What to do in Oklahoma on July 31, 2011: Listen to Sherree Chamberlain free at the Myriad Gardens
Today’s featured event:
Hear Oklahoma singer-songwriter Sherree Chamberlain at 7 tonight at the Grand Lawn in the Myriad Gardens. The free concert is part of the Devon Energy Sunday Twilight Concert Series, sponsored by the Arts Council of Oklahoma City.
For more information, go to www.artscouncilokc.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Video: Urijah Faber and Christian Kane to beat each other up on Sunday’s episode of “Leverage”
Mixed-martial arts champion Urijah Faber will have a guest spot on Sunday’s episode of the caper series “Leverage,” airing at 8 p.m. on TNT. Fists will be flying as his character faces off against the Leverage team’s hitter Eliot Spencer, who is played by Norman-bred actor Christian Kane.
In a recent phone interview, Kane promised me there will be blood Faber makes his appearance in the episode, which was directed by legendary actor/filmmaker Frank Oz.
“There was a fight scene where Eliot needed someone that could kick his a — , and I said, ‘I got the guy,’” Kane told me, explaining how he recruited his friend Faber. “He did us a really big favor. … To have someone who’s actually that great at the fight game, you don’t know what you’re in for.”
Learn more about how Kane and Faber worked together to stage their big face-off, check out the video posted above.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on July 30, 2011: Hear Grady Nichols at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee
Grady Nichols
Today’s featured event:
Hear Tulsa jazz saxophonist Grady Nichols play a night of contemporary jazz at 7 p.m. tonight at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, 401 S 3. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Nichols will perform a sampling of songs from his soon-to-be-released album, “Destinations.” Nichols’ sixth CD is produced by Dove Award-winning artist and producer Chris Rodriguez.
In addition, Muskogee singer Starr Fisher, who can belt out blues, R&B, jazz, soul and hip-hop, will be performing with Nichols. Fisher has previously shared the stage with music greats such as Count Basie, The O’Jays, Tower of Power, Vince Gill and the late Wayman Tisdale.
For more information, go to www.oklahomamusichalloffame.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Movie review: “The Smurfs”
In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit right from the start that I have no particularly nostalgic affection for “The Smurfs.” I don’t remember watching the cartoon much as a child, though I caught enough episodes to know the basics. It would certainly rank far below classic “Looney Tunes,” “Tom & Jerry,” “Thundercats,” “She-Ra” and “Transformers” on the list of animated TV series that I now warmly recall. Mostly, I remember that one of my cousins had a vast display of Smurfs collectibles, and I was more fascinated by his fascination than I was with the blue cartoon critters themselves.
But my 4 1/2-year-old son was intrigued enough with the trailers for the new live-action/animated movie “The Smurfs” to seek out a few episodes of the ’80s Hanna-Barbera series on cable. Gabe liked them enough to ask to see them again and to beg to go to the advance screening of the movie, but those old cartoons not only failed to spark my interest, they literally put me to sleep.
Between my disinterest in the cartoon and director Raja Gosnell’s previous credits as the helmer of the “Scooby-Doo” movie and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” my expectations were naturally low for the big-screen iteration of “The Smurfs.” But the first few minutes did capture my imagination: We’re introduced to Belgian artist Peyo’s little blue creations in their natural habitat, a charming fairy-tale village filled with mushroom houses and 101 brightly colored denizens all living in perfect harmony that happens to look great in 3D.
Each chipper Smurf is part of one big happy family, led by wise patriarch Papa Smurf (voice of Jonathan Winters, and it’s good to hear from him even if he has a rather boring and understated role), and is named after his main characteristic, except for the lone female, Smurfette (voiced by pop star Katy Perry). The movie does finally reveal why there’s only one girl in Smurf Village, but unfortunately doesn’t reveal any other interesting Smurf secrets to liven up the story.
The only problem in their joyful world is the wicked wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria in live action but under layers of latex makeup and a bald cap), who with his (digitally rendered) cat Azrael relentlessly pursues the Smurfs in the hopes of catching one and extracting its “magical essence” to use in his own hapless spell-casting. Like any villain worth his salt, Gargamel wants to be the most powerful wizard in the world, and the underrated Azaria gleefully goes for broke, making his baddie the best part of the movie.
Fortunately for the Smurfs, an enchanted barrier prevents Gargamel from find their village, until Clumsy Smurf (voice of Anton Yelchin) accidentally reveals the location one fateful day. As they try to escape the wizard’s clutches, Clumsy, Papa, Smurfette, Brainy (Fred Armisen), Grouchy (George Lopez) and Gutsy (Alan Cumming, who matches his natural Scottish brogue with the kilt-clad character) get sucked into a magical vortex that transports them from their woodlands home to modern-day New York City.
Of course.
Once “The Smurfs” take Manhattan, the movie follows pretty much the same pattern as countless fish-out-of-water New York tales, from “Enchanted” to “Crocodile Dundee.” The movie is so derivative that if a blue moppet with an Australian accent had turned up and tried to figure out a bidet, I would not have been one bit surprised.
The good news for the Smurfs is that they are taken in by harried marketing executive Patrick Winslow (“How I Met Your Mother’s” Neil Patrick Harris) and his kindly pregnant wife Grace (“Glee’s” Jayma Mays). The bad news is that Gargamel and Azrael have followed them through the magic vortex and are hot on their trail in NYC.
Patrick works for a high-end cosmetics firm, where he gets a daunting assignment from his mercurial, high-powered boss Odile (“Modern Family’s” Sofía Vergara): redesign an entire campaign for the launch of a new line in just two days. Along with workplace stress, the Manhattanite has expectant parent anxiety, and his wife seems to think that wrangling a flock Smurfs is good practice for parenthood (granted, it does seem less messy than keeping a dog in an apartment).
Although Papa Smurf has plenty of reassuring wisdom to proffer, worries about high-stress careers and impending parenthood aren’t exactly the most engaging themes for children. But there’s a reason Patrick becomes the main character over the course of the film: The Smurfs are by nature one-dimensional characters, and one-dimensional characters get boring fast. It’s the same reason that Walt Disney made Snow White the protagonist and the Seven Dwarfs the comic relief.
So, Gosnell and the pack of four screenwriters fill the gap with lots of sight gags, pratfalls, puns and use of the word “Smurf” in place of profanity, which was a lot funnier when it was woodland creatures using “cuss” in Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” And since the model here is clearly the blockbuster “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” there is a painful musical sequence in which “Rock Band”-playing Patrick and some of the Smurfs mash-up the Run DMC/Aerosmith version of “Walk This Way” with the la-la-la Smurf theme. Ugh.
Of course the Smurfs will end up at F.A.O. Schwarz. Naturally, Gargamel will stumble upon Belvedere Castle in Central Park when he needs a new laboratory. Yes, a trip to a creepy Chinatown locale will become necessary for the Smurfs to recreate the magic to reopen the portal to their village. And in the end, you’ll wish they had never left the confines of their magical village because that seems like where this movie’s magical potential lives.
While Gabe did enjoy the movie more than I, he didn’ t react with the same enthusiasm for “The Smurfs” that he had for most of the other family-friendly films we’ve seen late, including “Winnie the Pooh” and “Cars 2.”
-BAM
Best Bets for July 29-31, 2011: Check out Bricktown Reggae Fest, Color Me Badd, “Streetcar Named Desire” and more
Carlton Pride and Zion will headline this weekend's free Bricktown Reggae Festival.
Hear are my picks for the top 5 events happening around Oklahoma City this weekend, as listed in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. For more entertainment options across the state, go to www.wimgo.com.
1. Catch hot country duo The JaneDear Girls, with special guests Aaron Vaughn and Samantha Rose, in concert at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S Eastern. Information: 677-9169 or www.diamondballroom.net.
2. Watch Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s production of the Tennessee Williams classic “A Streetcar Named Desire” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center’s Freede Little Theatre, 201 N Walker. Information: 297-2264 or www.okctheatrecompany.org.
3. Listen to Carlton Pride and Zion, The Ark Band, Watusi and more Friday and Saturday during the free Bricktown Reggae Festival under the tents at Sheridan and Oklahoma avenues. Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday. Information: 236-4143 or www.bricktownokc.com.
4. View the new exhibit “Can You See Me Now: Photos Made on Phones” during an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE 3. On view through Oct. 1, the exhibit features 34 landscapes, urbanscapes, portraits, abstractions and still life images captured by cellphone cameras. Information: 815-9995 or www.artspaceatuntitled.org.
5. Hear Oklahoma City-based vocal group Color Me Badd at 9 p.m. Saturday at Casablanca Lounge, 13801 Quail Pointe Drive. Information: 749-3550 or www.ticketstorm.com.
-BAM
Roy Clark keeps pickin’ and grinnin’, bringing live show Saturday to Oklahoma City metro
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
BAM column: Roy Clark keeps pickin’ and grinnin’
The Country Music Hall of Famer and longtime Tulsan will play hits and fan favorites, spin stories and maybe even imitate Johnny Cash when he plays Saturday at Rose State Performing Arts Theatre in Midwest City.
By the time he was 17 years old, Roy Clark had already won two national banjo championships, made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and traded a promising potential career as a boxer to pursue his love for music.
Six decades later, the Country Music Hall of Famer is still feeling that love of music every day.
“I think that I’m not as fast as I used to be, but I’m more often. But I do, I love it probably more,” Clark said with an impish laugh during a phone interview from his longtime home base of Tulsa.
“When I first started — it tickles me now to look back on it — but I thought with my luck, by the time that I get old enough to learn how to play and play with the professionals, they will have used all the musical dots up and there’ll be none left for me,” he added with another chuckle.
“And then the more I got involved, I said now I realize there is no end for the different variations that you can do in music.”
Over the years, music has taken the Virginia native far and wide. He was in his early 20s when he became a regular on Jimmy Dean’s Washington, D.C.-based television show, “Country Style,” taking over the series when Dean left for New York. In 1960, Clark headed for the bright lights of Las Vegas, where he became a fixture at the Golden Nugget. He later joined Oklahoma native Wanda Jackson as leader of her band.
In the 1960s and ’70s, Clark charted several top 10 country singles, including “Tips of My Fingers,” “Yesterday When I Was Young” and “Thank God and Greyhound.” He also ventured again into television, guest hosting and appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and playing Cousin Roy on “The Beverly Hillbillies.
In 1969, he and Buck Owens were cast in their best-known roles, as co-hosts of “Hee Haw,” the long-running country variety show that made them household names. For 25 years, the seminal series showcased Clark’s quick-witted, down-home comedy along with his fleet-fingered musical prowess.
“Every time I count back, it gets further,” Clark quipped as he considered his long career, “but I tell you what, it beats the alternative.”
Perhaps taking a cue from “Hee Haw,” Clark, 78, promises he will bring a variety show when he plays Saturday night at Rose State Performing Arts Theatre.
“I can’t believe … how long it has been since I have played the city. I said, that’s like something is wrong. I should’ve been playing Oklahoma City twice a week for the last 30 years. So I’ve got so many friends there that I haven’t seen this is really like a homecoming,” said Clark, who moved to Tulsa in 1971 at the urging of his legendary manager Jim Halsey.
“Now, I’ve been there for different reasons other than doing a concert, but this is a bona fide showing what I can or can’t do and trusting that the folks will be as nice this time as they were the first time I did it that many years ago.”
The concert will likely include his hits and fan favorites, popular songs, — “not necessarily that’s a big hit for someone right now, but just songs that people know” — “Hee Haw” tidbits like “PFFT! You Was Gone!” and “I’m a pickin’ and I’m a grinnin’,” and of course, his funny story-spinning. He may even work in his Johnny Cash imitation, noting “I’m not set on anything.”
“’Course, everything that I do, I just started doing it. It was just a natural thing for me to do. I never started telling stories or trying to be funny or trying to do anything other than what I felt at that time,” he said.
“I’m playing a little banjo, a little fiddle, mostly guitar because that’s really where I feel at home. A guitar’s what got me started in wanting to play. And then I got to where I was intrigued by different sounds. So I never thought that I would learn how to play the banjo and the fiddle and the trumpet. I didn’t try to learn to do that thinking that it would enhance my show or just would be better for the outcome of the concert. I did it because I loved the sound of the instruments.”
His love of music already has earned him numerous honors, including a Grammy Award, an Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year trophy, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, membership in the Grand Ole Opry and induction into the country music and Oklahoma music halls of fame.
This year, Clark will be ushered into the Tulsa Hall of Fame and garner the Gene Autry Spirit of the West Award from the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. The late legendary singing cowboy and businessman was one of Clark’s idols, one he still feels lucky that he was able to call a friend.
While in Oklahoma City for his show, Clark plans to take a proper tour of another honor he recently received: the Oklahoma History Center’s exhibit “Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor.”
“Every time there is an award that comes up, I’m very honored. And I don’t downplay anything that they have given me. The only thing that bothers me is every time I get another award, I call my doctor and ask him … if he’s told somebody something that has not got back to me,” Clark said, still laughing. “‘Are you telling me that I don’t have long enough so you’re gonna give me all these awards now?’ I don’t take that serious, but it is something to think about.”
Clark may be getting older, but he’s also getting wilier.
“I’ve got a very, very good, young band, and I utilize them ‘cause they’re so talented that it would be a sin for them to be in the background,” he said.
“In fact, somebody asked me not too long ago, said, ‘Why do you have all those other people up on stage? You don’t need all of them; you can do it by yourself.’ And I said, ‘No, I can’t.’ If there was a bad note on the stage, and I was surrounded by young people, all I would have to do is turn around and look at one of them and frown, and you’d think he did it. … But if I’m up there by myself and I hit a bad note, then everybody knows it. That’s why you won’t catch me onstage totally alone.”
In concert
Roy Clark
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Rose State College Performing Arts Theatre, 6420 SE 15, Midwest City.
Information: 297-2264 or www.myticketoffice.com.
On exhibit
“Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor”
Where: Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive.
Information: 522-5248 or www.okhistorycenter.org.
-BAM
CD review: Ashton Shepherd “Where Country Grows”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Country
Ashton Shepherd “Where Country Grows” (MCA Nashville)
Alabama chanteuse Ashton Shepherd blooms as a singer and songwriter with “Where Country Grows,” her vibrant second album.
The follow-up to her acclaimed 2008 debut “Sounds So Good” again sets Shepherd apart from other contemporary country songbirds warbling radio-ready hits these days. Like Texas native and Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert, she flaunts her distinctive twang, convincingly conveys both sassiness and sentimentality and roots her music in old-school country. While she isn’t as well-honed a songwriter as Lambert, Shepherd is a powerhouse singer, with a vast, soulful voice and a knack for intriguing turns of phrase.
The Leroy, Ala., resident shows off her Southern drawl, smoky vocals and feisty attitude on the album-opening kiss-off “Look It Up,” sharply penned by Robert Ellis Orrall and Lambert’s Pistol Annies bandmate Angaleena Presley. It segues naturally into “I’m Good,” a quietly earnest getting-over-him ballad Shepherd co-wrote with Dean Dillon and Dale Dotson.
Shepherd, 24, wrote or co-wrote eight of the 10 tracks on her second album, and the three songs she penned solo not only boast the most personality but also reveal her classic country roots. The wife and mother channels Dolly Parton on the heartfelt plea for understanding “I’m Just a Woman,” then captures the country-blues of John Anderson on the solemn breakup song “That All Leads to One Thing.” Packed with vivid personal details, the nostalgic but not sappy closer “Rory’s Radio” sounds like a long-forgotten track from an early Reba record.
Several songs on Shepherd’s sophomore effort follow the current country trend of extolling the virtues of rural living. But she brings a spunky sincerity to the title track, “More Cows Than People” and “While It Ain’t Raining” that holds far more appeal than the swaggering cliché-slinging of too many of her male counterparts.
— BAM
DVD review: “Arthur”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“Arthur” Blu-ray + DVD combo pack
Like Dudley Moore in the original, Russell Brand vividly embodies a fabulously wealthy, incredibly drunk playboy with no real direction in “Arthur,” a modernized remake of Moore’s signature 1981 comedy.
And like its predecessor and title character, the frenetic revamp suffers from lack of steady, savvy direction.
At the 1982 Academy Awards, “Arthur” won best supporting actor for John Gielgud and original song for “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” while Moore lost the actor award to Henry Fonda for “On Golden Pond.” Writer-director Steve Gordon, who died later that year of a heart attack, also was Oscar nominated for best original screenplay, but “Arthur” was the first and only film he helmed. His previous directing credits were on “Good Time Harry,” a short-lived sitcom he created, and his lack of feature experience unfortunately shows on “Arthur,” which despite its indelible performances isn’t that memorable a movie.
While the remake has undergone some necessary changes — it’s no longer socially acceptable for movies to revolve around lovable drunks, unless they eventually send their twinkly-eyed dipsomaniacs to rehab — unfortunately, flawed direction again undermines appealing performances. Helmer Jason Winer, a director and executive producer on the hit sitcom “Modern Family,” seems to be under the mistaken impression he’s still working in television here.
The core story remains much the same, with a few sharp gender twists: Perpetually soused and mind-bogglingly wealthy Arthur Bach (Brand) fritters away his days wrecking his Batmobile, wooing women of ill repute into his magnetic bed and exasperating his nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren cleverly cast in the Gielgud role). His emotionally distant CEO mother Vivienne (Geraldine James) worries that Arthur’s antics will affect the stock price at Bach Enterprises, so she issues an ultimatum: Her son will marry ruthless ladder-climber Susan (Jennifer Garner) or lose his fortune.
Arthur dislikes Susan but he can’t fathom being poor, so he agrees. But his resolve is tested when he falls for charming Naomi (Greta Gerwig), an unlicensed tour guide and aspiring children’s author.
Thanks to the game cast, Winer’s “Arthur” boasts more than a few laughs. But it feels like a sitcom stretched into a feature, with the frantic first half careening from one comedic set piece to the next before jarringly shifting into the more somber second half, which prolongs the too-neat tying of every plot thread.
Along with Blu-ray, DVD and digital copies of the film, the combo pack includes a gag reel, alternate scenes and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
— BAM
Count Gregore to bring local color to Improv Festival Oklahoma
Local TV legend John Ferguson, also known as Count Gregore, will perform as guest monologist with Red Dirt Improv Saturday during the third annual Improv Festival Oklahoma. By Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman Archives.
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Count Gregore to bring local color to Improv Festival Oklahoma
Host troupe Red Dirt Improv has invited the Oklahoma City TV legend to be a guest performer during their Saturday night set at the third annual event.
As the host troupe for Improv Festival Oklahoma, Oklahoma City-based Red Dirt Improv wanted to add a bit of local color to their Saturday night set at this year’s event.
You don’t get much more colorful than Oklahoma City’s “master of horror,” TV legend Count Gregore.
“We are glad to be a part of the growing Count Gregore revival that is going on right now,” said Red Dirt Improv member Tyler Bryce in an email. “He is a natural storyteller, which makes him a great fit for the festival. He has helped inspire generations of Oklahomans to embrace their creative side.”
The third annual Improv Festival Oklahoma began Thursday and continues this weekend at City Arts Center, with nighttime performances Friday and Saturday from improvisational theater groups from Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Illinois. In addition, IFO3 will include daytime workshops Friday-Sunday at the State Fair Park venue.
Count Gregore, also known as John Ferguson, will join Red Dirt Improv Saturday night as guest monologist. Prompted by audience suggestions, the Count will regale the crowd with stories that the festival’s host troupe will turn into uproarious scenes.
Making it Count
Count Gregore first appeared as a local horror host for “Shock Theatre” in 1958 on Oklahoma City’s WKY-TV. For more than 50 years, he has hosted shows such as “Creature Features,” “Horror Theatre,” “Sleepwalker’s Matinee,” “Thriller” and “Night-mare.” The documentary short “Count Gregore: A Spook-tacular Career” recently made its premiere at the Moore Reel International Film Festival, a biography on Ferguson is reportedly in the works, and he has become a popular guest at Oklahoma events in the past few years.
Red Dirt Improv members Dave Courtright, James Murray and Bryce met the Count on the set of the locally produced movie “Control Alt Destroy.” In the movie, Ferguson plays their employer, and between takes, the Oklahoma City icon entertained the cast and crew with anecdotes from his long and unusual career.
Since the troupe wanted to add a special dimension to their festival performance, they invited the Count to share more yarns that they could incorporate into their set. In addition, Count Gregore will be available after the show to sell and autograph memorabilia.
“I’m excited to do improv scenes based on Count Gregore’s stories, because he is a well-known Oklahoman with a rich history,” said Murray in an email. “We’ll be hearing his stories for the first time, which will really add a new source of humor to our scenes.”
Visiting headliners
Zach Ward, producer of DSI Comedy Theater in North Carolina and recently named managing director of Improv Boston, will be Friday night’s headliner as well as a guest improviser Saturday night with Red Dirt Improv. As part of the 7 p.m. Friday lineup, Ward will perform his daring “Road Trip” show.
“He takes a single, untrained audience volunteer and performs a half-hour set with them. That would be like a magician letting an untrained audience volunteer cut them in half with a chainsaw,” Bryce said.
Saturday night’s headliner, renowned Minneapolis-based improviser Jill Bernard, is among the returning favorites at Improv Festival Oklahoma. But Bernard, author of the “Small Cute Book of Improv,” is bringing her one-woman “Drum Machine” show to the festival for the first time. She uses a Zoom Rhythmtrak 123 to create backbeats to accompany the multiple characters and crazy adventures she invents.
“Jill is inspiring to watch because she overflows with this infectious positivity,” Bryce said. “The audience can’t help but get wrapped up in her adventures because they want to know more about Jill. Very few improvisers better represent the spirit of ‘yes, and …’ more completely.”
Going on
Third annual Improv Festival Oklahoma
When: 7 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Where: City Arts Center, State Fair Park, 3000 General Pershing Blvd.
Tickets: $60 for festival pass; $30 for all Friday shows; $30 for all Saturday shows. Tickets for individual sets are available and vary.
Workshops: Daytime Friday-Sunday.
Information: 701-8938 or www.festival.reddirtimprov.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on July 29, 2011: Hear The JaneDear Girls at the Diamond Ballroom
Today’s featured event:
Catch hot country duo The JaneDear Girls, with special guests Aaron Vaughn and Samantha Rose, in concert at 6:30 p.m. today at the Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S Eastern. Information: 677-9169 or www.diamondballroom.net.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
