Least Competent Criminals
Paul Keith, 75, was arrested in Framingham, Mass., in November after he had allegedly driven aggressively into the car stopped in front of him waiting for a traffic light to change. Keith earnestly explained to police that the other driver had failed to move once the light turned green. “(S)o I drove into the back…
Readers’ Choice
In October, Shannon Whisnant innocently bought a meat smoker at auction when owner John Wood of Maiden, N.C., fell behind in storage payments, but then Whisnant discovered Wood’s amputated leg inside (where Wood had been keeping it for posterity). Whisnant claimed ownership and then suggested a joint money-making project with Wood after the story made…
Update
Armin Meiwes, the German gourmet-cannibal who was convicted in 2004 of killing, filleting and eating an apparently willing victim whom he had met via the Internet, gave his first extensive interview from prison in October to German TV and mentioned in passing that his sauteed morsels “tasted like pork, a little … bitter, stronger.” And…
Despite ice storm, voters approve city improvement bond package
Oklahoma City residents gave overwhelming approval of a city bond package worth $835 million Dec. 11 despite the dire weather conditions. Tuesday’s election of 11 propositions ranged from repairing streets to building new parks. The vote took place one day after a harsh winter storm plowed through central Oklahoma, destroying trees and cutting off…
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream
2007 With the DVD explosion, the “midnight movie” “? that is, witching-hour screenings of oddball films that bring the drug-addled out in droves “? is a thing of the past. Originally shown on the cable channel Starz, the documentary “Midnight Movies” explores the birth of this cultural phenomenon through clips and interviews aplenty. According to…
News That Sounds Like a Joke
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made a special announcement in October that it is once again safe to eat squirrels in New Jersey. (In January, EPA had discovered lead in tissue samples from local squirrels, but later said the lead might have come from defects in the sampling machine.) Karl Marx’s writings glorifying communism (though…
The District of Calamity (Continued)
In November, two mid-level bureaucrats in the District of Columbia tax office were charged with stealing $16 million over three years (since raised by investigators to more than $20 million) by granting tax “refunds” to phony companies run by their friends and relatives. Authorities said six-figure refund checks were routinely issued to companies no one…
Route 66: Season One, Volume One
1960-61/2007 Although it ran for four fondly remembered seasons, “Route 66” doesn’t enjoy the same top-of-mind awareness today as other popular TV programs of the era. Perhaps that’s due to its anthology format “¦ but that’s also the greatest reason for rediscovering it on DVD. Its first 15 episodes appear on this disc, all starring…
Oklahoman musicians, performers make Grammy nominee lists
With nominations for the 50th annual Grammy Awards announced recently, several Oklahomans found their names on the list. Vince Gill’s four-disc “These Days” is up for Album of the Year. Although he faces stiff competition from Kanye West, Amy Winehouse and Foo Fighters, CFN intern Bucky ” an ace Grammy predictor since the days…
Counterpoint: Be careful what you ask for
It’s the Christmas season ” be careful what hate-crime legislation you ask for. The murder of Steven Domer, 62, was and is a heinous, barbarous act by, allegedly, a couple bottom-feeders bent on the destruction of human life. And why? We are not really sure just yet, but evidence thus far indicates that the…
The Little Book of the Sea – Lorenz Schr
MacAdam/Cage Ever lay awake at night trying to recall who won the 1924 Olympic medal in the 100-meter freestyle swim, how much poison a blue-ringed octopus packs or the true lyrics to “What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?” Well, matey, saying “ahoy” is “The Little Book of the Sea,” your compact guide to…
Hot Rod
ates many, but those tuned in to that acquired-taste brand of comedy will want to watch it twice in a row. The DVD enhances the experience with equally hilarious cut scenes, alternate takes, Rod’s amateur stunt videos and a longer look at his “Footloose”-inspired “punch-dance” sequence. Cool beans. “?Rod Lott
Flash Gordon: Volume 7 – Alex Raymond
Checker Publishing For those whose knowledge of Flash Gordon is limited to the 1980 film, the awesome Queen song that served as its theme or the recent Sci Fi Channel series, give the source material a try: Alex Raymond’s original serialized comic strip, reprinted in a series of top-quality, rectangular, oversized hardbacks “? ensuring high…
Cowboy Up – Kim D. Parrish
Oklahoma Heritage Association For “Cowboy Up,” Oklahoma Judge Kim D. Parrish was granted unprecedented access to the Oklahoma State University wrestling team in his account of what an entire season for these athletes is like. He couldn’t have picked a better time than the 2004-05 stint, which turned out to be what coach John…
The Curious Boy’s Book of Adventure – Sam Martin
Razorbill Let the “Dangerous Book for Boys” knockoffs begin! That British publishing phenomenon unwittingly has spawned a cottage industry in kid-centric how-to manuals, including this number, detailing “100 Hijinks & Escapades.” From the practical (knot-tying) to the cool (making invisible ink) to the inventive (building your own radio), this book reminds us how…
Oklahoma City man has his prosthetic leg stolen
Here at the CFN news desk, we’re disturbed to discover the existence of ” it seems ” a few people in Oklahoma City-ville with hearts two sizes too small. According to a KOCO-TV Channel 5 report, police are looking into an attack recently made on a homeless man downtown. The assailants took the man’s…
Inexplicable
In October, Beckley, W.Va., police detained a 61-year-old man whom they found at the King Tut Drive-In on a Saturday afternoon, apparently sober, after he had “driven” his four grandchildren, all around age 4, “on a busy street in a 15-foot motorboat pulled by a lawnmower,” according to an Associated Press report. The vehicle was…
Enid vandals become a phallic menace
Mayhem caused by Garfield County vandals has moved into the city of Enid, according to a story published in The Oklahoman. The first wave of vandalism came after hoodlums stole two trucks from Rite-Way Construction late on Nov. 24 and used them for an overnight “vandalism spree” that caused $100,000 in damage and killed…
Unclear on the Concept
British Airways, via a high-profile advertising campaign, has bragged about its environmental awareness, but London’s Daily Mail revealed in November that the company had recently flown “dozens” of planes across the Atlantic Ocean empty, spewing thousands of tons of carbon dioxide, allegedly because it could not find enough crew members for the flights. Critics said…
Fortune filter
Software engineers told Fortune magazine in November that they are constructing a filter to eliminate stupid messages to online forums and bulletin boards. Lead researcher Gabriel Ortiz said his team had compiled a database of idiotic comments and that the new software would detect unintelligible remarks and either alert the writer to fix them or…
Gov. Henry pleads for patience in ice storm recovery
For the hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans still without power from this week’s ice storm, the governor has one message: Be patient. Speaking before a gaggle of reporters and photographers outside the Oklahoma Gazette offices, Gov. Brad Henry gave his thoughts and prayers for those affected by the winter ice storm and urged everyone…
McAlester hospital CEO writes long-winded letter to the editor justifying his salary
The chief executive officer of McAlester Regional Health Center appears to be struggling with a case of what Bucky refers to as extremely long “letteritis,” complicated by “complaineropia,” according to a recent story in the McAlester News-Capital. The newspaper, according to the story, recently demanded through the Open Records Act an accounting of all…
The Golden Compass
Reviewer’s grade: A Just in time for Christmas: a film to give bored religious nuts something to whine about! “The Golden Compass,” based on the “His Dark Materials” trilogy by novelist Philip Pullman, is an exciting fantasy about a young girl named Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), her search for truth and her quest to save…
Precursor to a blog, the Eighties’ underground music fans read news via ‘zine’
In the Eighties, the fanzine ” “zine” for short ” was the forum of choice for motivated young minds and agitated cranks to rant about music in Oklahoma. One could find the publications at the hipper record stores ” self-published, often-Xeroxed manifestos often ornamented with anarchy symbols, band logos and maybe a vintage call…
Can’t Possibly Be True
An Indonesian fisherman, Dede, age 35, is in reasonably good health except that his hands and feet resemble something out of the “Alien” movie series, with huge root-like growths that render his arms and legs useless, according to a November Discovery Channel TV program, “Half Man, Half Tree,” reported on by London’s Daily Telegraph. Dermatologist…
State teams get ready for sure-to-be-entertaining bowl season
Football is gearing up for the college bowl season and the NFL’s playoff run and postseason. There’s excitement in the air and we may even be graced by an appearance or two from the jolly one himself. No, not Mark Mangino, although Kansas’ head coach has loaded his sled full of Jayhawks and soon…
Polls suggest Mormonism may be moving in from the fringes, public opinion
o not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith.” For Oklahomans, LDS became part of state politics in 1992 when Ernest Istook ran for and won the 5th Congressional District. Istook went on to serve seven…
Norman Ballet Company presents ‘The Nutcracker’
Every year, the Ballet Oklahoma production of “The Nutcracker” at the Civic Center Music Hall proves to be a popular holiday tradition. But this season, don’t overlook the Norman Ballet Company’s unique take on the Christmas classic. Yet another official centennial production, the Norman Ballet Company’s staging of “Oklahoma Nutcracker” will be performed Saturday…
Tampa rockers The Almost end their national tour with a stop at the Diamond Ballroom
h. After recruiting longtime friend Alex Aponte as bassist, the rest of the band fell together easily, and before long, “Southern Weather” made its way onto the Billboard 200, debuting at No. 29. Complete with Dusty Redmon and drummer Kenny Bozich, The Almost is touring the country to share their music to sold-out crowds.…
Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics
2007 How to make a child’s eyes light up this Christmas morning: Buy him a Wii. A more affordable, educational option: this 16-disc set. These shorts adapt 100 beloved children’s books and stories to animated format. Chances are several were your library favorites way back when: Crockett Johnson’s “Harold and the Purple…
The Yippee Yi-Yo Show’ comes to Oklahoma City
Wish your kids had their own equivalent of “Captain Kangaroo,” with all the comedy, music and puppets? Wish no more: “The Yippee Yi-Yo Show” is here to save the day. The yesteryear-style television show promises all that ” and bubbles ” at a live performance 2 p.m. Saturday at the City Arts Center Theatre,…
Oklahoma State selects ‘Flashpoint’ commentator, former Regent as its President
The Cowboy nation of Oklahoma went searching from shore to shore to find a new head honcho. Turns out, they didn’t have to go far out of the valley to rope their own John Wayne. V. Burns Hargis, a banker and political pundit, rode into Stillwater and lassoed the job. It’s one he knows…
28 Weeks Later
2007 On a second viewing, “28 Weeks Later” still strikes hot as a particularly strong and smart horror film, not to mention timely. Standing superior to the vastly overrated “28 Days Later,” this sequel chronicles what happens once the zombie outbreak of London is cleaned up “¦ well, at least they think it’s…
Live Free or Die Hard
(Bruce Willis, bigger, better and balder, but not getting any younger), “Live Free” has him once again saving the world from terrorists. However, this time they’re not foreign and swarthy, but good ol’ Americans, led by a cyber-savvy baddie (Timothy Olyphant) using technology to shut down the entire world. As is his wont, McClane…
No
Reviewer’s grade: C Star/writer/director David Wall (who?) delivers yet another warm and sensitive movie about a man who has lost his faith, but recovers it on Christmas Eve. The man is Father John Keene, who has been sent by the church to Cape Cod to close down a parish that is, using Keene’s word,…
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Collection
2007 Those of a tad too young to have experienced the 007-esque “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” during its original television airdates in the Sixties now can consume its four seasons in one whole bite, thanks to an
Point: Oklahoma’s Matthew Shepard
Arguments ad nauseam over who is number one in football, and why the Bowl Championship Series is the Great Satan have overshadowed a much more important debate in Oklahoma about what kind of state we really live in, and why we refuse to add “sexual orientation” to our hate-crime laws. It took the murder…
Unwrap a giant Bricktown Christmas rock show with Shawnee’s Shiny Toy Guns
Although it’s illegal to bring weapons on an airplane, the in-your-face foursome Shiny Toy Guns has taken over the cockpit with its debut album, “We Are Pilots.” Next stop: Oklahoma City. The post-punk, alternative quartet will make its metro landing 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Bricktown Ballroom with Chicago-based Madina Lake and local act…
Ocean’s Thirteen
2007 Apparently having learned a hard, valuable lesson from 2004’s “Ocean’s Twelve” — being that Americans don’t cotton to sequels that draw inspiration from Italian films of the swingin’ Sixties —? director Steven Soderbergh and his mighty cast go back to the heist-driven hijinks that made “Ocean’s Eleven” such a hit in 2001 and kick-start…
Former University of Oklahoma climate scientist shares a Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore
A Nobel Prize recently was awarded to a former University of Oklahoma professor ” along with hundreds of other people worldwide. In October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, would be the joint recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in…
When new metro moms suddenly need assistance, Infant Crisis Services provides emergency help
l style=”MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt”>The new facility will offer private family interview rooms, a private breast-feeding room, a resource room and a 6,000-square-foot warehouse to store diapers, formula and other donations. “? Lauren Parajohn
How to Be a Genius – Andr
Chicago Review Press Chances are, if you have to consult a book like this, your IQ isn’t going anywhere. But “How to Be a Genius” gives it the college try, dishing out advice on building your brain. Said tips include such earth-shatterers as “Dress the part” and “Join the arts.” This self-described “Handbook for…
Plaid Tidings’ presents holiday version of ‘Forever Plaid’
Lyric at the Plaza opened last week, sporting the classiest renovation imaginable for the Thrities-era former cinema on N.W. 16th Street. New seating for just shy of 300 people, catwalks, a versatile stage area, and new sound and lights all come together to make this a terrific intimate venue the city can glow…
Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve – Janet Morgan Stoeke
Dutton In this slim hardback aimed at the preschool set, an oblivious hen named Minerva Louise learns what Christmas is all about as she happens upon Santa Claus in the midst of his annual rounds. Following him down the chimney, she witnesses the jolly elf stuffing stockings and gorging on cookies. Utterly…
Enid vandals become a phallic menace
Mayhem caused by Garfield County vandals has moved into the city of Enid, according to a story published in The Oklahoman. The first wave of vandalism came after hoodlums stole two trucks from Rite-Way Construction late on Nov. 24 and used them for an overnight “vandalism spree” that caused $100,000 in damage and killed…
Grand Ole Party plants its brash leader behind the drums for some high-energy art rock
Kristin Gundred, front woman of Grand Ole Party blasts out big and brassy vocals which pipe through their new CD, “Humanimals.” She is as brash as Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, but a bit less brat and more art. But the real shock comes when one learns that Gundred belts out while tucked behind a…
Museum opens Oklahoma City Panorama exhibit
Now is your chance to travel back in time and find yourself in the middle of downtown Oklahoma City as it stood in 1991, as part of “Oklahoma City Panorama.” The exhibit will be on display until Feb. 10, 2008, at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch. Sixteen years ago, photographer…
City crews busy salting routes, clearing trees and repairing traffic signals
Oklahoma City street crews are working around the clock to clear ice and trees from City streets, City of Oklahoma City’s Kristy Yager said. The City of Oklahoma City has 75-100 people dedicated to working each 12-hour shift, 24-hours per day until conditions improve with shift changing at noon and midnight, said Yager. …
