Cityview | Central Iowa's Independent Weekly

Who are Des Moines’ sexiest people?

Our take on the hottest in the metro

Defining sexiness is kind of like defining art. Some people can look at a piece and find great beauty; others see nothing attractive at all. But most everyone can appreciate the work that goes into it.

Being sexy doesn’t come natural for most. It’s a combination of things -— the way they dress, their smile, their curves, their scent. It’s their confidence, their hair, their eyes, and, yes, their personality.

Despite popular belief, Iowa isn’t all cornfields and market hogs. Laced in between the Missouri and the Mississippi, you will find beautiful people here. OK, maybe not so much in the southern counties, but there are some sexy people in central Iowa. Really. So many, in fact, that we decided to highlight 12 of them in this week’s cover story — Des Moines’ Sexiest People. Are there more than 12? Sure, but we didn’t’ want to run the well dry with our first effort... Read More>>

Mrs. Brown isn’t moving; Mr. Branstad might not be

Where do we start? Those swells in the Waterbury area of Des Moines are now so pissed about the noise coming from the venerable, nearby Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines — and what they call the lack of action by that city — that they are proposing to boycott West Des Moines businesses. In a “Dear Neighbors” letter, Patti Brown encourages her dear neighbors to join a “Knock off the Noise, Now!” boycott of service and retail businesses “as a way to bring some pressure on the Mayor and West Des Moines City Council to act immediately to end the loud, late night noise pollution from the Val Air Ballroom which disturbs residents after 10 p.m. on weeknights.”

One problem the Waterbury folks have: the music, with its thumping bass, doesn’t seem to be breaking any West Des Moines ordinances. Read More>>

Zombie a master of monster mayhem in music, movies

Hard work doesn’t scare Rob Zombie. When he isn’t making monster rock, he’s making monster movies. Yet, the 44-year-old musician and film director, screenwriter and producer maintains his sanity often working the graveyard shift in pursuit of horrific tales of insanity.

While other hit-making musicians have found some success in movies, few have enjoyed the kind of critical and popular acclaim Zombie has in film. To his legions of fans, Zombie is the master of monster mayhem, in both mediums.

As a filmmaker, Zombie has written and directed five feature length films, including the cult-classic “House of 1,000 Corpses,” the critically acclaimed “The Devil’s Rejects,” and the 2007 blockbuster remake of “Halloween” and this year’s follow-up “Halloween 2.” He has also directed dozens of high profile videos and authored several comic books.

Bandana’s Bar-B-Q

Every time I review a new barbecue, my mailbox fills with denouncements of “the flesh trade.” I would happily review the new vegan café, if there were one, but the Iowa stomach wants what the Iowa stomach wants.

That seems to be more barbecues. With more than 150 seats, Bandana’s new store in West Des Moines is the biggest Q in town. At rush hours, it was slammed, too. Style choices sent conflicting signals. The place looked Texan, with red and white bandanas, cowboy photographs and ranch paraphernalia. Yet it also incorporated some genuine local antiques from Valley Junction’s halcyon era. One framed artifact featured a hand-written page from a 1945 United States Department of Agriculture accounting ledger listing the number of farm machines by state. Iowa led the nation then in both tractors and manure spreaders. Read More>>”