Video: Twinprov’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” rap
Twinprov, AKA Oklahoma City comedians Buck and Clint Vrazel returned to the NewsOK studios this week with another of their humorous film-related raps. Since the hotly anticipated sequel “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” opens today, the Brothers Vrazel could only be paying hilarious tribute to Stephenie Meyer’s vampire-romance epic.
Admire both the fast-talking fun and the amusing choreography in Buck and Clint’s latest rhyming comic masterpiece.
As a bonus, Twinprov manager Eric Webb and the guys put together a behind-the-scenes preview video to go along with their big NewsOK debut performance:
The guys also performed their rap at five midnight “New Moon” screenings today/last night at Harkins Bricktown Cinema 16.
Thanks to Twinprov for again paying us a visit. It’s always a fun time.
-BAM
Weekend Warmup for Nov. 20-22, 2009
Wanda Jackson (Associated Press photo)
Here is a list of events happening around Oklahoma today-Sunday (Nov. 20-22, 2009). For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
- Hear Wanda Jackson, Brian Dunning and the Rock & Roll Trio Saturday at the 50th anniversary celebration for 66 Bowl, 3810 NW 39 Expressway. The party goes on from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, 59 cent specials on bowling, shoes, hot dogs, soft drinks. Doors reopen at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. concert. Information: 946-3966.
- Take in hands-on art activities, face painting, live performances from the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and more at the Fall Family Festival celebrating the special exhibit “The Dutch Italianates” from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive. Information: 236-3100 or www.okcmoa.com.
- Watch the musical “Little House on the Prairie,” presented by Celebrity Attractions, at 8 tonight, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Information: (800) 869-1451 or www.celebrityattractions.com.
Hinder
- MIAMI – Hear Oklahoma City rockers Hinder at 8 p.m. Saturday at Buffalo Run Casino. Information: www.ticketstorm.com.
- THACKERVILLE – Laugh along with Ron White at 9 tonight at WinStar World Casino. Then, hear Lyle Lovett at 8 p.m. Saturday at WinStar. Information: www.winstarworldcasino.com.
NORMAN — Listen the Gin Blossoms at 8 tonight at Riverwind Casino, 1544 W State Highway 9. Information: 322-6464 or www.riverwind.com.
- Hear Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Michael Fracasso at 9 tonight at the Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley. Information: 524-0738 or www.bluedoorokc.com.
“Raiders of the Lost Ark”
- NORMAN — Learn more about the state’s winter birds and build a birdfeeder from 6 to 8:30 tonight during Family Night Out at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave. At 8:30, the museum’s Movie Night will play “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Information: 325-4712 or www.snomnh.ou.edu.
- Share tales of “Sibling Rivalry” at OKC StorySlam’s monthly story slam tonight at Istvan Gallery, 1218 N Western Ave. Registration starts at 7 p.m., and storytelling begins at 7:30. Information: www.istvangallery.com or okcstoryslam@yahoo.com.
- Hear No Justice with Kyle Bennett Band at 10 tonight at the Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E Sheridan. Or listen to Kevin Fowler with Kevin Pickett and Southern Rain at 10 p.m. Saturday at the Wormy Dog. Information: www.wormydog.com.
Gary Vaynerchuk
- Listen to social media sommelier Gary Vaynerchuk and sample gourmet food and drink at OK Crush It at 8 tonight at Will Rogers Theater, 4322 N Western. Information: www.okcrushit.com.
- Watch the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Washington Wizards at 7 tonight at the Ford Center, 100 W Reno. Information: www.thunder.nba.com.
- Shop for a good cause at Individual Artists of Oklahoma’s Red Dot Art Auction fundraiser from 7 to 11 tonight at IAO, 706 W Sheridan. The auction will feature artwork by more than 50 Oklahoma artists. Information: www.iaogallery.org.
- Watch the American Quarter Horse Show from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and Saturday at State Fair Park. Information: www.aqha.com or www.okstatefairpark.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 16, 2009
Today’s featured event:
Oklahoma City-based comedy duo Twinprov will make its fourth headlining appearance at 8: 30 tonight at Mondays Don’t Suck, a weekly comedy night featuring local comics at the 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St.
Audience are encouraged to arrive early as seating is limited. Admission is free, but guests must be 21 to enter.
Monday’s show will be a revised version of Twinprov’s April debut and will kick off with the duo’s theme, “The Doppelgangster Rap” before moving on to stories about being twins including the popular “Twin Wars.” The show will also include improvised segments where the twin brothers Clint and Buck Vrazel take a basic scene and reinterpret it using film, TV and theater styles suggested by the audience. In addition, the brothers will woo a member of the audience with another favorite, the “R&B Serenade,” and will conclude with an improvised rap, also based on a audience suggestions.
For more information, go to www.twinprov.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Twinprov headlining Mondays Don’t Suck at Oklahoma City’s 51st Street Speakeasy
Oklahoma City-based comedy duo Twinprov will make its fourth headlining appearance next week at Mondays Don’t Suck, a comedy night featuring local comics that takes place weekly at the 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St. in OKC. The show starts at 8:30 p.m., but audiences are encouraged to arrive early as seating is limited.
Admission is free, but guests must be 21 to enter. Mondays Don’t Suck is organized by 796 Entertainment.
Twinprov is a one-of-a-kind comedy troupe made up of two-of-a-kind twin brothers Buck and Clint Vrazel. They specialize in creating reality-altering improv, stand-up, sketch, and musical comedy. As insatiable information sponges and natural mimics, these clone comics absorb and warp ideas from pop-culture, movies, games, history, philosophy, science and math to create smart, challenging, and off-the-wall comedy that can’t be duplicated.
Monday’s show will be a revised version of Twinprov’s April debut and will kick off with the duo’s theme, “The Doppelgangster Rap” before moving on to stories about being twins including the popular “Twin Wars.” The show will also include improvised segments where the Vrazels take a basic scene and reinterpret it using film, TV and theater styles suggested by the audience. In addition, Buck and Clint will woo a member of the audience with another favorite, the “R&B Serenade” and will conclude with an improvised rap, also based on a audience suggestions.
In addition, the show will feature new never-before-seen stories and sketches. The Vrazels will be joined onstage by keyboardist Stephanie Bidelspach.
Buck and Clint have been performing and teaching improv comedy for nine years and are founding members of O.U. Improv, Red Dirt Improv and The Ones Your Mother Warned You About. Since making their debut as a duo in April of 2009, Twinprov has premiered three original shows as headliners at the Mondays Don’t Suck comedy night, performed their “Star Trek,” “Transformers,” and “Harry Potter” raps in front of thousands at local movie premieres and sneak-peeks, entertained audiences at the 2009 OKC Pride Festival and The Toy & Action Figure Museum’s fourth Birthday Bash, and have been featured performers in The Improv Festival Oklahoma, The Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas, and The New Orleans Improv Festival.
This November, in addition to performing shows in OKC with Red Dirt Improv, The Ones Your Mother Warned You About and Twinprov, Buck and Clint will debut their new “Twilight Rap” next Thursday at the midnight premiere of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” at the OKC Harkins Bricktown 16.
In upcoming months, Twinprov will be on the road performing at clubs and festivals around the country and will be hard at work combining the best parts of their Speakeasy shows with all new material into an exciting new two-hour comedy extravaganza that will debut in OKC early next year.
-BAM
Weekend Warmup for Nov. 6-8, 2009
Rodney Atkins
Here is a list of events happening this weekend (Nov. 6-8) around Oklahoma. For more information, go to www.wimgo.com.
- NORMAN – Catch country star Rodney Atkins at 8 tonight at Riverwind Casino, 1544 W State Highway 9. Information: www.riverwind.com.
- SHAWNEE — Hear “American Idol” David Cook, who has Tulsa ties, at 7 tonight at Firelake Grand Casino, 777 Grand Casino Blvd. Information: 964-7263 or www.firelakegrand.com.
- Take in art, food and music at the sixth annual Girlie Show from 8 to midnight tonight and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Farmers Public Market, 311 S Klein. Information: www.thegirlieshow.net.
Classical Mystery Tour
- Watch the Oklahoma City Philharmonic perform with Beatles tribute band Classical Mystery Tour at 8 tonight and Saturday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker. Information: 842-5387 or www.okcphilharmonic.org.
- TULSA and THACKERVILLE — Listen to country star Alan Jackson and up-and-coming band Gloriana at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the BOK Center, 200 S Denver. Information: (866) 726-5287 or www.bokcenter.com. Or catch Jackson in concert at 9 tonight at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville. Information: www.winstarworldcasino.com.
- See new art – from small works exhibits to a container show – during the monthly Paseo Gallery Walk in the Paseo Arts District. Hours are 6 to 10 tonight and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Information: 525-2688 or www.thepaseo.com.
- Hear Chevelle with Halestorm and After Midnight Project at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S Eastern Ave. Information: www.diamondballroom.net.
Billie Letts
- SHAWNEE - Hear Tulsa author Billie Letts (”Where the Heart Is”) give the keynote address at the 2009 Red Dirt Book Festival on today and Saturday. Letts will speak at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Raley Chapel at Oklahoma Baptist University. Multiple writing workshops, special programs and panel discussions with authors and editors will be included in the two-day book festival that’s sponsored by Pioneer Library System. The festival opens at 9 a.m. today. Letts and other featured authors will close out the festival with a book signing at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Geiger Center on OBU’s campus. To register for the free festival (which is required) or get more information, go to www.reddirtbookfestival.org.
- Listen to Billy Joe Winghead, Bloody Ol’ Mule, the Starkweather Boys and more from noon Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday at “Drumming for Derek,” a benefit for Oklahoma City drummer Derek Dugger, who has brain cancer. The event will be at 66 Bowl, 3810 NW 39 Expressway. Information: 946-3966.
- MIAMI – Catch the Casey Donahew Band in concert at 7 tonight at Buffalo Run Casino. Information: www.buffalorun.com.
“Frankenstein”
- Watch Oklahoma Children’s Theatre and TheatreOCU’s production of “Frankenstein” at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. today, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in Oklahoma City University’s Burg Theatre, 2501 N Blackwelder. The production is recommended for middle school and high school students. Information: www.oklahomachildrenstheatre.org.
- TULSA – Hear Rob Zombie with Nekromantix and Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Brady Theater, 105 W Brady Street. Information: www.bradytheater.com.
- See a Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley. Also, hear Don Conoscenti at 9 tonight and John Fullbright at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Blue Door. Information: www.bluedoorokc.com.
- Watch Red Dirt Improv perform “Music, Mayhem, and Mamet” starting at 7 tonight at IAO Gallery, 706 W Sheridan. Information: www.reddirtimprov.com.
-BAM
Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to host Oscars
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced that funnymen Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will co-host the 82nd Oscars on March 7, 2010.
As EW.com reports, Oscar telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman said in a statement: “We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars. Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event.”
Martin, who lately has been exploring his music career as a serious banjo player, previously hosted the 73rd and 75th Oscar shows. “30 Rock” star Baldwin will be a first-time Oscars host, though he was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for “The Cooler.”
According to EW.com, this is what they had to say about their new job:
Martin: “I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin.”
Baldwin: “I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”
-BAM
3D’s Wednesday Video Spotlight: Episode 19
Well, loyal readers, this is it. This is the last episode of “Red vs. Blue: Recreation.” I’m sure there will be a mini-series or something to get us through the long winter months until the next Rooster Teeth series. If so, I will try to keep you posted here.
The DVD of this series is now available to order from Rooster Teeth and the “RT Shorts” that I have been posting here are also getting their own DVD. Rooster Teeth releases are always packed with special features, so I’m sure they will be a good deal for those of you who are interested.
Please enjoy, but watch out for flying obscenities.
—3D
“Jeff Dunham” show makes recording-breaking Comedy Central premiere
Despite hefty competition, the series premiere of “The Jeff Dunham Show” Thursday night on Comedy Central broke the network’s all-time records for a series premiere among total viewers (5.3 million), Adults 18-49 rating (2.6) and Adult 18-49 viewers (3 million), according to a news release.
The series premiered at 8 p.m. Oklahoma time Thursday against Game 5 of the American League Championship Series and original episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “CSI” and “The Office.”
The premiere was the most-watched show in cable for Thursday primetime among total viewers, as well as the highest-rated and most-watched show in cable for Thursday primetime among Adults 18-49, Men 18-34 and Men 18-24.
The stellar performance of the premiere, which was seen by an aggregate of nearly 8 million total viewers on Thursday night, including replays, led Comedy Central to its highest-rated and most-watched night of the year, according to the release.
Encore presentations of “The Jeff Dunham Show” will air at 1 p.m. today, 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 6 p.m. Monday, 11 p.m. Tuesday and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“The Jeff Dunham Show” is a new half-hour comedy-reality show from Levity Entertainment starring ventriloquist-comedian Jeff Dunham. The series features Dunham and his hilarious cast of characters: Walter, the cranky curmudgeon; Achmed the Dead Terrorist, a skeleton with serious anger issues; “Boobs and Beer” Bubba J; José Jalapeño on a Stick, the talking pepper; fame-hungry purple Peanut; and Melvin, a superhero with no powers. Dunham and his pals perform in front of a live studio audience as well as interact on location with real people.
The series is the first part of a wide-ranging, fully-integrated, multi-platform initiative that Comedy Central signed earlier this year with Dunham; the deal also includes a stand-up special, major-market stand-up tour, DVDs and a consumer products partnership.
His one-hour Comedy Central Original Stand-Up Special will air in early fall 2010, with Comedy Central Home Entertainment and Levity producing and distributing DVDs of both the series and stand-up special, as well as a colossal, nationwide Comedy Central Live stand-up concert tour with more than 60 performances.
The tour kicks off September 2010 and a major consumer products partnership in conjunction with the series and the tour will also hit the marketplace in 2010. Each of the deal’s elements will feature unique components for reaching the Comedy Central audience wherever it lives. This deal also opens the door to future digital projects with Dunham and comedycentral.com.
Credits for “The Jeff Dunham Show” include Jeff Dunham, Ross McCall, Aaron Peters, Judi Brown-Marmel, Robert Hartmann and Stu Schreiberg as executive producers and Gary Mann and Monika Zielinska as executives in charge of production for Comedy Central. Long-time writing collaborator, Jeff Rothpan, serves as supervising producer.
“The Jeff Dunham Show” series is being sponsored by Subway, and the debut episode was sponsored by Geico.
-BAM
Jeff Dunham talks about his new TV show, debuting tonight
Jeff Dunham and Achmed the Dead Terrorist (Photo by Richard McLaren)
From Thursday’s you! section of The Oklahoman.
Comedian Jeff Dunham and his puppet pals have dominated YouTube, conquered stand-up specials and thrived as a touring act.
Now, the ventriloquist and his cohorts Walter, Peanut, Bubba J and Achmed the Dead Terrorist are taking on a new challenge: series television. “The Jeff Dunham Show” debuts at 8 tonight on Comedy Central, but many Americans already know and love Dunham and his “suitcase posse” of irreverent characters.
“What’s great about this show is that before any cameras started rolling or any scripts started being written, the characters were well-developed and tested with audiences … some of them for decades,” he said in a phone interview this week from Los Angeles, where he calls home.
The Dallas native, 47, has notched 350 million hits on his YouTube videos and become the top-grossing stand-up act in America, according to Pollstar. “Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special,” his third stand-up special for Comedy Central, last year became the most-watched telecast in the cable channel’s history with 6.6 million viewers tuning in for the debut.
Those successes gave Dunham the chance to develop his “reality comedy series.” On the show, he and his puppets perform live before a studio audience and then venture into the real world. He visits a relationship therapist with Walter, takes Bubba J to a firing range and helps Peanut get a date with Brooke Hogan.
“We stayed true to the spirit of what it is that I do on TV (specials) and on stage, and at the same time, we’re throwing out there something that’s completely different than anything … that’s ever been done before,” he said.
He added, “One of the things I’m most proud of is that it has no socially redeeming value whatsoever, and I think there’s something refreshing about that.”
Of course, trying anything new comes with its unforeseen drawbacks.
“What’s taxing — and I didn’t even consider this when we were coming up with the show — a lot of these shots … the characters have to be by themselves or just the character talking to someone else with me not anywhere around. So in a lot of these scenes, I’m not in the shot, but I have to be there to work the character,” he said.
Since the puppets aren’t computerized or remote-operated, green screens often create the illusion that the dummies are talking or moving without Dunham’s help. But in one of the season’s seven episodes, Achmed longs for a proper funeral, including the perfect coffin, putting Dunham in an awkward position.
“I’m in the bottom, closed half of the casket in a fetal position with a flashlight and my hand up the puppet’s butt,” he said with a laugh. “So that was a little disconcerting.”
While making the show means often shooting 10 hours to get one four-minute segment, Dunham, whose mother was raised in Ponca City, keeps his sense of humor and perspective.
“Yeah, it’s tough. It’s a lot of preparation for a tiny amount of time. It’s not like I’m having to dig a ditch or anything. I certainly count my blessings,” he said.
“The most tiring thing that I do in my life is when I come home and take care of my daughters.”
-BAM
3D’s Wednesday Video Spotlight: Chapter 18
It’s time once again for your weekly Rooster Teeth videos. There’s a new “RT Short” this week, along with a new chapter of “Red vs. Blue: Recreation.” Please enjoy with caution.
—3D
