Posted December 03, 2014in Cover Story
Fresh off the historic 2014 midterm election, Iowa’s non-stop political cycle has been reset to the 2016 race for the White House. The Iowa caucus kicks off the presidential nominating process on Feb. 1, 2016 — less than 14 months away. The paramount political question is: Can anyone beat Hillary
Read More →At one of the last rehearsals of “Mary Poppins,” I saw a young woman fly. What’s more, she was singing. Onstage, technicians scrambled around, at work on location and timing. But Dani Boal, up on the wires that will carry her over the rooftops of London, delivered a lovely melody.
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Posted December 03, 2014in On The Tube
Peter Pan Live! Thursday, Dec. 4 (NBC) Special: Last year, it was “The Sound of Music”; in January, it’ll be “The Music Man”; tonight, “Peter Pan” — NBC can’t launch a TV series anymore, but at least they have the high school musical market locked down. As with “The Sound
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Posted December 03, 2014in Film Review
The Theory of Everything Rated PG-13 123 Minutes Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones and Charlie Cox I encourage people to see as many Academy Award winners as possible in theaters. It is for that reason that I am telling you to go see “The Theory of Everything,” because Eddie Redmayne
Read More →Courtesy of Beaverdale Books Review by Harriet Leitch Tor Books Oct. 14, 2014 Hardcover $17 304 pages Sometimes a book just grabs me because of its title. There was no way I could resist “The Accidental Highwayman: Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, a Mysterious Princess, and
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Posted December 03, 2014in Sound Circuit
Recent events have caused people to try new things. The end of live music at House of Bricks on Nov. 23 — while not the end of the world some thought it would be — has caused a few bands to look outside their comfort zones. While not the only
Read More →One of the best qualities of being human is the ability to change one’s mind. Well, after two months of experiences that are simply irrefutable, I must admit that the newest iteration of Microsoft’s Surface tablet is an exceptional mobile device. One year ago I spent two weeks test-driving the
Read More →The Des Moines Social Club has announced the full lineup for its New Year’s Eve “Bash to the Future.” In addition to interactive art installations, photo booths and a human ball drop, the Bash will feature musical performances by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, as well as Holy White Hounds,
Read More →AC/DC “Rock or Bust” Columbia On a personal level, it has not been a good year for AC/DC. Their drummer was arrested for trying to get a couple people killed, and guitarist Malcolm Young has announced his departure from the band for health reasons. But through it all, the band
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Posted December 03, 2014in Political Mercury
In a New York Times editorial two weeks ago, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver endorsed legalization of professional sports betting, saying it is time to bring such wagering out of the shadows and into regulated arenas. “Outside of the United States, sports betting and other forms of gambling are popular, widely legal and subject to regulation,”
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