The Shortcut
ith his girl while walking in the woods one night, and she slaps him. He hits back harder, leaving her bloody and in tears. A little boy shows up on this shortcut; she asks for his help, but he responds by swinging a rock at her face. (Sometimes, it does hurt to ask, I guess.)…
Least Competent Criminals
Lisa Newsome, 42, was arrested in Zachary, La., in August, caught trying to smuggle a 24-can case of beer out of a convenience store. The heavyset, housecoat-clad Newsome was squeezing the 20-pound case between her legs as she waddled from the cooler toward the front door. When police arrived, Newsome offered to pull up the…
Update
News of the Weird reported in June 2006 that a second forensic expert had concluded that an innocent man, Cameron Todd Willingham, had been executed in Texas in 2004 — that the “arson” that killed his three daughters was surely only a tragic accident. One of the experts had made a last-second appeal to the…
The Real Story: Part 1
2008-2009 Some of pop culture’s biggest events are explored in the Smithsonian Channel’s “The Real Story” series, two episodes of which comprise this “Part 1” DVD release, looking into perhaps the country’s most famous jailbreak and most infamous haunting. “Escape from Alcatraz” is first, examining how three men busted out of the island prison’s seemingly…
Update
News of the Weird reported in June 2006 that a second forensic expert had concluded that an innocent man, Cameron Todd Willingham, had been executed in Texas in 2004 — that the “arson” that killed his three daughters was surely only a tragic accident. One of the experts had made a last-second appeal to the…
Least Competent Criminals
Lisa Newsome, 42, was arrested in Zachary, La., in August, caught trying to smuggle a 24-can case of beer out of a convenience store. The heavyset, housecoat-clad Newsome was squeezing the 20-pound case between her legs as she waddled from the cooler toward the front door. When police arrived, Newsome offered to pull up the…
People Different From Us
Geography professor Melanie Patton Renfrew, 54, was convicted in Burbank, Calif., in August of violating a judge’s order to stop stalking KNBC-TV weatherman Fritz Coleman. Renfrew had badgered Coleman for two years, via e-mail and telephone calls, about his “error” in terminology, confusing “onshore” winds with “offshore” winds. Coleman, she insisted, needed to apologize. “Offshore”…
People Different From Us
Geography professor Melanie Patton Renfrew, 54, was convicted in Burbank, Calif., in August of violating a judge’s order to stop stalking KNBC-TV weatherman Fritz Coleman. Renfrew had badgered Coleman for two years, via e-mail and telephone calls, about his “error” in terminology, confusing “onshore” winds with “offshore” winds. Coleman, she insisted, needed to apologize. “Offshore”…
The Continuing Crisis
Elsie Poncher decided reluctantly in August to go back on a promise she had made to her late husband. Richard Poncher had purchased a crypt (for himself) just above the one in which the body of Marilyn Monroe rests in a Los Angeles memorial park, but Elsie now needs money and thus offered the crypt…
The Continuing Crisis
Elsie Poncher decided reluctantly in August to go back on a promise she had made to her late husband. Richard Poncher had purchased a crypt (for himself) just above the one in which the body of Marilyn Monroe rests in a Los Angeles memorial park, but Elsie now needs money and thus offered the crypt…
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season
2008-2009 Is it sacrilege to say that “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” packed a more pleasing punch than either of the last two “Terminator” movies? Because it’s true. With its second “? and, sadly, final “? season now out on DVD, you can judge for yourself. The show continues to serve as a prequel to…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Study the following facts to derive oracular clues about your upcoming destiny. Some bacteria are inimical to human beings, but others are friendly, like the creatures that inhabit your intestine and help you digest the food you eat. There are snakes whose venom is poisonous in large doses but healing in small amounts. The term…
Chutzpah!
In August, Jorge Iglesias petitioned a judge in Madison, Wis., to regain custody of his 66 roosters and hens that police confiscated in a suspected cockfighting raid. Iglesias said he feared that the Dane County Humane Society, temporarily holding the animals, was treating them with “cruel and barbaric” abuse. Afghan refugee Fridoon Sadiqi filed a…
The Police Department
Latest Domestic Disturbance Calls: A couple fought with each other using water, mouthwash and powdered whey protein (Bremerton, Wash., July). A wife repeatedly punched her husband and then, as officers arrived, pulled him inside the house by his ear (Niceville, Fla., August). A 78-year-old woman kicked her husband in the groin several times recently because…
Zombie doom
Based on models of rampant infectious diseases, say researchers, civilization would be doomed if we were ever attacked by zombies. If society were ever attacked by zombies, we would probably be doomed, and quickly. That was the conclusion of two university researchers in Ottawa, Ontario, who set up mathematical models hypothesizing zombie attacks as infectious…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I’m embarrassed to confess that when I’m shopping for an herbal supplement I’ve never bought before, my choice is unduly influenced by how much I like the packaging. For example, I might opt for the brassy orange and white bottle with bold black lettering over the brand with the washed-out blue-green color scheme and delicate…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
On the website “Yahoo! Answers,” readers pose questions that are answered by other readers who have expertise on the subject. In a recent entry, a young woman asked, “Is there a spell to become a mermaid that actually works?” Of the 50+ replies, most are snarky and mean, ridiculing the asker of the question, and…
OKC area’s first Pagan Pride Day celebrates alternative religions
by the plethora of self-help and do-it-yourself spirituality books available in bookstores, but the ethos undergirding it is still very much alive in the pagan community. “The New Age Movement encouraged practitioners to pursue an integrated way of looking at life,” Boyd said. “The governing question was ‘How do you unify life?'” BALANCE Kat Lansdale…
The Police Department
Latest Domestic Disturbance Calls: A couple fought with each other using water, mouthwash and powdered whey protein (Bremerton, Wash., July). A wife repeatedly punched her husband and then, as officers arrived, pulled him inside the house by his ear (Niceville, Fla., August). A 78-year-old woman kicked her husband in the groin several times recently because…
Los Angeles psych-rockers Dead Meadow sow striking, organic sounds of ‘Old Growth’
The chug rolls in like a skunky fog, casting a ghostly pall over Dead Meadow and its groovy psychedelia. More Casper than Headless Horseman, the spirit lounges lazily in deeply rutted rhythms that gently waver like a spindly tree in a soft summer breeze. The heavy-lidded drone subsides beneath front man Jason Simon’s languid croon,…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Study the following facts to derive oracular clues about your upcoming destiny. Some bacteria are inimical to human beings, but others are friendly, like the creatures that inhabit your intestine and help you digest the food you eat. There are snakes whose venom is poisonous in large doses but healing in small amounts. The term…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
“Dear Rob: I’ve read horoscope columns written by many astrologers, and yours is the only one that’s not prejudiced against at least one of the signs. You really do treat everyone equally. You play no favorites. But that’s exactly the bone I have to pick with you. I’m wondering if you’ve got a passion deficiency…
OKC transgender attorney considers run against Sally Kern
From the “you can’t make this up” department: transgender attorney Brittany Novotny is considering a run at moral warrior Sally Kern for Kern’s Oklahoma House District 84 in 2010. Statements made to various blogs around Oklahoma City indicate that she is seriously considering a run. She told Gossip-Boy.com: “I’m exploring a run for House District…
Love Happens
“Love Happens” devours so many clich
Rockabilly Queen’ plans to hold court
The “Rockabilly Queen” will hold court with fans, politicians and community leaders, and perform a free concert on Sept. 30 to celebrate the official dedication of city alley renamed in her honor. Wanda Jackson Way will be officially unveiled at a 1:30 p.m. ceremony held at the alley, which runs parallel to East Reno Avenue…
Oklahoma City University opens book, fall season with ‘Children of Eden’
community and church theaters. Audiences love it and it has some of the most beautiful songs and in musical theater,” Herendeen said. THOUGHT-PROVOKING The decision to perform “Children of Eden” was in part influenced by its popularity among Herendeen’s students, who have been asking him to consider it for some time. He said his approach…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
This is an excellent time to celebrate the pleasures of emptiness . . . to extol the virtues of the blank slate . . . to be open to endless possibilities but committed to none . . . to bask in the freedom of not having to be anything, anyone, or anywhere. Are you smart…
Oklahoma native The Flaming Lips debut album on ‘The Colbert Report’
Oklahoma’s own The Flaming Lips have a new album out, and what better way to promote the album than by appearing on a mock conservative talk show? Of course, it’s one of the coolest shows on television. “The Colbert Report,” hosted by Stephen Colbert, is well-known for its right-wing political satire ” the perfect venue…
Draconian justice
Why in the world does Oklahoma lead the nation in the number of women incarcerated on a per capita basis? Do state leaders really want that distinction? The numbers tell a truly sad story: There are approximately 2,600 women imprisoned in Oklahoma, which reflects a rate of 131 per 100,000 residents. The national average is…
Laying off the youngest may not be the wisest choice
We Gannett editors in the 1980s were required to rank employees from most valuable to least valuable. (If you want to make friends and influence workers, try that sometime.) I know supervisors rate employees in their own minds, but forwarding the ranking to corporate seemed like a bosses-gone-wild episode. You knew what the brass would…
The Informant!
Large, shadowy organizations have always made great movie villains. And as far as shady organizations go, corporations are especially useful. They are often used to embody much of the impotent anger we as individuals feel from time to time in a world in which they seem to have all the money and power, and we…
Zombie doom
Based on models of rampant infectious diseases, say researchers, civilization would be doomed if we were ever attacked by zombies. If society were ever attacked by zombies, we would probably be doomed, and quickly. That was the conclusion of two university researchers in Ottawa, Ontario, who set up mathematical models hypothesizing zombie attacks as infectious…
Poteet Theatre’s comedy ‘All the Great Books (Abridged)’ no page-turner
Even when a particular performance or technical aspect may not be perfect, I always admire the ambition and artistic vision on display in most Poteet Theatre productions, usually a satisfying theater experience. However, with a minimal set and only three actors portraying dozens of roles, like what’s staged in “All the Great Books (Abridged),” it’s…
9
“9” is another post-apocalyptic tale, only this time with no human survivors “? just nine little humanoid thingies made out of gloves and bits of burlap. These critters are besieged by a machine that was invented by a human scientist with more intelligence than smarts “? this same machine was responsible for the destruction of…
Hundreds of bike riders hit Route 66 as part of MS national fund-raiser
Route 66 is going to be overrun this weekend by hundreds of bikers in tight spandex. This is not some bizarre splinter group of the Hells Angels, but rather participants in the state’s largest fund-raiser for multiple sclerosis, where herds of philanthropists will grab their bicycles and hit the Mother Road on Saturday, finishing at…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
“Dear Rob: I’ve read horoscope columns written by many astrologers, and yours is the only one that’s not prejudiced against at least one of the signs. You really do treat everyone equally. You play no favorites. But that’s exactly the bone I have to pick with you. I’m wondering if you’ve got a passion deficiency…
Dual-drumming Savannah sludge-rockers Kylesa overhaul sound
Hard-rockers Kylesa have never been ones to chase a trend, but thanks in part to the efforts of their Georgian neighbors to the north, the Savannah quintet finds itself caught in a riptide of the musical zeitgeist. Like Atlanta’s Mastodon, Kylesa’s sound mixes the ponderous throb of sludge metal and hardcore’s aggression with an unusual,…
Hundreds of bike riders hit Route 66 as part of MS national fund-raiser
Route 66 is going to be overrun this weekend by hundreds of bikers in tight spandex. This is not some bizarre splinter group of the Hells Angels, but rather participants in the state’s largest fund-raiser for multiple sclerosis, where herds of philanthropists will grab their bicycles and hit the Mother Road on Saturday, finishing at…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
This is an excellent time to celebrate the pleasures of emptiness . . . to extol the virtues of the blank slate . . . to be open to endless possibilities but committed to none . . . to bask in the freedom of not having to be anything, anyone, or anywhere. Are you smart…
Local charity makes music, brings attention to state’s hungry
Sherree Chamberlain wowed crowds at April’s Norman Music Festival with rich and alluring vocals tinged with the pastoral soulfulness of her Stillwater home. Although she had had just migrated to the metro a year prior, her festival set perked a lot of new ears. In July, the rootsy folksinger released her long-awaited album, “The Wasp…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Novelist James Patterson has signed a deal with a publisher to churn out 17 new books between now and the end of 2012. (By comparison, it took me six years to write my first book, nine years to write my second, and five years for my third.) According to my reading of the astrological omens,…
Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it was illegal for it to dwell within city limits
ass=”MsoNormal” style=”MARGIN: auto 0in”>How often are code enforcement employees chasing down chickens? Very rarely, Locke said. Most often, the department deals with free-range chickens, as in birds freely ranging all over city neighborhoods. Roaming chickens are picked up by animal welfare officers, but it’s a different situation with urban chickens. Those found harboring illegal chickens…
OKC area’s first Pagan Pride Day celebrates alternative religions
by the plethora of self-help and do-it-yourself spirituality books available in bookstores, but the ethos undergirding it is still very much alive in the pagan community. “The New Age Movement encouraged practitioners to pursue an integrated way of looking at life,” Boyd said. “The governing question was ‘How do you unify life?'” BALANCE Kat Lansdale…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
During the dialog about health care in the U.S., certain highly relevant facts are never discussed. For example, it’s ludicrous for right-wingers to fear that a government-run health system would freshly infect our capitalist system with the stain of socialism. The truth is, America has long had the biggest socialist enterprise in the world: its…
Guthrie’s Lazy E Arena hosts expo
Oklahoma Wildlife Expo at the Lazy E Arena, 9600 Lazy E in Guthrie. Hundreds of booths will be stretched across the arena, giving visitors an opportunity to participate in various sporting activities. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is hosting the fifth annual expo, which has developed a reputation as the largest outdoor recreational event…
L.A.’s Division Day breaks with dreamy debut, embraces murky, eerie, supernatural
Bands involve a lot of “hurry up and wait,” and musicians endure plenty of sitting in vans and green rooms before showtime, but like any race, it’s all a matter of endurance. Division Day’s almost ran out, but the four-piece took some extra time, recharged the batteries and reinvented itself with a new album, “Visitation.”…
One Oklahoma City couple runs, rides, skates to relax
When Rob and Sarah Bell want to break away from the humdrum of the everyday rat race, they have a simple solution: Take to the road. Literally. The couple is almost always on the move, whether it’s running, cycling or, in Rob’s case, inline skating. When they aren’t off competing at various events, the Bells…
Local charity makes music, brings attention to state’s hungry
Sherree Chamberlain wowed crowds at April’s Norman Music Festival with rich and alluring vocals tinged with the pastoral soulfulness of her Stillwater home. Although she had had just migrated to the metro a year prior, her festival set perked a lot of new ears. In July, the rootsy folksinger released her long-awaited album, “The Wasp…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Novelist James Patterson has signed a deal with a publisher to churn out 17 new books between now and the end of 2012. (By comparison, it took me six years to write my first book, nine years to write my second, and five years for my third.) According to my reading of the astrological omens,…
Norman Music festival expands to two-day event
Organizers revealed dates for the 2010 Norman Music Festival last week and announced that the third annual outdoor concert has been expanded into a two-day event. To be held April 24-25 next year, NMF will again stage in downtown Norman, but festival chair Quentin Bomgardner said that the Saturday concerts will be indoors, with evening…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Jonathan Lee Riches is renowned for filing numerous lawsuits in U.S courts. Some of his targets are actual living people, like Martha Stewart, George W. Bush, and Steve Jobs. But he has also gone after defendants like Nostradamus, Che Guevara, the Eiffel Tower, the ex-planet Pluto, the Holy Grail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Garden…
Dual-drumming Savannah sludge-rockers Kylesa overhaul sound
Hard-rockers Kylesa have never been ones to chase a trend, but thanks in part to the efforts of their Georgian neighbors to the north, the Savannah quintet finds itself caught in a riptide of the musical zeitgeist. Like Atlanta’s Mastodon, Kylesa’s sound mixes the ponderous throb of sludge metal and hardcore’s aggression with an unusual,…
Fermat’s Room
2007 Imagine if the villain of “Saw” had a master’s degree in mathematics, and you’ll get the gist of “Fermat’s Room,” a brainy and brain-bending superlative Spanish thriller. On the surface, its simple structure bears similarity to the cult sci-fi hit “Cube,” with people trapped in a room, having to solve puzzles to find their…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I’m embarrassed to confess that when I’m shopping for an herbal supplement I’ve never bought before, my choice is unduly influenced by how much I like the packaging. For example, I might opt for the brassy orange and white bottle with bold black lettering over the brand with the washed-out blue-green color scheme and delicate…
Despite witty script ‘Blithe’ births dull performance
a pretty good clip, and in OCTC’s production, it does for the most part. Prigs might say something about the English accents, but the actors get a pass without an excessive amount of leeway. By the end, May sounds remarkably like Cary Grant, not that anything is wrong with that. Mackie’s direction, except for a…
Oklahoma native The Flaming Lips debut album on ‘The Colbert Report’
Oklahoma’s own The Flaming Lips have a new album out, and what better way to promote the album than by appearing on a mock conservative talk show? Of course, it’s one of the coolest shows on television. “The Colbert Report,” hosted by Stephen Colbert, is well-known for its right-wing political satire ” the perfect venue…
Norman Music festival expands to two-day event
Organizers revealed dates for the 2010 Norman Music Festival last week and announced that the third annual outdoor concert has been expanded into a two-day event. To be held April 24-25 next year, NMF will again stage in downtown Norman, but festival chair Quentin Bomgardner said that the Saturday concerts will be indoors, with evening…
Laying off the youngest may not be the wisest choice
We Gannett editors in the 1980s were required to rank employees from most valuable to least valuable. (If you want to make friends and influence workers, try that sometime.) I know supervisors rate employees in their own minds, but forwarding the ranking to corporate seemed like a bosses-gone-wild episode. You knew what the brass would…
Paintings, personal journals highlights American Indian woman’s atypical vision, activism
er, Dr. Cornelius Duggan, members of a wealthy New York City family. Although Wa Wa Chaw grew up in a white family and never met her Indian parents, she was a devoted activist for both American Indian and women’s rights, and used her heritage extensively as a theme in her art. “There’s no question that…
Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it was illegal for it to dwell within city limits
ass=”MsoNormal” style=”MARGIN: auto 0in”>How often are code enforcement employees chasing down chickens? Very rarely, Locke said. Most often, the department deals with free-range chickens, as in birds freely ranging all over city neighborhoods. Roaming chickens are picked up by animal welfare officers, but it’s a different situation with urban chickens. Those found harboring illegal chickens…
One Oklahoma City couple runs, rides, skates to relax
When Rob and Sarah Bell want to break away from the humdrum of the everyday rat race, they have a simple solution: Take to the road. Literally. The couple is almost always on the move, whether it’s running, cycling or, in Rob’s case, inline skating. When they aren’t off competing at various events, the Bells…
UCO kicks off musical season with ‘High Society,’ rolls out the red carpet
Set amongst the rich and famous of Newport, R.I., “High Society” is a romantic comedy that revolves around the wedding plans of pretentious socialite Tracy Lord. Just as she is about to marry a stuffy social climber, she is thrown off balance when her ex-husband tries to win her back. Things are further complicated when…
DVD to tell tale of ‘Oklahoma Octopus’
Remember the sightings of a so-called giant octopus terrorizing Oklahoma lakes? We even wrote a cover story about it (“Eight arms to kill you,” Aug. 15, 2007, Oklahoma Gazette). The mythical man-eater is the subject of an episode of “Lost Tapes,” an Animal Planet series on cryptozoological creatures, coming to DVD on Oct. 6. The…
Human Animal Link of Oklahoma provides hairy helpers with therapy
Wagging tails, tongues and a belly rub may be what the doctor ordered. HALO ” Human Animal Link of Oklahoma ” is a newly founded animal-assisted therapy program that provides its services to elementary schools, clinics and anywhere else they’re needed, said Terri Smith, executive director. FURRY FRIEND COURT DECISION THERAPY BREAKTHROUGHS HALO began after…
Los Angeles psych-rockers Dead Meadow sow striking, organic sounds of ‘Old Growth’
The chug rolls in like a skunky fog, casting a ghostly pall over Dead Meadow and its groovy psychedelia. More Casper than Headless Horseman, the spirit lounges lazily in deeply rutted rhythms that gently waver like a spindly tree in a soft summer breeze. The heavy-lidded drone subsides beneath front man Jason Simon’s languid croon,…
Midwest children’s author plans visit to Edmond book store
Despite growing up in the Midwest, Loren Long never spent much time on a farm. But the hardworking rural life inspired the character for his latest picture book, “Otis.” He visits Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road in Edmond, 4 p.m. today to sign copies of the title, which tells the touching story of…
DVD to tell tale of ‘Oklahoma Octopus’
Remember the sightings of a so-called giant octopus terrorizing Oklahoma lakes? We even wrote a cover story about it (“Eight arms to kill you,” Aug. 15, 2007, Oklahoma Gazette). The mythical man-eater is the subject of an episode of “Lost Tapes,” an Animal Planet series on cryptozoological creatures, coming to DVD on Oct. 6. The…
Government in Action
Scared-y Cat Brits: In June the Peterborough City Council ordered retirees who come together for weekly coffee at the public library to give up hot drinks, in case one accidentally spilled on a child. In July the Dagenham Pool in Essex, citing (according to the manager) drowning risks, banned swimmers from doing “lengths” and forced…
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve celebrates 20th anniversary
The endless horizon of Oklahoma’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve could have gone the way of the vast majority of tallgrass prairies ” plowed under for cropland or developed into urban sprawl. ULTIMATE STAYCATION LAST INTACT STRUT THEIR STUFF But for the past two decades, the 39,100-acre Tallgrass Prairie Reserve in Northeastern Oklahoma near Pawhuska and its…
Human Animal Link of Oklahoma provides hairy helpers with therapy
Wagging tails, tongues and a belly rub may be what the doctor ordered. HALO ” Human Animal Link of Oklahoma ” is a newly founded animal-assisted therapy program that provides its services to elementary schools, clinics and anywhere else they’re needed, said Terri Smith, executive director. FURRY FRIEND COURT DECISION THERAPY BREAKTHROUGHS HALO began after…
Smithsonian exhibit treks across Oklahoma on ‘Journey’
United States, as well as westward expansion going to California,” Pettyjohn said. By the middle of the 19th century, people, produce and livestock were carried over canals and on railroads, including the First Transcontinental Railroad completed in 1869. The innovations kept accelerating, and in the first part of the 20th century, electric streetcars and automobiles…
Midwest children’s author plans visit to Edmond book store
Despite growing up in the Midwest, Loren Long never spent much time on a farm. But the hardworking rural life inspired the character for his latest picture book, “Otis.” He visits Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road in Edmond, 4 p.m. today to sign copies of the title, which tells the touching story of…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Jonathan Lee Riches is renowned for filing numerous lawsuits in U.S courts. Some of his targets are actual living people, like Martha Stewart, George W. Bush, and Steve Jobs. But he has also gone after defendants like Nostradamus, Che Guevara, the Eiffel Tower, the ex-planet Pluto, the Holy Grail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Garden…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In the coming weeks, your medicinal effect and your power to incite change will be peaking simultaneously. You may heal people by shaking their certainties or you may scare people as you motivate them to shed their lazy approaches. You could be a stringently benevolent force or a disruptive fixer of broken things. My only…
Government in Action
Scared-y Cat Brits: In June the Peterborough City Council ordered retirees who come together for weekly coffee at the public library to give up hot drinks, in case one accidentally spilled on a child. In July the Dagenham Pool in Essex, citing (according to the manager) drowning risks, banned swimmers from doing “lengths” and forced…
Ada’s East Central University opens fine arts center
East Central University in Ada debuts the new Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center with a Friday tour and dedication ceremony. Plans for the center began in the late 1980s, and were put into motion when alumnae Hallie Brown Ford stepped in and donated $7 million. The university, 1100 E. 14th St., raised an additional…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In the coming weeks, your medicinal effect and your power to incite change will be peaking simultaneously. You may heal people by shaking their certainties or you may scare people as you motivate them to shed their lazy approaches. You could be a stringently benevolent force or a disruptive fixer of broken things. My only…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
On the website “Yahoo! Answers,” readers pose questions that are answered by other readers who have expertise on the subject. In a recent entry, a young woman asked, “Is there a spell to become a mermaid that actually works?” Of the 50+ replies, most are snarky and mean, ridiculing the asker of the question, and…
L.A.’s Division Day breaks with dreamy debut, embraces murky, eerie, supernatural
Bands involve a lot of “hurry up and wait,” and musicians endure plenty of sitting in vans and green rooms before showtime, but like any race, it’s all a matter of endurance. Division Day’s almost ran out, but the four-piece took some extra time, recharged the batteries and reinvented itself with a new album, “Visitation.”…
Draconian justice
Why in the world does Oklahoma lead the nation in the number of women incarcerated on a per capita basis? Do state leaders really want that distinction? The numbers tell a truly sad story: There are approximately 2,600 women imprisoned in Oklahoma, which reflects a rate of 131 per 100,000 residents. The national average is…
Chutzpah!
In August, Jorge Iglesias petitioned a judge in Madison, Wis., to regain custody of his 66 roosters and hens that police confiscated in a suspected cockfighting raid. Iglesias said he feared that the Dane County Humane Society, temporarily holding the animals, was treating them with “cruel and barbaric” abuse. Afghan refugee Fridoon Sadiqi filed a…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
During the dialog about health care in the U.S., certain highly relevant facts are never discussed. For example, it’s ludicrous for right-wingers to fear that a government-run health system would freshly infect our capitalist system with the stain of socialism. The truth is, America has long had the biggest socialist enterprise in the world: its…
Rockabilly Queen’ plans to hold court
The “Rockabilly Queen” will hold court with fans, politicians and community leaders, and perform a free concert on Sept. 30 to celebrate the official dedication of city alley renamed in her honor. Wanda Jackson Way will be officially unveiled at a 1:30 p.m. ceremony held at the alley, which runs parallel to East Reno Avenue…
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve celebrates 20th anniversary
The endless horizon of Oklahoma’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve could have gone the way of the vast majority of tallgrass prairies ” plowed under for cropland or developed into urban sprawl. ULTIMATE STAYCATION LAST INTACT STRUT THEIR STUFF But for the past two decades, the 39,100-acre Tallgrass Prairie Reserve in Northeastern Oklahoma near Pawhuska and its…
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Not as sharply satirical as it could be, but twice as funny as it needed to be to entertain kids, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is a surprisingly comic tale of an inventor who finds a way to make food out of plain water is a buffet table of pleasures. Tulsan Bill Hader (“Ice…
OKC transgender attorney considers run against Sally Kern
From the “you can’t make this up” department: transgender attorney Brittany Novotny is considering a run at moral warrior Sally Kern for Kern’s Oklahoma House District 84 in 2010. Statements made to various blogs around Oklahoma City indicate that she is seriously considering a run. She told Gossip-Boy.com: “I’m exploring a run for House District…
OU starts fall run breathing fresh life into Mark Twain’s ‘Is He Dead?’
Never produced in his lifetime, Mark Twain’s recently rediscovered farce “Is He Dead?” tells a fictional story of the real French painter Jean-Fran
Observe and Report
2009 “Observe and Report” is by no means the comic romp suggested by the trailer. Yes, it stars Seth Rogen, but despite surface similarities, he’s no Jack Black. Yes, he’s funny, but there’s also a darker underbelly to the guy that I’ve seen flashes of before, but that have never been exposed as thoroughly as…
Fringe: The Complete First Season
2008-2009 Weird science equals appointment television in Fox’s heavily hyped “Fringe” … but it wasn’t always that way. Initial episodes “? even within its own overextended pilot “? stumbled a bit as the series tried to get up and running, but once it found its footing, the show proved an intoxicating mix of mystery and…
Deadgirl
2008 Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel’s low-budget horror film “Deadgirl” arrives on DVD on a wave of good buzz from festivals and a growing fan base. Lower your expectations. Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez, TV’s “Jericho”) and J.T. (Noah Segan, “Fanboys”) are a couple of high school miscreants who skip class one day. J.T. takes Rickie to…
OKC voters exclusively share opinions on MAPS 3 options
s.” Back in February, former mayor Humphreys was upset in his bid to be Oklahoma City school board chairman by Angela Monson, based largely on a significant African-American turnout in just a few precincts. The city plans to lump all of the projects into one proposal for voters to consider. Gaddie called this strategy logrolling.…
30 Rock: Season 3
2008-2009 Is all the Emmy love for “30 Rock” justified? Hell, yes! The New York sitcom set behind the scenes of TV’s most dysfunctional comedy show is likely the smartest thing going on the tube — network or cable. It’s not that you need a college degree or a Mensa membership to enjoy “30 Rock”…
OKC voters exclusively share opinions on MAPS 3 options
s.” Back in February, former mayor Humphreys was upset in his bid to be Oklahoma City school board chairman by Angela Monson, based largely on a significant African-American turnout in just a few precincts. The city plans to lump all of the projects into one proposal for voters to consider. Gaddie called this strategy logrolling.…
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
2009 Director Mark Waters brings us a romcom version of “A Christmas Carol” starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, a couple of Texans who create on screen all the chemistry and mutual love of Dallas and Ft. Worth. Connor Mead (McConaughey) is a hot shot photographer of interchangeably beautiful women, and serial bedder of same.…
