Updates
A court in Preston, England, convicted Akinwale Arobieke, 46, of violating an earlier court order (reported in News of the Weird in 2006) by doing the same prohibited behavior: He accosted a man in public at a mall and fondled his bicep. In October, the singer Donovan, 61, announced plans to open the Invincible Donovan…
No Longer Weird
Adding to the list of stories that were formerly weird but which now occur with such frequency that they must be retired from circulation: (85) The errant animal (often a squirrel) that wanders into an electrical line or substation, kills itself, and thereby plunges a wide neighborhood area into darkness, as in Ashland, Wis., and…
The Evil Dead: Ultimate Edition
1981/2007 Does the world really need yet another edition of Sam Raimi’s oft-released indie-horror classic “The Evil Dead”? When it comes to the new, super-sweet three-disc “Ultimate Edition,” the answer is a resounding “Yes!” If you thought Anchor Bay put a lot of effort into its recent “Ultimate” releases of “Re-Animator,” “Phantasm” or “Hellraiser” this…
Hack!
2007 Sadly, this horror spoof is the kind of horror spoof where the title says it all. Writer/director Matt Flynn reaches for that “Scream”-style postmodern irony in “Hack!,” but for whatever reason “? low budget, amateurish acting “? can’t quite bring the film up to the level of his ambition. The potential certainly is there,…
The Continuing Crisis
The existence of the 50-year-old, ultra-secure computer protocol required for a U.S. president to launch nuclear weapons is well-known, through newspapers, books and Hollywood films, but according to papers released by Britain’s National Archive in November, a similarly complex protocol has been in place in that country only since 1998. Before that, a person could…
State budget remains stagnant for ’08
State agencies using up Christmas wishes for next year’s budget better get use to two words: Forget it. Numbers from the State Office of Finance indicate that while state revenue is up, the money available for agencies is flat. State Finance Director Tony Hutchinson said the budget for fiscal year 2009 is near the…
Creme de la Weird
Mesa, Ariz., police arrested Sebastian Mancilla, 41, in November after a security camera at Mervyn’s department store caught him being not too subtle in looking up the skirt of a female shopper. According to an Arizona Republic reporter, citing a police source: “At one time Mancilla approached the woman from behind and laid down on…
Least Competent Criminals
Not Ready for Prime Time: A man in a werewolf mask tried to rob a Subway sandwich shop in Pittsburgh in October, but came away empty as the two employees on duty refused to give up money even though he implied that he had a gun (covered with a paper bag). The employees said the…
Mad #485
E.C. Publications As I kid, I read Mad magazine religiously. Two decades later, it’s amazing how different it looks: It’s in color! It has ads! And, hey, why isn’t the fold-in on the inside back cover? Mad #485 gets in on the end-o’-year list action with its countdown of the “20 dumbest people, events &…
Goth-tronica’s Chloe Day braving cold to make OKC stop
Chloe Day grew up hating both the jazz music her dad couldn’t get enough of and the classical music her mom listened to in the car. The only thing she dreaded even more was upbeat, cheerful Christmas music, so don’t expect to hear any seasonal tributes at her Oklahoma City show this Saturday at VZD’s.…
After 20 years in prison, former death row inmate files suit against city
For two decades, Curtis Edward McCarty played defense, spending every day defending his life from an execution date. Now the 45-year-old former death-row inmate is on offense. In federal court, McCarty filed a lawsuit this month against Oklahoma City for violation of his constitutional rights. The suit also targets former forensic chemist Joyce Gilchrist and…
CFN’s not-so- random 10
Ten songs we really weren’t in the mood to hear on our iPods last week: “The Power” by Snap! any version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” “Blackout” by Scorpions “Staying Power” by Barry White “Light My Fire” by The Doors “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen “Lights Out” by Peter Wolf anything by Canned…
Art museum re-creating historic theater’s opening-night double feature
In 2000, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art purchased the historic Centre Theater in downtown Oklahoma City. The derelict building ” which had been left to rats, rain and transients for a quarter of a century ” was extensively renovated into the fine facility the museum occupies today. In recognition of the historic site, the…
The Kite Runner
Reviewer’s grade: B- You would expect “The Kite Runner” to be a gut-wrenching cinematic experience. Based on Khaled Hosseini’s runaway bestseller, its tale of childhood betrayal and adult redemption is played out amid a milieu of horrors committed by Afghanistan’s Taliban regime. Moreover, the picture boasts a marquee director in Marc Forster, whose credits…
Group behind Terrill’s anti-immigration law deemed racist by law firm
The Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, which helped write Oklahoma’s anti-illegal-immigration law, was designated a “hate group” Dec. 11 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights law firm. With that designation, FAIR joined the ranks of the American Nazi Party, the knights of the Ku Klux Klan and the New Black…
Pundit equates Oklahoma Republican to a ‘skunk’
At least one pundit has equated Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn to a “skunk” recently ” and, no, gentle readers, that’s not a reference to his hair. As part of his hold on dozens of bills that would increase spending without cutting costs, Coburn is “the man most responsible for obstructing” a bill that…
Debate rages in OU vs. OSU argument for athletic supremacy
While surfing the Internet the other day, I ran across a locally based message board featuring an all-too-familiar debate over which school has the more successful athletics program: the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State? As anyone familiar with the bedlam series might expect, OU and OSU fans pretty much butt heads on every point…
Red Dirt Rangers return to stage annual kids’ holiday concert
Oklahoma roots-country band The Red Dirt Rangers is no stranger to beer-soaked music halls and rowdy crowds throughout the region, but for more than a decade, the trio has donated stage time for a tamer, though no less festive, holiday performance in Oklahoma City. The band’s 15th Annual Kids’ Christmas Show is scheduled for 2…
Spa packages give recipient gift of feeling younger, looking better
I set out in early November to discover how and why beauty shops and beauty operators had become salons and stylists and then, in many cases, evolved again to include spas staffed by estheticians, nail technicians and massage therapists. These retreats offer women ” and some men ” a few hours of escape from life’s…
Oops!
The Texas Board of Education announced in November that it had made its selections of approved math textbooks for the next school year, even though the group of chosen books contained a total of 109,263 errors. Books of the industry giant Houghton Mifflin accounted for about 86,000. All publishers have guaranteed to correct the errors…
I Am Legend
Reviewer’s grade: C- Just in time for the holidays, here’s a new movie “? it only seems old “? with Will Smith and his faithful dog doing battle with rabid, flesh-eating zombies, both animal and human. You won’t look at a turkey carcass the same way ever again. A miracle cure for cancer has…
An open letter to the Oklahoma governor
Dear Gov. Brad Henry: On behalf of the Chicken-Fried News world headquarters, we greatly thank you for cutting your Hawaiian rendezvous short and touring our post-ice storm neighborhood Dec. 12. Some Oklahomans say you have made great things happen since taking over the governor’s desk. Well, the now-illuminated desks at 3701 N. Shartel certainly…
100 Oklahoma Outlaws, Gangsters, and Lawmen: 1839-1939 – Dan Anderson with Laurence Yadon
Pelican Back when the west truly was wild, Indian Territory “?later dubbed Oklahoma, of course “? was home to a number of ne’er-do-wells, whether residents or just temporary passersby. Edited by Robert Barr Smith, this book profiles 100 of them and their lawmen pursuers, many of whom remain household names. Inside, you’ll find short biographical…
Fiber art focus of JRB exhibit
Just as people need more fiber in their diet, they need more fiber in their art. Answering the call for that recommended daily allowance is an exhibit of fiber art by Martha Green, now on display through Christmas Eve at JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker. The Paseo exhibit features themed quilts, fabric…
Ada teens allegedly take joy ride through town
Out of the town of Ada comes a high-speed chase in which one can just “¦ hear the banjos playing in the background. It began, according to the Ada Evening News, when someone reportedly stole an older-model Chevy from a business at the 400 block of S. Mississippi Avenue where the owner had parked…
Fine Points of the Law
In November the Food and Drug Administration told Smiling Hill Farm of Westbrook, Maine, that it would have to recall all of its egg nog because it did not list “egg” as an ingredient on the label. Federal law requires the listing to protect people with egg allergies from inadvertently consuming foods that they might…
Lyric gets new home in renovated Plaza Theatre
In the Thirties, the Plaza Theatre was considered state-of-the-art and was lauded for being Oklahoma’s first air-conditioned theater. But for decades, the building was abandoned and left to ruin, occupied only by rats unconcerned with the theater’s history and architecture. Nearly 30 years after closing its doors and $3.5 million in construction later, a new…
Okies abound on Grammy nominations list
Oklahoma bands and musicians garnered nearly a dozen nominations for the 50th annual Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy has announced. Some of the nominations earned by Okies ” past or present ” include: ” Carrie Underwood’s “Oh Love” (with Brad Paisley) for best Country Collaboration with Vocals and best Country Song, and “Before He Cheats”…
Point: Petitioners broke the law
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights ” or TABOR ” initiative petition was thrown out by the Oklahoma Supreme Court last December because the process was riddled with fraud, including the illegal use of out-of-state petitioners (non-taxpayers) as circulators. Oklahoma’s multicounty grand jury looked at the tactics of the petitioners, and it also found them…
Santa visits downtown Christmas tree on Saturday
Officially lit the day after Thanksgiving, the downtown Christmas tree stands at the Centennial Fountain Plaza on the Bricktown canal, just across from the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle. You can’t miss it; thousands of lights adorn its limbs. Each Saturday this month, the tree plays host to “Santa Saturdays,” a new event…
Redwall: The Graphic Novel – Brian Jacques and Bret Blevins
Philomel Brian Jacques’ “Redwall” series of fantasy novels comes to comic-book form to target young adults, with illustrations by Bret Blevins (Marvel’s “New Mutants”). The concept of a sword-slinging mouse fighting various creatures “? sniveling rats and frightening snakes included “? lends itself so well to the graphic format, it’s a wonder it took this…
Hatchet
2007 Arriving amidst much hype, the slasher film “Hatchet” turns out to be slightly misrepresented. While the box pegs it as “old school American horror,” the truth is forgot to put “a parody of” before it. See, the kind of films that this post-modern effort pays tribute to “? “Friday the 13th,” “The Texas Chainsaw…
Christmas Joy: Let Heaven and Nature Sing – George H. Back
Spirit & Intelligence Press As a longtime dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Oklahoma City, George H. Back is used to spouting wit and wisdom to the Episcopal congregation. His audience grows a little wider with the publication of “Christmas Joy,” a seasonal-themed collection of short essays with inoffensive humor. Many of them are sweet,…
City Rep gives Dickens’ tale a new perspective in ‘Marley’
Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has been retold in dozens of stage and screen adaptations, but never one from Jacob Marley’s deceased point of view. Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s current reprise of Tom Mula’s “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” intersects with Dickens’ version, but supplies a unique spin. This is theater that doesn’t try to rival…
For Boys Only: The Biggest, Baddest Book Ever – Marc Aronson and HP Newquist
Feiwel and Friends Kids who read “For Boys Only” won’t realize it, but this treasure trove of information is a tribute to the joys of research. Like “The Dangerous Book for Boys,” this contains several how-to articles; unlike that best seller, it doesn’t limit itself so narrowly in scope. That certainly helps it earn the…
Counterpoint: Blunder, not crime
It has not been a good autumn for Oklahoma’s national reputation. In November, The Wall Street Journal compared us to Pakistan and Forbes magazine compared us to North Korea. Why all the criticism? A decision by Attorney General Drew Edmondson to indict three political activists for actions related to their attempt to place the Taxpayer…
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Reviewer’s grade: F Dave Seville (Jason Lee, TV’s “My Name Is Earl”) is a struggling songwriter with commitment issues. One lucky day, three inexplicably talking (Satanic possession?) chipmunks climb into Dave’s muffin basket and take up residence in his apartment, where they eat cereal and poop on the couch (and then eat it). Dave…
Small-Town Mayors
Mayor Ken Williams resigned in Centerton, Ark. (pop. 2,146), in November and revealed that he is actually Don LaRose, an Indiana preacher who abruptly abandoned his family in 1980 because, he said, satanists had abducted and threatened him, and brainwashed him to rub out details of a murder he supposedly knew about. He said his…
24: The Official CTU Operations Manual – Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese
Quirk With the writers’ strike still dragging out and Kiefer Sutherland serving 48 days behind bars for drunken driving, fans of the Emmy-winning television series “24” can get their ticktock fix with this faux “Operations Manual” dedicated to the show’s counterterrorist unit. Packed in its own sturdy fold-out box, as if to suggest secrecy and…
Margot at the Wedding
Reviewer’s grade: B You’re invited to attend the nuptials of Pauline and Malcolm (Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jack Black) at their seaside home in New York. Guests include Pauline’s sister (Nicole Kidman). Reception to follow, filled with disaster, catastrophe and long-buried family secrets rearing their ugly heads. RSVP to this flawed but worthy…
Ranger’s Law: A Lone Star Saga – Elmer Kelton
hors who stick to it enjoy a fairly devoted readership. One is Texas resident Elmer Kelton, whose new “Ranger’s Law” is actually a collection of three previous novels “? “Ranger’s Trail,” “Texas Vendetta” and “Jericho’s Road” “? all from his Texas Rangers series. This trio exhibits Kelton’s gift for deftly written action, authentic dialogue and…
Bush approves Henry’s disaster declaration request for seven counties
Gov. Brad Henry’s office announced today President Bush has granted the request for seven Oklahoma counties to be declared major disasters because of the Dec. 9-10 ice storms. Three Oklahoma City metropolitan area counties area are included among the seven: Cleveland, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie. The other four are Lincoln, Mayes, Tulsa and Wagoner. “This…
Court OKs wireless taps
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has reversed a district court decision to suppress evidence obtained from intercepting wireless cell phone calls. In a unanimous decision, the court ruled state law enforcement acted properly under state and federal guidelines, and therefore, the communication interceptions were legal. The court stated while there is confusion because…
