Recurring Themes
Ronald McDade, charged with raping a teenager in Lansdale, Pa., in January, petitioned to be allowed to submit a plaster cast of his penis to the jury, to demonstrate that, since he is an “extremely large” man (according to his lawyer), he could not physically have penetrated the girl without causing genital injury (and no…
Thinning the Herd
An 18-year-old man was killed in March while riding in a shopping cart and holding onto an SUV racing down a Winter Park, Fla., street, when it hit a speed bump. A 13-year-old skateboarder was killed in May at a railroad crossing in O’Fallon, Ill., when (according to police) he was unsuccessful in beating a…
Least Competent Criminals
Failure to Communicate: The man who tried to rob the Cafe Treo in Salt Lake City in April likely told the employee to “fill” the bag, but when the employee reached over and earnestly started to “feel” the bag (according to police), the robber said, “You’ve gotta be kidding me” and ran out of the…
Creme de la Weird
“(A) person with a sneeze fetish can find erotic pleasure in those few seconds,” according to the ABC News Medical Unit, in an April report, when “the eyes close as the body prepares to forcefully expel air,” but “experts are stumped as to why.” An Internet “sneeze fetish forum” allows members to wax rhapsodic (“She…
Questionable Judgments
In March, a jury acquitted the former parking manager for Fresno, Calif., Bob Madewell, of all misuse-of-funds charges, including one count for reducing the minor league baseball Grizzlies’ parking fees in exchange for tickets for his brother and himself, and another count in which he paid a female worker $300 in city funds to let…
Police Blotter
Police, including SWAT officers, were called to an apartment in Mesa, Ariz., in June after neighbors reported a fight between a man and woman that included yelling and breaking things inside. When they arrived, they found only a 21-year-old man, conducting the fight by himself, alternating a high-pitched voice with a low-pitched one. He was…
Comedy Central’s TV Funhouse
2000-2001 Beware: “TV Funhouse” is profane, offensive, foul-mouthed, sickening, politically incorrect and just not right “¦ and that’s just the way I like it. A full-length spin-off of a popular “Saturday Night Live” segment, Robert Smiegel’s anything-goes series lasted only eight episodes, but rubs up against the leg of comic genius “? and humps it…
Oklahoma religious artifact makes Fox News Top 10 list
Fox News prides itself with being “fair and balanced.” They report, you decide. This differs from Chicken-Fried News, which has the motto “they report, we regurgitate.” Take that into consideration with the latest Fox News report listing the top 10 “Unconventional Religious Artifacts.” An Oklahoma item made it at the lucky seven slot, beating out…
Industrial materials, bold design ‘steel’ show
href=”#exhibit”>EXHIBIT OPENING UP Studio owner Larry Pickering is a local designer and metal artist whose most recent work includes a commission to create the trophies for the 2008 PLUG Independent Music Awards. He has hosted exhibits at 31 Deuce since opening the site four years ago. “It’s a totally alternative space that’s just a blank…
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Journalists don’t typically achieve rock star status, but then again, Hunter S. Thompson was not your typical journalist. A boozing, drug-addled gun nut blessed with a wit that could slice glass, the not-so-good “doctor” practically invented gonzo journalism with subversive classics such as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Fear and Loathing: On the…
Abilene’s Homer Hiccolm and the Rocketboys embark on journey
Battle-of-the-bands competitions can springboard young musicians, helping them get a jump on credibility. Abilene, Texas’ atmospheric pop act Homer Hiccolm and the Rocketboys got a boost when they won last year’s “The Sound and the Jury” contest to earn a spot in one of the region’s biggest spotlights, the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival.…
Counterpoint: A cure for inequality
The question of inequality, both social and economic, is typical of how liberals ” and Barack Obama specifically ” just don’t get it. They focus on the extremes of rich and poor and ignore the great American middle class. In seeking to assuage their guilt for their comfortable lives, today’s limousine liberals push for policies…
Government in Action!
In May, the school board in Barrie, Ontario, notified Children’s Aid Society to intervene with mother Colleen Leduc and her daughter Victoria, 11, because of suspected sexual abuse, angering the conscientious Leduc, who until that point had taken extraordinary measures to protect the girl, who is autistic. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the suspicion…
Experts ponder future of small-town daily newspapers
Professor of Community Journalism. “If you owned five newspapers in an area, maybe you can have a central accounting office instead of having an individual at each location, and you provide group buys for your papers and things of this sort to provide economic efficiencies. And that’s helped the profit margins.” Washington Post columnist Steve…
Blue Mountain reforms and plans tour
Divorces may result in scorched-Earth campaigns, while others resemble a relatively amicable truce. Mississippi alt-country act Blue Mountain crumbled in 2001 after its two guiding lights (Cary Hudson and Laurie Stirratt) separated, but the band recently reformed and is touring to support two new albums. Stirratt even convinced Hudson to release the albums on her…
Church hosts Hiroshima Peace Memorial exhibit
When Little Boy, the first atomic bomb used as a weapon, was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, the world was mesmerized by the power symbolized by a towering mushroom cloud. Fat Man fell on Nagasaki three days later. The horror of these bombings ended World War II, but now, 63 years after…
The Mummy: Special Edition
1932 As good as “Frankenstein” is, when it comes to the classic movie monsters, I’ll choose “The Mummy” every time. He may move slowly, but the 1932 that introduced him is a quick watch —? a mix of horror, mystery and adventure that still plays well today. Boris Karloff has the second-best role of his…
The Uglysuit raises the metro’s temperature with shiny indie rock and good vibes
Should Oklahoma’s sweltering summer forecast of triple-digit heat already have you fantasizing about January temperatures, the remarkably sunny sounds and upbeat outlook of metro indie rock band The Uglysuit might just make you fall in love with the warmer season all over again. FAMILIAL KINSHIP POSITIVE VIBES Now preparing for the release of its self-titled…
Harve Collins’ legacy lives on every fall Friday night
A modest stone marker bearing a name and dates, sitting in solitude amidst the Ashland section of Norman’s IOOF Cemetery. Except for the occasional curious soul seeking out the final resting place of a little local history, visitors are rare. But that would probably be just fine with Harve T. Collins, whose celebrity status “…
Step Brothers
Reviewer’s grade: B+ Will Ferrell (“Blades of Glory”) and John C. Reilly (“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”) co-star in Stepbrothers as Dale and Brennan, two 40-year-old men who still live at home, sleep until one in the pm and think about every situation within the context of their wieners. Dale lives with his dad Dr.…
Mercy Health Center hosts three-day health camp
In its 10th year of operation, Mercy Health Center’s Mercy Kidfit Health Camp is shaping up to be a summer activity that not only keeps youngsters busy, but also keeps them focused on living healthy, active lives. This three-day health camp will teach children about the positive effects of healthy nutrition and regular exercise. Learning…
Edmond filmmakers cause stir at city park
So, you’re out at the city park, enjoying the day, when you see a guy wearing a mask and a trench coat (in July) dart out of the woods, look at you, and dart back in again. Isn’t that a scream? That depends on how you look at it. The incident happened at Edmond’s Hafer…
Swamp Thing: The Series ” Volume Two
1992-1993 In its third season, “Swamp Thing” left much of its continuing story line behind for a wealth of stand-alone episodes that turn it into a quasi-“Tales from the Darkside” creepshow, one in which its title hero is often marginalized. This approach results in some half-hours that are either crazy, inventive, cheesy, inspired or awful.…
Candidates flood the airwaves to reach the masses
As crunch time approached with Tuesday’s primary vote, candidates moved into high gear on getting their name and message out to the public. While all candidates say the best way to gain a vote comes via face-to-face contact, the power of the electronic tube cannot be denied. “In a lot of ways it’s a very…
European Union fruit standards
The European Union allows fruits and vegetables to be sold only in prescribed sizes and colors (such as its 35 pages of regulations governing 250 varieties of the apple, or rules that cucumbers must be straight and bananas curved). In June, British marketer Tim Down complained that he was forced to discard 5,000 kiwi fruit…
Bricktown Reggae Fest provides musical change of pace
If you’re indie’d out this summer and need a musical change of pace, the two-day Bricktown Reggae Fest is your chance to escape into righteous rhythms and sexy songsmithery. For the past 12 years, the corner of Sheridan and Oklahoma avenues has transformed into an all-ages venue for reggae artists to hypnotize guests and promote…
Rally before the state’s song tally
Nominations for Oklahoma’s official rock song close on Thursday, so log on and get to clicking. The nominations, which must have been written or performed by an Oklahoman, will be pared down to 10 selections by an appointed panel and then go before an e-vote of the people on Sept. 1. If you don’t realize…
Great Art!
Artist Michael Fernandes’ exhibit in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in June caused a commotion because it was merely a banana on a gallery’s window sill, and Fernandes had it priced at $2,500 (Cdn) (down from his original thought, $15,000). Actually, Fernandes changed bananas every day (eating the old one), placing progressively greener ones out to demonstrate…
Point: The myth of the marketplace
It is difficult to imagine being a supporter of Sen. John McCain with an economy like this. The defining difference between Democrats and Republicans is that the latter believes that the marketplace can solve all the problems of life. Cut taxes on the rich, de-regulate business, put industry foxes in charge of the regulatory hen…
Oklahoma representative Sally’s got a gun
For those who dismissed the remarks by Rep. Sally Kern when she said that homosexuals are more of a threat to our country than terrorists earlier this year, know this ” Sally packs heat. The unabashed Christian girl loves her gun so much, she just can’t part from it. Not just once, but twice, Kern’s…
Birds of Prey: The Complete Series
=65 border=0> 2002-2003 Admittedly, “The Dark Knight” has set the bar high on all past and future screen adaptations in the world of Batman, The short-lived TV show “Birds of Prey” won’t clear that bar “? it won’t even get close “? but give it a chance anyway. It’s a shame “Birds” had its wings…
Sooner Theatre teaches kids the ropes of staging a production
As part of a unique youth program, the beloved musical “Fiddler on the Roof” strikes a chord at Norman’s Sooner Theatre, from Thursday to Saturday. “Fiddler” tells the story of Tevye, a Jewish milkman, and his struggle to maintain and preserve his family and religious practices in the face of a changing and hostile world…
MS Society refutes Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation finding
This just in: coffee does not cure multiple sclerosis symptoms. Come again? We at CFN didn’t even know coffee was a contender. Apparently, though, the good folks at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation seemed to think there was something special about caffeine. A venti vanilla soy caramel latte with whipped cream and cinnamon does sound…
The Octopus Project grabs Norman in its tentacles for a show
At one point during Josh Lambert’s studies at The University of Texas, he tested boundaries in a few music theory classes, but left them for the wide open spaces rock ‘n’ roll allows. “I got burnt out on that quickly,” Lambert said. “I felt like everyone in there was not really interested in music. They…
Metro residents take it to the streets on bicycles
In 1993, as Police Sgt. Rick Pierce pedaled his bicycle to the station downtown, two men in a car committed a felony. They threw something at him ” for fun, Pierce reckons. But one could call it assault with a deadly weapon. “A Gatorade bottle was thrown past my head from a moving vehicle,” he…
