LETTERS
I have always been “pro-teacher” and have been firmly on the side of funding education above special interests. However, this week, I did not understand the rage you must feel at the lack of control you have over educating your own students. I am sorry that we gauge a child’s value and your worth based…
LETTERS
The Sept. 25 issue carries a commentary by Meyers (Commentary, “Oklahoma’s public defenders,” Gazette) which, in part, says that newscasters should…well, cast news! He goes on to point out three stories of local interest where the 6-o’clock talking heads tainted the facts with opinion, essentially telling us “what to think.” I usually appreciate the commentary…
Ministry leader, sex offender file lawsuit against city
David Nichols, president of Hand Up Ministries, and convicted sex offender Bernard Richard Lagrow have requested a judge consider a temporary restraining order forbidding law enforcement personnel from arresting or charging suspects in these types of cases. Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel and…
Sex Kittens Go to College
1. The character with the silly name of Woo Woo Grabowski? He’s played by the actor with the silly name of Woo Woo Grabowski. 2. Not only has Warner Archive rescued this kooky comedy from nowheresville, but brings us the “extended international version.” That means boobs. Once Orson Welles’ producer, Albert Zugsmith ditched prestige to…
Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th
You read correctly. Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th runs for a butt-punishing 400 minutes, which signals two things: 1. It’s not required to be consumed in one sitting. 2. It’s not for the casual Friday the 13th fan. Based on Peter Bracke’s 2006 book of the same name — as indispensable as it…
Ghost Team One
The film opens Friday in select theaters, as well as digitally and on demand. Using a cameraman hired through Craigslist, two best buds — virginal Sergio (Carlos Santos) and horn-dog chucklehead Brad (J.R. Villarreal, Akeelah and the Bee) — attempt to capture footage of the ghost they believe haunts the home they share. The specter, glimpsed as an Asian female,…
How to Seduce a Virgin
As played by Franco regular Alice Arno, Martine is one kinky countess. Moving back into her castle mansion after a stint in a mental institution, she gets off on luring young women there under the pretense of modeling, only to take them into her basement for “games.” Leering and only semi-lucid, How to Seduce…
Corruption
One of the first I added to my list was 1968’s Corruption, a mad, mod thriller starring Hammer horror icon — and later Star Wars’ Grand Moff Tarkin — Peter Cushing. As luck would have it, Grindhouse Releasing has made my search nonexistent with a Blu-ray/DVD combo that marks its North American video debut. Another…
This Is the End
Playing exaggerated versions of themselves, Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel go to a party at the house of James Franco. Surrounded by all of their Judd Apatow bros, including Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Craig Robinson (star of the similar, simultaneous Rapture-Palooza) — all playing even more greatly exaggerated versions of themselves — they party it…
The Secret of Crickley Hall
Based on a 2006 novel by recently deceased UK horror icon James Herbert, Crickley Hall concerns a family in mourning. Nearing the first anniversary of their unthinkable tragedy, the foursome moves temporarily to the title abode to escape reminders of death. You know what they say about best intentions, right? Because, as the youngest of…
The Hangover Part III
In response, for this summer’s The Hangover Part III, director Todd Phillips and the gang did something totally different. Complained the multiplex populace, “It’s not enough like the first one!” America, you fickle, fickle bastard. What’s funny about the whole thing is that both sequels are, well, funny. Yet The Hangover Part III just can’t…
Shiver
That’s where the fun of Shiver starts. That’s where the fun of Shiver stops. In Portland, a killer (John Jarratt, Wolf Creek) who calls himself The Gryphon (sounds like “Griffin”) delights in offing women and, as the aforementioned line has it, keeps their heads in jars as trophies. His latest target is a secretary…
Room 237
Only the first of these is true. Just don’t tell the unseen interviewees of Room 237, Rodney Ascher’s extraordinary documentary about all the crazy conspiracy theories surrounding Kubrick’s 1980 horror classic, The Shining. You’ve heard about The Shining, right? It’s the film that Kubrick loaded with subliminal messages and made synchronic when simultaneously played forward…
Not Over It yet
The world of emo has changed a lot over time, and Evan Weiss — the man behind Into It. Over It. — has been there to witness a lot of it. “It’s grown from us playing in warehouses and basements to us being able to play in venues and tour nationwide on the strength of this…
Stay positive
Though the three-time All-NBA second team point guard’s injury has cast uncertainty on the start of the fifth Oklahoma City Thunder season, Westbrook was unfettered while addressing those concerns. “My state of mind? Positive, always positive for me,” Westbrook said during Thunder media day on Sept. 27. “I think through the process of rehab, you…
Frame of mind
Brian Haas wasn’t always a jazz musician. The Tulsa native and Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey ringleader was instead trained from a young age to play classical piano. Even within the more structured confines of classical music, though, Haas has always been an improviser at heart. “I would always get super nervous before competitions or recitals,”…
Captain Phillips
The British-born director always had a penchant for going against the mostly jingoistic American style of docudrama filmmaking — where we absolutely at all times need a bad guy who goes against our collective nationalist ideals to root against — with films such as the 9/11-based United 93, which presented the hijackers in a very…
Pink Pony — Whatever
Like a sweaty night in some post-apocalyptic, deep space night club, Whatever shifts from dreamy dirges (“Besides Me,” “Always Crashing in Your Car”) to sci-fi, new-wave hooks (“I’m Like You,” “Hot Hot Holiday”) over a series hushed, interstitials à la M83. The duo hits its stride in dark but still bubbly pop tracks like “Fated…
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland is a hallucinogenic delight
BY DEAN ROBBINS A companion to Once Upon a Time, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (7 p.m. Thursday, ABC) reinterprets Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice (Sophie Lowe) faces a panel of doctors in Victorian England who don’t believe her stories of an invisible cat and a hookahsmoking caterpillar. They consider her insane…
French connection
Certain elements of garage punks Crooked Bangs might not be the ones you’d normally expect. The trio has its roots down in the Live Music Capital of the World in Austin, Tex., but there’s a certain je ne sais quoi to what they do. “People are like, ‘You aren’t singing in English, are you?’” guitarist…
It’s a ‘Jungle’
Oklahoma City Ballet’s new season, From the Page to the Stage, opens with Mowgli: The Jungle Book Ballet, and will captivate audiences of all ages. Mowgli had its world premiere in Eugene, Ore., in the spring, and it features choreography from creator Toni Pimble, whose work has been seen on stage at New York City…
‘Beyond’ the stars
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African- Americans are the ethnic group most affected by HIV and AIDS in America. This fact has haunted and moved Oklahoma City playwright La’Charles Purvey into action with the production of his latest play, Beyond the Stratosphere. “The play deals with HIV and AIDS in 1992…
The art knight rises
Marilyn Artus “Comic books are a billion-dollar industry,” Kovash said. “They’ve become an important part of American art. The Museum of Modern Art (in New York City) has been collecting comic books for a long time. It’s a legitimate art form, and I think The Art of the Comic Book will help give people who…
Paying complements
Theresa Hurt But when the directors of the In Your Eye Studio and Gallery in the Paseo Arts District took a good hard look at these artists’ works, they knew Townley and Hurt were kindred spirits and the perfect pair for their latest exhibit, Complementary Colors. “Complementary Colors is not necessarily a collaboration between Theresa…
Word of mouth
The historic Skirvin Hilton BY: Mark Hancock From the tales of the Native Americans who once roamed the barren plains to the modern-day memories of the Murrah Building bombing, the Sooner State carries a precious past that the words in history books can’t always adequately cover. It’s for this reason Clifford Kuhn, executive director of…
LIFE
The deadCENTER Film Festival will host a series of seminars for high school students interested in filmmaking. Speakers include deadCENTER Executive Director Lance McDaniel and deadCENTER Director of Programming Kim Haywood. A variety of topics will include screenplay writing, acting, film production, equipment training and more. The seminars are 1-4 p.m. Oct. 10-11 and 17-18…
Hairs the story
Misty Byrd styles Becky Mahorney’s hair at Velvet Monkey Salon. BY: Mark Hancock Messy/sock or high bun? Oh, it’s day three of not washing and your mane is all hopped up on dry shampoo, but there’s a casual business meeting on the schedule, and the grunge look is too informal. Low pony tail? Someone means…
OKG7 stops for soup
Soup Soup7606 N. Western Ave.soupsoup.webs.com843-7095The fall lineup is here. Try festive flavors including autumn bisque, squash, creamy carrot and baked potato. It’s not all soup, though. Pick up specialty casseroles like creamy tomato pasta with chicken, shepherd’s pie and beef enchiladas. Don’t forget dessert — apple cake, apricot bar and pumpkin pie. Saturn Grill6432 Avondale…
FOOD
Mid-Week Market, fresh, delectable local fruits, vegetables and other goods, 4-8 p.m., Oct. 9, 12. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno, 445-7080, myriadgardens.org. WED, WED Thai-licious II Cooking Class, Chef Koi Strickland of Thai Thai will teach how to create a several Thai delicacies, 5:30 p.m., Oct. 9. International Pantry, 1618 W. Lindsey St., Norman.…
LIFE FOOD & DRINK
LIFE FOOD & DRINK Who cut the cheese? Considering it’s the 37th annual celebration of cheese in Watonga, Okla., the answer is probably, “A lot of people.” Rebranded as the Watonga Cheese and Wine Festival (because who wants to eat cheese without sipping wine?), the event — 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday — promises Swiss, cheddar…
Tres times a charm
Hallacas at Tres Cantina BY: Mark Hancock Ask anyone in Oklahoma, and they’ll tell you where to get the best Mexican food. It wouldn’t be surprising if a Civil War-style battle broke out in the metro over the best salsa or most authentic enchiladas. And while it may be impossible to convince someone else a…
Welcome me home, Mary Fallin
Dillon Peña, a makeup artist living in New York City, recently wrote an open letter to Fallin about Oklahoma’s prejudice and hate toward homosexuals. Peña’s letter was sparked, in part, by Fallin’s decision to deny Oklahoma National Guard spousal benefits to same-sex couples. The letter has since gone viral. “If I was (a) member of…
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
More bang American exceptionalism: Which is more characteristically American — that a Texas company could invent an ordinary rifle that mimics a machine gun or that America’s incomparable legal minds could find a loophole in existing anti-machine-gun laws to permit it to be manufactured and sold? The Slide Fire company’s weapon can spray bullets “like…
Now it’s Blake Shelton’s turn
The church picketed his Oct. 3 concert in Kansas City, Mo., because it believes his marriage to country star Miranda Lambert is adultery; it’s Shelton’s second marriage. Shelton and Lambert live on a farm just outside of Tishomingo — you know, when they’re not busy being famous. Like Gill, who stood up for his marriage,…
Ok, this one isn’t funny
The state ranked 18th in economic security, with a grade of “B-.” Among the scores, Oklahoma women overall make 76 cents, African-American women make 64 cents and Hispanic women make 46 cents for each dollar white men in Oklahoma make. We ranked 41st in leadership. Only 36.4 percent of statewide elected executive seats and 13.4…
Boss broths
Owners John Vu and Jeff Chanchaleune BY: Mark Hancock When friends, chefs and business partners Jeff Chanchaleune and John Vu visited New York and tasted authentic Japanese ramen noodle soup dishes for the first time, they were hooked. More than that, they were inspired. After years of working in restaurants in Chicago, Portland, Ore. and…
Blithe bites
Chef Quinn Carroll with sweet potato pie BY: Mark Hancock Luckily, eateries across the metro cater to these fall foodies and their seasonal sweet tooth cravings. For a pie filling that was once relegated to Thanksgiving Day, pumpkin and pumpkin spice have captured the attention of taste buds, and now people can’t get enough. A…
Tom coburn’s gone … liberal?
“I’m now no longer a conservative according to the standards that have been set by the expectations of this process,” he said recently. “It’s a disappointment that we have put a short term goal with lousy tactics ahead lousy tactics ahead of being honest with the American people.” In comments last month, Coburn said he…
Just how sacred is it?
Oklahoma Baptist University, Mid-America Christian University, Southern Nazarene University and Oklahoma Wesleyan University are suing the federal government. The argument is, of course, that the legislation forces these universities to shirk a belief — claimed to be biblical — that a human life begins at conception and is, therefore, immoral. The problem is, some biblical…
Hey, y’all, the Flaming lips are still weird
The fun new device is a plastic frog that records and manipulates sound. Fansite The Future Heart reports that the package reads, “A playful audio memo recorder you can use to tell people the stuff you are too chicken shit to say to their face! Now with pitch change capabilities!” Of course, it wouldn’t be…
White magic
In a couple of years, the entire landscape for American kayakers and the availability of training courses will change, the three-time Olympian and four-time world champion said. Shipley, owner of S2O Design and Engineering in Lyons, Colo., the firm hired to design Oklahoma City’s MAPS 3 whitewater superpark, said the newest and most sophisticated course…
Hunger pains
Yet, even with all those credentials and a productive work history, she has a hard time making ends meet. At 75, Graham works part-time at Gold’s Gym Express, but that income plus her Social Security check still isn’t enough to pay rent and put food on the table. It’s her reality, but she doesn’t complain.…
Together again
Brenda Beaty walks with Tinker. Photo by Mark Hancock “I was screaming for him,” said Beaty. “I was crying.” Beaty searched for him at a nearby shelter and at Home Depot, one of the original holding facilities for lost animals. No sign of Tinker. As minutes passed, hope of finding the dachshund-beagle mix was fading.…
LETTERS
We were surprised and disappointed to read Larry Laneer’s review “Which witch?” (Life, Performing Arts, Sept. 11, Oklahoma Gazette), in which he described this performance as a “dud,” the score as “largely forgettable” and the ending as “satisfying as watered-down cream of celery soup.” Surely he is aware Wicked has won 35 major awards, including…
Stuck in the middle
Shawn Spears and her son. Photo by Mark Hancock Between the Oklahoma County Election Board and Oklahoma Health Care Authority buildings, Shawn Spears, 24, works as a clerk at Langston University. She also studies psychology full time at Rose State College and plans to finish her bachelor’s at Langston. The student has a 5-year-old son…
The problem is cost, not coverage
According to Obamacare, the federal government would cover 90 percent of the cost of such an expansion long-term. States would be required to pay the difference. When passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama, the Obamacare Medicaid expansion was mandatory, but in a 7-2 decision, the United States Supreme Court made the Medicaid…
OKC Regional Food Bank, governor launch food drive
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); } Oklahoma consistently ranks among the top 10 hungriest states with more than 675,000 residents struggling with hunger every day, Gov. Mary Fallin said during a kickoff press conference Tuesday at OKC’s Regional Food Bank. “Time and again, Oklahomans have proven themselves to be the…
A gala for gallons
P { margin-bottom: 0.0 Former Senator Don Nickles and his wife Linda served as the chairpeople for the event. The gala hosted 424 attendees, along with 20 volunteers, at the historic Skirvin Hotel in downtown OKC last Thursday. The gala held a live and a silent auction, raising $27,900 and $11,556 respectively, for a total…
