Too Big to Fail
For this streamlined adaptation of Andrew Ross Sorkin’s nonfiction best-seller of the same name, director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) centers the story around the one man who had possibly the worst great job at the time: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson (a very good William Hurt, The Incredible Hulk). In trying to prevent…
Extraterrestrial
The Spanish-language film is a boy-meets-girl story under the threat of an alien invasion. Julio (Julián Villagrán) and Julia (Michelle Jenner) awake in her apartment after a drunken one-night stand neither remembers. Of more concern is that the streets are empty and an alien ship hovers overhead menacingly. They’re pestered by a nosy neighbor (Carlos…
Bad Buck
I Dreamt I Was in Heaven: The Rampage of the Rufus Buck Gang adds some fictional details to a quest led by a half-black, half- Native American killer in his crusade to terrorize Caucasians living in the territory. Author Leonce Gaiter said he had wanted to write a novel about the Rufus Buck Gang since…
Fight for light
As the lead character in her novel weaves his way through a new relationship with a drag prostitute, read- ers are taken on a tour of Oklahoma City’s gay lifestyle. “I wanted to tell a story of what it was like for me and other people like me, who find it harder and harder to…
This is the ‘End’
End Days is a slog to a conclusions that’s hardly worth the effort. In Deborah Zoe Laufer’s play, you have a religious nut, her clinically depressed husband and disaffected daughter, Jesus Christ and Stephen Hawking (the latter two played by Terry Veal in a long wig and biblicalera robe or motorized wheelchair, depending on the…
See the IVC
Instead, he began an art gallery, the recently opened IVC Gallery at 710 N. Broadway. The venue features works by Fuller and seven other resident artists, all but one of whom is local. The IVC houses an eclectic and interesting collection, which Fuller attributes to its artists’ diversity. “Every artist is very distinctly unique, which…
Artistic ambassador
One hundred years ago, one of the country’s most iconic and revered American Indian artists was born. His works are just as beautiful and important now as they ever were, despite a century’s worth of technological, social and political change. The Oklahoma History Center celebrates the life of the artist in Crumbo Spirit Talk, a…
Trap ease
Emily Dawson Credit: Mark Hancock For those seeking the high-flying skills of actual circus trapeze, learning is a little farther away. Trapeze Austin in Texas is the closest such school to Oklahoma City. OKC resident Kathy Dinh gave the school a try when a friend asked her one weekend. “I’d never done it before, and…
More than a fan
Thousands of kids grew up singing Boston rock classics “More Than a Feeling” and “Peace of Mind” into a hairbrush in front of the bathroom mirror. Tommy DeCarlo is the only one to go from fan to front man of the legendary Beantown export. “Back when I was a teenager, my friends and I would…
Black gold
When you are a three-piece band, the departure of one member — especially the lead singer — can be a killer. Luckily, for Dallas rock outfit Oil Boom, a lineup shuffle only made it stronger. “We’re happy with how things have progressed with this change,” drummer Dugan Connors said of the addition of bassist Steve…
Everything’s Jake
Singer-songwriter Jake Germany took a comical approach when it came time to write, record and release his debut full-length album, Cardboard Kids. “We already had this story concept laid out for the album, so we thought, ‘Why not just go ahead and make it into a book?’ Then, with a couple of us being big…
The (off)beat goes on
The Grand House Trio Photo: Mark Hancock “Was I going to be background music for people looking at books?” he said. It took Cassimus about five minutes to realize how much he enjoyed the vibe at Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, which for seven years has featured live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.…
Thinkin’ about Woody
Photo: Robin Carson / Woody Guthrie Archives No one disputes that Woody Guthrie is the most significant Anglo-American folksinger, period. He merged the British ballad musical and storytelling tradition with African-American blues; added the incisive and humorous sociopolitical commentary of Will Rogers; and became the emblematic folk-music spokesperson for the downtrodden, beat-up, misused and abused…
Chelsey Cope — A Deeper Root
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:1″><span style=" Times New Roman” ,”serif”;mso-fareast-times=”” new=”” roman”;=”” mso-font-kerning:18.0pt;mso-fareast-language:es”=””> Much like Samantha Crain and Sherree Chamberlain, Cope’s voice and arrangements are both undeniably Southern, if tailored, sophisticated and modernized enough to avoid be cloyingly so. It’s just the right touch of twang, layered between airy indie harmonies and enchanting melodies. Wipe away…
Where Do We Go Now?
Slated to open Friday at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial, the movie is set in an isolated Lebanese village with an uneasy truce between the town’s Christian and Muslim populations. The peacekeepers are the women — Christian and Muslim alike — who distract the men’s bellicose tendencies any way they can, whether…
Your Sister’s Sister
The film is scheduled to open Friday at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial. Written and directed by Lynn Shelton over 12 days, Your Sister’s Sister is another indication of the ongoing mainstreaming of “mumblecore,” a quasi-film movement punctuated by improvisation, modest production values and, all too often, amateurish notions of storytelling. But…
Know your Woody!
6 Things You Might Not Know About Woody Guthrie 1. He hated the song “God Bless America,” so he penned “This Land Is Your Land” in response.2. His hobbies included “allegedly rampant heterosexuality and … out-of-control womanizing,” per the book A Queer World.3. According to Billboard, he wrote more lyrics than actual music, as many…
Savages
Savages is a chance for Stone to hone his pulp fiction. Based on the best-selling novel by Don Winslow (who also co-wrote the script with Stone and Shane Salerno), the movie follows two best buds in California who cultivate some mighty fine bud. Ben (Aaron Johnson, Kick-Ass) is the philanthropic Buddhist of the multimillion-dollar marijuana-growing…
All in the family
Photo: Chris Phelps It won’t be hard to spot indie-rock act Eisley’s tour bus out on the road this summer. It’ll be the one with the “Baby on Board” sign. “It’s going to be funny, with my sisters both pregnant,” said singer and guitarist Sherri DuPree-Bemis of her siblings and bandmates Stacy King and Chauntelle…
Cowboy up
For a fashion show that boasts the latest trends and supports a good cause at the same time, prepare to saddle up. The third annual Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women fashion show, Cowboy & Couture, hosted by Eden Salon & Spa, will raise funds for the Peace Through Business program. Jan Hill, founder of…
Players of the Caribbean
Jimmy Paredes covering second courtesy: Oklahoma RedHawks No, it’s not an official name, but players and managers around the league know well of the pipeline of talent that stretches from the Caribbean to the U.S. and Canada. In that 1984 season, Hightower remembers two Dominican coaches and no less than 20 players on the roster.…
Exotic city
I’m talking a full-blown holiday to someplace very far away from reality. As a sufferer of chronic wanderlust, I’ve coped by tricking myself into feeling as if I’ve vacationed by daydreaming. I’ve tried weekend mini-getaways, but at some point, the quick jaunts stopped satisfying the urge to experiences new cultures, taste new flavors and see…
OKG7 new spots on the block
Vamonos Mexican Grill 125 W. Britton Road, Nichols Hills 842-1180 Start with queso ($2.99) and a spiced shrimp salad ($7.99). Signature tacos ($2.59-$3.49) range from Korean rib-eye to carnitas, a milk-roasted pork. Get the nacho bowl ($6.39) for a little taste of everything on the menu. The Greek Taverna 122 N. Broadway, Moore 794-3663 Open…
On the vine
We’re not asking for much … just an arm and a leg! So goes the slogan of Limbs for Life Foundation, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit that supplies prosthetics to amputees who could not otherwise afford them. Similar nonprofits offer prosthetic assistance to specific groups, but Limbs for Life — by working with prosthetic clinics, manufacturers…
Slice of variety
The Wedge: The Truffle Shuffle If pizzas were women, this is the one my wife would have ample reason to hate. Roasted chicken, cremini mushrooms, spinach, cheese and truffle oil make this a pie you’ll have trouble sharing (which is why you go on Mondays with a Keep It Local card, so you get two-for-one).…
Rising from the ashes
Credit: Mark Hancock On Jan. 11, a blaze fed by 60 mph winds raced across the roof of Golden Phoenix. Oklahoma City firefighters brought the fire under control, but not before enough damage was done to halt the restaurant’s operation, along with the adjoining Asian grocery. Personally supervising the reconstruction contracting, owner Larry Lee reopened…
This week at the ’Peake
Credit: Brad Gregg First, the taxes. According to a report in Bloomberg News, Chesapeake has paid very little of the taxes owed on $5.5 billion it’s made since its founding. The reason rests with a law — written back when people were still mostly getting around on horse and buggy — that allows oil and…
Getting schooled
Justin Harlan Established in 1990 as a member of AmeriCorps, the organization places teachers, who commit to two years of service, in low-income areas. Now it has more than 9,300 corps members teaching more than 600,000 students nationwide. Henson Adams, who just finished his first year with the program, said he believes it has made…
Free-range education
Credit: Brad Gregg Beginning this fall, students kindergarten through 12th grade will have the opportunity to take a class or two online, or never enter a school building at all. Sheli McAdoo, out-going executive director of the district’s secondary education and reform, said she is optimistic about the future of the new program. “We’ll use…
Don’t let the sunshine in
Credit: Brad Gregg As it turns out, too much sunlight can also be a bad thing for, if not government officials, at least for their captured images. Portraits and murals on the fourth floor of the state Capitol building are slowly degrading due to the light slipping in under the dome and striking the paintings.…
Keep the change
Credit: Brad Gregg According to city officials, the downtown streetscape and green space renovation project known as Project 180 created more than 600 new on-street parking spots, and the old coin parking meters will be replaced by a “more advanced pay station.” While the new meters do accept coins, they also accept credit cards, and…
Wedding bell blues
Today, Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin are still fighting the state to make their 15-year relationship official in the eyes of the law. Their suit challenging Oklahoma’s voter-approved 2004 state constitution amendment barring same-sex marriage continues to wind its way through the federal courts. “Sharon and I are suing for the right to marry,” Bishop…
Parking plight
Credit: Shannon Cornman Since at least May, some business owners along the section of Western between N.W. 40th and N.W. 50th streets have protested against an alcoholic beverage permit in buildings formerly occupied by Fruiti Yogurt and Sipango Lounge. The issue also involves Cafe Nova, which sits across the street from the forthcoming restaurant, Cork…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette. com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette. com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact…
Room for improvement
Credit: Mark Hancock A recurring sentiment in the 24-page report is the “ugliness” of the corridor. The study emphasized the corridor’s role as a first impression for out-of-town guests leaving the airport: Miles of concrete, vacant store fronts and 1960s-era apartment complexes are the first glimpse many visitors have of Oklahoma City. “We have been…
Myriad Gardens is a dream come true
Now, after more than 40 years, I can breathe normally, thanks to the vision of another energy executive, Larry Nichols, whose determined efforts have allowed Mr. McGee’s audacious plan to be realized. Oklahomans are not by nature or history a patient people, and support for the realization of the vast potential of the gardens has…
Spoiled in t-town
Credit: Brad Gregg Does Trust-Fund Baby Jr. really need that to-scale oil derrick replica for his jungle gym? We think not. Tulsans might love their children more than OKC parents, but at least we’ve still got God on our side. As CFN reported a couple of weeks ago, Oklahoma City is the third most religious…
Jingling for Jesus
Credit: Brad Gregg Consider the saga of Vickey Sue Beyersdorfer, who in late June was distracting the congregation of Edmond’s Victory Church with her incessant tambourine playing during services. When Beyersdorfer refused to stop making her joyful noise to the Lord, an off-duty Oklahoma County sheriff deputy laid down the law, Old Testament style. The…
Cutting taxes is not an answer
I wish those fortunate enough to be able to pay taxes would reflect on public services that are often taken for granted but make for a civilized society: police and fire protection; sewage treatment and water treatment facilities; public schools and teachers; family services for lives that have run off the rails. Tens of millions…
Bomb threat
Nearby was a black padded box that looked like something in which one would expect to find weapons or ammunition, but instead held a hunk of streamlined hardware resembling a computer printer. As foreign as these items might seem to those not in law enforcement, they’re standard-issue equipment for bomb squad technicians. And that’s why…
‘Skin was falling off’
Laura Miller left her ex-husband only once before she learned another fact about domestic violence: Leaving an abuser increases the risk of homicide by 75 percent. George Rodriguez, Miller’s ex-husband and father to her three daughters, had been a jealous type but not violent during eight years of marriage in Albuquerque, N.M. “We scuffled for…
