People Different From Us
Christina Downs, 24, of Portsmouth, N.H., mounted a full-blown defense to the speeding ticket (44 mph in a 25 mph zone) she received in 2007 (even though the officer said Downs had arrogantly sped off again immediately afterward and had to be stopped a second time). Acting as her own lawyer, Downs filed motions and…
Ironies
In September, alleged flasher Patrick Dodenhoff, 39, fled after a report of indecent exposure, and police chased him from Atascadero, Calif., south to Pismo Beach, and finally caught up with and arrested him at a well-known local nude beach. As urban Detroit continues its decline, with an estimated 5,000 residents fleeing annually, it is not…
Least Competent People
A 38-year-old woman described as “very large,” using the “abductor” thigh-tightening machine at the New York Sports Club in Harlem in July, failed to dismount properly, according to a witness, and was “sling-shot” off, across the room, startling other gym users. Paramedics had to use a “Stokes basket” instead of a regular stretcher to carry…
What Goes Around, Comes Around
Neighbors in the previously quiet New York City neighborhood of Nolita complain about the raucous, late-night trance music and crowds at the recently opened Delicatessen, according to an August New York Post story, but with little success. However, 10 of the apartments next door happen to look directly down upon the club’s architectural signature, a…
Joker – Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo
DC Comics Those who found Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker in “The Dark Knight” as unsettling and scary should pick up Brian Azzarello’s “Joker” graphic novel. It also casts Gotham City’s greatest villain in a grim light, making the clown prince of crime no laughing matter. Narrated by a two-bit thug named Jonny Frost,…
Compelling Explanations
In September, the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the 18-year sentence of a 73-year-old South Bend man who had insisted that he was only trying to revive his 68-year-old wife after she became fatally incapacitated in June 2007. However, police noted that he had not called 911, nor checked her vital signs, nor performed CPR,…
Scenes of the Surreal
According to the Palais de Justice in Paris, a recent preliminary hearing marked the first time in France, and perhaps in the world, in which a dog had been called as a formal witness in a murder case. “Scooby Doo” was brought into the courtroom so that a judge could watch how he reacted when…
Equal Rights for All
Roy Hollander filed a civil rights lawsuit against Columbia University in New York City in August, claiming that its “women’s studies” curriculum teaches a religion-like philosophy that oppresses men by blaming them for nearly all social problems. (When interviewed by the New York Daily News, Hollander declined to give his age, saying such a revelation…
Opening night
The sights around the first Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game were as much of a spectacle as the sights on the court. By the end of the first quarter, it was better to keep an eye on who was in the stands than who was making bank shots (because it sure wasn’t the Thunder). Sitting…
Opening night
The sights around the first Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game were as much of a spectacle as the sights on the court. By the end of the first quarter, it was better to keep an eye on who was in the stands than who was making bank shots (because it sure wasn’t the Thunder). Sitting…
Challenger says incumbent has been District 85 captain too long
With fears of an economic crisis hitting the state as well as Wall Street, one thing Oklahomans need is ethical, thoughtful legislation without money being paid under the table, said David Dank, incumbent Republican candidate for House District 85 in northwest Oklahoma City. GENTLEMANLY NATUREUNCALLED FOR THE RACE CARD? Dank, 70, points to a the…
Saw V
>”?Doug Bentin
Dear and the Headlights jump in front of Conservatory crowds
If you’re innately wary of kitschy band names and rambling titles, you may have already given up on Dear and the Headlights. Just know that skeptical eye you’re casting isn’t lost on the band, which just may be returning that sentiment. Less than a minute into “I’m Not Crying. You’re Not Crying. Are You?,” from…
Oklahoma candidate uses YouTube to spread message
When the going gets tough, independent candidate Jack Cherry goes YouTube. Cherry, 45, is running for Oklahoma House District 93, which, according to his video, encompasses a pretty big swath of south-side Oklahoma City and has lots of warehouses, apartments, strip malls, car washes, his grandmother’s former hair salon and his home of 10 years.…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In the coming week, you can generate a lot of good karma for yourself by being an initiator. That’s why I advise you to never sit back passively and merely watch what’s unfolding, but rather formulate a vision of what you’d like to see happen, set your intention to make it happen, and then plunge…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
If you knew how perfect a time it is for you to dance the forbidden dance, you would begin immediately. You would break out the sexy, world-in-upheaval grooves you sometimes slip into during your ecstatic flying dreams. You would unleash the words that have never been spoken, crack the codes that have never been broken,…
Two races deserve special attention
Two candidates for public office who live in Oklahoma City are involved in races in the Tuesday election that deserve special attention for differing reasons. The first is Meg Salyer, who is a candidate for Oklahoma City’s Ward 6 City Council seat. When the filing closed for the Ward 6 seat, three candidates had filed.…
Deep brain stimulation
Legendary banjo player Eddie Adcock, age 70 and suffering hand tremors that failed to respond to medication, volunteered for a revolutionary neurosurgery in August in which he finger-picked tunes while his brain was exposed, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center surgeons tried to locate the defective area. In “deep brain stimulation,” doctors find a poorly responding…
L.A. Confidential: Special Edition
About 10 years ago, we gave 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, to “Titanic.” By comparison, 1997’s “L.A. Confidential” had to settle for two. What was Oscar thinking? Admittedly, the sinking of the ship was a technical marvel, but for real emotional jolts and sublime start-to-finish filmmaking, “L.A.” is where it’s at. Not only has…
Pride and Glory
Reviewer’s grade: C+ “Pride and Glory” stars Edward Norton as Ray Tierney, a New York cop from a New York cop family, which includes his brother Francis Jr. (Noah Emmerich, “Little Children”) and father Francis Sr. (Jon Voight). Their lives are spent in constant balance along the thin blue line, trying to do right and…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
“Dear Rob: In the past I’ve thought of balance as the ability to move between extremes without falling down. I pride myself on being a Weeble-Wobbler, the toy that always swings back up when you try to tip it over. But lately I’m wondering if I should expand my concept of what we Libras do.…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
What perplexing defeat was inflicted on you once upon a time — a defeat that you still can’t figure out how to rise above? What painful memory continues to lurk at the edges of your awareness, taunting you with its implication that you’ll never be whole? This is the time and this is the place,…
Voters registered as Democrat rising in Oklahoma, Tulsa counties
Richard Upchurch was just walking down the street when he noticed something across the road that gained his attention. From a distance, it probably looked like a lemonade stand. But when he made it across traffic, what he found was a Barack Obama volunteer signing people up for voter registration. OBAMA CAMP18,000 NEW REGISTERED VOTERS…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
You don’t have to be anything you don’t want to be, Taurus. Please read that last sentence again, drinking it in as if it were an elixir you’ve been longing for since you were 13 years old. Here are some corollaries: You don’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations. There’s no need to strive…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
If I were dressing you for Halloween, I would be inclined to draw on the inspiration of those old fairy tales that feature the theme of restoration: like the prince who, because of a curse, has lived for years as a frog, only to be returned to his rightful body and role through the kiss…
The City Lives book opening slot for Rejects’ tour
Local rockers The City Lives have booked an opening slot on The All-American Rejects’ winter tour, the band and tour organizers confirmed last week. The Oklahoma City five-piece will join the platinum-selling Rejects ” also a band of Okies which formed in Stillwater in 2001 ” for the U.S. tour, which starts Nov. 6 in…
Oklahoma senate race heats up
Earlier in the election cycle, Oklahoma Gazette asked the question “Can Rice stick?” in a cover story that explored how the freshman Oklahoma legislator hoped to unseat Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. Meanwhile, “The making of a Mountain” cover story showed how Inhofe’s political career has been a succession of soaring peaks and desolate valleys. Inhofe,…
To the limit
Oklahoma’s distinct populist identity served as a role model in the past when we led the way in the early Nineties by passing term limits for our state legislators. As is so often the case when a needed reform is implemented, a loophole was left open. Secondary statewide elected officials, from attorney general to state…
Martin Park Nature Center hosts art class
Young artists are encouraged to explore creativity and art outdoors with more than a dozen local autumn-inspired artists teaching nature-related crafts at Oklahoma City’s Martin Park Nature Center. Natural seasonal beauty is the focal point of “Fall Into Art,” which runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday at the center, 5000 W. Memorial. Visitors inspired…
Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques to Give your Creative Spirit Wings – Kelly Rae Roberts
tains interviews with the seven artists who contributed to the volume. The crafts themselves have a vintage, dreamy quality. So often, when people think of crafts, they immediately jump to images of musty country knickknacks or flouncy and cutesy baubles, but the projects represented in “Taking Flight” are unique and cool. Many of them seem…
Two-night ‘Hallopolis’ will haunt Norman with Halloween-themed music
A sellout event two years in a row, Norman’s “Hallopolis” conjures a cauldron of indie sonic spirit that has boiled over to a second night of Halloween fun. CHICAGO-BASED BANDRETURN OF THE LIVING DEADHEADLIGHTS TOUR Norman rockers Evangelicals and local DJ party crew Dance Robots, Dance! will headline the 9 p.m. Thursday haunt. The 9…
Edmond park features fables brought to life
Pass through wooden gates and follow a trick-or-treat trail under the stars, jumping from one fairy tale to the next. Charming scenes from classic fairy tales and nursery rhymes spring forth in the Storybook Forest, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday at Spring Creek Park near Arcadia Lake, two and a half miles…
Plus
One of my favorite motion pictures is “Gattaca,” an Andrew Niccol vehicle for Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law. This dystopian vision of a genetically engineered future has as its central premise the concept of undeniable, verifiable identity. For good or for ill, science is catching up with “Gattaca.” Issues of science and identity…
Max Payne
Reviewer’s grade: B “Max Payne” begins in an act of violence, continues through zillions more, and ends on another one. So how can it be one of the most boring films of the year? It’s the same old revenge plot. Payne is a police detective whose wife and baby son have been murdered. Arriving home…
Battle for the Vote: Jim Roth vs. Dana Murphy
fficial. The commission deals with the regulation of oil, natural gas, electricity and telecommunications. There has yet to come before the commission a case of gay electricity. But concerning this race, a lifestyle issue could garner enough energy to pick all of Harmon County’s cotton in one swoop. ‘SHAME ON ME’The night before Murphy’s three-hour…
International Photography Hall of Fame presents ‘History Repeats’ display
How many ways can history repeat itself? It’s black and white for photographer Tom Lee. Lee has captured 30 ways “History Repeats” for his show at the International Photography Hall of Fame, which displays historical quotes from luminaries like Socrates, Voltaire and Jim Morrison in current, relevant environments exemplifying that we’ve learned nothing from history…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
On some occasions in the coming week, you’ll be wise to act loyal, playful, and unironically enthusiastic. At those times, you will attract the influences you need if you adopt the mindset of a dog that loves to play Frisbee. On other occasions, Gemini, I advise you to be cannily self-possessed, fiercely attuned to your…
Gov. Brad Henry steps up to help stump for Oklahoma Dems
Throughout his tenure in the governor’s office, Brad Henry kept to one mantra when it came to politics: It’s all about building a state, not a party. In previous election cycles, when Democrats were desperate for their highest-ranking member to spread the wealth of his popularity and help his party brethren get elected, Henry stood…
Batman actor drinks coffee in Bartlesville
Forget the damp cave. When Batman needs to get out of Gotham, he swoops down to Bartlesville. “The Dark Knight” star Christian Bale was spotted Oct. 17 inside a Starbucks in the northeastern Oklahoma town of about 35,000, a store manger told The Associated Press. Bale, 34, ordered a grande chai latte and told a…
The Litigious Society
Murderers in the Money: Reggie Townsend, 29, serving 23 years in a Wisconsin prison for reckless homicide against an 11-year-old girl, won $295,000 from a jury in September as compensation for a two-month confinement with only a “wet, moldy and foul smelling” mattress to sleep on (about $4,900 per unpleasant night). Muri Chilton (aka Murray…
Filmed in abandoned OKC gas station, ‘Splinter’ spreads to local screen
Hand-scrawled signs warn would-be trespassers away from the abandoned gas station in east Oklahoma City. Surrounded by concrete cracked by overgrown weeds, the small building is slowly sloughing off into piles of brick and rubble. The last of the station’s customers left years ago, paying only $1.38 for a gallon of unleaded. Last summer, the…
Oklahoma candidates make media buys
Certain rules exist when campaigning for political office: Knock on as many doors as possible, never eat peanut butter when giving a stump speech and hit the airwaves. When it comes to high profile offices like running for Congress, television is the name of the game. But just as important as getting a candidate on…
Oklahoman Jack McCracken helped revolutionize roundball
With Oklahoma’s centennial statehood celebration so prevalent in the local news cycle over the past couple of years, there have been plenty of stories written about famous Oklahomans, ranging from politicians to athletes to actors and astronauts, and just about everything in between. DENVER PIGGLY WIGGLIESJUMPING JACK No one can question the widespread popularity and…
Recurring Themes
Food engineers in Japan, especially, are notorious for their odd-flavored ice creams that challenge the palate, as News of the Weird has noted several times. In August, voters at the Taste of Britain festival selected their own regional favorites, some of which rivaled Japan’s (e.g., ice creams of sausage and mash, pork pie, cheddar cheese,…
Passion for Tea – Beverly Rorem
Author House Beverly Rorem, a transplant to Oklahoma City, has penned a workbook-style ode to tea. Although the cover speaks to tea’s high society fling with England “? a drawing of a Victorian lady with a big hat, buttoned cuffs and all sipping from a dainty cup “? the book itself focuses much more on…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Medical insurance is out of reach for 46 million of my fellow Americans. Our country is at war in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as with a ghostly omnipresent foe known as terrorism. Our national debt is stupendous, our stock market has plunged, and many companies once thought to be towers of strength have failed.…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
You have the potential to throw the best party ever, and also to elevate the radiance of other people’s parties through the force of your personality. Your social instincts are superb, by which I mean they’re brilliant when it comes to mixing business and pleasure and knowing how to strengthen alliances while invoking maximum fun.…
Lawton pony aims to be Mr. Mini Horse USA after OKC treatment
KBuck the miniature horse has a new view of the world. The pint-sized pony, born June 1 at Lawton’s Lil Chums Miniature Horse Farm, lost an eye shortly after his birth, according to a story by The Associated Press. Kelsey Chumbley, KBuck’s 12-year-old owner, suspected his nag of a mother inflicted the damage with a…
Fat Is Good
Clair Robinson, 23, told an interviewer in September that she believes the only reason she survived the deadly flesh-eating infection recently was because she had too much weight for the bacteria to consume. “Being big saved my life,” she told Australia’s “Medical Emergency” TV show. Though Mayra Rosales, 27, stands charged with capital murder in…
Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition
this four-disc tin treat marks a major improvement over previous packages of the cult comedy show featuring space-stranded robots and their human host forced to sit through the world’s worst movies, which they rip apart via constant riffs. “First Spaceship on Venus” and “Future War” are two great episodes, but the cheesy Seventies cheapie “Laserblast”…
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
According to San Francisco’s Famous Wayne, the shoeshine king of the world, very few women get their shoes shined. Meanwhile, Ngo Thi Lam, the proprietress of the nail salon near my house, says that only a tiny percentage of her pedicure customers are men. I hope that you Leos buck these trends in the coming…
