People Different From Us
For 15 years, Eduardo Arrocha, 46, was different from us, as “Eak the Geek,” the “Pain-Proof Man” at New York’s Coney Island Sideshow, where he lay on nails, walked on glass, ate lightbulbs, and put his tongue in a mousetrap. However, in 2007, he traded everything in for a spot in the class at Thomas…
Recurring Themes
As animal hoarding goes, the 30 seized from Darlene Gardner’s double-wide trailer home in Kootenai County, Idaho, last year weren’t particularly noteworthy, even though two of them, deer, were living inside, each in its own bedroom. Authorities released the deer and other healthy animals into the wild and euthanized the rest, and Gardner’s husband pleaded…
Questionable Judgments
It seemed like an obviously good decision by the Toronto Transit Commission in 2006 to curb counterfeiting of its aluminum coins and paper tickets by phasing in larger metal-alloy tokens as substitutes. By earlier this year, when the tokens had completely replaced the lighter coins and paper, the commission realized that its fare-sorting room was…
Least Competent Criminals
Embarrassing: A 49-year-old Leavenworth, Kan., man was hospitalized in November after (according to police) using a front-end loader to pluck an ATM from the Frontier Credit Union. He was hurt when he drove to the edge of a 50-foot embankment and tried to drop the ATM, imagining that the fall would break it open, but…
Literary Libations
Literary figures with local ties had choice words about a good, stiff drink. Their picks ” both drinks and words ” carried a wide vocabulary. Here are their drinks and where to get them. While some may drink to forget, some drink to remember. It was his upbringing in Oklahoma that clouded Ralph Ellison’s glass…
Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video
1979 Make no mistake: Michael O’Donoghue was before his time. The dark humorist made a name for himself as a writer and performer at the start of “Saturday Night Live.” In 1979, he made a show to fill in for “SNL” on a week off, but NBC found it to be too hot for TV,…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
According to the novelist John Gardner, there are just two kinds of stories in literature: you go on a journey, or a stranger arrives in your world. According to my analysis of your destiny in 2009, you will reap rich rewards by including both of those plotlines in your life story. So let the brainstorming…
Latest Religious Messages
An administrative court in Sweden overruled a government agency in November, thus requiring that the Madonna of Orgasm Church founded by artist Carlos Bebeacua be registered as a legitimate religious community. “The orgasm is God,” he said, and “should be worshipped” as a “metaphor of life.” It should not be limited to ejaculation but can…
Cultural Diversity
Serbians, who have previously, bafflingly, constructed large, reverential public statues of martial-arts actor Bruce Lee and movie characters Tarzan and Rocky Balboa, built one of reggae musician Bob Marley in August in the village of Banatski Sokolac. Also planned was a statue of British singer Samantha Fox, but that project fell through. One Serbian artist…
Bottle Rocket
1996 Of all of Wes Anderson’s films, his “Bottle Rocket” of a debut remains his best. It’s nestled firmly in my all-time Top 10 “? a positioned only cemented by Criterion’s new double-disc release, which puts Sony’s previous bare-bones release to absolute, unquestionable shame. Anderson’s simple tale of suburban Texas boys (brothers Owen and Luke…
The House Bunny
/DVD%20review%20thumbnails/housebunny.jpg” width=65 border=0> 2008 I’m completely serious when I say Anna Faris deserved year-end awards consideration for “The House Bunny.” No, really! Bear with me: Granted, the film is nothing special, but its lead is. In movie after movie not up to her level of talent (“Scary Movie” to “Just Friends”), Faris has exhibited an…
Blindfolded chess player
One of the world’s best-known strategists on the game of checkers passed away in November. Richard Fortman was Illinois state champion six times, and in the 1970s and 1980s published a seven-volume handbook on rules and tactics. Many people now considering the game would be astonished to know that, as in chess, there are masters…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
“How do you slay the dragon?” journalist Bill Moyers asked mythologist Joseph Campbell in an interview. By “dragon,” he was referring to the dangerous beast that symbolizes the most unripe and uncontrollable part of each of our lives. In reply to Moyers, Campbell didn’t suggest that you become a master warrior, nor did he recommend…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In the original Constitution of the United States, adopted in 1787, each black slave living in America was counted as three-fifths of a person. Seventy-eight years later, the Thirteenth Amendment conferred the missing two-fifths on all who had up until then been regarded as partial humans. I predict that a comparable milestone will come for…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In 2009, don’t just tune in to your hunches now and then. Be more diligent and intense than that. Check in with your intuition at least three times a day on all 365 days of the year. Be precise in the questions you pose it. Gather its clues craftily. Have fun as you joke and…
Hancock
2008 It’s not difficult to tell where “Hancock” shifts from being an enjoyable, agreeable alternate take on the superhero film into a near-complete mess. It’s right there in the middle, when the not-so-thinly-veiled secret rears her head “? akin to shifting a car from drive into reverse without using the clutch. That doesn’t make “Hancock”…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free. That was Michelangelo talking about how he approached his work as a sculptor. He didn’t build the statue, in other words, but got rid of the unnecessary stuff that was surrounding it. I suggest that you try this approach in…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
The most expensive bat mitzvah in history took place at New York’s Rainbow Room in November 2005. David Brooks, a billionaire defense contractor, spent $10 million on his daughter’s rite of passage. Among the stars he hired to perform at the bash were Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Nelly, and 50 Cent. Promise me, Capricorn, that if…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Most people spend their entire lives immersed in three modes of awareness: waking, sleeping, and dreaming. But there are many other modes that have been explored down through the ages by the pioneers of consciousness. Some of them aren’t very interesting to me — like those sought out by people who use cocaine or methamphetamines,…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Imagine you’re driving down a very wide highway that’s 50 lanes across even though there are no lines dividing one lane from another. Speed limit signs aren’t posted, and some vehicles are zipping along in zigzag paths at over 100 mph while others crawl along like old-lady turtles. Now and then you’ve got to weave…
A pension disorder
As we approach the end of a year, it is perfectly natural to look back on the year behind us. Some people make lists of the best or worst things, such as movies and songs. This year, I would like to look back on the most ridiculous occurrence in Oklahoma government. Gene Stipe, the former…
Vietnamese refugees have made a home in Oklahoma City
Hoa Tran left Vietnam on a U.S. Navy ship the day Saigon fell, April 30, 1975. He would not see his family again for four years. Tran was one of more than 700,000 Vietnamese refugees who fled in the days, weeks and even years after Gen. Van Tien Dung’s North Vietnamese army occupied Saigon, bringing…
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
ls/Benjamin-Button.jpg” width=150 align=right vspace=10 border=0>A nearly flawless execution of popular filmmaking, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has entry points for the gamut of moviegoers. It’s heartfelt and sentimental, but not reckless with emotion. There’s a magic element central to the story line that doesn’t distract or seem gratuitous, instead garnishing a sparkle that glimmers…
Jane Austen Ruined My Life – Beth Patillo
Guideposts Don’t let the title fool you: “Jane Austen Ruined My Life,” by author Beth Patillo, is a tender affirmation of devotion to the beloved English writer. It couldn’t be more evident than in the first few pages, where Patillo’s character Emma Grant lovingly recalls the first line in the classic “Pride and Prejudice” “?…
Tony Bennett featuring the Count Basie Big Band – A Swingin’ Christmas
Sony Leading fantastic swing arrangements, Tony Bennett’s iconic voice commands the Count Basie Big Band for an album of jazzy Christmas classics perfect for the best kinds of holiday parties. The always confident Bennett swaggers through holiday standards like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” a throwback big-band track with blazing horns and meandering piano interludes.…
Oklahoma politicians suggest removing sales tax on guns
Boy, here’s one for the Oklahoma marketing genius category at Chicken-Fried News. Take the reddest state in the nation (us) and come up with a plan to cut taxes even more ” and make guns cheaper! That had to be a no-brainer for State Rep. Eric Proctor, D-Tulsa, and state Sen. Kenneth Corn, D-Howe. That’s…
Sheryl Crow – Home for Christmas
Hallmark A low-key collection of Christmas songs, pop (and occasional country), singer Sheryl Crow’s “Home for Christmas” features an unexciting, but not un-welcoming, lineup of holiday standards. The Christmas warmth is particularly tepid with Crow’s renditions of “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Her voice is always good, but this is the singer…
Plenty of great stories to choose from as we look back at year’s best
There is still a little over a week left in 2008, and all of the big stuff that can truly be defined as “big stuff” has already unfolded this year, at least where the world of sports is concerned. BEIJING SUMMER GAMESSAM BRADFORD Sure, there are bowl games galore over the next few days, but…
In the Gutter
2008 A recipe for modern film comedy: Urine, feces, vomit, semen. Stir. Serves millions. “In the Gutter” chronicles how such one-time unmentionables broke barriers and have become virtual plot points in today ‘s movies. The one-hour documentary “? originally broadcast on cable’s Starz channel “? is not for the faint of heart, nor for those…
Slumdog Millionaire
When everything shakes out at the end of the month, “Slumdog Millionaire” will probably top my list of 2008’s best pictures. An old-fashioned coming-of-age story, the film is set mostly against the exotic squalor of modern day Mumbai, India. We follow two Muslim brothers, Jamal and Salim, from the day their mother is killed by…
OKC live-music venues offer holiday escapes
You’ve made lists, stood in lines, unwrapped gifts and turkey-dined. Christmas is the season for giving, but even those who’ve been bad all year deserve a break. Get out of the house, forgo family festivities and stuff your live rock stocking with three offerings from Oklahoma music magi. CHRISTMAS EVEDJ Jeremy Dawson 8 p.m. Electro…
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn – Alison Goodman
Viking The title of the book instantly put me off “? it all smacked too much of people who dress up and go to Renaissance festivals. I like a good fantasy as much as the next nerd, but I tend to draw the line at dragons. And “Eon,” by Australian author Alison Goodman, is chock…
Big Apple holiday tradition comes to Oklahoma City
Nothing beats a great pair of legs. Except maybe two dozen of them. For the past four years, Oklahoma City University alum and OKC resident Karen Boyd Bethel has been one of 24 of the world-famous Rockettes touring the country with the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular.” With each new year, she’s living a childhood dream,…
Oklahoma City’s potential-conflicts-of-interest purging process causes scramble
Oklahoma City officials recently addressed would-be conflicts of interest of 16 city boards, commissions and committees with uneven results. ‘I DID WHAT I THOUGHT I SHOULD DO’QUORUM CLUSTER’IT MAKES TOTAL SENSE TO ME”IT IS A TRAVESTY’ The weeding-out process announced by City Manager Jim Couch last summer spawned questions in its wake, according to some…
Frost/Nixon
When Richard Nixon sought to repair his reputation with television interviews in 1977, his aides selected an interviewer whom they were confident would be a pushover. David Frost, a British TV host with a taste for the good life, seemed a better fit questioning The Bee Gees than disgraced world leaders. As the riveting “Frost/Nixon”…
DVD collections offer no-brain solutions for gift card spending
Holiday gift cards in hand? Ready, get sets, go! Redeem those little rectangles of plastic in one solid punch by picking up some TV or movie collections on DVD. Here are several new releases not to overlook when turning those cards into cache. TELEVISION”CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ” The Eighth Season”Discs: 5MSRP: $84.98 Scoop: TV’s…
Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery displays pen-and-acrylic work
A television glowing behind her, the silhouette of Matty Lynch’s roommate provided all the inspiration he needed. “She was watching ‘ER’ and I had a blank canvas I didn’t know what to do with,” Lynch said, with a laugh. He added flowing, “tentacle”-styled hair to his roommate’s profile before completing the piece several months ago…
Dorian Small Band releases new recording
The latest offering from the Dorian Small Band proves the Norman songwriter is a master of the bedroom opus. The nine-song “Newlyweds” EP is rife with lush and intricately crafted songs, complex songcrafting and vocal stylings reminiscent of John Lennon. And like the later years of the iconic ex-Beatle, this new release shimmers with a…
Guthrie museum displays Victorian-era Christmas decorations
A historic Guthrie museum is celebrating Christmas as settlers did more than a century ago. The Oklahoma Territorial Museum has re-created Victorian-era Christmas dressings and decorations, giving visitors a glimpse of the how the holiday’s modern traditions have evolved. The museum is displaying several Christmas trees that have been decorated using materials and techniques popular…
Retiring Oklahoma sheriff foils prison escape on last day
It should have been an easy day for Pittsburg County Sheriff Jerome “Snookie” Amaranto. It was his last day, after all, before Sheriff Snookie headed off to retirement. But, what’s a last day without apprehending a handcuffed, fleeing prisoner from the back of a speeding vehicle? It all started, according to a story in the…
Various artists – We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year
whipping to death a sloppy, sneering, gargling and infinitely amusing version of “Run Rudolph Run.” Alice Cooper digs into “Santa Claws Is Coming to Town” for a signature creep-out, informing kids that Santa knows where you sleep and he knows that “your window’s open.” Stephen Pearcy tackles a more modern holiday tune, RATT-ing his way…
Traitor
2008 “Traitor” is the kind of movie that makes you think a little about serious things. It delivers the goods as a political/spy thriller, but like the novels of Len Deighton and John le Carr
Seeing red
I am a reasonable person. I wait patiently for the outcome of things I cannot control. I understand that major changes take time. That said, I have begun to see red at the sight of orange ” the orange rubber cones and barrels that mark yet more construction on roads and streets. I have Road…
Publications name Oklahoma’s Clay Bennett as cover boy
One publication’s “Oklahoman of the Year” is another publication’s “Turkey of the Year.” Businessman Clay Bennett, chair of Oklahoma City Thunder ownership group, has the distinction of being recently named “Oklahoman of the Year” by Oklahoma Today magazine and nominated a “Turkey of the Year” by The Olympian newspaper in Washington state. In Oklahoma Today’s…
Oklahoma Gazette cover goes national
Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Exhibit A: Oklahoma Gazette’s “Becoming ‘ungay'” cover published Feb. 5, 2004. The image, which was designed by art director Chris Street and shot by photographer Shannon Cornman for Greg Horton’s cover story, was one of three Gazette entries that won…
Oklahoma City native pens kids’ environmental book
If our kids are going to inherit the earth, might as well start preparing them to take care of it. That’s the thought behind “Into the Trees,” a new children’s book by Oklahoma City native Mike Aaron, founder of the New Jersey-based online environmental products outlet GreenSender.com. Aaron will read from and sign copies of…
Former Oklahoma football star is not sorry for Booming
Legendary University of Oklahoma football player Billy Sims received a little flack over his, shall we say, boisterous response to another OU player’s win of college football’s coveted Heisman Trophy. As soon as the OU quarterback Sam Bradford’s name was read as the 2008 recipient of the award, a loud boom could be heard in…
