Undignified Deaths
A 27-year-old woman was killed in Melvindale, Mich., while setting off Fourth of July fireworks when she failed to move her head out of the way after launching a 3-inch mortar bomb. A 55-year-old man in Fall River County, S.D., was killed in August when he accidentally shot himself in the stomach. According to police,…
Just Can’t Stop Myself
A 19-year-old man was arrested in Darwin, Australia, in August after he shoplifted a pornographic magazine and retreated to a public restroom in the Karama Shopping Centre. A security guard trailed him, joined by a police officer, but they decided to wait until he was finished before apprehending him. A 26-year-old man was convicted in…
Recurring Themes
People who decide to urinate in public continue to find the practice dangerous, as News of the Weird has documented many times. A 40-year-old man, somewhat inebriated, attempting to urinate into the River Bulbourne in Hemel Hempstead, England, fell in and drowned (April). A 58-year-old man stood up in his boat to urinate while fishing…
God’s Will Be Done
In August in Atlanta, televangelist Thomas Weeks was arrested for allegedly beating up and threatening to kill his estranged wife, televangelist Juanita Bynum, in a hotel parking lot before a bellman rescued her. (Weeks blamed Satan for the incident.) Pastor Walter Steen pleaded guilty in Detroit in August to tax fraud and was sentenced to…
Questionable?
Questionable JudgmentsShoe designer Marc Jacobs recently crossed a frontier in fashion by introducing women’s high-heeled shoes with the “heel” in the front. Wrote London’s Daily Mail: “A chunky, 4-inch heel nestles horizontally just under the ball of the foot. Where you’d expect a heel, there is nothing but fresh air.” Models of the shoe are…
People With Issues
Officials of the Miss Ventura County (Calif.) pageant said in September that they are tired of waiting (now, two years) and would seek police help in getting the disqualified 2005 winner Hilary Gushwa to return her crown to them. Gushwa was ousted for being secretly married at the time, a violation of pageant rules. She…
Haunted Histories Collection
1997/1998/2006/2007 The History Channel gathers together five previously aired documentaries “? two of them episodes of “The Unexplained,” one an episode of “In Search of History” and all but one under an hour long “? for the “Haunted Histories Collection” boxed set. For those who prefer their Halloween to be more factual than frightful, this…
Archdiocese announces resistance to forthcoming anti-illegal immigration law
The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City announced a pledge to resist House Bill 1804, Oklahoma’s new anti-illegal immigration law due to take effect Nov. 1. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran and members of the Council of Priests supporting this statement will present the following signed pledge of resistance to the law to Gov. Brad Henry on Friday,…
The Flaming Lips celebrate alley dedication
Confetti cannons, giant balloons and a monstrous inflated caterpillar creature marked the occasion as fans, freaks and city officials gathered today in Bricktown to celebrate an alley named after local live music legends the Flaming Lips. Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne stood on a stage near the ballpark, surrounded by an entourage of people…
Tales from the Crypt
1972/2007 Based on the classic EC comics and predecessor to the long-running HBO series of the same name, the fine British anthology film “Tales from the Crypt” finally comes to DVD in time for Halloween preparatory viewing. Five tourists find themselves trapped in underground catacombs, where the Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson) reveals each of…
Fantasticks’ is timeless musical about first love
After opening in May 1960, “The Fantasticks” went on to become the country’s longest-running musical. Partly inspired by “Romeo and Juliet,” its age-old story of love found, then lost and found again, speaks to audiences of all ages and cultures. The CitySpace setting retains the intimacy that launched the show 47 years ago. It’s a…
Norman songwriters gather for monthly showcase
If you’re sick of the same old tunes and ready for something fresh and new, check out the NormanMusicScene.com Singer/Songwriter Showcase this Friday at Borders, 300 Norman Center Court in Norman. Once a month, a handful of Norman’s local artists come together to give the town a taste of what the music scene has to…
The Go! Team – Proof of Youth
Sub Pop Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil’ who needs ’em? With the sweet, soulful sounds of The Go! Team, the black of the day can be chased away by just pressing play. Following up “Thunder, Lightning, Strike,” its acclaimed 2004 debut, this unique six-piece band from England unleashes another sugar-laced dose of party rock, seemingly…
King of California
Reviewer’s grade: C- Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood star as father and daughter in this
Organization funded by alleged hate group helped write Oklahoma’s illegal immigration law
The Federation for American Immigration Reform ” or FAIR, which helped state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, write Oklahoma’s new law against illegal immigrants ” was funded by a foundation listed as a hate group with the Southern Poverty Law Center. Additionally, the group’s funding by the Pioneer Fund, a controversial not-for-profit foundation, was cited in…
Transformers
2007 Unfortunately, there’s nothing “more than meets the eye” to Michael Bay’s “Transformers,” one of the year’s biggest hits. Giant fighting robots you want, giant fighting robots you get. “Disturbia” star Shia LaBeouf headlines as a nerdy high school kid who just wants a cool car and a hot chick. He gets the latter…
Black Sabbath
1963/2007 In this superb Italian horror anthology from atmospheric terror-meister Mario Bava, Boris Karloff hosts three unrelated, but fairly riveting tales for the price of one. In one, a beautiful hooker is tormented by telephone calls from a dead lover. Another casts Karloff as an old vampire who preys upon his own family,…
World tragedies inform art of Humphries
While most art related to war and tragedies is dark and gloomy, Eric Humphries used vibrant colors and simple shapes to tell a difficult story. Humphries’ exhibit, “Heaven, Hell and the Earth: Portraits of 9/11, the Iraq War and Other Historical Tragedies,” has attracted hundreds of visitors since it opened on Oct. 5 at the…
City of Duncan plans to fine low-waistline pant wearers
Your mama didn’t like you wearing saggy diapers that leak, and she doesn’t like you wearing baggy pants, either. But now doing so could get you more than an earful and her utter disapproval. If the city of Duncan has its way, it’ll get you fined. Duncan’s City Council is discussing an ordinance that would,…
Cargill staves off leadership challenge at caucus retreat
Ever since reports surfaced that the Oklahoma Ethics Commission has engaged in an investigation of Republican Party campaign contributions during the 2004 election, Oklahoma Speaker of the House Lance Cargill and House Republican leadership have come under fire from inside and outside of the party. Tension came to the forefront at the House Republican caucus…
Rendition
Reviewer’s grade: B Terror is a tricky business. When a suicide bomber does his thing in a crowded Moroccan plaza, a top CIA officer is among those killed. This forces young agent Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) to step into the role as torture overseer. Because of the terror attack, the United States goes wild,…
Flaming Lips Alley’s official dedication slated Thursday
If you have lunch plans on Thursday, you should cancel them. And if they involve going anywhere near Bricktown, they will probably need to be rescheduled. The dedication of Flaming Lips Alley, which runs between the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark and the LiT Lounge, will start at 11:30 a.m. near the Mickey Mantle entrance to the…
Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner’s Guide to Breastfeeding
Andi SilvermanQuirk Got milk? (Hey, the back cover is asking, so don’t get mad at me.) In “Mama Knows Breast,” journalist Andi Silverman is out to assure new moms that not only does the “breast is best” adage ring true when it comes to feeding babies, but that it’s not as tough as they might…
Things We Lost in the Fire
Reviewer’s grade: A- Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro and David Duchovny star in this powerful psychological drama about death, loss and the unexpected ties that make rejuvenation possible. Audrey Burke (Berry) is widowed when her husband Steven (David Duchovny) is murdered while trying to do a good deed. In the aftermath of grief, Audrey is…
Former OU QB embraces past
Steve Davis gets it. In this sports-crazed world, where fans pay outrageous ticket prices and line up around the block to get a close-up glimpse of their favorite players ” the bottom line is not lost on the former University of Oklahoma quarterback. “The fans are important. Without them, college athletics and professional sports would,…
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Reviewer’s grade: C The coward Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) is obsessed with the outlaw Jesse James (Brad Pitt). Ever since he was a kid, Ford has read stories about James and saved every newspaper clipping of his murderous exploits in a shoe box under his bed. It’s nearing the end of the line…
Bruce Springsteen – Magic
ColumbiaEasily his best work since “The River,” Bruce Springsteen’s latest record “Magic,” is an energetic, nostalgic rock album that is equally catchy in spirit and profound in scope. The album opener and first single, “Radio Nowhere,” is largely driven by the backing (and sorely missed since 2002’s “The Rising” ) E Street Band. “Is…
Latest Religious Messages
A particularly environmentally conscious Catholic priest in Suffolk, England, set up a confessional in August at a Greenpeace festival to permit parishioners to relieve their guilt over despoiling the Earth, according to a report in The Times of London. At the festival, however, the priest, Dom Anthony Sutch, also had to deal with the August…
Camp Fire hosts halloween camp
Searching for something spooky but safe that the whole family can enjoy this weekend? Look no further than Camp Fire USA’s 33rd Annual Haunted Forest Hayride at Camp DaKaNi, 3309 E. Hefner. “It’s a fun family evening,” Camp DaKaNi Director Crystal Daniels said. “There’s something for everybody.” Halloween-lovers young and old are invited to jump…
Oklahoma highest-ranking admiral passes away
Oklahoma has many military heroes and distinguished officers, but none reached as high and was as admired as Adm. William J. Crowe Jr. A graduate of Classen High School in the Forties, Crowe died at the age of 82 in Maryland. He wasn’t born in Oklahoma and he died outside the Sooner State, but…
Psychics, fortune tellers say Oklahoma City not kindest environment
While it might not look like New York City, where palm-reading and fortune-telling window shops readily line the streets, Oklahoma City has a psychic community that’s all its own, where readings are performed in the living rooms of modest metro homes. But what keeps it so hidden? Adrian (who requested not to use her last…
The Continuing Crisis
This past summer, two capital-murder inmates (who might have been executed, regardless) were put to death after curious court policies failed them. Luther Williams’ execution was carried out in Alabama in August after the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to stop it, despite his plea that the state’s lethal injection procedure was unconstitutional. However, one month…
Bach subject of festival in Chickasha
German composer Johann Sebastian Bach’s work and life will be explored through Saturday during the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma’s six-day Bach Festival in Chickasha, via:” lecture-concerts, ” performances and ” film. “We’ll be playing the music, but we’ll also be talking about how the world is changing,” said Sanders Huguenin, USAO academic…
Into the Wild
Reviewer’s grade: C Based on the 1996 nonfiction best seller by Jon Krakauer, “Into the Wild” is a compelling and powerful story undermined by unchecked ambition and self-importance. It tells of Christopher McClandess (Emile Hirsch) who at age 22 shed his comfortable middle-class existence to thoroughly drop out of society. He chopped up his…
Some Oklahoma Centennial parade entrants had dubious state ties
Well, hope everybody enjoyed the great Oklahoma Centennial Parade in downtown Oklahoma City. Nothing like celebrating 100 years of statehood with giant helium balloons and more Miss Americas than Donald Trump’s mansion. On a slightly overcast but otherwise pleasant day, everything from dancing ballerinas to rope tricksters made its way through the streets to…
Radiohead – In Rainbows
No strangers to deconstructing rock, the members of Radiohead have done this consecutively on their lastthree albums. Thom Yorke’s voice still serves as a siren at the end of the world on the band’s latest release “In Rainbows.” Gone from his voice is the paranoia that permeated on “Kid A,” which “In Rainbows”…
Albanian virgin promises
In the northern Albanian countryside, about 40 women still practice an ancient tradition as “sworn virgins,” who are young females who renounce sex forever in exchange for being treated as men, according to an August Washington Post interview of Elvira Dones, an Albanian native who recently completed a documentary on the subject. The oath is…
Point: From red to blue?
It’s too early to call it a progressive juggernaut and events with political ramifications could change everything, but recent polls and an election show some Oklahoman voters may be shifting away from the conservative politics that have defined them for at least the last two decades. Three recent SurveyUSA polls of Oklahomans may show…
The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic
Riverhead Hard to believe, but there was a time in civilization when it was commonplace to walk streets filled with mountains of excrement and drink water from public pumps nearby. Today, we know that’s a potentially fatal combo that screams no-no, but the town of London had to learn that lesson the hard way. In…
Burlesque troupe aims to revive vaudeville at Blue Note
Snickers bars and hard candy won’t be the only thing to unwrap this Halloween. The Dustbowl Dolls Burlesque troupe is holding its Spookabilly Burlesque show at the Blue Note Saturday night. Like the burlesque shows of old, the Dustbowl Dolls are striving for more than a flesh factory. They boast a steamy singer, “Blonde Dolly,”…
Counterpoint: Progressive presumption
Progressives and conservatives have more in common than we care to admit (in public, at least). We desire efficacious and transparent government, we expect our elected officials have an understanding of the Constitution (or at least be able to spell “constitution” ” with a few notable exceptions), we desire less governmental intrusion in our personal…
State rep denies knowledge of organization’s financial ties to alleged hate group
State Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, author of an anti-illegal immigration bill due to become law Nov. 1, said today he was unaware that an organization which helped him write the legislation had financial ties to an alleged hate group. On the Friday before publication, Oklahoma Gazette asked Terrill about his knowledge that the Federation for American…
Gone Baby Gone
Reviewer’s grade: A Ben Affleck returns as co-screenwriter and debuts as director with this taut thriller about an investigation into the disappearance of a 4-year old girl from her bedroom in working-class Boston. Ben’s brother Casey steps away from token roles in movies like “Ocean’s 11” et al. to star as private investigator Patrick…
Custer County faces sex-slave lawsuit
The Custer County sheriff has been accused of running a sex-slave ring, allegedly threatening female inmates with prison if they did not submit to his demands, according to a lawsuit filed last week, The Oklahoman reported. Sheriff Mike Burgess faces the lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of 12 women who at one time…
Norman art student documents life via receipts
Hovering somewhere between a voyeuristic art project and an uncomfortably personal diary, Proof of Purchase documents one art student’s life through his receipts. Riley Harmon, a junior studying media arts at the University of Oklahoma, said the project came after he noticied the large number of receipts he was accumulating in the back of his…
Former mayor, current rocker to be feted at public school awards
A former mayor, architectural engineer, community volunteer and alt-rocker ” all products of Oklahoma City Public Schools ” will get props Thursday for their contributions to the city and their fields. At 6:15 p.m. at the Skirvin Hotel, the 2007 Wall of Fame Humanitarian Awards will honor: ” Kirk Humphreys, ” William F. and Kristin…
