Coach Switzer will be on “Saving Grace”
Two weeks ago, I reported here on the blog and in The Oklahoman and NewsOK that former University of Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys football coach Barry Switzer will appear in the fifth episode of the second season of “Saving Grace.”
The TNT spiritual drama/cop procedural is filmed in Los Angeles but set in Oklahoma City. It stars Oscar winner Holly Hunter as police Detective Grace Hanadarko, a fast-living, hard-drinking cop who is visited by an atypical angel named Earl (Leon Rippy).
My colleague, The Oklahoman sports columnist Berry Tramel, spoke with Switzer about his role in the “Saving Grace” episode, which will air Aug. 11.
Switzer tells Berry that he hosted Hunter and series creator Nancy Miller, who grew up in Oklahoma City and went to OU, in his home and took them to an OU football game.
To read Berry’s interview with the coach, click here.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on July 31
Today’s featured event:
EDMOND – Bring your blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets and hear a free concert at 7:15 tonight during Edmond’s Summer Concerts in the Park series at Hafer Park, 1034 S Bryant.
Country-pop singer Juliana Johnson, a New Yorker now living in Oklahoma City, will perform tonight’s show.
The series continues through Aug. 7.
For more information, www.edmondok.com.
To learn more about Johnson, go to www.julianajohnson.com or www.myspace.com/julianajohnsoncom.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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Bonus Video Spotlight: “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”
In more Comic-Con news, sci-fi guru Joss Whedon announced that he’s planning another part of his tragicomic online musical “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” according to multiple Internet sources.
According to Spout Blog, Whedon told the crowd during the Q&A of Friday’s “Dr. Horrible” panel “The idea is that there will be another part, so we’re not gonna tell you about it yet.” The news got big cheers.
“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” is a special Web project Whedon and some of his family members worked on during the writers’ strike.
Neil Patrick Harris plays the title character, a lovelorn wannabe super-villain who longs to join the the Evil League of Evil, run by the “thoroughbred of sin” Bad Horse. He also longs to capture the heart of the kindly and comely Penny (Felicia Day), whom he regularly sees at the Laundromat.
Naturally, Dr. Horrible (aka Billy) has a nemesis: the smarmy, self-centered Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), who also courts Penny. As the title indicates, everyone bursts into song at will in the course of the storytelling.
The adventure is divided into three approximately 15-minute episodes, which were released one at a time beginning about two weeks ago. They were initially offered for free, then at a cost, and now are offered for free as a single 42-minute video on Hulu.
As my husband put it, the wacky tone of the series resembles “The Tick,” only from the villain’s perspective. You must see it for no other reason than to appreciate Neil Patrick Harris’ legen – wait for it – dary performance as the tuneful and sympathetic baddie.
In order to facilitate your enjoyment of “Dr. Horrible,” I’m posting the video here, courtesy of Hulu and MySpace TV. You’ll thank me for it, and then you can eagerly await the fourth episode along with me.
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Toby Keith on “The Early Show,” “Colbert Report”
Oklahoma country music star Toby Keith appeared this morning on CBS’ “The Early Show” to perform and promote his new movie “Beer for My Horses.” The video is courtesy the show’s site.
His “Early Show” stop is part of a big publicity blitz Keith is doing for the movie. You can also read about Keith’s interview with Dave Price by clicking here.
On Monday, Keith appeared on “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central. In his usual crazy fashion, Colbert suggested a title for a possible sequel – “Pot for My Ponies” – and declared that anyone who didn’t go see “Beer for My Horses” “does not love America.”
In the interview, Keith reveals the rodeo circuit origins of the toast “whiskey for my men and beer for my horses,” which is at the heart of the song, music video and film.
Click here to watch the full episode of Monday’s “Colbert Report,” which includes the interview with Keith and his acoustic performance of “Beer for My Horses,” with a slight modification. (His interview and performance are featured in the second half of the episode.)
“Beer for My Horses” opens in theaters Aug. 8; the soundtrack debuts Aug. 12.
I’ll be bringing you more on the movie as it opening date gets closer.
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New “Harry Potter” trailer online
The new trailer for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” has been made available online in the past 24 hours, and not surprisingly, it already is No. 1 on the top 10 trailers list at IMDB. It’s here courtesy of that old YouTube magic.
It’s a great goosebumps-inducing preview. “Half-Blood Prince” is one of the most interesting and tragic books in J.K. Rowling’s awesome series, and this 1 1/2-minute glimpse gives me hope that the film does it justice.
The most effective aspect of the trailer: The malevolently creepy performance of Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, who plays Tom Riddle/Voldemort at age 11. Little Hero is the nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who plays the grown-up, snake-faced version of the dark wizard.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Pixar trailers
The genuises over at Pixar Animation Studio debuted the teaser trailer for its 2009 feature film “Up” during Comic-Con. Check out the quick, colorful glimpse at the film about a 70-year-old adventurer, courtesy of YouTube.
They’ve inflated my interest in the movie, so to speak. The film will feature the voice talents of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer and, of course, John Ratzenberger.
“Up” will be the last Pixar feature before the company releases “Toy Story 3″ in 3D in 2010. (The studio also will be re-releasing “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2″ retro-fitted in 3D prior to the release of No. 3.)
Have you ever noticed how just about everything Pixar does is ridiculously brilliant, including the trailers for its movies? Here’s a look back at some of the most memorable trailers:
“Toy Story”:
“Monsters Inc.”:
“The Incredibles”:
“Cars”:
First “WALL-E” teaser:
Another “WALL-E” trailer:
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What to do in Oklahoma for July 30
Today’s featured event:
NORMAN – Hear the rock/reggae/funk-inspired sounds of Congress of a Crow at 10:30 p.m. today at The Deli, 309 White Street.
For more information, go to www.thedeli.us.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Toby Keith on a “Beer”-fueled media blitz
Oklahoma country music superstar Toby Keith is on a media blitz this week promoting his upcoming comic-action movie ”Beer for My Horses,” which opens in theaters Aug. 8. The soundtrack will be released on Aug. 12.
The Norman resident will be in New York City on Wednesday to do an interview and performance on CBS’ “The Early Show.” He also will make a stop at “FOX & Friends” and do multiple interviews on FOX News. He will make the rounds to several radio programs, including Rick & Bubba, John Boy & Billy, Glenn Beck Radio, Dr. Drew and Dennis Miller.
His busy day will continue as he sits for a TV interview with Nick News and print interviews with Esquire Magazine and US Weekly, according to a news release.
On Thursday, the Moore-raised entertainer will perform and do an interview on “The View.”
For Friday through Sunday, Keith has tour dates scheduled in St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
He will fly to Los Angeles to do “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” on Aug. 4. That performance will air Aug. 8, the night of the movie’s launch.
On Aug. 5, Keith will call in to G. Gordon Liddy’s nationwide radio show, and he then will race to Burbank for a live performance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He also will be interviewed by the Los Angeles Times for an upcoming profile and will call in to the “Alan Colmes Show.”
On Aug. 6, it’s another full day for the Clinton-born singer/songwriter/actor, with a satellite television and radio tour and print interviews with the Associated Press sand People planned.
In addition, Keith appears on the cover of the Aug. 11 issue of Country Weekly magazine, which is on sale now. In the exclusive cover story, Keith takes readers inside his Oklahoma ranch. The story includes photos of Keith and his 160-acre spread, where he finds shelter from the pressures of work and fame, according to a release.
“It’s the perfect balance,” he tells Country Weekly. “When I cross through those gates after being out on the road, I know this is where I’m supposed to be.”
He also gives the magazine’s readers insight into ”Beer for My Horses,” which he co-wrote and co-stars with Tulsa country comic Rodney Carrington.
“I wanted this to be a character-driven movie,” Keith tells the magazine. “I wanted every person in it to matter.”
I talked recently spoke to Keith about the film, and I’m planning to interview Carrington in the coming days. I’ll bring you more news on it as the release date draws closer.
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New releases
As usual, this week’s new releases include several high-profile entertainment options, from new CDs by Alice Cooper and Rick Springfield – Again, is it 1988 and no one told me? – to the DVD debuts of “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” and the Martin Scorcese-Rolling Stones concert film “Shine a Light.”
But the highlight of the week undoubtedly is the release of Stephenie Meyer’s “Breaking Dawn,” the fourth – and apparently final – book in her mega-popular “Twilight Saga.”
If you haven’t heard of Meyer and “Twilight,” just ask a teenage female. If she hasn’t read the tale of star-crossed romance between a human girl and a vampire boy (with her werewolf BFF thrown in for good measure), she probably knows a fellow female who is a passionate fan.
To give you an idea of the level of enthusiasm we’re talking here, check out this Associated Press story about Meyer fans practically taking over Comic-Con last Thursday. Hundreds of teens camped out overnight in the hopes of catching a glimpse of early footage and the cast of the film version of the first book, “Twilight.” The film is coming out in December.
In the meantime, “Twilight” fans are planning to celebrate the release of “Breaking Dawn” with Harry Potter-style festivities. Book stores across the nation are planning release parties Friday night, and eager readers will be lining up at 12:01 a.m. Saturday to snap up their copies.
I’ll be bringing you more later this week on the “Breaking Dawn” release parties Oklahoma City metro area book stores are planning.
Here are this week’s new CD, DVD and book releases from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
CDs
Alice Cooper, “Along Came a Spider.”
Rick Springfield, “Venus in Overdrive.”
Third Day, “Revelation.”
Scars On Broadway, “Scars on Broadway.”
Johnny Winter, “Live Bootleg Series Volume Three.”
DVDs
“Avatar, The Last Airbender: Book 3 Fire, Volume 4″
“Beverly Hills 90210: The Fifth Season”
“Centennial: The Complete Series”
“Dark City”
“Doomsday”
“Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control”
“Girlfriends: The Fourth Season”
“Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”
“The Hills: The Complete Third Season”
“Law & Order Special Victims Unit: Year Seven”
“Lost Boys: The Tribe”
“Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel”
“Never Back Down”
“Phineas and Ferb: The Fast and the Phineas”
“Shine a Light”
“Stargate: Continuum”
“Tiny Toon Adventures: Season 1, Volume 1″
“War Games: The Dead Code”
“Witchblade: The Complete Series”
“Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School”
Books
“Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer.
“Turbulent Sea (Drake Sisters, Book 6)” by Christine Feehan.
“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
“Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Sanction” by Eric Van Lustbader.
“Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1)” by Patricia Briggs.
-BAM
“Bleep Bloop”
This week, the devilishly clever minds at Rooster Teeth have left us dangling from last week’s cliffhanger.
Instead of posting the new chapter of their latest machinima series “Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction,” they offer this week one of their famously funny “RvB” public service announcements. You can check it out at www.roosterteeth.com.
Apparently, we’ll just have wait a little longer to find out what happened to Caboose, the Meta, Delta and all the little creepy whispering AIs after all the action in Chapter 8,
The really great aspect about this particular PSA is that it features Grif, Simmons and Sarge, three of the Red Team guys who haven’t gotten much face time in “RvB:re.” However, from the looks of last week’s installment, we may be seeing more of the Reds.
The PSA basically has Simmons introducing Sarge to the concept of video game achievements. Naturally, Grif scoffs at the notion of achievement of any kind, so you can image the sarcasm (some of it foul-mouthed) involved here.
Not only does it include the instant-classic one-liner “We can’t do porn. This is the Internet. Show some class,” the video also has Caboose causing his usual humorous chaos.
But it also functions as a promotional tool for Rooster Teeth’s new Web site AchievementHunter.com, which chronicles and gives news into video game achievements. It’s extremely geeky over there, but if you’re into achievements, you’ll probably dig it.
Watch out for the “case of the Mondays,” the Easter egg and the final (or crowning, if you will) achievement in the video.
-BAM
