On July 6, the New York Times published “Delays and Rising Costs for Convention Raise Worries for Democrats,” a compendium of information and speculation about preparations for August’s Democratic National Convention. A lot of the most embarrassing items in it surfaced previously in the Denver dailies. For instance, the fact…
View larger image Virgin Islands Total Number of Delegates: 9 Pledged: 3 Unpledged: 6 How to Recognize a Virgin Islands Delegate: Blown (way) off course during his second voyage, Christopher Columbus chose a religious theme and named this grouping of islets for the virgin handmaidens of some obscure marriage-avoiding saint…
In the second item of his July 5 column, Rocky Mountain News media critic Jason Salzman wondered if any entries from the late George Carlin’s famous list of seven dirty words you can’t say on television, first delivered in the early ’70s, can now be printed in the paper for…
Anyone who was surprised that Barack Obama criticized Denver jazz vocalist Rene Marie for singing the tune popularly known as the Black National Anthem instead of the “Star-Spangled Banner” prior to Mayor John Hickenlooper’s state-of-the-city speech doesn’t have a very long memory. In doing so, he was simply having a…
Suspicions confirmed: Early on July 7, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech on August 28 at Invesco Field at Mile High. Look below for the DNCC’s official press release and or click here for Patricia Calhoun’s take in…
Back in November, when the Democratic National Convention Committee held its walk-through at the Pepsi Center for the national media, Leah Daughtry, DNCC chief of staff, stood before hundreds of reporters and pointed to a bunch of balloons hovering above the floor. That, she said, was where the Democratic presidential…
Anyone who was surprised that Barack Obama criticized Denver jazz vocalist Rene Marie for singing the tune popularly known as the Black National Anthem instead of the “Star-Spangled Banner” prior to Mayor John Hickenlooper’s state-of-the-city speech doesn’t have a very long memory. In doing so, he was simply having a…
Politicians are fun to make fun of. They have a tendency to put their feet in their mouths, make questionable decisions (depending on your political leanings) and generally look awkward. Some abuse their power, others abuse their power absolutely. A few sit around and do nothing. But running for office…
When I first heard that the Colorado Rockies landed just two players, Matt Holliday and Aaron Cook, on the 2008 All-Star Team, I guessed that this total had to be an historic low for a team that won the pennant the previous year — but I was wrong. In 2005,…
When history is written, it will be said that alcohol sales finally became legal in the Colorado on July 6, 2008, ending what has been one of the most annoying prohibitions ever. But between the lines of the textbook in which these facts are documented, careful readers will note that…
It is a testament to the optimism of the Obama campaign — ignoring the fundraising woes of the Denver host committee and staring squarely at the state’s electorate that’s only gone Democratic three times in the past sixty years of presidential races — that rumblings surfaced Thursday of moving Obama’s…
Dudes! The PleasuresDudes are back on TV tonight, when their show airs on Channel 7 after Comics. Get ready by checking out their slide show of the Lowrider Magazine competition in Denver. Totally sweet! The annual Lowrider Magazine Tour, with its car and bike show, is a gnarly way to…
Funk the War over at Westword’s Demver blog…
“Funk the War!” stood out amongst the signs offering kettle corn, salted nuts and burritos as Rockies fans funneled past the intersection of 20th and Blake streets on July 3. While an American flag is not an unusual sight the day before the Fourth of July, it certainly drew more…
What the cluck is going on around here? First the Denver Botanic Gardens started hosting super-popular “urban chicken” classes, despite hardly anyone being sure the birds were actually allowed in Denver. Then up in Fort Collins, locals started crowing for hen-friendly zoning laws. And now the Colorado Springs Gazette, seizing…
Photo by Matthew Rodgers Todd Barry’s twenty years in the comedy scene and far-ranging television credentials (Wonder Showzen, Sesame Street, Chappelle’s Show, Sex and the City, Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay — plus one of his more recent stints on the tube, the insane bongo-player who nearly breaks…
With this month’s First Friday falling on July 4, most of the city’s venues have passed on participating which is no surprise since just about every gallery is closed. But there are some venues that just can’t let the day go without an event, and a couple of those spots…
Celebrate early with these selections from Westword’s other blogs. In Cafe Society, restaurant reviewer Jason Sheehan visits Hell’s Kitchen. Hot stuff. Demver includes a Q&A with senatorial candidate Mark Udall and Teague Bohlen’s takedown of Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, who’s a supporter of intelligent design. Wise up. Backbeat Online delivers…
Here’s the biggest shock since the sun came up this morning. Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly thinks there are culture-war points to be scored by yapping at his rabid viewership about our own Black National Anthem kerfuffle — and he hopes to do so with an assist from District 6 councilman…
Jazz singer Rene Marie’s decision to sing different words to the National Anthem in advance of Denver mayor John Hickenlooper’s July 1 state of the city speech got us thinking: If she can do it, why shouldn’t we? The answer will be obvious when you see what we came up…
Colorado Public Radio’s frequently touted news initiative hasn’t exactly transformed the network. Although more packaged stories are turning up on the air these days — and some of them are quite strong, as noted in this June 10 More Messages blog — the service’s primary news-and-information production remains Colorado Matters,…
The Daily Show, the Comedy Central staple starring Jon Stewart, will be staging programs at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver during the Democratic National Convention in August, and while it’s usually free to attend such tapings, a couple of locals seem ready to…
