LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact number…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact number…
OKG7 watering holes
Margarita Island & Cantina8135 N.W. 10thmargaritaislandokc.com603-2850 A fellow Gazetteer likes the libations of Margarita Island. Import and domestic beer and mixed drinks — frozen and on the rocks — abound. There’s a patio, smoking is allowed inside and you won’t want to miss the fire pit. Junior’s2601 Northwest Expresswayjuniorsokc.com848-5597 This iconic Oklahoma City haunt has…
Feeling up
Feel Spectres is more than just a name for the indie act led by Matt Goad; it’s more like a mission statement. “It’s kind of funny and creepy at the same time,” Goad said of the moniker, which parodies legendary record producer/convicted murderer Phil Spector. “And that suits us just fine. We want to make…
The road ahead
Yet it’s worth the effort to revitalize a section of Oklahoma City that has been ignored much too long by city leaders, said Jaime di Paulo, business development coordinator for the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The renaissance will likely occur because of a Business Improvement District (BID) that di Paulo and others…
Coming attractions
Photo: Mark Hancock One such business was the legendary Winchester Drive In Theatre, 6930 S. Western, made all the more poignant by it being one of the few operating drive-in movie theaters left in the country. Instead of shutting its doors, however, longtime owner and operator Lindy Shanbour chose to rebuild. “I opened this drive-in…
Fill the Void
The film zeros in on a Haredi (which means “those who tremble before God”) Jewish population living in modern-day Tel Aviv, Israel. Amid celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim, a family mourns the death of Esther (Renana Raz, Munich), who dies giving birth to her first son, Mordecai. Esther’s death sends a shock wave of…
It’s a gas
A journey of an oppressed young wife’s liberation and self-discovery begins with a job at a nail salon in Carpenter Square Theatre’s latest live production. Out of Sterno presents the story of Dotty, played by A’Mari Jo Rocheleau, who transforms from an innocent spouse to an independent and adventurous woman. Married since she was 16…
Booking it
The seniors — some of them retired teachers, grandparents and great-grandparents — were especially concerned about the students of Plaza Towers and Briarwood, the two elementary schools demolished by that EF5 twister. So the 175 residents of Buckner Westminster Place in Longview, Texas, did something about it. On July 1, two administrators from the facility…
Greece is the word
I took my very first date to a buffet. Her name was Sarah, and I thought she was just the prettiest thing since ever. That night, I learned a hard lesson about women and buffets: They probably should not meet. At least not on a first date. Simply saying the word “buffet” can conjure images…
Liquid sunshine
They tend to be fruitier, lighter and more zippy. If you add fresh fruit, it’s almost as if you’re drinking healthy. Ludivine, 805 N. Hudson, takes local to a whole new level with its Garrison Finish. Black tea-infused bourbon is mixed with lemon, agave, Oklahoma blackberries and foraged Iowa sage to create a complex blend…
The Olympic spirit?
Credit: Brad Gregg Granted, the city up the turnpike would be the smallest to host the ancient games in the modern era. Its BOK Center and new baseball stadium are certainly nifty, but the infrastructure and hotel accommodations seem mighty limited for an international event as huge as the Summer Olympics. But, hey, Tulsa…
Going after Google
Credit: Brad Gregg State Attorney General Scott Pruitt doesn’t. He is so disgusted by the revenue-sharing practice — known as monetizing — that he and Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning wrote a strongly worded letter last week to the multinational Internet-based giant, noting that they are “prepared to take appropriate action to safeguard our citizens.”…
Slam-dunk romance (not KD’s)
Credit: Brad Gregg Upton and Griffin were spotted at a chic Manhattan hot spot, in which they were, according to the unimpeachable source that is E! Online, getting “very cozy” with one another. The source reports that the two were “cuddling and holding hands, although they were not seen making out.” Adding, “They seemed pretty…
Truth-telling TV
Credit: Brad Gregg But a rage-filled Oklahoma City man happened across a fourth reason during a July 1 appearance on Dr. Phil: domestic abuse. The episode, which first aired in May, revealed 25-year-old Timothy D. Cruz admitting to punching, kicking and strangling his Edmond girlfriend, Brittany Roberts. Oklahoma County prosecutors already had been building a…
Various artists — Support Local Heroes: Vol 1
But music has more to offer than just fun and games. And with the sting of May’s natural disasters still weighing heavy on Oklahomans, Support Local Heroes: Vol 1 — a 10-song compilation of Chevy Music Showcase artists benefitting ongoing disaster-relief efforts — seeks to provide both spiritual and financial aid for those affected by…
Boyz to Men
The music made by Oklahoma City’s The Hitt Boyz isn’t exactly what founding members/guitarists Will Ogletree and Adam Thornbrugh intended: to be the next At the Drive-In or Mars Volta. Instead of fighting what came natural, the two decided to roll with the punches. “We wanted a high-energy, punk-rock band, but when we started writing,…
Spin is in
It’s almost a sport to rummage through stacks of records, whether you’re at an estate sale, garage sale or record shop. One never knows what will be discovered, trash or treasure. Will it be an album of an unknown recording artist? Something with fantastic cover art? A rare find or a current-day favorite? And no…
About a route
After three years of planning and debate, the MAPS 3 streetcar project may soon have a route that travels by all key destinations in downtown and Midto Before that happens, however, a public meeting Monday will give Oklahoma City citizens a chance to comment on the four options consulting firm Jacobs Engineering presented during a…
Suburban sushi
Edmond is home to numerous sushi bars that offer two essential things: friendly, knowledgeable staff and fresh, vibrant food to make dining a delightful adventure. The Sushi Bar, 1201 N.W. 178th in Edmond, serves up fresh and cooked sushi, as well as entrees, appetizers and a sizable list of wine, sake and beer from both…
I’d buy that for a dollar
Credit: Brad Gregg Low-point beer courtesy of good ol’ Dollar General will reside on its Oklahoma shelves probably between the paper plates and hula hoops. Or near the chew toys and potato chips. Or by the generic colas and sporks. Oh, heck. Just ask Barb at the front register. Dollar General no longer wants to…
Hair today
Credit: Brad Gregg The gridiron star has a gorgeous wife, a brilliant NFL career and enough money to buy a small island, or Rhode Island, for that matter. But now, the guy who had a noticeably receding hairline is complete with a head full of bushy hair. Give the aging wide receiver some credit. Welker…
Left and right
A state representative has organized what he promises will be a bipartisan rally Friday evening at the state Capitol to protest potential U.S. involvement in Syria’s bloody civil war. Rep. Paul Wesselhöft, R-Moore, said he hopes to help spur a nationwide antiwar movement in the wake of President Barack Obama’s announcement that he will arm…
Darts at arts
OK Mozart is among the programs likely to be impacted by the federal sequestration. As a state agency, OAC receives funding from two sources: state appropriations and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant. While state dollars account for 85 percent of its budget and will remain at the current level of $4 million,…
The facts about a convention center hotel
Let me be specific concerning the details. First, Shadid refers to a study conducted by Convention, Sports & Leisure International for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. The councilmen, along with numerous members of the local media, have reviewed the full study in our offices. The study does contemplate the need for a headquarters hotel as…
‘Wrath’ of the titan
Credit: Brad Gregg Someone tells them, “Californy is the place you ought to be,” so they load up the truck and move to Beverly. Or maybe they don’t get that far; been a long time since we read them there CliffsNotes back in learnin’ school. Just before the Fourth of July, Deadline Hollywood reported that…
The good, the bad and the goofy
In other words: situation normal. Thirty-six months from now, you’ll enjoy an average tax reduction of 35 cents a day. Gov. Mary Fallin says that is necessary for Oklahoma to be more attractive to business decision-makers. Thirty-five cents daily more in our pockets with an effective date of 2016 doesn’t meet the smell test. Regardless,…
Would You Rather
In order to afford a bone marrow transplant for her ailing brother (Logan Miller, The Bling Ring), young, unemployed Iris (Brittany Snow, Pitch Perfect) accepts an exclusive invitation to a dinner party hosted by businessman Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs, the Re-Animator trilogy), at which his foundation will award a sizable sum of money to one…
Hoops love
Apparently, the pair — both 24 years old — have been friends since high school. But the situation got hot and heavy a few months ago when the two basketball elites hooked up and eventually elevated their relationship from friends to fiancé status. Wright, a member of the Minnesota Lynx and an All-Rookie selection in 2010,…
Back to the Beach / Hello Down There
Out of print for ages, the 1987 comedy — at once a tribute, a spoof and an unofficial sequel — is back in my life, thanks to Warner Archives throwing it a life preserver. If ever a trivia question arises asking what the first movie I ever rented from the brand-new Blockbuster Video was, answer…
Liberal angst
The statement that “by opposing background checks for gun buyers, Coburn and Inhofe voted in favor of allowing the mentally ill and criminals to buy guns” is pernicious. First, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System is still in effect for gun buyers just as it has been since 1994; second, opposition to the legislation…
Profile of courage
It concerns me that the majority of U.S. citizens seem fine with the disturbing secret operations and lack of accountability of our government, as well as the ever-increasing rarity of truly objective, investigative reporting. —Jackie Schmid, Oklahoma City
Remembering segregation
In those days, I was a teenager working as a waitress in the bus station in Checotah. When African Americans got off a bus and came up front to the restaurant section of the bus station for food, I had to tell them, “No.” They had to eat at a counter in back, behind the…
Big, bloated government
Let’s start with Mickey’s home in higher education. Unlike most states with a consolidated higher ed system, ours is fragmented, with nearly 30 separate colleges and universities, each with its own president, squadrons of vice presidents, deans, provosts and other administrators and enrollment and business offices. Bring all the two-year colleges under one statewide community…
Cohen and Tate
Cohen and Tate are the assassins assigned to bring the boy from his rural Oklahoma hidey-hole to Houston. Cohen (the underrated Roy Scheider, Jaws) is the older one with the hearing aid; Tate (Adam Baldwin, Full Metal Jacket, is the younger one who eats wooden strike-anywhere matches. Both have a hand in slaughtering Travis’ parents…
5 WTF Facts About Justin Bieber
1. The spelling feature of the layout program Adobe InDesign does not recognize “Bieber” as a word. It does, however, suggest “babyish” for a replacement. 2. Bieber employed a full-time “swag coach” to teach the teen “different swaggerific things to do.” On a related note, the U.S. Department of Labor calculates the current unemployment…
