Sherlock Holmes
=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr” style=”width: 120px; height: 240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″> First, let’s address the proverbial white elephant in the room: Just because Peter Cushing and Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes never were seen boxing or performing martial arts doesn’t mean the great detective didn’t do it. Those skills are right there in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original…
Ninja Assassin
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=oklahgazet-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0035V35P8&fc1=000000&IS2=1 Not to sound like the beginning of a K-tel ad, but, hey, remember the ’80s? That was a time when ninja movies were all the rage (then again, so was the breakdance film), when efforts like “Ninja III: The Domination” could open wide at a theater near you, and then enjoy a long,…
An Education
A little learning is a dangerous thing, and a lot can be pretty damn devastating. That’s certainly the case in Danish director Lone Scherfig’s “An Education,” which is built around a superb, supple screenplay by novelist Nick Hornby and carried by a stellar cast’s consistently fine acting. At the core of Scherfig’s film is the…
Freedom from religion
Regarding Greg Horton’s “Holy Okies” (News, Jan. 27, 2010, Gazette), it is interesting that some of the most religious states also have some of the most repressive and cruel laws. Case in point: All of the 10 most religious states have the death penalty, and the eleventh most religious, Texas, has the distinction of being…
The Losers: Volumes One & Two – Andy Diggle and Jock
From the looks of the things, “The Losers” may make one helluva movie. It’s one heckuva graphic novel “? not quite deserving of a “helluva.” See for yourself, as Vertigo has reissued the first two collections in “The Losers: Book One (Vols. 1 & 2),” just in time for April’s feature-film adaptation. Andy Diggle certainly…
Michigan horrorcore rap duo Twiztid bends nightmares into big business
Twiztid with Potluck, Kung Fu Vampire and Sixtysix Killz7 p.m. SundayDiamond Ballroom8001 S. Easternwww.diamondballroom.net866-977-6849$18 advance, $22 door In a world that heralds the “normal,” Twiztid’s found there’s plenty of money to be made appealing to the legions of outcasts. Following in the footsteps of Insane Clown Posse, Michigan’s Twiztid has built an empire to rival…
Singer/songwriter Damion Suomi found his voice in Ireland and a purpose in Florida
Damion Suomi with Chris Staples, Andy Zipf, Lauris Vidal and Andy Shauf8 p.m. SaturdayThe Conservatory8911 N. Westernwww.conservatoryokc.com879-9778$8 advance, $10 door His injured croon recalls R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe; the religious symbolism and metaphor-rich confessional tone, Conor Oberst; and a cinematic, Irish-tinged country-folk plucked from the Avett Brothers’ songbook. It’s an impressive inventory of influences, but Florida…
Biting the Apple’ a circus-themed erotic art event that trapezes between elegant fantasy and fetishistic freak show
Biting the Apple7 p.m.-midnight Friday-SaturdayIndividual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery706 W. Sheridanwww.iaogallery.org232-6060$15 per night, $25 two-night ticket After 19 years of providing an approachable environment for erotic art, “Biting the Apple” brings the exuberance and sensuality of the circus to its annual exhibit. This year’s theme, “Cirque Fantastique,” is an invitation to tightrope between three rings…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
It’s my opinion that everyone has a duty to periodically check in with themselves to make sure they still are who they say they are. Over time, there’s a tendency for all of us to fall into the habit of believing our own hype. We get entranced by the persona we project. We’re tempted to…
Former Oklahoma County employees file age-discrimination lawsuits against County Commissioner
Claiming age discrimination, several former Oklahoma County employees are suing the county and District 2 County Commissioner Brian Maughan. The workers have filed a government tort claims notice with the county, the first step toward a lawsuit. “It’s what has to happen first before the lawsuit can take place,” said plaintiff attorney Josh Stockton. “Oklahoma…
Blogs by the numbers, fin
Over the past month, I’ve run a pair of columns on political blogs in the state. I noted the limited penetration of those blogs; the tendency of blogs on the right to get engaged in internal ideological struggles, while those on the left engage in external ideological struggles; and the fact that the quality of…
Tunneling under the state, caves offer a chance for a little underworld exploration
Oklahoma has a dark underworld. The blackness is unimaginably thick, and throughout the state’s underbelly, tunnels and cracks wind through a world that most people never see. Into the wildDark city Caves in Oklahoma are few and far between, but those that do exist are more unique than the typical limestone kind throughout America. One…
OKC Ballet’s ‘Future Voices’ uses a smaller stage to offer a closer look at dance’s details, designers and directors
Future Voices8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. SaturdayOklahoma City BalletLyric Plaza Theatre1727 N.W. 16thwww.okcballet.com848-8637$29-$45 A series of brand-new pieces created by some of the best and brightest dance artists in Central Oklahoma premieres this weekend. Friday and Saturday’s “Future Voices” show also marks the first time that Oklahoma City Ballet has performed at the Lyric Plaza…
High school students from around the region will show off robots in a competition this weekend
2010 Season FIRST Robotics Competition8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-SaturdayCox Convention Center Arena 1 Myriad Gardensfree Robots created by students throughout the region will compete in the 2010 Season FIRST Robotics Competition, held from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Cox Convention Center Arena, 1 Myriad Gardens. The FIRST (For Inspiration…
Get out there and celebrate the season with spring festivals and fairs
Spring is in the air, and while some say it’s a time of romance and green grass, it’s also about sweet festivals, fairs and art exhibits. Here’s a look at what will be happening across the metro, now to the start of summer. Montmartre Sidewalk Chalk Art FestivalApril 1More than 100 artists, musicians, vendors and…
Okie singer/songwriter Ali Harter stings with a hive-minded new album, ‘No Bees, No Honey’
The Central Oklahoma singer/songwriter toured nonstop for months. When she returned later that winter, Harter was run “ragged” and problems had piled up. “There was just so much going on,” Harter, now 25, said, “and I was going through this horrible breakup. My first answer to problems is always to run.” So she ran “…
Public meetings seek community input on downtown transit
The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority and the City of Oklahoma City are seeking citizen input on potential routes and stops for the initial, five-mile modern streetcar routes through downtown. Citizens can comment by taking part in any or all of five public meetings to be held, or by submitting ideas to www.LetsTalkTransit.com. The…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Most of the time, life does not talk to you, writes Robert T. Kiyosaki in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. “It just sort of pushes you around. Each push is life saying, ‘Wake up. There’s something I want you to learn.’” Different people respond in different ways, Kiyosaki says. “Some just let life push…
NBA Dance Team Bracket puts Thunder Girls in the playoffs
While Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder play hard to get into the NBA playoffs, the Thunder Girls are already in their own championship tourney. The 2010 Dance Team Bracket pits each NBA team’s dance team against another in a March Madness-style competition. Fans vote for their favorite team…
Swap meet
It’s nice to know our elected representatives are clear-thinking, measured adults. They would never stoop to some ridiculous stunt, something like ” oh, off the top of our heads ” sneakily moving around portraits to passive-aggressively show their contempt for someone else. No, never. Except, well “¦ this is the Oklahoma Legislature we’re talking about.…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
The odds are higher than usual that you’ll encounter a future soul brother or soul sister in the coming weeks. Potential allies are gravitating toward you, even if neither they nor you are aware of it yet. You’re also likely to brush up against a tribe or team you could benefit from knowing more about.…
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
All but one of our planet’s mountain ranges have been mapped: the Gamburtsev Mountains, which are buried under 2.5 miles of ice in Antarctica. Recent efforts to get a read on this craggy landscape, aided by a network of seismic instruments, have revealed some initial details about it, including its role in forming the East…
Repo Men
in: 0px ! important;” border=”0″ height=”1″ width=”1″ />”), a kindred spirit who is also full of overdue hardware. Together, they decide to try and make a run for the border. Throughout all this, director Miguel Sapochnik beats us over the head with the human/machine dichotomy, which is supposed to be the whole point of the…
YouthBuild helps young adults in low-income communities work to finish school
To take a drive down S.W. 17th Street in Oklahoma City is to tour a modern day Bailey Park from Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The street is lined with small, cookie-cut buildings; children play basketball, friends talk and walk, and workers greet each other as they pass. What goes on at the address…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
NASA scientist Richard Gross believes that the recent 8.8 earthquake in Chile was so strong that it shifted the planet’s axis and shortened the length of the day. The amounts were relatively small — three inches and 1.26 microseconds — but it was enough to make “the Earth ring like a bell.” I predict a…
Preservation Oklahoma calls attention to sites across the state in need of a little TLC
In 1951, celebrated architect Bruce Goff, with the help of a volunteer labor force, completed Hopewell Baptist Church in Edmond. The church, like many of Goff’s structures, was imaginative and unique, taking advantage of local materials ” really local materials. Located on an old oil field, the site used pipes and other drilling pieces to…
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Middle school is the prelude to high school, and high school lasts for the rest of your life, so you better find a way to cope with it. Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon, “Four Christmases”), the wimpy kid of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” recognizes that middle school is the turning point. He thinks that half…
Amuse yourself while bettering your body at laughter yoga, which has spread to Oklahoma
There’s the giggle. The shrieking cackle. The belly laugh. So many ways to laugh, and Tyler Slater wants to hear them all. Laugh factoryChuckle club Checking out Laugh Out Loud Oklahoma, a laughter yoga organization founded by Slater, I was afraid all he was going to get from me was a derisive snort, maybe a…
Sounds of silence
The Oklahoma State University men’s basketball team was playing well as the season wound down. But their NCAA tournament first round opponent had a secret weapon to tame the OSU Cowboys: no cell phones. The New York Times reported the head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets put in place a ban on the…
Scott Jones resorts to coercion of laws
In “The power of persuasion” (Feb. 10, 2010, Gazette), Scott Jones paraphrases theologian Tripp York as arguing that “when some in the pro-life movement resort to the coercion of laws they are exhibiting a subtle atheism because they assume that the power of the state must be used to compel people to behave.” Allegedly, “the…
Chloe
“Chloe” wants to be an erotic thriller. At least, that’s what I think it aims to be. It’s difficult to know for sure, what with its eroticism mired in fussy pretensions and its suspense mainly stemming from how the moviemakers will possibly resolve the silliness. Scheduled to open Friday, the movie is a serious disappointment…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
In a library in Warsaw, there is a 1,000+-page memoir written by my great-great-great-great grandfather, Leon Dembowski, a close advisor to the last king of Poland. Someday I’ll make a pilgrimage over there, photocopy that family heirloom, bring it back to America, and have it translated into English. The task I envision for you in…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
There’s no need for you to get a t-shirt that says, “Oh no, not another learning experience.” According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are not about to have an embarrassing stumble that could in retrospect be euphemistically referred to as a “learning experience.” On the contrary, the educational events you’ll be communing…
Use strategy to clear away the winter clutter in your spring cleaning
With spring’s arrival, the sun shines through the windows illuminating our homes. In the corner? Cobwebs. The walls? Fingerprints. On surfaces? Dust bunnies galore. Even looking out the window can cause panic because the streaks of dirt block our view. Where is Mary Poppins and her bluejays when you need them? “Don’t get overwhelmed.” That’s…
Fries with that?
Looks like someone may have started their St. Patrick’s Day early. According to The Oke, a woman skipped the first drive-through window at a southside McDonald’s last Tuesday morning and proceeded straight to the second one, looking for her tasty, tasty meal. But when workers informed her that she had to, y’know, pay and stuff,…
Invite Sandride to work with master plan
Following up on Kelley Chambers’ “Temple topple” article from the March 10, 2010, Oklahoma Gazette, I wanted to clarify a few of my thoughts I felt could easily be misconstrued by readers, and at the same time offer a public call of action for SandRidge to better work with the downtown community. It’s reasonable to…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
In my role as moral sentinel, I strongly urge you not to watch “Telephone,” the music video by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. It epitomizes everything that’s crazy-making about our culture: brilliantly executed, gorgeous to behold, and perversely seductive, even though its subject matter is degrading, demoralizing, and devoid of meaning. In my role as a…
Grab your favorite wenches and best knaves as the annual Medieval Fair rides into town
Medieval Fair10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-SundayReaves Park2501 S. Jenkins, Normanwww.medievalfair.org366-8095Free Knights, pirates and mythological creatures will transform Norman this weekend. The 34th annual Norman Medieval Fair returns Friday to Reaves Park. The three-day festival will give a glimpse into life in the Middle Ages with art, crafts, performances, food and games.The fair is the third-largest event…
Get your hands on fresh fruit and veggies at local farms and gardens
Love the idea of homegrown produce, but lack the green thumb to get it done? Enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labor with a visit to one of Oklahoma’s premier pick-your-own farms, also called “U-pick.” With selections that include everything from strawberries and peaches to eggplants and okra, it’s a cinch to enjoy fresh-from-the-ground goodies…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
I’m inclined to prophesy that in the days to come, you may be able to read the minds of people whose actions are critical to your success. I also suspect that you will know exactly what to do in order to banish a minor health problem. I’m even tempted to believe that when you gaze…
The Boom Bang ignite with surf guitars, distorted vocals and chaotic concerts that sometimes explode
The Boom Bang is a clear case of truth in advertising. The Oklahoma City quartet’s lead-footed, garage-rock clamor offers pedal-mashing thrills as wheels spin in a rubber-laying roar that unites a tsunami of surf-inflected guitar distortion and chunky rhythms, over which front man James Smith unleashes his frenzied vocal attack. Like a ’70 Cadillac Eldorado…
A new conference geared toward female entrepreneurs takes root downtown
“Women changing the world, one venture at a time.” That’s the slogan and the overall theme for the Women Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference, presented by the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Cox Convention Center. This is the 10th year…
Tapping into one’s inner Agassi is easier than ever, from pay-to-play complexes to public parks
With spring, it’s time to develop that stellar tennis game you’ve always had inside you. No doubt you’ve already dug the secondhand racket out of the closet. But where to play? Check out the metro’s pay-to-play complexes and public parks. The latter have the benefit of being free, but space can be limited, especially if…
Bills on Bible curriculum in public schools continue to move through the state House and Senate
Two bills intended to provide for the teaching of the Bible in Oklahoma public schools have been referred to committees for further discussion. According to Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell, the principal author of House Bill 2321, both pieces of legislation are expected to move to conference sometime this week. The Senate’s version is Senate Bill…
Kids and parents can decorate Easter eggs together at City Arts Center
Easter Egg Family Dye Day 1 p.m. SaturdayCity Arts Center3000 General Pershingfreebring hard-boiled eggs Kids are invited to help the Easter Bunny by painting and decorating hard-boiled eggs at the Easter Egg Family Dye Day, 1 p.m. Saturday at the City Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing. All ages are welcome. The event is free and…
Put hammer to nail with tips from pros in area home-improvement classes
Interested in home improvement, but lack the skills to make your vision a reality? Home-improvement classes abound in the metro, and spring is the perfect time to take domestic matters into your own hands. Warehouse of learningTechnically speaking Learn how to turn a humble abode into a posh palace ” and boost home equity “…
It sucks asphalt
We’ve learned three things from Reader’s Digest this year: “The magazine seemingly is required reading for every dentist’s office and the guest bathroom of any senior citizen’s home.”Laughter really is the best medicine!”You suck, Interstate 44. In its April issue, Reader’s Digest runs down the best, worst and deadliest roads in America, and guess who…
PR BS
Lots of press releases related to the Sooner State cross our desk. This week, these titles least screamed “Stop the presses!” “”ONEOK, Inc. and ONEOK Partners to Participate in Morgan Stanley MLP and Diversified Natural Gas Corporate Access Day”””Free Webinar Shows How to Effectively Handle Spikes in Emergency Department Volume”””Receiver Certificate Fund Alliance Announced”””Love Endures…
Catch the last weekend of the University of Central Oklahoma juried art show
The University of Central Oklahoma juried student art show ArtzPlace Oklahoma,1730 Center Drive, Midwest City9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday-SaturdayFree 732-4278, www.artzplaceok.com. Saturday is the last day to check out an exhibit of student work hosted by ArtzPlace Oklahoma: the University of Central Oklahoma juried student art show, which includes 2-D, mixed-media works. The works…
6 Guns
rape her and kill them, in a scene that’s tough to watch, especially given the violence involving the children. A grieving Selina puts down her bottle of booze long enough to seek the help of bounty hunter Frank Allison (Barry Van Dyke, son of Dick) to teach her how to shoot a gun so she…
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!: The Complete Vitaphone Shorts Collection
At some point in your life, you’ve likely read a “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” strip. If you do a fair amount of tourist-type traveling, you may have even visited one of the dozens of Ripley’s museums around the world. But unless you’re pushing 90 years old, you’ve probably never taken in one of the…
