Sooner scoop
Jake Trotter Credit: Mark Hancock Now, you can just hit “Refresh” on your browser. News these days includes far more than the paper, TV, radio and magazines. There are dedicated Internet sites, chat rooms and blogs making University of Oklahoma Sooners coverage a near-saturated market. And with the popularity of Oklahoma football, the industry of…
Missed a ‘Step’
The Pollard Theatre currently presents The 39 Steps, Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film and John Buchan’s unreadable novel. Englishman Richard Hannay thinks he has stumbled upon a ring of Nazi spies who are trying to steal some vital state secret from the sceptered isle. But that’s only half of Hannay’s problem; the…
Lucky 23
“We’ll have 23 toppings and 23 beers,” said owner Justin Price. “We’ll have eight taps, and six of those will be Oklahoma beers. We want to do as much local as possible.” In addition to local brews from Anthem, Coop Ale Works, Marshall and Mustang, Pizza 23 will have Angry Orchards Hard Cider on tap…
Frndz forever
The guys behind indie rock’s Boyfrndz cut their teeth in a half dozen other bands before finally finding a groove. The three have the tense competition in their home base of Austin, Texas — aka the Live Music Capital of the World — to thank for that. “Playing in Austin separates the men from the…
Other Lives — Mind the Gap EP
From the sound of Other Lives’ new EP, Mind the Gap, the influence has been indelible and highly beneficial. 2011’s Tamer Animals was a brilliant record and dark-horse candidate for album of the year in certain circles. So it should mean something to say that “Take Us Alive,” the starter song on Mind the Gap,…
Frankenweenie
A film of stop-motion animation, it is a feature-length version of a charming but unremarkable live-action short he made for Disney in 1984, about a kid who revives his beloved dead dog via lightning bolts. The House of Mouse found the end result so odd and macabre that it shelved plans to send it to…
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
That’s what makes The Perks of Being a Wallflower so impressive. It understands the excess of feeling that characterizes being a teenager, and it doesn’t prettify or minimize the trials faced by the shy and socially awkward kid sitting alone in the school cafeteria. Written and directed by Stephen Chbosky, who has done an admirable…
Dan Deacon — America
With America, we can add “thoughtful” and “poignant” to the mix. A bundle of goofy energy in a Technicolor Cosby sweater, Deacon long felt like the class clown who would never threaten to grow up especially in Spiderman of the Rings and Meetle Mice. There was some growth in 2009’s Bromst, to be sure, but…
Feathered Rabbit — Feathered Rabbit
After all, it wasn’t until August that the Oklahoma City act released even the subtlest sniff of recorded material: a three-song EP of quaintly crafted demos and early recordings titled Drunk Rabbit that, as anyone who’d seen the group in concert would attest, resembled the work of a band whose burgeoning brawn was begging to…
’Van go
The closer we creep to Halloween, the more gypsy-folk band Caravan of Thieves feels in its element. “We’re fascinated with the idea of the world of supernatural. There’s as much dark and twisted out in the world as happy things. We want to encapsulate the whole thing,” said singer Fuzz Sangiovanni. “There’s some gore and…
October Christmas
Shopaholics prepare, because it’s time again for the three-day shopping extravaganza that is Mistletoe Market. As more than 100 vendors roll into the Cox Convention Center, shoppers around the metro are strategizing their game plans: where to go first, what to eat along the way and which of the season’s must-have items to keep an…
An outrageous prosecution
I wonder how much money the Indians pay the federal government for protection services. I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that the prosecution of Teddy Mitchell is the biggest protection scheme of our time. And who better to protect the Indian casino monopoly, but the federal government? Teddy Mitchell, his…
Plan B’s
The restaurant will be S&B’s third in less than three years of operation. The original is at 5929 N. May, and a Midtown location opened last year at 20 N.W. Ninth. Neel said a fourth location in Norman is in the works for later this year or early 2013. In conjunction with the 7745 S.…
Get your fix
You’re probably a mere shell of a human that can’t function properly until you’ve been fueled. And by fueled, I mean caffeinated. Pick your poison: coffee or tea. Either way, it’s of the utmost importance to have the best products in order to achieve caffeine euphoria. Sure, you could buy a cuppa every day, but…
Hot! hot! hot!
Credit: Brad Gregg “[Then] I got an email from Cosmo saying they had picked me,” he said. “I was caught off guard, but I was excited for the opportunity to represent my state.” And represent he does. His scruffy facial hair doesn’t hide his chiseled jaw, which matches his chiseled abs. Um, where were we?…
Hot wheels
Patty Wagon cook Andrew Jacobsen, owner Bryce Musick and Melissa Jacobsen Photo: Mark Hancock A permanent restaurant was always the end goal for Bryce Musick and his family, owners of Patty Wagon. “When we opened our food trailer in July of 2011, it was the first of many consecutive 100-degree days,” he said. “On a…
You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma (by doin’ everything that moves)
Credit: Brad Gregg You know, do it. That’s according to a study conducted by the surprisingly statistics-friendly dating site SeekingArrangement.com. The pole found — oh, excuse us, that’s “poll” — that Oklahoma City is the fourth most promiscuous city in the country. We hit this proud spot because 64 percent of wealthy men in town…
CoCo closed
With a U.S. Fleet lawsuit looming, a coworking collaborative is forced to shut its doors. BY CLIFTON ADCOCK<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB” lang=”EN-GB”> The Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative, aka OKCCoCo, announced its closure Oct. 1 as the result of having run out of money defending against a lawsuit. OKCCoCo officials said the membership-driven business had spent the…
Chamber of secrets
Credit: Brad Gregg From Kanye West’s sex tape with some Kim Kardashian doppelgänger to Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” tape, several such recordings surfaced last month — including one featuring leaders of the State Chamber of Oklahoma. In the recording, chamber President and CEO Fred Morgan and chamber COO Chad Warmington talk politics at a July…
Jo dough
It’s a well-known fact that the David Bowie song “Fame” and the 1980s TV show of the same name were, at their respective hearts, about pizza. And why not? Pizza contains all the major food groups: bread, vegetables, cheese, spicy meats, red pepper flakes and more cheese. It’s a famously good combination. Which might be…
Candidates and early childhood education
While some think early childhood development rests solely on the shoulders of parents, there are ways in which societal factors can hinder early learning. These include lack of access to quality health care and child care as well as exposure to toxic stress and poverty-related trauma. Research shows quality early childhood care and education helps…
Olivia Munn vs. Groupon
Credit: Brad Gregg We’re sad to see that actress Olivia Munn, like so many Oklahomans who move away, has apparently forgotten her Bible. Because she has joined People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in asking Groupon to stop partnering with circuses that use animals, implying that it’s not our God-given right to make seals…
Autumn amusement
Pumpkinville 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, through Oct. 31 Myriad Botanical Gardens 301 W. Reno myriadgardens.org 297-1528 $2.50-$5, free for members Enjoy a family-friendly event that includes crafts, a hay bale maze, pumpkin decorating and a pumpkin village, to name just a few of the festive happenings. Haunt the Zoo 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 26-31 Oklahoma City…
At what price?
Janet Barresi Credit: Mark Hancock The study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending in the state decreased 20.3 percent from fiscal years 2008 to 2013. Alabama was second from the bottom, and Arizona had the biggest decrease. The study found Oklahoma spends $706 less per student now than…
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…
Man with a mission
<span style=" mso-ansi-language:EN-GB” lang=”EN-GB”> Brian McClaren Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed cross the road? There is no punch line. The question doubles as the title of the new book by evangelical author Brian McLaren. In 2001, he launched a revolution in evangelical culture with A New Kind of Christian, the first book…
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…
Knight watch
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US” lang=”EN-US”> Jack Walker is one of the lucky ones: Officially, he’s Batman. Living a dream of arguably millions, the British-born actor dons cape and cowl — not at a theater near you, not on any Bat-channel, but in the flesh, before your eyes, in cities worldwide, in the Batman Live arena tour.…
Bad officiating means never having to say you’re sorry
Credit: Brad Gregg When OSU linebacker Alex Elkins knocked the ball from Texas running back Joe Bergeron’s hands prior to Bergeron crossing the goal line, it looked as if the Cowboys had narrowly preserved a victory. Officials, however, signaled a touchdown. Replay failed to provide sufficient evidence to overturn the call. Things got weirder on…
OKG7 fancy places to dine
Haunted House 7101 Miramar 478-1417 What better time to dine in a haunted mansion than in the month of October? It might be a little spooky, but the food of this longtime, by-reservation-only restaurant will leave you feeling safe and warm. Try the shrimp scampi sautéed with garlic butter, the boneless breast of chicken, the…
Sooner the Sunset — Sooner the Sunset
Their chemistry is undeniable, and from the sound of this self-titled debut EP, the two bring out the very best of each other — no small feat for artists who are incredible in their own right. The pair finds the perfect blend of pop and indie folk, crafting songs that recall the likes of Mumford…
Rock of Ages
Taking place in the hair-metal heyday of 1987, Rock of Ages jumps from Broadway to the big screen, and lands on its face with a thud. If it’s not the year’s most misbegotten big-studio project, I don’t wish to be exposed to what is. Talking and singing in a baby voice akin to nails on…
Something Big
Its unconventional, icky premise is that Baker really, really wants to get his hands on a Gatling gun, and black-market man Johnny Cobb (Albert Salmi, Caddyshack) really, really wants to get his hands on a woman, so Cobb proposes a trade: Bring him a woman, and he’ll give Baker a Gatling gun. See, it’s been…
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
Lately — and all too quietly — the Indomina label has been releasing some excellent packages of Asian action films I’m afraid otherwise would go unseen by North American audiences: True Legend, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame and now, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. Apparently a sequel and/or semi-remake of 1992’s…
Dead Ringer
Note that the title is singular and, therefore, not to be confused with David Cronenberg’s plural Dead Ringers. But the idea of Bette Davis playing twin gynecologists? Now that would be something to see! As directed by actor Paul Henreid, who helmed many episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, this one is take-it-or-leave-it. The idea of…
Hypothermia
Essentially a six-person play, the film by writer/director James Felix McKenney concerns two groups of people ice-fishing and a creature lurking underneath that sheet. One is a family fronted by Michael Rooker (TV’s The Walking Dead) and Blanche Baker (Sixteen Candles); the other infringes on their territory, so you know one of them will be…
Back from Hell
Presented as four days of a taped holiday — because apparently, that’s what young people do — the movie follows a handful of pals who vacay together, screw around with a Ouija board and eat shish kabob outdoors. In other words, not a Hell of a lot happens beyond the occasional person screaming from outside.…
Chained
After catching a movie, a woman (Julia Ormond, TV’s Mad Men) and her young son (Evan Bird, TV’s The Killing) take a cab to get home, but the cabbie isn’t really a cabbie. He’s Bob (Vincent D’Onofrio, Full Metal Jacket), a lisping serial killer of “whores.” Bob offs the mom, but keeps the kid as…
Dark Shadows
Sporting spindly fingers à la 1922’s Nosferatu, Johnny Depp’s 18th-century vampire character of Barnabas Collins rises from the grave in 1972 where he’s puzzled by the high-tech times of television sets and breakfast waffles. He settles in with his descendants at their dreary Collinwood mansion, headed by matriarch Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer, who gets lovelier each…
Gazette’s Halloween Parade set for Oct. 27
Gazette’s Halloween Parade began as the Gazette’s Ghouls Gone Wild Parade in 2007, with almost 20,000 spectators and 64 entries. Last year, the parade boasted more than 60,000 in attendance, with 65 entries and more than 2,000 participants and 200 volunteers. Gazette’s Halloween Parade 2012 emcee Liz Dueweke This year, Gazette’s Halloween Parade will showcase…
Unfinished business
In addition, City Council this week asked that state Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones investigate some city employees connected with the beleaguered project. That request was prompted by a complaint from an Oklahoma City police captain who alleges that the city manager’s office failed to order an investigation or audit after officials were told of…
Lupe Fiasco — Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1
Despite the album’s title, Lupe’s new effort is far from patriotic. Throughout, he speaks critically of America and the country’s past and present actions, or lack of action. Problems he raps about include world hunger, violence, poverty, questionable military action, child molestation, racism and more. He criticizes politicians, religious officials and even other rappers. The…
Iron Sky
The Nazis mistake the landing as a prelude to an invasion, so the Third Reich prepares to strike the earth before the earth can strike it. Iron Sky has all the makings of a big batch of poor taste. Instead, it’s an inspired goof of a spoof that bridges the worlds of highbrow and lowbrow…
Weird-Noir
In true B-programmer form, let’s run through each with sterling efficiency: Girl on the Run (1953) This may be the only noir set at a carnival with a burlesque show featuring a tummy-rifiic dancer in a Catwoman mask. In fact, I’m counting on it. Cops are there searching for Bill Martin (Richard Coogan, TV’s Captain…
Missing chicken fry
— Philip Maguire, Oklahoma City
When guns don’t help
I think you would have developed enough wisdom to understand that not everyone thinks that the Second Amendment means what you think it means. It seems ironic to me that Morris seems to imply the Lt. Col. is a traitor and then goes on to glorify other traitors. It is unclear to me what makes…
Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut
That’s one fun fact I learned, but the real draw of this release is the film’s Holy Grail: the 23-minute original ending in its entirety and in full-color — not the unfinished black-and-white version — and it’s Quite Something to See. As many Little Shop fans know, but thought they’d never view, the movie stayed…
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?: Anniversary Edition
Both sibs are former stars. Baby Jane (Davis) was a child star, “the diminutive dancing Duse from Duluth” who entertained vaudeville audiences until she could no longer get away with a spoiled brat. Blanche (Crawford) became a leading lady of the silver screen later in life, but her glory waned long ago. Now, Blanche is…
Bedevilled
Although the island is rich in scenery, Hae-won learns quickly the place is hardly paradise. Bok-wan’s husband is an abusive, philandering wretch — not the best environment for their cute, 10-year-old daughter, who’s the only child around. It’s difficult to talk further about Bedevilled’s story without giving away its twists in plotting, so I won’t,…
Strippers vs. Werewolves
The title tells you all you need to know. And yet, I’ll also tell you that the latter are also gangsters, so when one of the “exotic dancers” accidentally kills one in the opening scenes, the “vs.” part of the name arises. In the hands of someone like John Landis (An American Werewolf in London),…
