The Westword.com Blog Shortcut, July 21 Edition

We’re chock full o’ blogs again today. Try a free sample below. Backbeat Online has the skinny on the inaugural Mile High Music Festival, with reports devoted to both day one and day two (when Rose Hill Drive, pictured, cut loose). Also on tap: live reviews featuring Yerkish, Andy Falconetti,…

The Video Professor Schools John McCain

As far as we know, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain hasn’t tried the computer-oriented products pimped by Colorado’s own John Scherer, the 2006 Westword profile subject known to late-night infomercial viewers as the Video Professor. But the folks behind a satirical YouTube clip understand that McCain can use all…

Plug Pulled on Peter Boyles’ USA Biker Nation

While KHOW talk-show host Peter Boyles is best known for his takes on immigration policy and the JonBenét Ramsey case, he is also a motorcycle enthusiast so passionate that he launched USA Biker Nation in 2007 as a way of paying weekly tribute to hogs and their riders. But that’s…

The Denver Post Isn’t My Fan

After writing The Message column for nearly nine years, I figured that I didn’t have a lot of fans at the Denver Post. Little did I realize, though, that the one fan I had wouldn’t work. To explain: Westword’s Patricia Calhoun took a ride this past weekend on the Cheyenne…

The Video Professor Schools John McCain

As far as we know, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain hasn’t tried the computer-oriented products pimped by Colorado’s own John Scherer, the 2006 Westword profile subject known to late-night infomercial viewers as the Video Professor. But the folks behind a satirical YouTube clip understand that McCain can use all…

ESPYs Offer Shout-Out to Denver Broncos Groundbreaker Marlin Briscoe

Colorado sports personalities and franchises made a handful of appearances in ESPN’s sixteenth-annual ESPY awards, broadcast on July 20 — not all of them flattering. Carmelo Anthony (accompanied by significant other LaLa Vazquez) could be seen in several audience shots, and thanks to the magic of editing, he seemed to…

James Dobson Flirts with John McCain — and the Press

Not so long ago, Focus on the Family chieftain James Dobson (pictured) was at risk of becoming irrelevant in regard to the 2008 presidential campaign due in part to his oft-stated dislike for both John McCain and Barack Obama, one of whom will take possession of the White House from…

Alex Markels Makes Contestants Earn Their Concert Tickets

Boulder journalist Alex Markels (pictured) is a mighty creative fellow, as numerous major news organizations have learned; the credits listed on his extremely impressive résumé include staff work for or contributions to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report and National Public Radio’s Morning…

James Dobson Flirts with McCain — and the Press

Not so long ago, Focus on the Family chieftain James Dobson (pictured) was at risk of becoming irrelevant in regard to the 2008 presidential campaign due in part to his oft-stated dislike for both John McCain and Barack Obama, one of whom will take possession of the White House from…

The Gong Show Returneth

The great irony of the original Gong Show, which has been resurrected by Comedy Central with Dave Attell as host (check your local listings for airtimes), was that the program itself would have gotten gonged. And to its credit, it (and its creator, Chuck Barris) wore that fact like a…

The Future of Movies Arrives… in Grand Junction?

I spent much of last week in Grand Junction, the town of my birth, and between visits with relatives, my family and I escaped the scorching heat for a few hours by going to a couple of movies, Hellboy II: The Golden Army and The Dark Knight. When I bought…

The Westword.com Blog Shortcut, July 18 Edition

Things were a little slow here in the Latest Word, but the rest of our site was jumping. Here’s a roundup of what you’ll find around the site’s blogs today. Cafe Society bit into the strange, new apple fries at Burger King. Sounds … processed. You can also find the…

Zombies on the Brain

Tonight and tomorrow, as part of The Dead of Summer film festival, the Denver Film Society will be presenting the 1985 horror-comedy classic Return of the Living Dead. It’s scary, it’s funny and it introduced the idea that zombies hunger for the sweet, sweet taste of human brains. Of special…

Words of Wisdom from David Lane

Zen master attorney David Lane led a First Amendment seminar today at Denver University for a large gathering of legal disciples seeking free speech enlightenment before the Democratic National Convention. “Your right to free speech goes as far as cop’s billy club will allow,” said Lane, whose most recent client,…

Shmuckalo Bill

Jeffrey Scott Hawn, a 44-year-old Austin, Texas, businessman who owns a ranch in Park County, was charged with 32 counts of animal cruelty earlier this week, one count of criminal mischief and theft to the tune of $20,000. You may remember Hawn (pictured) as the man who was accused of…

Dork Night at The Dark Knight Premiere

Film geeks scare me – and this coming from a film major. But while I appreciate the art of cinema, I have never been one of those line-up-hours-in-advance-to-catch-the-premiere types. You know who I’m talking about. The geeks who dress up like the characters in the film and painstakingly discuss all…

Do Critics Matter? They Do With the Henrys

John Moore wrote a critique of the Henrys in the Denver Post last weekend, pointing out some weaknesses in the system — first among them the fact that a production stood no chance of winning awards if most of the eight critics who serve as judges hadn’t seen it. This…

Democracts at Their Best

Democrats, God bless-’em, have made their share of mistakes over the years on the campaign trail. But for every Blunder there’s a Best, a shining moment that continues to turn states blue and keep donkeys in their seats. Click here for a slide show of the Top Ten Best Democratic…

The Westword.com Blog Shortcut, July 17 Edition

Here’s your daily map to the little corner of the Internets we like to call Westword.com. Demver explained ten reasons Obama may not be the candidate for you. You can also find a report about the $10 million(!) being spent on security and the number of protesters the city expects…