Wanda Jackson keeps rocking, to play Tulsa benefit pre-show for Woody Fest
Oklahoman Wanda Jackson performs at her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in April in Cleveland. (Associated Press photo)
Oklahoma entertainer Wanda Jackson, 71, isn’t slowing down after her induction this spring into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly and First Lady of Rock ‘n’ Roll, played a concert this weekend in Switzerland, rounding off a two-week tour of Europe.
She will headline a benefit show for the Woody Guthrie Coalition July 7 at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. The show will be precede the annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah and allow Jackson to pay tribute to a fellow Oklahoman in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the late Woody Guthrie.
I’ll have a story about Jackson’s pre-festival show and a preview of Woody Fest 2009 in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman, at NewsOK and here at BAM’s Blog.
The Oklahoman’s Robert Medley, a huge rockabilly fan, recently talked to Jackson about her still-active career, her influence, and more in a story featured on the front page of today’s Sunday Oklahoman. Click here to read Robert’s engaging interview with the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
The feature is part of NewsOK’s “nDepth Stories of the Ages” series. The package also includes a revealing Q&A in which Jackson shares her favorite album, her favorite food, who should play here in a movie version of her life and more. Click here to read the Q&A.
In addition, the nDepth package includes this great NewsOK video interview with Jackson:
During Jackson’s 55-year career, she has been nominated twice for a Grammy Award and has been listed as CMT’s 40 Greatest Women of Country Music. Along with the rock hall, the pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll music has been inducted into both the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Country Music Hall of Fame. She was the first woman to sing rock music.
Memphis’ Princess of Twang, Nancy Apple, and Tampa’s Ronny Elliott, will open for Jackson at the Woody Fest pre-show. General admission seats are $20 and a limited number of Gold Circle seats are available for $35. For more information or tickets, go to www.woodyfest.com or www.protixonline.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on June 28
Captain, a wire-haired fox terrier, gets a bath during the Oklahoma City Summer Classic Dog Show Thursday at the Cox Convention Center. (Photo by Ashley McKee/The Oklahoman)
See the top dogs at the OKC Summer Classic Dog Show from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the Cox Convention Center. This is the final day of the annual show.
For more information, go to www.okcdogshows.com/okcsc.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Photo gallery: Leonard Nimoy and other celebrities entertain fans Saturday, June 27, at Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa
Actress Marina Sirtis poses on stage for photographs Saturday, June 27, during Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. Sirtis played ship’s counselor Deanna Troi on the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Science-fiction is the focus of the annual Trek Expo in Tulsa, but exhibitors also offered for sale items such as these dragons and fantasy figures. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Convention-goers stand in line Saturday, June 27, to get their photo taken with actor Leonard Nimoy of “Star Trek” fame at Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Actor John de Lancie, who played Q on the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” answers questions from fans Saturday, June 27, at Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Actress Denise Crosby, who played Tasha Yar on the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” meets with fans at the Boy Scouts of America booth Saturday, June 27, at Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Actress Marina Sirtis takes issue with a “Women of Star Trek” T-shirt Saturday, June 27, during Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. Sirtis, who played ship’s counselor Deanna Troi on the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” teased the woman, whose convention tag at first covered Troi’s face, and then wondered aloud why Troi’s face was so small and off to the side while the face of T’Pol from the show “Enterprise” was front and center. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Actor Leonard Nimoy laughs while telling a “Star Trek” story to fans Saturday, June 27, at Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Actor Leonard Nimoy entertains a crowd of fans Saturday, June 27, during Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. Nimoy who played Spock on the 1960s television series “Star Trek” and recently reprised the role for director J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” movie. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Actress Marina Sirtis poses on stage for photographs Saturday, June 27, during Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. Sirtis played ship’s counselor Deanna Troi on the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Some science-fiction fans are shown in costume Saturday, June 27, at Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Actor Leonard Nimoy jokes with fellow actor John de Lancie while on stage Saturday, June 27, at Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. Nimoy, who played Spock on the 1960s television series “Star Trek,” recently reprised the role for director J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” movie. De Lancie just wrapped up nearly two weeks of teaching acting students at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain, near Lone Wolf. (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
Actor Leonard Nimoy of “Star Trek” fame receives a homemade T-shirt as a gift from a fan Saturday, June 27, during Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa. Another fan gave Nimoy a Burger King Spock collectible glass that contained a Burger King Spock kid’s toy. When he put the glass holding the toy beside a dragon given to him earlier, Nimoy quipped, “Have to be careful. I don’t want the dragon to bite me in the glass.” (Photo by Renee Lawrence/The Oklahoman)
- Renee
Trekkie expert and actress Denise Crosby attending Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa
Actress Denise Crosby, who was Tasha Yar on the television show "Star Trek: The Next Generation," is a guest of the Boy Scouts of America during Trek Expo 2009 in Tulsa, June 26-28.
This is an extended version of a story that appeared in The Oklahoman and on NewsOK.
Documentaries explore world of Trekkies
TULSA – Trekkies or Trekkers?
When it comes to the name for the devoted fans of the science-fiction megafranchise “Star Trek,” Denise Crosby calls herself a purist and sides with Trekkies.
At least that’s what the actress who originated the role of security chief Tasha Yar on the television show “Star Trek: The Next Generation” titled her two hilarious documentaries (”Trekkies,” 1997, and “Trekkies 2,” 2004) that explore the world of “Star Trek” fandom.
In a recent telephone interview ahead of a three-day appearance sponsored by the Boys Scouts of America at Tulsa’s Trek Expo this weekend, Crosby, 51, said at the time of the first documentary she polled friends who knew little to nothing about “Star Trek” and asked them what they call those fans. They universally said Trekkies and none had heard the term Trekkers, Crosby said.
“So, the film I wanted to stand on its own as a film that could play in the cinema and appeal to a broad audience, not just a fan film, and Trekkies is sort of the universal, global expression of ‘Star Trek’ fans,” she said.
Because she was someone from the “Star Trek” family, Crosby said, fans granted her access to their private and sometimes very public passion for all things Trek. It also allowed her to approach other actors and get them to talk candidly about fans. But Crosby said she didn’t want to offend fans because they had been burned before (William Shatner’s “Get a life” skit on “Saturday Night Live”) and was concerned about how “Trekkies” would be perceived.
“It’s a fine line because you don’t want to put on kid gloves and make a recruiting film here for ‘Star Trek.’ I really wanted to have a look into this world of fandom and this particular show, which is unlike anything else and has been sort of the granddaddy of them all. At the same time, I didn’t want to be cruel or judgmental … so I had to figure out how to really make that real for the film,” she said.
Crosby said she got the idea to make the documentaries after attending some fan conventions, and she became more interested in the fans than they were in her. She wanted to “flip the camera around.”
She teamed with friend and director Roger Nygard to make the films, which show the admittedly extremes of fandom, from a Florida dentist whose office has a “Star Trek” theme to 14-year-old Gabriel Koerner, who created special effects on his computer and has since become a movie and television digital effects artist.
Koerner’s work can be seen in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film “Shutter Island.” Crosby said she and Koerner have kept in touch over the years.
Then there’s the Minnesota man who re-creates “Star Trek” devices and technology, resulting in amusing footage of his driving a motorized Captain Pike box beside a busy street as cars whiz by.
“When Roger came back and he showed me, I fell on the floor laughing, I mean dying of laughter. I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. This is the funniest damn thing I’ve ever seen,’” she said.
Crosby said following the popularity of the new “Star Trek” film, she’s hoping to make a “Trekkies 3″ that will touch on the new film and its actors and fans as well as visit places not covered by the previous films.
“Our intention was always to make a ‘3,’ to have a triple box set. And there are areas I still want to go to. ‘Trekkies 1′ was domestic and ‘Trekkies 2′ we went global, but we didn’t get everywhere,” she said. “And I’m curious still, to make it a full circle about Asia, Africa and India, like what’s going on there, sort of our ‘Lost in Translation’ version of ‘Trekkies.’ ”
Q. There are so many great candid moments in your documentary “Trekkies.” Were you ever surprised by the people you interviewed?
A. Oh, yeah, you are always looking for those moments of revelation or surprise. Sometimes people would be completely off the cuff, like when I went to interview the dentist in Orlando, Fla., and he and his wife talked about how they like to dress up, you know, and it’s like good for their sex life. … One dresses up like me, and it was like, “Oh, OK, that’s great. We don’t need to say anymore.” But the look on my face, that was completely by surprise. When one of the guys mentioned that if he had the money he would have his ears surgically altered, and his wife said, “You would?!” Oh, my God, those are just priceless moments.
Q. Did you have a concrete plan in place when you finally decided to start shooting “Trekkies”?
A. The only concrete plan was let’s go to a convention; we know we want to let the fans speak for themselves but stay open to where it might take us. We also knew that almost the entire original cast was going to appear at this particular convention because of it being a charity event. And let’s see if we can get Nichelle Nichols and George Takai and Jimmy Doohan to sit down and talk to us and get their perspective on it, as well. And, of course, because I was an actor on the show, I was able to approach them and get them to talk to us. But mainly the film began to take shape once we went to a couple of conventions, and we then found a couple of interesting people to kind of isolate and follow.
Q. What is the actors’ take on fans?
A. You know, it’s an interesting one because it’s unique. … It’s such a fan-driven show, “Star Trek,” so if you’re disliked by fans, they’ll really let you know it. But at the same time, if you’re embraced by them, they are just the most loyal, devoted people. I did a play last year off-Broadway — I had “Star Trek” fans show up for it. I didn’t promote it as such, but they found out. And they will support anything you do. They are really, truly loyal to you and the show and because they have these unique kind of gatherings – some of these conventions have been going on for 30 years – and they’ve spawned all kinds of things: marriages, children, friendships, die-hard relationships. And I think the actors in the beginning have a little bit of an adjustment to make from it because it’s overwhelming. It can feel oppressive in some ways or controlling in some ways, almost too involved, too obsessive. But then you realize they are going to be there; they are there for you, take it or leave it. You can get involved, you can stay uninvolved, you can do as much as you need to to get into it.
Q. Do you have a favorite fan story of your own?
A. There’s always the one where the guy comes up like if I’m doing a signing and he’s now 30-something, and he comes up and says, “You were my first crush,” something like that. I always blush and am overwhelmed by it. But I think the wildest thing was, years and years ago, I think it was when I was still doing the show (”Star Trek: The Next Generation”). … The host of the convention came to me and said, “I’ve got to introduce you to … our friend Danny. You’re not going to believe it. I’m not even going to say anything; you’ve just have to meet Danny. He’s such a big fan; there’s no bigger fan than Danny of yours.” I said, “Oh, well, yeah, sure. Let’s go.” So they took me through this hotel, down into the bowels around this kitchen and inner workings, and then out comes this young guy named Danny. And they said, “OK, Danny, take off your shirt, and I’m thinking, “Oh, my God, what are they doing?” The guy strips off his shirt, and he has my entire face of Tasha Yar tattooed on his back from his neck to his waist, covering his entire back. It was like my head shot on his back. I was actually speechless; all I could say was, “Do you have a girlfriend that I hope she doesn’t mind.” I didn’t know if I should run or shake the guy’s hand. And I still think of this guy. This guy is walking around with me on his back. How about that?
Q.You just have to hope he hasn’t gained a 100 pounds. …
A. Yeah, exactly, and I look like Jabba the Hutt … on his back now, big jowls.
Q. What is it about “Star Trek” do you think that generates that kind of fandom?
A. Boy, if you could bottle that one, every TV executive in the world would be on your side. It’s certainly a unique take on science fiction that there is a future that will actually be better than the present. You know most science fiction is pretty bleak, and that we’ll eventually annihilate ourselves or have to leave the planet altogether. It’s not a very pretty picture, the future, in most science fiction. So here along came a really optimistic, peaceful experience of mankind, that they will actually get better and figure out some of their mistakes and learn from them. And also, of course, Gene Roddenberry was able to address these really moral, social issues in a way that especially for television, you couldn’t in the day. You couldn’t talk about mixed races, different cultures mingling and heavy arms races and medical issues, the God question, is there a god and religion – all these topics that were extremely taboo in the ’60s when television was on, and he was able to do it in this very clever way with science fiction. So I think people got it, and they were touched by it, and it wasn’t lost on them. They appreciated the intelligence of it, and “Star Trek” also inherently embraces the difference in people. The message is that you don’t need to look like Britney Spears to have everything going for you. You can be whoever you are and whatever you do and build on that strength. And there’s a lot of people that don’t quite fit in to how society dictates. That you’ve got to have this kind of car, this kind of outfit, this kind of body and this kind of thing, and we are just so driven by that. And it’s just shoved in our faces constantly. So where do people fit in? And “Star Trek” gives this support and this message. And then, of course, the fan world is a tangent that’s come from that show and that message that has been gleaned from that show, and it’s created its own support system and world and place where people can feel part of something when they don’t sometimes feel part of their own culture.
Q. It sounds like you have a deep appreciation of that. … Were you a fan of the original show?
A. Oh, yeah. I had seen all of them, not when they first aired in the early 1960s. I was a little too young for it to grab me. But when it first went into syndication and they played it every night at 5 o’clock here in L.A. on one of the local stations, I had a little ritual with my neighbor. … I was all of about 19 years old, and he was this 83-year-old Italian immigrant. And he and I would every day would watch together “Star Trek,” which was just this odd little gathering of these generations come together, but we loved watching “Star Trek.” And I would come in and check on him and visit him and make sure he had his oxygen tank nearby and his heart pills, and we would watch “Star Trek.”
Q. Do you have any regrets now about leaving “Star Trek: The Next Generation”? (Crosby left the show during its first season.)
A. You know, at the time it was so very frustrating for me. It was just wearing thin that we were a big ensemble cast and so many days and weeks were spent where I’m just going “Aye, aye, captain” and just sort of standing around and not having a story line. I think I was 29 or 28, and you are really hungry then to have some meat to chew on. So for me it was “What is going to happen? Where are we going to go with this?” and I just couldn’t see spending six more years doing that. Now at that time, you’re young; I don’t have children to put through school or house payments to make or all that stuff that gets you to a different place financially. So if you’re going to take a shot and roll the dice, that’s when you do it. But little did I know how much more involved I would continue to become in this show. I would come back, I would play another character, I would make two documentaries about it. And of course I didn’t realize then how this character of Tasha Yar really impacted people. You don’t know those things when you’re doing it. A lot is revealed through time.
Q. What did bring you back for those guest appearances?
A. I got a call from one of the producers that a script had been written where Tasha is alive on this ship and would I be willing to come in and play. And I said, “Well, yeah. It sounds really intriguing.” And they sent me the script, which was “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” and it was incredible. It was absolutely one of the best-written “Next Generation” scripts, and I was thrilled to do it. And then that coming back opened up the idea that what if, because you don’t really know, she volunteers to go back on this ship to fight this battle where everyone dies. But what if she was captured? I came up with this whole idea if maybe she had this baby, and I pitched this story to the producer. And he kind of looked at me, and I thought … well that’ll be it. A couple of months later they wrote the character of her daughter, so I just kept going. I’m always thinking of new scams. What else can you do here? Again, because the genre lends itself to all these possibilities.
And it’s intriguing with the new film being so popular and igniting a whole new generation of fans, and all the little kids are discovering “Next Generation” just like we did the original. It’s really funny. I have a, well he’s soon to be 11 actually, my son. So his friends, sometimes I’ll pick them up for the carpool, and they go, “Were you really on the ‘Next Generation’?” I went over to visit his school the other day … and this boy said, “Were you really on ‘Star Trek’? I said, “Yeah, actually.” And he said, “What did you play?” And I said, “Well, I was Lt. Tasha Yar on ‘The Next Generation.’” He said, “Wow! Your mom really is cool!” He said that to my son. It was so funny, I mean priceless, priceless.
Q. The best thing is that he thinks it’s cool.
A. Yeah, exactly. It could have gone the other way – just awful. I could have been a principal on “iCarly” or something and he would run away from me.
Q. Do you think it’s cool to be a “Star Trek” fan?
A. Well, I think it’s finally OK to be a geeky, sci-fi nerd, with all of the – and it’s taken a lot of stuff to happen for this to be OK – and that’s all of the technogadgets and all of the incredible computer stuff that we’ve experienced, quickly, in the last 25 years and all of the supergeeks who are like the bazillionaires of the universe and all of this stuff to have happened.
Q. Have you seen the new movie?
A. No, I have not. I tried to; we were invited. I was invited by the Roddenberry family; they had a screening at Paramount, and my son had a lacrosse tournament that day. So I said after lacrosse, “Why don’t we go see ‘Star Trek.’ He said, “I don’t want to see that. That’s not the real ‘Star Trek’ – you’re not in it. And I said, “Oh God, no, no, no, no, no.” So it was so sweet; it was the sweetest thing. “That’s not real ‘Star Trek’! That’s like fake ‘Star Trek.’ You guys are the real ‘Star Trek.’” I had to explain, “Well there’s been a few of us.”
Q. What else are you working on?
A. I’m doing a recurring role on a new show called “Southland” on NBC, and we’re on hiatus right now. And we just got picked up for the fall, so start back in July, and I’m playing one of the main detective’s wife. And where it’s going, I’m not sure. We’ll see.
Q. How many conventions to you attend each year?
A. Maybe four. This one (Trek Expo in Tulsa) is pretty great because it’s really as a guest of the Boy Scouts.
Q. How does that work?
A. Well Trek Expo, the convention itself, has been going on for a number of years, and one of the regional directors of the Boys Scouts is a huge “Star Trek” fan. So he, I guess, last year tried to create a tie-in, have a booth set up at the convention, and have a breakfast – they are supporting a boys home (Tulsa Boys Home). And then the boys can come and visit the convention with the Boys Scouts and proceeds from a breakfast go to the Boys Scouts of America. So it’s trying to combine the two, sort of a charity fundraiser for the Boys Scouts kind of tied in with the convention. I’m more a guest of the Boys Scouts this time, but I can happen to be at the convention, as well.
Hope everyone comes out to support the Boy Scouts.
- Renee
What to do in Oklahoma on June 27
Marty Auten of Ardmore stands among some of the hundreds of motorcyles in the parking lot during Club H.O.G. OKC, a rally for Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners, at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, Friday, June 26, 2009. (Photo by Nate Billings/The Oklahoman)
Watch 1,200 motorcycles ride from Oklahoma State Fair Park to Bricktown in the OKC Parade of Harleys at 9 a.m. Saturday.
And celebrate the arrival of the 2009 Harley Owners Group Rally in Oklahoma City with the Bikes & Bricks Street Party from noon to midnight Saturday in Bricktown.
For more information, www.okccvb.org/hog.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Friday Featured Track
The song that has been on my brain the most this week:
- “How Should I Know,” Eli Young Band, from the 2008 album “Jet Black & Jealous.”
Rarely has heartbreak sounded as good as in this thumping rocker from the Texas country band. It’s got an awesome guitar riff, Mike Eli’s voice sounds terrific, and it’s just a really well-written song. Check out the great lyrics:
If it feels so right
Feels safe and sound
How can the sky be falling down
If it’s all good love
Two good hearts
How can we fall so far apart
How can hearts be breaking in the middle of the night
How can strings come unwound when they’ve held so tight
On the ride down this road if it’s time, time to let go
Tell me, how should I know
If we’re still on fire
The burn’s still there
Why can’t we find flames anywhere
If the sun still shines
No sign of rain
How come nothing’s quite the same
How can hearts be breaking in the middle of the night
How can strings come unwound when they’ve held so tight
On the ride down this road if it’s time, time to let go
Tell me, how should I know
Can’t help but think
I’ll find the answer
Is lying right there next to her
How can hearts be breaking in the middle of the night
How can strings come unwound when they’ve held so tight
Hearts break, that’s how it goes
Tie the strings, no and don’t let go
‘Cause love tells me
How can hearts be breaking in the middle of the night
How can strings come unwound when they’ve held so tight
Hearts break, that’s how it goes
Tie the strings, no and don’t let go
‘Cause love tells me
That’s how I know
Love tells me
Once you listen to this song a few times, I defy you to ever get it completely out of your head.
-BAM
Podcast: This weekend’s movies
My advice is to run away from “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
In this week’s entertainment podcast, features/entertainment intern Nathan Poppe and I break down the new movies in Oklahoma City theaters.
Click here to listen to our entertaining evaluation of the new movie options.
-BAM
Weekend Warmup
Colbie Caillat
- Hear “Bubbly” singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat at 8 p.m. Saturday at Frontier City, 11501 N I-35 Service Rd. Information: 478-2140 or www.frontiercity.com.
- Watch 1,200 motorcycles ride from Oklahoma State Fair Park to Bricktown in the OKC Parade of Harleys at 9 a.m. Saturday. And celebrate the arrival of the 2009 Harley Owners Group Rally with the Bikes & Bricks Street Party from noon to midnight Saturday in Bricktown. Information: www.okccvb.org/hog.
- See Lyric Theatre stage “High School Musical 2″ at 8 tonight, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Information: 524-9312 or www.lyrictheatreokc.com.
- Hear Tahlequah-based Turnpike Troubadours at 10 tonight at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, 310 Johnny Bench Drive. Brandon Clark Band will play the Bricktown venue at 9 p.m. Saturday. Information: www.tobykeithsbar.com.
- Shop for books, listen to live music and hear poetry readings at the Literati indie book fair from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday at IAO Gallery, 811 N Broadway. Information: 232-6060 or www.indiebookfair.com.
- See the top dogs at the OKC Summer Classic Dog Show from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today-Sunday at the Cox Convention Center. Information: www.okcdogshows.com/okcsc.
- NORMAN – Listen to country rockers Mama Sweet at 10 p.m. Saturday at The Deli, 309 White Street. Information: www.thedeli.us.
Red Dirt Rangers
- TULSA – Catch performances by Pink Spiders, Electric Touch, RadioRadio, My Solstice, Red Dirt Rangers and more as OKGreenfest continues starting at 2 p.m. Saturday at River West Festival Park. Information: www.okgreenfest.com.
- RED ROCK – Hear comedian Paula Poundstone perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at 7 Clans Paradise Casino, 7500 Hwy 177. Information: www.ticketstorm.com.
- See the final performances of Reduxion Theatre Company’s staging of “The Taming of the Shrew” at 8 tonight and Saturday at City Arts Center, State Fair Park. Information: www.reduxiontheatre.com.
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s production of “As You Like It.” (Photo by Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman)
- Watch Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park perform “As You Like It” at 8 p.m. today and Saturday at the Myriad Gardens Water Stage in downtown. Performances continue through July 11. Information: www.oklahomashakespeare.com.
- EDMOND – Start celebrating July 4 early as Edmond’s annual Libertyfest celebration this weekend offers a car show, scholarship pageant, KiteFest, rodeo, road rally and A Taste of Edmond. Activities continue through July 4. Information: www.libertyfest.org.
- Hear the acoustic pop/punk of Stephen Speaks at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown. The free show is part of the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Sunday Twilight Concert Series. Information: www.artscouncilokc.com.
-BAM
Bryan Adams, Jason Aldean pair up for “CMT Crossroads”
Canadian pop-rock star Bryan Adams will join Georgia country-rocker Jason Aldean onstage for the new episode of the music crossover series “CMT Crossroads.” The episode will air at 8 tonight on CMT.
The show was taped before an invitation-only audience in Nashville in early May, according to CMT.com.
A singer-songwriter who still tours more than 150 days annually, Adams is best known for hits such as “Summer of ‘69,” “Run to You,” “18 ‘Til I Die,” “It’s Only Love,” “Somebody” and “The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You.” He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has been inducted into the Canadian Juno Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walkway of Stars.
After selling more than 2 million copies of his first two albums, Aldean released in April “Wide Open,” which sold more than 100,000 during its first week of release. “Wide Open,” has been certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies, CMT.com reported this week.
The album reached gold status in a record-setting 10 weeks. Aldean’s two previous albums were certified gold after 12 weeks of release.
Aldean’s hits include “Hicktown,” “Why,” “Amarillo Sky,” “Johnny Cash,” “Laughed Until We Cried” and his current single, “She’s Country.”
I’m a longtime Bryan Adams fan and love Aldean’s music, which punches up country with a big shot of Southern rock. It will be interesting to see what happens when their two big but different styles of music combine.
-BAM
DVD review: “CMT Crossroads: Taylor Swift & Def Leppard”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“CMT Crossroads: Taylor Swift & Def Leppard”
Two divergent musical worlds collide with peculiar but surprisingly entertaining results as teen country-pop star Taylor Swift and British arena rockers Def Leppard pair up for “CMT Crossroads.”
Their popular 2008 episode of the acclaimed “Crossroads” series is the first to get a DVD release, exclusively through Walmart outlets.
To promote the new release, Country Music Television last week tasked Swift and Def Leppard with closing the CMT Music Awards. Unfortunately, the performance of Def Leppard’s signature “Pour Some Sugar on Me” was one of the weakest of the night: Swift sounded like a breathless schoolgirl singing karaoke, and the contrast between her voice and Joe Elliott’s raspy growl gave the duet a creepy May-December-gone-too-far tone.
Apparently, even the seemingly indefatigable Swift can wear down – she had already performed once and accepted the top prize just before the awards show duet – because the country singer-songwriter holds her own with the veteran rockers in their “Crossroads” concert.
No question, it’s still an odd pairing. Watching Elliott harmonize with the 19-year-old songbird on her teen ballads never becomes anything less than incongruous. But despite some awkward lyrical moments, – the Def Leppard frontman gets to be a prince to Swift’s princess in her “Love Story,” while she belts the line “Demolition woman can I be your man” in the much better rendition of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” – they make fun, memorable music together.
The DVD opens strong with back-to-back performances of Def Leppard’s “Photograph” and Swift’s “Picture to Burn.” Along with similar themes, the songs highlight the artists’ common ground, their penchant for dramatic pop melodies. “Hysteria,” “When Love and Hate Collide” and the bonus performance “Our Song” spotlight the enthusiastic interaction between Def Leppard, Swift and her talented band. Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen and Swift’s fiddler Caitlin Evanson in particular seem thrilled to be rocking together.
In between songs, the DVD weaves in snippets of conversation between the adoring Swift, a lifelong Def Leppard fan, and the Brit rockers, who also started their music career as teens and have some words of encouragement for the country starlet.
DVD extras: Three bonus performances, extended interview and press conference.
- BAM
