Least Competent Criminals
Victor Delfi was arrested and charged with robbing the Lincoln Park Savings Bank in Chicago, having tipped off authorities when he tried to deposit red-dye-stained money into his own account at another bank. Marlon Moore, 39, was indicted in Miami in June in what the Internal Revenue Service said was a series of attempts to…
Fetishes on Parade
As the U.S. House of Representatives was voting on legislation in April to expand the protections of hate-crimes law to “gender identity” and sexual orientation, Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida publicly ridiculed a colleague (unnamed) who apparently confused homosexuals with fetishists. The colleague had proposed an amendment specifying that protection of the law would not…
Least Competent Criminals
Victor Delfi was arrested and charged with robbing the Lincoln Park Savings Bank in Chicago, having tipped off authorities when he tried to deposit red-dye-stained money into his own account at another bank. Marlon Moore, 39, was indicted in Miami in June in what the Internal Revenue Service said was a series of attempts to…
Fetishes on Parade
As the U.S. House of Representatives was voting on legislation in April to expand the protections of hate-crimes law to “gender identity” and sexual orientation, Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida publicly ridiculed a colleague (unnamed) who apparently confused homosexuals with fetishists. The colleague had proposed an amendment specifying that protection of the law would not…
Smooth Reactions
Marcus Johnson, 33, of Wichita, Kan., was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May for an incident last year in which, angered by a police officer’s demand to lower the volume of his car radio, Johnson immediately drove to City Hall, went up a ramp at about 45 mph, crashed through the front door…
Knight Rider: Season 1
e: Cool guy drives cooler car. Taking over for David Hasselhoff is soap star Justin Breuning as Mike Traceur, as his son. Behind the wheel of the talking, high-tech Ford Mustang known as K.I.T.T. (voiced by Val Kilmer), which can make “Transformers”-style modifications on the fly, he fights crime. Best among the 18 episodes involve…
Fine Points of the Law
In May, a court in Montreal, Quebec, ordered the Cinemas Guzzo theater to pay a woman $10,000 (CDN) for violating her family’s privacy during an inspection of her and her daughters’ bags (searching for video equipment that could illegally record a movie). Employees found no equipment but did uncover the teenage daughter’s birth control pills,…
Smooth Reactions
Marcus Johnson, 33, of Wichita, Kan., was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May for an incident last year in which, angered by a police officer’s demand to lower the volume of his car radio, Johnson immediately drove to City Hall, went up a ramp at about 45 mph, crashed through the front door…
Undignified Deaths
A 34-year-old man survived a single-car rollover accident in Nelson, Calif., in May, extricating himself and walking away, but was struck and killed minutes later by an Amtrak train as he crossed railroad tracks. In April in Houma, La., a 23-year-old motorist, having sideswiped a driver waiting to make a turn, drove away without stopping…
Undignified Deaths
A 34-year-old man survived a single-car rollover accident in Nelson, Calif., in May, extricating himself and walking away, but was struck and killed minutes later by an Amtrak train as he crossed railroad tracks. In April in Houma, La., a 23-year-old motorist, having sideswiped a driver waiting to make a turn, drove away without stopping…
Blackest Night #1
When they say “Blackest Night,” they mean it. This eight-issue miniseries event is nothing if not dark. It opens on the annual superhero version of Memorial Day, when the public gathers to remember fallen do-gooders, including Batman, Aquaman, Elongated Man and Firestorm. In Coast City, Green Lantern and his fellow Corps members attend such a…
Fine Points of the Law
In May, a court in Montreal, Quebec, ordered the Cinemas Guzzo theater to pay a woman $10,000 (CDN) for violating her family’s privacy during an inspection of her and her daughters’ bags (searching for video equipment that could illegally record a movie). Employees found no equipment but did uncover the teenage daughter’s birth control pills,…
The Middleman: The Complete Series
2008 Like “The X-Files” filtered through a “Get Smart” sensibility, “The Middleman” feels every bit like the comic book from which it was birthed. Although short-lived, the single-season ABC Family series offered a good-natured dose of science fiction and the supernatural, all delivered an eye so winking, you can’t help but wonder if a lash…
Ripped Off: Madoff and the Scamming of America
2009 Some argue that much of this country’s economic woes are due in part to one man: disgraced Wall Street “investor” Bernie Madoff, who helped put the “ack!” in NASDAQ. After watching the History Channel documentary “Ripped Off: Madoff and the Scamming of America,” I’m prepared to believe it. Oh, he’s not singlehandedly responsible for…
After $18 million, Rocketplane only launched empty promise for Oklahoma
e windows are dark and a “For Lease” sign stands outside the office. “I can’t give you an official date that they left. They didn’t actually close until they moved out of our building,” said Laura Ohrenberg, office manager for The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots, which sits directly across from the shuttered Rocketplane…
Leading Economic Indicators
People With Too Much Money: A resident at 48 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood paid $300,000 in June for one outdoor, uncovered parking space, according to the listing agent. Texas accountant Randy Reeves, 50, paid $1,500 cash in April for the dentist’s mold of the upper and lower teeth of Tiny Tim, which…
World Cup offers Team USA shot at reclaiming top softball spot
Second place is unfamiliar territory where USA women’s softball is concerned. But thanks to a surprising loss to Japan in the gold medal game at the Beijing Olympics last summer, that’s where Team USA currently finds itself ” on the second step looking up. That’s the way it’s been for the last 11 months. Redemption,…
The last throes
At the risk of being proven wrong like our former vice president, I think the right-wing insurgency in Oklahoma is in its last throes, as evidenced by the absurd political theatre of the “Proclamation for Morality.” It was always a weird phenomenon in Oklahoma, running counter to our historic identity as a state of populist,…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
If I were your daddy, I’d take you mountain-climbing or buy you a three-week intensive class in the foreign tongue of your choice. If I were your president, I’d give you a Purple Heart for your undercover heroism and make you ambassador to Italy. If I were your therapist, I’d send you on a pilgrimage…
Science on the Cutting Edge
They Get Paid for This? Researchers from Cleveland State University, for a recent journal article, assessed the physical traits of 195 female characters from the first 20 James Bond films, revealing that more were brunette than blond and that at least 90 percent were young, slim and of above-average looks. In June, a branch of…
The Little Dog Laughed’ welcome surprise from Carpenter Square Theatre
If the weather and the summer blockbusters have you down, take heart in Carpenter Square Theatre, a company that has come to the rescue with a fine production of Douglas Carter Beane’s terrific “The Little Dog Laughed.” The play is billed as a comedy, but it should not be confused with the inane, insipid comedies…
Sonic Youth returns to its indie roots for 16th album, ‘The Eternal’
It is nearly impossible to imagine alternative rock without Sonic Youth. Since its founding in the early ’80s, the New York-based band has been as uncompromising as it is influential, with its cacophonous guitars and avant-garde sensibilities inspiring an entire generation of indie rockers. The group’s merging of the corrosive and the celestial is a…
Oklahoma woman allegedly threatened by pink backpack-wearing child
Seriously, have you checked them? They’re probably trying to steal your wallet. What have we been telling you about kids? We’ve said all along that they are menaces to society, beasts in miniature that strive for one thing and one thing only: total destruction of adults (trust us, we’ve seen “Home Alone”). Just look at…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
If I were your daddy, I’d take you mountain-climbing or buy you a three-week intensive class in the foreign tongue of your choice. If I were your president, I’d give you a Purple Heart for your undercover heroism and make you ambassador to Italy. If I were your therapist, I’d send you on a pilgrimage…
Another Hot Oklahoma Night: A Rock & Roll Story
Plug in and crank up Oklahoma’s rock ‘n’ roll history at a Thursday book signing of “Another Hot Oklahoma Night: A Rock & Roll Story.” A companion to the Oklahoma History Center’s ongoing rock music exhibit, the book was published to chronicle all the data that researchers uncovered while preparing and assembling the museum feature,…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Don’t leave me hanging, Sagittarius. What happens next? How could you even imagine you’ve wrapped the whole thing up? According to my analysis, you’ve got at least one more riddle to solve, one more gift to negotiate, one more scar to wish upon. (Yes, that says “scar,” not “star.”) To stop pushing for more adventure…
New law changes first-time domestic abuse offense from misdemeanor to felony
Oklahoma legislators recently passed a bill that increases the penalty of a first-time domestic violence offense from a misdemeanor to a felony. PATTERN FOURTH IN THE NATION MALE-DOMINATED MENTALITY The new law, written by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman, was inspired by many years of serving as a prosecutor and seeing the devastation of domestic violence…
Simple changes with green design make all difference
Sexy, high-tech innovations within the green movement are what grab headlines, as evidenced by the unveiling of Rand Elliott’s newest concept for energy efficient skyscrapers called “Turbinomic.” The design looks vaguely like a lawn dart imbedded in the Oklahoma City cityscape, with the most striking featuring being spinning, horizontal turbines that would allow the structure…
Couple combines surreal toy camera photography, abstract paintings into single exhibit
A joint exhibition by Rea Baldridge and Joseph Mills at JRB Art at The Elms offers two distinct art forms under one gallery show. Through her oil paintings and his photography, the Oklahoma City married couple’s work stretches from tangles of color to tones of black and white. SHIFT BACK MODERN LOCAL LANDSCAPE Canvases layered…
Bounty hunters videotape former Oklahoma congressman’s son
Actually, Chad Istook’s house looked pretty normal to us, except for, y’know, the bounty hunters hut-hutting through it in the middle of the night. That’s right. Chad, the son of Ernest Istook (OKC’s favorite former Oklahoma congressman-turned-Heritage-Foundation-moral-editorialist) apparently was wanted on a municipal warrant, according to a report on KFOR. These outstanding charges resulted in…
Head few hours east to Arkansas’ Eureka Springs for shopping, kayaking
Eureka Springs is a bit of a dichotomy. Nestled deep in the Ozarks of northern Arkansas ” a quaint scene to rival any hamlet the Disney imagineers could create ” the town is a thriving artists’ community, yet is popular with bikers; it is famously GLBT friendly, yet also plays home to a “young Earther”…
Oklahoma woman allegedly threatened by pink backpack-wearing child
Seriously, have you checked them? They’re probably trying to steal your wallet. What have we been telling you about kids? We’ve said all along that they are menaces to society, beasts in miniature that strive for one thing and one thing only: total destruction of adults (trust us, we’ve seen “Home Alone”). Just look at…
Leading Economic Indicators
People With Too Much Money: A resident at 48 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood paid $300,000 in June for one outdoor, uncovered parking space, according to the listing agent. Texas accountant Randy Reeves, 50, paid $1,500 cash in April for the dentist’s mold of the upper and lower teeth of Tiny Tim, which…
Followed by Static plans Norman performance, single release
The fuzzed-out and stripped-down sound of Austin, Texas, psychedelic-rock duo Followed by Static can only be appreciated alongside the analog artifacts that come with a vinyl pressing. The band will join Early Beat and PVC Street Gang for a Friday show at the Opolis in Norman, home of Guestroom Records, where the pair has stocked…
Oklahoma City partygoers aren’t looking for love, they’re looking for jobs
It seems like a standard evening in the dimly lit restaurant ” a busy and positively boisterous evening crowd with clinking glasses, friendly faces and good food. Despite the suits and professional attire, attendants walk around casually with a drink in one hand and resumes in the other, juggling both to shake hands with as…
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I invite you to write down brief descriptions of the five most pleasurable moments you’ve ever experienced in your life. Let your imagination dwell lovingly on these memories for, say, 20 minutes. And keep them close to the surface of your awareness in the week ahead. If you ever catch yourself slipping into a negative…
Followed by Static plans Norman performance, single release
The fuzzed-out and stripped-down sound of Austin, Texas, psychedelic-rock duo Followed by Static can only be appreciated alongside the analog artifacts that come with a vinyl pressing. The band will join Early Beat and PVC Street Gang for a Friday show at the Opolis in Norman, home of Guestroom Records, where the pair has stocked…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
It makes me famished just to think of you there stewing in your hunger. You almost remind me of a bear that’s just awoken from hibernation or a political prisoner who’s been on a hunger strike. And yet I know it’s not a craving for food that you’re suffering from. It’s not even an impossible…
Studies say gastrointestinal disorder Celiac disease is on the rise
Migraines, severe joint pain, general malaise ” 25-year-old Sara Lorenzen of Oklahoma City suffered from it all. She ate relatively healthy, tried to stay away from fried food and even went organic, but nothing seemed to alleviate her symptoms. INTOLERABLE AND MISDIAGNOSED LIVING GLUTEN-FREE “I could never figure out what was wrong,” she said. “After…
Libraries host first Children’s Metro MusicFest
Kids can rock out for six days at the first Children’s Metro MusicFest, which has been booked at a dozen Metropolitan Library locations. Local children’s performer Monty Harper will kick off the festival 2 p.m. Sunday at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park. Other performers scheduled through Friday, July 24, include Mr. Stinky…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Sometimes this job of mine grinds me down with a heavy sense of responsibility. Am I doing the right thing by divulging so many cosmic secrets? Do people use my advice in good ways? This week I’m especially tormented. Would it be ethical of me to reveal that you could dig a hot tip out…
Major League Baseball teams draft three OCU Stars
For most non-NCAA collegiate baseball teams, a third-place finish in the NAIA World Series would be something to brag about for a few years. TRADITION NO LITTERING FREDDY SANCHEZ But for the Oklahoma City University Stars baseball team, a club that tied for third in this year’s series, the finish was a bit of a…
Oklahoma’s Gary Busey is or is not on Twitter
CFN’s favorite crazed actor who was once an Oklahoman ” that’s Gary Busey, of course ” is on Twitter, but also not on Twitter. See, there are several accounts that purport to be the microblogging ramblings of the skull-fractured thespian whose recent films include such titles as “Homo Erectus” and “The Gingerdead Man,” but none…
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I invite you to write down brief descriptions of the five most pleasurable moments you’ve ever experienced in your life. Let your imagination dwell lovingly on these memories for, say, 20 minutes. And keep them close to the surface of your awareness in the week ahead. If you ever catch yourself slipping into a negative…
As Republicans gain control, face of Oklahoma Democrats changes
Democratic Congressman Dan Boren sits behind a desk with two bucks mounted on wooden plaques peering over each of his shoulders. The sleeves of his button-down shirt are rolled almost to his elbows, and like everyone milling about outside, he is sweaty. THE LAST BASTION CENSUS SHIFTS SELF-IDENTIFICATION Boren has just come inside to this…
Simple changes with green design make all difference
Sexy, high-tech innovations within the green movement are what grab headlines, as evidenced by the unveiling of Rand Elliott’s newest concept for energy efficient skyscrapers called “Turbinomic.” The design looks vaguely like a lawn dart imbedded in the Oklahoma City cityscape, with the most striking featuring being spinning, horizontal turbines that would allow the structure…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Cuckoo birds build no nests of their own. Instead, they rely on trickery to raise their young. The female cuckoo lays her eggs in the nest of a host whose eggs are similar in size and color. The host, often a sparrow, cares for the cuckoo’s eggs as her own, and usually rears the hatchlings…
For a fun day-cation, travel to Six Flags Over Texas
No offense to Frontier City, but every few years, it’s fun to shake things up in the thrills ‘n’ spills department by venturing south of the Red River ” specifically, to Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. The park is a mere three-and-a-half-hour drive from the metro. Getting there is easier if one follows the…
Br
That nasty Brit Sacha Baron Cohen is back in “Br
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
It makes me famished just to think of you there stewing in your hunger. You almost remind me of a bear that’s just awoken from hibernation or a political prisoner who’s been on a hunger strike. And yet I know it’s not a craving for food that you’re suffering from. It’s not even an impossible…
CFN Quote of the Week
“A quick search of the Oklahoma Gazette Web site reveals that all of the facts reported by Surrette, and many more facts, are in Oklahoma Gazette stories by Scott Cooper and Ben Fenwick, “¦ the dynamic duo of Oklahoma investigative journalism.” “The Lost Ogle blog, commenting on a KWTV News 9 Rocketplane story reported by…
Adults reach back to childhood games to network, meet new people
At first glimpse, PlayDate OKC is chock-full of family games like Connect Four, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Taboo, Monopoly, chess and Wii’s plugged into large-projection televisions. Organizers are clustered at the front like workers at a day-care center ready to check in children. The only thing is, there are no little tykes bursting with anticipation and…
New law changes first-time domestic abuse offense from misdemeanor to felony
Oklahoma legislators recently passed a bill that increases the penalty of a first-time domestic violence offense from a misdemeanor to a felony. PATTERN FOURTH IN THE NATION MALE-DOMINATED MENTALITY The new law, written by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman, was inspired by many years of serving as a prosecutor and seeing the devastation of domestic violence…
The last throes
At the risk of being proven wrong like our former vice president, I think the right-wing insurgency in Oklahoma is in its last throes, as evidenced by the absurd political theatre of the “Proclamation for Morality.” It was always a weird phenomenon in Oklahoma, running counter to our historic identity as a state of populist,…
Head few hours east to Arkansas’ Eureka Springs for shopping, kayaking
Eureka Springs is a bit of a dichotomy. Nestled deep in the Ozarks of northern Arkansas ” a quaint scene to rival any hamlet the Disney imagineers could create ” the town is a thriving artists’ community, yet is popular with bikers; it is famously GLBT friendly, yet also plays home to a “young Earther”…
Bounty hunters videotape former Oklahoma congressman’s son
Actually, Chad Istook’s house looked pretty normal to us, except for, y’know, the bounty hunters hut-hutting through it in the middle of the night. That’s right. Chad, the son of Ernest Istook (OKC’s favorite former Oklahoma congressman-turned-Heritage-Foundation-moral-editorialist) apparently was wanted on a municipal warrant, according to a report on KFOR. These outstanding charges resulted in…
Oklahoma City partygoers aren’t looking for love, they’re looking for jobs
It seems like a standard evening in the dimly lit restaurant ” a busy and positively boisterous evening crowd with clinking glasses, friendly faces and good food. Despite the suits and professional attire, attendants walk around casually with a drink in one hand and resumes in the other, juggling both to shake hands with as…
Oklahoma, Minnesota senators clown around with each other
Apparently, Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe can talk the talk and hug the hug. Two weeks ago, when the Minnesota State Supreme Court affirmed former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Al Franken as the winner of last November’s election for the U.S. Senate, our own Sen. Inhofe, sometimes a comedian himself (well, let’s just say some of…
Americans Fantasize, Germans Act
Two formerly well-off retired couples in Speyer, Germany, whose nest egg was largely wiped out by investments in sub-prime Florida mortgages, vented their anger by kidnapping their investment adviser, James Amburn, in June. They took him to the vacation home of one of the couples near the Austrian border, bound him like a mummy and…
Edmond Historical Society looks at Charles Schulz’s work
With her 4-year-old son perched on her lap one recent weekend, Jena Mottola read the newspaper comic strips aloud, but only one of the cartoons was enjoyed by both: “Peanuts.” “Out of all the funny papers, that’s the one that he understood and I understood. It’s ageless and it’s timeless, I think. It’s really iconic,”…
Eco-friendly mowing business trades in gas-powered equipment for battery, human power
It’s about 2 p.m. on a Friday and Ben Engebretson and his two-man crew of Hamid Daraby and Babak Goli are working on a lawn on the far northwest side of Oklahoma City. As Daraby and Goli trim the grass, Engebretson quickly tidies up the front yard’s border with an edger. The trio stays focused,…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Long-standing myths are on the verge of mutating. Stories that have remained fixed for years are about to acquire unexpected wrinkles. The effects may be pretty spectacular. I suspect it’ll be the equivalent of Sleeping Beauty waking up from her long sleep without the help of the prince’s kiss, or like Little Red Riding Hood…
Sonic Youth returns to its indie roots for 16th album, ‘The Eternal’
It is nearly impossible to imagine alternative rock without Sonic Youth. Since its founding in the early ’80s, the New York-based band has been as uncompromising as it is influential, with its cacophonous guitars and avant-garde sensibilities inspiring an entire generation of indie rockers. The group’s merging of the corrosive and the celestial is a…
Moon
As a movie setting, outer space is most often used to create a free-for-all frontier in which good and evil can battle it out with a minimum of rules or limitations. Think “Star Wars,” “Buck Rogers,” “Flash Gordon” or scores of other space adventures. Less common is the use of space as an illustration of…
Science on the Cutting Edge
They Get Paid for This? Researchers from Cleveland State University, for a recent journal article, assessed the physical traits of 195 female characters from the first 20 James Bond films, revealing that more were brunette than blond and that at least 90 percent were young, slim and of above-average looks. In June, a branch of…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
There goes your exaggerated respect for warped chunks of complications. Here comes an opportunity to make a break for bubbly freedom. To take advantage, Scorpio, you’ll need to travel much lighter. So please peel off your armor. Wipe that forty-pound sneer of doubt off your face. Bury your broken-down theories by the side of the…
Catholic camp volunteers visit Riverpark neighborhood to help with home repairs
More than 200 Catholic teenagers from across the country came to Oklahoma City last week to paint some siding, plant some flowers and make residents’ lives a little easier. COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS PLANT FLOWERS 70 HOMES The Catholic Heart Workcamp is a national organization based in Orlando, Fla., that sends youth to perform community service…
Untitled [ArtSpace] displays quilt creations
rn Materials” exhibit isn’t stitched with tradition. “It’s not craft work,” Burris said. “It’s definitely fine art.” INNOVATIVE PIECES The show includes 24 innovative pieces from 33 artists who hail from California to New York. One of the works is an operational Ferris wheel complete with miniature figures in its cars that are made entirely…
The Veils’ Finn Andrews, ‘Sun’ gang will shine from Norman stage
The problem with having a legacy or looks that open doors is that you might be asked to step through before you’re ready. As the history of child stars attests, entertainment is an industry that eats its young. Music can be a bit more forgiving, but it’s still difficult to forge a creative identity while…
The Veils’ Finn Andrews, ‘Sun’ gang will shine from Norman stage
The problem with having a legacy or looks that open doors is that you might be asked to step through before you’re ready. As the history of child stars attests, entertainment is an industry that eats its young. Music can be a bit more forgiving, but it’s still difficult to forge a creative identity while…
After $18 million, Rocketplane only launched empty promise for Oklahoma
e windows are dark and a “For Lease” sign stands outside the office. “I can’t give you an official date that they left. They didn’t actually close until they moved out of our building,” said Laura Ohrenberg, office manager for The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots, which sits directly across from the shuttered Rocketplane…
Libraries host first Children’s Metro MusicFest
Kids can rock out for six days at the first Children’s Metro MusicFest, which has been booked at a dozen Metropolitan Library locations. Local children’s performer Monty Harper will kick off the festival 2 p.m. Sunday at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park. Other performers scheduled through Friday, July 24, include Mr. Stinky…
Inaugural Improv Festival Oklahoma brings troupes from around U.S.
“right” vspace=”10″ border=”0″ />The whole deal with improvisational comedy is, you can throw something out there, and you’ll never expect what comes back at you. To wit: Ask the two members of Twinprov about their “origin story,” and you’ll get a rap: “We started out as a single cell / Split in two, now we’re…
Adults reach back to childhood games to network, meet new people
At first glimpse, PlayDate OKC is chock-full of family games like Connect Four, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Taboo, Monopoly, chess and Wii’s plugged into large-projection televisions. Organizers are clustered at the front like workers at a day-care center ready to check in children. The only thing is, there are no little tykes bursting with anticipation and…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
There goes your exaggerated respect for warped chunks of complications. Here comes an opportunity to make a break for bubbly freedom. To take advantage, Scorpio, you’ll need to travel much lighter. So please peel off your armor. Wipe that forty-pound sneer of doubt off your face. Bury your broken-down theories by the side of the…
Sooner Cinema: Oklahoma Goes to the Movies – Larry A. Van Meter, editor
Forty-Sixth Star Press The third release from the Oklahoma City-based Forty-Sixth Star Press is its most accessible title yet. Edited by college professor Larry A. Van Meter, “Sooner Cinema: Oklahoma Goes to the Movies” looks at how the state has been depicted on film “? and how such efforts have influenced its citizens. Nineteen essays…
Oklahoma, Minnesota senators clown around with each other
Apparently, Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe can talk the talk and hug the hug. Two weeks ago, when the Minnesota State Supreme Court affirmed former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Al Franken as the winner of last November’s election for the U.S. Senate, our own Sen. Inhofe, sometimes a comedian himself (well, let’s just say some of…
Commentary: The real devaluation of marriage
It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child, and studies have continually shown real benefits to children brought up in a household with both a mother and father present. Yet Oklahoma law does little to promote such a family dynamic. State Rep. Sally Kern, who has recently become something of…
Americans Fantasize, Germans Act
Two formerly well-off retired couples in Speyer, Germany, whose nest egg was largely wiped out by investments in sub-prime Florida mortgages, vented their anger by kidnapping their investment adviser, James Amburn, in June. They took him to the vacation home of one of the couples near the Austrian border, bound him like a mummy and…
Local painter, collage artist uses insight on subjects for traditional portraiture
Portraiture is no longer the force it was before the advent of photography. A camera can be more effective and efficient than a painter at capturing an image, so it is not enough for portraits to simply record. To thrive in a modern world, the historic form must interpret. An exhibition at Science Museum Oklahoma…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Long-standing myths are on the verge of mutating. Stories that have remained fixed for years are about to acquire unexpected wrinkles. The effects may be pretty spectacular. I suspect it’ll be the equivalent of Sleeping Beauty waking up from her long sleep without the help of the prince’s kiss, or like Little Red Riding Hood…
Two dozen artists proving paper is anything but stationary
slice of atlas also found the panhandle town of Beaver, which makes up the last of the map mountains and gives the piece its name. Dahlvang has long been involved in “24 Works on Paper,” first joining when it was exhibited at the Omniplex and continuing to enter when it moved at IAO. “They gave…
I Love You, Beth Cooper
If you can give me one good reason why Hollywooders, even hacks like director Chris Columbus (“Rent”), continue to churn out lame “? make that “permanently disabled” “? comedies like this one, without using the word “money” or a substitute that means the same thing, I will never write another negative word about “I Love…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Cuckoo birds build no nests of their own. Instead, they rely on trickery to raise their young. The female cuckoo lays her eggs in the nest of a host whose eggs are similar in size and color. The host, often a sparrow, cares for the cuckoo’s eggs as her own, and usually rears the hatchlings…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Sometimes this job of mine grinds me down with a heavy sense of responsibility. Am I doing the right thing by divulging so many cosmic secrets? Do people use my advice in good ways? This week I’m especially tormented. Would it be ethical of me to reveal that you could dig a hot tip out…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
I fear you’re on the verge of slipping into a state of mind that wants everything and is therefore in danger of getting nothing. I worry that you’ll be lusting for such total control over so much wild sweetness that you won’t actually formulate a foolproof plan to commune with even a pinch of that…
Catholic camp volunteers visit Riverpark neighborhood to help with home repairs
More than 200 Catholic teenagers from across the country came to Oklahoma City last week to paint some siding, plant some flowers and make residents’ lives a little easier. COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS PLANT FLOWERS 70 HOMES The Catholic Heart Workcamp is a national organization based in Orlando, Fla., that sends youth to perform community service…
For a fun day-cation, travel to Six Flags Over Texas
No offense to Frontier City, but every few years, it’s fun to shake things up in the thrills ‘n’ spills department by venturing south of the Red River ” specifically, to Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. The park is a mere three-and-a-half-hour drive from the metro. Getting there is easier if one follows the…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Don’t leave me hanging, Sagittarius. What happens next? How could you even imagine you’ve wrapped the whole thing up? According to my analysis, you’ve got at least one more riddle to solve, one more gift to negotiate, one more scar to wish upon. (Yes, that says “scar,” not “star.”) To stop pushing for more adventure…
World Cup offers Team USA shot at reclaiming top softball spot
Second place is unfamiliar territory where USA women’s softball is concerned. But thanks to a surprising loss to Japan in the gold medal game at the Beijing Olympics last summer, that’s where Team USA currently finds itself ” on the second step looking up. That’s the way it’s been for the last 11 months. Redemption,…
Oklahoma’s Gary Busey is or is not on Twitter
CFN’s favorite crazed actor who was once an Oklahoman ” that’s Gary Busey, of course ” is on Twitter, but also not on Twitter. See, there are several accounts that purport to be the microblogging ramblings of the skull-fractured thespian whose recent films include such titles as “Homo Erectus” and “The Gingerdead Man,” but none…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
I fear you’re on the verge of slipping into a state of mind that wants everything and is therefore in danger of getting nothing. I worry that you’ll be lusting for such total control over so much wild sweetness that you won’t actually formulate a foolproof plan to commune with even a pinch of that…
Studies say gastrointestinal disorder Celiac disease is on the rise
Migraines, severe joint pain, general malaise ” 25-year-old Sara Lorenzen of Oklahoma City suffered from it all. She ate relatively healthy, tried to stay away from fried food and even went organic, but nothing seemed to alleviate her symptoms. INTOLERABLE AND MISDIAGNOSED LIVING GLUTEN-FREE “I could never figure out what was wrong,” she said. “After…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
I hate to admit it, but love is not always enough to solve every problem. On some occasions you need love, clever insights, strategic maneuvers, and fierce determination. In my astrological opinion, this is one of those times. Take a moment right now to shush the grumbling dialogue you keep having with yourself about what’s…
As Republicans gain control, face of Oklahoma Democrats changes
Democratic Congressman Dan Boren sits behind a desk with two bucks mounted on wooden plaques peering over each of his shoulders. The sleeves of his button-down shirt are rolled almost to his elbows, and like everyone milling about outside, he is sweaty. THE LAST BASTION CENSUS SHIFTS SELF-IDENTIFICATION Boren has just come inside to this…
Major League Baseball teams draft three OCU Stars
For most non-NCAA collegiate baseball teams, a third-place finish in the NAIA World Series would be something to brag about for a few years. TRADITION NO LITTERING FREDDY SANCHEZ But for the Oklahoma City University Stars baseball team, a club that tied for third in this year’s series, the finish was a bit of a…
CFN Quote of the Week
“A quick search of the Oklahoma Gazette Web site reveals that all of the facts reported by Surrette, and many more facts, are in Oklahoma Gazette stories by Scott Cooper and Ben Fenwick, “¦ the dynamic duo of Oklahoma investigative journalism.” “The Lost Ogle blog, commenting on a KWTV News 9 Rocketplane story reported by…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
I hate to admit it, but love is not always enough to solve every problem. On some occasions you need love, clever insights, strategic maneuvers, and fierce determination. In my astrological opinion, this is one of those times. Take a moment right now to shush the grumbling dialogue you keep having with yourself about what’s…
Psych: The Complete Third Season
Out of the box this July: Perhaps the greatest thing about DVD: preserving the tube! Collecting TV shows “? both current faves and lost obscurities “? can be a weekly hobby. USA Network has been delivering several series of quality lately, including “Burn Notice,” “In Plain Sight” and the long-running “Monk.” One of its bright…
Australia’s Sick Puppies go from Free Hugs to cold shoulders with ‘Tri-Polar’
Lightning struck for Sick Puppies in the form of a video that became a viral YouTube hit three years ago. The trio received the kind of publicity you can’t buy when footage of singer/guitarist Shimon Moore shot of Juan Mann’s “Free Hugs” campaign became an international phenomenon, exposing millions to a funny, public-hugging effort and…
Wednesday Comics #1
DC Comics As much as I used to love reading the Sunday funnies as a kid, I was always perturbed the newspaper never ran any comic strip that was even vaguely superhero. DC Comics’ new project “Wednesday Comics” makes up for another publishing company’s mistake, three decades later. For 12 weeks, “Wednesday Comics” hits shelves…
Australia’s Sick Puppies go from Free Hugs to cold shoulders with ‘Tri-Polar’
Lightning struck for Sick Puppies in the form of a video that became a viral YouTube hit three years ago. The trio received the kind of publicity you can’t buy when footage of singer/guitarist Shimon Moore shot of Juan Mann’s “Free Hugs” campaign became an international phenomenon, exposing millions to a funny, public-hugging effort and…
American Gladiators: The Original Series ” The Battle Begins
1989 Out of the box this July: Perhaps the greatest thing about DVD: preserving the tube! Collecting TV shows “? both current faves and lost obscurities “? can be a weekly hobby. Don’t even pretend you didn’t at least partially dig this bizarro sports show when it premiered in 1989. Until the novelty wore off,…
Comic Legends
Out of the box this July: Perhaps the greatest thing about DVD: preserving the tube! Collecting TV shows “? both current faves and lost obscurities “? can be a weekly hobby. MPI’s four-disc collection reels in odds and ends from commercials, talk shows, game shows and more to shine the spotlight on five pioneers…
Young & Handsome: An Evening with Jeff Garlin
2009 Despite his abrasive character on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Jeff Garlin seems like a nice guy. He’s definitely a funny guy. But the big ‘n’ tall comic’s wit is in short supply on “Young & Handsome: An Evening with Jeff Garlin.” Directed by Bob Odenkirk (who should’ve rethought placing Garlin’s red shirt in front…
More than 100 people sign State Rep. Sally Kern’s proclamation
State Rep. Sally Kern (R-Dist. 84) allowed Oklahoma Gazette to photograph the original Oklahoma Citizens’ Proclamation for Morality, which was signed on July 2 and has drawn the attention of national and international media. The document ” containing a series of quotes from founding fathers and early American Christians; as well as a catalog of…
More than 100 people sign State Rep. Sally Kern’s proclamation
State Rep. Sally Kern (R-Dist. 84) allowed Oklahoma Gazette to photograph the original Oklahoma Citizens’ Proclamation for Morality, which was signed on July 2 and has drawn the attention of national and international media. The document ” containing a series of quotes from founding fathers and early American Christians; as well as a catalog of…
