Recurring Themes
The economic slowdown and rising prices for scrap metals have provoked desperation and creativity among down-market criminals. A 42-year-old man was arrested in his car heading for a metals-recycling center in Miami in July with a 40-foot-long municipal street lamp strapped to the roof. And police in Williamsburg, Ky., easily tracked the stolen railroad rail…
Names in the News
Arrested in Tampa in June and charged with possession of cocaine with intent to sell: Mr. God Lucky Howard, 39. Convicted in Kansas City, Mo., in June of 31 counts including 12 rapes and other non-consensual sex: Mr. Shy Bland, 52. Arrested in Broomfield, Colo., in August in a raid on a “massage parlor” that…
Creme de la Weird
Charlie Van Wilkes Jr., 31, was arrested in Danielsville, Ga., in August and charged with possession of drugs and burglary tools. The arrest report noted that Wilkes had a “large lump in the front of his blue jeans, with wires running from inside his pants and hanging down dragging the ground” as he walked. Wilkes…
Morella’s Blood Vision
2008 Busty Elvira-esque horror host Morella gives B-movie lovers three Z-grade flicks for the price of one in “Morella’s Blood Vision.” This DVD contains such forgotten drive-in fare as “Zombies,” “The Blood Seekers” and “Blood Stalkers.” “Zombies” (1964) is better known as “I Eat Your Skin,” but don’t expect George Romero-style gore. This is harmless…
Least Competent Criminals
Oblivious: In August in Billings, Mont., federal officers recognized Wyoming fugitive Sterling Wolfname, 26, on the street, but the man tried to give a different name, seemingly oblivious that “Wolfname” was tattooed on the side of his head. Fugitive Willie Vickers, 46, was arrested in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in July on old burglary warrants after…
The Office: Season Four
2007-2008 With partial thanks to a writer’s strike that shortened the fourth season of “The Office,” this batch of episodes “? 14 on four discs “? seems more uncomfortable and painful than ever before. That, of course, translates into high comedy. This season found Dunder-Mifflin’s incompetent Scranton, Pa., branch manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) in…
Various artists – International Pop Overthrow: Vol. 11
: auto 0in”>Fervent followers will recognize more than the average Joe, such as Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (from the late, great Jellyfish), who’s represented by “American Affluenza.” But don’t miss the easygoing Sixties sounds of The Tomorrows’ “Effortless Lee” (nice wordplay), the young-punk bop of Blackout 101’s “Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves,” the garage-floor…
A Kindertransport kid found his way to Oklahoma
On Sept. 1, 1939, the last Kindertransport departed Nazi-occupied territory bound for England. From December 1938 to September 1939, an estimated 10,000 Jewish children ” from infants to age 17 ” were moved in sealed trains from Berlin, Vienna and Prague to the shores of northern Europe, where they caught boats for England. PHILANTHROPIC MOVEMENT…
Vice presidential candidate borrows Oklahoma senator’s line
Oh, that Sarah Palin! Cute, feisty, with a smarty pants moxie that makes you want to put lipstick on your pit bull and invite her to dinner. And who knew she had an Oklahoma connection? Well, one could put it that way. During her nomination acceptance speech last week as Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s…
Paseo gallery exhibits ‘PhotoFest’
Seeing pictures that marry photography and art is a snap, thanks to a current exhibit showing through Sept. 27 at JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker. “PhotoFest” showcases 15 artists whose pictures have garnered acclaim locally and internationally. “Photography has been witness to the most rapid changes of our industrialized world,” said Sean…
A tale of two conventions
I went to the Democratic National Convention in Denver because I could not help myself. As a lifelong and long-suffering Democrat, I wanted to be present for the making of American history. I heard lots of speeches and talked to lots of people, but on the whole, I thought the DNC was long on policy…
Thatcher Hoffman Smith Prize honors creative process with $40,000 award
One Oklahoman’s credo inspired his daughter to acknowledge and support the creativity of others in the nation, putting Oklahoma and the University of Oklahoma at the heart of it all. As a young girl, Jeanne Hoffman Smith was incredibly influenced by her father’s life philosophy: to leave more wood on the woodpile than was there…
The Plaza District shines light on reinvigorated arts area
Nothing stirs the interest of art patrons like free wine. An emerging urban enclave, Oklahoma City’s Plaza District recently instituted “LIVE on the Plaza: An Evening with the District” as a way to woo area art lovers and local creatives with food, drink, live music and street performances. The festival vibe has attracted a number…
Struggling soldier turned acoustic rocker becomes Bricktown staple
Derek Paul left a battle to fight a war. But this isn’t a story of a lonely barfly troubadour with designs of Top 40 hits and headlining tours alongside Coldplay or John Mayer. The Americana musician’s story is that of a soldier, of a veteran, of war, violence, booze. TEXARKANA, TEXASBRICKTOWN CONEY AND PUBBRICKTOWN BUM…
Police Blotter
Paul Baldwin, 48, was ordered held on $10,000 bail in Portsmouth, N.H., in May after his arrest for stealing a can of beer, which seems expensive except that it was Baldwin’s 152nd arrest. When a judge asked if he wanted a lawyer appointed for him, Baldwin said, “I don’t need a lawyer. I’ve been in…
Oklahoma City siblings create Bluetooth motorcycle helmet
Three Oklahoma City siblings are bringing Bluetooth to motorcyclists by integrating the technology into the helmet, freeing riders from clumsy cell phone calls and cumbersome headpieces. Blutek, the siblings’ locally based company, is the only entity in the U.S. market offering integrated helmets, according to Tasha Koranki, one of the founders. EXPANDING CAPABILITYFCC, DOT REQUIREMENTSNOISE-CANCELING…
Baby Mama
zany physical comedy and absurd dialogue with a sort of genuine nature that comes across as wholesomely funny. “Baby Mama” offers the same brand of humor as Fey’s “30 Rock,” which always manages a great blend of topical issues, absurdity and brisk situational shenanigans. Given the current cinematic comedy crop, “Baby Mama” would have been…
Carpenter Square presents ‘Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean’
To open its silver anniversary season, Carpenter Square Theatre is going back to it roots and reviving one of its first plays ever produced: Ed Graczyk’s west Texas comedy-drama “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.” This is CST’s third production of “Jimmy Dean,” and, as was the 1988 edition, it…
Golfer turned love for golf into ticket around the world
More than 4,000 miles separate the tiny Oklahoma Panhandle community of Beaver from the eastern shore of the old North Sea, wherein lies golf’s legendary birthplace, St. Andrews, Scotland. Finding some sort of commonality between the two might even be a farther stretch. Improbable, maybe, but not impossible. SPORTS WRITERNO. 2 AT GOLF MAGAZINE At…
Lyric Theatre’s artistic director leaves for Broadway
There is a changing of the guard at Lyric Theatre, or rather, a changing of the Nicks. After nine seasons as Lyric’s artistic director, Nick Demos will be leaving the theater company after the October production of “The Rocky Horror Show” for Broadway. Replacing Demos is Nick Corley, who joins Lyric as the new artistic…
State’s largest newspaper announces cost-cutting measures
As far as local news cycles go, the biggest announcement Sept. 3 was arguably the official, and largely anticipated, naming of the Oklahoma City Thunder. But, earlier in the afternoon, the state’s largest newspaper posted an article online that resonated throughout the journalism industry. ‘BELLY UP’MORE SOFT NEWSNEWSPRINT COSTS A story titled “‘The Oklahoman’ to…
Stillwater singer/songwriter storms Norman
Sherree Chamberlain’s parents loved music, but not enough to let her sing all the time. “It’s a family rule: No singing at the table,” Chamberlain said. “We would all be eating at the table, and it would be me or my sister ” one of us would start singing. It would get really annoying to…
State Fair Arena hosts ice-skating show
What time is it? Time for all those “High School Musical” tunes like “What Time Is It?” to get stuck in your head all over again, parents, as “Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour” skates its way into the State Fair Arena for 10 shows, starting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Naturally, the ice show…
Officials remove some decision makers from Chamber building approval process
gn>ALTERNATE DESIGN An alternate design for the new chamber building, obtained by Oklahoma Gazette, would have redirected E.K. Gaylord into a straightaway again, terminating at Fourth Street, and would have reclaimed a third of the land for a large park. That design notes that the current path of E.K. Gaylord ” a large, six-lane curve…
Unclear on the Concept
In July, St. Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly (off the southwest coast of England) posted a vacancy announcement for air traffic controller that added, helpfully, that applications were available in alternative languages, “in larger text (or) Braille.” Police were called to a home in Wichita, Kan., in June after two young men had…
Oklahoma Rising?: Part two, Teen smoking
State pride swelled and the nation took notice as Oklahoma celebrated its first 100 years in 2007. After sweeping up the confetti, our state embarks on a new century invigorated with promise and hope. While the state leads the nation in many respects, Oklahomans face significant hurdles that continue to challenge our spirit and resolve.…
Twin City impressions
I was honored this year to serve the state of Oklahoma as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. I was doubly honored because I was the first national delegate elected in Oklahoma. This was my second presidential nominating convention. In 2004, I served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in New York…
Art exhibit remixes labels, logos demonstrating corporate advertising
Whereas artists of previous centuries would have used religious or mythological symbols to suggest broad cultural ideas, 21st-century artists often turn to corporate labels and logos to represent themes of modern society. WOODBLOCKSDEEPLY DETAILED “Corporatocracy,” showing through Friday at the Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery, includes the work of three invited artists “? Marwin Begaye,…
Youthful Oklahoma mayor garners media attention
It wasn’t all about Palin at last week’s Republican National Convention. John Tyler Hammons, the 19-year-old Republican mayor of Muskogee, got his fair share of media attention, according to a story in the Tulsa World. Being touted as “America’s youngest mayor,” Hammons had media outlets from around the nation, including CNN, clamoring for his time.…
Oklahoma writer quickly made a name in comic-book world
Like so many Oklahomans before him, Sterling Gates moved west in search of success. His journey has been a colorful one, with more than a few unexpected twists, but his hard work and perseverance has paid off. After working as a production assistant in television and film, and doing a year and a half of…
Oklahoma City officially names its NBA basketball team
Well, it’s official: The worst-kept secret in all of human history has finally been revealed. Our new NBA team will be called the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to an Associated Press story. To thunderous applause (hee-hee), team Chairman Clay Bennett addressed the assembled crowd that had gathered in downtown’s Leadership Square to hear the obvious.…
Stars align for a basketball exhibition game
Jumpshots and overeager varsity basketball players won’t be foremost on Mel Jackson’s mind when he comes to Oklahoma for the inaugural Celebrity Basketball Shootout at Midwest City High School. The actor who most recently appeared in the 2008 movie “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” spoke to Oklahoma Gazette two weeks prior, while in…
Science Museum Oklahoma hosts annual Film Fest
Four movies. One giant screen. Starting Thursday, Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 N.E. 52nd, plays host to its annual Film Fest, featuring four IMAX movies focused on the wonder (and occasional ire) of Mother Nature. From Thursday to Sunday, and again on Sept. 18-21, film lovers can purchase a Film Fest pass that allows them to…
Government in Action
Florida’s nation-leading epidemic of mortgage fraud was facilitated by state regulators who permitted 2,200 people with finance-crime records to become professional “loan originators,” part of the total of 10,000 with rap sheets allowed to work in the industry over an eight-year period, according to a July investigation by The Miami Herald. At least 20 registered…
The Forbidden Kingdom
2008 The big draw behind “The Forbidden Kingdom” is in seeing two of martial-arts cinema’s all-time giants working together for the first time: Jackie Chan and Jet Li. It’s too bad it couldn’t be in a film from their native Asia, but as far as American approximations of kung-fu films goes, “Kingdom” reigns near the…
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
2006 Critics were quick to compare this French spy spoof to “Austin Powers,” but really, this international man of mirth has his comedic ancestors in Inspector Clouseau and Frank Drebin, from “The Pink Panther” and “The Naked Gun” franchises. “OSS 117” has the potential to spawn a long-running series of its own (indeed, the first…
Oklahoma City band reforms into Fires of Atlas
The members of Oklahoma City rock band Luma ” an Oklahoma Gazette Woody Award winner in 2007 ” have reformed as Fires of Atlas, a 2005 side project that has stolen focus for each of the group’s four members. Fires of Atlas sounds decidedly more experimental than Luma ever was. Gone are the pop anthems…
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz team boasts mascot of the year
Those who have perused last week’s and this week’s issues of Oklahoma Gazette may have noticed our state ain’t so great when it comes to high walkability and low teen smoking rates. Such news gives us pause and makes us wonder, “Are we good at anything?” Yes! According to the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, our…
