Diary of a Wimpy Kid
<iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=oklahgazet-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002ZG97F6&fc1=000000&IS2=1 Too bad more family films can’t be like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” — in a word: painless. Possibly even more enjoyable to adults than its target audience of middle-schoolers, the movie never insults the intelligence of either. Based on the Jeff Kinney’s popular series of illustrated…
City receives biggest sales tax check ever at $32M
Oklahoma City received its largest sales tax revenue check in history, according to city officials. The August check, which represents receipts collected mainly in the month of July, amounts to $31,992,317.78. The revenue is not only a major increase from the same time a year ago, but also above the revenue collection for the month…
Road Kill
Having now seen five of the eight films in the “Fangoria FrightFest” line, I can say unequivocally that “Road Kill” is my least favorite thus far. First off, when will cinema’s young people ever learn? You do not mess with truckers. They will put the hurt on you! Our four protagonists “? two guys, two…
Heroes: Season 4
Good news: Season four of “Heroes” is a little better than season three of “Heroes.” Bad news: That’s still not saying much. After an absolutely fantastic first year, NBC’s super-powered sci-fi drama took a jaw-dropping nosedive in quality as it started its second. Creatively, the show never recovered, and should have been put out of…
Tapped
> Not that I have much in the past, but I’ll never buy another bottled water again after seeing “Tapped,” a documentary about the evils and ills of the industry. It will infuriate you. Director Stephanie Soechtig’s film takes a probing look at how corporations are busy tying up rights to our world’s water rights.…
Contestants named for 2010 Oswalt Culinary Cook-off
The 2010 Oswalt Culinary Cook-off contestants have been announced for the Sept. 1-2 event. The popular annual chef’s contest will stage at Cox Convention Center in a private showing for members of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association during its annual convention, which draws industry people statewide. Competing this year in surprise-ingredient heats for cash prizes, as…
The Other Guys
Maybe decades from now, the director/star team of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell will be thought of as this generation’s film-comedy equivalent of Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon. Hey, I said “maybe.” I’m someone who always looks forward to seeing Ferrell in a movie, but someone who really, really looks forward when said movie also…
Group will not appeal city decision on SandRidge development
Preservation Oklahoma announced this morning it will not appeal a ruling by the Oklahoma City Board of Adjustment allowing SandRidge Energy to demolish five buildings in downtown Oklahoma City. The organization had opposed SandRidge’s request to tear down the buildings along the 100 block of Robert S. Kerr Avenue. The energy company is entering its…
Ward 5 councilman enlists in U.S. Army National Guard
Oklahoma City Councilman Brian Walters was absent from Tuesday’s city council meeting. He will miss quite a few more meetings. The Ward 5 representative has enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard and will not be back until October, according to city officials. The last council meeting Walters attended was July 20. Elected to the…
Chamber to hold workshops, opportunity fair for displaced teachers
With more than 200 teachers from the Oklahoma City School District looking for work, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber has launched an effort to help them. A Teacher Workshop and Opportunity Fair is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University. The chamber is partnering…
It’s a Birthday party tonight for Vermont pop act
Happy Birthday with Residual Echoes, The Boom Bang and Shitty/Awesome 9 p.m. Wednesday The Conservatory 8911 N. Western www.conservatoryokc.com 607-4805 $5 Happy Birthday hadn’t even celebrated its first birthday before the quartet inked a record deal with one of the most respected independent record labels in the country. The group hits its terrible twos in…
Lyric’s Thelma Gaylord Academy hosting open house for fall classes
Lyric Theatre’s Thelma Gaylord Academy, which teaches children the art of musical theater and performing arts, will host an open house for its 2010 fall classes at 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 13, at its production center, 1801 N.W. 16th. Fall classes include: ” Musical Theatre Production, ” Introduction to Musical Theatre, ” Theatre…
Just following orders
Regarding John R. Junger III’s Letter (“Social discourse,” July 28, Gazette): Note that rule No. 5 of Saul Alinsky’s “tactics” in his book “Rules for Radicals” says: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counteract ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.” Translation: Call someone associated…
Yes, we did
In response to R.M. McVay’s question in the July 28 Gazette (Letters, “U.S. at a crossroads”): “Whatever happened to the American spirit of ‘Can do, will do'”? Well, after more than 50 years of Republican opposition to health reform, we Democrats finally decided that we can, and we did. So, the American spirit is alive…
A lot of us think dirty jobs are disgusting and downright dreadful, but hey, somebody’s got to do them…
Les Hutchens wasn’t particularly disturbed when a woman came to him with her deceased dog’s testicles. Heck, he wasn’t even all that surprised. It’s all in a day’s work for Hutchens, the president and CEO of Stillwater’s Reproductive Enterprises Inc. Even if that day happens to be the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the work…
Will power
If America is not good enough for you to live in and make money in, why then you are privileged to go to some other country. But don’t ask protection from a country that was not good enough for you. If you want to make money out of a country, why, take out citizenship papers…
Midwest Ink & Metal Fest organizers raise the bar for the three-day celebration of all things metal
Midwest Ink & Metal Fest Friday-Sunday Reed Center 5800 Will Rogers Road, Midwest City www.midwestinkandmetalfest.com $15 day, $30 weekend It will be a very metal weekend as body modification, tattooing, custom cars and metal music get their time to shine during the three-day Midwest Ink & Metal Fest. The expo that began last year as…
The Desert of Forbidden Art
s Russian avant-garde art. If not, this film may be its only survival. “?Doug Bentin
No longer knotted by familial fame, Shooter Jennings cuts the ambitious ‘Ribbons’ to comment on bleak times
Shooter Jennings with Bob Dylan 7:30 p.m. Friday Zoo Amphitheatre 2101 N.E. 50th www.zooamp.com 800-511-1552 $42 Shooter Jennings has always had a strong sense of self, something instilled by his father, the late outlaw country singer Waylon Jennings, who told him, “Don’t ever try to be like someone else.” As he’s grown older, he’s become…
Lyric stages ‘The Buddy Holly Story,’ a musical of rock ‘n’ roll hits and talent taken too soon
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story 8 p.m. today-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday Lyric Theatre Civic Center Musical Hall 201 N. Walker www.lyrictheatreokc.com 524-9312 $29-$66 Lyric Theatre closes out its season with a rocking production of the musical “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.” Director DJ Salsbury said the piece taps into the legend that surrounds artists who…
66 Bowl gets a proper send-off with rowdy rockabilly, custom cars and loud locals
Okie Twist-Off featuring Psychocharger, The Straight 8’s, The Hickoids and more 8 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday 66 Bowl 3810 N.W. 39th www.okietwistoff.com $10 Friday, $15 Saturday, $20 two-day pass The four-man crew behind Okie Twist-Off is a motley one. Jeff Beck, owner of Beck’s Garage, is the strong-armed mechanic who first had the idea for…
Local musicians to play fundraiser for Mindy’s Memory Primate Sanctuary
The Lily Guild and Terry “Buffalo” Ware Fundraiser for Mindy’s Memory Primate Sanctuary in Newcastle The Chouse, 717 W. Boyd in Norman 3-7 p.m. Sunday Donations will be taken at the door Brain lesions, Ebola virus, stroke, plague and drug-induced seizures. That was the life 55 long-tailed macaque monkeys left behind when In Defense of…
Bullies need love, too
In recent months, bullying has made top news. I’m glad for only one reason: Finally, there is a chance for others to see just how much the bully hurts. Many times, we focus on the abuse of the person being bullied without ever focusing on the abuse of one who causes such abuse. When we…
Modern-day adventurers explore the abandoned and forgotten buildings of Oklahoma
The Bryant Center at N.E. 23rd Street and Interstate 35 was a community center for the city’s African-American population. Martin Luther King Sr. and Clara Luper spoke there in its heyday. Residents gathered to talk and share fellowship. Gamblers traded faded bills and rolled worn dice. It was the gambling that put an end to…
Three Oklahoma teachers got to be kids again at space camp in Alabama as part of math and science initiative
As a child, Holley Sykes always wanted to go to space camp. This summer, she finally got her chance. Sykes was one of three Oklahoma elementary teachers who got the chance to attend astronaut training at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., in June. The Honeywell Educators at Space Academy awarded scholarships…
Little River Zoo offers kids a chance to learn about animals at night
Being on the lookout for a black bear in the dark is usually a bad thing, but not if you’re staying overnight at the zoo. Kids of all ages are invited to experience the nightlife from 6 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday at the Little River Zoo, 3405 S.E. 120th Ave. in Norman, which…
Behind each of the women running for governor is a political pro
Two political pros are going at it in the race to elect a new governor. No, not just Mary Fallin and Jari Askins. The campaign managers for the two candidates have a wealth of political and election experience, intensifying the high-stakes game to control Oklahoma’s top state office. Denise Northrup of Oklahoma City has been…
Why not, Oklahoma?
Bruce Springsteen wrote in “Glory Days” of an ex-baseball star stuck in the past and not looking forward. As Oklahomans, we cannot rest on the past. We have the legacy, resources and talent to mold our future. It takes commitment, focus and action. Peter Drucker wrote, “The best way to predict the future is to…
Let nudity ring
All a man wants is to be able to take a peek at some nudies in the normal course of the day. There’s nothing wrong with that, right? That’s all a man wants, to enjoy the leisure activity of relaxing and maybe the comforts of viewing some au naturale photographs. Just because he is a…
CFN Name of the Week
From the always great failblog.org comes this weirdly descriptive name of a Poteau school: Pansy Kidd Middle School. Yes, friends, you read that right: Pansy Kidd. We wonder if classes at Pansy Kidd include “rolling up into a ball to avoid physical conflict” and “the history of Microsoft.” Turns out, Pansy Kidd was a real…
CFN Family Spat of the Week
Do not vote for my dad! “local newspaper ad by the daughter of McClain County judicial candidate John Mantooth. The candidate, who told The AP the family feud stemmed from a 1981 divorce, said the “family issue should have been kept private.”
Get hung up at the Oklahoma Museum of Telephone History, offering a look at the communication tool’s yesteryear
Alexander Graham Bell might be surprised by how much his invention has changed since that first telephone call to Mr. Watson. Lucky for him, he could track his machine’s evolution at the Oklahoma Museum of Telephone History, 111 Dean A. McGee. Tracing the advances in technology that have carried the industry from Bell’s early experiments…
Dinner for Schmucks
Tim (Paul Rudd, “I Love You, Man”) is in an awkward spot. First, there’s a not-quite-requited love for Julie (Stephanie Szostak, “The Devil Wears Prada”), his somewhat-exotic girlfriend. Julie loves Tim, but can’t quite commit, despite her boyfriend’s repeated efforts to whip out a ring and make an honest woman of her. Julie and Tim…
After getting ‘Lost in the Sound of Separation,’ Christian metalcore act Underoath reaffirms its allegiance to a new sound
Underoath with Blessthefall, To Speak of Wolves and Pay at the Pump 8 p.m. Friday Diamond Ballroom 8001 S. Eastern www.diamondballroom.net 866-977-6849 $20.75-$24.25 If you hadn’t been paying attention, it might have seemed like Underoath emerged from nowhere. Although the success of 2004’s gold-selling “They’re Only Chasing Safety” was sudden, it was something the musicians…
Embrace the ‘solution’
I was thinking of House Bill 2780 as totally sadistic, inhumane and criminal. I was thinking that rape by instrumentation used as a technique to invoke a change of mind was, in fact, torture. Jamie Levescy’s Letter (“A real blow,” July 28, Gazette) has opened my eyes to the possibilities if we Okie gals would…
Nature inspires work in a variety of painted styles for exhibition
rything in the recent Norman tornadoes. The eclectic collection of artwork represents the diversity of nature, something Belt said everyone should be interested in. “All of us live in nature, and if we haven’t been aware of nature for many years, we certainly have in 2010,” she said. With an opening reception from 6-10 p.m.…
David Holt is leaving his job as the mayor’s chief of staff for a new gig as a state senator in November
Voters last week have given Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett a new opportunity: Find a new chief of staff. The current occupier of that office will soon be packing boxes and moving down the street in his new job as state senator. David Holt, who has served as Cornett’s chief of staff since 2006, won…
In your Face
You talk, we listen! Here’s what readers said on some of last week’s Oklahoma Gazette stories, via unedited comments left on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/okgazette: On state campaign financial reports: “”Ignorance is well represented in the OK congress” “Joshua Barrett On J. Simms’ second anti-gay letter to the editor, posted verbatim at the Gazette’s…
Vocalist Darla Z performs benefit show for OCU’s Kramer School of Nursing
Darla Z benefit show for Oklahoma City University’s Kramer School of Nursing 7:30 p.m. Friday Petree Auditorium in the Wanda L. Bass School of Music 2501 N. Blackwelder $35 408-3599, www.okcu.edu/concert Music has always been apart of Darla Zuhdi’s life. She just waited longer than most to pursue it as a career. Zuhdi, who goes…
Jimmy and Barry
Barry Switzer made headlines with his endorsement of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jari Askins (and did the same thing for Gov. Brad Henry in 2002). Now another football coach with Oklahoma ties is making headlines. His rival coach, Jimmy Johnson, is the latest celebrity announced to carry a tiki torch on the “Survivor” reality show’s Nicaraguan…
Zydeco queen Rosie Ledet’s life took a left turn at 16, and she’s followed the road ever since
Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys 9 p.m. Saturday Oklahoma City Limits 4801 S. Eastern www.oclimits.com 619-3939 The “night that will change your life” is a hoary conceit generally reserved for movies and sexual come-ons, but in the case of zydeco performer Rosie Ledet, it’s the honest-to-God truth. Her entire world changed after attending a…
A Democrat can win CD5
The July 21 Oklahoma Gazette Commentary by Publisher Bill Bleakley (“Choosing a congressman”) stated, “Because of the district’s registration and voting history, the next representative will most likely be a Republican.” I know the 5th Congressional District has not elected a Democratic congressman in 35 years. Here is why I believe we will have a…
Oklahoma City Zoo and a Paseo gallery unleash ‘Art Gone Wild,’ featuring collaborative paintings created by artful animals and their zookeepers
ion On display through Aug. 28 In Your Eye Studio & Gallery 3005-A Paseo www.inyoureyegallery.com 525-2161 As an artist, Asha is still very entrenched in her orange period. If Oklahoma City Zoo keepers let the 15-year-old Asian elephant pick her palette, every canvas would come up coated in some shade of cantaloupe. “Some of her…
Council appoints MAPS 3 convention committee
The Oklahoma City Council approved membership for a MAPS 3 subcommittee to help determine the location of the new convention center. By unanimous vote, the council set forth a committee of nine people ranging from a former mayor to a hotel manager. The members named to the committee are: ” Tom McDaniel, ” Kirk Humphreys,…
