Wichita Eagle: Denise Neil

‘Voice’ gives Wichitan an audience of millions

Denise Neil — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:11 CST

Wichita native Chris Mann’s singing career has been steadily building for years. In fact, this is the third column I’ve written about the Mann, a Southeast High grad and veteran of the Wichita theater scene, since I first became aware of him in 2010.

But now, really, really big things are happening for Mann, whose singing abilities were on display last Sunday in front of, oh, only about 37 million people.

Mann, 29, appeared on the post-Super Bowl episode of NBC’s hit show “The Voice,” an “American Idol”-esque competition whose star-powered panel of judges is populated by Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Cee-Lo Green and Adam Levine. The episode of the show, which was its second season premiere, had the best rating for a show following the Super Bowl since a 2006 episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” NBC hasn’t earned a higher rating for an entertainment show since the “Friends” finale in 2004.

Benefit concert at WSU to feature 5-year-old YouTube sensation

Denise Neil — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:03 CDT

A teeny-tiny conductor is in Wichita this week rehearsing for a big benefit concert in November, where he’ll be the star attraction.

Jonathan Okseniuk, a 5-year-old musical prodigy and YouTube sensation from Arizona, will direct the St. Petersburg String Quartet, whose members are musicians in residence at Wichita State University, along with a collection of young musicians at the Nov. 22 concert.

He’ll climb atop an excessively elevated podium, raise his tiny conductor’s wand and lead the musicians through selections by Mozart and more.

Horror flick events aim for 'Wichitawesome'

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 09:34 CDT

A local filmmaker and horror movie aficionado is trying to make the Wichita movie scene more “Wichitawesome,” one Exorcist head spin, one set of creepy “redrum” twins at a time.

Leif Jonkers, the local man behind the cult movie “Darkness,” has organized two horror-flick events that will keep moviegoers in heebie jeebies through Halloween.

He’s arranged for Monday-and Tuesday-night showings of films such as “The Exorcist” and “The Shining” this month at the Warren Old Town.

Big Time Rush show brings some members close to home

DENISE NEIL — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 07:08 CDT

Today's Big Time Rush concert is the big-time ticket seller at this year's Kansas State Fair.

The group, which no doubt will take the stage to big-time screaming this afternoon in Hutchinson, has some pretty big-time Wichita connections, it turns out.

Two members of the group are from the area: Singer Kendall Schmidt, one of the four lead singers, hails from Andover. And his buddy Dustin Belt, from Wichita, plays lead guitar.

Cinemas Alfresco to feature films with a twist

Sun, 29 May 2011 00:08 CDT

Hard to believe it's been nine years since the first Cinemas Alfresco, an ingenious event that turned a bar parking lot into a drive-in movie theater, only with lawn chairs.

It was 2003, and the Wichita Association of Motion Picture Arts started showing movies under the stars, projected onto a wall next to Big Sky (the downtown bar now known as Rain.)

The first installation happened on Saturday nights and showed classics such as "Splash" and "The Graduate." (Note to self: Watch "Splash" and "The Graduate" again soon.)

Car dealers' promos adopt the style of 'reality' TV

Sun, 22 May 2011 00:06 CDT

Apparently, pop culture sells cars. Lately, I've noticed a couple of local car dealerships treading into reality television territory.

One is Eddy's Toyota, who until recently had been producing a series of slickly made webisodes featuring the staff, including owner Brandon Steven, goofing around and doing "man on the street" interviews. The episodes, which also aired on local television, still can be found on YouTube and at http://ictreality.tv.

Then, this weekend, Mel Hambelton Ford put on the finale of its "Mel Hambelton Idle." (Get it? Like a car idling?)

Wedding movies to remember

Sun, 15 May 2011 00:06 CDT

I love weddings — the fluffy dresses, the soft mints, the open bar, the inevitable public meltdown of at least one family member.

And I love movie weddings even more. The "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" factor that accompanies any real-life wedding is fabulously amplified when a screenwriter and a costume designer are, in fact, paid to Make This Stuff Up.

Even if a wedding-themed film gets trashed by the critics ("27 Dresses" comes to mind), there's very little chance I won't watch it eventually.

Stars show us aging's nothing to worry over

Sun, 08 May 2011 00:06 CDT

I'm beginning to think that 60 is the new 30. The evidence is overwhelming, especially in the entertainment world.

Cases in point:

* A week ago at Intrust Bank Arena, I watched an energetic James Taylor, age 63, jump, dance and harmonicate energetically about the stage for two and a half hours, full of charisma and magically free of body fat.

Wichita, think you've got talent?

Sun, 01 May 2011 00:06 CDT

We already know that "America's Got Talent," thanks to NBC's 6-year-old reality show that gives singers, dancers, jugglers, magicians, tumblers and yodelers prime time network exposure.

Now, we're about to find out what kind of wacky talent Wichita's got.

A new fundraiser by the Medical Service Bureau of Sedgwick County is a daylong talent show designed to fill the Orpheum stage with all types of human amazingness.

Von Trapp carries on musical tradition

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 01:55 CDT

When your last name is von Trapp, you get the question every single day. "The von Trapps?"

When you're Elisabeth von Trapp, the answer is "yes" and is always followed by a long inquisition about life as a member of the family from "The Sound of Music," one of the most popular movies ever made.

Von Trapp, the 57-year-old granddaughter of Maria and Baron von Trapp, whose story inspired "The Sound of Music," will be in Wichita on Friday to share stories about her family.

A day of celebration for records

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:08 CDT

Gary Jones is inviting Wichita to come hang out at his shop and listen to records all day next Saturday.

That's a particularly interesting invitation considering that Jones is one of Wichita's fanciest, most high-end purveyors of super-modern audio equipment.

Jones opened his business — LivingSound — last year at 9747 E. 21st St. He specializes in audio and video gear made by brands such as McIntosh, Rotel, and Bowers & Wilkins.

Zombies will turn to busy bodies at WSU

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:06 CDT

Don't freak out if you happen to be on the Wichita State University campus next week and you notice panicked students engaged in desperate foot-pursuits

No big deal. Just a zombie infestation.

At 8 a.m. Monday, members of WSU's Student Activities Council will launch a second round of an elaborate game of tag called "Humans vs. Zombies."

City, Bret Michaels have long history

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:08 CDT

Bret Michaels has a long, long relationship with Wichita, and I should know. I was there during many of his band Poison's frequent stops at the Kansas Coliseum during the height of their late 1980's dirty talking, cat dragging fame. (I'm still trying to forgive him for a 1988 fan meet-n-greet at the Kansas Coliseum that I attended but he did not. Riki Rocket was no Bret Michaels.)

I was there a decade later, when hair bands including Poison set out on the comeback tour circuit, traveling on multi-band bills and swinging by state fairs. (I even got to interview him over the phone in 2001 when he and the band were headed to Wichita for the Glam Slam tour, which also featured Warrant, Quiet Riot and Enuff Z'Nuff.)

And I was the reporter on duty last year when Michaels, who'd transformed himself into an unlikely reality television star, had to cancel a scheduled Wichita River Festival concert at the last minute because of a brain hemorrhage that put him in the hospital.

Dancing with joy: Kirstie is back on TV

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 05:40 CDT

Recently, I noticed that I hadn't noticed Kirstie Alley's white SUV parked outside of her College Hill house or heard stories of her pushing her grocery cart through Dillon's or dropping in on a Zumba class.

Now we know why. Wichita's most visible celebrity (not only because she's always popping up on television but also because she's always popping up in Wichita) has a new job.

Alley, 60, is a part of the new cast of "Dancing With the Stars," the top-rated ABC show that pairs B-list celebrities with professional ballroom dancers for a glittery, shimmery, sequined dance-off.

Price was right for local real estate agent

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:06 CST

My memories of summer mornings at my Grandma's house have a distinctive "The Price is Right" soundtrack.

It starts with the bouncy theme music. "Bum bum ba dummmmm! Bum bum ba dummmmm!"

It continues with the catchphrases.

The more awkward the photo, the better

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:04 CST

Depending on how well you all play along with my latest idea, I might — just might —publish "The Photo." The Photo features me at age 12, my giant smile revealing my pre-braces overbite.

My hair is styled in an odd she-mullet, which is shocking until your eyes wander to my sister.

Poor Annie, age 11, is sporting hair that is feathered so severely, you fear she'll take involuntary flight. Her giant round glasses are the stuff of your worst Sally Jessy Raphael nightmares.

Board game fundraiser anything but boring

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 00:05 CST

The currency of my childhood was pink, green and yellow. I saved it up to buy coveted property like Park Place and Boardwalk, which I'd populate with red and green plastic houses.

I oddly identified with top hats, thimbles and Scottie dogs, and nothing was more satisfying than sending my sister directly to jail. (Do Not Pass Go.)

Monopoly, said to be the most played board game in history, has played a prominent role in many a young person's snow days, summer breaks and Saturday afternoons.

OMG! 16-year-old Bieber might be getting a little old

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:05 CST

I do not have Bieber fever.

But I did suffer from several similar fevers in my youth (Rob Lowe fever, Bon Jovi fever, etc.), so I can empathize with the young people overcome with gasping OMG! OMG! OMG! fits every time his name is mentioned.

The namesake of this fever — which I assure you is a real condition — is Justin Bieber, a 16-year-old, baby-faced, floppy-haired Canadian singer who was discovered in 2008 from a YouTube video that featured his youthful cuteness.

Kansas cast of Hollywood notables gets a bit longer

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 00:04 CST

As if there was ever any doubt, Kansas is perfectly capable of producing star-caliber residents. Just last week on this page, writer Bob Curtright produced a 74-inch story about Kansans who went on to make it big in film and television. (For your information, 74 inches is newspaper-speak for "very, very long story.")

He included a long list of notables, including "Gone With the Wind" Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel, Topeka-born Annette Bening and up-and-coming funnyman Eric Stonestreet, who plays Cameron on TV's "Modern Family."

He covered his bases well, mentioning a total of 30 stars. (Oh, and for the record, we've since discovered that Paul Rudd was born in New Jersey and not Kansas, but since he attended the University of Kansas, and because he's hilarious, we're still going to claim him.)

Wichita balloons have starring role in TLC show

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:05 CST

Wichita's collective ego is likely to inflate when a new TLC reality series debuts next week. The city is home to Pioneer Balloon Co., which will provide all of the balloons for "The Unpoppables," an "Ace of Cakes"-esque show that begins Feb. 7.

The show follows three "twisters," which is balloon lingo for artists who make fantastical creations out of twistable balloons.

In Wichita, we call them clowns, and they entertain our kids at farmers markets. But in some cities, twisters are top-rate entertainers with the skill to create everything from furniture to life-sized caricatures using long, skinny balloons.