Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
2008 CGI is for wimps and babies. Real makeup effects “? now that’s where the true craft lies. Besides, using imagination and ingenuity is always more interesting than letting pixels do the work for you. The hour-long documentary “Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX” looks at the amazing practitioners of this delicate, dying skill,…
Flaming Lips’ tune becomes Oklahoma’s official rock song
The State of Oklahoma announced today “Do You Realize??” by Oklahoma City alternative rock band, the Flaming Lips, has been named the official Oklahoma State Rock and Roll Song. The winning song was certified Monday in the State Senate with the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 24 by Sen. Mike Schulz and Rep. Joe Dorman. …
Now, Which One Is the Brake? (all-new)
Elderly drivers’ recent lapses of concentration, confusing the brake pedal with the gas (or “drive” with “reverse”): Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Joe Greenhill, 94, crashed into a restraining wall in downtown Austin, nearly winding up in Lady Bird Lake (December). A 90-year-old woman, driving her brand-new Dodge Challenger, rammed a pole while turning left…
Recurring Themes
Texas “Justice”: As far as the state of Texas is concerned, Andre Thomas, 25, was and is sane and was and is competent to assist his lawyers. Thomas was convicted of murdering his wife and two kids in 2004 after a judge ruled him competent despite the fact that after the killings, Thomas had carved…
Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic
2009 Can’t wait to see “Watchmen” on the big screen? You can now watch the graphic novel “? all 12 chapters of it “? come to life from the comfort of your couch with “Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics.” The two-disc set collects the animated shorts that first appeared online, each of which literally translates…
Least Competent Criminals
A masked man escaped in December after trying unsuccessfully to rob the Washman carwash in Portland, Ore. In the middle of the job, the man’s gun literally broke apart and fell to the ground. As he continued to demand money, it became clear why robbing a carwash is tricky. The employee grabbed the nearest tool,…
News That Sounds Like a Joke
Michael Reed, 50, was charged with attempted robbery of Eddie’s Fried Chicken in Fort Worth, Texas, in December. He was armed only with a tree branch and was quickly neutralized by a 56-year-old employee, who grabbed a broom, and the men proceeded to duel until Reed dropped his branch and fled (but was arrested nearby).…
People Different From Us
The Northwest Florida Daily News reported the arrest of a woman for trespassing in December in Mary Esther, Fla., after she was reluctant to leave a neighbor’s porch. According to the newspaper, she eventually “left … in anger, knocking over a dryer … in the front yard.” Robert Blue, 53, was arrested in Las Vegas…
Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One
Vertigo No disrespect to “Watchmen,” truly a landmark graphic novel, but for me, Alan Moore’s finest work in comics lie with DC’s muck-encrusted anti-hero Swamp Thing. The first eight issues of Moore’s eventual 44-issue run are now collected in hardcover for the first time ever in “Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One.” Those who…
Extreme Movie
2008 Against better judgment, I laughed several times during “Extreme Movie.” I certainly didn’t expect to. After all: the comedy has sat on the shelf for, like, ever; it went straight to DVD; it has 10 screenwriters; and it has the word “Movie” in the title “? rarely a good sign. Oh, it’s no gem,…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
“Everything is gestation and then bringing forth,” wrote poet Rainer Maria Rilke. “To let each impression and each germ of feeling come to completion wholly in itself, in the dark, in the inexpressible, the unconscious, beyond the reach of one’s own intelligence, and await with deep humility and patience the birth-hour of a new clarity:…
Museum continues after-hours art series
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm in Norman, continues its “Art After Hours” series Friday evening with “How the West Was Seen: Frederic Remington and Charles Russell.” The program will give visitors a chance to participate in a presentation and discussion about the impact Remington and Russell had on Western American art.…
Lawmakers protest morning prayer
Christian goodness goes far at the state Capitol. Well, at least out into the hallway, according to a recent story in The Oklahoman. According to that story, some Oklahoma Republicans walked out of the Legislature during a vote to record the morning prayer that was delivered by an openly gay pastor, who ” by the…
Look Back in Anger’ tries, but misses fire and fury
Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s heart “? or more importantly, its head “? is in the right place to further audience education by presenting “Look Back in Anger,” one of the most significant post-World War II English plays. Playwright John Osborne was a young man himself when he created this portrait of his generation’s so-called angry…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I’ve been asked by the leaders of the Piscean Support Group to pat you on the back — and add a tender, friendly kick in the butt while I’m at it — in celebration of your recent promise to leave your safety zone. They’re a bit worried that you’ll be so enamored of the new…
Government in Action
After 50 years’ separation following their adoptions by separate families, identical twins Rosabelle Glasby of Australia and Dorothy Loader of Malaysia were reunited in September 2008 after a years-long search by Glasby, and she applied to bring Loader to Australia under the country’s family migration policy. However, in January, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship…
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I’m in quest of new role models. There’ve been some good ones in my life, and I’m grateful for how they’ve awakened me, but right now I need fresh heroes worth emulating. Know any? I’m not dogmatic about what I’m looking for, and am willing to be surprised, but here are a few qualities I…
Legislature discusses Oklahoma’s official language
Ah, Oklahoma! A state that honors and respects its many and varied cultures “¦ as long as those cultures stem from Anglo-Saxon speakers of English. The fight to make English the “official” language in Oklahoma has once again taken root in the Legislature. Senate Bill 1156 passed unanimously in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week…
Hay Fever’ is an appropriately stuffy, drawing-room comedy
iting. First comes Sandy Tyrell (Alex Choate), a boxer and dandy, followed by Myra Arundel (Emily Gray), a former rival of Judith, and Richard Greatham (Gregory Hopkins), a “diplomatist.” PERFECTLY SWEET IMPRESSION The play is well-acted from top to bottom of the cast list. In a role that is slightly more than a cameo, Kimberlyn…
Norman poppers, the Starlight Mints, have crisp, new outlook
Never let it be said that the Starlight Mints don’t have goals. Years after the release of 2006’s “Drowaton,” the Mints ” singer/guitarist Allan Vest, drummer Andy Nunez, keyboard player Marian Nunez, bassist Javier Gonzales and keyboardist/guitarist Ryan Lindsey ” are booking a spring tour in support of the band’s new record. OBSTRUCTIONS TWEAKING TRADEMARK…
Engineering hopefuls battle it out robotic supremacy
Science and math can often seem distant and abstract in theory. Giving students a chance to apply their knowledge is key to igniting interest in gifted young minds. For young engineers, nothing inspires like building a robot, and the FIRST Robotics Competition challenges high school students across the world to build robots and pit them…
Metal vs. Vinyl brings together two crowds
Empty beer bottles were scattered across the table like tombstones, as Riley Hahn, lead singer of local metal band Soul Crisis, took in the view at a local strip club. Hahn is a scene-surfing oddity of the metro. His long, spindly dreadlocks and dangling, DayGlo goatee can be reliably spotted at rock shows, gentlemen’s clubs…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Beware of people who act like polite jerks or tone-deaf music critics or emotionally numb lovers. While they may be able to teach you a lot about what you don’t need, they’re not worthy candidates for enduring relationships. Now let’s turn our attention to the question of who exactly does belong on your future team.…
OU women quietly putting together remarkable season
Blake Griffin and his Oklahoma teammates have been the talk of college basketball over the last few weeks. And for good reason. WIN STREAK RECORD CROWD Griffin’s sparkling performance has made him the odds-on favorite to win player of the year award, and the Sooners have matured into one of the most impressive teams in…
Health benefits of urine
Though India is recognized as a world leader in promoting the health benefits of urine, its dominance will be assured by the end of the year when a cow-urine-based soft drink comes to market. Om Prakash, chief of the Cow Protection Department of the RSS organization (India’s largest Hindu nationalist group), trying to reassure a…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
When Ireland’s top bookmaker first opened the betting on the existence of God last September, the odds were 20-1 against, and quickly rose to 33-1. But more recently they’ve been down to 4-1. Is this evidence that the Supreme Being is close to a big disclosure? Is some concrete proof about to appear? If I…
Musical satirist, Web videoist returns on ‘Real American’ tour
Singer/songwriter and lyrical satirist Roy Zimmerman is regularly heard on National Public Radio, Air America and Sirius Radio. His YouTube videos have garnered more than two million views and a new HBO documentary “The Trials of Ted Haggard,” features his song “Ted Haggard is Completely Heterosexual.” Zimmerman’s 90-minute “Real American” performance is filled with funny…
Waltz with Bashir
War is brutal, bewildering and full of mind-numbing atrocities. This much we know. The challenge for artists is not in pointing out that war is hell, but in finding new and provocative ways to convey that truth. And there are few ways more unique “? and uniquely chilling “? than those depicted in “Waltz with…
Autism reality check
My son looked at me with a furrowed brow as we heard the news on the radio that, once again, “Nick’s Law” was killed in committee. He asked, “When conservatives say they don’t like mandates, why is it we have to wear seatbelts and you are required to carry auto insurance?” I didn’t have an…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
My friend Riley was the first member of her family to attend college. None of her hardscrabble Irish forebears had ever pursued higher education. In her senior year, Riley began having nightmares of her relatives trying to stop her from finishing school. In one recurring dream, her great-grandfather burned all her textbooks. In another, a…
Edmond business present weekend Daylight Disco
Pull out the 1970s disco attire, load up the minivan and groove on over to the “Daylight Disco” on Saturday at Unpluggits Playstudio, 575 Enterprise Drive in Edmond. Kids 18 months to 11 years old are invited to join the two-hour dance party featuring the latest kids’ music and a vintage disco ball. Katrina Uhls,…
Oklahoma lawmaker wants Obama’s birth certificate
He was elected by an overwhelming majority. He was sworn in by the chief justice of the Supreme Court. He has been challenged before about his American heritage and prevailed. But it seems President Barack Obama hasn’t convinced a freshman state representative from right here in Oklahoma that he was born in the U.S. Rep.…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle,” said George Orwell. While that’s true for many of us most of the time, I’m betting you’ll be an exception to the rule in the coming week. You will find it easier than usual to escape from the trance of everyday life.…
Oklahoma City with Obama opinion creates attention
Hal “Chip” Harrison isn’t necessarily questioning Obama’s birth certificate, but the 53-year-old Oklahoma City construction worker wanted to let everyone know what he thought about babies “¦ well, the unborn ones, at least. There was no time to waste. Harrison put the sign (“Abort Obama, not the unborn”) in his truck window and set about…
Attorney claims ODOT Crosstown request may have cost more time
A letter from the director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to a federal board asking that board to “expeditiously issue” a ruling actually caused the ruling to be delayed further, according to an attorney. SEVERAL MONTHS COMMUTER RAIL PATHWAYS The letter, dated Jan. 30 and sent by ODOT Director Gary Ridley to the…
Police Report
The campus police chief of Colorado State University, Dexter Yarbrough, also teaches a criminology class, during which he gives a flavor of real police work (since he’s a former Chicago cop). According to audio recordings of his lectures reported in January by the campus newspaper The Collegian, Yarbrough acknowledged that police sometimes have to “lie”…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
If you put a corn chip in guacamole, take a bite, then dunk the chip in the bowl again, you’re doing what’s known as double-dipping. Scientists say it transfers about 2,750 bacteria from your mouth to the guacamole. I advise against that kind of behavior in the coming week, and I suggest that you protect…
From punk roots in Iowa farmland, singer/songwriter re-kindles spirit
It took almost a decade, but at 31, William Elliott Whitmore is finally a free man. While the Iowa farmer turned musician has always loved to sing, he didn’t see it as a future so much as a mission. With the completion of his musical trilogy ” 2003’s “Hymns for the Hopeless,” 2005’s “Ashes to…
Local adaptation of ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ brings newly discovered material to stage
The story of Anne Frank has captivated generations of readers by providing a unique insight into the terrors of the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of a child. Between 1940-42, Anne and her family managed to evade Nazi persecution by hiding in secret rooms in her father’s office building. Anne’s father, the only survivor,…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In his book The Invention of Air, Steven Johnson says that as coffee drinking came into vogue in the 18th century, it became a driving force in the Age of Enlightenment. Prior to that time, alcohol had been the drink of choice — more so even than water. As the stimulant replaced the intoxicant, the…
Harn Homestead hosts fondue fund-raiser
Dip into cheese and chocolate creations from restaurants around the metro Friday at “Fondue Fandago,” the Harn Homestead’s third annual fondue tasting and cocktail party fund-raiser. Guests can sample and vote on their favorite fondue from The Melting Pot, The Wedge Pizzeria, Adobe Grill, Coco Flow, Tom & Jerry’s Steak & Fish Grille, Deep Fork…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
The world is once again falling deeply in love with you. Let’s hope that on this occasion (unlike what happened the last two times) you will accept its adoration in the spirit in which it’s given. Let’s hope that if the world offers you the moon, the dawn, and the breeze, you won’t reject these…
Madea Goes to Jail
“Madea Goes to Jail” is a puzzler. It doesn’t fit into any convenient genre category, and it doesn’t even try. If you’ve ever been to a drag show, you’ll recognize the wink-at-the-audience performance style of the title character, who only appears in about 25 percent of the movie. Sandwiched in there is a fairly serious…
Fired Up!
The two lead male characters in “Fired Up!” could be “M*A*S*H” leads Hawkeye and Trapper John in a happier place. In fact, if the war of the earlier movie made that film a cynical but desperately funny dash of reality, the totally unrealistic silliness of “Fired Up!” turns this movie into a fantasy: “Lord of…
As Capitol press corps shrinks, government controls message
is eCapitol, a state government news service provider. The company is set up much the same way as The Journal Record, with a large staff to track every bill going through the House and Senate chambers. eCapitol is based on a subscription service, allowing clients to specialize what type of news and tracking they need.…
Renowned ‘rock god,’acclaimed guitarist steers his band to Bricktown
At 29 years old, Derek Trucks has been performing onstage more than half his life. He picked up his first guitar at 9 ” a measly $5 buy from a local garage sale. Only two years later, Trucks was sitting in with his uncle’s group The Allman Brothers Band and performing alongside blues legend Buddy…
Group offers introduction to nonviolent communication
Compassionate Communication Oklahoma (CCO) is offering a free introduction to nonviolent communication from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday on the campus of Oklahoma City University. Nonviolent communication, or NVC, is a movement and process started by Marshall Rosenberg, a Jewish man who experienced firsthand the effects of anti-Semitism, as well as witnessed the violence directed…
Despite geography, Oklahoma boasts plenty of mountain bike riders winding through trails
Oklahoma might be more rolling plains then white-crested mountain tops, but the lack of sprawling mountain ranges doesn’t limit the opportunities for mountain bike races. Oklahoma’s 2009 Tour de Dirt will fan out across the state, hosting races in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Stillwater, Ardmore and this Sunday’s race in Norman. According to Tour de Dirt…
Must Read After My Death
“Must Read After My Death” was scrawled in marker on an envelope found by Morgan Dews, left behind by his grandmother, Allis. It was part of a living history “? and a secret one “? of tapes, records, home movies and transcripts detailing Allis’ chilly marriage to Charley, and her reluctance of playing mom to…
