Well and good
Wellness Now was allocated a little more than $3.5 million during the next five years from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Community Transformation Grants, said Vicki Monks, Oklahoma City-County Health Department public information officer. As one of the 61 regions awarded the grant, Oklahoma County will use the money to decrease chronic…
Occupy OKC
The Occupy movement, which started in New York City, has spread across the country, with similar protests popping up in cities from San Francisco to Chicago to Atlanta. Watch our interviews with protest organizer Jay Trenary and participant Tom Lucas: Video by Gazette online editor Matt Carney
CFN Quote of the Week
“I’ve done so much patriotic stuff that I have people sending me and bringing me those kinds of ideas daily. And when I hear most of this stuff it’s like, ‘I’ve already done that.’” —Toby Keith
Mobilizing the majority
“No one,” another replied as they walked toward a shade tree at a Sept. 30 meeting at Will Rogers Park. The protests on Wall Street in New York City have grown, and even spread to other cities around the country. And that’s what the crowd of about 150 hoped to do at the northwest Oklahoma…
Pedal power
Frans van der Merwe is about 6 feet 4 inches tall, and traveled across the country in a nearly 9-by-3 pod on wheels. This makeshift tricycle is called a velomobile, meaning bicycle car. “The attention is great. I don’t think a Ferrari or any kind of sports car could get me that,” van der Merwe…
‘Mind’ mapped
These were just two of the 16 groups of students competing in KSBI’s “Mind Games” game show, similar to “Jeopardy!”’s college tournament, but without all the smarty-pants Ivy Leaguers. Winners receive scholarships funded by the Chickasaw Nation. KSBI will give a portion of $200,000 in scholarships to all participants in the fall and spring tournaments.…
Best buys
Instead of wasting what money you do have on crap at expensive stores, hit the local ones. The Plaza District is a perfect spot to start the hunt. First up: Bad Granny’s Bazaar (1759 N.W. 16th; 528-4585). Like other vintage stores, there’s a lot of variety, from fantastic Southwest-style chunky rings for around $20 to…
Get in ze choppah!
Four men will turn unwanted materials into art while competing for the title of manliest artist in MANifesto’s Upcycled Macho Movie Art Walk, on display Saturday and Sunday at downtown’s historic Film Row district at W. Sheridan and N. Lee avenues. Contestants will use materials provided by the sponsors to create works of art based…
Go, Gringo, go!
What’s in a name? For the members of Atlanta’s Gringo Star, it’s a reprieve from having to answer the same question in their old band, A Fir-Ju Well. “‘What’s your name? What did you say? What does that mean?’” said Nick Furgiele. “It was every night. It wasn’t like we changed our sound or anything…
Let’s get wild, America!
By “Uncle Sam,” we mean Toby Keith, who is close enough. Both have beards, right? According to a press release, the Oklahoma country singer has declared Oct. 21 as National Mezcal Day, “which just happens to be the Friday prior to his upcoming album release.” Mezcal just happens to be what Keith’s 86.8-proof Wild Shot…
The Mill and the Cross
It is appropriate that Polish director Lech Majewski’s “The Mill and the Cross” is playing Saturday and Sunday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, for two reasons: The English-language film adapts a famous painting, and in adhering to those visuals, stands as a work of art itself. It’s the very definition of “picturesque.” The…
Bite Size: 10-12-11
CRESCENT MARKET TO CLOSEAfter more than 122 years in business, Crescent Market, 6409 Avondale Drive, will close Oct. 29. That will be followed by an auction conducted by Louis Dakil of Dakil Auctioneers at 10 a.m. on Nov. 8 at the grocery store. “If something gets up and going, and I go north or downtown…
Truth and taxes
I found said letter to include the same slight-of-hand statistical shifting so often used by the left that I felt compelled to ask both the writer of the letter and the staff of the Gazette to consider avoiding using such tactics or publishing such tactics in the future. In doing so, I have no doubt…
One race, one day
The third annual 24 the Hard Way takes off Oct. 22 and will end at 9 a.m. the following day. Race director and founder Chisolm Deupree, who has participated in more than 50 races ranging from 24 to 72 hours in length, said the goal of this particular run was to “present a championship event…
Green screen
A day of community celebration to usher in the newly renovated Myriad Gardens will include the release of thousands of monarch butterflies. Saturday’s Festival on the Green begins at 8:30 a.m. with Zumba on the lawn, a 10 a.m. dedication ceremony, and various other activities until 7:30 p.m., when Grammy-nominated red-dirt musician Pat Green kicks…
Crude awakening
Hours before the U.S. State Department held its Sept. 30 hearing on permits for TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline project, State Chamber of Oklahoma representatives, oil-industry lobbyists and elected officials donned their T-shirts supporting the pipeline and huddled with union bosses and workers to stake out the first speaking spots and show their support at a…
Smag 7: Someplace nice
Charleston’s Restaurant 3409 S. Broadway, Edmond 478-4949A delightful aspect of Charleston’s is the seemingly effortless way everything is done in this comfortable place. Zero in on its new 13-buck enchilada, or its attractive appetizers that are offered for half price from 4 to 7 p.m. during happy hour, one of the best-kept secrets around Edmond.…
Soundcheck: Classic Series Concert Previews
Saturday marks the second of the group’s eight Classic Series Concert Previews, which are lectures that take place before showtime, in which local musicians and educators offer insights beyond what attendees will find in the program. At 7 p.m., an hour before pianist Jon Kimura Parker joins the Philharmonic for “Two Aspects of Romanticism,” Sergio…
Chew on this
With the unhealthy stuff out there, it’s important to avoid the “freshman 15.” When you don’t feel up to snuff from all that bad-for-your-belly food, the mind goes off track, and brains must be alert in a learning environment. To be able to make solid decisions, cope with a homesick roomie, and most of all…
‘Crank’ that
He then throws a rock and says that Earth’s atmosphere is 95 percent water vapor. Actually, it is about four-fifths nitrogen. Most of the rest is oxygen. Water content varies quite a bit and is at most a few percent. This has been known for well over a century. The composition of the atmosphere is…
PR BS
—“Meet the Next Tea Party Champion!” —“Don’t Let Obama & Lady Gaga Win This Round!!” —“PGA PerformanceTrak August 2011 Rounds Played Report” —“Members of LAMB OF GOD join MEKONG Vietnamese Restaurant and the PINK INK FUND at its INNAUGURAL FUND RAISER” —“Gift guide idea – Custom Harley- Davidson vest” —“THE PIGEON FINDS A HOT DOG…AND…
Attitude adjustment
Illegally using prescription stimulants to study for exams and write papers is as much a college experience as living in the dorms or underage drinking. At least that’s what many metro college students will tell you about a brand-name drug prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Despite an ignorance of legal ramifications and potential dangers…
Something to sneeze about
Oklahoma City is numero uno among Most Congested Cities in the U.S., according to Breathe Right Nasal Strips and Sperling’s BestPlaces. OKC also made national news with a Top 5 Allergy Capital designation last week by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The metro area rankings, which calculate pesky pollen spores, copious amounts of…
Foreign affairs
In her role as vice president of the campus organization Sooners for Israel, Daitch, a Putnam City North graduate, has been instrumental in planning events to raise awareness of issues related to Israel, the Middle East, foreign aid and U.S. politics. “Foreign aid is critical to the U.S.’s ability to maintain alliances, enhance our security…
Statuary world
A play by local author Bob Perry, based on his novel, staged its world premiere last week at Jewel Box Theatre. “Broken Statue” tells the compelling true story of the rise and fall of the Marland family, beginning in 1911, when down-on-his-luck former millionaire E.W. Marland comes from Pennsylvania to Ponca City, looking for oil.…
Phil in
John-Paul Philippé (pictured) departed Henryetta decades ago for the art hubs of New York, London and Japan, but Eastern Oklahoma’s hilly landscapes left an enduring impression that has re-emerged in an exhibition opening Friday at [Artspace] at Untitled, with a 1 p.m. Saturday artist talk and walk-through. “Being back here brings up all these associations…
Free at last!
Here are some fresh, free alternatives beyond the everyday without impacting your wallet. Admission to everything below is free. That’s right: free. Five days a week, Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial, offers city dwellers an escape to a wildlife sanctuary. The secluded, 140-acre park has grasslands, streams and 3 miles of trails, in…
Under-21 action
So I avoid these festivities, usually citing homework, whatever Netflix sent me, or a highly contagious disease like the one Gwyneth Paltrow got in “Contagion.” But a recent 21st birthday for a friend was different, so on a Saturday, I ventured into unexplored territory: Fuzzy’s Taco Shop. I arrived 15 minutes before midnight; the birthday…
You must be not tall to enter
Tots age 2 to 5 can take steps to become the future artists of America by immersing themselves in a hands-on art environment, as a part of Tiny Tuesdays at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch. Parents can work with their children from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday at this month’s art activity,…
Salty lemon
Gose is a beer native to Leipzig, Germany, and the style almost disappeared in the mid-20th century. Thanks to the hard work of Lothar Goldhahn, a Leipzig pub owner, Gose made a comeback in the 1980s. Zach Prichard, president of Choc Beer Co., said he encountered the style while on a day trip away from…
Beer bust
Call it a summit of sorts. There is no better reward than relaxing with good friends and some cold beers. They can be poured right into your best stein, glass or simply just grab a bottle. Not a lot of effort, and best of all, the damage to your bank account can be fairly painless.…
Not everybody’s ready for some football.
When I was 8, my dad woke me early one Saturday morning and told me we were going on an adventure. Being 8, I immediately concluded the adventure included horseback riding. I even put on a bright red sweater with a galloping horse on the front, just to drive home the point that I expected…
Charter connection
The charter will be unique, officials said, since it will be the school district applying for the charter. The school, which will be named the John W. Rex Elementary, will have a capacity of 500 students in grades prekindergarten through sixth grade and be governed by a 15-member board selected by OKCPS and the nonprofit…
Swift justice
Despite several attempts to contact Taylor Swift’s record label, management, backing band members, tightly cloistered press squadron, immediate family, scores of jaded boyfriends, and stable of talking unicorns and pegasii, I failed to procure an interview with the 21-year-old, flaxen-haired songstress in advance of her Saturday-night date with Oklahoma City. I mean, it’s not like…
Doing a 180
For about a year and a half, the Myriad Botanical Gardens area experienced variable accessibility due to a flurry of construction and renovation, but with the day-long festivities planned for Saturday’s grand re-opening of the park, many people will get a nearly complete look at what has been done to the downtown attraction. The renovations…
Tympanic TNT
In the current state of superficial pop songs; flashy, hip-hop anthems; and too-cool-for-school indie-rock bands, it’s hard to find musicians who can elicit any sort of real, personal emotion. However, Austin, Texas, post-rock group Explosions in the Sky can do it, and without saying a word. “I actually think it’s because there is no singing.…
App-licable skills
Wei Shung Chung (pictured) graduated with a master’s degree in computer science more than 10 years ago, and remembers seeing a lot of people struggling to find tickets to OU football games. He decided to put his computer programming skills to good use to create a free iPhone application called umeTicket, which connects OU football…
Moral ‘Oral’
Frank mentions the letters of the New Testament are “full” of admonitions for avoiding sexual sin. I suppose that depends on what one considers “full.” But since he’s taking shots at a gay man for his belief that there isn’t a conflict between homosexuality and Christianity, I’ll tell you there are a whopping three passages…
Up top
Somewhere among the rows hats adorned with college logos, the next trend in sporting headgear will start here, inside Top of the World Hats’ giant warehouse in Norman. It’s what would happen if “Fashion Emergency” and ESPN got married. Top of the World holds licenses to make hats for more than 300 universities. It also…
Not OK in OKC?
New York Daily News scribe Mitch Lawrence, a longtime NBA reporter, wrote Sept. 17 that head coach Scott Brooks chafes at the meddling of General Manager Sam Presti, but that’s not all Thunder fans should be worried about. It has something to do with its center easing up on its point guard a tad bit.…
‘Fair’ and balanced
The Oklahoma State Fair is something I have looked forward to during my duration at the University of Central Oklahoma, and the fair food is the best part! My personal favorite was the beer-battered, deep-fried bacon. It was beer, bacon and grease — where could you possibly go wrong? Thanks for an engaging look at…
Working toward walkability
Oklahoma City was developed around the automobile as the primary means of travel. While the city is well-geared for travel by car, other options are more difficult because the infrastructure either does not exist, or is not continuous. A lack of a continuous trail and sidewalk network has left Oklahoma City citizens without the option…
Be our guest!
And this isn’t an Aubrey McClendon profile you’re likely to read in The Oklahoman. The Forbes piece, written by Christopher Helman, starts out with McClendon eating dinner at Deep Fork Grill, which McClendon co-owns, and trying to select a wine. After relaying some of Chesapeake’s current market standing and statistics about the company, the profile…
My Thai
The restaurant has been open for some 15 years, but owner Chun Lai took over the operation in 2001. Ever since, the family-owned and operated establishment has built up quite a reputation around Norman. University of Oklahoma students and professors frequent the restaurant, as do many other Norman residents. In fact, Lai claims that many…
Gazette wins one honor, will receive another
Jeffri-Lynn Dyer (pictured), the Gazette’s associate publisher, won a 2011 Oklahoma Media Network STAR Award in the Print Sales Manager category. Dyer is executive vice president at Tierra Media Group, which also publishes OKCBiz magazine and the weekly newspaper Eastword. The Oklahoma Media Network, a chapter of Alliance for Women in Media, held the awards…
Platt my plate, please
Platt College is partnering with Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition to host a free event designed to give families an opportunity to learn just how to cook a healthy meal based on the USDA “My Plate” guidelines. The cooking class, which is no charge, is planned for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Platt College,…
Queen — News of the World / Jazz / The Game / Flash Gordon / Hot Space
For the band’s 40th anniversary, Hollywood Records has reissued deluxe remasters of Queen’s second round of studio albums with bonus EP discs fortifying each release. This batch of five begins with 1977’s “News of the World,” which proceeds regally with the double A-side single “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” Besides these…
The Super Cops
Having made 70 drug busts in their area, putting three of the biggest operators out of the biz, Greenburg (Ron Leibman, TV’s “The Sopranos”) and Hantz (TV’s “Dark Shadows”) are marked for assassination. But they weren’t always that way, and the film directed by “Shaft”‘s Gordon Parks chronicles their rise from directing traffic to superheroic…
Mr. Nice
Here, the switch from mere Oxford student to corrupt bad boy is flipped with one look at the stunner Elsa Pataky (“Fast Five”) and a taste of cannabis. From there, the path of Marks (Rhys Ifans, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”) is marked with marriage, divorce, the IRA, MI-6, LSD, hashish, arrests,…
Dream Theater — A Dramatic Turn of Events
A very public dispute with drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy developed when he wanted the band to take a hiatus while he continued touring with Avenged Sevenfold in support of that band’s most recent album, “Nightmare,” on which Portnoy played drums after original drummer James “The Rev” Sullivan passed away in 2009. When the…
Pounding the pavement
Randy Entz, transportation planner for the Oklahoma City Planning Department, will discuss sidewalks and trails that are being paid for by a recent bond issue and out of the MAPS 3 program, which sets aside $10 million for new sidewalks and $40 million for new trails. “It’s a good way for people to get an…
Hung: The Complete Second Season
High school coach Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane, “The Mist”) still moonlights as a male prostitute to make ends meet (no pun intended). The difference in season two is that he has not one pimp, but two, with the scheming, sexy, headstrong and high-class Lenore (Rebecca Creskoff, TV’s “Justified”) aiming to push mousy, timid, granola-girl loser…
The Last Circus
Having seen his P.O.W. father murdered during an escape attempt decades before, Javier (Carlos Areces, who looks like ’70s TV staple Ray Buktineca with oversized glasses) joins a circus in 1973 Madrid to follow his family destiny as a clown. Because he was denied a proper childhood, Javier follows his dad’s wishes and becomes a…
St. Vincent — Strange Mercy
No longer girlish in her vocal performance, Annie Clark grips a “horsehair whip” brought to life by her sinister voice that’s simultaneously desperate for intimacy and confident expressing it. The line “no kisses, no real names” makes it pretty clear that she’s playing the dominatrix here. All that’s missing is a black mask on the…
Page One: Inside The New York Times
No such problem exists with the Times’ own Michael Kinsley, who panned it as “a mess,” but don’t listen to him — I’m guessing most Oklahomans pay no mind to NYT, anyway — because it’s an enormously entertaining work. As the title suggests, this is a fly-on-the-wall look at the inner workings of what is…
Good Neighbors
Awkward, geeky Victor (Jay Baruchel, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”) moves into a Montreal apartment builder and is eager to befriend the other young residents who aren’t nearly as ecstatic: the cat-crazy, Chinese restaurant employee Louise (Emily Hampshire, “Earthsea”) and the wheelchair-bound, smirking Spencer (Scott Speedman, “Barney’s Version”). Maybe they’re skittish because there’s a serial rapist/killer on…
Vlog
Yet another faux found-footage flick, “Vlog” chronicles the events in the weeks leading up to the 2008 murder of the cute, busty and sexually promiscuous webcam addict and vlogger Brooke Marks (played by Brooke Marks; my quick research reveals she’s a real-life, NSFW web model who, it should be noted, is very much alive). Roughly…
The Bad Seed
Prim, proper, pig-tailed Rhoda (Patty McCormack, then all of 11) is so mature for her age, it’s almost too good to be true … because it is. A cunning mind lay behind her curtsy. She’s as manipulative as she is malicious. Her desire for a penmanship medal she doesn’t receive soon leads to a drowned…
Rally to protest 10 years in Afghanistan
These two groups want to remind the public and legislators about the constant death in Afghanistan, and that this is the longest war in American history. The rally will be held from noon to 1 p.m., Friday at 100 N. Broadway Ave. on the plaza adjacent to the Chase Tower. Ret. Air Force Col. Katherine…
The People vs. George Lucas
No, some people don’t, and they’re featured in director Alexandre O. Philippe’s entertaining, if “The People Vs George Lucas.” They’re the people for whom “Star Wars” is decidedly not “just a movie,” and boy, are they ever pissed that Lucas keeps tinkering with the works that he created and owns. As one person apparently unconcerned…
Elvira’s Haunted Hills
On her way to Paris to do her brand of burlesque, Elvira (Cassandra Peterson, who co-wrote) is stranded in the mountains of Romania, but finds welcome at the requisite spooky old castle. This isn’t so much a plot as a setup for joke after joke, all as flimsy as the elastic on Elvira’s signature costume.…
The Lost Future
But I’m referring to “Game of Thrones.” Sean Bean’s also at the center of a decent, indie film where the nearby land has been wiped out, and where a disease has rendered some villagers into monsters. But I’m referring to “Black Death.” Sean Bean’s again at the center of “The Lost Future,” which could fit…
Portugal. The Man — In the Mountain in the Cloud
“In The Mountain In The Cloud” doesn’t sound much like a band treading new sonic ground, or even experimenting with the recontextualizing of others before them, but more on that later. Also, they ditched the small label, Equal Vision Records, for Atlantic Records in April of last year. I wonder if producer John Hill’s (who…
Green Lantern
It may be the worst major-studio superhero movie made. I’d rather be watching “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.” “Batman & Robin.” “Jonah Hex.” “Supergirl.” Hell, even “Catwoman”! Perhaps the most damning evidence: Not one of my three kids — who range in age from 6 to 14, and were heavily exposed to the movie’s…
The Trip
Condensed from the recent, six-episode BBC series of the same name, the improv comedy casts Steve Coogan (“The Other Guys”) and Rob Brydon (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”) as themselves, more or less. Steve’s tasked with taking a road trip to write about some fine dining spots along the English countryside, and because he’s…
Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as network television of the 1950s could not depict Hammer’s violent, sexual world to any degree approaching faithfulness (we’d have to wait until Stacy Keach’s considerably more saucy version in 1984), so you take what you can get. In this case, that’s Darren McGavin, the über-likable actor who made…
The Howling: Reborn
Like MTV’s current reboot of that franchise, “Reborn” takes the approach of The CW and — let’s face it — “The Twilight Saga” by casting pretty young things in a flashy, trashy tale of teenage love and lycanthropy. There’s a dash of “Donnie Darko” in there, too. Eighteen-year-old Will (Landon Liboiron, TV’s “Terra Nova”) is…
