Corporate democracy isn’t viable
Islamic countries are even more engrossed in religious superstition than the USA, a country where flag lapel pins are more important than clean underwear and importuning for “God’s” blessings on the country conclude every speech by the President on down to city council meetings. The electoral system is stalemated in the USA by the best…
City officials respond to MAPS 3 legal challenge
City officials sent a letter Tuesday to private attorney David Slane outlining the reasons his concerns are misplaced. Slane alleged the December 2009 MAPS 3 vote was unconstitutional because it violated the state’s single-subject rule since eight different projects would be financed with the sales tax extension. The single-subject rule came into focus for Slane…
The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond
The horror film begins in 1927 Turkey, where an excavation unearths cave etchings of the great god Pan, which somehow inspires one of the explorers to craft a board game based on what they found. Skip to present-day Maine, where that board game is found in a lakeside cabin by — surprise! — a bunch…
Now You See Me
In this summer’s sleeper hit, four magicians of varying specialties and egos are brought together by a mysterious, hoodied benefactor. Played by Jesse Eisenberg (30 Minutes or Less), Woody Harrelson (Seven Psychopaths), Isla Fisher (The Great Gatsby) and Dave Franco (21 Jump Street), they perform a live trick to end all tricks: robbing a bank…
Blancanieves
While not achieving the same storybook ending, Spain’s Blancanieves is every bit a celebration of the cinema as The Artist, this one is arguably more accessible because it plays in the currently in-vogue sandbox of fairy tales: Snow White and the Huntsman, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters and Jack the Giant Slayer among them. In finding inspiration in the Brothers Grimm version of Snow…
Frankenstein’s Army
Near the end of WWII, cameraman Dimitri (Alexander Mercury, The Golden Compass) chronicles the mission of a Russian military unit under Stalin’s order. As they cross terrain and cross terrain, you may start thinking about going AWOL. Don’t. Give it a good 20 minutes in order for things to fall into place. Gradually, the men…
The Accursed
Despite the death, Price insists they all still spend the night together at his estate; anyone who dares to try and leave obviously is guilty, and he vows to shoot to kill. Even with that warning, someone keeps trying to off the others. That’s poor etiquette. Warner Archive brings writer/director Michael McCarthy’s 1957 mystery to…
EDM giant Moby gets happy with Wayne Coyne
While out club-hopping a few weeks ago, we followed a trail of glittery girls that led to Wayne Coyne. We weren’t surprised, but we were sure intrigued. A new song or creative project was the obvious guess. Last week, an announcement was made that Coyne has teamed up with electronic music mogul Moby for “The…
Pants or no pants — e-fairness is needed
Under MFA, only retailers doing more than a million dollars in online revenue are expected to collect and remit sales tax. The idea that online million-dollar retailers cannot afford free software that integrates into existing accounting programs and the time it takes to print and sign checks to the states where they do business is…
Indian museum builds culture, future
<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-bo”=””> My grandmother was raised near Atoka and was told as a child to never tell someone she was a Native American because it was not something to be proud of, because “Indians are drunks and lazy.” We have come so far. As a…
Flower power
This is probably a rare situation, but it did let me learn a few things about this fair city I call home, weddings and, of course, love. When you channel all the bridesmaid energy in the universe, it’s truly amazing what can be accomplished. For example, the streets of Oklahoma City were nearly clear during…
Don’t smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette
Credit: Brad Gregg Even so, 17 percent of our residents admit they still smoke every day. It’s amazing so many people puff on the killers, considering they claim more victims than any other single cause, including suicide and alcohol or narcotics use, studies show. The good news? (Cough. Ahem.) There were 75,000 fewer smokers in…
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, where are your PR people, anyway?
Credit: Brad Gregg On Aug. 25, Fallin made the comment that it would be “a nice gesture” if President Obama reached out to the family of an Australian college student who was gunned down in Duncan. Christopher Lane, a baseball player at East Central University in Ada, was jogging near his girlfriend’s house when three…
Talk about scandalous!
Credit: Brad Gregg But TMRO’s coverage of OKC mayoral candidate Ed Shadid’s campaign kickoff was breathlessly cantankerous. In a post attributed to “staff,” a story several weeks ago noted how “details have emerged from Shadid’s rally that depict perhaps the most left-of-center political event in Oklahoma City mayoral history and portend an interesting campaign ahead.”…
LIFE FOOD & DRINK
LIFE FOOD & DRINK Harvest grapes, stomp grapes and then test the product at Tidal School Vineyards’ annual harvest party. On Saturday, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., the harvest party will include time for picking grapes and crushing them, and then a catered brunch will be served inside Tidal School. Brunch will include scrambled eggs, bacon,…
This teen fantasy isn’t so sweet
Credit: Brad Gregg The wild animal is much like the band, she said. It likes to stay up all night (she’s working to change that), it likes festivals, it loves chicken and it doesn’t like asparagus. We’re guessing on that last part, at least as far as the Followill family band goes. Oh, and King…
Community organizers
For many people who frequent the Plaza District, The Parish is more than a church. It has become a community hub where people can stop in, enjoy a cup of coffee and have a good conversation with friends. Those are things Pastor Kenny Deason believes make The Parish a vital part of the Plaza District…
Coach Stoops opens up … on Twitter
Credit: Brad Gregg Well, technically, the OU football coach has been on it for some time now, but his account was private, so no one could read his tweets unless Stoops said they could (yeah, he was one of those). Stoops becomes the second head OU football coach to join the popular social networking site,…
The Ultimate Life
“I’ve been a moviegoer since I was three years old,” Shillingburg said. “I come from a very movie-crazed family, so to actually be able to go the movie theater and watch actors speak lines that I’ve written and scenes that I’ve created, it’s very exciting.” The sequel to the 2007 faith-based hit The Ultimate Gift…
DO-nuts
Located on the corner of Western Avenue and Hefner Road, this shop carries the usual chocolate-glazed Long John (.69 each) and yeasty doughnut holes ($1.30 dozen), but it’s not just the traditional delectables that bring customers into the store. In a world of Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts, The Daily Donut has made its mark…
FILM
Movie Night at the Downtown Library, enjoy a film at the downtown library, 6-8 p.m., Sept. 4, 11. Downtown Library, 300 Park, 231-8650, metrolibrary.org. WED, WED Marriage Italian Style, (Italy, 1964, dir. Vittorio De Sica) a businessman in Naples is tricked into marrying his prostitute/lover of 22 years, 7:30 p.m., Sept. 5. Oklahoma City Museum…
Dr. Phil gets schooled
On Aug. 20, one of Dr. Phil McGraw’s staff published this tweet: “If a girl is drunk, is it ok to have sex with her? Reply yes or no to @drphil #teensaccused” McGraw, who was born in Vinita and attended the University of Tulsa, deleted the tweet almost immediately, but the damage had already been…
The hot place to be
Credit: Mark Hancock Turning tragedy into triumph, Midtown’s meteoric rise from the ashes occurred, in part, because of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building, which killed 168 people and wounded hundreds more. The blast damaged more than 300 buildings over a 16-block radius at a cost of $652 million. “So many…
This Is Martin Bonner
Not for nothing does This Is Martin Bonner carry that matter-of-fact, take-it-or-leave-it title. The film is a temporary glimpse into an ordinary man’s conventional life yet is told unconventionally, in that it doesn’t offer the regular beats to which moviegoers are accustomed (if not numbed). We swoop in, we observe its subject for a while,…
Tallows — Memory Marrow
When Tallows’ two-song demo surfaced on their Bandcamp site last November, expectations mounted in anticipation for a proper full-length. This was understandable, given the promise exhibited by these four fresh-faced locals on both “Soft Water” and “Small Talk” (the aforementioned demo), songs that were staggering in their conceptual ambition. Nine months later, we have Memory…
Driven to paganism?
Credit: Brad Gregg Keith Cressman, pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Bethany, learned the religious liberty suit will return to U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton’s courtroom after state Attorney General Scott Pruitt elected not to appeal a higher court’s decision. In June, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Heaton made…
Inside the Octo-gon
When Austin’s The Octopus Project takes the stage, it’s more than a concert — an immersive and organized chaos ensues. Thickly layered instrumentals, colorful projections and a conscious commitment to putting on a show come across clear as day. It’s frenetic, to be sure, but it’s also accessible in a way unique to this quartet.…
Ball control
The pair charge at the goal of success in this market and nationally. It’s a competition neither league really asked for, but it’s also not one that either is willing to back away from. Two well-known local sports operators — Prodigal and Sold Out Strategies — find themselves on opposite sides. Prodigal, led by owner…
Happenings the week of Sep. 3, 2013
2013 Student ADDY Winners Exhibit, showcasing the work of 38 UCO students whose work earned a total of 92 ADDY awards. University of Central Oklahoma, Donna Nigh Exhibit Hall, 100 N. University Dr., Edmond, uco.edu A Fresh Take: William S. and Ann Atherton Art of the American West Gallery, showcasing the Museum’s permanent art collection…
What about Bob?
Bob Dotson is the epitome of the phrase “people person.” He started his career in Oklahoma City with KFOR (then WKY) in 1969. His unique journalism style of letting everyday people do the talking garnered Oklahoma its first National Emmy. In 1975, he left to work with NBC, where he honed his craft and created…
LIFE
Strap on those stilettos, ladies (and gents). The sixth annual Heels for Hope event — a 5k race, one-mile walk and 25-yard high heel and feather boa dash promoting ovarian cancer awareness — kicks off at 9 a.m. Saturday inside Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave. All proceeds benefit the Heels for Hope Foundation, supporting…
Bonded by art
Elise Gordon, Windows Buckling Down “My daughter has been an artist from a very young age and became quite accomplished in high school,” Mathews-Gordon said. “During her high school years, I was a professional artist, and we would bounce ideas back and forth off of each other on our various projects. We would share techniques…
Little Italy
A touring art exhibition that condenses 500 years of Italian art through 40 paintings is open to visitors of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Museum curator Alison Amick has worked more than two years organizing Of Heaven and Earth, a collection of Italian paintings from the Glasgow Museum in Scotland. The show presents five…
Stop on by
FRIDAY DOWNTOWN STAGEAshford 10 a.m. Porch Mice 11:30 a.m.Camile Harp 1 p.m.Erica James Band 2:30 p.m.Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors 3:30 p.m.Luke Dick 5:00 p.m.Horse Thief 6:30 p.m.South Side Cindy and the Slip-Tones 8:00 p.m.Jeff Austin the Here and the Now 9:30 p.m.Del McCoury Band 11 p.m. Nathaniel Rateliff and Night Sweats 1:00 a.m. FRIDAY…
Mark it down for Saturday
BY: Shannon Cornman While market-fresh shopping has hit a peak in popularity in recent years, Edmond Farmers Market has highlighted local growers and craftsmen since 1988. Multiple rows of vendors at Edmond Festival Market Place, 30 W. First St., stock everything from vegetables, fruit and cheese to soaps, honey and fresh flowers. There are native…
OKG7 pizza places
2 Brothers210 W. Highway 66, Arcadia396-2288 2 Brothers is a destination for good pizza on historic Route 66, right across from the famous Round Barn in Arcadia. The cozy restaurant offers friendly service. Star’s Pizza Cafe & Grill2124 NW 39th St.601-4040 Look to Star’s for all your late-night munchies. Try its gourmet pizzas, spaghetti, sandwiches…
Urban education
“If we’re going to operate as a fully functional 24-hour downtown, we need more than an elementary school. We need a middle school and a high school,” said Russell Claus, city planning director, about John W. Rex Elementary School, under construction at Sheridan and Walker avenues. The $14 million charter school is the result of…
FOOD
Mid-Week Market, fresh, delectable local fruits, vegetables and other goods, 4-8 p.m., Sept. 4. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno, 445-7080, myriadgardens.org. WED Whole Wheat Sourdough cooking class, pre-register at 405-717-4900, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Sept. 4. Francis Tuttle Technology Center – Portland Campus, 3500 NW 150, 717-7799, francistuttle.edu. WED Paint N’ Cheers, creative social art classes,…
Sound excavation
You might expect Enid outfit The Fossil Youth to hit the road with fellow pop-punk groups when touring time comes. It has, occasionally. But just as often, it has trekked across the country with hardcore bands. Believe it or not, the band has yet to be death-glared off the stage. “It gives us a chance…
Legal challenge threatened over MAPS 3
Oklahoma City attorney David Slane contended that passage of the 2009 MAPS 3 package was unconstitutional based on a state law that restricts voters from approving multiple projects with a single-ballot question. Slane, known for taking often-unpopular stances on controversial issues, claims the ballot language violated the state’s so-called “single subject” law since it provided…
