It Figures

(Web Exclusive) In truth, True/False is busiest and most colorful time of year in town ­— and we’re not just talking about those rainbow Q-filled lines. There was the “Big Ragtag” and the “Little Ragtag” theatres in the Cinemacafe’s new location and Stephens College hosting many events. But after four days of documentary and mockumentary watching, all that is left are the figures.

Building bleu

Restaurants begin as nonchalant conversations where ambitious ideas are thrown about and typically dismissed for a slew of reasons. Funding could be an issue: Restaurants are pricey endeavors. Then there’s the mythic failure rate: 90 percent bomb in the first year. Politics are involved as well: licensing, property lines, fire codes and the voting hands of 10 individuals on a building commission. And industry folk are known for being a bit eccentric: One has to be a touch crazy to work in a field that sucks the days away, turning perfectly ordinary people into nocturnal creatures who run in packs and expect 12-hour workdays.

Composing a bistro

The waiters and waitresses bustle around the empty restaurant in the remaining minutes before Jina Yoo’s Asian Bistro opens its doors for Saturday dinner. They arrange tables and silverware and chat about weekend plans, last week’s TV highlights and customers from the night before. The hum of activity and the clinking of utensils in the small strip-mall eatery on Forum Boulevard calls to mind a fledgling orchestra tuning its instruments and warming up for the night’s big performance. The kitchen door swings open, and the maestro emerges in the form of a petite, black-haired woman.

Customization sensations

Flashy fashion is all around us — rappers and their bling, pricy wheels, jewels for cell phones and designer shades — but belongings don’t have to be out-of-reach to be the envy of the block. Vox looks at ways to turn average items into drool-worthy commodities.

Skeletons in the Closet

Until a death sentence did they part. Ray and Faye Copeland were just another seemingly average farming couple trading livestock, raising a family — and conducting multiple murders. OK, so maybe they had a sinister side. On their small farm northeast of Kansas City, the Copelands executed at least five farmhands as part of an elaborate scheme that enabled them to purchase livestock with fraudulent checks. In the mid-’80s, the elderly couple committed several murders until the cops arrived with a warrant to search the farm in October 1989. After their cases went to court, 76-year-old Ray and 69-year-old Faye became the oldest married pair to receive the death sentence. More than a decade later, a relative of the couple is revealing the story via the fantastically disturbing comic book series, Family Bones.

Columbia’s hip-hop hiatus

It took only a moment to send Columbia’s hip-hop scene into upheaval. Sapphire Lounge’s Mad Real Mondays was without a home, and the city’s hip-hop players and fans struggled to find a new venue to showcase their talent.

Sound Advice: Jaymay

In the simplest terms, Jaymay’s lyrics send listeners’ fingers immediately to the volume dial and blow out the stereo speakers because they perfectly encapsulate an emotion: “And I believe we were friends,” croons Jaymay in the title track, “and I believe we will be again.” In her debut full-length album Autumn Fallin’, available March 11, Jaymay delves into the hearts and minds of the dejected.

Sound Advice: Kaki King

After the relative upheaval to guitar virtuoso Kaki King’s sound that was 2006’s … Until We Felt Red, the singer-songwriter from New York City seems to have settled down for Dreaming of Revenge. Her previous album took a few too many post-rock cues from its producer, former Tortoise member John McEntire, but here King has finally plucked out a sound that is all her own.

Take Two: Semi-Pro

(Web Exclusive) He shoots, and he misses! Will Ferrell and his posse are considered an all-star team when it comes to scoring laughs. Disappointingly, their new flick, Semi-Pro, falls short of the basket.

Take Two: The Other Boleyn Girl

(Web Exclusive) With a cast of beautiful, famous actors and a great historical tale, The Other Boleyn Girl could have left a bigger impact than it did. Then again, with so much scandalous history to live up to, there’s a lot of pressure.

God goes digital

The path to God (or Xenu, Allah or Buddha) might be a lot shorter thanks to YouTube. Televised sermons and Jesus blogs seem antiquated compared to the newest technique of spreading the good Word: online videos. The higher powers, it seems, can be found merely by turning on the power of a computer.

Athletically Pleasing

The underdog. The inevitable injury that leaves the star athlete out of the big game. The melodramatic music after the winning touchdown is scored with one second on the clock. These are typical elements of sports films. Such movies as Will Ferrell’s current basketball spoof, Semi-Pro, have transformed this formula into the classic sports comedy by using nothing but a little satire and a lot of unathletic prowess.

Viral politics

In just one year, YouTube has attained the status of being the friend of a friend for presidential hopefuls.