Everybody’s Fine
“Everybody’s Fine” is about a guy whose sense of order, which happens to be attached to his children, steadily degrades as he becomes reacquainted with them. Robert De Niro stars as Frank Goode, and eight-months-widowed retiree. Frank is expecting a visit from his four children, Rosie (Drew Barrymore), Robert (Sam Rockwell), Amy (Kate Beckinsdale) and…
Law Abiding Citizen
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=oklahgazet-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002XMGGK6&fc1=000000&IS2=1 After witnessing “The Ugly Truth,” it’s good to see Gerard Butler back in a movie with balls … which he later severs with a box cutter. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Butler stars as Clyde Shelton, the “Law Abiding Citizen” of the title who watches in horror as his wife and child…
The Wolfman
ds with ease, as if their bodies were made of butter. Grabbing a gun, he chases the monster into the woods of fog and shadows, only to become a victim himself, taking a savage bite on his throat. You can guess what happens next. Heck, you can guess all of it before the first scene…
Elvis
“Elvis” is the one “huh?” entry on director John Carpenter’s filmography, not because it’s bad (it’s not) or because it was made for TV (he’s done plenty of those), but because it lacks any element that’d place it in the horror or sci-fi genres. Admit it: You wouldn’t expect the man behind “Halloween,” “Escape from…
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
One of the most fun theatrical experiences I’ve ever had was seeing Eli Roth’s absurd, intense “Cabin Fever” on opening day in 2002 with two friends who “got it.” By contrast, “Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever” bypassed theaters, so the only way I could re-create the experience of the first would be watching at home…
Meteor Apocalypse
The Asylum Home Entertainment’s “Meteor Apocalypse” comes 10 years too late to piggyback off the success of space-rock disaster extravaganzas “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon,” but right on time to tap into the ol’ family values conservative movement. See, despite its sci-fi trappings, “Meteor Apocalypse” is branded as a Faith Films production, “a Christian apocalyptic thriller…
Former Heavyweight contender Tillis to be honored Thursday
Historians will never rank James “Quick” Tillis among the top heavyweight boxers of all time. Although the potential was there, fate had other ideas for the three-time Golden Gloves title winner from Tulsa. “He had the heart of a champion and all of the tools to be among the best ever,” said legendary cornerman Angelo…
No bull
All the rodeo clowns have sad faces. It was reported just last week that the annual Oklahoma State Prison Rodeo in McAlester has bitten the dust. According to an article from The Associated Press, the state’s budget means that for the first time in seven decades, the prison rodeo is not to be. “It’s a…
The power of persuasion
In the fall 2009 issue of Christian Ethics Today, Mennonite theologian Tripp York published an article titled “The Subtle Atheism of Being Pro-Life.” A provocative title indeed. York’s thesis is that when some in the pro-life movement resort to the coercion of laws they are exhibiting a subtle atheism because they assume that the power…
Out of luck
Oklahoma’s lottery, approved 2-to-1 by voters in 2004, promised it would fix a funding gap in the state’s K-12 educational system, conveniently deferring some of the difficult decisions legislators and state residents have not had the political will to confront. So instead, we got a state lottery, which further promised to bring back to Oklahoma…
From Paris with Love
Well, the boys are back in town, only this time, the boys are John Travolta (“Old Dogs”) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (TV’s “The Tudors”), and the town is Paris. Yes, we get to see the Eiffel Tower again, but at least this time, no one blows it up or knocks it down. In the world…
Hellblazer: Pandemonium – Jamie Delano and Jock
p;o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1401220355&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″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”> Having never counted myself among the fans of the character John Constantine, I can’t say “Hellblazer: Pandemonium” clicked with me. If anything, it left me with less of a taste for the irascible detective than ever before. Jamie Delano’s story takes Constantine to Iraq, where supernatural…
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
Economic Recovery in Denver: As of early January, at least 390 new Denver businesses had applied for sales-tax licenses as dispensaries for legal (medicinal) marijuana. By comparison, Starbucks coffee shops number 208 in the entire state of Colorado. Among the first cannabis-centered businesses to open, in December, was the Ganja Gourmet on South Broadway, featuring…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
In my view, 2010 is the year you should expand your world. That could mean enlarging your circle of allies or building a bigger web of connections. It might mean broadening your appeal or widening your frame of reference or opening your mind to possibilities you’ve been closed to. It may even involve extending your…
Guitars take a turn as visual art and history instead of music at Western Heritage Museum
The Guitar: Art, Artists and ArtisansOpens Friday, on display through May 9National Cowboy& Western Heritage Museum1700 N.E. 63www.NationalCowboyMuseum.org478-2250$12.50 adults, $9.75 seniors and students, $5.75 children 4-12 Stringing the bridge of Woody Guthrie’s fascist-killing machine to the frets of B.B. King’s beloved Lucille, the guitar “? more than any other instrument “? scales the history of…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Happy Valentine Daze, Libra! My astrological hunch is that you’d benefit from the specific teaching that would come from exploring a three-way relationship. But wait. Don’t jump to conclusions. Here’s the form I think it should take: Fantasize that the merger of you and your lover or ally has created a third thing that hovers…
Diamonds and Gasoline – Turnpike Troubadours
Turnpike TroubadoursDiamonds and Gasoline Sparkly and fueled with fiery promise, the Turnpike Troubadours’ aptly titled new album, “Diamonds & Gasoline,” is a roots-rock gem that shines with bright songwriting and masterful musicianship. Compared to “Bossier City,” the Tahlequah sixpiece’s 2007 debut, “Diamonds” shows significantly improved cut, color and clarity, but the 12-song disc is far…
Amazed by ‘Avatar’ review
I can’t believe Rod Lott gave “Avatar” a D-plus. That is absolutely crazy. I am not saying it is an A-plus, but it is definitely not a D! And how come Doug Bentin is the only one watching movies? What good are the ratings if you got some dummies doing it and they barely even…
Sooner Theatre presents hilarious and occasionally poignant ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. SundaySooner Theatre/OU School of Musical Theatre101 E. Main, Normanwww.SoonerTheatre.org321-9600$20-$25 In just a few short years, Sooner Theatre has gone from a venue that only booked a handful of shows a year, mainly touring acts, to a first-rate community theater producing consistently great shows with…
Folk-inspired pair of singer/songwriters Jenny and Tyler return to Norman from Nashville
Jenny and Tyler with John Calvin7 p.m. Saturday, Café Plaid333 W. Boyd, Normanwww.cafeplaid.com360-2233Free Jenny and Tyler Somers’ played their first Oklahoma show last fall, a small college campus gig organized by one of their biggest fans. Booked for an evening show in the social lounge of the Walker Tower dorms at the University of Oklahoma,…
Ballot boxing
Regarding the “‘Getting off ‘ from the soapbox” letter from Robin Leake in the Jan. 20 Gazette:I don’t know how to put this any simpler. Your original letter (“MAPS 3 needs a spanking,” Dec. 30, 2009, Gazette) said you were against MAPS 3, but you did not vote against it or vote at all. I…
Local nonprofit works to help families dealing with drug and alcohol problems
More than 30 years ago, Jackie Landler was a teacher at Putnam City North High School. She and Rachel Whelan, a counselor at the school, wanted to help families deal with alcohol and drug problems. Volunteering their time, the women studied a local treatment model and met with the school board, school officials and parents.…
I got court LOLZ !
Tiffs over Facebook bullying and stolen Axe body spray may soon play out over the nation’s airwaves, should one Oklahoma City woman get her way. Annette D. Colbert-Latham aims to launch a court TV show ” because apparently, there’s a dearth of them” with “America’s Teen Court,” to be shot right here in the Sooner…
Spaceport funding fiasco causes strife in House of Representatives
The Oklahoma House of Representatives questioned funding the state’s space development authority, but ultimately passed the funding bill. Whether it was politics or genuine concern, Oklahoma’s space authority was nearly aborted by the Legislature. A bill to fund the agency which operates the Oklahoma Spaceport had to be voted on twice before gaining passage. Some…
Baseball hall of fame bid in jeopardy for Yankee pitcher and Bethany native Allie Reynolds
America’s pastime presents a hefty math problem. Baseball is a sport of numbers that’s often distilled into equations offering insight through statistics and percentages reflecting team achievements and player progress. Fastball rising’He has been overlooked’Tribal pride The numbers don’t challenge All-Star pitcher and Bethany native Allie Reynolds, who today would have celebrated his 93rd birthday.…
Reasonably priced art goes quickly at unique auction
“Money Talks, Art Walks” Saturday, Feb. 13 IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan. 232-6060, www.iaogallery.org. $10 Up and coming art aficionados can add to their collections affordably by browsing more than 200 pieces by local artists at the Individual Artists of Oklahoma’s third annual “Money Talks, Art Walks” event on Saturday at IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan.…
New Web site from a group of Oklahoma collaborators asks users to share ideas and make changes
New ideas abound on the Internet through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook and through personal and corporate blogs. Whether it’s simply improving productivity or a massive plan to end homelessness, people seem eager both to share their ideas and seek out other opinions. Any topic The creators of a new Web site, Whatidchange.com,…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Of all the signs of the zodiac, you Geminis are most likely to thrive if you experiment with new approaches to kissing in the coming weeks. To whip up your fervor, read incendiary texts like William Cane’s The Art of Kissing. Conspire with an imaginative partner to conjure up a new kissing game or even…
Least Competent Deer
A seven-point buck was found dead in Viroqua, Wis., in November, apparently after losing a head-butting contest with a cement-statue buck. Ramming contests are common during mating season, and the cement buck was about the same size as the dead one (but weighs about three times as much).
With seed money in tow, singer/songwriter K.C. Clifford blossoms with ‘Orchid’
K.C. Clifford8 p.m. Friday-SaturdayThe Blue Door2805 N. McKinleywww.bluedoorokc.com524-0738$15 If she had not become a singer, what else would award-winning musician and songwriter K.C. Clifford do? Her parents joke that their daughter came out of the womb singing, and since Clifford’s singing debut at the age of 2, she has owned the stage wherever she performs.…
Dear John
Movie love is one of the dumbest things ever invented. It is rarely about the real experience, but is instead aimed at supporting a weird, fantastical ideal. As a result, most of the romantic movies made these days bear about as much resemblance to reality as “Avatar.” “Dear John” is one of these, relying on…
Slut Birds
A team of researchers led by a University of Connecticut professor, writing recently in the ornithology journal The Auk, declared the local saltmarsh sparrow to be America’s most promiscuous bird, in that 95 percent of the females hook up with more than one male during a mating season. The likelihood that any two chicks in…
Ralph Ellison’s still-incomplete second novel finally emerges after 40 years of writing
Oklahoma City-born Ralph Ellison left an indelible stamp on the literary world with the 1952 release of his debut novel, “Invisible Man.” The work won him the National Book Award the following year, and has been a staple of bookshelves and reading lists ever since. After that, Ellison’s output was “¦ well, mostly invisible. It…
The Expendables’ ‘mixture rock’ gets heavier and mellower with new album
The Expendables with Iration, Passafire and more7 p.m. Tuesdaythe Conservatory8911 N. Western879-9778www.conservatoryokc.com$15 If you spent as much time crisscrossing the country in a van as The Expendables have, you’d likely develop their same sense of humor. The reggae/punk/surf/metal quartet’s been making music together since 1997 and touring nationally for the past five years. Evidently, those…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
If I love you, what business is it of yours? wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Now I’m offering his words for you to use as your mantra in the coming months. Your main job, as I see it, is simply to be a lover of pretty much everything — to generate, cultivate, and express love…
Snapshots’ is sometimes serviceable, often unremarkable and occasionally uncomfortable
Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook7:30 p.m. today-Thursday; 8 p.m., Friday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. SundayLyric Theatre1725 N.W. 16thwww.lyrictheatreokc.com524-9312$40, $30 seniors, $25 students For better or worse “? largely worse”? the “greening” of musical theater began long before anyone was driving a hybrid. Recycling is fine if you are talking about plastics or telephone books, but…
Edge of Darkness
In “Edge of Darkness,” Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson, “Signs”) is a good cop and a decent dad. The relationship with his daughter, Emma, has been a little strained lately, especially since she left for college. Nevertheless, she comes home to see her dad, and the Boston police detective is happy to oblige. But something with…
Snapshots’ is sometimes serviceable, often unremarkable and occasionally uncomfortable
Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook7:30 p.m. today-Thursday, 8 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. SundayLyric Theatre1725 N.W. 16thwww.lyrictheatreokc.com524-9312$40, $30 seniors, $25 students For better or worse “? largely worse”? the “greening” of musical theater began long before anyone was driving a hybrid. Recycling is fine if you are talking about plastics or telephone books, but…
Children’s puppetry innovator to perform at UCO
What life lessons have you learned from a puppet? The University of Central Oklahoma premieres two performances of Jim Gamble’s “Wonderful World of Puppets” at 10:30 a.m. and noon on Thursday. Gamble has performed for audiences in more than 20 countries and is considered an innovator of children’s puppetry, being known for blending familiar musical…
Loser at the Capitol
The past few months have certainly been some of the best days in the life of Oklahoman Danny Cahill. After winning NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” a televised contest of overweight folks shedding pounds, Cahill has been on an emotional and honorable high.Since his triumph from the show, Cahill has appeared on several televisions shows, played…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Happy Valentine Daze, Scorpio! After meditating on what advice would best serve your love life, I decided to offer you the words of psychologist Carl Jung: “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”…
Country singer Aaron Watson’s happy to find himself somewhere between the road and the rodeo
Aaron Watson with Texas Renegade10 p.m. SaturdayWormy Dog Saloon311 E. Sheridanwww.wormydog.com601-6276$10 Soft-spoken country singer Aaron Watson is humble and thankful for everything he’s earned during more than a decade of touring and releasing records. He’s bought a couple of buses for himself and his crew, and his career has allowed him to provide for his…
A fracking mischaracterization
In his Feb. 3 letter (“Mother Nature in fracturing business”), Mickey McVay states that I am not reporting facts in letters to Oklahoma Gazette concerning horizontal drilling/hydraulic fracturing (fracking) used to recover natural gas from underground shale. McVay made his living in part by selling fracking chemicals, and this places McVay in a knowledgeable but…
Warpaint Clothing Company opens a store of rock-styled threads in the Plaza District
Warpaint Clothing Company grand opening7 p.m. FridayWarpaint Clothing Company1701 N.W. 16thwww.myspace.com/warpaintclothing Warpaint Clothing Company opens its doors Friday, bringing a new way to shop for threads to Oklahoma City. Located in the Plaza District, Warpaint, 1701 N.W. 16th, offers a new variety of clothing inspired by rock ‘n’ roll, American Indians and whatever comes to…
Least Competent Criminals
Two partners in crime were sentenced to four years in jail between them by England’s Manchester Crown Court in December. Ali Abdullah, 28, and Muqtar Nuren, 22, had offered to take driver’s license tests for people (both driving test and written test), but on contingency payment only for passing. Between them, they had 35 clients,…
Beetle-mania
In January, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers confiscated a live, jeweled beetle that a woman was wearing as an “accessory” on her sweater as she crossed into Brownsville, Texas, from Mexico. Blue jewels were glued onto the beetle’s back, which had been painted gold, and the mobile brooch was tethered by a gold chain…
Romance in the Stacks lets readers meet Okie romance authors
For those who love to snuggle up and let their minds wander in an imagination ride through the words of a favorite novel, the Oklahoma Center for the Book invites them to take part in “Romance in the Stacks,” held 10:30 a.m. Friday at Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive. “The Center is planning…
As the metro landscape changes, so does the game of finding one’s perfect match
“Some people are settling down, some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies.””Carrie Bradshaw, “Sex and the City” The infamously single 30-something in the hit HBO series “Sex and the City,” Carrie Bradshaw, as played by Sarah Jessica Parker, eventually married in the movie version, but what made…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
To prepare your Valentine horoscope, I did a lengthy meditation on your love life. I wish I could offer you a 20-page treatise on my conclusions, but there’s not enough room. So instead I’ll give you the single most important piece of advice I came up with: The coming week will be an excellent time…
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Hate leaves ugly scars, wrote author Mignon McLaughlin, but “love leaves beautiful ones.” If I’m reading the astrological omens correctly, Aries, you’re scheduled to receive at least one of the beautiful kind of scars in the coming months — maybe even two or three. In fact, I think they’ll be such lovely booboos that they…
Local nonprofit works to help families dealing with drug and alcohol problems
More than 30 years ago, Jackie Landler was a teacher at Putnam City North High School. She and Rachel Whelan, a counselor at the school, wanted to help families deal with alcohol and drug problems. Volunteering their time, the women studied a local treatment model and met with the school board, school officials and parents.…
A coach’s complaint
University of Oklahoma head football coach Bob is known for yelling at bad officiating. And who knows? Maybe he hollers at his play-calling coordinators from time to time just like we yell at Bucky, the Chicken-Fried News intern. But Bob’s recent complaints are coming off the football field, according to The Norman Transcript. Stoops and…
Relationship not religion
Recently, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life ranked Oklahoma as the seventh most religious state in America (News, Greg Horton, “Holy Okies,” Jan. 27, Gazette) with 69 percent of Oklahomans stating that religion is very important in their lives. This news is both wonderful and quite troubling. Wonderful in that the tenets of…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
In 2010, you will have more cosmic assistance than you’ve had in a long time whenever you seek to increase your experience of pleasure. Do you want to get more sensual joy out of eating and drinking and dancing and listening to music? This is your year. Do you want to heighten your perceptiveness and…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Happy Valentine Daze, Aquarius! In my search for the counsel that would be of greatest help to your love life in the coming months, I decided on this observation by psychologist Albert Ellis: “The art of love is largely the art of persistence.” I hope you take that in the spirit in which I’m offering…
Facing morbid obesity, two ‘big losers’ tell how they achieved extreme weight loss
shortening lifespan. The reality television series “The Biggest Loser” demonstrates that a change in lifestyle to include exercise and calorie restriction under medical supervision works. Although contestants spend their days dieting and exercising, those same results can be achieved without appearing on national television by working with a bariatric physician who is trained in weight…
Ice-pocalypse now redux
Is it just me, or do the local meteorologists receive way too much air time? Don’t get me wrong. They are a valuable tool during tornado season and no doubt save lives. Even recently, they came in handy … to a point. But wall-to-wall, 24/7, channel to channel coverage of a blizzard and ice storm?…
