Recurring Themes
Critters 4, Humans 0: A 17-year-old boy in Reno, Nev., accidentally set his family’s house on fire trying to kill spiders (August). A woman in Santa Fe, N.M., accidentally caused severe fire damage to her home while trying to torch a rattlesnake (July). A 26-year-old man in Mobile, Ala., accidentally caused $80,000 damage to his…
Now, Which One Is the Brake? (all-new)
Elderly drivers’ recent lapses of concentration, confusing the brake pedal with the gas (or however artfully they explain it): A Norfolk, Va., woman, 86, crashed against a Rite Aid pharmacy, damaging a vending machine (May). A Lake Oswego, Ore., man, 81, crashed through the front of a U.S. Bank building, sending employees scurrying (February). A…
Least Competent Criminals
Angel Cruz, 49, was indicted in August in Florida for various dubious financial schemes, including attempting to convince employees and contractors to accept his “United Cities Group” “currency” as of parallel value with U.S. currency. Cruz came to federal prosecutors’ attention when he tried to sneak $214 million of UCG money into a Bank of…
Mayor says OKC is OK
The stock market has been tanking (with a respite today), oil prices are plummeting and OU just lost to Texas. Could anyone blame Oklahoma City residents for feeling a bit queasy about their jobs or mortgage payments? “There’s anxiety out there,” said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. “There’s uncertainty out there.” But the mayor who…
Mission: Impossible: The Fifth TV Season
1970-71 Few things in life are as reassuring as hearing Lalo Schifrin’s iconic theme to television’s long-running “Mission: Impossible” as that wick sparks to an explosive end in the show’s opening credits. You’ll get that pleasure 23 times on “Mission: Impossible: The Fifth TV Season.” The six-disc set may not represent the series’ best season,…
Leatherheads
2008 Directed by and starring George Clooney, the Twenties-set “Leatherheads” tries to adopt many of the herky-jerky mannerisms and pacing of screwball movies from that period and misses the mark. It stacks on too much “relevant” commentary, and Clooney seems to think that screwball humor and self-indulgent hamming are the same thing. Clooney is Dodge…
Inexplicable
The incredibly patient Joseph Shepard Sr., 53, sat quietly in St. Louis-area lockups for more than two years expecting that his lawyer, Michael Kelly, was working for his release on bond, but it turns out neither Kelly nor prosecutors nor the judge was doing anything at all. In fact, Shepard seemed innocently happy when a…
The Weirdo-American Community
Police in Knoxville, Tenn., arrested Richard Smith, 25, in September after he called 911 from an air duct in the Knoxville Museum of Art, and Smith immediately volunteered that he was “special agent 0-9-3-1” with the “United States Illuminati” and that he had come to retrieve a nuclear warhead from the Soviet Union that was…
People With Too Much Time on Their Hands
In December 2003, Yves Julien worked a regular 11-hour shift, plus overtime, all at premium pay, for the Canada Border Services Agency, and then demanded an additional $9 (Cdn) for a sandwich he had purchased when asked to put in the extra hours. The agency said he was not entitled, by contract, because the overtime…
Torchwood: The Complete Second Season
2008 No sophomore slump exists in the second season of BBC’s “Torchwood,” the lively, oft-lascivious “Doctor Who” spin-off. For the uninitiated, Torchwood is the organization that protects Great Britain from aliens who slip through the rift in time that exists in Cardiff. And there are plenty that do. Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) is the…
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
hspace=10 src=”/Images/Imported/Movie%20review%20thumbnails/nickandnorah.jpg” width=150 align=right vspace=10 border=0> Reviewer’s Grade: B- Once upon a time “? in the Thirties and Forties, to be precise “? the names Nick and Nora were synonymous with mystery, elegance and wit as dry as vermouth. The teenage Nick and Norah of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” aren’t quite so silky smooth.…
Who’s leading Oklahoma today?
As America and the world struggle with an economy sliding toward recession, the threat of an awakening Russian bear and an expanding list of economic competitors, it’s important for Oklahoma to have a strong bench of leaders to represent our interests. In years past, Oklahoma had people of enormous stature on Wall Street such as…
Into the Woods’ presents modern, comedic take on classic fairy tales
On Friday, Sooner Theatre opens its season with the Tony Award-winning 1987 musical “Into the Woods,” written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The production draws heavily from the work of the Brothers Grimm and other fairy tales with humorous twists, featuring characters like an ambivalent Cinderella, a bloodthirsty Little Red Riding Hood, a Prince…
Supply program assists OKC Public Schools’ teachers
Did you know that one in every three teachers spends at least $1,000 a year for school supplies, and that first-year teachers spend up to 40 percent more to put together their classroom? This money, according to the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, is from the teacher’s own pocket. With this kind of need for…
Gandhi’s hygiene-consciousness
The ashram-museum in Ahmedabad devoted to India’s highly revered icon of freedom Mahatma Gandhi recently re-installed a replica of the spiritual leader’s personal toilet, in that Gandhi’s own hygiene-consciousness was such a part of his legacy. It is said that he cleaned the toilet daily and referred to it as his “temple,” but ashram officials…
Unclear on the Concept
Bernard LeCorn, running for the school board in Ocala, Fla., declared himself the best-qualified school steward among the three candidates because of his “doctorate,” but the Ocala Star-Banner discovered that not only was it from a well-known diploma mill (cost: $249), but that Alabama A&M, a real school where he had claimed to be a…
Oklahoma Rising?: Part six, Success stories
ranging the vaccinations with the patrons of the centers, he said. “These are people who are very mission-oriented, locally based and can help in the local systems. They are assigned to private sector providers as well as public health departments,” he said. Flash forward to 2008. In February, the state announced that Oklahoma had risen…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In her poem “Pure,” Kate Knapp Johnson speaks of “those who made me real to myself.” I invite you, Pisces, to take an inventory of the people in your life who’ve made you real to yourself. That would be excellent homework for you to do during the phase of intensified intimacy you’re now in —…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
A certain connection you’ve been wishing for and fantasizing about will soon become available — if, that is, you shed your expectations about how it will come about, and if you shed your ideas about what will happen after the two of you get together, and if you shed all hope of controlling that person’s…
Religulous
Reviewer’s Grade: A- For a lot of people, “Religulous” will have three strikes against it from the beginning. If you don’t like Bill Maher’s view of politics; if you don’t like Bill Maher’s view of organized religion; if you don’t like Bill Maher, well, move along. There’s nothing to see here. If, however, you want…
Nonprofit group plans fund-raiser to benefit military families
For many military families, everyday burdens become the toughest battles. Join Oklahoma Operation Homefront on Saturday for a fund-raiser and benefit event filled with live music, darts, pool and cage dancing. The Lonzo Dog Band opens for Todd Terrill & Hard Core Country, who will headline an 8 p.m. performance at the Sooner Corral, 10300…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
For the next week, Capricorn, be an expanded and intensified version of yourself. In other words, do what’s most unique about you, but do it even more and better and clearer than you normally do. If, for example, your specialty is being an emotionally intelligent organizer who artfully creates order, do that with even more…
Can’t Possibly Be True
Jose Rivera, 22, survived two tours in Iraq, but back home in California, he took a job at the high-security Atwater federal prison, where officers cannot carry even non-lethal crowd-control weapons, and Rivera was murdered 10 months later by two inmates armed with handmade shivs. “Every single inmate in there is armed to the teeth…
Filmmaker explores cultural identity using American imagery, iconography
quid copper texture to celebrate and lament the American dream. Optical printing and chemical techniques give the video installation the fluid, 3-D quality and produce an old photograph effect from a future era. Inspiration for “American Falls” came from Frederic Church’s 19th-century painting “Niagara” and from WPA murals of the Thirties, Solomon said. Also on…
Pay it forward
Oklahoma City, and many other regional communities recently opened our doors to victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike. We are all proud of the continued, reliable, gracious generosity of our citizens, professionals and churches. These civic “servants” leave home and career responsibilities over and over again to serve those less fortunate who have endured vicious…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Maybe you have never been able to fly before today, and maybe you won’t be able to fly when November arrives, but I bet you can fly now. Due to the benevolent cosmic agitation that has been lightening your mood, you can probably, if you choose, soar over logjams, dance above dark clouds, and do…
New rowing center promises to make waves in OKC
It wasn’t all that long ago the North Canadian River more resembled a cavernous ditch filled with sandbars, rocks and weeds, and an occasional trickle of murky water than a flourishing waterway. By all accounts, the river was a hard-to-ignore eyesore that distracted from any attempts downtown Oklahoma City made to redefine itself as a…
Jewel Box commits to comedy with ‘The Three Wives of Harry Simpson’
“The Three Wives of Harry Simpson” is a delightful battle-of-the-sexes comedy telling the story of a hardworking and hard-playing ad man. After decades of success, Harry has decided to retire and start a small French bistro, much to the chagrin of his current and former wives who devise a plan to sue Harry to keep…
CFN Quote of the Week
“This is the latest example of what I referred to in a speech recently as ‘environmental thuggery.’ “¦ The last thing our economy needs is a patchwork of regulatory compliance regimes in addition to the federal standard that would be even more costly for automobile manufacturers. Put simply, this will mean job losses.” “Sen. James…
Boren, Cole voted yes, also received banking campaign donations
When Oklahoma 2nd District Congressman Dan Boren, D-Seminole, voted for the first version of the Wall Street bailout package, he had been well compensated by those whom he would help, according to a watchdog group. That initial plan, championed by President Bush, failed. CAMPAIGN DONATION STATISTICSFINANCE SECTOR CONTRIBUTIONS “I voted in support of the legislation…
Oklahoma City-area churches may face IRS investigations
or the churches involved, but both Blair and Fisher believe this is an issue worth fighting about. “This is not a political issue,” Blair said, “it is a constitutional and biblical issue. It is important for my congregants to know where each candidate lines up according to the clear teaching of Scripture pertaining to issues…
Judge issues jail sentence to panty bandit
A teenage panty bandit, sentenced last week in district court, will spend 60 days in jail and complete an Oklahoma Department of Corrections-approved fetish control program. The final ruling came Oct. 1, Jeremy J. Dula’s second court appearance on charges following a 2007 investigation by the Ardmore Police Department, according to a story published in…
McCain makes oopsie remark about OKC’s Sonic in speech
Republican presidential candidate John McCain may have put a foot-long where his mouth is ” make that a foot-long from Sonic. Actually, according to a recent story in the Philadelphia Bulletin, which was following a Des Moines, Iowa, speech by McCain, the candidate used the Oklahoma fast-food corporation as an example of the economic hit…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
The most important advice you need to hear right now comes from musician Brian Eno, as quoted in Ode magazine: “I want to encourage you to sing . . . I believe singing is the key to a long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, greater intelligence, new friends, increased self-confidence, heightened sexual attractiveness,…
The Wake Up Call – Big Slack
POS Productions Big Slack is officially on the line with “The Wake Up Call,” but this phone call isn’t for everyone. The Oklahoma City rapper’s full-length album boasts impressive production and consistent beat making. But clocking in 17 tracks long, the biggest hang up of “The Wake Up Call” is its lack of lyrical diversity.…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
The bad news is that you are, metaphorically speaking, in jail. The good news is that a recent visitor sneaked you the key to the locked door of your cell. The weird news: You have not yet realized that you have the means to escape, since your visitor did not actually tell you that the…
Edmond Library hosts Halloween makeup lessons
Don’t let bad costume makeup spoil young spectres ” get a Halloween look with bite! Eager goblins and ghouls will learn the witchy ways of professional wart, cut and bruise application during a 2 p.m. “Horror Makeup” lesson Saturday at the Edmond Library, 10 S. Boulevard. Donna Dickson, an adjunct theater professor at the University…
Blindness
Reviewer’s Grade: D+ “Blindness” has a great pedigree “? directed by Fernando Meirelles and starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo and based on a celebrated novel by Jos
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Writing in The New York Times, Paul Krugman waxed snide as he described the mindset of the U.S. Congress. It “has always had a soft spot for ‘experts’ who tell members what they want to hear,” he wrote. It’s very important, Aries, that in the coming week you avoid that kind of behavior. In fact,…
Indiana University plays blame game with former Oklahoma coach
There’s plenty of blame to go around in this world. Milli Vanilli blamed it on the rain. Michael Caine blamed it on Rio. Now Indiana University is blaming it on Kelvin Sampson. Responding to NCAA allegations on Sept. 29, the school played the blame game with former coach Kelvin Sampson and his assistants for “any…
Flash of Genius
Reviewer’s Grade: C Greg Kinnear stars as Dr. Bob Kearns, a regular guy living in Detroit with his wife (Lauren Graham), six kids and a doctorate in engineering. One rainy day in the Sixties, Kearns and the fam are driving home from church. It is drizzling. Back then, windshield wipers only flapped at one constant…
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s offer off-kilter chamber pop
When Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s decided to record a new album the year before a presidential election, the Indianapolis art-pop collective did not anticipate becoming involved in a campaign of its own involving the simultaneous release of not one, but two sophomore albums. THREE STRAIGHT MONTHS OF RECORDINGESCALATING TENSIONS At the end…
Health Department group will study nursing-home resident protection changes
A branch of the state Department of Health board decided today to study proposed rule changes aimed at better nursing-home resident protection. The Long-Term Care Advisory will study what changes should be made and make final recommendations to the state Board of Health. A Perfect Cause, a watch-dog organization, suggested most of the changes. The…
Laramie Project’ might be the local theatrical event of the year
In October 1998, college student Matthew Shepard was murdered by two young men outside of Laramie, Wyo. Shepard was gay, and his brutal beating gained worldwide attention as a hate crime while he remained in a coma for a few days before dying. Mois
Former police chief faces traffic charges, fines in Bartlesville
It appears that once a police chief, not always a role model. According to a story in the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, former Dewey Police Chief Lester Leon Rogers, 58, was found guilty of obstructing an officer and speeding after a court hearing on Sept. 8. According to the story, Rogers was discovered traveling in excess of…
Images of America: Springlake Amusement Park – Douglas Loudenback
Arcadia Publishing Frontier City used to have some competition. Once upon a time, the area now known as the MetroTech campus alongside Martin Luther King Blvd. played home to Springlake Amusement Park, which wowed the city’s young and old upon opening in 1924. Having been there twice in grade school before it closed in 1981,…
Goosebumps
2008 Once a Saturday-morning mainstay, the “Goosebumps” brand “? originated in R.L. Stine’s wildly popular book series for kids “? is making a comeback, and Fox has released three volumes of the Nineties show that are new to DVD: “One Day at HorrorLand,” “Monster Blood” and “A Night in Terror Tower.” “HorrorLand” includes tales about…
Trailer Park of Terror
2008 Based on an independent comic book few have seen, “Trailer Park of Terror” is one of the even fewer nice surprises in the horror genre this year. Not just a pretty face, a rather game Nichole Hiltz (TV’s “In Plain Sight”) stars as Norma, a rose among the weeds in a miserable, rundown trailer…
