Dexter: The Seventh Season
When we last left our favorite police forensics analyst, Dexter (Michael C. Hall), his lieutenant sister, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), had caught him in the act of doing what he does best: executing serial killers. Spread across four DVDs, these 12 episodes deal mainly with the fallout of having her world come crashing down, with Deb…
Pondering religious freedom
Perhaps Weigand could explain how Hobby Lobby’s claim to religious freedom entails that its owners’ religious freedom is more important than that of their employees. How is the religious freedom of employees an issue here? Is taking emergency birth control a religious act or obligation? If it is, how does refusing to finance an employee’s…
Craving common sense
Since the points listed seem to be from the standard G.O.D. (Gun Obsessive Disorder) dogma seen and heard from all those afflicted with this dementia-related condition, I’ll address my response to All Those Afflicted, or ATA. ATA does have a point; it is difficult to find a well-defined standard to apply to the term “mentally…
Dispatches from a disaster
“I saw it right before it hit, and then I grabbed the dogs and headed to the center part of the house, which was a closet,” he said. That last move saved his life. With the home falling down around him, the 38-year-old man and his dogs were spared. “I felt the ground shake and…
Thrills! Chills! Spills!
Shoot the Silver Bullet at Frontier City11501 N. Interstate 35 Service Roadfrontiercity.com 478-2140 Race along nearly 2,000 feet of steel track at speeds reaching 48 mph on the Silver Bullet. Oklahoma’s highest roller coaster takes you 83 feet up, only to send you into a heart-pounding, 80-foot drop down. Your hair will stand on end…
Fast & Furious 6
Against all expectations, 2011’s Fast Five was a blast; turning the wheel sharply away from gearhead porn to head into heist-fueled high jinks proved a creative, critical and commercial success, so who can blame returning director Justin Lin for dishing out more of the same? Not I, but he adds so much more that the…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact number…
Renoir
It’s not often we get a biopic about one of the master painters, perhaps because the only thing more boring than watching paint dry may be watching someone apply it. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, however, had a rather bawdy explanation of his brush-stroke method, according to the film Renoir. It’s one we can’t print. Hear for yourself…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact number…
IndianGiver — Plafond EP
Facetious it may be, but it’s far from pretentious; there isn’t a hint of self-seriousness or egotism here, and it makes for a listening experience that’s both endearing and immersive. The band’s self-released debut, Plafond EP, is an exuberantly garnished three-track release — one that showcases a diverse instrumental breadth, clever arrangements and charming “la-di-da”…
At Any Price
Unfortunately, his latest effort is something of a stumble. At Any Price, which opens Friday exclusively at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial, marks an admirable departure from Bahrani’s comfort zone. In contrast to his previous works, which featured nonprofessional actors and John Cassavetes-styled improvisation, this offering boasts an accomplished cast (a couple…
Iron Aidan
Aidan Carroll Photo: Ryan John Lee Aidan Carroll was not like most kids. Although the 2002 Classen School of Advanced Studies graduate played in a rock band or two, his real love was jazz. He became obsessed with it while fellow students consumed Top 40 hits. “I loved the challenge that jazz gave me,” the…
Beat street
Making electronic music is more complicated than you might think. The virtually endless spectrum of sounds capable of being produced by a computer is matched only by the equally broad variety of kits, patches and plug-ins tailored for each piece of production software — an often daunting wormhole suited only for those seeking a truly…
Sun rises
Ska music might have fallen out of the public eye since its mid-’90s heyday when The Mighty Mighty Bosstones briefly flirted with mainstream success and No Doubt’s ska-adjacent songs dominated radio, but Oklahoma City outfit Sunny Side Up is working to make sure the last horn hasn’t sounded. While the sextet started out simply trying…
Disc connect
“Last year, we had more than 100 players spread out among six teams,” said league board member Keeahna Munoz. “We hope to keep growing the sport in Oklahoma City, and our goal is to hit 160 players this year. Honestly, the more, the merrier.” Ultimate Frisbee is played on a field about half the size…
Seeking C-Town
Alex Van Halen’s drums In the late 1990s and early 2000s, funny man and Cleveland native Drew Carey opened his eponymous television sitcom running through the streets of his hometown as he and his co-stars sang along to the tune “Cleveland Rocks.” Visit there and you might realize he was onto something. The city boasts…
G’morning, campers!
Rocktown Climbing Summer CampJune-JulyRocktown Climbing Gym200 S.E. Fourthrocktowngym.com319-1400 Want your little one to stay active this summer? Rocktown Climbing Gym offers weekly morning and afternoon sessions for children ages 6 to 15, with the cost being $145 per session. Campers get expert instruction on climbing safety, technique and a variety of climbing-related games and activities.…
Splish splash
The despair that comes with crippling heat can cloud your reason, and your summertime activity is reduced to laying in front of a fan or sticking your head in the refrigerator every 15 minutes. How cool would it be if, when temps soared, you could just mosey into the backyard and dive into your own…
Lean like a Chalo
By: Mark Hancock Looking for food on Western Avenue is easy. There are great restaurants everywhere. N.W. 23rd Street? Child’s play. You can’t throw a rock without hitting a good place to eat. And then you should probably go apologize for throwing rocks at the restaurant. (What are you doing? You can’t just look with…
OKG7 summertime eats
Cafe Antigua1903 N. Classen Blvd.602-8984 If at all possible, get the special. It’s usually a creative collaboration of regular menu items and the freshest daily ingredients. The cuisine is chiefly Guatemalan, and the breakfast dishes are incredibly tasty. In a hurry? Grab a chocolate banana smoothie. Zorba’s Mediterranean Cuisine6014 N. Mayzorbasokc.com947-7788 Whether you’re a vegetarian…
The I-word
Credit: Brad Gregg But what really appears to have ignited the conspiratorial imagination of U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, is Benghazigate. Oklahoma’s senior senator has long accused the White House — as well as then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with her unwomanly “forceful attitude” — of hiding some horrible misdeeds regarding the Sept. 11, 2012,…
Married or bust!
Credit: Brad Gregg Get hitched and get rich. Say “I do” and the money will roll right in. At least that’s the impression one might get from Gov. Mary Fallin and state House Speaker T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, both of whom trumpeted a recently signed law designed to promote marriage to counter various social ills. House…
Feeling saucy
Everything Barbeque Credit: Shannon Cornman But what’s the next step after purchasing your meat of choice? Luckily for backyard-cooking enthusiasts, Oklahoma has more barbecue sauce selections than ever before. In recent years, the popularity of grilling in a smoker or covered grill has hit an all-time high. Many Oklahoma businesses have more than embraced the…
Sunny with a side of yum
S&B By: Shannon Cornman CheeseburgersThis American classic — hot, juicy and thoroughly delicious — can really hit the spot. Grab ’em at a metro location of S&B’s Burger Joint or Irma’s Burger Shack. Hot dogsIt’s sort of like a sandwich, only longer. And it’s mighty tasty when it’s grilled. And you can’t make it through…
Getting right with welfare
Credit: Brad Gregg Authored by Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, the measure prohibits the use of electronic welfare cards at liquor stores, casinos, strip clubs, smoke shops and the like. “This legislation helps guarantee welfare funds are directed to the support of families as they get back on their feet,” said Standridge. That’s all well and…
Oklahomers
Credit: Brad Gregg Stoops and his pride made waves recently in an interview during a Sooner Caravan stop in Tulsa, when he admirably (if not futilely) defended his conference against the big, bad SEC — winner of seven consecutive BCS national championships. “So they’ve had the best team in college football,” he said. “They haven’t…
To catch a crook
Mark Myers Credit: Mark Hancock Such platforms let police elicit realtime crime tips and create a dialogue not possible with traditional media. “It gives the public a chance to have a two-way conversation with us,” said Myers. The OCSO’s Facebook and Twitter accounts have become the most popular of their kind across the nation. According…
Chipping in
Chip Fudge Credit: Shannon Cornman Chip Fudge makes his living in the claims and collections industry, but his true labor of love focuses on the restoration of historic buildings. Founder and chairman of Claims Management Resources, Fudge began restoring some of Oklahoma City’s historically significant homes and buildings in 1986, shortly after the oil bust.…
Senior class
Mike Dover Credit: Mark Hancock An initial request for proposals attracted four applicants — Putnam City Baptist Church, the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, Valir Health and NorthCare — with different backgrounds related to their respective work with senior citizens. But none of the applicants was willing to take on all four centers. Each proposed to…
No time for pipeline
A major concern is the huge contribution tar sands oil is projected to make to global warming and climate change. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that the primary cause of atmospheric warming is the rising level of greenhouse gases, including CO2 methane and others. NASA’s leading climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, has called the…
No more stalling the Keystone XL
After almost 1,700 days, the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline remains in regulatory purgatory. Those of us who believe it will bring jobs and an economic boost have a new poster child: Cash Western Store. Mr. Berry echoed those sentiments when I visited his store a few weeks ago. The proposed pipeline, which…
Nightfall
But 2012 may prove to be a banner year for him, based upon the smash-hit ensemble The Thieves and now the crime thriller Nightfall. In the latter, he portrays police inspector George Lam, who hasn’t quite been the same since his wife committed suicide five years ago, so his work — however gruesome — provides a…
Grand Duel
As Clayton, a former sheriff, Van Cleef traverses the desert by stagecoach, looking to score a $3,000 bounty for bringing in the bandit Wermeer (Peter O’Brien, né Alberto Dentice, who never acted before or since). Wermeer is wanted for murder by the three Saxon brothers who seek revenge for them killing their dad (Horst Frank,…
Brown sees green
After all, fame is mighty busy these days, what with catapulting folks from viral video to mainstream stardom. That’s the planned trajectory for Sweet Brown — you know, the Oklahoma City resident whose “Lord Jesus, it’s a fire!” interview on KFOR Channel 4 became a YouTube phenomenon. Well, in December, she’ll make a cameo in…
The Last Stand
In his first starring role in a decade, the former governor of California plays Sheriff Ray Owens, the lovable law enforcer of Sommerton, Ariz., where nothing ever happens except a parade — that is, until the FBI starts to transfer Mexican cartel boss Cortez (the Benicio Del Toro-esque Eduardo Noriega of Blackthorn) from Las Vegas…
Texas Chainsaw
“This is the true sequel,” Texas Chainsaw asserts. To prove it, the first three minutes serve as a Reader’s Digest encapsulation of the original before picking up right where it left off. Leatherface (Dan Yeager) and the surviving members of his Sawyer clan come under siege by an angry redneck squad of vengeance. In the…
Nice Guys Don’t Work in Hollywood: The Adventures of an Aesthete in the Movie Business — Curtis Harrington
Unlike so many Tinseltown true tales, Nice Guys Don’t Work in Hollywood doesn’t begin with a tumultuous childhood. Although the only child grew up in the throes of the Great Depression, Harrington’s upbringing was happy. He found escape (and influence) in the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, the pages of Esquire magazine and the flicker…
