Readers’ Choice
When retired NYPD officer John Comparetto was approached at gunpoint in a men’s room of a Holiday Inn near Harrisburg, Pa., in March, he quietly handed over his wallet, but when the robber left, Comparetto pulled his own gun and gave chase. He also summoned some of the other 300 narcotics officers attending a convention…
Update
The long-running battle between Alan Davis, 53, and officials in Altamonte Springs, Fla., began anew in May, upon Davis’ release from prison after serving a year for his latest defiance of court orders to clear the “junk” out of his yard (“felony littering”). It was his third prison stretch in five years, and he said…
Least Competent Criminals
The Right to Remain Silent: Timothy Williams’ lawyer had a good defense worked out in Williams’ May murder trial in Pittsburgh: When Williams fatally shot the “other” man in the love triangle with Williams’ girlfriend, it was a “crime of passion,” said the lawyer, befitting manslaughter rather than first-degree murder. But Williams insisted on taking…
People Different From Us
Nelson Blewett, 22, was treated for serious burns in Port Angeles, Wash., on May 18 after playing a game of TAG-tag with pals. They were spritzing each other with TAG body spray and then striking matches, creating mostly lower-risk flames. Then, perhaps inspired by too much beer, one friend added lighter fluid to the game.…
World’s Greatest Lawyer
Defense attorney John Garcia convinced a jury in Merced, Calif., in May that his client was not guilty of the “forcible rape with great bodily injury” of an 18-year-old woman in 2004, despite the fact that only his client’s DNA-identified semen was present, mixed with the victim’s blood, on the shorts she wore at the…
Sci-Fi Movies Come to Life
Entomologists in San Antonio said in May that the “Raspberry ant” (whose colonies produce billions and cover everything in sight) had migrated north to within 75 miles of the city and would arrive by year’s end, posing, said one, a “potential ecological disaster.” A University of Florida researcher found, for a recent journal article, that…
Point: Bipartisan Brad
Gov. Brad Henry’s responsible, bipartisan leadership has checked a sometimes misguided, Republican-controlled Legislature, which has consistently presented him with bills that would do nothing to move the state forward. Henry, one of the most popular governors in the state’s history, has done so with judicious vetoes and bill signings. He helped bring about political compromise…
The Pollard bares all with ‘The Full Monty’
Half the stage battle is finding the right match between show and theater company, and The Pollard Theatre’s production of the musical “The Full Monty” is almost a complete triumph. It is exactly the type of musical that plays well at The Pollard. This musical version of “The Full Monty” is based closely on the…
Festival celebrates Oklahoma’s black cultural heritage
Celebrate Oklahoma’s black cultural heritage at the Africa West Cultural Festival on Saturday and Sunday. The festival, only in its second year, will fill the entire Metro Tech Springlake campus, 1900 Springlake, with activities, games and food. Scheduled activities include a 5K run, a 2K walk, a gospel concert, a fashion show, a national soul…
The Best of 2000 AD: Hundreds of Classic Strips From the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic
If all you know of the Judge Dredd character is from some late-night cable airing of a particularly awful Sylvester Stallone flick of the mid-1990s, acquaint yourself correctly with The Best of 2000 AD: Hundreds of Classic Strips From the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic. This heavy hardcover contains nearly 400 pages’ worth of comics culled from…
Durant man allegedly robs piggy bank
Jason Ray Waller is what some might call a repeat offender. The 29-year-old Durant man has been convicted of drug possession, concealing stolen property and false declaration of ownership to a pawnbroker, records show. The Durant Daily Democrat newspaper reported Waller’s most recent incident. Waller was tracked down at an EZ Mart after allegedly breaking…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Of the 190 short films the Three Stooges made for Columbia Pictures, only five actually had pie fights. However, those classic scenes sum up all there is to know about the mythic meaning of pie fights, as well as the needs they address and the techniques involved. I urge you to study up on the…
Sex-ed program uses high schoolers to mentor middle schoolers
You probably wouldn’t expect two of the most popular kids in school to teach their peers how to say “no” to sex. But two Del City High School graduates are defying that expectation. FIRST-YEAR PROGRAM SPECIFIC LESSON PEER EDUCATORS Identical twins Isma’il and Isaiah Calhoun recently graduated from high school, where they were basketball and…
Athletes with disabilities converge on Edmond to compete in games
Retired Oklahoma City firefighter T.J. Pemberton has history on his mind. In 2002, an ATV accident left him with right side paralysis of his leg at the hip and threatened to end his budding career in competitive archery. With the aid of a specially designed leg brace, Pemberton began picking up his bow within a…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
There has rarely been a better time than now to blend your fresh sparkly innocence and your deep ancient wisdom. The childlike aspects of your intelligence are especially available, and so are the visionary elements. Furthermore, the two have a great potential to complement and enhance each other. You might be amazed at how dramatically…
Locals cast alongside A-list Hollywood leads in movie imagined by Okie pulp novelist
There’s a new deputy in Guthrie ” the simple sort of Stetson-wearing, small-town sheriff who keeps easy company and enjoys a cup of coffee and a slice or two of pie. Lou Ford is easygoing and understated. Unfortunately, he’s also underestimated by those who mistake his slowness for weakness. RECIPE FOR MURDER A ROLE FOR…
One-time Woody Guthrie actor created near riot before death
When David Carradine died of an accidental hanging last week at the age of 72, most obits mentioned him as the star of the TV series “Kung Fu” or the titular dude in Quentin Tarantino’s revenge flick “Kill Bill.” But there was another role that brought the troubled actor perhaps his greatest acclaim. No, not…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Writing in Earthwatch magazine, Anne Marcotty Morris rhapsodized about her trek into Brazil’s rain forest. The jungle is a fecund place, she said: “Several barbed seeds that had attached themselves to me on our walk into the forest had sprouted by the time we walked out.” These fast-growing seeds happen to be an apt metaphor…
Green’s choice
As Denver’s newsweekly Westword asked in a May 2009 story, “Where would you take a $100,000 check that is also a suicide note, to the cops or to the bank?” In July 2008, John Francis Beech, a retired executive in Denver, sent a check for $100,000 to a local charity, postdated to Aug. 1, accompanied…
Regional conference focuses on alternative methods to treat autism
Autism is a brain development disorder that seems to puzzle much of the medical community, as well as families affected by it. Experts, parents and caregivers remain divided on the disorder’s origins, as well as treatment and coping methods. ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT STRATEGIES GLUTEN-FREE DIET ALTERNATIVE VACCINE SCHEDULE Some people believe autism renders special gifts in…
Oklahoma Co. District Attorney says an inch or two over, shooter would be a hero
As 16-year-old Antwun “Speedy” Parker lay motionless after a bungled robbery attempt, pharmacist Jerome Ersland, 57, pumped five slugs from a Kel-Tec .380 into his chest, killing him, alleges Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater. RUMORS OF SECOND VIDEO ERSLAND SPEAKS GOOD OR BAD SHOOTING? DRAWING THE LINE There are plenty who argue against Prater’s…
Taking Back Sunday taken with new guitarist, album, energy
It’s been three years since “Louder Now,” and all the Taking Back Sunday fans who have been waiting ” tight jeans and heavy eyeliner at the ready ” should probably wash their faces off and listen to “New Again,” the band’s latest. After a much-needed road rest and a new guitarist, the New York act…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Some people use sly intelligence rather than mindless rage to escape limitations that have outlived their usefulness. Do you know any? If so, soak up their influence. You could use some inspiration and counsel as you make your own break for freedom. The best way to ensure that your liberation will be permanent, not just…
Cultural Diversity
Over a 10-week period this summer, nearly 200 young Saudi women are auditioning for a beauty pageant, but one called “Miss Beautiful Morals,” in which physical attractiveness is irrelevant, replaced by judging of the ladies’ observance of traditional Saudi values, especially the honoring of their mothers. Saudi Arabia does have pageants devoted to physical beauty,…
Attorney general: One company forced Oklahomans to pay more for propane
Whether it was heating a home, refueling a vehicle or just firing up the grill, many Oklahomans may have been subjected to deceitful tactics that drove up the price of propane gas, according to the state attorney general. MAIN ARGUMENTNATIONAL CHAINS ‘FAILURE TO ADHERE’ The AG office announced on May 29 it has filed a…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
My astrological charts suggest that your immediate future is wide open — so much so that it’s difficult to predict which scenarios are more likely than all the others. This might mean that your free will is especially free right now. But in the interest of giving you something specific to grab on to, I’ll…
ArtzPlace offers ‘Pop Disney Style Show Choir’ class
In just a few weeks, your child will be singing like Hannah Montana and moving like Zac Efron, minus the Disney contracts, in the “Pop Disney Style Show Choir” class at ArtzPlace in Midwest City. The class starts Monday and runs through June 29 and will focus on three past and present Disney songs. The…
Samurai Films — Roland Thorne
Kamera Books For most Americans, samurai cinema begins and ends with the films of the late Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, whose epics such as “Seven Samurai,” “The Hidden Fortress” and “Ran” made the Asian cinema staple jump stateside to wild critical acclaim. But for whatever reason —? xenophobia, ignorance, allergy to subtitles —? that still…
The Mean Spirits – Honeychild
The Mean Spirits are the musical equivalent of a weird guy you went on a date with’ all your friends thought he was weird, and you agreed, but you secretly dated him anyway. Diminished psychedelic, punky chords mark the metro band’s new CD, “Honeychild,” which lends the trio a surf sound that sounds like the…
Velvet Monkey sets down roots in the Plaza District with stylish show
If style is the lifeblood of beauty, few metro businesses can match the flair of the Velvet Monkey salons, which meld punk sensibilities with gritty rockabilly. RETRO SELECTIONS STYLIZED EVENT The salon’s original location recently uprooted from 23rd Street and migrated to the Plaza District, at 1201 N.W. 16th. On Friday, the salon is throwing…
The Land of the Lost
Not counting when you first saw the trailer, when do you first get the feeling that “Land of the Lost” is in trouble? Immediately. In the movie’s first post-title scene, crackpot scientist Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell, “Step Brothers”) is flogging his new book on “The Today Show” and his interview with host Matt Lauer,…
Oklahoma appears to be out of the Net
Chicken-Fried News was checking out the interwebs yesterday ” you know, just stopping by “The Google” before heading to our favorite AOL chat room where we LMAO <@: ) " when we stumbled upon an interesting report: Oklahoma has one of the nation's lowest rates for Internet access. According to a study based off of…
Controversy surrounding citizenship of Cherokee freedmen continues
A group of Cherokee freedmen descendants gathered June 4 to protest. They objected to both the delay in getting their tribal citizenship in an American Indian tribe and also that tribe’s leader being named as Red Earth Ambassador of the year. DESCENDANTS OF FREED SLAVES NARROW AGENDA CHAMPION POSITION The protest capped off the 22nd…
Newspaper cartoon causes fiesta flak
A recent political cartoon published in The Oklahoman is drawing as much heat as a wildfire during a burn ban. Chip Bok’s syndicated cartoon, titled “Fiesta Time at the Confirmation Hearing,” depicts Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor hanging as a piñata. A sombrero-wearing President Barack Obama is turned to three suited elephants armed with bats…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In an interview, musician Attiss Ngoval told the San Francisco Chronicle that he’d want the superpower of X-ray vision “IF and ONLY IF I could use it to see people naked under their clothes. I don’t want it if all I see is skeletons.” That’s a good standard for you to keep in mind during…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
A lesbian reader who calls herself “Speedy Slow-Hand” wrote to me asking for advice. She explained that she keeps getting obsessed with the half-feral amazons whom her intense Scorpio self lusts after, and this causes her to miss making contact with the warm, nurturing women her softer side craves. Is it better to have someone…
Museum opens American Indian art exhibit featuring curator’s pieces
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma has opened an exhibition featuring several pieces of American Indian art from the personal collection of one of the museum’s former curators. “Spirit Red: Visions of Native American Artists from the Rennard Strickland Collection,” includes about 100 works from Strickland’s private collection, said…
Counterpoint: Flaming lib?
Five years ago in the monthly magazine I edit, I made the case that Gov. Brad Henry was decidedly left of center. Henry “cast a lot of votes during his 10 years in the Legislature, and he emerged with a lifetime conservative index rating of 17 percent,” I wrote. “That’s better than hardcore leftists Cal…
Junior cotillion teaches children ins, outs of polite society
The students of junior cotillion learn how to shake hands, how to mingle, even how to dance. But the goal of cotillion is not merely to teach children proper manners; it’s also to help them learn how to be comfortable in any situation, and how to show respect for others, said instructor Carey Sue Vega.…
German DJ’s music remixes electronic genre’s meaning
Paul van Dyk may never live down his association with trance music, which has stuck like gum to the bottom of his shoe for years. In a 2003 interview, he told me, “The worst electronic music that’s released is always getting labeled ‘trance.’ This is really painful in a way, especially when people associate me…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
So you’re trying to tell me that the way out is the way in. Is that right? And that the “wrong” answer just might be the right answer? And that success, if it makes an appearance, will most likely happen by accident? I don’t know, Aries. It’s tricky to get away with this upside-down approach…
OCU quietly building a collegiate golf dynasty
At this rate, the respective Oklahoma City University golf programs are going to have to take on a new shared moniker ” something that appropriately describes their recent success. Something like, say, “Dynasty Central.” IMPRESSIVE RUN STARTING FIVE The Stars have been dominating the NAIA world of golf for almost a full decade now, and…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
“The formula ‘two and two make five’ is not without its attractions,” said Dostoevsky. I believe you’ll benefit from embracing that perspective in the coming week, Libra. Transcending logic will be your specialty, especially if you do so with a spiritual gleam in your eye. Being a little crooked could awaken sleeping wisdom within you,…
Peace might finally be coming to tumultuous Wilco world
After nine albums, mountains of critical praise and herds of fans flocking to every show, the members of Wilco seem to have finally found a sense of comfort, even humor, with its identity. Nowhere is this better evidenced than with “Wilco (The Song),” the opening track of the band’s new album. The eponymous love song…
Intrigue, deception turn a town against itself in first H2OKC citywide water fight
Watch your backs, Oklahoma City. If you think someone is crouching in your bushes, you’re probably right. If you think someone is stalking around a parking lot, they’re likely waiting for you. And if you see someone approaching with a water gun, water balloon or even a glass of water, run! DOSSIERS DEFEND WITH WATER…
Entry-level job market in OKC not all doom and gloom
Despite Oklahoma’s seemingly recession-proof exoskeleton, there’s no doubting the effects of the plummeting job market. The average Oklahoman can open a window and feel the winds of change, but for this year’s graduating college seniors, this wind might not shift in the next five minutes. BLEAK AND BARREN TEMPORARY JOB LAND AN INTERVIEW A recent…
Latest Religious Messages
Ms. Nour Hadad, 26, was arrested in Orland Park, Ill., in April and charged with (and, according to police, confessed to) beating her 2-year-old niece to death while baby-sitting, and, as usual, police publicly released her booking photograph. However, Hadad’s husband, Alaeddin, immediately complained that her photo, without her head scarf, was an “insult” to…
The Hangover
n-boy misadventures devolve into insipidness. Don’t confuse such praise with high-mindedness. The flick certainly isn’t above the obligatory gross-out, whether it be a geriatric backside or a sudden bout of vomiting, but Phillips and the screenwriting team of Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (“Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”) are smart enough to base the debasing in…
The Brothers Bloom
To grow into normal human beings, we need reference groups during childhood. Whether it’s a church, a family or a circle of school friends, these points give one the ability to develop a solid, consistent identity. In the absence of such a social education, one turns inward for behavioral cues, creating a cracked-mirror personality that…
Secondary vendors take major hit with auto dealerships in bankruptcy
The radio spot writes itself: “Come on down to family-owned Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge. We’ve been family-operated here in Everytown, Oklahoma, since probably before you were born.” GET THE CARS OFF THE LOTINDUSTRY SNAPSHOT NO ‘KOOL-AID STAND’ EXPERIENCE THE GREAT TAILGATE HEIST Whether it dates back 20, 30 or 50 years, nearly every Oklahoma dealership has a rags-to-riches…
Oklahoma City’s Red City Radio’s seem unafraid of making waves
Defensibly, the mid-’90s saw the death rattle of “real” punk rock. To the chagrin of purists everywhere, the popularity of bands like Green Day and Blink-182 brought the genre’s message of rebellion to a new audience and its arguable nemesis: commercial pop radio. MESSAGE BOARD NARRATIVE NOD RELEASE PARTY Where the music’s edge has been…
While She Was Out
2008 What begins as Lifetime-esque fluff turns into quite an enjoyable exercise in the female-revenge genre in “While She Was Out.” This Kim Basinger vehicle “? produced in part by Guillermo Del Toro, no less “? deserves a wider audience “¦ even if said audience might cringe at the level of violence. Basinger plays Della,…
