When does musical parody gain legitimacy? Spinal Tap was created for a comedy sketch, and I don’t think Michael McKean, Christopher Guest or Harry Shearer would classify themselves as a real band, and yet they’ve played Wembley Arena and released three actual, real-life albums, two of which have cracked the
Read More →Dexter meets the woman who made him a killer In episode two of its nail-biting, final season, our psychopathic hero (Michael C. Hall) in “Dexter” makes a troubling discovery about his past (Sunday, 8 p.m., Showtime). A renowned expert on psychopaths, Dr. Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling), reveals that she’s the
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July 03, 2013 by justin
in Civic Skinny
April Gayle Linder is a member of the Polk County GOP leadership team. She is an executive committee member for the group. She serves on the planning committee for Polk County GOP fundraisers, which is kind of interesting. And, according to Will Rogers, Polk County GOP Chair, “Her political experience
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July 03, 2013 by justin
in Joe's Neighborhood
Fear can raise a rebellion even in the smallest of hearts. It certainly was the force that propelled me at the age of 8 to barricade myself in the family station wagon on a hot summer day many years ago. The windows were rolled up, and my parents and seven
Read More →The Civic Music Association has announced three new board members for the 2013-14 season. Coming on board for new three-year terms are Joel Fortney, Mary Kay Tamasi, Richard Hodges, Sheila Navis and Eric Ferring. The new board members were sworn in at the Civic Music Association Annual Meeting held on
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July 03, 2013 by justin
in Cover Story
The rains and gloom of spring have passed us by, and summer is now in full swing. That means it’s time once again for the flagship event from the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC) — 80/35 Music Festival. Now in its sixth year, 80/35 has become a destination event
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July 03, 2013 by justin
in Film Review
“Man of Steel” 3 stars PG-13 143 minutes Action Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon Man of Steel delivers a fresh approach to the shop-worn Origin of Superman narrative (originally published in 1938). Alas, fresh is not enough. State-of-the-art special effects are deployed to deliver the double theme of
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July 03, 2013 by justin
in Belly Up To...
A lot of bar owners contrive all kinds of different gimmicks to lure patrons into their establishments. They come up with clever names above front doors, snappy logos on their products; they tout signature drinks with sexual names and drinking games to draw the college crowd. But there’s just something
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July 03, 2013 by justin
in Locker Room
You know the old saying, “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades?” Well, if you never quite understood the former of the two, check out this year’s Holiday Classic Horseshoe Tournament. “To pick one thing and say, ‘that’s what makes horseshoe pitching a great sport,’ would be very difficult,”
Read More →Courtesy of Beaverdale Books Review by Sally Wisdom Random House June 25, 2013 $27 416 Pages Curtis Sittenfeld’s fourth novel centers on a pair of identical twins whose personalities appear on the surface to have little in common. Daisy and Violet grow up in suburban St. Louis with uncanny psychic
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