Lockout could be apocalyptic event for Thunder
While the team is the talk of the town, little of that talk has been about the foreboding event that could ruin everything. Right now, the Thunder/ Oklahoma City relationship is in the honeymoon stage. We all expected things to be a little rocky at first, and the first season’s 23-59 record was exactly that.…
Do you realize??
But when some quick googling showed Bucky’s oral fixation to be merely a new Flaming Lips release, we shrugged and went back to work. According to hipster-music website Pitchfork, Wayne Coyne and co. recently contacted a purveyor of unusual confections to create life-size human skulls — complete with brain — out of gelatin-based candy (aka…
Video Game Reviews
Bulletstorm Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 / PC “Bulletstorm” is a first-person shooter for people who are tired of first-person shooters. The plot follows space pirate Grayson as he tries to avenge a wrong and escape the crazy planet on which he’s crashed. The story is surprisingly good, and most of the characters (especially Grayson)…
Red Riding Hood
Your brain will function as it would if you’d been the guest of honor at the Zombie Family picnic last weekend. In this version — make that “perversion” — of the old fairy tale, Red’s name is actually Valerie (Amanda Seyfried, “Letters to Juliet”), which I’m sure was common in medieval Germany. Her village on…
Brawl in Bricktown
Backing a second indoor professional football team in eight years, Bricktown Brawlers owner Dale Morris vows not to repeat any of the mistakes he made with his last team. Largely overlooked or outright ignored by pro scouts, the same can be said for most of the players on his roster. “We’re trying to get them…
Good Grooming
A guitar, by itself, is an amazing and beautiful instrument, but for musical swashbucklers looking to explore and find new sonic treasures, effect pedals provide limitless prospects. A true understanding of capabilities of guitar pedals figures in nicely with the distorted, effect-heavy alternative rock of three-piece Grooms, and when bandleader Travis Johnson found a side…
Quail hunting
Practice makes perfect, but Oklahoma City’s The Damn Quails don’t really need it. With three weekly shows across the metro area, they’ve got about all the playing time they could ever desire. “It’s interesting, playing every night,” said Bryon White, who comprises the folk-rock act with Gabriel Marshall. “It’s allowed us to play off each…
In the Army now
When all the elements of a play work in sync, the result can be a satisfying evening of theater, which is what you have in Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre’s current production of Neil Simon’s autobiographical “Biloxi Blues.” The show’s a rewarding pleasure. “Biloxi Blues” is the second play of Simon’s so-called “Brighton Beach” trilogy. We…
Bless you
Located in South India, the monastery sends a group to America each year in hopes of spreading peace and harmony through cultural exchange, and to help raise funds to aid the continuing education of the 1,500 monks who occupy it. They first visited Norman in 2008 and Marial Martyn, organizer for this year’s Norman appearance,…
Sláinte!
When you’re a kid, the mid- March celebration of all things Irish was mostly tainted with memories of forgetting to wear green in the fourth grade and spending the whole day fending off that one kid who was a little too eager to pinch everyone. Maybe you were that kid. But you grew out of…
Bite size
With everyone watching the action on Rococo’s giant television screen, the room was packed with beautiful women in sexy dresses, along with well-dressed men, all avid movie fans celebrating the 2011 Oscars. Party hosts and hostesses included Charlie Monnot, Kevin Winsell, Kym Koch Thompson, Jodi Nestander, Paul James and Karen Kurtz. All the food was…
Summer Wars
This weekend, Oklahoma City of Museum of Art’s Noble Theater is all about the anime, screening two 2009 hits from Japan. One of them, “Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance,” is your standard, incomprehensible chunk of clanketyclank-clank fighting. The other, “Summer Wars,” is a welcome respite from that. It still delivers plenty of action, but…
Irish ayes
above David Haynes pulls Michael Collins whiskey off the shelf at Grand Cru. Peter Crandall Polk described the amber spirit as having “the flavor that is missing from American and Canadian whiskeys. It makes the back of your throat warm, like a fire on a cold morning. A hint of smoke, almost a burnt vanilla.…
CFN Quote of the Week
—Muneer Awad, lawyer and executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), quoted in the “Shariah Shock” article in the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Spring 2011 Intelligence Report. Awad and CAIR were asked to fight for businesses not willing to “pick fights” if the amendment approved in State Question 755…
Dancing king
In fact, his latest endeavor, a film that he wrote, produced and stars in, proves that it’s “Never Too Late.” Felix, who has taught dance for more than 40 years, found himself in that world by accident. After stumbling upon an ad in the newspapers asking for dance teachers, he applied, despite never having taken…
‘Marijuana is here to stay’
Eventually, the powers that be understood that without legitimate liquor by the drink, this town could never become a convention- or visitor-friendly city. It was a moral issue for many years and became an economic issue, leading to the current attitude toward alcohol. British researchers have now declared alcohol the most dangerous drug on the…
Ready Orr not
The “agri-tainment” site is open now through Saturday for spring break, to debut its zip line. “The owners wanted something new and exciting that would appeal to older children,” said Lauren Lorenzen, spokeswoman for the farm. “It’s been tested out by the staff, and they all said it was a lot of fun.” The line,…
Monty Harper — Songs From the Science Frontier
In “Songs From the Science Frontier,” Stillwater’s Harper takes cutting-edge science research and explains it to kids in song format: phototactic bacteria, wheat genomics and luminescence dating, among other things. It’s a testament to his lyrical ability that it’s not only explained well, but rhymes. Talk about challenging yourself. With a project like that, the…
Astro boy
Astronautalis hails from what might be the last generation of indie hip-hop. The 29-year old Florida rapper came of age in the late ’90s as a bevy of underground artists emerged, seeking to redefine a mainstream style that’d become stuck in a locked groove of guns, drugdealing, bitches and boasting. Astronautalis, aka Andy Bothwell, honed…
Dessert wine
Since chocolate covers a broad spectrum of tastes, including bitter, sweet, creamy and rich, pairing it with wine for dessert is easier than you might suspect. The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro, 6418 N. Western, recently hosted a wine and chocolate pairing to introduce the new spring wine list. In the course of the evening,…
Jerky judge returns
Oh, and how it does indeed please the court. You may remember Thompson from his previous CFN starring roles in “Here comes the judge, again,” “Pumped for the truth,” “Gripping testimony” and “Dishonorable discharge.” In 2004, Thompson was accused of using a penis pump during court hearings, shaving his scrotum on the bench during closing…
Who’s behind the money?
Bowman, who did not run for re-election, praised the public candidate forums and the civility therein, but expressed concern about the amount of money being spent and what he said was a lack of open campaign disclosure. “In these last few weeks, big money has gotten involved to the extent, in my opinion, that it…
Crash and groom
Like a Domino’s Pizza. According to last week’s report, the unnamed woman was driving — with her poor, defenseless dog in the car, we might add — to the American Dog Grooming School in Oklahoma City. Or, as we said, she was attempting to drop off ol’ Lassie to get a little off the top.…
PR BS
— “Watonga Trout Derby” — “Hazmat Training Critical to Avoiding Fines for Violation of 2011 Rules” —“Submersible pumps banned on Tulsa District lakes” —“Married OSU researchers expand work through grants” —“Dating advice song for Valentines day – ‘Wear a Condom!’” —“Shell’s Lazare and Petrohawk’s Stoneburner Join DUG™ Keynotes, Enterprise’s Creel to Provide Midstream Spotlight” —“QEP…
SXSW FAQ
Many are part of the Oklahoma Film & Music Office’s Buffalo Lounge showcase; some even answered this question for us: What are your goals and expectations for the event? The Pretty Black Chains second SXSW appearance “Just to do what we do: Generate some buzz, play some shows, expose people to our newer sound we…
Talk it out
“There’s a real danger to the maintenance and perpetuation of meaningful communications and personal and professional relationships,” said Hanke. “If you become overly dependent on e-mail or text messages, you focus on the object, but not the person.” She said face-to-face communication is a necessity and most beneficial to achieve clarity, especially when: • Negotiating…
‘We don’t eat puppies’
Brecheen justifies his objections to the anti-puppy mill bill by writing in the Jan. 11 edition of the Durant Daily Democrat: “Imagine if your cattle, swine, horses or poultry were being subjected to similar invasive inspections under guidelines established by bureaucrats who think meat comes from a plastic wrapped Styrofoam tray. We wouldn’t be too…
‘Stereo’ components
Never before has an art exhibit’s title doubled as a set of instructions. That’s according to Sherwin Tibayan, who — along with fellow University of Oklahoma students Lauren Barnes and Ken Sims — curated a different kind of photography show currently on display at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. All patrons have to…
Art suspension
House Bill 1665 suspends for three years the Art in Public Places Act of 2004, which requires 1.5 percent of any construction project costing more than $250,000 go toward funding art pieces in the project. The maximum cost for the artwork is capped at $500,000. HB 1665’s author, Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Tuttle, said that as…
I Spy … ?
Its loyal listeners wanted to know how to help, and that’s what they have been doing — loudly and visibly — ever since, because of all the things the alternative station offers its listeners that they can’t get elsewhere locally. “It has good music,” said Peyton Suitor of Skating Polly. “That’s something that most other…
Counterpoint: ‘Fear stifles innovation’
Reforms to our legal system are needed to help create a consistent and fair business environment for Oklahoma. And, contrary to the self-serving statements from the trial lawyers, Oklahomans with legitimate cases will not be denied his or her day in court as a result of these reforms. Some facts on medical lawsuits alone: —Too…
Point: Pro-business stance is ‘shortsighted’
Senate Bill 863 would impose an upper limit of $250,000 on certain types of damages, and SB 864 would abolish the collateral source rule, thereby allowing a negligent defendant a credit for life, health or disability insurance paid for by the injured victim or their survivors. Sen. Anthony Sykes of Moore authored both bills. The…
For medicinal purposes
It is time to stop the scare tactics and lies spread by others. I think that prescription pills are more dangerous and addicting than alternatives. I think this bill will save billions of dollars by not persecuting “nonviolent offenders” and patients in pain. There are so many more positive benefits to medical marijuana than negatives.…
This magic ‘Moment’
Shortt, along with potter Michelle Phillip Junkin and sculptor Dan Garrett, currently is displaying his work in the exhibit “Living in the Moment,” at In Your Eye Studio & Gallery, 3005-A Paseo. Each artist’s work is a reflection of moments in time, something that Shortt said he has enjoyed capturing since an early age. “I’ve…
Airing ‘Laundry’
Submissions poured in from across the country and from Canada for a chance at being fully produced and staged from March 25 to April 3 at Civic Center Music Hall, but the winning playwright just so happened to live in OCTC’s backyard. Edmond’s Ranell Collins won for her script, “Dirty Laundry,” a study of a…
Country strong
It’s a sure bet that Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar & Grill has turned into one of Bricktown’s “must-do” restaurants for visitors and residents alike. The restaurant, the brainchild of Moore’s own country star, Toby Keith, spreads out along the Bricktown canal. And look close: The shape of the building is inspired by a…
Rainy days
I love them although they make my (already pretty out-of-control) hair look like I’ve been living for three weeks with squirrels in a briar patch prone to humidity. Exactly like that. The only thing I possibly love more than rainy days are rain boots. I tend to call them Wellies, due to my annoying case…
Fight club
“Basically, there were no rules,” Hoffman said. “I suffered an injury that put me in a coma for a short period of time. I was told I would never be able to fight again.” With fighting still in his blood, he eventually resumed training and took over Western Avenue Boxing Gym, 4416 N. Western. After…
Attack corporate welfare, not unions
Here in Oklahoma, home of Gov. Mary Fallin and Republican House and Senate majorities, the working stiff has been bullied enough by the rich and the chamber of commerce, and looted by corporate welfare in the name of “jobs” — mostly minimum wage, nonunion and no retirement or insurance-type jobs. This must stop, and judging…
‘Real Time,’ red state
Bill Maher has no use for religion, supports drug legalization and railed against the Iraq War years before it became fashionable. So Oklahoma, arguably the fire-engine red of red states, might not seem like a natural fit for the often-controversial stand-up comic and host of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.” But Maher, who performs…
Questions for Kern
If we take the good pastor at his word, this means that the institution of slavery, already well-established within the colonies at the time of the Constitution’s ratification, would have been an integral part of this “Christian social order” he praises so highly. I want to know just what precisely is so “Christian” about the…
Luke Rathborne — Dog Years E.P./I Can Be One E.P.
You know, just another week in the life. If any of you aren’t very interested at this point, the rest of this review probably won’t help you. For those of you who are (like me) totally floored at this point, here’s the skinny: Luke Rathborne has a golden voice, a brilliant songwriting style that draws…
Pretty special
The dishes might be on the menu, or they might not be; you’ll just have to go and find out. I suggest calling ahead, as things change. Neff’s Restaurant4727 S.E. 29th602-2924 All the food here is done from scratch. Reliable Neff’s has been welcoming customers for a dozen years. For a starter, try the salmon…
Hereafter
Unfortunately, the drama has nowhere to go after that, increasingly become a real patience-tester at 129 minutes. Cécile De France (“Mesrine: Killer Instinct”) is a vacationer who barely survives that horrific disaster, during which she glimpses the afterlife. Twins Frankie and George McLaren play brothers, one of whom is killed in an accident, and communicates…
Benefit auction scheduled for paralyzed police officer
While off-duty on Feb. 15, Peery was watching a basketball game with his father at a local establishment when he was asked to assist with the removal of three disorderly men. During the course of events, the three males allegedly attacked and severely beat Peery, causing permanent paralysis. Alumni of Mount St. Mary High School,…
River of Darkness
If you want to see a bad horror film starring three pro wrestlers, check out “River of Darkness.” Just don’t say you weren’t warned. Kurt Angle rules the roost — being a small, riverside town — as Will, a sheriff who likes turtle soup. His town is as sleepy as he is bald, until a…
The Next Three Days
There’s no good reason for this slick thriller to crack the two-hour mark, but then again, it took Haggis decades to realize he was wasting his time and money in the Church of Scientology, so knowing when to quit is not among his skill set. Nonetheless, his film is a markedly better experience than the…
The Switch
Its setup certainly makes this not your average, ordinary rom-com, even if it did extrordinarily below-average biz at the box office: Nearing middle age and still spouseless, Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) wants a baby, so she decides to be artificially inseminated, but her longtime friend (and one-time flame) Wally (Jason Bateman) can’t bear the thought of…
The Man from Nowhere
In writer/director Lee Jeong-Beom’s “The Man From Nowhere,” that’s a dilapidated apartment building of misery, where Tae-shik (Won Bin, “Mother”) glares from under his unkempt hair and generally keeps to himself. Doesn’t have a point of view, knows not what he’s going to do. Then he meets So-mi (Kim Sae-Ron), the cute little waif next…
Kurt Vile — Smoke Ring for My Halo
Your bros went down to 35 Conferette in advance of their SXSW trip. It was a long week, so you didn’t feel like driving fast to catch up with them. You just want to chill. If it was last year, the mood from Beach House’s “Teen Dream” would be washing over your room, but it’s…
Battle: Los Angeles
If the alien-invasion flick often looks like a video game, that’s because it’s written like one (as in barely), as a loose string of missions for its gung-ho Marines: Rescue civilians from a police station; take them to safety; destroy the mother ship. That’s the simple-structured path for our cardboard, interchangeable heroes, led by a…
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx — We’re New Here
I was summarily confused when I found a remix of Scott-Heron’s work by Jamie xx (percussionist for the aforementioned band) on my desk. In my opinion, The xx could stand to be remixed by Scott-Heron (adding some heart and soul), not the other way around. Jamie xx makes Scott-Heron into his own personal sampling bank…
Simon and Garfunkel — Bridge Over Troubled Water: 40th Anniversary Edition
Columbia’s new edition to commemorate the watershed work’s four decades in existence certainly make that case. The post-“Graduate” album — and arguably, the duo — is best known for its title track, which remains a transcendent listening experience, hitting soaring heights late in the five-minute track that make for spine shivers, not to mention quite…
Sharktopus
The latest example can be summed up in one word, and that word is “Sharktopus.” You may have already seen it on Syfy, but Blu-ray restores it to the pristine splendor for which it was intended. Yes, I’m kidding (but not about the Roberts sibs). “Sharktopus” is a CGI quickie from producer Roger Corman, who…
Adebisi Shank — This Is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank
The positive prog-rock movement that Fang Island helped break last year has been a blast to listen to. With Adebisi Shank’s “This Is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank,” listeners are treated to more of the mostly instrumental, relentlessly fun, technical rock. The Irish trio made a pretty long album, as these…
Billy Joel — Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert
Knowing these were to be the final musical performances at the Shea, Joel pulls out all the stops, playing to the crowd like it’s one big party. So what if they’re a little slow to pick up on which hit the band tackles before exploding into gracious applause? At least they’re appreciative. Joel even toys…
Network / All the President’s Men
Both winners of multiple Academy Awards (but not Best Picture) for 1976, they now make their Blu-ray debut in packages more special than most. The Watergate scandal had such a cultural impact that when any new scandal arises, we immediately grant it with the “-gate” suffix. While that’s a testament to Bob Woodward and Carl…
