Crocs

Reax to Niwot-based Crocs seems to be mixed. Either people love Crocs' lightweight, brightly colored hole-y signature or hate them. But now look at Crocs' most fashionable shoes yet: prima (a ballet flat, odor resistant if you care about that kind of thing) and sassari (peep-toe backless wedges). Who knew Crocs would make something like this.

Westword Music Awards

Awards from the Westword music showcase went out tonight at the Bluebird. Monolith organizer Matt Fecher was there and photog Bill Ross. VIPs got buffet from Sketch and some free drinks. Lots of people you thought would get awards did (Born in the Flood, Hot IQs -- actually their first win in 3 nominations --, Sara T, Planes Mistaken for Stars among them.) Some nominees like Cowboy Curse, 3OH!3, Bela Karoli and Tifah could soon be picking up awards tho. Plus word is Blusom is starting to record some more stuff. Just goes to show there's plenty of talent in Denver and beyond, so much that you actually have to make choices to pick winners in each category. Up next: The Denver Post Underground Music Showcase in August

Michael Moore in Denver

Filmmaker Michael Moore ("Sicko," "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Bowling for Columbine") drew a few hundred people to a health care rally at the state Capitol today, a record-breaking day for Denver (100 degrees at the airport).

Before he spoke, ralliers heard from two insured Americans who have still struggled to receive proper care for themselves and their loved ones. One was Donna Smith of Aurora, who appears in "Sicko" with her husband, Larry. She introduced Moore, who emerged wearing a baseball cap, black T-shirt and shorts.

Moore spoke about health care:

The U.S. ranks right around Slovenia and Costa Rica on the World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems. America has that pioneer spirit, pull yourself up by the bootstraps, solve your own problems, Me, Me, Me. But thinking of it as "we," "we're all in the same boat," that's the Canadian way. And the El Salvadorean way, the Ghanian way, British, Irish, French, Polish, Czech way ...

A guy tried to rush Moore, perhaps to pummel him, but he was intercepted.

He talked about his own health and personal stuff:
One of the questions reporters always ask him is, "How are you still alive?"
"Those of you from my part of the country realize I'm one of the skinny ones."
Moore said he realized that doing little things like walking 30 minutes a day and "eating these things some of you call fruits and vegetables" can help. He said little steps like that have helped him lose 30 pounds.



He went off on the war in Iraq a little bit:
The media wasn't asking the questions, wasn't demanding answers. He doesn't blame George Bush. "He doesn't know any better!" He blames the media.

And then he tied it all together:
The war is costing $100 billion a year, and it's been going on five years. "Don't ever tell me that we can't find the money again to do things like universal health care. We have the money. Don't ever tell me that again!"

He says he's optimistic we can get universal health care in this lifetime

what's in a name

some veterans of Denver's music scene are coming together yet again with yet another project and they need a name. So stretch your mental muscles ... what would be a good name for a band of indie rockers trying to catch their fifth wind? Hit comments, make a suggestion or email us. We'd call it a contest except we won't be giving any prizes besides a bump in pride. Start listing ....

The 411 ... or something

Denver and Boston get to try out a new directory service Verizon is announcing. Just call 800-THE-INFO, and you can look up businesses for free, plus you can narrow down your choices using local landmarks, intersections. The tradeoff is you hear an ad while you wait for the info.

Verizon says you can have the info texted to you (cha-ching for mobile providers, but if you don't have anything to write with, it's handy) or just listed verbally (using air time).

Who knows, weather, sports scores and restaurant reviews could be added to the service later. National rollout of 800-THE-INFO planned later.

The Forecast

_ The Comas, tonight, 6/21 @ Larimer Lounge, (also tonight Pulitzer Prize winner/Rocky Mountain News reporter Jim Sheeler signing copies of his book @ Tattered Cover on Colfax)
_ Feist, Boulder Theater, Fri., 6/22
_ Hot IQs, Everything Absent or Distorted, and Laylights at the Bluebird 6/23, Saturday. $8 now or $10 day of show.
_ On Monday, 6/25 the Westword Music Awards @ the Bluebird
_ 7/2, Hot IQs live on WOXY.com!
_ 7/4, @ the Larimer Lounge for cheap ... Johnny and the Moon (Dante DeCaro of Hot Hot Heat and Wolf Parade)

Two shows we're eXcItEd about at Red Rocks:
_ 8/1, Wed: Modest Mouse w/ Band of Horses
_ 8/3, Fri: Ryan Adams, with Denver's own DeVotchka, and Old 97s, plus Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. It's a Starbucks show, so a Starbucks employee's band supposedly will play too. Whatever. Rest of the lineup is great. Maybe the worker band will be Ok too

Ride the Rockies

About 2,500 cyclists from nearly every U.S. state and a few foreign countries are riding through Colorado for Ride the Rockies. The scenery took a shift Wednesday with the ride from Rifle to Glenwood Springs passing by a 1,800-acre wildfire threatening about 200 homes in Canyon Creek. Opposite rippled, steep treed mountains and opposite the Colorado River, smoke plumed from the base of Storm King (where 14 elite firefighters died in 1994) as crews set back burns to eat up fuel near houses. TV trucks set up nearby. Some cyclists stopped to take photos. Wildfires are stressful for residents but seem to happen in some of the most beautiful spots in the state...Lots of friendly people. Eric Ashley runs a boys and girls club in Wisconsin and took time off to Ride the Rockies. "I trained maybe four months, but being from Wisconsin, nothing prepared me for this!" Coming up: Independence Pass!

Tidbits

Tonight, 6/14, when the big hand hits the 12 and the little hand hits 6, make sure you're at Pandora Jewelry on 220 13th Ave. (near Moxie Hair Co. and City O'City/the old Watercourse location). The first 50 people there get free tote bags! All for the store's bday. This is the best place to get unique greeting cards, by the way, and fun toys/gifts.

Saturday, 6/16, is the Westword Music Showcase. Pick up the Westword to see who all is playing and where. **Dinosaur Jr. is headlining

Earl's on the 16th St. Mall seems destined to cater to the suits working downtown. OK, let's just say it, the men in suits willing to unload dough. Have you noticed the wait staff ... and the amazing percentage of bottle blonds? The posh prices you pay for lunch are what keep the atmosphere up: all dark woods, fancy sculptural large light fixtures, and a second floor that opens up like a patio in the summer. Earl's is the place to suggest when someone else is footing the bill -- enjoy the atmosphere w/o any of the guilt on the wallet

Gripes

When they talk about the airlines wringing savings out of their operations and slashing costs, they're really not kidding, especially not at US Airways. I recently took a flight from Denver outta town and then back:
_ It $5 for everything from headphones for the inflight movie to a snack
_ The inflight movie was shown on shared screens, one of which wouldn't snap into place properly
_ One overhead compartment stubbornly wouldn't shut until the flight attendant slapped it over and over
_ Duct tape held another overhead bin closed
_ The oxygen masks popped out uncalled for before the flight took off
We won't even get into the lack of employees to help out after storms in Philadelphia fouled up travel plans for hundreds of passengers this week

Monolith PRESALE

Presale starts at 10 a.m. today for Monolith, Sept. 14-15. E-mail us if you need the password