Email Author Nicholas Phillips

Awards

• 2012 - National Association of Black Journalists Awards, published January 20, 2011

  "Left for Dead"

• 2012 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published January 20, 2011

  "Left for Dead"

• 2011 - National Association of Black Journalists Awards, published June 9, 2010

  "Tears of a Town"

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2011 Stories by Nicholas Phillips

• Gabe Kea, Son of Former Blues Player Ed Kea, Blazing His Own Comedic Path

  published Dec 21, 2011

  By the age of four, comic Gabe Kea got his first mention in The New York Times, but the occasion was no joke: His father, Dutch-born Blues defenseman Ed Kea, was being profiled. In 1983, Kea pere had ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Disney Sued by St. Louis County Men for Allegedly Ripping Off "Santa Paws" Story

  published Dec 20, 2011

  Gather 'round the fire, now: Have you heard the magical  Christmas tale of "Santa Paws"r Neither have we -- probably because this little Disney number went straight to DVD. But when two men from ... More >>

• Could Missouri's Repealed "Facebook Law" Have Prevented a Teacher's "Nasty" Textsr

  published Dec 19, 2011

  Folks who had supported Missouri's "Facebook Law," (which, before its repeal in October, had banned Facebook friendships between teachers and students) are not going to like this little tale out of Sp... More >>

• Idaho Woman Admits to Bilking Missouri Egg Donors Out of $30k

  published Dec 14, 2011

  In essence, 32-year-old Janae Helgerson of Boise, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to stealing egg cells from Missouri women. Several years ago, she was running a fertility company in Idaho called Midwest ... More >>

• Operation Brightside Commercial = Hope!

  published Dec 14, 2011

  In case you missed it, First Punch Film Production made this goofy lil' spot for the mayor:  We find it significant that the only person with enough decency and respect to not litter is the kid w... More >>

• Beware of Prying (and Pervy) Santa Sites

  published Dec 13, 2011

  How sweet!Little Johnny logs into a website. It allows him to write an e-mail to Santa Claus, explaining how good he's been this year.  Or he finds a site that promises Santa will pen him a perso... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Five Videos that Prove the Schweig Engel Guys Were Batsh$t Crazy

  published Dec 12, 2011

  This week's feature, "Pitch Sessions," revisits the quirky, self-produced local TV ads from the 1980s and 90s. You've seen their awesomely bad spoofs. And their violent slapstickery. But here's one la... More >>

• Top 5 Awesomely Bad Spoofs by Schweig Engel (And One That Almost Got Them Sued)

  published Dec 09, 2011

  This week's feature, "Pitch Sessions," revisits the quirky, self-produced local TV ads from the 1980s and 90s.Sure, the Schweig Engel boys were masters of slapstick violence; but they also did their f... More >>

• Becky Queen of Carpet: From Excreting Dogs to Exploding Heads

  published Dec 08, 2011

  This week's feature, "Pitch Sessions," revisits the quirky, self-produced local TV ads from the 1980s and 90s. Becky "Queen of Carpet" Rothman busted out of the advertising gate 20 years ago riding on... More >>

• Top 5 Hilariously Violent Commercials by Schweig Engel

  published Dec 08, 2011

  This week's feature, "Pitch Sessions," revisits the quirky, self-produced local TV ads from the 1980s and 90s. Check out these five masterworks of slapstick violence from Schweig Engel, the now-defunc... More >>

• How Bad Do You Miss Uncle Leonardr

  published Dec 07, 2011

  This week's feature, "Pitch Sessions," revisits the quirky, self-produced local TV ads from the 1980s and 90s. Not only do I remember Uncle Leonard Lewis' corny one-liners on TV: I once spotted him at... More >>

• Yet Another Young Amish Man Killed in Horse-and-Buggy Accident

  published Dec 06, 2011

  Driving-while-Amish has proved, once again, a hazardous activity in Missouri. A 19-year-old Amish kid died on Friday after his horse-and-buggy was rear-ended by an SUV north of Seymour a few days earl... More >>

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  COVER STORY

  Pitch Sessions: A look back at the wild and wacky local TV ads of yesteryear.

  published December 8, 2011

  Schweig Engel: Dying for Deals Explaining an old Schweig Engel television commercial is like describing an LSD bender, given that... More >>

• You're Like Sarah Palin, But Hotter!

  published Dec 05, 2011

  Every so often, we scour the local Missed Connections section of Craigslist, in search of the best posts. Here are some that caught our eye recently.You betcha! rHmm...red flag rI'm Your (Lady & t... More >>

• Standup Andi Smith Gets Raw About Her Mom, Refinancing and Hot Female Comics

  published Nov 30, 2011

  While on stage, Andi Smith doesn't wrap her feelings in pretty bows, whether the evening's agenda involves Justin Bieber, at-risk children, or sweatpants. Nor does she mince words off-stage, as we fou... More >>

• Need to Start Over in Lifer Try Columbia! After Trying 16 Other Cities First

  published Nov 29, 2011

  From the people who told you we're ugly, dumb and not as funny as Kansas City: The list-hounds over at The Daily Beast have come up with yet another one: The 30 "best places in America for reinvigorat... More >>

• St. Joseph Man Really Unhappy with Police

  published Nov 23, 2011

  So there's this fellow on YouTube known as Maillarry1. He is NOT a fan of the St. Joseph Police. Not at all. Check out the various signs he's recently put up in his yard: rHere's another: rHere's our ... More >>

• Death of Don Rasch, Convicted Art Thief, Considered "Suspicious"

  published Nov 22, 2011

  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's article on the death of convicted art thief Don Rasch duly notes that he was found unconscious at his Maplewood home on November 12, and ended up dying on November 16, al... More >>

• Joe Murray's Comedy Joecase Starring Joe Murray To Host Native Comics, Joe Murray

  published Nov 21, 2011

  Traditionally, the night before Thanksgiving is a HUGE party night in the Gateway City -- perhaps the most boisterous of the year. With so many members of the St. Louis diaspora flocking back home, lo... More >>

• We're No. 2 in Chlamydia, No. 3 in Gonorrhea!

  published Nov 18, 2011

  St. Louisans are still ridin' durrty - even more than before! According to fresh stats from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, our city has retained its number-two spot in the nation ... More >>

• Why You Shouldn't Pull a Gun on a Cop

  published Nov 17, 2011

  Tammy Robinette made several huge errors in judgment while driving in Greene County on the night of October 4. Drinking and driving was a big one. That caused a sheriff's deputy to pull her over. But ... More >>

• William Shatner Gives Performance of His Life in State Farm PSA on Deep-Fried Turkey

  published Nov 16, 2011

  This is without question one of the very best PSAs we've ever seen. Ever. Produced by State Farm Insurance (based in Bloomington, Illinois), it's got Shatner, deep fried turkey, allusions to The Lord ... More >>

• Top 3 Missouri Deer Hunter Videos So Far This Season

  published Nov 15, 2011

  Now that we're a few days into firearms deer season (and several weeks into bow season), Missouri sportsmen are lighting up YouTube with videos of their exploits. Here's three we found interesting: "H... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Chupacabra Killed Near Springfield!

  published Nov 14, 2011

  Chupacabras don't really exist. Yes they do, and they live in Missouri. WHArOzarks First (KOLR Channel 10) got the scoop on this one: For weeks, chickens were disappearing from the farm owned by Tim S... More >>

• Dog Trainer in Lincoln County Caught on Video: Is it Training or Abuser

  published Nov 11, 2011

  Trainer Ed Nelson of Lincoln County openly admits it: Teaching hunting dogs how to fetch ducks and geese safely and effectively requires the use of force -- at least sometimes. The legal question is t... More >>