The Armstrong Lie
The portion of truth he is telling, he’s doing only because he finally got caught, after a decade of bald-faced denials. Money corrupts, but it can’t buy everything, as Armstrong now knows — but has not yet learned. There exists a huge difference. No one should be surprised a very famous, very wealthy man got…
The Past
Opening Friday at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial Rd., The Past begins as Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) returns to Paris after four years to finalize a divorce with his estranged wife, Marie (Bérénice Bejo, The Artist). The ambivalence between them — an easy rapport pivoting to sniping and then back again — surfaces…
Web and flow
Photo: Mark Hancock There’s a lyric from Josh Sallee’s new album, Know Society, in which the 26-year-old Oklahoma City rapper confronts this very issue: “Who is he?/ Is he who he sees?/ Is he everything that he ever liked or seen?/ Is the game of fame influencing?” The song — “TLD – Technologicallogicaldreams” — serves…
Parker Millsap — Parker Millsap
Millsap uses that narrative but flips the script heading into his self-titled follow-up; while most sophomore records are stiffened-up and self-serious compared to their predecessors, Millsap untucks his shirt, kicks up his heels and celebrates a job well done with this relaxed but purposeful collection of songs. He shuffles poignant balladry (“The Villain,” “Forgive Me”)…
Moving music
It may not be a story as old as time, but the trope of Okies wandering to California in search of opportunity goes back at least to the Dust Bowl. And while the paucity of prospects may not have the same harrowing look it did in the 1920s, people still move from windy plains to…
Philomena
Since the Oscar nominations were announced last month, gold-derby prognosticators have referred to Philomena as “the ninth nominee” in the Best Picture field. Their implication is that among all those films up for Hollywood’s highest honor, the British dramedy is the one least likely to win and least deserving of being there. That’s insane, of…
Nativity scene
Artists find their truth in all sorts of places. For Tulsa alt-rockers Native Lights, it was an abandoned and forgotten mid-century-style cattle auction house in the sleepy farm community of Hominy. Seeking a special space to record its debut album, the four-piece — featuring Johnathon Ford (bass), Nathan Price (drums), Bryce Chambers (guitar/vocals) and Philip…
PERFORMING ARTS
Picnic, a balmy Labor Day in the American Heartland, 7 p.m., Feb. 20-22; 2 p.m., Feb. 23. Rose State College, 6420 SE 15th St., Midwest City, 733-7673, rose.edu. THU–SUN The Drowsy Chaperone, a show within a show full of every cliché, gag and gimmick from musicals of the golden era, 8 p.m., Feb. 20-22; 3…
Their land
Late folk legend Pete Seeger influenced Woody Guthrie as much as Guthrie did him, and he will receive a posthumous award acknowledging just that. BY SHANNON HELTON “It’s because of Pete Seeger that I know the chorus of every folk song,” said Nora Guthrie, daughter of the late Woody Guthrie. Millions more exposed to his…
Megan’s musings
“Most things that come out of celebrities’ mouths are, well, you know,” said Megan Mullally, trying to explain the nature of fame and the famous and how completely bizarre it all is. The actress and singer also has stories about fans who identify her only with characters she has played and others who have strange…
New Ado
Director René Moreno has set the play in Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory, at the turn of the last century. Thus, you have a Col. Don Pedro, a Lt. Claudio and a Capt. Benedick of Chickasha, all of the First Cavalry Regiment. Moreno makes numerous other dialog changes to fit the setting. Placing Shakespeare plays in the…
Royal treatment
The Oklahoma City Philharmonic is ready to rock audiences this weekend with The Music of Queen. The Pops concert event, produced by Windborne Music, will feature the full orchestra performing with a live rock band. The set list will be comprised of the greatest hits and lost classics that span Queen’s catalogue. Formed in 1970,…
Shimmy and shake
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:1″><span style=" Times New Roman” ,”serif”;mso-fareast-times=”” new=”” roman”;=”” mso-font-kerning:18.0pt;mso-fareast-language:es-bo”=””> The expo will bring together a variety of local and national performers in an effort to raise awareness of Oklahoma’s growing community of movement-art enthusiasts. “Burlesque is a huge part of American popular culture history from live theaters to movies to fashion,” said…
LIFE
The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art’s wine-tasting fundraiser, Toast to the Arts, raises money for student activities and special programming. Tasters receive a souvenir engraved wine glass, a cocktail of Cupcake Prosecco with St. Germain and a flight of white wines including Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc, Sofia Riesling, Eberle Muscato, Franciscan…
Arbuckle up
Fishin’ When Sulphur native Skip Thompson began painting in 1980, she had no idea that 34 years later, her artwork would be exhibited in the Governor’s Gallery at the Oklahoma State Capitol. At the beginning of her instruction with her first teacher, Maude Landsford, there were some testy times because Landsford was a tough teacher.…
OKG7 Eat: Love bites
Gattitown 5833 Northwest Expressway gattitownokc.com 721-4227 What better way to reflect on a lifetime’s worth of bad romantic decisions than over an all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta buffet? For a measly $3.99 ($6.99 on the weekends), indulge in gut-busting servings of pizzas like Bacon Double Cheeseburger, Meat Market, Buffalo Chicken and the Superoni, as well as…
LIFE
Harkins Theatres’ Tuesday Night Classics series includes timeless film collections, poignant love stories and Oscar winners every Tuesday night. This week’s selection is rom-com royalty: Sleepless in Seattle. The 1993 love story, directed by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, will show at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Harkins Bricktown Cinema 16, 150…
FOOD
Wellness Shopping Tour, label explanations for diabetes, celiac and heart health, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Feb. 19. Uptown Grocery Co, 1230 W. Covell Rd., Edmond, 509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. WED Tipsy Artist, wine and paint party, 6-9 p.m., Feb. 19. Tres Cantina & Grille, 305 E. Main St., Norman, 701- 8282, tipsyartist.com. WED Paint N Cheers, creative social art…
LIFE
Guernsey Park restaurant kicks off a new monthly event, BRKFAST Social, on Saturday. The restaurant will showcase two of our favorite things: brunch and day parties. Hosted by Lerato Maunatlala, Bertille Sefolosha and Ciara Amir, the food portion of the event will feature a new menu for customers to peruse. The brunch is from 11…
Marvelous margaritas
There’s more than one margarita creation story, but the top three involve a socialite, a dancer, a singer and, of course, bartenders. One of the earliest stories is when Ziegfeld Follies dancer Marjorie King visited Rancho La Gloria Hotel in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, in 1938. She asked bartender Carlos “Danny” Herrera to create a drink…
Lucifer’s libations
His profile on Twitter (@BaphometOKC) describes “a kindly, evil demon lord” who is looking for tolerance, equality and a place in Oklahoma City … on the state Capitol lawn. Yes, we know it’s some real dude pretending and hailing and tweeting … and drinking. What is fun, though, is the quasi-fame that has grown around…
Mystery meat
Enter the 5th Amendment. Plenty of restaurants have specials, whether for a day or a week, often based on an idea the chef had coupled with the availability and price of certain ingredients. And Big Truck has specials, too — a “dirty bowl” or a kind of tostada or taco. But Big Truck also has…
LETTERS
Thank you, Rev. Meyers Thanks for your commentaries, Rev. Robin Meyers. I always read your views. — Mel Wright Oklahoma City Let’s be pioneers To the state of Oklahoma, the first Oklahomans were called pioneers. We pride ourselves as pioneers and leaders of industry in many areas and fields, mainly our natural resources. Right here,…
Capital kumbaya
While Sen. Tom Coburn has gone out of his way at times to be the bee in President Barack Obama’s bonnet, both have said they are friends and have a great respect for one another. With Coburn’s departure from the Senate coming soon due to his battle with cancer, USA Today reported Obama recently name-checked…
Rumor has it
The rumors started after the company released a statement about its lawsuit about the parts of the Affordable Care Act that it doesn’t like, namely the parts having to do with contraception (you know, the part Hobby Lobby’s owners, the Green family, maybe, possibly don’t understand). Hobby Lobby Inc. claims the healthcare mandate goes against…
Money to spend
Oops. Our bad. She’s not an educator. She’s a former dentist who made a mint pulling teeth and filling cavities. If she had decided to be a schoolteacher, she might not have that million bucks. Instead, she’d probably be working a second job to make ends meet. According to a story in The Oklahoman, Barresi…
We’re No. 7!
Of every dollar spent by our esteemed government during fiscal year 2011, more than 43 cents was supplied by federal monies, State Treasurer Ken Miller told Oklahoma Watch. He also noted that states controlled by Democrats relied less on government aid than Republican governors and legislatures. The word he used to describe the unexpected results…
He’s No. 5!
Other top-of-the-political-pops Okies include Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Westville) at No. 33 and Rep. James Lankford (R-OKC) at No. 76. The Journal decided rankings based on a number of things, including how the men voted and scoring methods that included foreign issues and social and economic reform. No other Oklahoman cracked the top 100. For shame.
Why fund the Oklahoma Arts Council?
I’ve watched state policymakers and legislators ask this question and inexplicably seem unable to come to a fairly simple conclusion. The Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC) is one of the leanest-operating state agencies in Oklahoma, improving the lives of Oklahomans from Frederick to Miami and Broken Bow to Black Mesa, seeding the success of hundreds of…
Where are the women?
“You would think that we would be farther along in the thinking about women in country music, but then I see stats like [the one cited above] and realize that women really do seem to get the short end,” Underwood told Billboard. “There is certainly not a shortage of talented ladies out there that want…
Public help, private growth
Brent Bryant, OKC’s economic development program manager, said the public financing is being used as an incentive to bring more growth to the downtown area. “We’re turning the lights back on in three historic buildings,” he said. “The $12 million in TIF money is creating right at $88 million in additional investments. This will put…
Getting involved
As a successful spinal surgeon, Ed Shadid became a wealthy man with all sorts of riches and blessings. He has enjoyed the best of the best because cost has never been a factor. Yet, for this longtime Oklahoma City resident, something was missing. Then it happened. An epiphany hit Shadid as he was trapped inside…
Life after prison
“You have fines and parole fees you have to pay when you are released from prison,” Smith said. “Without a job, it makes it even more difficult.” Smith isn’t alone. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ 2012 Annual Report states it released more than 34,000 state inmates over the past four years. To help those released…
okcBIZ magazine goes fully digital — print version merges with Oklahoma Gazette
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 14, 2014 OKLAHOMA CITY — Heralding a transformation of its business publications, Tierra Media Group President and CEO Bill Bleakley is announcing plans to merge the monthly print version of okcBIZ into the company’s largest publication, Oklahoma Gazette, after publication of the March issue of the magazine. The company will enhance…
Energy FC open soccer tryouts this weekend
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Head soccer coach Jimmy Nielson and his coaching staff will oversee the tryouts, a media statement said. Applications are now being accepted at energyfc.com. Walk-ups are welcome during open tryout days, as well. Registration is $200, 8:30-9:30 a.m. Feb. 15. Saturday will include two training sessions from 10 a.m.-noon and…
Haunter
Abigail Breslin (August: Osage County) stars as Lisa, a teen who’s the only one in her happy family of four to notice that for some reason, they’re re-living the same foggy Sunday in the ’80s over and over and over and over. Keeping her forever 15, it’s a cyclical grind of missing laundry, Atari Pac-Man,…
Mayoral candidate denied access speak at City Council meeting
Nelson, 76, addresses the council regularly during the public comments section of the council agenda. Since filing for office, Nelson has been told twice he could not make any remarks to the council unless they involved an agenda item. Dilapidated buildings and abandoned structures are routinely considered by the council. In a letter to Oklahoma…
