Klown
In order to convince his pregnant girlfriend (Mia Lyhne) that he is indeed “father material,” the goofy, gawky Frank (Frank Hvam) essentially kidnaps her 12-year-old nephew, Bo (Marcuz Jess Peterson), who’s staying with them while his parents are on vacation, and takes the pudgy, timid boy on a planned canoe trip. This comes to the…
Missing the point
Oklahoma City Public Schools, specifically inner-city high schools, will never be able to compete against schools in Edmond, Moore, Norman, Mid-Del and others because the most important product — a quality education — is perceived as subpar by the residents in those districts. Take, for example, the John Marshall effect. The boundaries that include John…
Capital sentence for pedophiles
We could show the world that we really do care about children in Oklahoma, since we have never done that before. —Jeannie Yarger, Edmond
Chicken fry country
Chicken fry at Classen Grill Credit: Mark Hancock But steak? Steak is already great. Juicy, tender, beefy. And we still fry it. Because frying things makes them awesome. If you’re looking for a great chicken-fried steak in Oklahoma City, you won’t have to look too far. They’re everywhere, they’re delicious and they’re probably covered in…
Tishomingo blues
Credit: Brad Gregg On Sept. 18, the platinum-selling singer-songwriter posted, “If you live in Tishomingo Ok., our dog Loretta has been missing for 2 days. She is a small black lab. She has a pink collar w a tag.” A longtime champion of our four-legged friends, Lambert started the nonprofit MuttNation, which raises funds for…
Principles of pasta
Calzone Credit: Shannon Cornman The market for Italian food is confusing. Much to my chagrin, there are plenty in our fair city who think that the height of Italian cuisine can be found at Olive Garden. (Their breadsticks are good.) And there are plenty of other mass-market spaghetti slingers, too. Carino’s and Fazoli’s, not traditional…
‘Hope’ springs
As if being the pastor of America’s largest church isn’t enough to keep Joel Osteen busy, he is also a best-selling author and television personality. This week, he and his wife, Victoria, co-pastors of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, come to Oklahoma City. “Many people who watch the television program don’t attend church,” Joel Osteen…
Studying the cities
Roy Williams Credit: Mark Hancock Roy Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, spoke of insights gained from the Chamber’s visits since 2005 to five cities out of state: Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Mo.; and Minneapolis. Williams described the cities in terms of seven areas — sports,…
Rasslin’s Ross
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB” lang=”EN-GB”> Jim Ross WWE bouts announced by Jim “Good Ol’ J.R.” Ross are seen in 160 countries and translated into 40 different languages. His voice — and the audience for professional wrestling — are truly global. But Ross still pays homage to a career started in the Sooner State. Now living in…
Roll of the ’dise
Noise-pop act Merchandise is something of a ghost on the Internet — a rarity in this digital age. It takes some deep Googling to find it. And yet the group is finding its way, only recently accepting the help of a publicist and booking agent … and only because lead singer Carson Cox met them…
OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie
OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie is a different kind of “head trip” film: one that puts the audience in the mind of its subject and co-director, Bud Clayman, a middle-aged man inflicted with all the maladies that make up the unwieldy title. Those like him and those who care for people…
One direction
Six months ago, John Johnson and Joie Sherman-Johnson, both University of Oklahoma alum who make up the duo North Meets South, were working corporate jobs in Washington, D.C., playing “casually, not even weekly, not even monthly for about two years,” per Johnson, before relocating to Norman. Fresh from a short tour of the Midwest, the…
The pig flew the coop
Credit: Brad Gregg Now we hear that Valentine will be on the upcoming 10th season of reality TV’s Top Chef. Turns out OKC patrons weren’t the only ones who liked his candied bacon sticky buns. Top Chef: Seattle will air Nov. 7. Unfortunately, those buns will fly south after that, as he’s accepted a job…
‘Bucket list bandit’ kicked
In a move showing keen criminal brilliance, the alleged bank robber believed by the FBI to be the “Bucket List Bandit” went to the last place anyone would suspect a person with substantial funds and only four months left to live would be visiting: Oklahoma. Michael Eugene Brewster of Pensacola, Fla., was arrested Sept. 13…
And speaking of pigs …
We will say this for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: They know how to take advantage of a photo op. When a national survey last week projected that two-thirds of Oklahomans will be obese by 2030 if current trends continue, PETA wasted no time rolling out a billboard that the group plans to…
PR BS
Lots of press releases cross our desk. Recently, these titles least screamed “Stop the presses!” —“Dadchelor Parties Are The New Trend In Pregnancy; DaddyScrubs Tells All” —“Business Advice from Batman” —“TOYOTA X STUDIO4C PRESENTS PES at Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2012 —“Power Rangers Samurai: Christmas Together, Friends Forever Debuts on DVD 10/16”
Naming names
Credit: Brad Gregg District Judge Bill Graves has thus far denied two transgender individuals’ requests to change their names to something denoting feminine identities, despite Graves’ colleagues regularly granting such requests, according to a recent story in The Oklahoman. Graves’ refusal isn’t a surprise for anyone who remembers his 24 years as a state representative…
PR BS
Lots of press releases cross our desk. Recently, these titles least screamed “Stop the presses!” —“Dadchelor Parties Are The New Trend In Pregnancy; DaddyScrubs Tells All” —“Business Advice from Batman” —“TOYOTA X STUDIO4C PRESENTS PES at Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2012 —“Power Rangers Samurai: Christmas Together, Friends Forever Debuts on DVD 10/16”
Wait for it
Matt Robison Credit: Mark Hancock Ironically, the need for state development and control was Oklahoma’s rationale for turning down a $54 million Early Innovator Grant in 2011 — the highest federal grant awarded to only seven states viewed as “leading the way on building a better health insurance marketplace.” Yet action on a state-created exchange…
Fall for all!
Let the whimsy of fall steal you away for a few months. Everything seems a bit more romantic, pumpkin-spice everything abounds and the new fall products and gifts start appearing in your Facebook feed and on the shelves of your favorite local shops. Maybe you aren’t sold on the wonder of fall — why wouldn’t…
Fore a good cause
Bring your golf clubs out for good — a good cause, that is. On Thursday, the Oklahoma Association for Justice will partner with The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM) to host the second annual charity golf tournament, Tee Off for TEEM. TEEM is a nonprofit that works to reduce poverty, homelessness and unemployment in Oklahoma.…
Tragic Moor
After a brief summer hiatus, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park is back at the Water Stage with Othello, directed by D. Lance Marsh. It’s not W. Jerome Stevenson’s first time playing the title role of the Moor for OSP. He’s fine, although the accent is a little annoying, making him hard to understand at times.…
OKG7 new noshes
Diamond Dawgs 753 Asp, Norman 364-3294 It’s tailgating season, and that means hot dogs. You’re in luck, because Campus Corner is home to a new spot that serves them up. Now, these aren’t just any ol’ dogs. Try the Bambino, for instance, which includes pulled pork with broccoli slaw on top. Enjoy your “dawg” out…
Rising above messages of hate
An anti-Islam movie trailer recently posted to YouTube resulted in unfortunate and inexcusable acts of violence in parts of the Middle East. The film itself is a shameful and disgraceful take on the religion of Islam, and has caused pain in the hearts of the American Muslim community. As an individual who was born in…
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…
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…
Human food
“I wanted to be a part of helping Oklahoma’s upcoming artists and filmmakers,” Fleischfresser said. Written by Oklahoma native Matt Price, Posthuman is a superhero movie about the teenage experience. It is now being shot in Oklahoma City and at Quartz Mountain with local cast and crew. Director Kyle Roberts called it “the next evolution…
Prop 8 gets dramatic
The Oklahoma Theatre Guild is taking part in a series of nationwide productions of the landmark marriage equality play, 8. In cooperation with the Cimarron Alliance, OTG presents a one-night-only reading of 8, the 2011 play by Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Milk. The work chronicles the historic trial that successfully challenged California’s…
Cope skills
Photo: Anna Lee It only took one neglected guitar for Oklahoma City singer-songwriter Chelsey Cope to devote herself to music. “My older sister had this weird obsession with Garth Brooks when she was younger. She asked for a guitar to learn how to play, but she was gone all the time. She had a lot…
Mind the Fox — Songs for the Needy
The 11-track effort has the feel of a product made for and formulated in a dingy basement with dusty floral couches, shag carpet and tacky wood wall paneling … and I mean that in the best of ways. It’s something of a time capsule uncovered from four or five decades back, neither updated nor refurbished…
Show me The Greens
At 6 p.m. Thursday, The Greens will open to the public for the fundraiser. Harris has been sponsoring happy hours for about a year, with each raising money for a different local charity. As a result, he estimates that more than $2,000 to date has been raised for local charities. As a perk, the fundraisers…
Durant’s delayed
Jim Tolbert OCURA voted Sept. 19 to table a vote on plans by developer Randy Hogan for a restaurant along the Bricktown canal just west of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill and east of Earl’s Rib Palace after board members expressed concern about the restaurant’s entrance not facing the canal. During the…
Bigger Brother
Photo: Jo McCaughey Nashville garage-rock duo Jeff the Brotherhood must be pretty big fans of Norman. Next Wednesday’s show marks its third here in less than a year. But it won’t be more of the same, as it also marks Jeff the Brotherhood’s first since releasing Hypnotic Nights, the band’s seventh studio album and first…
Painting the town Greg
The rare detail in this specific print is that, on the building, you can spot a campaign sign for the late David Hood’s unsuccessful congressional bid in 1980. The inclusion of Hood’s sign was once a puzzling detail: “David who?” These days, it’s the name on the milk bottle that might inspire confusion: “Shouldn’t that…
Locked and loaded
UK rock band Young Guns didn’t have the biggest expectations for its first substantial trek across the pond. “We were kind of thinking, ‘We are first ones on, from England, and no one is going to give a shit,’” singer Gustav Woods said. “It’s been fantastic, though. We were hungry. It’s so great to come…
Groove for good
Issues of human rights have become increasingly prevalent in today’s political discourse. Yet throughout this ever-fervent election season — one where finger-pointing has a tendency to overshadow more practical approaches to civil liberties — it’s a discussion that often finds itself lost in the bickering and politicking that frequently inhabits the campaign trail. As Groovefest…
Going to pot
Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa, who chairs the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee, will determine if the interim study merits a legislative hearing. He said he is open to the educational value of such a study, but not legalizing marijuana. “I don’t want to prejudge their efforts, but my main concern is the recreational…
General Education
Then again, it might not. Levi Collins (Chris Sheffield, Transformers: Dark of the Moon) is a Rushmore-esque high school senior so smart-ass, he has a sidekick. He also has a full college scholarship for tennis, but that’s in danger when he flunks science. In order to save it, he has to attend summer school without…
The Five Man Army
The multiculti cast is led by Peter Graves as The Dutchman. For someone who grew up on multiple viewings of Airplane!, seeing Graves as a badass outlaw is something of a trip. At the time, he was about midway through his run on TV’s Mission: Impossible, and like that long-running series, Five Man Army finds…
G.O.O.D. Music — Cruel Summer
With outstanding talent like Kanye, John Legend, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Common and Mos Def on the G.O.O.D. label, there’s no reason that Cruel Summer shouldn’t be near-perfect, but that is far from the case. Too much input from 2 Chainz and Big Sean — each of whom has his bright points, but often comes…
Rock of ageless
It was as if the birth of Nirvana had never happened. It was as if music never stopped being fun. And catchy. And above all, horny. That’s the power of Lita Ford, Poison and Def Leppard. Maybe I had been living in Colorado too long. Maybe I had been too accustomed to concerts featuring Brooklyn-based…
The Revenant
I was reminded of this by the trailer for The Revenant, which touts the zombie comedy as coming from “visionary filmmaker” Kerry Prior. If he’s so visionary, why wasn’t his film given a wide theatrical rollout? Why did it take three years for the 2009 production to hit video? And why does it bear so…
‘Bucket List Bandit’ kicked
Michael Eugene Brewster of Pensacola, Fla., was arrested Sept. 13 near Roland in far eastern Oklahoma after officers conducting a routine traffic stop determined the vehicle he was driving allegedly was stolen. Brewster is suspected of being the “Bucket List Bandit,” a moniker dubbed by someone with the creative instincts of a decomposing mackerel because…
The Tall Man
In just under two hours, a 36-hour ordeal is told, focusing on Julia (Jessica Biel, Total Recall), a free-clinic nurse turned supermom when her Chucky doll-looking son is kidnapped by The Tall Man. He drives a rusty van that practically screams “child molester.” I’ll give the film by writer/director Pascal Laugier (Martyrs) this: It throws…
Sitting Target
Oh, and she’s preggo. It’s not his. That revelation causes Harry to bust through the glass that separates them so he can get his paws around her neck. It’s an indication that this not-so-ordinary crime tale intends to do the same to audiences. In its day, I’m sure it did, being the first British film…
