Armed and Clumsy (all-new)
More people who accidentally shot themselves recently: Mr. Roland Scott, the victim of a street robbery, took away the perp’s shotgun and started beating him with it, but jarred the trigger, and it fired, hitting Scott, fatally, in the stomach (Baltimore, March). A 31-year-old man, fleeing police after a “pump and run” at a gas…
Recurring Themes
Least Competent Criminals: In March, Christopher Koch, 28, became the latest to wait outside a bank, building up his nerve to rob it, and then finally put on the ski mask and walk up to the front door (of the Citizens & Northern Bank, Liberty, Pa.), only to realize that it was by then 12:01…
People Different From Us
What Housing Crisis? “This is heaven on earth,” said one resident living on burned-out lava rocks about a mile from the oozing Kilauea volcano near Kalapana, Hawaii, explaining the lure that he and his neighbors feel, having built houses by hand, collected rainwater to drink, installed solar panels for power, and planted vegetables between the…
Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection
2008 Chances are, home-video enthusiasts already own the original “Indiana Jones” trilogy on DVD. But with a new sequel about to burn up theater screens for the summer, Paramount has reissued them in special editions, collected together as “The Adventure Collection.” Whether you should double-dip depends upon your love for extra material, as the transfers…
Speed Racer
Reviewer’s grade: Dkknd I still remember the stretch of Interstate 44 I was driving on in 1995 when the news came over the radio waves that the animated classic “Speed Racer” was due to make the jump (cue the Mach-5 sound effect) to the movies, with Johnny Depp in the lead and Nicolas Cage as…
I Want My Rights!
Student Vinicios Robacher, 15, said in March he was preparing to file a lawsuit against school officials in Danbury, Conn., over an ear injury. Robacher said that, while he had his head down, sleeping in class, the teacher slapped his desk so hard with her palm, to wake him, that he still has constant pain.…
Compelling Explanations
World’s Greatest Lawyer: Oregon public defender Ethan Levi agreed to represent Eric Kincaid, 29, who had been identified by DNA as the man (in a miniskirt, wig and fishnet stockings) who one night last year had hidden in the closet of a woman he did not know before fleeing. Kincaid denied that he meant the…
I Want My Rights!
Student Vinicios Robacher, 15, said in March he was preparing to file a lawsuit against school officials in Danbury, Conn., over an ear injury. Robacher said that, while he had his head down, sleeping in class, the teacher slapped his desk so hard with her palm, to wake him, that he still has constant pain. …
Zoo hosts annual Ostrich Egg Breakfast
Rise and shine to a wild, “early bird” breakfast as the Oklahoma Zoological Society ZooFriends hosts the 22nd annual Ostrich Egg Breakfast, from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Oklahoma City Zoo, 2101 N.E. 50th. What’s on the breakfast menu for hungry mouths of all ages? The all-you-can-eat feast includes scrambled hens’ eggs, pancakes,…
Chutzpah!
Gulfport, Miss., resident Michael Petro pleaded to a documentary filmmaker (in a clip later uploaded with his permission to the Internet) for help in recovering from his shattering loss during Hurricane Katrina, when his 115-year-old house was destroyed. Since then, he said on the video (reported by WLOX-TV in April): “Church groups have not come…
Three Oklahoman men have dog-loving hearts and bad timing
Three young men from the tiny town of Wilson will either go down as heroes of a worthy cause or will be known as not having all their dogs on one leash. The trio ” 17-year-old Willie Justin Miller, 18-year-old James Thompson and 22-year-old Matthew Gonzalez ” tried to pull off a daring rescue of…
Made of Honor
Reviewer’s grade: D- It’s hard to believe that American womanhood is so starved for romance that flaccid scripts like this get considered let alone made. There is a gag line in Hollywood for lousy movies: That picture didn’t get released; it escaped. Patrick Dempsey (“Enchanted,” TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy”) plays a millionaire playboy whose best pal…
Oklahoma County voters to decide to buy former GM plant to lease to Tinker Air Force Base
, the way General Burpee is calculating it. Maybe it was at one time, but according to the secretary of the Air Force, according to (Major) General (Loren) Reno, they said this will in no way change or negatively affect the utilization rate. General Reno has had that discussion with General Burpee.” Reno is the…
Snow Angels
including Kate Beckinsale (“Pearl Harbor”), Michael Angarano (“The Forbidden Kingdom”), Amy Sedaris (TV’s”Strangers With Candy”), Nicky Katt (“Sin City”) and Olivia Thirlby (“Juno “). Rockwell plays Glenn, a recovering loser who’s separated from wife Annie (Beckindale) who kept custody of their 4-year-old daughter. Annie works with Arthur (Angarano), who she babysat in a bygone era,…
Kansas City gallery owner hosts viewing, sale at Untitled [ArtSpace]
uraging artists with little or no printmaking experience to collaborate with a master printer. “The presentation is a great opportunity for people who don’t know a lot about the fine art print process to learn a great deal in a short amount of time,” said John Seward, Untitled interim executive director. “It’s also interesting for…
Honoring our heroes
Whether it be the mayhem surrounding Oklahoma’s legislative session, ridiculously high transportation fuel prices or the dogfights over presidential candidates, we often forget that without our military men and women willing to lay down their lives, all is for naught. Recently, the Wild Oklahoma television crew was invited to head to northeastern Oklahoma to film…
M83 — Saturdays = Youth
Mute M83 is one of modern music’s best-kept secrets. The moniker of Anthony Gonzalez, M83 takes its name from a galaxy, which is wholly appropriate, given that his music shines and sparkles like the stars. Electronic music rarely is both experimental and accessible, but through five albums now, the tunes of M83 have forged new…
Crucible Foundry sculpts public spaces nationwide
Since 1999, The Crucible Foundry & Gallery in Norman has been the factory home of art makers creating metal for great cities across the United States. There are fewer than five foundries in the country that match the Crucible’s casting capabilities, according to the owners, but it’s a combination of skilled workers and casting technology…
Ironies
Cumberland County (Pa.) Commissioner Bruce Barclay resigned in April after disclosure that he had built a hidden video system in his home and recorded as many as 500 sexual episodes with unknowing men. While the videos may have violated state law (investigation is under way), one of them has exonerated Barclay of a separate rape…
The Roots – Rising Down
Def Jam The Roots have released “Rising Down,” another progressively styled sampling of mastery from Philadelphia’s hip-hop purveyors. Less explosive than 2006’s fiery “Game Theory,” “Rising Down” utilizes new sounds and textures and fatalistic lyrics for an abrasive, often industrial rap grind that manages to be political lyrically, without being overtly charged. Both “Singing Man”…
Oklahoma’s weapon of mass-media destruction celebrates first anniversary
On Tuesday, an Oklahoma City Web site hit a few thousand times each day celebrates its first anniversary. Unlike other well-traveled Web destinations, it does not provide a useful service or product, like e-mail and MP3s. It does, however, regularly feature a photograph of purportedly a popular local anchorwoman in a pink bikini. The Internet…
Electric Primadonnas plan CD release show
Retro-inspired metro garage-rockers The Electric Primadonnas are set to slay crowds Saturday night with songs from “Tambourine Massacre,” the trio’s debut full-length CD. Rather than a full-volume rock assault, the Primadonnas perform a fun, Seventies-esque basement party, opting for more casual and snappy songwriting; twangy, jumbled guitars; messy melodies; and throwback vocals reminiscent of MC5…
Legislature passes resolution for state song
The House resolution passed, and voting for the official state rock ‘n’ roll song is well underway “¦ and, looking at the list, the state’s reputation might already bein danger. Public nominations must be written or recorded by an Oklahoman and submitted online. Nominations will be whittled down to 10 finalists by a Legislature-appointed committee…
Taking the rhetorical ‘Fifth’
Everyone has been asking me what I think of Jeremiah Wright now. And to be honest, I’m disappointed. He had a chance to use his moment in the media spotlight to explain both the black church, about which white America is woefully ignorant, and the risky but important business of prophetic preaching in a church…
Norman pro angler Hill’s victory on the water proves bittersweet
Kenyon Hill has always had a passion for fishing. It’s something his father instilled in him when he was a young boy growing up in Oklahoma. Over the weekend, the 43-year-old Hill saw his passion pay off in a big way, as he won the Bassmaster Elite Series Pride of Georgia tournament near Evans, Ga.…
Gov. Henry threatens to veto lawsuit reform bill
Shortly after the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a lawsuit reform bill Wednesday afternoon, the governor was already threatening a veto of the measure. House Bill 2458 would require an expert opinion on whether a lawsuit has merit before a plaintiff could pursue legal action against professional negligence. “Frivolous lawsuits are clogging our courts and…
Lance Armstrong kicks off LiveStrong Day/Night at RedHawks game
Lance Armstrong is coming to Oklahoma “¦ well, maybe only via JumboTron, but his foundation will be in Oklahoma City in full force. Support the millions of cancer fighters around the nation and attend the inaugural Oklahoma LiveStrong Day/Night from 7:05 to 11 p.m. Tuesday at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle. The…
The Matt Stansberry Band preps to deliver its brand of ‘evolution rock’ to its hometown
Two months ago, Edmond’s own The Matt Stansberry Band was more than 6,400 miles away, spreading its pop-rock sound to sold-out crowds across Japan. On Saturday, the innovative musicians will take the stage back at home for a jet-lag-free show at downtown’s LiT Lounge, at 10 p.m. Saturday. It wasn’t hard for these enthusiastic Okies…
The Big Gay Sketch Show: The Complete Second Season
). “?Joe Wertz
Madonna – Hard Candy
Reprise In her early career, Madonna’s music was at the forefront of a pop revolution’ a generation of sound she helped define with her 1983 self-titled release and follow-up gems “Like a Virgin,” “True Blue” and “Like a Prayer.” But much like the performer’s 1998 release, “Ray of Light,” and “Music” in 2000, Madonna’s latest,…
Oklahoma native Toby Keith escapes gunfire during USO performance in Afghanistan
Maybe members of the Taliban are worried that the potency of Willie Nelson’s pot is stronger than their opium. Mortar fire disrupted a United Service Organizations concert in the middle of a Toby Keith number in the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar, formerly a stronghold of the Taliban, according to a recent entertainment story in…
Veteran OKC stage actor passes away
According to the Bard’s “As You Like It,” “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts.” The metro stage lost one if its own favorite players to a final exit recently, with the death…
CityRep stages Tennessee Williams’ ‘The Glass Menagerie’
Tom, a stark, weary narrator in a Navy coat and stocking cap, begins Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” saying that most plays offer illusion that masquerades as truth. He promises instead to offer “truth in the guise of illusion.” Director Lance Marsh guides a superb cast in the Civic Center’s CitySpace setting, where the tiny…
An elusive opportunity
Improving public education requires focus, dedication and perseverance, and the results are generally incremental at best. Anyone who says they can immediately turn a challenged school district around is being less than truthful. There are no magic bullets in public education, particularly in an urban setting. A school district must have the full and collaborative…
Voters to consider five bond issues
Oklahoma County voters will head to the polls Tuesday to determine the fate of five bond issues totaling more than $84 million. Proposition 1 is the largest of the bond proposals at $55 million. The money would go toward the county purchasing the defunct General Motors plant in southeast Oklahoma City. If voters approve this…
Extreme plastic surgery
Many of my young patients think about getting plastic surgery the way they’d think about getting their hair done,” explained Dr. David Alessi of Beverly Hills, Calif., who is still amazed at women’s willingness to endure “extreme” cosmetic alterations. “Vaginal rejuvenation” (labiaplasty) might be the most sensational procedure, but surgeons also do “forehead implants” and…
When will Gaylord Films release ‘Wonder Twins?’
With “Iron Man” heating up the box office, Chicken Fried-News wondered about the status of that other eagerly awaited superhero movie. No, not “The Dark Knight.” No, not “The Incredible Hulk.” Yes, “The Wonder Twins.” It’s been six years since Gaylord Films ” yes, that Gaylord ” announced it was teaming with Warner Bros. to…
Cherokee citizenship debate brings on the blues
A Cherokee Nation “blue card” allows a carrier citizenship in the state’s largest tribe. But the nondescript card, simply worded, has brought with it a complex controversy that has triggered congressional action, rallied tribal members and riveted national attention. The Cherokee Nation is knee-deep in a membership struggle that whispers of civil rights, while remaining…
Lars and the Real Girl
2007 Boy meets girl. So what if she happens to be a sex doll? One of last year’s unheralded gems, “Lars and the Real Girl” is a portrait of the troubled life of a young man (Ryan Gosling) who’s painfully lonely until he purchases a life-sized female doll on the Internet and treats her as…
Hiya, Kids!! A ’50s Saturday Morning
2008 For years growing up, I heard from my parents about how magnificent television was for children in the Fifties. And now I have proof they exaggerate. With 22 individual shows on four DVDs, Shout! Factory’s “Hiya, Kids!!” replicates a typical Saturday morning of yesteryear. “Ding Dong School” is excruciating, with a matronly type talking…
Bill to make English Oklahoma’s official language goes to the Senate
SB 163, saying that it is as racist as HB 1804. “Representative Terrill is wanting to make the lives of any immigrant here, legally or illegally, miserable,” Coates said. “There is something about inflicting pain on folks who cannot defend themselves that gives him delight. It’s in the language of these bills, that is intended…
Oklahoma City author hopes to keep the Western alive and well
After growing up on a public library-fed diet of Western paperbacks, Sean Chandler was destined to write about cowboys when he first decided to tackle fiction five years ago. There was only one problem: “I don’t think people read Westerns anymore,” the 36-year-old postal employee said. “It may be something I feel passionate about, but…
American Indian activists cross Oklahoma to raise environmental, sacred-site awareness
American Indian activists will be in Oklahoma through Tuesday participating in The Longest Walk 2, a commemoration of the original Longest Walk in 1978. Participants left Berkeley, Calif., on Feb. 10 this year taking two routes, a northern and southern, on their way to Washington, D.C. The two groups plan to meet outside Washington on…
Alternative fuels debate rises along with gas prices
Sorghum ” a low-maintenance, drought-resistant, cane-like grass that was known throughout Dixie for the syrup it could produce ” is again poised as a crop that could deliver sweet profits to state farmers, according to professor Ray Huhnke, a biofuels research team leader at Oklahoma State University. As fuel prices rise, so does the opportunity…
