Don't let the current economic recession ruin your summer fun. Now you can stay in Denver and enjoy a Confluence Park vacation that includes all of your favorite activities without the cost of all that expensive gear...
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Westword's offices are closed today in honor of the 4th of July. So instead of blogging, The Latest Word staff will be honoring the work ethic that's made this country great by doing absolutely nothing productive. (Exceptions to the rule: Patricia Calhoun and Kenny Be will be publishing at their usual time, which may mean that they're Communists....) Until then, don't follow the example of the clowns in the clip above and do something moronic with fireworks. Come Monday, logging back on will be easier if you still have all your fingers.
It's 1959 all over again tonight on KBDI, the public television station that airs Colorado Inside Out, a roundtable devoted to covering current events every week -- except the week of July 4. That's when the talented crew moves the show to a historic period and then prays the panelists can come up with some coherent discussion.
It didn't work when we went back to 1968: Then-host Peter Boyles called me and fellow panelist Dani Newsum "sluts" and we laughed for ten minutes. We did better last July, when the roundtable was transported to 1858, the year that Dernver was founded. That show has been nominated for a regional Emmy; last year, a show set in the '20s was an Emmy runner-up.
This time, patient co-producer Larry Patchett has set the show in 1959, when the Cold War was hot and Denver was booming. Watch the fireworks tonight at 8 p.m. on Channel 12.
There's something about Jonathan Richman....
About ready to get lit?
Today in Backbeat Online:
• Last night: Jonathan Richman at Lion's Lair.
• U2's 360° Tour skips Denver.
• Analyzing MJ's influence on hip-hop.
Today in Cafe Society:
• Get fired up for a hot weekend of food and wine events.
• Denver Pizza Company opens July 3.
• Ruff. Ruff. Ruff: Best doggone restaurant, bar and cafe patios for Fido.
• The last food court on 16th Street.
• Candy Girls: Chick-O-Stick.
• Lucy at the Landmark takes a leave of absence.
• Ondo's to move into French 250.
• Where am I eating?
• Charity vs. rugby team in eating contest. Who ya got?
Today in The Latest Word:
• Beating Caplis and Silverman in the Ward Churchill debate.
• Why Coloradans need to get fatter.
• July 4: What you can blow up and where.
• Q&A with Moon director Duncan Jones.
• Shmucks of the Week: The threesome from hell. In this case, three was definitely a crowd -- especially when the knife came out.
Ever since I penned a story about Steve Meyer, the guy behind the local rickshaw companies Main Street Pedicabs and Mile High Pedicabs, not to mention one of the leading pedicab gurus anywhere, he's been sending irregular updates on the state of his three-wheeled, pedal-powered industry -- and a recent correspondence I received from him highlighted a couple big developments.
Meyer reports that New York City is considering regulation for its 1,000 pedicabs. The move's apparently backed by local pedicab trade association, though if the taxi interests have their way, the rules could include strict new tenets like requiring mandatory drug tests and barring pedicabs from accepting hails from the street. It's enough to get Forbes libertarian columnist Richard Epstein in a tizzy, worrying that it could lead to enforced government monopolies.
In other news, Meyers says pedicabs will be in a new film featuring Jennifer Aniston, a photo from which appears above. In other words, we're using this development as a flimsy excuse to post a photo of lovely Ms. Aniston. No need to thank us.
Photo by Melanie Asmar Are those kids playing catch with an eyeball? Grody.
Spilled entrails. Dogs guarding picked-over bones. Men dangling raw flesh above their mouths like bunches of grapes. Children tossing an eyeball back and forth.
Sound like the apocalypse? A cannibal's birthday party?
No, it's the best diorama ever -- and lucky for Denver, it's sticking around.
"Why the hell'd they have to draft Ty Lawson...."
A blog about other blogs in which we ask you to send us tips about more blogs. It's bloggeriffic!
The Anthony Carter exit interview: Will A.C. be going to D.C. -- or maybe a city with less catchy initials? (Pickaxe and Roll)
Education Secretary Arne Duncan picks a fight with the NEA. Somebody's going to the principal's office. (Education News Colorado)
Nestlé wants our water. And they probably won't even share their cookies. (5280)
Early this morning, Denver Police officers responded to a disturbance call at 4503 Fillmore Street, an area captured in the graphic above (if you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map"). According to the DPD, the man, who's just been identified by the Denver Coroner's Office as Hector Esparza, 25, charged police, who responded by opening fire. Esparza died of his wounds shortly thereafter.
Read the DPD and DCO releases after the jump.
Everyone loves fireworks (right?), but not everyone loves the hassles inherent in enjoying them. Maybe you're an agoraphobe, or braving crowds of patriotic drunks sounds like just a little too much effort -- or maybe you just got so high that there's no way you can deal with people right now (man). And since the rules and regulations concerning what you can set off and where are so damn confusing, it's not like you really have many easy options for a backyard celebration. Besides, if you're too high to deal with people (man), do you really want to be screwing with recreational incendiaries?
As usual, technology comes to the rescue. Phantom Fireworks, a traditional fireworks company, feels your pain, and to ease your burden, they offer an online, interactive fireworks display for your pleasure. You get five different fireowrks in four different colors, and you can totally control them while a loop of obnoxious patriotic music blares at you! And for added verisimilitude, you can shoot the fireworks over a variety of cityscapes -- including our beloved Denver. So it will be just like real fireworks, only without the hassle! Except not really. It's fairly lame action. But hey, if you're that high, it will probably amuse you for hours. Happy Fourth of July.
The Denver Outlaws light a spark.
Can't believe you're still at work? Get out. It's time to plan your fabulous July 4th weekend, so here's what you should do: Go hang out with a marg at Mezcal and ponder. You could even have some fun along with the relaxation: There's a Beyond José tequila education night there beginning at 8 p.m., with free sips and henna tattoos for the ladies (admission is also free), not to mention the right atmosphere to make kick-back celebratory fireworks-drenched preparations. And here's some help charting your course for a holiday that will rock all weekend long.
When the 4th falls on a Saturday, it means the celebratin' begins on Friday. To begin with, there are bang-up events in Glendale and RiNO. But not to outdone by Glendale's southeastern sparks, Lakewood will also put on a show during 40 and Fireworks!, a civic 40th-anniversary party and fireworks show combined, with kids' activities and live music beginning at 4 p.m. at the Jefferson County Stadium, 580 Kipling Street in Lakewood, where fireworks will light up the sky after dark. Admission is free; visit www.lakewoodonparade.org for details. Or get your fill of patriotic music at the CSO Independence Day Celebration, a free evening with the Colorado Symphony beginning at 7 p.m. in City Park, 17th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. And for a price, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra will follow suit with From Sea to Shining Sea, 7:30 p.m. outdoors at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard. Admission ranges from $10 to $28 (kids get in for $1); go to www.arvadacenter.org or call 720-898-7200.
Of course, you know that on Saturday, the day proper, the weeding out of events gets tougher: so little time, so much to do.
