Fighting for marriage equality
Their fight is very inspiring to me and my family. I am proud to be a gay woman, an Oklahoman, and to be present during this great time of change. A time where we get to witness our leaders stand up against deep-rooted biases, where our neighbors courageously fight to have their relationship recognized by…
Packed parking
On quiet nights, 12 to 18 of the 31 residential parking spaces are occupied with cars belonging to the residents. On Cafe Nova party nights, all 31 spaces are full before 8 p.m. Residents who come home after the party starts end up forced to park halfway to Shartel. N.W. 42nd west of Western suffers…
No war with Iran
The U.S. and the world cannot afford another war. The House and Senate may already have passed a resolution (H. Res. 568, S. Res. 380) expressing the sense of Congress that if Iran acquires a nuclear weapons capability, “containment” options are insufficient. Containment includes diplomacy, sanctions, deterrence and inspections short of war. Since some hawks…
How many children must die?
These events have become routine in this country, but this one is getting attention because its on a larger scale. What is wrong with us? How many children have to die before we do something about this nonsense? I don’t care what the Second Amendment says: We are not responsible enough as a society to…
Total Recall: Mind-Bending Edition
Join him, won’t you? Before the Colin Farrell/Kate Beckinsale remake opens next week, take a return trip to the 1990 blockbuster with Lionsgate’s new “Mind-Bending Edition” on Blu-ray. And if you’ve never seen the sci-fi hit, then — to quote another character — “Get ready for a surprise!” (Oh, there are more classic lines to…
Marina Abramovi?: The Artist Is Present
Is it art? A fully nude woman suspended on a wall, perched on a bicycle seat. Is it art? A man lying on the floor with a skeleton reclining atop his naked body, perhaps as if his sexual partner. Is it art? A couple stands facing one another, nary a thread, and museum visitors must…
Orange to gold?
Before his arrival at OSU, Scott had been a standout wrestler at Waynesburg Central High School in Pennsylvania, a three-time state champion with a high school record of 156-12. That success continued in Stillwater where he was a four-time All American. Scott placed second in the NCAA in his weight class in 2007, and went…
Honey, I quit the band
Divorces can be messy, but married couple Natalie and Ryan Houck’s split from Green Corn Revival to form altcountry act Honeylark was as amicable as possible, with both sides citing the ol’ “irreconcilable differences.” “Ryan and I had been writing our own stuff for a long time,” Natalie Houck said. “You know how artists are:…
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Just as did director Guillermo del Toro in Pan’s Labyrinth, first-time feature director Benh Zeitlin requires a suspension of disbelief to become part of a world seen and understood through a young girl’s eyes. Just as the creative force of Ofelia’s imagination in that 2006 film fought back against Franco’s fascism, this one, embodied in…
Still in Saigon
Credit: Mark Hancock There’s nothing I hate more than a boring sandwich. Well, that’s not true. I hate a lot of things more, but I don’t come into contact with them nearly as often as I do boring sandwiches. Rarely, for instance, do I step inside a restaurant and witness genocide. But lots of places…
OKG7 places you shouldn’t forget about
Junior’s 2601 Northwest Expressway 848-5597 Have you wondered what a 1980s cruise ship might be like? Forget time travel, just go to Junior’s. This underground (literally) lounge exudes retro decadence from floor to ceiling. If you sit in the lounge, you’ll get a show with singers and sometimes a guest saxophonist on jazz nights. Known…
Holding our biased breath
But as the company sells off billions in assets to pay $32.6 billion in “spending obligations” (as The Wall Street Journal recently reported), charges of crony capitalism abound and its CEO fends off charges of insider dealing, local defenders of the embattled energy giant have come forth in droves. Some even contend we are the…
Evergreen wine
Edmond Bottle Shop Credit: Shannon Cornman The wines were from Pepper Bridge and Amavi, two wineries owned by the Goff family, regular visitors to the Oklahoma City market. Their daughter, Travis Goff, who moderated the tasting, hosts the event to display the quality and value of Washington’s wine industry. “No [American viticultural area, or AVA]…
Get the scoop
Robby Brookshire, Sarah Parker and Martha Corkum at Kaiser’s Credit: Shannon Cornman Besides, somebody has to celebrate National Ice Cream month, an annual tradition established by President Ronald Reagan. That 1984 proclamation called for the people of the United States to observe this event with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.” The only suitable response, therefore, is…
Chad Sullins and the Last Call Coalition — Incommunicado
With clear-cut single “Thank God for Jack Daniels,” Sullins positions himself somewhere between Stoney LaRue and Eric Church, executing the whiskey tribute with all the subtlety — and admitted fun — of a Michael Bay film after a charming, vintage-Western introduction. He leads into that some good-ol’-boy politicking in the blistering, if familiar “Straight to…
Torch slinger
Robert Block “This all came about by being president of the academy,” he said. “Hopefully this will become a tradition of the president traveling to the Olympics each year.” Before Block could make his trip, however, he had to train. “I started out doing a rapid run,” he said. “Now I can jog about half…
New moves
For almost a year, Michelle Dexter has been planning the sixth annual Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival, showcasing the work of five Sooner State-based dance companies and 38 dancers. “I start planning as soon as the year before is over,” said Dexter, artistic director of the Perpetual Motion Dance troupe. She begins scouting for choreographers so…
Kidding around
Keedo Kids Credit: Jordan Ensminger No, I don’t have any of my own, but my close friends and family have done an excellent job providing me with lots of nieces and nephews to spoil, from toddlers to grade-schoolers. The thing about kids: They need stuff … and lots of it! And with their frequent growth…
Color me busy
Jordan Herrera loves music so much, he hardly can step away from it, even for a moment. Always listening, of course, but always playing, too. Months ago at Norman Music Festival, Herrera played with four different bands (Chrome Pony, The Gentle Art of Floating, Good Morning Grizzly and The Nghiems) in three days, and that…
Shining light on the legislative process
With the legislative session over, it’s a good time to think about ways to make the next one better. Specifically, I’m concerned with making the legislative process more transparent. Much has improved over the five years since I’ve been covering the state Capitol, but much more can — and should — be done. For starters,…
Caged heat
Credit: Shannon Cornman The comments were part of a larger discussion among the council at its June 16 meeting about what to do with a $1.3 million surplus to the city budget and whether to put that money into expanded bus service, street maintenance, or the hiring of more police officers. Shadid questioned why there…
Street fight
Renderings of a proposed roundabout for the boulevard During a previous council meeting, some council members said they were unaware of plans that include an elevated bridge over the area near W. Reno Avenue, S. Classen Boulevard and S. Western Avenue. A citizens group, Friends for a Better Boulevard, wants the city and state Department…
The tree of strife
Credit: Brad Gregg Fresh from the critically acclaimed but audience-polarizing drama The Tree of Life, director Terrence Malick reportedly is still tinkering with his Oklahoma-lensed follow-up, To the Wonder. While the drama is packed with star power — Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem and Jessica Chastain among them — it still has no firm…
Animal kingdom
Louisa McCune-Elmore Credit: Mark Hancock Oklahoma City’s Kirkpatrick Foundation is kicking off an ambitious initiative — to make Oklahoma the safest place to be an animal by 2032 — tonight by hosting worldrenowned philosopher and animal ethicist Bernard Rollin to lecture at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. His lecture will conclude a day of discussion…
Shot with his own gun
Credit: Brad Gregg Colbert told police the shooting occurred while he sat in his car in a convenience store parking lot near S.E. 44th Street and Shields Boulevard. The 36-year-old said he had been preparing to sell the weapon, which he’d purchased in Kansas, and — like any good salesman — was testing first to…
The ultimate gentrification
Credit: Brad Gregg Of course, would-be developers will face a few challenges, given the building’s functionality for people who break laws and whatnot. One idea being tossed for the old jail that might be ideal: a doggy day care, of which downtown is desperately in need. We at Chicken-Fried News are thinking more along the…
PR BS
Credit: Brad Gregg —“Near-Death Experiences Reproduced in First-Ever Experiences” —“Consumer Reports: You can get a very good bagel outside of New Yawk” —“What can a 1,200 pound horse teach a 125 pound woman about leadership? Plenty!” —“Swap Black Walnuts for Pricey Pecans” —“The Truth About Catholics and Condoms” —“Americans Are Wrapped Up In Their Toilet…
Fetus fetish
Credit: Brad Gregg That includes a measure requiring that women get an ultrasound before an abortion and have the images described to them. That bill was struck down as unconstitutional, but that ruling is being appealed by state Attorney General Scott Pruitt. “Every year, we look to Oklahoma to see what unfortunate, harmful thing they…
Bros before woes
Photo: Moses Namkung Some bands rue the day where they play in massive arenas and amphitheaters instead of midsized concert halls. Folk rock’s The Avett Brothers, however, relish it. “We have more tools at our disposal than we ever have. There’s been a gradual progression, watching the size of the rooms we were playing in…
Last chance
Deer Creek isn’t known as a birthplace of rock music … yet. At Long Last, a band of four Deer Creek High School students, is on the rise, having opened for the likes of Forever the Sickest Kids, Go Radio and Greyson Chance. Singer-songwriter Jordan Lindley and drummer Carson Hawkins started playing together at their…
Bastards!
Ohio garage rockers Heartless Bastards were a little road-weary after two years touring with Wilco and Wolfmother, and on their own, both here and abroad. They finally wound down to record what would later become Arrow when their producer, Spoon drummer Jim Eno, suggested the band head right back out there. “He recommended we go…
On the road
Robert Hines credit: Mark Hancock Not a bad percentage, said Dr. Steven Coupens, who along with fellow Oklahoma Sports Science and Orthopedics physician Dr. Robert Hines, will supervise the physical well-being of athletes during the London games. Coupens is team physician for USA Cycling, and Hines is back as team physician for USA Wrestling. Each…
It’s the top
Summerstock Productions is presenting Cole Porter’s 1934 classic, Anything Goes, directed and choreographed by Shannon Hurleigh. It’s a satisfying, if modest, production. If nothing else, this is a welcome chance to see Renee Anderson play Reno Sweeney, “the world’s most sensuous sermonizer.” Anderson has the perfect voice for Porter’s songs, and she delivers them with…
God and science
Dr. Brad Strawn In The Physical Nature of Christian Life: Neuroscience, Psychology, & the Church, author Brad D. Strawn explores how developments in modern science have changed ideas of spirituality, and the implications for the church. The book argues against the long-held theological view that a soul provides the spirituality and mental capacities of a…
Steve Niles’ Remains
Making Reno, Nev., look like a miserable stinkhole of a city — and that’s even before any undead show up — Remains focuses on the dozens of denizens who play and work in the Silver Star Hotel and Casino. When a government test of a new “nuke oven” goes awry, everyone who’s not, say, having…
Cat fight
Japanese company Sanrio is suing pageant organizers Cherilyn Holden and Kristi Musick for using HK without permission to promote their “Tickle Me Pink” pageant. The women handed out counterfeit merchandise bearing the icon’s likeness as prizes to contestants. Hello Kitty’s real owners threw a hissy fit, insisting the pageant organizers pay for their im-purr-tinence. Not…
The Dark Knight Rises
Christian Bale returns as Gotham’s masked protector. Eight years — at least in movie time — have elapsed since the events of 2008’s The Dark Knight, and both Batman and his real-life identity, billionaire Bruce Wayne, have gone into seclusion. But the Batman is coerced back into action when an evil masked man named Bane (Tom…
Twins of Evil
At the quaint European village of Karnstein arrive identical twin sisters Maria and Frieda Gellhorn (real-life sibs and 1970 Playboy centerfolds Mary and Madeleine Collinson). Newly orphaned, the beautiful young women come from Venice to live with their Aunt Katy (Kathleen Byron, The Elephant Man) and Uncle Gustav (the legendary Peter Cushing). Upon seeing them…
A Darling raid
Fifteen women were booked on charges of engaging in acts of lewdness, while one woman was arrested for offering to engage in an act of lewdness. The male manager of the club at 1546 S.E. 59th was charged with allowing the sale of beer where persons are unclothed. All are misdemeanor offenses. “These are all…
High and dry
The river was not there. Sometime overnight, one of the six 65,000-pound gates on the Brum Dam, located just west of S. Walker Avenue, fell. Subsequently, almost all of the water in the basin flowed downstream. Old tires, a strangely upright shopping cart and other debris sat in the semi-dry riverbed that had been reduced…
Casting the Runes
Those working on a TV special on the history of witchcraft have peculiar run-ins with a mysterious, reclusive alchemist known as Karswell (Iain Cuthbertson, Gorillas in the Mist), a man who openly espouses lust, deviance and all-around evil. When one character recalls a co-worker’s fatal brush with Karswell (depicted in the prologue) and says that…
The Girl from the Naked Eye
All of 16 years old, but with the soul of an old poet, fresh hooker Sandy Wright (Samantha Street, Alien Raiders) is dead, and Jake (Jason Yee, who co-wrote the script), the club’s driver, takes it upon himself to track down her killers and dish out the requisite payback. Having saved the runaway girl from…
Winging it
Their first stop was in the clusters of trees at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. “It’s been very disturbing to go out and see visitors holding brochures over their heads to avoid the bird droppings,” said Kari Watkins, executive director of the OKC National Memorial & Museum. “We are not trying to hurt [the birds].…
No slowing this Mustang down
The tour will make its way to Oklahoma City on Saturday at Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E. Sheridan, and is an extension of the owners’ charity organization, Mustang Music. Tim and Carmen Schoelen, founders and owners of the brewery, formed the charity shortly after opening their company. It supports local musicians by donating 10 percent…
Casa de Mi Padre
Shot in “Mexicoscope” by director Matt Piedmont (TV’s Funny or Die Presents …), the movie casts Ferrell as dumpy ranch hand Armando Alvarez who inadvertently gets mixed up in the drug war between his favored brother, Raul (Diego Luna, Contraband), and Raul’s nemesis (Gael García Bernal, Babel). To further complicate matters, he falls for his…
Lockout
I know exactly what a Besson production will mean: high-concept action rendered as a high-octane cartoon in live-action, with a severe chance for martial arts. The French filmmaker’s name equals a style equals a brand. His aesthetic appears even when he doesn’t direct. His creative stamp supersedes all. And so it is again with Lockout,…
Attention, campers
Becky Clinton, director of Artworks, said it was Helen’s idea to visit the kids. “She called and asked me if she could come and bring some Thunder Girls,” said Clinton, who has been with Artworks since its beginning 25 years ago. The Artworks staff kept the visit a secret from the kids, who range in…
