DVDs for Dad make for a no-brainer gift
/6HExkGuEjjA&hl=en_US&fs=1&” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” height=”310″ width=”515″> “Royal Pains: Season 1″Among USA’s original series, “Burn Notice” gets most of the love, but “Royal Pains” shouldn’t be ignored, either. Mark Feuerstein stars ” and charms ” as Dr. Hank Lawson, rebuilding his personal and professional life in the Hamptons, living with his quirky brother (Paulo Costanzo). The…
Humane society holds weekend dog, cat adoption marathon
Shakespeare meets Shih Tzus at Central OK Humane Society’s “Midnight Woofness: A WoofSummer Night’s Dream.” The adoption event kicks off at midnight Saturday and continues until 5 p.m. Sunday at PetSmart, 1417 W. Interstate 240. More than 300 different dogs and cats will be on hand and available for adoption. Central OK Humane Society President…
Burn Notice: Season Three
Even if the third season of “Burn Notice” isn’t quite up to the standards of its older brothers, it remains one of the most purely entertaining shows on television. During original broadcast on USA, these 16 episodes were broken up into two clumps, aired nearly half a year apart from one another; it’s far more…
From Paris with Love
The boys are back in town, only this time, the boys are John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and the town is Paris. Yes, we get to see the Eiffel Tower again, but at least this time, no one blows it up or knocks it down. In the world of thrillers, that passes for realism,…
Nothing can keep ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ from repetitive action and self-seriousness
Let’s get the least significant thing about “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” out of the way first: Is it OK to cast Brit and American actors in the roles of Persians? Yes. It’s called “acting.” But is Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brothers”) good as Dastan, a former street urchin who has been adopted by King…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
In a Rolling Stone interview, musician John Mayer suggested that Tiger Woods could have avoided his terrible troubles if he had just chosen to masturbate more. Rather than literally acting out his obsessive sexual urges with a jillion women who weren’t his wife, why not contain them in the fantasy realm? I suggest you consider…
Stand up, speak out’
Tea Parties all over the country are calling for change. At some of the Oklahoma rallies, I asked people: “What specific things, besides rallying, are you doing to bring about change?” The most common response was, “I voted and I e-mailed.” Very good, but then I pushed harder: “Did you do anything else?” All I…
The Overholser Mansion remains a testament to Henry Overholser, one of Oklahoma City’s early fathers
It may not be the largest home in Heritage Hills, but the Overholser Mansion, 405 N.W. 15th, will always stand as the neighborhood’s first. Henry Overhosler came to Oklahoma Territory in 1889 with a trainload of building supplies, including six wooden structures. Within 10 days, his first buildings were up, and the man some hail…
Pass the fried okra’
OKC Barons. Nothing says Oklahoma like English nobility decked out in curly wigs and fancy ceremonial robes. Pass the fried okra, Lady Baroness. The most famous Okies in the world are heroes of the people, Woody Guthrie and Will Rogers. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie wildcatted for a time, he’s cotton to that moniker or a variant…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Here’s how author Leo Buscaglia described the rigorous requirements for being a great lover. You must “continually have the subtlety of the very wise, the flexibility of the child, the sensitivity of the artist, the understanding of the philosopher, the acceptance of the saint, the tolerance of the scholar, and the fortitude of the certain.”…
Ellen’s Chance
Looks like somebody is getting a raise on his allowance. Greyson Chance, the Edmond boy who visited Ellen DeGeneres a few weeks ago after a video of him performing for his middle school became a YouTube hit, is getting more good news. After Greyson appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Ellen had a little announcement,…
Musicians and music lovers to honor Oklahoma City’s jazz history and local pioneer Charlie Christian
Charlie Christian International Music FestivalWednesday-Sundaywww.charliechristianfestival.com Now through Sunday, the 25th Annual Charlie Christian International Music Festival will celebrate both the legacy of the legendary, innovative jazz guitarist for which the event is named, and the ongoing vibrancy of the present-day Oklahoma City music scene. With events scheduled in both Oklahoma City and Edmond, the festival…
SoonerCon invades the city, targeting sci-fi and fantasy fans of all ages
SoonerConFriday-SundayBiltmore Hotel401 S. Meridianwww.soonercon.com310-9255$15 day, $35 weekend SoonerCon, Oklahoma City’s convention devoted to a wide variety of fans of sci-fi, fantasy, comics, gaming, anime and pop culture, returns to the Biltmore Hotel for its fourth year of festivities. While the current iteration has only been around since 2006, it has a lineage that goes back…
Was the Oklahoma state seal stolen, or just the true story?
The New York Times headline declared “OKLAHOMA SEAL SEIZED,” detailing a wild, early morning drive on June 12, 1910. A ‘Noble’ gestureOn the wagonSealing the dealTransfer talesHere comes the ‘Gov’ W.B. Anthony, the governor’s private secretary, reportedly departed Oklahoma City at 1 a.m. and drove a vehicle to the original capital in Guthrie round-trip within…
Carpenter Square’s beautifully written ‘Fugue’ features stunning lead performance and top-notch production values
Fugue7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday-SaturdayCarpenter Square TheatreStage Center400 W. Sheridanwww.carpentersquare.com232-6500$19 adults, $16 students In music, a fugue is a composition that features a repeating theme comprised of two or more voices that are independent of “? and at times competing with “? each other. The term was later used to describe a rare psychiatric…
North Carolina songwriter David Wilcox sees revolution in honesty and adventure in troubled times
David Wilcox8 p.m. FridayUCO Jazz Lab100 E. Fifth, Edmondwww.ucojazzlab.com340-8552$45 David Wilcox’s oeuvre might be called coffeehouse music, not so much for the confessional folk connotations ” although that’s there to some extent ” but because it invites the impression of someone with whom you’d engage in a wide-ranging conversation over joe some sunny afternoon. His…
New book ‘Oklahoma City Music: Deep Deuce and Beyond’ traces 60 years of local music history
Anita Arnold11 a.m.-1 p.m. SaturdayOklahoma History Center2401 N. Lairdwww.okhistorycenter.org522-0765 Anita Arnold had already written a couple of books about legendary jazz guitarist Charlie Christian and the Oklahoma City jazz scene in the Deep Deuce neighborhood as fundraisers for Oklahoma City’s International Music Festival. She had already done research for Oklahoma author William Welge, whose thankful…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
There are very few people who can lick their own elbows, and up until now you have probably not been one of them. Judging from the current astrological configurations, however, I’m guessing that a lot of you Sagittarians are about to be more flexible, limber, and acrobatic than usual ” not just in your mental…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
In her essay “Write Till You Drop,” author Annie Dillard offers advice to aspiring writers. I’m going to quote a certain passage that happens to be apropos for you Libras right now. “Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for later .…
Oklahoma history comes alive during an interactive summer program for kids
OkietalesThe Oklahoma History Center 2401 N. Laird10-11 a.m. Wednesdays, ongoing through July 28 $2, includes museum admissionRegistration required 522-0785, okhistorycenter.org School may be out for summer, but that doesn’t mean kids have (or need) to stop learning. The Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N. Laird, will bring the past to life with Okietales, an interactive storytelling…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
The TV comedy series “Community” takes place on the sleepy campus of a community college. It features the hijinks of seven misfits who are older and weirder than their fellow students. In one episode, an inept female security guard chases the lead character, Jeff, hoping to catch and cite him for a farcical misdemeanor. As…
Hey, jealousy
Greyson Chance isn’t the only Edmond middle-schooler getting some press. A 14-year-old Cimarron Middle School boy was arrested last week after he allegedly told a teacher he was going to kill the class, according to KWTV News 9. Whoa, there’s no need to start threatening people. Everyone gets a chance at prepubescent stardom. (And trust…
Grading the session
The most recent legislative session wrapped up last week, so we should look back and see where we have come. What has been accomplished? Who is a rising star? Which legislation is a waste of paper? Which politician should switch parties? “Biggest waste of time legislation: Usually, most “commemorative” legislation honors folks like The Flaming…
A new survey of Oklahoma City residents found that nearly 70 percent support urban chickens
Sara Braden left the May 18 Oklahoma City Council meeting pleased. More than pleased, even, “on cloud nine.” Nearly a year after Braden launched a petition to change zoning codes to allow urban chickens, the council had a survey in hand that supported her idea. The results: 69 percent of polled residents support urban chickens…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
As they orbit the planet, astronauts witness as many as 15 sunrises and sunsets each day. Time isn’t really sped up for them, but it seems like it. I expect you to experience a similar feeling in the coming weeks, Gemini. You may have the fantasy that you’re living the equivalent of four days every…
‘Mother’ keeps the tone light while delivering a punch
In “Mother,” 20-something Yoon Do-joon (Bin Won) lives with his mom (Hye-ja Kim), still sharing a bed with her and allowing her to treat him like a boy. She watches Do-joon while she works, worries about him when he isn’t home, and has generally devoted her entire being to his well-being. Unfortunately, Do-joon is kind…
Instrumental band Woodsman’s natural beauty is a shoegaze grain and its increasingly complex songs
Woodsman with Tjutjuna9 p.m. TuesdayBill & Dee’s Tavern311 E. Main, Normanwww.myspace.com/universecitynorman Sometimes less is more, particularly when it comes to music. In the case of Denver instrumental quartet Woodsman, the absence of vocals makes it easier for the mind to wander unfettered the broad, drifting expanse of its undulating soundscapes. The last decade has seen…
Beatles tribute band comes to Civic Center, performing tracks the real Beatles never tried
Rain Tuesday, through June 13 Civic Center Music Hall201 N. Walker Ave.297-2264, www.celebrityattractions.com $16-45 Paul McCartney said your mother should know. And he was right (according to Mark Lewis, at least). Lewis first heard the Fab Four when his mother came bustling into the room, telling him to turn on “The Ed Sullivan Show” to…
Legalize it
LEGALIZE ITI’m a local Gazette reader, and the May 12, 2010, issue discussed marijuana (Scott Cooper, “Pot of gold”). It’s great that they put this in the Gazette. As an open-minded person, however, I just couldn’t stand anything that Darrell Weaver, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs director, had to say. First, he states…
PR BS
Lots of press releases related to the Sooner State cross our desk. This week, these titles least screamed “Stop the presses!” “”Devon Energy Announces Early Redemption of 7.25% Senior Notes Due 2011″””Walmart’s Seven Solutions Save the Memorial Day Cookout”””Azure Dynamics Receives Order for 18 Shuttle Buses from Texas”””Fresh Express Recalls Romaine-based Salads With Use-by Dates…
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
If you’d like to be in supreme alignment with cosmic rhythms this week, I suggest that you completely avoid using the f-word. Likewise, you’ll maximize your chances for taking advantage of fate’s currents if you refrain from ever using the s-word, the c-word, the m-word, and the b-word. As a general rule, the more precise…
Imposing homo-hatred
Answering Roger Barton’s letter (“‘Gray’ for gay,” May 12, 2010, Gazette) about civil rights for gay citizens, Mark Mason (Letters, “The ‘Gray’ village,” May 19, 2010, Gazette) writes of his concern about same-gender marriage and uses the phrase “marriage fraud” to describe the tactic some terrorists use to gain immigrant access to the United States.…
The Legislature cut tax credits in effort to shrink budget hole
The buzz phrase for the 2010 legislative session was tax credits, specifically to kill them or at least maim them in some way. Supporters of such action seemed to have momentum as the governor came out early in the session and proposed a moratorium on several tax credits that could save millions of dollars. Several…
Whistle-stop
Apparently, the only place becoming welcome for trains is the magical neighborhood of Mister Rogers. That experience on the longtime PBS show would take children on an imagination journey from Rogers’ living room to the land of make-believe. Well, some metro residents would prefer the train take that route, if only to make the whistle…
Cursed coaches
Sports fans are a suspicious lot, refusing to wash their underwear during a playoff run or foregoing shaving to stave off defeat. The Sports Illustrated cover jinx is so notorious that the magazine actually wrote about the topic in 2002. The “Why Oklahoma is Unbeatable” cover in 1957 led to the undefeated Sooners snapping their…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Recently I was remembering the names of streets near the house where I grew up in Allen Park, Michigan. Although I didn’t register it at the time, they were lyrical, euphonious, and evocative: Philomene, Shenandoah, Osage, Luana, Cleophus, Gahona. As I walked and played on them day after day for years, my imagination breathed in…
Sewer Chewer and eight other campy horror films screen this weekend at Reel Renegades Horrorfest
Reel Renegades Horrorfest4:30 Friday-SaturdayThe Hidden Castle1309 24th S.W., Norman$10 on Friday, $5 on Saturday. 701-0870, http://bit.ly/bwrrff He’s known as Zakk Flash, and he can’t wait to see his girlfriend decapitated. After all, she is one of the stars of “Sewer Chewer,” James Hawley’s campy, locally filmed B horror movie that’s screening this weekend at the…
‘Sex and the City 2’ ends up being not so sheik
Like Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), who frets that the “sparkle” has gone out of her two-year marriage to Big (Chris Noth), “Sex and the City 2,” based on the long-running HBO series, douses whatever sparkle remains of these beloved characters. True, three are now married, while the fourth, menopausal Samantha (Kim Cattrall), is now…
A tireless supporter of the arts, Jackie West was an enthusiastic community leader who lived for the love of local theater
For 40 years, Jackie West made a rich and enduring contribution to the Oklahoma City arts community by volunteering and serving on the boards of numerous organizations, some of which she helped to create from the ground up. When she died in early May, the city lost a lifelong champion of the arts. A memorial…
Photography exhibit ‘Wanderlust’ exposes travel’s indelible influence on American identity
Wanderlust: Travel and American Photography7 p.m. Friday, Opening receptionOn display through Sept. 12Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art555 Elm Avenue, Normanwww.ou.edu/fjjma325-3272$5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 children 6-17 With the sun shining, many Americans are once again feeling the itch to pack their suitcases and hit the road. “Wanderlust: Travel and American Photography,” a photo exhibit…
Light fare it isn’t, but Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s ‘Top Girls’ is as challenging as it is thought-provoking
Top Girls8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. SundayOklahoma City Theatre CompanyCivic Center Music Hall201 N. Walkerwww.okctheatrecompany.org297-2264$16 Caryl Churchill’s “Top Girls” is notable for its unique examination of women’s role in English society during the rise of Thatcherism. The play opens with a fantasy dinner to celebrate the recent promotion of Marlene, a successful businesswoman. In this…
Thoughts on religion and being a woman come together in Marilyn Artus’ unique mixed media pieces
“Our Lady of the Anti-Personnel Weapon, and Her Stepford Friends”a.k.a. gallery3001 Paseo6-10 p.m. Friday reception through June 27606-2522, www.akagallery.net There is a lot going on in the mind of Oklahoma artist Marilyn Artus. And with her first solo exhibit, “Our Lady of the Anti-Personnel Weapon, and Her Stepford Friends,” she patches everything together. “These pieces…
Statewide Preservation Conference focusing on rejuvenation
Preservation and rejuvenation are the themes of Oklahoma’s 22nd Annual Statewide Preservation Conference, scheduled for June 9-11 in historic downtown Okmulgee. The Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office is presenting the event, titled “Out Front in Preservation.” The program includes three concurrent tracks of sessions:” “Leading the Way” has a focus on local and…
Thoughts on religion and being a woman come together in Marilyn Artus’ unique mixed media pieces
“Our Lady of the Anti-Personnel Weapon, and Her Stepford Friends”a.k.a. gallery3001 Paseo6-10 p.m. Friday reception through June 27606-2522, www.akagallery.net There is a lot going on in the mind of Oklahoma artist Marilyn Artus. And with her first solo exhibit, “Our Lady of the Anti-Personnel Weapon, and Her Stepford Friends,” she patches everything together. “These pieces…
Photography exhibit ‘Wanderlust’ exposes travel’s indelible influence on American identity
Wanderlust: Travel and American Photography7 p.m. Friday, Opening receptionOn display through Sept. 12Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art555 Elm Avenue, Normanwww.ou.edu/fjjma325-3272$5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 children 6-17 With the sun shining, many Americans are once again feeling the itch to pack their suitcases and hit the road. “Wanderlust: Travel and American Photography,” a photo exhibit…
Neighborhood Alliance to host workshops on legal issues and code enforcement
Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma workshops in June and July will deal with legal issues affecting mandatory homeowners associations and City of Oklahoma City code enforcement programs. The “Legal Issues for Homeowners Associations” workshop will be offered twice this year:” the southern session will be 6:30 p.m. June 15, at Home Creations’ Melody Banquet Hall…
