Trisha’s cookbook to be featured
Sharon Dowell, food editor for The Oklahoman, is featuring Oklahoma country music star Trisha Yearwood and her new cookbook in Wednesday’s Food section.
The cookbook is titled “Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes From My Family to Yours,” and Yearwood co-wrote it with her mother and sister.
Yearwood – who lives in Owasso with her husband, fellow country star Garth Brooks – told Sharon she “couldn’t be happier” with how the cookbook turned out. Brooks wrote the foreword for the cookbook.
It has already reached the No. 4 spot on the New York Times best-seller list for hardcover advice books.
Sharon said that Yearwood was chipper and excited when talking about the process of assembling the book.
“We didn’t have any idea how it would go over because I’ve never done this before. And the response has been so overwhelming,” she told Sharon.
Check Wednesday’s Food section of The Oklahoman to get the full skinny on the Yearwood family’s Southern cooking.
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OKC Museum of Art roof reopening Thursday
In yet another sign that spring is here, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art has announced that its roof terrace will reopen for the season on Thursday.
The museum will host Cocktails on the Skyline for the new hours of 5 to 10:30 p.m. every Thursday, weather permitting, through October. The relaxing weekly event includes a full bar, appetizers from the Museum Cafe and an incredible view the Oklahoma City skyline.
The event is open to all ages, but visitors must be at least 21 to be served alcohol.
Admission is free for members and $9 for nonmembers, which includes admission to the galleries, $7 seniors and students. Starting June 19-Oct. 12, there will be a surcharge for the exhibition Roman Art from The Louvre.
For more information, go to www.okcmoa.com/cafe/cocktailsontheskyline.
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Apatow answers
Here are the answers from the ”Apatow Aptitude Test,” which Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Barbara Vancheri devised. I hope you’ll go to her great story and take the full quiz by clicking here.
Here are the answers to the partial quiz I posted Monday:
1. Which actress is married to Judd Apatow?
a. Katherine Heigl
b. Catherine Keener
c. Leslie Mann
d. Christina Applegate
Answer: c. Leslie Mann
2. Who was not part of his “Freaks and Geeks” ensemble?
a. Seth Rogen
b. Linda Cardellini
c. James Franco
d. Tina Fey
Answer: d. Tina Fey
3. What movie marked Apatow’s feature-directing debut?
a. “Knocked Up”
b. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”
c. “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”
d. “Fun With Dick and Jane”
Answer: b. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”
4. What TV show won Apatow an Emmy for writing?
a. “The Larry Sanders Show”
b. “Freaks and Geeks”
c. “Saturday Night Live”
d. “The Ben Stiller Show”
d. “The Ben Stiller Show”
5. Where did Jason Segel tell Apatow his idea for “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”?
a. Courtside at a Lakers game
b. At the Golden Globes
c. At a sushi bar
d. Over manicures and pedicures
Answer: Courtside at a Lakers game, according to movie publicity material
-BAM
New releases
Someone please remind me what decade this is again. Among the new CDs hitting the shelves today are releases from Madonna, Def Leppard and Carly Simon.
Here’s a rundown of this week’s CD, DVD and book releases according to Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and wire reports:
CDs
Def Leppard, “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge.”
Madonna, “Hard Candy.”
Steve Winwood, “Nine Lives.”
Portishead, “Third.”
Carly Simon, “This Kind of Love.”
DVDs
“27 Dresses”
“The Golden Compass” (including two-disc Platinum Series edition)
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“Scrubs” – Seasons 1-6
“Grey’s Anatomy” – Seasons 1-3
“Lost” – The Complete Seasons 1-3
“The Waltons – The Complete Seventh Season”
Books
James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet, “Sundays at Tiffany’s.”
Tom Rob Smith, “Child 44.”
Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen, “Days of Infamy.”
Mehmet Oz and Michael F. Roizen, “YOU: The Owner’s Manual, Updated and Expanded Edition: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger .”
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What to do in Oklahoma on April 29
Today’s featured event:
Hip-hop fans shouldn’t miss Kanye West’s extravagant “Glow in the Dark” tour with guests Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco. The tour stops at 7 p.m. today at the Ford Center, 100 W Reno.
For more information, go to www.okfordcenter.com.
Kenny still playing OKC despite injury
This is an expanded version of a story from Tuesday’s The Oklahoman.
Chesney’s show will go on in city
Kenny Chesney’s Oklahoma City show will go on Friday despite an injury the country music star sustained during a concert last weekend.
“Kenny Chesney is planning on playing Friday night at the Ford Center, even with a bad bruise on his foot,” said Rob Agnew, public relations coordinator for the Ford Center, on Monday.
The reigning Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association entertainer of the year hurt his foot Saturday night when it was caught between a rising platform and the stage at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
The injury occurred during his entrance, and he played the almost two hour show limping and in obvious pain.
Chesney released a statement that his boot had to be cut off his foot after the show, but he never considered canceling the concert. More than 44,000 fans attended the South Carolina date on his “Poets & Pirates 2008″ tour.
In a statement Monday on Chesney’s Web site, the singer said his orthopedist in Nashville, Tenn., administered tests and gave him the green light to perform his upcoming shows. He is scheduled to play Thursday in Austin and Saturday in Dallas.
Chesney and special guest LeAnn Rimes will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Ford Center.
The “Don’t Blink” singer said on the site that he will have his foot taped and a doctor on hand.
“He (the doctor) told me it’s going to hurt – though nothing could hurt worse than Saturday I don’t think – and they can give me something to deaden the pain when I get out there,” Chesney said.
His foot was stuck between the still-moving hydraulic lift and the stage for nearly 40 seconds. He needed two shots of morphine after the show, according to the site.
The hitmaker is known for roaming the stage during his high-energy performances. Agnew said he wasn’t sure if any changes would be made to the concert because of Chesney’s injury, but “we’re sure it will be a great show.”
Tickets are still available for $59.50 and $69.50. For more information, call 235-8288 or go online to www.okfordcenter.com.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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Toby experiencing harrowing USO tour
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman.
War on terrorism: USO tour interrupted
Amid attack, Keith doesn’t miss a beat
Oklahoman takes a little bit of home to American troops in two war zones
Between a sandstorm and mortar fire, Oklahoma country music star Toby Keith’s latest United Service Organizations trip to U.S. war zones is turning into his most harrowing.
On Thursday night, Keith, 46, was playing at a military base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when mortar fire disrupted the country hitmaker’s song “Weed with Willie.” The fire sent Keith and most of the 2,500 soldiers in the crowd into nearby shelters.
Curt Motley, Keith’s booking agent, who is accompanying the singer-songwriter on the USO tour, described in an e-mail running about 100 yards to a concrete bunker and hunkering down for about an hour. Keith spent the time posing for snapshots and signing autographs, he said.
The “American Solider” singer returned to the stage once the all-clear was sounded – against the advice of a coalition military police officer.
“He went right to the verse he was in and finished his show!” said Motley, who also is a member of the USO World Board of Governors.
On Sunday morning, a giant sandstorm stranded Keith’s party at Camp Fallujah in Iraq. The huge storm originated in Syria and engulfed much of Iraq, Motley said in another e-mail sent Sunday night.
“We are covered in the fine moon dust-looking powder and we are indoors. The hallways appear to be smoking because there is so much dust and dirt in the air,” Motley said.
The group passed the time playing basketball with Marines there, he said.
Like the troops, the group also had to cope Sunday with the extreme temperatures in Iraq.
“The temp gauge in one of the escort vehicles read 131 degrees in the direct sun,” Motley said.
Keith, who grew up in Moore, is on his sixth USO tour of the Persian Gulf. He is known for traveling not only to large bases in the safe zones but to smaller, more remote forward operating bases.
“I try to set the standard to encourage other entertainers to start to go. You don’t have to go as extreme as I do. You know, I get pretty high off of putting on the gear and going into those places, … when I see a soldier come running out there and shaking my hand, going, ‘I can’t believe you’d come up here.’ These guys might not have seen a soul other than each other … from America for 18 or 20 months,” Keith said in an interview last summer with The Oklahoman.
The Norman resident came under mortar fire during his USO tour last year, and he was in Bagram, Afghanistan, when a military helicopter similar to the one he traveled in crashed near there.
“When you’ve done (almost) 100 shows over there, though, it gets to be like anything else,” he said last summer. “They make sure that we’re protected as well as we can be. The last thing they want, you know, is to have an incident where we go over there and something happened to us. So you know, they wouldn’t take us into a place where they thought there was going to be any fire, but sometimes the bad guy pops his head up anywhere.”
The Clinton-born star’s current 14-day tour already has taken him to Forward Operating Base Gardez, Bagram Air Base and Forward Operating Base Fenty. He is set to perform 18 shows by the end of the tour.
The tour has been dubbed “Toby Keith Biggest and Baddest Combat Zone Tour 2008.” His new two-disc greatest hits album, “35 Biggest Hits,” set for release May 6.
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Britney going back to “How I Met Your Mother”
Britney Spears will reprise her guest-starring role as ditzy receptionist Abby on an upcoming episode of CBS’ funny comedy “How I Met Your Mother.”
Production on the former pop starlet’s next “HIMYM” episode started today. It will air May 12.
“We’re all so thrilled to have Britney joining us once again. And just to head it off at the pass this time around: Yes, Mom, Britney’s very nice and no, I can’t get her autograph for you,” said Craig Thomas, the series’ executive producer and co-creator, in a news release.
Here’s the description of the upcoming episode from the release:
When Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Abby realize that they have one thing in common – their mutual hatred of Ted (Josh Radnor) - the “couple” decides to go to the bar to flaunt their new relationship in Ted’s face. Desperate to get a rise out of his former pal, Barney pops a surprising question to Abby.
Spears will be following up on her widely praised, ratings-grabbing appearance on the show’s March 24 episode. Spears’ March 24 appearance as Abby drew 10.6 million viewers – 1 million more than the previous week’s episode.
Tonight’s episode of “HIMYM” will guest star Sarah Chalke (”Scrubs”) and Will Forte (”Saturday Night Live”).
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Apatow aptitude
Speaking of Judd Apatow and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” - which we were in this week’s box office report - Barbara Vancheri of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette devised a fun and clever “Apatow Aptitude Test” (or AAT) that recently moved on Scripps Howard News Service. Here’s a snippet of it; I’ll post the answers tomorrow.
1. Which actress is married to Judd Apatow?
a. Katherine Heigl
b. Catherine Keener
c. Leslie Mann
d. Christina Applegate
2. Who was not part of his “Freaks and Geeks” ensemble?
a. Seth Rogen
b. Linda Cardellini
c. James Franco
d. Tina Fey
3. What movie marked Apatow’s feature-directing debut?
a. “Knocked Up”
b. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”
c. “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”
d. “Fun With Dick and Jane”
4. What TV show won Apatow an Emmy for writing?
a. “The Larry Sanders Show”
b. “Freaks and Geeks”
c. “Saturday Night Live”
d. “The Ben Stiller Show”
5. Where did Jason Segel tell Apatow his idea for “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”?
a. Courtside at a Lakers game
b. At the Golden Globes
c. At a sushi bar
d. Over manicures and pedicures
To take the full quiz, click here to go to the Vancheri’s great Post-Gazette story.
-BAM
Box office report
Comedies ruled in theaters this weekend, with “Baby Mama,” “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” in the top five.
The Associated Press reports that “Baby Mama,” which reunited “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update” co-anchors Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in a surrogate motherhood tale, made $18.3 million in ticket sales in its opening weekend, according to Sunday’s studio estimates.
“Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” the sequel to 2004’s hilarious “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” opened at No. 2 with $14.6 million.
The follow-up only cost $12 million to make, according to AP. It already is closing in on the entire theatrical take of $18.2 million for Harold and Kumar’s first outing, which found a much wider audience on DVD.
The Judd Apatow-produced “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” came in at No. 4 with $11 million
In the No. 3 spot was the kung fu movie ”The Forbidden Kingdom,” the first onscreen pairing of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. It made $11.2 million, and fell two spots from its No. 1 opening last weekend.
For the second consecutive weekend, the box office has brought in more revenue than the previous year after four down weekends.
But box office revenue is down 2.7 percent at $2.59 billion for the year so far, and attendance is down 5.4 percent.
However, the ever-earlier summer movie season kicks off this Friday in grand fashion with the Marvel superhero juggernaut “Iron Man,” which is getting great buzz.
1. “Baby Mama,” $18.3 million.
2. “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” $14.6 million.
3. “The Forbidden Kingdom,” $11.2 million.
4. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” $11 million.
5. “Nim’s Island,” $4.5 million.
6. “Prom Night,” $4.4 million.
7. “21,” $4 million.
8. “88 Minutes,” $3.6 million.
9. “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”, $2.4 million.
10. “Deception,” $2.2 million.
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