent.

            It’s gotten to a point where some people don’t know the difference anymore.  In the last few years there have been on and off talks about Columbia doing a “Ghostbusters 3”. Although a few months ago the studio decided to go through with it; although they’re using a new cast. A female cast no less. Which is why it would be considered a remake since the original cast from the two original movies are not returning especially Bill Murray. A lot of movie news sites, fans and the Internet community on the other hand are considering it a reboot.

           

Now for those who don’t know what the difference is between a remake and a reboot, let me break down the difference between the two. A remake is a movie that is an updated creation of the original with some minor differences in the plot. Examples of movie remakes would like “Total Recall”, “True Grit”, “Clash of the Titans”, “Godzilla” and “The Italian Job” just to name a few. Remakes basically use the original movie as the main source of material but have an allusion of some changes within whether it’s the plot, dialogue, characters or whatever.

            Reboots on the other hand seem to be more of a revamp rather than a remake. These movies have more affect on an established character or franchise that have so much room story wise to where they can disregard the last movie or franchise but occasionally make a nod or reference to the previous franchise without it being too obvious. Reboots tend to touch more on movies that were a franchise or a trilogy.

Reboots also tend to be a big deal on comic book movies. Take the Batman movies for example. They made a franchise of movies in the 90’s that took some of the material from the comics but Hollywood changed many aspects of it to where it doesn't closely resemble the comic. After the critically panned “Batman & Robin” was released in 1997, it ended the Batman franchise. Warner Bros had another Batman movie ready to go but canceled it after the negative reception “Batman & Robin” got from fans and critics alike. It wasn’t until 2005 when Warner Bros released “Batman Begins” to restart the Batman franchise and bring it back to the big screen with a new actor and a darker plot that closely represented the material from the comic book. The same goes for the Spider-Man movies. The Sam Ramini movies had some ties from the comic books but were mostly Hollywood’s interpretation of the comic books. The recent Spider-Man reboot franchise on the other hand more direct to the comics even though there are some factors where Hollywood will have some plot holes different from the comic.

One would think with remakes and reboots these days Hollywood would at least do something to establish the difference between the two for the audience’s sake. Then again, the majority of the movie audiences probably don’t care because they’ve seen it all before and they just want to see something original for a change. Both remakes and reboots maybe similar but in the end people are kind of comparing apples and oranges.

Kansas City and the NHL

Last week in my first blog post, I did a little Throwback Thursday post on a special project on the hockey scene in Kansas City. Last Saturday, I went to the NHL preseason game at Sprint Center between the St Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars. It has been three years since the Sprint Center hosted an NHL preseason game.

The last time had the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Los Angeles Kings play in front of a sold out crowd. There was going to be another preseason game the following year but it was canceled due to the NHL having a lockout in the 2012-13 season. Last Saturday had a great turnout. It was 80% full of hockey fans wearing jerseys of several NHL teams, the Missouri Mavericks and some of the older KC teams like the Blades and Outlaws. Not only did Kansas City fans attend but Blues & Stars fans traveled to Kansas City to cheer on their teams. What I really want to talk about is what Saturday’s game showed me and why Kansas City should be considered for an NHL team.

Last season, the NHL re-aligned their conferences, which also caused it to have an uneven number of teams for both conferences. It went from having 15 teams in both conferences to 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 in the Western Conference. Lately the NHL has been talking about adding two more cities to evenly balance out the Western Conference. Kansas City is listed as one of the two possibilities along with Seattle, Las Vegas, Houston, Portland and Quebec City.

Sprint Center has been open for seven years now and it has been doing well without a sports tenant to call home. It’s been making money and getting the recognition, but I believe the people running the building have lost sight of one of the main reasons why the arena was built - namely to be home to an NBA or NHL team.

From the people in KC I’ve talked to on this subject, many have ruled out the NBA because they either prefer college basketball to NBA or they only watch the NBA when it’s the playoffs. When talking about the NHL however many people are open to the idea and say that they wouldn’t mind having a team.

Many of the managers running Sprint Center feel that Sprint Center is fine and doesn’t need a team and think that having a team would conflict with concerts and other events. Really? Sprint Center averages 140 events a year out of 365 days a year and the NHL has 41 home games (and then some additional games depending on playoffs). The only way it would be a major conflict is if KC had both an NHL and NBA team but that won’t happen because KC isn’t big enough to support both of those leagues. The only other sport that would work along side an NHL team, concerts and other events would be an Arena Football team (if Kansas City wants to give that another shot). Whenever I look at the calendar for Sprint Center events they have enough room to still have all the concerts, college basketball games and miscellaneous events (Monster Trucks, Disney on Ice, Harlem Globetrotters, etc) and still have 41 dates of NHL home games.

They would have to work around the team’s schedule and likely work around their schedule if the team goes to the playoffs. Here are some of the reasons (no particular order) on how and why an NHL team would work in Kansas City.

1.)  Having an NHL team would give something for the Kansas City sports fans to pay attention to when the Royals are in the offseason and when the Chiefs and Sporting KC are beginning to wind down their seasons.

2.)  Not only would having a team bring more money to Sprint Center but it will also bring more money to all the restaurants and bars in or near the downtown area. Not to mention it would bring more money for the Power & Light District for when people go hang out there after the games on Friday and Saturday night games.

3.)  During the regular season when they’re broadcasting games on TV, it would give Fox Sports Kansas City something to broadcast when the Royals are in the offseason and something else to broadcast aside from college football and college basketball. Seeing how majority of the regular season games would be broadcast locally unless they occasionally get a game shown on NBC and NBC Sports.

4.)  Not only would having an NHL team bring out KC sports fans to the games but also many regional Midwest NHL teams would travel to Kansas City to watch their teams play in Kansas City. Which would also create rivalries with the St Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars.

5.)  Local Ownership. Paul McGannon is the man who made the NHL preseason games happen in the last several years and not only is his grassroots organization in charge of putting those games together but his organization is also a ownership group that wants to bring the NHL back to KC. Also McGannon is passionate about hockey and he has lived in Kansas City all his life. One of the key ingredients to a successful ownership to a sports team is someone who is passionate about the sport and the connecting with the fans and the city. Sporting Kansas City is a perfect example on how local sports ownership has worked so well in this town.

Another thing that would help an NHL team become successful in Kansas City would be reviving one of the old team names like the “Kansas City Scouts” or the “Kansas City Blades”. Here are the other factors that will contribute to a successful franchise and many of this comes from what many sports teams do.

1.)  Promotions. One of the things that is part of any experience at a pro sports event is promotions. Whether it’s something fans get when they enter the arena like magnet schedules on opening night, bobblehead dolls, t-shirts, posters, etc.

2.)  In-Game Entertainment. Having entertainment during the intermissions like whether it’s part of a theme night like having former/retired players play a game against each other or having a mascot game other anything else for the fans to watch in between periods.

3.)  Giveaways. Many of the companies that sponsor a team tend to have some giveaways during the game. Like if the team scores a certain number of goals in the game, fans receive a coupon for a free burger from McDonalds or any other restaurant. Giveaways are also done through in game contests like where a couple of fans get selected for a contest like shooting a certain number of pucks into the goal in one minute or something like that.

4.)  Community Engagement. Have the players, coaches and mascots make appearances around the community on some days when they are not playing. This helps the team to make a connection with the community to get to know the players. Whether it’s appearing at a charity event, a parade, a festival or making a day for a meet and greet to sign autographs like at Rally House.

5.)  Special Offers. Sometimes sports teams use some offers to help the fans save some money with a discount or a special offer. Some examples of special offers would be things like the following:

·      Buck night = $1 hot dogs and sodas

·      4 for $40 = 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and sodas

·      Bring a Coke can for a certain percent off tickets

·      Student Night = College students show their college ID to get half off tickets

I know there are some people that have their doubts about having a team in Sprint Center because it didn’t work back in the 70’s, but that was a different time back then and this is now. Kansas City deserves a second chance with the NHL. Kansas City should have another team to cheer with along with the Royals, Chiefs and Sporting.