Recurring Themes
News of the Weird reported on “objectophilia” in June 2007, based on a prominent German sexologist’s belief that people can develop romantic-type relationships with inanimate objects (beyond mere fetishists, who derive only short-term arousal from items like shoes or underwear). In May 2008, Britain’s Channel Five produced a documentary with on-camera interviews with several such…
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Third Season
1979-80 How strong is Hulk? So strong that “The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Third Season” holds up well after nearly 30 years. The CBS series’ influence on the current film is evident, with its focus on David Banner’s (Bill Bixby) tortured feelings as much as the action and adventure. Hulk is no superhero; he’s a…
Least Competent Criminals
Judgment-Challenged: Howard Shanholtzer was arrested in Garden Grove, Calif., in May in connection with stolen security cameras. Figuring that police might be looking for his white Mitsubishi pickup truck they probably saw on surveillance video, Shanholtzer allegedly stole another pickup, but for some reason, it was another white Mitsubishi. Wesley Jumper, 36, and Shawn Stewart,…
Bright Ideas
A new stand appeared at the Corvallis (Ore.) Farmers Market in the last week of May, manned by Jeff Oliver, 21, lifelong resident of Oregon. His “Meet a Black Guy” booth let him mingle with shoppers and have their pictures taken with him as he tried, he said, to promote racial understanding and break stereotypes.…
Batman: Gotham Knight
2008 Intended as a companion piece to the upcoming “The Dark Knight,” the DVD-premiere “Batman: Gotham Knight” is a PG-13 animated feature with ambition to burn. Comprised of six interlocking stories, the film features the talents of an array of anime artists, rather than Americans, each tackling a segment. Thus, the caped crusader sports a…
Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers: The Collection ” Volume 1
1986 As any Internet search will confirm, the Eighties cartoon series “Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers” enjoys a fervent following of fans who were drawn to the show’s mix of the science fiction and Western genres, and they’ll snap up this first DVD collection as proof. Whether a rewatch 20 years later will have them…
City of Men
2006 “City of Men” is a story about fathers and crime and poverty. The movie is set in the slums, of Rio de Janeiro. Each hill in the city has its own ruling gang of teens and young men, and the bickering and sniping between gangs is ongoing. Ace (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha),…
The Spiderwick Chronicles
2008 For me, the nicest theatrical surprise of the year thus far belongs to “The Spiderwick Chronicles.” For someone as adverse to fantasy films as I “? even more so with those aimed at family audiences “? this pleasant, unassuming charmer strikes just the right note from its opening frames and stays the course. Keep…
The Democratic Process
Legislating Love: Ecuadorian legislator Maria Soledad Vela proposed in April that the nation’s constitution express the public-health principle that women have a right to enjoy sex and not be mere breeding machines. Opponents ridiculed Soledad Vela’s “right to orgasm” that might lead to lawsuits against husbands. In April, Tommy Tabermann, a member of Finland’s parliament,…
I Demand My Rights!
An English professor at Dartmouth College acrimoniously left her position earlier this year to accept one at Northwestern University, but not before threatening to sue Dartmouth and seven students because they so disrespected her theories as to create a “hostile work environment.” Priya Venkatesan’s academic specialty is treating “science” not as natural or physical realities…
The X-Files: Revelations
2008 To prep for this month’s release of the big-screen “X-Files” sequel, delve deep into “The X-Files: Revelations,” a two-disc set featuring eight “critical episodes” chosen by series creator Chris Carter. This octet is comprised from the show’s first six seasons (ignoring the final three), and demonstrates an aspect of the cult hit often ignored:…
Classic British Thrillers
2008 It pains me to say it, but there are precious few thrills to be had in “Classic British Thrillers,” a package that plants three movies on one DVD. In fact, one wonders if they qualify as “classic.” Just because something’s old doesn’t make it good. Thanks to “The Red Shoes” and the controversial “Peeping…
The Dead Pool
1988 “Dirty Harry” purists may scoff, but I find nothing wrong with “The Dead Pool,” the fifth and final go-round for Clint Eastwood’s gruff San Francisco detective Harry Callahan. It’s cheesy, yes, but enjoyably so. Harry once again plays dirty when some Hollywood types play a “game” in which they gamble on celebrities they expect…
10,000 B.C.
2008 With director Roland Emmerich having seemingly exhausted every futuristic disaster known to man in films like “Independence Day,” “Godzilla” and “The Day After Tomorrow,” it’s only fitting that he turn his world-crushing gaze back in time “? way back, as a matter of fact “? in “10,000 B.C.” The story is thin. Among a…
Supreme Court gun ruling has little effect In Oklahoma
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Second Amendment gives individuals the right to own guns and use them for sports, hunting or self-defense. In a 5-4 decision, the court struck down a ban on the ownership of handguns in Washington, D.C. In Oklahoma, the ruling will have little immediate effect, because no such…
Not My Fault
Accused triple-murderer Jeffrey Gilham earned a hung-jury verdict in April in Sydney, Australia, by relentlessly denying that he had stabbed to death his mother and father. They and Gilham’s brother all died by the same knife, at about the same time, stabbed from 13 to 16 times each in the heart, by a murderer kneeling…
‘Nose-to-tail’ cuisine
A prominent chef once wrote, “If you’re going to kill the animal, it seems only polite to use the whole thing,” and recently restaurants specializing in such “nose-to-tail” cuisine have opened in several cities, according to a May report in Toronto’s National Post. The hamburger at New York City’s Tasting Room includes cow heart, liver,…
News That Sounds Like a Joke
In April, as the police officer approached the motorist relieving himself on the side of the road in South Kitsap, Wash., the man explained that he had consumed “a bunch” of beers but was not driving drunk. According to the officer, the man said he was slurring his words because “his dentist advised him his…
OU gymnast rides momentum to spot on U.S. Olympic team
Jonathan Horton has a trophy case stuffed full of medals and a résumé highlighted with countless honors and accomplishments. He’s been part of three national championship teams, won six individual national titles, earned All-America honors 18 times and was named the 2008 Nissen-Emery Award recipient, which is given annually to the nation’s best male collegiate…
Group presents 2008 Garden Pond Tour
Call it a natural talent. Call it feng shui. Call it divine inspiration. Whatever the name, there’s a certain sense of style needed in order to construct a unique water pond. Sure, anyone can stop by a home improvement store, pick up a preformed pond kit, toss it in a hole in the back yard…
OKC-based Sonics owners try to keep out writer’s trial testimony
Bitingly witty “Smoke Signals” screenwriter, National Book Award winner, American Indian poet and ” for those who don’t know ” rabid SuperSonics b-ball fan Sherman Alexie wrapped up his testimony in the Sonics trial last week. Controversy over his taking the stand seemed to start with a bang but went out with a whimper. According…
Abolishing the auditor’s office
The conviction of Jeff McMahan and his resignation as state auditor and inspector provides the governor and Legislature with the perfect opportunity to do away with the office. The Legislature partially did the job by stripping McMahan of his powers and duties under the Oklahoma Abstractors Law in its 2007 session. Signed into law by…
SummerDance Rocks!’ combines ballet with bold music selections
The University of Oklahoma’s resident ballet and modern dance companies hope the rock ‘n’ roll-themed “SummerDance Rocks!” will attract a diverse crowd eager to see a nontraditional dance performance and fantasy stage stories draped in eye-catching wardrobes. “For some of our audience members who aren’t familiar with ballet, it helps them feel a sense of…
Suited for business
I’ve spent more than 30 years of my life in the public eye ” on television, as a candidate for governor, and as CEO and now dean of the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University. When it comes to business attire, I’m old-fashioned. I believe clothes can make the man (or woman). Like…
Oklahoma voters’ poll shows fluctuations
It’s polling season time in America. Oklahomans as well as U.S. residents nationwide can expect to see a poll a day. One state polling firm has just come out with new numbers on Oklahomans’ views of state leaders, the president and the direction of the country. BUSH’S APPROVALSENATE RACE Oklahoma is firmly a red political…
OKC literacy programs reach out to nonreaders
At 25 years old, Angela Vermillion is already an expert. Unable to solve simple math problems at her Taco Mayo job, Vermillion began mastering the art of concealing her shortcomings. She disguised her inability to read, write and count to co-workers, managers and friends. LITERACY PROVIDERS’THE BOTTOM LINE’ She had everyone in the dark; no…
Oklahoma City coffee shop performer releases album
Jane Mays, a folk singer/songwriter and coffee shop regular, has released “Hungry,” a full-length album of elegant, piano-based songs highlighting her sweet, slightly fragile voice. With an appealing mellow, mid-range delivery throughout “Hungry,” the Oklahoma City performer sounds at ease while singing “Battlefield of Blues” and the album’s title track. The inspirational “Fly Home” is…
Ironies
The graduation ceremony in May at Naperville (Ill.) Central High School was marred by the revelation that about half of the valedictorian’s speech was plagiarized from a speech on the Internet, but in this case, the principal was helpless to punish him because the principal plagiarized his own speech. (He said he forgot to ask…
Interurban blues
Old-line Oklahoma residents didn’t enjoy the first two rounds of oil shocks that hit the U.S. in the Seventies and Eighties. The most recent round visited Oklahoma, and the reality of automotive and oil dependency is being driven home. The time is now to revisit mass transit. Oklahoma once upon a time had clean mass…
Sooner Theatre stages ‘Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr.’
Take a trip through Willy Wonka’s infamous chocolate factory by experiencing The Sooner Theatre’s SummerStage production of “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr.” Adapted into a musical with songs from the original 1971 film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” this version of the 1964 children’s book tells the story of the beloved candy man and…
Standard Operating Procedure
Reviewer’s grade: B Oscar-winning documentary director Errol Morris (“The Fog of War”) takes us behind the walls of the Abu Ghraib interrogation center in Iraq for an examination of the horrors inflicted there by American soldiers on Iraqi men who had, as far as the Army knew, committed no acts of violence against the…
Get Smart
Reviewer’s grade: A Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell, TV’s “The Office”) is an analyst for CONTROL, a secret U.S. spy organization. Smart wants to be promoted to field work as an agent, but the Chief (Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine”) says no dice. But after CONTROL is attacked Smart gets his chance. He’s teamed with…
The Love Guru
Reviewer’s Grade: D In his “Saturday Night Live” days, Mike Myers had a gift for creating characters “? Wayne Campbell, Dieter, Linda Richman “? who were outrageous without being ludicrous. There was an internal logic to their behavior; you had the impression that they were based on people Myers must have known or observed.…
UCO instructor exhibits art at Downtown gallery
n display through Saturday at Untitled [ArtSpace], 1 N.E. Third. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, call 815-9995. “?Rene
Concerned Oklahoma cop’s traffic stop leads to pot bust
You know when they pull you over and you have to fish around for your insurance verification? Well, it’s a very bad idea to put it next to the bag of pot. Just ask two guys pulled over in Garvin County recently. According to a story in the Pauls Valley Daily Democrat, Garvin County Deputy…
World Wrestling Entertainment visits Oklahoma
On Monday, “WWE Raw” will bring all the twists, turns, rivalries and backstabbing of WWE to the Ford Center, with Oklahoma’s own Jim “J.R.” Ross ” one of pro wrestling’s most recognizable announcers ” in tow. Scheduled to appear in the city’s first WWE event in almost two years are John Cena, Triple H, Shawn…
County clerk, former commissioner face off in race
The candidates for Oklahoma County court clerk don’t hesitate to sling mud. THE INCUMBENT RECORD MAINTENANCE Former County Commissioner Stan Inman is attempting to make a political comeback by taking on incumbent Clerk Carolynn Caudill. The two clashed on a regular basis while Inman was on the county commissioners’ board, and it appears the fighting…
Jellyfish
llyfish” moves at a brisk clip, but directors Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen (both of whom, especially Keret, are accomplished writers) manage to deftly capture the ambiguities of communication and the ambivalent relationships between parent and child. The interlocking stories are told with poignancy, humor and wit. “Jellyfish” is filled with haunting, sometimes surreal images…
Debbie Does Dallas’ delivers deliberate corn in its send-up of porn
50 align=right vspace=10 border=0>It sounds like a bad joke: What do you get if you cross a porn flick with “42nd Street?” The answer is a musical entertainment titled “Debbie Does Dallas,” now at Carpenter Square Theatre. “Debbie Does Dallas” employs that hoary plot device of the small-town girl who strives to leave home and…
Injured police officer finds musical healing
Sgt. Justin Echols joined the Army Reserve in 1998 and the Oklahoma City Police Department in 2001, and was serving as an undercover narcotics officer when the 95th Infantry Division was activated in 2003. But everything changed one dewy morning that year. Before Echols could be deployed to Iraq, he was in a horrific head-on…
Oklahoma State professor’s research stirs up Singaporean tiff
There is a bit of tiff brewing in the opinion pages of a Singaporean newspaper concerning statements made by a research department at Oklahoma State University. The issue concerns world hunger, and letter writers to the Straits Times are biting each other over who is right, using OSU as the tenderizer. It all started with…
Oklahoma’s Borens battle out about Barack
Baby boomers know the popular Fifties sitcom “Father Knows best,” in which Robert Young portrayed the wise family man known for bestowing wisdom upon his offspring. For David and Dan Boren, the show’s title serves as an adage for Oklahoma’s most famous political family. The advice fits like a nice, snug sweater on a chilly…
