Wednesday Video Spotlight: Making of NewsOK’s OU and OSU stop-motion 3D football intros
Stop-motion whiz and NewsOK videographer Kyle Roberts is playing with action figures again! I love it when he does that!
Football season is almost here, and The Oklahoman and NewsOK are getting ready by launching the first football stop-motion animation to use action figures. Some of our super-talented folks here custom-painted several action figures and combined 3D and stop-motion animation to create these intros in honor of the new season.
The college football bliss begins Saturday when my Oklahoma State Cowboys take on the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns at 6 p.m. in Stillwater (I’m so there, folks! Go Pokes!) and the Oklahoma Sooners host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at 7 p.m.
It’s great to see another stop-motion creation from the gifted Mr. Roberts, who is responsible for this bit of mad-genius filmmaking that got national attention:
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Kelli O’Hara and Matthew Broderick to star in new Broadway comedy “Nice Work If You Can Get It”
Oklahoma native and three-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O’Hara will star opposite stage and screen star Matthew Broderick in the new Broadway screwball romantic comedy “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” reports the Associated Press.
Producers told the AP today that O’Hara, the star of “South Pacific,” ”The Pajama Game” and “The Light in the Piazza,” will play “a tough-as-nails bootlegger who meets up with a wealthy playboy played by Broderick on the weekend of his wedding” in the new show.
Kathleen Marshall, who just won her third Tony Award for directing “Anything Goes,” will choreograph and direct “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” The musical will have a story by Joe DiPietro, who won Tonys for the book and score of “Memphis,” and will be built around songs by the legendary George and Ira Gershwin.
O’Hara was born in Elk City and raised in Edmond. She graduated from Deer Creeks schools and Oklahoma City University.
In May, she released her sophomore album, “Always.” The album, which features mostly classic show tunes and standards, is the follow-up to her 2008 solo debut “Wonder in the World.”
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Miranda Lambert talks about falling for Blake Shelton, guilty pleasure foods and more on “Dateline”
Grammy Award-winning country music star Miranda Lambert, who lives in Tishomingo, was featured in a special edition of NBC’s “Dateline” that aired Monday night.
The two-part interview with Hoda Kotb included Lambert’s husband and fellow country music star Blake Shelton, star of NBC’s hit reality TV show “The Voice.” Kotb chatted with Lambert from the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, Tenn., about life on the road, falling in love with Shelton and her new band, The Pistol Annies. The Pistol Annies announced today that their first album, “Hell on Heels,” has debuted at the top of the Billboard country album charts. To read more, click here.
Lambert also discussed her guilty pleasure foods, her “nesty” habits and her regular-girl insecurities, as you can see in these clips from the special.
Shelton and Lambert first met when they performed the duet “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma” at “CMT’s 100 Greatest Duets Concert” in 2006. Their version of the David Frizzell-Shelly West classic was listed as No. 26 on OklahomaRock.com’s list of the top 100 Oklahoma country songs. OklahomaRock.com today listed the top 5 Oklahoma country songs on the countdown; to see who’s on top, click here.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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Pistol Annies’ first album debuts at top of Billboard Country Album Chart
Pistol Annies, the feisty trio featuring Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, have hit the charts with guns ablazin’: The trio posted on Facebook today that its introductory album, “Hell on Heels,” is debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s country album chart with their album, Hell On Heels.
With more than 44,000 albums sold, the group lands at No. 5 on the multi-genre Billboard 200 Chart, according to the announcement.
“I can not believe how much the fans have embraced us,” said Lambert in the announcement. “We are so thrilled and even more inspired than ever. Thank you so much to our country fans”
Pistol Annies are here to stay!” Monroe added, “I am completely overwhelmed and humbled by the response of our wonderful fans.”
I couldn’t be more encouraged that country music is being embraced so completely.” Presley added. “Pistol Annies has been an organic, artistically driven project from the beginning and we are so proud that our couch dream has become critically and commercially successful. We are just three country girls singing about the truth and we are overjoyed by how well our album has been received.”
“Hell On Heels” is garnering critical praise from an array of media, including the Associated Press, which raves that “as much fun as they’re having, the Pistol Annies address working-class issues in language as real and as colorful as their country music heroes, whatever the gender. This trio aims at a lofty target yet hits the bull’s-eye, song after song.” The New York Times cheers that “the songs have the feeling of rejuvenative writing, small experiments in genre and style for artists versed in country’s classic modes.” The Washington Post declares, “’Hell on Heels’ is a laugh-to-keep-from-crying-your-blue-eyes-bloodshot kind of album,” and that “it might stand as the best country release of 2011.”
To read my rave review of “Hell on Heels,” click here.
The trio was born during a songwriting session with Lambert, AKA “Lone Star Annie” and Monroe, AKA “Hipppie Annie.” While writing and sharing stories, Monroe decided that Lambert and Presley, AKA “Holler Annie,” needed to meet, and a midnight phone call with the three of them launched the group. The three of them wrote and co-wrote every song on the album and were joined by Pistol Andy, AKA Lambert’s husband Blake Shelton, on the song “Family Feud.”
To read my column on the Pistol Annies, with quotes from my recent interviews with Lambert and Presley, click here.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Stoney LaRue track-by-track chat about “Velvet”
Red dirt music star Stoney LaRue, who lives in Edmond, is releasing today his long-awaited new studio album “Velvet,” the follow-up to his debut studio effort, 2005′s “The Red Dirt Album.”
Although he has been honing his craft onstage for 12 years, the indie musician told me in a recent interview that he considers “Velvet” his first truly professional recording experience. Frank Liddell, who has helmed projects by Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Lee Ann Womack, signed on to produce “Velvet,” along with Mike McCarthy, who has worked with Patti Griffin and Spoon.
Liddell connected LaRue with renowned session musicians and backing vocalists — including Liddell’s wife Womack and Sarah Buxton — and paired the Oklahoma songsmith with Nashville, Tenn.-based singer-songwriter Mando Saenz, who co-wrote nine of the album’s 10 tracks.
In this Wednesday Video Spotlight, Stoney chats about each song on “Velvet” in this short cut-by-cut clips.
To read more of my recent interview with Stoney, click here. And look for my review of “Velvet” in the coming days.
Q&A: Comedian Tig Notaro talks new CD, TV opportunities and more before tonight’s Norman show
A version of this story appears in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Tig Notaro tries out TV, CD
The standup comic is performing live Wednesday in Norman, but she also just released her first comedy album and is developing a TV show with Sarah Silverman.
From the strange Spanish translation of a commonplace hotel sign to her awkward and frequent encounters with ‘80s pop star Taylor Dayne, comedian Tig Notaro has finely honed her knack for transforming life’s oddities into uproariously winding stories and drily hilarious one-liners.
As a standup comic, Notaro has been featured on the TV shows “Last Comic Standing,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and her own half-hour Comedy Central special. In addition, she has performed at some of the world’s top comedy and music festivals, including South By Southwest in Austin, Texas; Just For Laughs in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Australia.
“I’m probably drawn to the uncertainty of it all. I truly love doing standup,” Notaro said in an email interview. “I was obsessed with it before getting into it and watched it on TV nonstop. Now that I’m doing it for a living, I rarely watch it, but still enjoy doing it nonstop.”
While Notaro will perform live Wednesday night at The Opolis in Norman, she also is taking her signature dry humor beyond the standup stage. She was a series regular on the 2009 sitcom “In the Motherhood” opposite Cheryl Hines and Casady High School graduate Megan Mullally, has made guest appearances on the shows “Community” and “The Sarah Silverman Program” and is working with Silverman on a TV version of “Tig Has Friends,” her popular regular live show at Los Angeles’ Largo Theater.
In addition, Notaro’s weekly podcast “Professor Blastoff” premiered at No. 1 on iTunes in May, while her debut comedy album, “Good One,” reached No. 2 on iTunes this month. The first and only comedian signed to the prestigious indie music label Secretly Canadian, Notaro fielded via email several questions about her burgeoning career:
Q: Why was this the right time to do an album? Did you have concerns that your comedy wouldn’t translate to an audio-only format? How did you handle those concerns?
A: It was never a concern, because people that can’t use their imagination when something is described probably won’t be into this CD. People that can seem to love those moments on the album. As for the time being right, I didn’t realize it was until I was offered the right deal, then everything fell into place.
Q: The deluxe version includes the DVD “Have Tig at Your Party,” described as “the human equivalent to the ‘burning log’ DVDs.” I guess my question would be how does a concept like that go from “I should do a human equivalent of the ‘burning log’ DVDs” to actual execution?
A: Just sitting around with friends who work on the production side of things really loving the concept and then insisting that we make it. It’s really so ridiculous and I’m very proud of it and how dumb it is.
Q: You are known for having a dry, laidback comic delivery. Is that just a reflection of your personality or a style you’ve deliberately developed because it appealed to your sense of humor? Who are your comedic influences?
A: I always say you wouldn’t be too surprised to meet me offstage. I’m sure there’s moments when I’m less laidback while hanging out with friends and acting stupid, but in general, I’m not a stretch from my stage persona. My influences now are my peers I’ve come up with like Sarah Silverman, Zach Galifianakis, Maria Bamford — those types. As a non-comic, I loved Paula Poundstone, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Joan Rivers — those types.
Q: You were a regular on the series “In the Motherhood” with a favorite Oklahoma talent, Megan Mullally. Feel free to talk about how great Megan is …
A: Megan is so crazy supportive of not just me, but other up-and-comers, and that’s pretty great coming from someone that’s basically a living legend. And her comedic sensibility is superb. I love Megan.
Q: You’ll have two talented local comedians, James Nghiem and James Draper, opening for you Wednesday in Norman. Do you enjoy or get inspired from hearing new comics perform?
A: I do like to hear what’s out there because I rarely have the time to seek it out. Most of the time I bring my own opener and MC, but this tour I’m using only locals. Looking forward to J & J (James and James.)
Q. What question do you wish interviewers would ask you that they never do? And how would you answer that question?
A: That question. Like this.
Going on
Tig Notaro
With: James Nghiem and James Draper.
When: 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: The Opolis, 113 N Crawford.
Information: www.starlightmints.com/opolis.html.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Aug. 31, 2011: Hear Kid Rock, Jason Boland & the Stragglers and Leroy Powell at the Zoo Amphitheatre
Kid Rock (AP file)
Jason Boland & the Stragglers
Today’s featured event:
Hear Kid Rock, Jason Boland & the Stragglers and Leroy Powell at 7 tonight at the Zoo Amphitheatre, 2101 NE 50. For more information, go to www.zooamp.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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Rapper Josh Sallee to perform free Sunday at VZD’s for first episode of Static’s new season
Oklahoma City rapper Josh Sallee, recently featured on the cover of LOOKatOKC, will be the first artist featured on the new season of my excellent colleague George Lang’s video series Static, and you can get in on the musical action.
George and talented videographer Kyle Roberts will tape Sallee’s Static performance before a live audience at 5 p.m. Sunday at VZD’s, 4200 N Western. Admission is FREE.
They’re hoping to attract a big crowd for the taping, so take time out of your Labor Day weekend activities and enjoy a couple of hours of great live local music in the air conditioned comfort of one of OKC’s most legendary venues.
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OKC Museum of Art to replay “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” Wednesday by popular demand
Werner Herzog’s (“Grizzly Man”) widely praised documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” has been held over by popular demand at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, where it will screen again at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Noble Theater, 415 Couch Drive.
The museum showed Herzog’s acclaimed 2010 film Thursday and Sunday, and it was so popular, the museum opted to add two more screenings.
The documentary follows an exclusive expedition into the nearly inaccessible Chauvet Cave in France, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been created by man. The film provides a unique glimpse of pristine artwork dating back to human hands more than 30,000 years ago — almost twice as old as any previous discovery.
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/OKCMOA.
Check out the “Dave of Forgotten Dreams” trailer:
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Video: St. Vincent performs “Cruel” on “The Late Show with David Letterman”
Bless my excellent colleague and pal George Lang of Staticblog: When he found out that I forgot to set my DVR to record St. Vincent’s performance Monday night on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” he swiftly shipped over a link to this YouTube video of the musical magnificence, which absolutely made my day.
As usual, St. Vincent, the Tulsa-born singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist also known as Annie Clark, wowed with her performance of her new single, “Cruel.”
“Cruel” is from St. Vincent’s upcoming album “Strange Mercy,” due out Sept. 13. (Squeal of anticipation!) “Strange Mercy” will be the follow-up to her 2009 sophomore effort “Actor,” which made my top 10 list for that year.
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