City council to vote on agreement with FOP related to MAPS 3 use tax
The Oklahoma City Council will vote on Tuesday on a collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police that keeps in place much of the existing agreement. The few changes that are in the agreement include adjustments to monthly insurance premiums to reflect increased health care costs, and a drug and alcohol testing policy…
Wah Do Dem
when he gets there. Along the way he encounters a flood, a shaman, several stupid tourist moves (never leave the bus), a couple dance parties, indie-rock cameos, a pick-up soccer game and a weird friendship that starts at knifepoint. This is all framed in the context of the days leading up to and following President…
The Possession of David O’Reilly
It’s never a good idea to let a friend nursing a broken heart crash at your pad. You know that already, but you may never do it again after watching “The Possession of David O’Reilly,” an effective no-budget pic from Great Britain. The David of the title is a recent dumpee (Giles Anderson), and he…
The Hound of the Baskervilles
nwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″> Released just a little too late to capitalize on the recent wave of all things Sherlockian, BFS Entertainment’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is welcome nonetheless. Although this 1983 production was made for television, it’s so rich with atmosphere that it screams feature. One of dozens of adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s…
Exam
And you thought the SAT was hard! In “Exam,” eight total strangers applying for the same job are escorted into a small room that looks a little bit like an underground bunker “? complete with armed guard “? and given strict instructions and exactly 80 minutes to finish the test in front of them. They…
Big Bad Mama / Big Bad Mama II
<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=B0042FUHUM&fc1=000000&IS2=1 As a grade schooler who harbored a sizable crush on Angie Dickinson watching her as Pepper Anderson in the mid-’70s TV series “Police Woman,” I always wanted to see her in “Big Bad Mama” whenever it popped up on cable. Naturally, with it being rated R, I…
Time Bandits
In some ways, “Time Bandits” was ahead of its time. One of the first 1980s family films to hold interest of children and parents alike, the fall fantasy flick was a significant box-office success. Former Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam, an American expatriate, brainstormed the idea of a child traveling through different times surrounded by…
Knight and Day
A would-be summer sizzler that fizzled, “Knight and Day” does not lack in star power, anchored by two A-listers in Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. One is the film’s greatest asset; the other, its greatest liability. But more on that in a minute. Roy (Cruise) and June (Diaz) meet cute in a Wichita airport,…
The Spy abandons the airwaves to become online-only station
After online rumors surfaced tonight that local alternative radio station 105.3 FM The Spy will leave the airwaves at midnight, inside employees confirmed the report is true. Sources said, “It was a deal gone bad.” The Spy’s on-air personality and ringleader, Ferris O’Brien, was not available for comment. However, O’Brien stated on Twitter and Facebook…
Hotel
Jonesin’ for mo’ “Mad Men”? Yeah, me, too. I couldn’t help but think often of the show while checking out Warner Archive’s burn-on-demand release of the 1967 epic “Hotel.” Boasting a similar look, feel and cavalier love of carcinogens, the film is not exactly classic, but it’s well-remembered. Based on the same-named Arthur Hailey novel…
The Warrior’s Way
Sometimes a mess can be a good thing. Consider the canvases of Jackson Pollock, the beauty of bikini Jell-O wrestling, or the green-screen genre mishmash that is “The Warrior’s Way.” Few people will see it, and far fewer will get it, but those among the latter will enjoy the hell out of its ever-wavering groove.…
Vampires Suck
<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=B003UESJC4&fc1=000000&IS2=1 Writers/directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (“Date Movie,” “Epic Movie,” “Disaster Movie”) have really grown as filmmakers. But only in that they no longer feel compelled to include the word “movie” in every title. They remain, however, the antithesis of film comedy. The duo’s latest, “Vampires Suck,”…
Most Oklahomans know how you get HIV/AIDS, but does the younger generation?
The younger generation has grown up with a mentality that you can take a pill for anything and be OK, said Mary Arbuckle, director of Other Options Inc., an organization that helps provide or locate resources to help those with HIV/AIDS. “It’s getting really scary,” Arbuckle said. She said her organization is seeing an influx…
Photography museum showcases Oklahoma centenarians, farmhouses
Ageless faces and rural places of Oklahoma adorn the halls of the International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum for exhibitions by Oklahoma artists M.J. Alexander and Wilson Roberts. An opening reception for the already in-progress exhibitions will be held 5-7 p.m. Saturday at the IPHF museum inside the Omniplex, 2100 N.E. 52nd. CENTENARIANSAlexander’s “Centenarians…
The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont
Fiction Of the more than 100 novels I read in 2006, none gave me more pleasure than this summer’s debut from Paul Malmont, “The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril.” A serious book with a funny name, Malmont’s what-if adventure features two real-life writers as its protagonists: Lester Dent and William Gibson. Dent and Gibson serve…
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson
When it came to 2006 nonfiction, nothing could top February’s “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer.” Grippingly, James L. Swanson’s true-life “Fugitive” makes for absolutely riveting reading. Even if, like me, you don’t consider yourself a history buff, know that “Manhunt” doesn’t read like a textbook lecture, and for good reason: Rather skillfully,…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
At times, although one is perfectly in the right, one’s legs tremble, wrote philosopher V.V. Rozanov. “At other times, although one is completely in the wrong, birds sing in one’s soul.” That may have been the case for you last month, Taurus, but these days it’s the exact reverse. If your knees are wobbly, you’re…
T.I. – T.I. vs. T.I.P.
Atlanta rapper’ and self-touted King of the South’ T.I.’s new album “T.I. vs T.I.P.” doesn’t steal the throne from his Grammy-nominated 2006 album “King,” though it manages to rule over most other commercial hip-hop on the charts right now. The record is billed as the two personalities of T.I.’ one representing a laid-back businessman and…
Odd Couple’ still funny in Jewel Box’s production
What happens when two guys “? one divorced and one separated “? move in together to save money as well as support one another? The guys end up having the same problems and blowups they had while married, in Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” a perennial favorite since premiering in 1965 and now in residence…
‘Out of sight, out of mind’
After observing hundreds of bicyclists, myself included, the numbers say that bicyclists are either traveling at 10 mph or, when they get all cozy and comfy with each other out there in traffic, they slow down to 7 mph and shoot the breeze. Once in a great while, a bicyclist may reach 35 mph going…
Chance of a lifetime
Edmond musical moppet Greyson Chance wowed the crowd at his Nov. 18 concert debut in New York City. According to Popeater.com, the YouTube sensation and Ellen DeGeneres fave capped off quite a whirlwind year with a show at Joe’s Pub that “proved himself a virtuoso born for a stage and a grand piano.” Turns out…
Surrealist art inspired by lowbrow culture on display in OKC
Artists inspired by underground comics, hot rods, street culture and commercial art currently have their eclectic pieces showcased at “Pop Surrealism,” showing through April 21 at City Arts Center at Fair Park. Pop surrealists use the “lowbrow” art of cartoons and graphic design to create art that critiques war, American commercialism and popular culture. “It…
Carpenter Square treats Pulitzer-winning ‘Picnic’ with reverence
William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play, “Picnic,” revolves around the people in a tiny Kansas town getting together for a Labor Day celebration. But what rides beneath the action is not fellowship so much as loneliness “? a gnawing ache to escape the boredom of their existence. Handsome drifter Hal blows into town, catching the…
Band of brewskies
Want to know how to save money on devising your next marketing strategy? Forget that consultant ” just plaster the thing with patriotic clichés and have a ready-made market base in the armed forces. Oklahoma native Don Sessions, the owner of Ol’ Glory energy drinks, decided to expand his operations to Ol’ Glory beer. Ramping…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Are there any actors who have impersonated as many different types of characters as Gemini chameleon Johnny Depp? From rogue agent to chocolatier, from psychotic barber to astronaut, he is a model of inconsistency ” a master of not imitating himself. (To glimpse 24 of his various personas, go here: http://bit.ly/GeminiActor.) According to my reading…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
During some of her concerts, Capricorn singer Hayley Williams (lead vocalist of Paramore) has worn a tank top that bears the phrase “Brand New Eyes.” I encourage you to consider making that your own guiding principle for a while. By pointedly declaring your intention to view the world with refreshed vision, you will be able…
127 Hours
Man-versus-nature tales don’t get more elemental or harrowing than the real-life one involving Aron Ralston. You might not recognize the name, but you probably know the incident for which he’s famous. In May 2003, Ralston was mountain climbing in a remote section of Utah when, in a freak accident, a boulder crushed his right hand…
‘The King and I”
Since its Broadway debut in 1951, “The King and I” has been an enduring hit, and songs like “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” and “Something Wonderful” have become toe-tappingly familiar. In Summerstock Productions’ staging of the musical in Edmond, Billie Thrash directs and choreographs her sprawling cast with a sure hand and…
Turkish ceramics get rare stateside showing
Works of art rarely seen on American soil are now on exhibit in Oklahoma City University’s Wanda L. Bass Music Center Atrium. Turkish ceramists Ibrahim Erdeyer and Mehmet G
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest’ arrives with great buzz, high expectations from viewing venue
As far as Hollywood was concerned, the foreign film was through. Finito. Muertos. “With a few minor exceptions, the foreign-language film had died on the vine,” said Brian Hearn, film curator at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. “American distributors were not willing to take them on anymore. And then this comes along.” By “this,”…
Oklahoma novelist offers view of state different from Steinbeck
Many may consider “The Grapes of Wrath” the quintessential novel about Oklahoma. Novelist Rilla Askew does not. “People think they know the story of Oklahoma during the Thirties because Steinbeck’s book has become iconic,” said Askew. “The image of Oklahoma is of the Joads heading west on the Mother Road. The state gets summed up…
Collison’s extension means four years of quality tweets
On Nov. 23, Nick Collison signed a four-year contract extension with the Thunder. I like this deal for a couple of reasons. For one, Collison is a good, if not great, role player. He plays under control, is a good chemistry guy and led the NBA last season in charges drawn (57, if you’re interested).…
Now in its 20th year, Blue Door’s annual Woody Guthrie tribute fetes folk’s finest, from California to the New York Island
20th Annual Tribute to Woody Guthrie 7 p.m. Sunday The Blue Door 2805 N. McKinley www.bluedoorokc.com 524-0738 $20 Greg Johnson said, “The Blue Door is a pretty sacred spot for Woody Guthrie songs.” He should know. As co-owner of The Blue Door, he’s been hosting tribute shows to Guthrie since 1994. The series started in…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
On my Facebook page, I posted this excerpt from a Pablo Neruda love poem (translated by Stephen Tapscott): “Our love is like a well in the wilderness where time watches over the wandering lightning. Our sleep is a secret tunnel that leads to the scent of apples carried on the wind.” In response, a reader…
Lola Ray – Liars
Lola Ray’s debut album, 2004’s “I Don’t Know You,” proved the musicians weren’t content to be another pop-punk act. With hints of Eighties new-wave woven throughout their songs, the bandmates showed they know how to play melodic leads as well as bang out the power chords. “Liars” is further proof that Lola Ray wants…
Norman’s downtown revamps its look by adding paintings to businesses, retail shops and restaurants
Norman has been hiding something from those that don’t live there. It’s been hiding it in the clothing stores, in restaurants and even in the gym. Let’s just say there was a need ” a need for something else in Norman besides campus and Campus Corner. With this need, the downtown art scene along Main…
Get Published!: Professionally, Affordably, Fast
Not everybody who wants to write a book should, but the advent of print-on-demand technology has anybody to become a published author. Companies like iUniverse will print anybody’s not-so-great American novel (or anything else) for a fee or a huge cut of the profits, if any. “Get Published!: Professionally, Affordably, Fast ” is a how-to…
Festival of the Arts featuring 144 artists this year
nze pouring will be featured. Clint Howard, owner of the Deep in the Heart Foundry near Bastrop, Texas, will coordinate the nightly pours. FOOD AND MUSIC More than two dozen food vendors will be at the festival, Baker said, mostly located south of the Festival Plaza. The Arts After School gallery on the east side…
OKC’s The Underground gallery opens with multimedia ‘Urban Landscape’ exhibit
The Invited Artists Gallery will be opening in The Underground on Friday with “The Urban Landscape.” Formerly known as the Conncourse, The Underground is the newly renovated tunnel system that links 16 blocks and more than 30 buildings downtown. The ambient lighting in the system sets the proper mood for viewing artwork in the new…
Frigid temperatures and brutal winter winds drive athletes indoors, but there’s no shortage of opportunities
Don’t fool yourself: The holidays are out to get you. Bone-chilling rainstorms, howling winter winds and a parade of red-letter days with an abundance of deliciously weight-packing meals are certain to bust diets across the metro. But athletes can at least keep active by seeking out a number of sports warmly nestled indoors. Perhaps one…
Jason Boland & the Stragglers may struggle, but they always make it through
Jason Boland & the Stragglers with Turnpike Troubadors Saturday Wormy Dog Saloon 311 E. Sheridan www.wormydog.com 601-6276 $15 Life’s never necessarily come easily for Jason Boland, but he’s learned how to make the best of pain and loss. It’s one of the reasons for his success. As he sings on “Proud Souls,” “Life’s a lot…
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Physicist Stephen Hawking believes it would be dangerous to get in touch with extraterrestrial creatures. “If aliens visit us,” he says, “the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans.” Those who’ve studied the teeming evidence for UFOs would say that Hawking’s warning is…
My So-Called Band celebrates the 1990s with covers of songs you still can’t get out of your head
My So-Called Band 9:30 p.m. Friday The Blue Note 2408 N. Robinson 600-1166 $5 Only one local bar band offers an invitation to shamelessly celebrate the dark secret suppressed by most 20- and 30-somethings in the metro area: We love the ’90s. My So-Called Band ” a tongue-in-cheek nod to the television series “My So-Called…
The unofficial Park Plaza District’s proximity to Project 180 could mean design changes to the revitalizing area
A downtown group seeking to opt out of Project 180 streetscape design requirements is hoping to do so before or at Thursday’s Board of Adjustment meeting. Rick Dowell, president of Dowell Properties, is appealing the matter to the board after Project 180 work within the unofficial boundaries of the Park Plaza District was given the…
‘There is hope’
This is a thank you to Letter to the Editor writer Lynn Garman (“Offering ‘an alternative,'” Nov. 24, Gazette) for her inspirational letter. Her eloquent words spoke my feelings precisely. I, too, am a frustrated progressive who has had relatively little creative outlet in such a theocratic and conservative state. Even the food I eat…
Family’ values
Dear “decision-makers” at the Gazette, Great cover (Malena Lott, “Modern Oklahoma family,” Nov. 17, Gazette)! Sometimes, a single decision can start ripples spreading through a whole society, bringing about change in consciousness that affects tens of thousands. Your decision to put Angel Porch’s photo of Eddie Walker and Timothy Fields and their adopted sons on…
High school students to sing with Foreigner
For the students of Mount St. Mary’s Catholic High School, Thursday may feel like the first time for onstage jitters. The private school’s choir will join Foreigner onstage at the rock band’s 8 p.m. concert at Riverwind Casino to sing “I Want to Know What Love Is.” The unique collaboration is made possible through the…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
If you want to get a gallon of milk directly from the source, you have to squeeze a cow’s udder over 300 times. I recommend you use that as a metaphor for your task in the days to come. It’s going to take a lot of squirts or tugs or tweaks to get the totality…
Capitol gallery will feature Tulsa photographer’s work
/Fine%20Art/mcentirephotoshow.jpg” width=150 align=right vspace=10 border=0>A Tulsa photographer’s work will go on display at the state capitol’s North Gallery Everyone knows that a picture is worth a thousand words, but after taking a look at a few pieces of Paul McEntire’s work, one could easily come up with a few thousand more. From a simple close-up…
Why?: The War Years by Tomie dePaola
Fiction Intended for ages 7 and up, this chapter book is told from the point of view of little Tomie, who greets New Year’s Day of 1942 with typical childhood naïveté. While family members are off fighting the war, Tomie worries about little more than losing teeth. Until the last three pages, which offer something…
Carpenter Square’s ‘Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some)’ struggles to be anything but messy
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some) 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday Carpenter Square Theatre The Boom 2218 NW 39th Through Dec. 18 at the Bricktown Hotel & Convention Center 2001 E. Reno $15-$18, $5 Student Rush 232-6500 At the beginning of “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some)” on opening night, the stage lights…
Strong performances and production values drive Jewel Box’s highly entertaining ‘I Hate Hamlet’
aturing well-drawn characters and still-apt observations about the nature of acting for the stage versus screen. The material is well-served by both the fine cast and longtime Jewel Box costumer Charlotte Rose, making a strong directorial debut here. As the frustrated Andrew, Jared Blount starts off a little low-key surrounded by more strongly defined characters,…
Head Game by Tim Downs
Tim Downs is a novelist whose thrillers get lumped the “Christian fiction” genre. This does not mean a pious lecture, but a story free of profanity and sex. You won’t miss their absence, because the page-turning thrills are there. Two Gulf War vets find their past catching up with them with a vengeance, courtesy of…
Pain in the ash
Over the past year, concerned citizens of Oklahoma have been learning about coal ash, a by-product of burning coal for power, and working to educate others about the problems it causes in Oklahoma and around the country. Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Academy of Sciences have years of research linking coal ash…
Oklahoma’s Orwellian doublethink to blame
F. Scott Fitzgerald said the true test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas at the same time and still retain the ability to function. If this is so, Oklahomans should be leading the nation in all things intellectual because we are fast becoming a state of walking contradictions. We…
Poetry in motion
Thank you for printing Lauren Zuniga’s outstanding poem regarding the 2010 election results (Letters, “A poem to progressives plotting mass exodus,” Nov. 17, Oklahoma Gazette). It was an inspiring, beautifully crafted sentiment that is obviously heartfelt. “Joshua Powell Oklahoma City
Sandor family exhibit features photography collection
“Gifts from the Ellen and Richard L. Sandor Family Collection” is an exhibit of the many photos Ellen Sandor and her husband have compiled over the years, on display through May 20 at the University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm in Norman. When Ellen was a graduate student at The…
Concerned citizens claim development plans are at odds with wetland health
It was the natural beauty of the Lake Overholser area that drew Lynda Bahr and her family to move from the Midtown area; and it is a possible threat to that natural beauty that is spurring Bahr and others living in the area to fight a proposed development. Bahr is part of an activist group…
Downtown Edmond celebrates a
“Dickens of a Christmas” Thursday-Saturday, ongoing Downtown Edmond During its annual “Dickens of a Christmas” program, downtown Edmond is lit up with electric lights and holiday cheer as the winter season descends. Over the years, the event has grown from one night of holiday festivities with the surrounding community, to multiple weekends of events and…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, says the Bible. That doesn’t mean what most people think it does. The word translated as “meek” is the Greek word praus, which in ancient times didn’t mean “weak-willed, passive, mild.” Rather, it referred to great power that was under rigorous control. For example, soldiers’…
I scream
Look, we love delicious, delicious ice cream as much as the next Okie, but this is possibly taking it too far. According to an article on NewsOK.com, the Oklahoma City police found a woman inside an ice cream truck at Woodson Park in southwest OKC. But let’s just say she wasn’t peddling sweet treats. Instead,…
The Pollard in Guthrie succeeds at ambitious adaptation of ‘Ragtime’
The sprawling canvas of E.L. Doctorow’s novel “Ragtime” would appear too complex and enormous to translate to the musical stage, yet the Pollard Theatre in Guthrie has proven itself up to the challenge. In its thrilling opening, three different societal elements of America’s 1902 melting pot square off, while real-life characters like J.P. Morgan, Henry…
For the second year, the Gold Dome hosts a holiday music concert of classic proportions
Holiday Concert Under the Dome 3 p.m. Sunday Gold Dome 1112 N.W. 23rd www.usao.edu/dome 574-1355 $15 Once sentenced to death by demolition, the Gold Dome building at 1112 N.W. 23rd is now revered as a cultural landmark across the metro area and the state. World-renowned violinist Yuval Waldman of New York City envisioned yet another…
The Wiz: 30th Anniversary Edition
1978/2008 It’s hard to believe the same Sidney Lumet who delivered the blistering, brutal “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” this past year is the same director who gave us the safe, sanitary musical “The Wiz” three decades ago. But here, in a two-disc edition, is a high-tech reminder of a lo-fi film. Adapted from…
The Little Red Fish by Taeeun Yoo
Fiction Sometimes I wonder if kids’ books aren’t secretly for adults; this marks one of those times. Here, young JeJe accompanies his grandfather to a forest-located library, bringing along with him a fish, which goes missing in a book; the boy enters the book to retrieve him. Yoo’s story is that undemanding, but her art…
The Octopus Project returns to extend its sonic tentacles around your indietronica-loving hearts and souls
The Octopus Project with Yellow Fever 8 p.m. Wednesday Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union University of Oklahoma 900 Asp, Norman www.opolis.org $10 Usually, a band writes songs before thinking of performing them live. But The Octopus Project hasn’t ever prescribed to the normal formulas associated with being a band. Breaking another one only felt natural,…
Trio of established artists with ties to Oklahoma open a new exhibit examining their works
“Natural Selection” opens New Year’s Day at JRB Art at The Elms, 2810N. Walker, featuring pieces by Shelley Horton-Trippe, Joe Andoe and MarkoKratohvil. An Oklahoma City native with a master’s in fine arts from the University ofOklahoma, Horton-Trippe has lived and worked in Santa Fe, N.M. for the last30 years, said gallery owner Joy Reed…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Much of my recent book, Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia, is rated PG. Some is R. But there’s one story that’s X. Not in the same way that porn is. While it’s uninhibited in its rendering of ecstatic eroticism, it’s a feminist meditation on spiritual intimacy, not a heap of vulgar stereotypes. Still, when…
Joan Matzdorf’s landscape paintings and more are on display at the state Capitol
“Landscapes and More” Governor’s Gallery, state Capitol 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday through Dec. 26 free 521-2931, www.arts.ok.gov Born to a mother and father who were both avid painters, Joan Matzdorf knew art was in her blood, and has found joy in it throughout her life. The Tulsa native travels extensively, taking her paints with her…
The Ten-Minute Sexual Solution: A Busy Couple’s Guide to Having More Fun, Intimacy, and Sex
Dr. Darcy Luadzers Hatherleigh Press Hard to believe, but some couples forget to spend time with each other. Lack of intimacy can drive a wedge into any relationship, and our state has a divorce rate to prove it. Sex therapist Darcy Luadzers is here to help, with tips on reigniting romance for those who…
Historic Guthrie specializes in nostalgia during its annual, month-long holiday celebration
Now that the last remnants of the turkey and dressing are gone, it’s time to get your Christmas spirit into high gear. There may be no better place to do it than Guthrie, which turns into a colorful Christmas Past each December. The official kick-off for the season takes place at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. According…
PR BS
Lots of press releases related to the Sooner State cross our desk. This week, these titles least screamed “Stop the presses!” “”Oklahoma’s Pork Industry Would be Devastated by the ‘one-size-fits-all’ Rule” “”Shadow Inventory Jumps More Than 10 Percent in One Year, Pushing Total Unsold Inventory to 6.3 Million Units” “”Rick Shriver, Appointed Senior Vice President…
Riding with the Blue Moth by Bill Hancock
Nonfiction On Jan. 27, 2001, an Oklahoma State University plane crashed in Colorado; 10 people died in the crash, including Will Hancock, 31, the basketball team’s coordinator of media relations. “Riding with the Blue Moth,” a memoir by Will’s father, Bill Hancock, gives you a glimpse into his pain, but mostly sets the example of…
A local foundation focuses on South Africa’s children in poverty
In 2007, Leigh Jacobs took his wife, Carrie Coppernoll Jacobs, to visit his native South Africa for the first time. It was a trip that made him look at his country through someone else’s eyes. “I’m used to poverty,” Jacobs said. “I’m used to seeing shanty towns and people begging on the side of the…
Local act Emelo purposely measures out its indie pop in short, sweet dollops
Emelo with Ben Kilgore and Daniel Walcher 9 p.m. Friday VZD’s Restaurant and Club 4200 N. Western www.vzds.com 524-4203 $5 The guys of Oklahoma City indie-pop act Emelo might be megastars if they weren’t so damned practical. “We love making music and playing shows, but a national tour is not even a possibility at this…
Zoo animals will settle for a kid-made edible ornament this holiday season
Deck the Zoo Oklahoma City Zoo, 2101 N.E. 50th 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, ongoing $1 with edible wildlife ornament 424-3344, www.okczoo.com Children have the opportunity to visit their favorite animals at the Oklahoma City Zoo, 2101 N.E. 50th, for the price of a homemade ornament and a buck. Rather than the regular entrance…
Happy Birthday Oklahoma!
Only one official Oklahoma centennial projects is experienced through the perspective of a bird named Boomer Scissortail: “Happy Birthday Oklahoma!,” an illustrated children’s book written by local man John Morrow. The full-color, 56-page hardback follows Boomer as he learns about significant events in state history, starting with Oklahoma’s 1907 statehood and ending with a centennial…
Graceland: An Interactive Pop-Up Tour by Chuck Murphy
rom the ol’ missus, Priscilla, it’s not some easy cash-in. Best of all: no waiting in line with sweaty tourists. Worst of all: the $40 price. “?Rod Lott
Hostel
2005 Writer/director Eli Roth (“Cabin Fever”) is the grimly gleeful face of the America’s horror resurgence “? weaned on stomach-churningly graphic Asian imports and unafraid to revel in spilt blood, Roth’s slight filmography to date marks him as a talent adept at synthesizing the visceral brutality of the Eighties and the modern, sleekly terrifying works…
Tony Brown’s Happy Hour’ The Samson Mammoth
Oklahoma City indie band Tony Brown’s Happy Hour leans toward the stark coldness of Pink Floyd psychedelia instead of the woozy distortion of Haight-Ashbury psychedelia on its debut album, “The Samson Mammoth.” While some distorted, bright moments appear early in the record, the majority of the album focuses on acoustic guitar, piano, simple drumming and…
Thunder Bunny by Barbara Helen Berger
Fiction Looking for a lasting Easter gift for the kindergarten set? Spring for this, about a bunny rabbit born blue, to the amazement of its mother and siblings. The bunny seeks to frolic in the sky “? and does “? until a storm gives it second thoughts. One could view “Thunder Bunny” as an allegory…
Comedian Brian Regan continually updates jokes for a fresh take on the world around him
Brian Regan 7:30 p.m. Thursday Rose State College Performing Arts Theater 6420 S.E. 15th, Midwest City www.brianregan.com 297-2264 $39.50 When Brian Regan found that people knew him as the stand-up comedian who always hunched over and paced around the stage, he decided to stand up straight. When he heard that people knew him as the…
CFN Quote of the Week
I suggest we create an award for the media outlet that best typifies a modern day change agent, working to change the morality of Oklahomans. Perhaps this year we should call it the Joseph Goebbels Propaganda Award for Sodomy. First, the Oklahoma Gazette (I pronounce it the “Gay-zette”) for the Nov. 17 cover story titled:…
The New Bedside Playboy: A Half Century of Amusement, Diversion & Entertainment by Hugh M. Hefner
Nonfiction This literary anthology encompasses 50 years of Playboy magazine content, much of it fiction, with authors as varied as Arthur C. Clarke, Jay McInerney, Ray Bradbury, Donald E. Westlake and Ian Fleming. On the commentary side of things, there’s Norman Mailer, Scott Turow and Daves Barry and Mamet. Iconic features of Hef’s influential revolutionary…
Celebrating a century, the Colcord makes a commitment to conservation
The historic Colcord Hotel is one of the forerunners in sustainability and conservation within Oklahoma’s hotel industry. Originally an office building, one of the structure’s most visible contributions to the green movement was the act of recycling the skyscraper and transforming it into downtown Oklahoma City’s only boutique hotel. “This is about doing what we…
Schedule cooperation between Project 180 and the MAPS 3 could save taxpayer money
City streets only a few months old, refurbished as part of Project 180, could be ripped up again when the city lays down track as part of the MAPS 3 streetcar project ” potentially wasting millions in taxpayer dollars if the two projects do not work closely together, transit advocates claim. Conversely, taxpayer money may…
CityRep stages ‘Our Town’ with top-notch cast
Encompassing 12 years at Grover’s Corners, N.H., Thornton Wilder’s Pultizer Prize-winning “Our Town” “? put on by Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre with Oklahoma City University Department of Theatre “? focuses on the effects of industrialization on America, love, marriage and death. Most productions of “Our Town” are done on big, bare stages, so director Michael…
Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape
Fans of the award-winning “Fables” series will want to follow the comic title’s first spin-off, “Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape.” The five-issue collection plops Jack (as in “and the Beanstalk”) in a prison community for those fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme characters who have fallen out of favor. Between bedroom romps with Goldilocks,…
Poverty picture
There are seemingly conflicting federal survey numbers about the depth of poverty in Oklahoma these days, but all the facts taken together show that there’s still too much suffering and more needs to be done in the fight against systemic impoverishment here. A U.S. Census report in September claimed the state’s poverty level actually declined…
Childhood nostalgia evident in OKC artist’s paintings
Oklahoma City illustrator Christopher Nick likes to paint things that “remind me of my childhood.” State Capitol visitors can see the childlike optimism in his exhibit, “Capturing the Heart,” which will be featured through June 3 in the East Gallery. COMMISSIONSThe vast majority of Nick’s paintings are commissions for various magazines and businesses. Nick’s piece…
Various Artists – The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson
cover of “Darby’s Castle,” are unsettling in their mainstream approaches. Overall, “The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson” is a worthwhile, surprisingly low-key, listening experience with lots of hits and very few misses.”?Tracy M. Rogers
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote a book called Ecce Homo: How One Becomes What One Is. I’d love it if in the next few weeks you would think a lot about how you are on your way to becoming what you were born to be. Current astrological omens suggest you will have special insight into that…
Parks and Recreation: Season Two
zon.com/e/cm?t=oklahgazet-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002N5N5PM&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr” style=”width: 120px; height: 240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″> Universal Studios Home Entertainment has the audacity to slap the quote “This is the funniest show on television” on the back of the box of “Parks and Recreation.” So good thing it really is! While I’m still an unapologetic fan of the series’ abbreviated, foot-finding first season, “Parks…
