Stephen Steigman

From a manufactured media circus, to a desperate game of cat-and-mouse with a serial killer, Hollywood sure knows how to romanticize journalism.

On Friday's Up to Date, DVD Gurus Mitch Brian and Jason Heck join us to talk about some of their favorite films that feature reporters. We'll dive into some thrilling vampire conspiracies, reports gone wrong, and others that are sure to set off the investigator in everyone.

With the Kansas City area getting a dose of winter weather over the past couple days, perhaps it's time for some music that has a summertime feel.  

The band Akkilles offers a sound that conjures up an afternoon on the beach, toes dug into the sand, and waves gently crashing along the shore.

In Friday's "Local Listen" we hear "Your Only One" from the group's album Something You’d Say.

Construction has already begun on the first leg of Kansas City’s streetcar system. The two mile line will run between the River Market area and Crown Center.

Now officials are looking at potential routes for a second leg and beyond. Where should the second leg go? Is it inevitable that route No. 2 will extend to the Plaza and maybe UMKC?

There are a ton of things to do in Kansas City this weekend, and Brian McTavish picked out some highlights as part of our Weekend To-Do List for November 15-17.

Selena Gomez: Pop hit sensation: 7 p.m. Sunday at the Sprint Center, 1409 Grand Tickets: $28.50-$99.50  

Looking for a great film to see the weekend of November 8-10? Up to Date's indie, documentary and foreign film critics share their three favorites showing on area screens.

Cynthia Haines:

• Muscle Shoals
• 12 Years a Slave
• Blue is the Warmest Color

Steve Walker

Band The Latenight Callers describe their sultry, film-noir sound as that of “the house band at a David Lynch pool party.” Their latest album is called Songs for Stolen Moments.

In Friday's Local Listen, we hear “Red Bricks, White Ghosts.”

The Latenight Callers will be paying a midday call to The Record Bar for their first-ever Saturday Brunch, November 16, from noon to 4 p.m. at 1020 Westport Road in Kansas City, Mo.

When John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, the Zapruder film provided investigators with key evidence of the shooting. Fifty years later, crime scene investigation has evolved into a complex science, and now, with smartphones, and other mobile devices, video footage of events is readily available to assist investigators in solving crimes.

To transfer or not to transfer? That’s the question for Kansas City public school students who are in limbo as they wait for the outcome of a lawsuit to find out what their options are.

Clean air, you’d think it would be a no brainer, but it took an act of Congress to make it a law. There are 20 coal power plants in Missouri, and they expose over 4.7 million people within a 30 mile radius, to their exhaust. In Kansas there are eight coal power plants.

It’s been almost 50 years since the Clean Air Act was made into law, and the way the public views clean air has radically changed from then to now. Stephen Steigman hosts this discussion on the changing culture of environmental protection.

Guests:

The idea of small-town living has long been thought of as the idyllic American Dream. It's a place in our imaginations where everyone waves and smiles at you. A place where everyone knows your name. But what are the realities of small-town life? Is it really all it's cracked up to be?

Host Stephen Steigman looks into Overbrook, Kan., a town 40 minutes southwest of Lawrence. Their motto? "Don't Overlook Overbrook."

Guest: Rick Montgomery, reporter for the Kansas City Star

Why do governments rely on the sales tax for big projects, like the medical research proposal in Jackson County?

And how fat can the sales tax get before shoppers stop buying? 

In the second half of Tuesday's Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with two experts about sales taxes, what makes up the total sales tax you see on a receipt, and why governments have turned to sales taxes for raising funds when revenue is down.

Guests:

Music therapy has been a growing form of complementary medicine for the past 50 years. Studies have shown music therapy can help with everything from Alzheimer’s to depression to developmental disorders and even cancer treatment. 

We invited three local music therapists to speak about local and national research being conducted, as well as their own experience in using vocal and instrumental music in a patient's treatment and recovery process. 

Guests:

The Jorge Arana Trio offers an energetic and eclectic fusion of jazz, rock and funk that has gotten the attention of music lovers throughout Kansas City as a result of their take-no-prisoners live shows. 

In today's Local Listen, we hear Bitter Era from their most recent album, "Mapache."

You can catch the Trio on Sunday October 20 at The Riot Room and November 1 at the Czar Bar.

On Sunday, the still-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs will take the field to face their mortal enemy: the Oakland Raiders. In this month’s “A Fan’s Notes,” commentator Victor Wishna tells us why it feels so good... to be a Raider-Hater. 

Katy Guillen and The Girls have only been together for about a year, but it hasn’t taken them long to get noticed: next January they will be representing Kansas City in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.  They’ve just release a new EP called “… and then there were three.”  

In this week's "Local Listen" we hear a track from the album titled “The Race."

 You have a couple chances to hear them live next week: they’ll be at BB’s Lawnside Bar-B-Q on October 17th and at Knuckleheads on the 18th. 

“Wicked”: “Wizard of Oz” prequel about the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good 7:30 Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday Music Hall, 301 W. 13th Tickets: Start at $30

Vi Tran is a singer/songwriter who uses his experience as an actor to create music that combines melody with heartfelt expression.  His new album, “American Heroine” plays like a soundtrack to an off-Broadway musical.   

In today's "Local Listen" we hear the title track from the album. The Vi Tran Band will perform at the Kill Devil Club Friday evening, October 4 to celebrate the release "American Heroine." The CD will be in stores on Tuesday October 8.

American Royal Parade: A star-spangled salute, including military personnel, 4H and FFA members, marching bands, drill teams, saddle clubs, vintage cars, civic groups and floats. 9:45 a.m. Saturday North up Grand Boulevard from Pershing to Truman Road Admission: Free.  

Lennon Bone is probably best known among music lovers as the drummer for Ha Ha Tonka, but he recently released a new EP of his own material that’s got a gentle, dreamy-folk sound. It’s called “Call It A Custom.”

In today's "Local Listen," we hear the title track to the four-song EP. His band, Ha Ha Tonka releases their new album, “Lessons,” on September 24th.

Looking for a great way to spend the first weekend in - *gasp* - September? Here's your Weekend To-Do List courtesy of Brian McTavish:

Johnny Mathis: Classic pop. 8 p.m. Friday at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 16th and Broadway in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets: $75 to $125

On Wednesday, the Hall Family Foundation announced that it was pledging $75 million to Children's Mercy Hospital for build a translational medicine research building on Children's Mercy's campus on Hospital Hill.

What if Congress turns down President Obama’s request for authorization to attack Syria? And what if the president proceeds anyway -- even though the American people are saying in polls that they oppose such a move? 

How ethical would that be?

Some might say that when it comes to matters of life and death, an American president ought to have the backing of Congress or the American people.

Then there’s this looming question of whether the U.S. and other nations should boycott the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The reason? Russia’s anti-gay laws.

The newest book by Kansas City author Angela Cervantes tackles a tough subject: what happens when immigrant families are torn apart. Cervantes' approach is different: the book is written for a young audience aged 8-12, and tackles a topic difficult and all-too-familar to many of her intended readers.

One of the most notorious criminals in American history, Charles Manson and members of his mostly female commune killed nine people, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate.

The Jackson County Legislature voted Monday to place a 20-year, half-cent sales tax measure on the November 5 ballot.

Aimed at boosting economic development and funding research, supporters call it a game-changer for Kansas City, a way to bolster the area's claim as a hub of life science research. Opponents haven't galvanized, at least in a visible way. But lots of questions are being raised.

This week the 2013 Little League World Series has bought teams from across the world to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The championship game will be played on Sunday.

In this month’s “A Fan’s Notes”, commentator Victor Wishna tells us what Major League players could learn from their Little League compadres.

Do you miss spending a night at the Roxbury? What about the glitzy flair, and the exotic touch of Mango, the uninhibited, scantily-clad dancer?

In the first portion of Friday's Up to Date Steve Kraske welcomes comedian Chris Kattan to talk about his years on Saturday Night Live and how sketch comedy compares with his new stand-up tour.

One hundred fifty years ago the country was midway through the Civil War, and back then, Second Baptist Church was a mission known as a "Stragglers Camp" located on the south banks of the Missouri River.

These days, the church at 3620 E. 39th Street is reaching out to deal with crime and a high unemployment rate, and it's about to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s March on Washington.