The Real Wolfman
forced and near-scripted, as if they’re working off talking points. It’s more interesting to see them run tests on the jaw strength of animal skulls, and less to see them gab. No bark, no bite. “?Rod Lott
Castle in the Sky/Kiki’s Delivery Service/My Neighbor Totoro
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=oklahgazet-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002ZTQVHK&fc1=000000&IS2=1 Japan’s master animator, Hayao Miyazaki, has been making feature films for nearly 25 years, but has only recently become an “overnight” success in America. Alongside his recent “Ponyo,” Disney has re-released three of his films from the Eighties: “Castle in the Sky,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “My Neighbor Totoro.” Each of the three…
Capitalism: A Love Story
being thrown off its farm, the ancient father lamenting the leveled spark plug plant he used to work in, and several examples of people making loose attempts to organize against the injustice. One is led to feel bad for the victims and to be angry at the system that’s victimizing them, but that anger is…
Ponyo
e general action. In fact, Miyazaki more or less ignores the sort of proselytizing typical of fairy tales in general. The implied message seems to be that defeatism is the only real danger, and that renewal “? both of the physical realm and of the spirit “? is always possible, maybe even inevitable. As usual,…
The Crazies
George A. Romero’s “The Crazies” came along in 1973 as the director’s third film after the surprise hit “Night of the Living Dead,” and is probably his worst movie. The one time I slid it into the DVD player, I found it unwatchable. That’s the kind of flick that’s ready for the remake mill, and…
Two artists unveil sculptures, murals, drawings in new show
“The Lollipop Man” by Sharon Montgomery and “Juggling Time” by David Hollandopening reception, 7 p.m. SaturdayThe Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery620 S.W. D Ave., LawtonNoon to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday (580) 357-9526, www.lpgallery.orgFree The Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery hosts a free reception on Saturday to celebrate the opening of two new exhibits by local artists:…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
If you’re bogged down in the trance of the humdrum routine, astrology can open your mind and illuminate fascinating patterns that have been invisible to you. It can reveal the big picture of your life story, sweeping away the narrow ideas and shrunken expectations you have about yourself. And it can purge your imagination of…
CityRep and TheatreOCU debut an adaptation of ‘Lysistrata,’ the comedic forerunner of all bawdy battles of the sexes
Lysistrata8 p.m. Friday -Saturday , 4 p.m. Saturday,2 p.m. SundayOklahoma City Repertory Theatre and TheatreOCUFreede Little Theatre, Civic Center Music Hall201 N. Walker848-3761www.cityrep.com$25-$30 Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, in partnership with Oklahoma City University’s TheatreOCU, presents one of the oldest and funniest plays in Western civilization, coming about not long after the beginnings of theater itself…
The Righs – Roses
The Righs sound like a bar brawl between a local laborer and a sailor on leave. Part pirate crooners and Celtic punk rockers, the metro sextet’ singer/guitarists Nate Williams and Jackson Smith, mandolin player Omid Nowrouzi, fiddle player Jian Azimi, bassist John Slawson and drummer David Johnson”? recently released “Roses,” a follow-up to its 2008…
We Live in Public
t-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0036RO1MW”>We Live in Public” explores the degrees and dangers of that visibility. Harris’ rise and fall was so quick, that if charted, they might look like an A. As “DiG!” director Ondi Timoner notes, he was among the first to provide hard numbers on Internet statistics and trends early on, making him his first fortune.…
Gay attorney gives up right to practice law in Oklahoma over deep-seated discrimination
Slaton Anthony has given up several things since deciding Oklahoma was not the place to be for a gay man. He gave up his home, marriage and military service. But Anthony also decided that practicing the law in Oklahoma, something he had devoted years to, was another loss in the fight between his sexuality and…
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
To place yourself in smooth alignment with planetary rhythms, do conscientious work on the foundations of your life. Take extra care of the people who take care of you. Make sure you have a good supply of the various resources that keep you strong and steady. Check to see if maybe you need to rev…
UCO’s ‘Pippin’ a contemporary take on the classic Broadway musical
Pippin7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. SundayUniversity of Central Oklahoma Music TheatreMitchell Hall Theater100 N. University Dr., Edmond$14 Adults, $10 Seniors974-3375 With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”), “Pippin” follows a wily troupe of traveling players as they relate the coming-of-age story of Prince Pippin, son of King Charlemagne. “While we might think, ‘Who could…
Hold the eggs
So here’s a new one coming out of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. House Bill 3077 would make it illegal for a woman to sell her eggs ” yes, those eggs. The bill, authored by Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City, easily passed last week in the House. It now goes to the Senate. “We are…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Two-thirds of people surveyed said they would rather look good than feel good. I hope you’re not one of them. The ironic fact of the matter is that if you put the emphasis on looking good in the coming week — creating favorable impressions, acting dishonest in order to curry favor, wearing uncomfortable but attractive…
Red storm rising
There is a political storm coming, and the Democrats of this state have no storm shelter. Hurricane Obama is sweeping across these plains, and Oklahoma Republicans can’t wait until November. Obama is an unpopular president in this state, and the Democrats have no major candidates on the federal or statewide level. The national Democrats are…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
In some of the newspapers that publish my horoscope column, my carefully wrought text is buried in the back pages amidst a jabbering hubbub of obscene advertisements for quasi-legal sexual services. For readers with refined sensibilities, that’s a problem. They do their best to avert their eyes, narrowing their focus down to a tight window.…
The Avett Brothers find success, keep things simple on latest folk-rock album ‘I and Love and You’
The Avett Brothers8 p.m. WednesdayRose State CollegePerforming Arts Theatre6420 S.E. 15th, Midwest City733-7960$28 Purity has long been absent from the music industry. Purchased publicity, digital piracy and crumbling labels have, in recent years, shaken up the way most of us consume music and the way even successful bands make a living. The established trajectory is…
Oklahoma Gazette earned an array of awards at three different contests in February
second in News Content, News Writing, Advertising, Sales Promotion, third in Sports Coverage and received an honorable mention in Editorial Comment. Addy Awards The Gazette was the recipient of seven honors at the 44th annual ADDY Awards presented Feb. 27 by the Oklahoma City Ad Club. In the Print Best Special Event Material category, Jill…
James McMurtry has rocked for more than a decade on a road paved with steady work
James McMurtry with Jonny Burke8 p.m. FridayWormy Dog Saloon311 E. Sheridanwww.wormydog.com601-6276$10 Naturally, a lot of people want to talk to James McMurtry about how much influence his novelist/screenwriter father, Larry (“Lonesome Dove,” “Brokeback Mountain”), had on his career. It was pretty big, but not in the way you might think. The comparisons inevitably arise because…
Least Competent Criminals
Didn’t Think Ahead: Two men tied up employees at a recycling company in Chicago in December, intending to take away the ATM on the premises, which is normally used to pay people who bring in scrap metal. However, the two men fled empty-handed after realizing that they were not strong enough to carry the 250-pound…
Energizer bill
Most of the public has become aware of delay tactics used by lawmakers when they oppose or have serious concerns over a bill. Words like filibuster, grandstanding and amendment come to mind. But one Oklahoma legislator has found what has to be one of the more unique ways for the provisions of a bill to…
Rilo Kiley drummer Jason Boesel starts over with a folksy debut album and solo tour
Jason Boesel with Dawes, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons and the Quinns6:30 p.m. WednesdayThe Conservatory8911 N. Westernwww.ConservatoryOKC.com879-9778$8 advance, $10 door Perpetual sun, easy beach access and living a stone’s throw from countless celebrities really do a number on people. Consequently, Los Angeles’s pop scene ” the birthplace of bands like Phantom Planet and Maroon…
Head Case: Season 2
“Head Case: Season 2” is really season three. Long story. Doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that is that this Starz cable series is witty and funnier than you’d expect, anchored by an Emmy-worthy performance by creator/star Alexandra Wentworth, who is something of a hidden treasure on the American comedy landscape. She plays…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Temple Grandin is a successful autistic person. Diagnosed at an early age, she nevertheless went on to earn a PhD in animal science and became a bestselling author whose work has led to notable improvements in the humane treatment of livestock. Although she acknowledges that her autism has caused her problems, she also believes it…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
It’s not a good time to treat yourself like a beast of burden or to swamp yourself with dark, heavy thoughts. You’re extra sensitive, Sagittarius — as delicate and impressionable as a young poet in love with a dream of paradise. You need heaping doses of sweetness and unreasonable amounts of fluidic peace, smart listening,…
U.S. poet laureate Kay Ryan to give reading, teach on historic visit to Rose State College
Rose State College hosts Kay Ryan, poet laureate of the United States, on Friday as part of its “Poetry at Rose” program, featuring a reading, reception and book signing with Ryan. Terry Britton, Rose State president, said the school is honored to have Ryan as part of the program. Rose has hosted a poetry program…
The Video Vigilante’ comments on electronic security act legislation
Ah, that warm cozy feeling of paper tiger legislation. Those times when our elected officials join together in unity to proclaim that with a wave of their wand all will be right with the world. In this case, the ill is convicted sex offenders trolling Internet social networking sites looking to snatch up good little…
The Bronx Kill – Peter Milligan and James Romberger
For the second Vertigo Crime release in a row, the luck of the Irish “? or rather, lack of it “? informs the sad, shocking story. No matter the nationality, I love this franchise. Every entry has been great in delivering grime ‘n’ grit. Peter Milligan’s “The Bronx Kill” is the fourth, and concerns a…
A state legislator tries to reduce the amount of women incarcerated in Oklahoma
Kelly Damphousse, a sociology professor at the University of Oklahoma and associate dean for the OU College of Arts and Sciences, said it’s well known that Oklahoma locks up more women than any other state. But he said there are no good statistics on why that is. “The sense is, the majority of women incarcerated…
The Solomon code
It sounds like something that could involve being on the run from an albino monk who moonlights in assassinations. In fact, someone get Tom Hanks on the horn. On second thought, Nic Cage. He has those IRS problems, so he’s more likely to work cheap. We’re talking about the two Edmond college representatives who recently…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
One of the best new bands of 2009 was the Girls. Spin magazine selected their debut CD “Album”as the fifth best album of the year. After touring for months and selling scads of records, the band came back home to San Francisco in February to do a sold-out show at the Great American Music Hall.…
Annual exhibit of the up-and-coming ‘Momentum’ has become a movement of emerging Oklahoma artists
Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still8 p.m.-Midnight Friday-Saturday5-7 p.m. Tuesday-March 11Goodwill Warehouse410 S.W. Thirdwww.ovac-ok.org879-2400$10 advance, $15 door A diverse selection of works created by more than 100 artists from around the state will be showcased this weekend at a two-night exhibition inside a warehouse turned into a makeshift gallery space. “Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still” is…
Ghost story ‘The Turn of the Screw’ messes with the head but fails to move the heart
The Turn of the Screw8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. SundayUniversity of Oklahoma Opera TheatreDonald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center540 Parrington Oval, Norman325-4101$10-$15 An opera based on the 19th-century novella of the same name by Henry James, “The Turn of the Screw” tells the story of an idealistic governess who arrives at an English estate to…
Burying the plight of slaves
Reading the article “Ex-slaves” (Rob Collins, Feb. 24, 2010, Oklahoma Gazette) brings to mind the tragedy and dereliction of the educational system in the United States. When I was a boy, I never heard about slaves in school. It was only when my parents would drive our family to Florida for a brief winter vacation…
I don’t think it’s so bad here’
The “OKC’s drunken elephant” column by Professor Kurt Hochenauer in your Feb. 24 issue starts by commenting favorably on the “big league” issues of the arrival of the Thunder and the MAPS 3 programs. He states, however, there is a major problem to Oklahoma City’s continued growth and well being. “Oklahoma’s antiquated, dysfunctional liquor laws”…
Travis Brorsen and his boxer teach manners with ‘The Adventures of Travis and Presley’
You can take Travis Brorsen out of Oklahoma, but you can’t take Oklahoma out of Travis Brorsen. And it’s not like he’d want you to. Brorsen ” who, along with his boxer, Presley, won the CBS reality television contest “Greatest American Dog” in 2008 ” is kicking off his new children’s book and DVD series,…
Surprisingly lively ‘The Last Station’ chronicles the last year of Leo Tolstoy’s life
On its surface, fame seems like a straightforward proposition: Someone does something that is spontaneously recognized by a large number of people. These people all agree together that this person is inherently kick-ass, which results in what we know as fame. But there’s famous, and there’s megafamous. Sometimes a person comes along who is so…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Self-help author Barbara De Angelis wrote a book that offers to help us learn “how to make love all the time.” Maybe I’ll read it someday, but right now I’m more interested in your take on the subject. How would you make love — not have sex, but make love — with your sandwich, with…
Udderly frozen
Seems like you can’t log on Facebook without someone whining about the weather in Central Oklahoma: “You mean it’s snowing again?!?” “Saw a sprout of green growing through the pavement today, but it’s just Jack Frost jacking with my mind.” “Or I’m going to hunt down Punxsutawney Phil and give that furbrain a piece of…
Annual Red Tie Event raises funds and awareness of HIV/AIDS in Oklahoma
In 1991, Jackie and Barbara Cooper were approached about being the faces of a new organization called the Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund. The Coopers’ oldest son died of complications related to AIDS, and the couple was eager to get involved in what was then a widely misunderstood disease. Since that time, the organization has raised…
Kyle Gass and Trainwreck serve a cock-rock aperitif while fans hungrily await a mouthful of D
Trainwreck10 p.m. FridayVZD’s Restaurant & Club4200 N. Westernwww.vzds.com524-4200$14 When not regaling the world with his face-melting skills as the glabrous half of Tenacious D, or appearing in a variety of movie and TV roles, Kyle Gass stokes the fire that drives Trainwreck.The quintet is a sort of classic-rock answer to the D, offering knowing, mildly…
Whine of the weak
I was not surprised when I read that the Legislature had defeated in committee the proposal to allow sales of wine and strong beer in grocery stores in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties (Commentary, Kurt Hochenauer, “OKC’s drunken elephant,” Feb. 24, 2010, Gazette), but the reason this proposal was defeated was somewhat of a surprise, and…
Oscar Night in Oklahoma to benefit Ronald McDonald House
“Oscar Night America in Oklahoma”6:30 p.m., SundayCastle Falls, 820 N. Macarthur$50 per person, $75 for couples 424-6874, www.rmhokc.comCocktail attire suggested Pull out your red carpet-worthy outfit for Hollywood’s biggest night and help the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oklahoma City make an impact on the community. “Oscar Night America in Oklahoma,” organized by the Young…
Liberal blogs by the numbers
When last we visited, I discussed conservative Oklahoma blogs, how small and narrow their readership was, and how much blog conflict takes place in a largely empty echo chamber. I also observed that the fragmentation of the media allows readers to consume information narrowly, and allows writers to skip editorial control and publish “automatic to…
Memphis singer/songwriter Will Kimbrough soars with spirited new folk-pop release ‘Wings’
Will Kimbrough with Lucy Kaplansky9 p.m. Fridaythe Blue Door2805 N. McKinleywww.bluedoorokc.com524-0738$20 Most art doesn’t do happy very well. It’s probably too close to self-satisfied, the place where creativity goes to die. Certainly for a musician writing an upbeat song, it’s hard not to come across as either cloyingly earnest, completely naive or smugly superior. But…
As Oklahoma City revitalizes, questions arise about long-term state of homeless
Ruben Martinez tells his story from inside The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command’s Family Shelter. It’s a heart-wrenching tale of how his family became displaced last year. He said he lost his job as a truck driver due in part to the economic recession, and he was unable to find another position because of…
A run-down on all 10 Academy Award-nominated short films
Oscar Tune-Up: Academy Award-Nominated Short FilmsAnimated5:30 p.m. Friday-SaturdayLive action8 p.m. Friday-SaturdayOklahoma City Museum of Art415 Couchwww.okcmoa.com/film278-8237$8 adults, $6 seniors and students Rounding out its “Oscar Tune-up” series, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art will screen all 10 short films nominated for Academy Awards this weekend, separated among animated and live-action, before Sunday’s Oscar telecast. Here’s…
Clash of the Gods
Before titans clash in theaters in 3-D next month, bone up on your Greek mythology with “Clash of the Gods.” The sound-alike series is a History Channel presentation that’s fun for the entire family. Each of the three-disc set’s nine episodes spend nearly an hour on a mythological character, from Zeus to Odysseus, focusing on…
Former talent show TV star becomes Queen’s lead singer, recreating the stage theatrics of legend
One Night of Queen8 p.m. FridayRiverwind Casino1544 W. State Highway 9, Normanwww.riverwind.com322-6000$20-$30 Twenty-five years before Lady Gaga, listeners heard “Radio Ga Ga” emanating from their speakers. Many remember the song’s video with scenes from Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis,” but audiences never heard Queen perform the hit live on American soil. Queen’s last Oklahoma City concert was…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Do your own stunts, Aquarius. Don’t commandeer a stunt double to do them for you. Accept blame and claim credit that rightfully belong to you. Don’t scare up scapegoats or tolerate plagiarists. It will also be a good idea to deliver your own messages and sing your own songs and kick your own butt. No…
Hunt club
Kudos to Scott Cooper and the powers that be at Oklahoma Gazette for the concise and informative page dedicated to the election for mayor of Oklahoma City (News, “Election,” Feb. 24, 2010). It was a great idea and a format that should continue in the future. Much could be learned from this: First thing would…
Oklahoma Children’s Theatre debuts interactive kids play ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’
Old MacDonald Had a Farm11 a.m. Wednesday, FridayChildren’s Center for the Arts at Oklahoma City University2501 N. Blackwelder951-0011, www.oklahomachildrenstheatre.org$7 for adults, $5 for students and children Sing, dance, wiggle and jiggle along with some favorite farm animals at Oklahoma Children’s Theatre’s production of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” The play stages 11 a.m. today and…
