Social media used to send prayers and condolences to Oklahoma in wake of deadly tornadoes
There has been an incredible outpouring of prayers and sympathy from around the world since deadly and devastating tornadoes ripped through Moore and south Oklahoma City this afternoon, less than a day after Shawnee and Carney were among the Oklahoma towns to be ravaged Sunday by twisters.
Here is just a sampling of the condolences, well-wishes and prayers from notable figures in the sports, music, TV and movie spheres, via Twitter and Facebook. On Twitter, #PrayforOklahoma was trending from moments after Moore tornado hit until well into this evening. My excellent colleague Anthony Slater has rounded up more Twitter reactions from the sports world here.
“Growing up in tornado alley, you always know what could happen…it doesn’t change how devastating it is when something does happen. #pray … I’m thinking about and praying for my beautiful home state and the people in it tonight.”
- Checotah native Carrie Underwood @carrieunderwood
“Pray. That’s all we an do. Pray for peace for Oklahoma.”
- Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert @mirandalambert
“All my prayers go out to the folks in Oklahoma dealing with these tornados. Stay safe everyone!!!!”
- Chockie native Reba McEntire @reba
“Hometown got hit for the gazillionth time. Rise again Moore Oklahoma. Godspeed. Prayin – T”
- Norman resident/Moore-bred country superstar Toby Keith @TobyKeithMusic
“The devastation through my home state of Oklahoma is staggering. All of my prayers are w/the victims, especially all those little kids. XOX”
- Oklahoma City-born and bred actress Olivia Munn @oliviamunn
“Thoughts and prayers go out to all our fellow Oklahomans hit by today’s tornados.”
- Tulsa-based band Hanson @hansonmusic
“I think my area of OK is out of the serious danger. Please send prayers thoughts & whatever you can to the hard-hit areas.”
- Tulsa author S.E. Hinton @se4realhinton
“Please everyone, pray for Oklahoma!”
- Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth @KChenoweth
“the loss of life and properly in our little Oklahoma is in fathomable at this time. Get on your knees people there are children missing”
- Shawnee-rooted electro-pop band Shiny Toy Guns @shinytoyguns
“My family and I are safe. Unfortunately, there is a lot of devastation. Please pray for Oklahoma. I’ll let you know how you can help.”
- Oklahoma City Christian recording artist Jami Smith @jamismith
“If you have dollars, give em…. if you have clothes, donate em… if you have heads, bow em…. Looking for bands to help raise some funds for the Moore (and surround areas) tornado disaster. June 9. The Arbuckle Ballroom in Davis, OK has been gracious enough to donate their place. Now just need players and supporters. Please share https://www.facebook.com/bophillipsband/posts/10151471495806824″
- Stillwater-based red dirt band Bo Phillips Band @BoPhillipsBand and Facebook
“Praying for the victims of the Tornadoes in OKC these last few days..Everybody stay safe!”
- Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant @KDTrey5
“Pray for the people and families of the people in OKC. This is a true tragedy.”
- Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook via Facebook
“Again, pray for OKC… Everybody stay safe!”
- Oklahoma City Thunder star @sergeibaka9
“Thoughts and Prayers to all affected by the tornado today.”
- Oklahoma City Thunder star Thabo Sefolosha @ThaboSefolosha
“Thoughts and prayers to my hometown OKC. Luckily my family is safe. I have lived in OK a long time. This one might be the worst!”
- Oklahoma City-born and bred NFL star Wes Welker @WesWelker
“Praying for everyone in Oklahoma City. This is crazy!”
- Former Oklahoma City Thunder player James Harden @JHarden13
“Devastating damage to Moore, Oklahoma due to Tornadoes. Please keep these people in your prayers. Thankfully @MelanieWeeden family is safe.”
- Former Oklahoma State University quarterback and current Cleveland Browns QB Brandon Weeden @bweeden3
“I don’t even know what to say. My thoughts, prayers, concerns, and heartache goes out to my family, friends, and everyone in Oklahoma.”
- OSU Heisman trophy winner and NFL legend Barry Sanders @BarrySanders
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Oklahoma tonight! Follow @RedCross for ways you can help. #TheVoice”
- The Voice @NBCTheVoice official Twitter feed.
“We need and appreciate your votes tonight, but more importantly we need your prayers for our friends and family in Oklahoma. Thanks y’all.”
- Muskogee “The Voice” finalists Zach & Colton Swon @TheSwonBrothers
“If you wish to help those in need in Oklahoma go to: http://www.redcross.org/ok/oklahoma-city … #PrayForOklahoma”
- Actor Cary Elwes @Cary_Elwes
“Shocking images from that Oklahoma tornado. Thoughts with all the people affected. #yikes #prayforoklahoma”
- Actress Elizabeth Banks @ElizabethBanks
“Praying for the Oklahoma families affected by the #tornado…!”
- Actor Levar Burton @levarburton
“#PrayForOklahoma My heart is breaking. So much devastation. Praying for all affected & those still in the wake of this storm be safe!”
- Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott @HillaryScottLA
“Everyone keep OKC and all areas impacted by the tornadoes in your thoughts. #PrayForOklahoma”
- Country singer Tanya Tucker @tanya_tucker
“Please take a moment right now. #PrayForOklahoma”
- Country singer Lee Greenwood @TheLeeGreenwood
“Praying for everyone in Oklahoma tonight.”
- Texas country band Eli Young Band @EliYoungBand
“Sending so much love to all my friends in beautiful Oklahoma. Hoping you and your loved ones are safe.”
- Actress/singer Alicia Witt @aliciawitty
“My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the devastating tornado in Oklahoma. #prayforoklahoma”
- Talk show host Wendy Williams @WendyWilliams
“Can’t believe what’s happening in Oklahoma. My heart goes out to everyone affected. #prayforOklahoma”
- Actor/model Colton Haynes @ColtonLHaynes
“Keeping OKC and all areas impacted by the tornadoes in my thoughts. #PrayForOklahoma”
- Retired professional boxer Mike Tyson @MikeTyson
“Sending blessings to all the family’s #PrayForOklahoma OKC”
- Hip-hop star/producer Swizz Beatz @THEREALSWIZZZ
- BAM
Monday Catchy Quote No. 265
A catchy quote from a movie, TV show or other source to brighten the beginning of your week:
Jason: You know… he strikes me as bein’ a lonely man.
Jake: Lonely? Danby? Why he’s a mean, no-good, lowdown bushwhacker!
Jason: Well, there you see? No wonder he’s lonely.
- Click here to learn the source.
-BAM
Interview: “Star Trek Into Darkness” explores bigger action, bold character developments
A version of this story appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ explores bigger action, bold character developments
The sequel to J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Trek” reboot has kept fans guessing about possible secret identities for its villain, played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Chris Pine credits director J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof with marrying the adrenaline bursts of a huge action movie with the thoughtfulness of a smaller, character-driven story in his second outing as Captain James T. Kirk, “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
“I think the film takes people on a journey from Point A to Point B, and Kirk is still on his way to Z, let’s say. He’s still on his way to becoming the captain that we all know him to be,” Pine told The Oklahoman in a phone interview last summer.
“I think the effects and explosions are just as great if not greater in this new installment, but I think it’s matched by really strong and really interesting character development.”
It wasn’t surprising to hear the star of “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the follow-up to Abrams’ successful 2009 “Star Trek” reboot, still speaking in vague terms about the new movie 11 months ago.
What is surprising is how vague the filmmakers and Paramount Pictures have kept the details of such an eagerly awaited sequel, particularly in the age of spoiler alerts, online script leaks and preview-dissecting entertainment blogs. Even the many trailers, while thrilling, have revealed little more than clips of “Trek” newcomer Alice Eve in her underwear and the requisite fleeing-from-explosions sequences.
Like Pine, Kurtzman only promised in last year’s interview that “Star Trek Into Darkness” would be bigger and better than its predecessor.
“What was really kind of fun for all of us on the first movie is that we basically got to show the bridge crew coming together. And I think that the mistake that we didn’t want to make in the sequel was assuming that just because they’re together they’re the finely tuned machine that you fell in love (with) from the original series. They still have a lot of work and a lot of growing to get to that place,” said Kurtzman, who also co-scripted 2009’s “Trek” with Orci, his regular writing partner.
“So it’s a lot of fun, I think, to watch the characters struggle through a lot of insanely huge challenges. I can certainly speak to the scope of the movie — and as big as the first one was, the second one’s even bigger. And the key for all of us was making sure we were holding on to character the whole time. But I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
“Star Trek Into Darkness” reunites Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Karl Urban as Bones, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu and Simon Pegg as Scotty. Plus, Bruce Greenwood returns as Admiral Christopher Pike, Leonard Nimoy reprises his legendary role as Spock Prime, and Peter Weller (“RoboCop”) enters the “Trek” universe as the hawkish Admiral Marcus.
Hot actor Benedict Cumberbatch (the BBC series “Sherlock”) joins the sequel as the mysterious baddie going by the vague moniker John Harrison. “Into Darkness” has a timely terrorism storyline: The Enterprise is summoned back to Earth after Harrison commits a deadly terrorist act, but Kirk strikes out on his own manhunt to capture Cumberbatch’s one-man weapon of mass destruction.
For months, the filmmakers have kept Trekkers guessing at whether Cumberbatch was covertly taking on the famed role of Khan Noonien Singh, the genetically engineered superhuman Ricardo Montalban played in the initial TV series and film “Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan”; the part of lesser-known villain Gary Mitchell, who befriended and then battled Kirk in the original “Trek” episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before”; or an entirely new sinister character.
Some of the overly eager early reviews have revealed the answer, but no spoilers here.
Pine, 32, did reveal that his maverick character’s venture “Into Darkness” would leave him a changed captain.
“You’ll probably find pieces of that rebellious Kirk in the new installment, but I think really what Kirk’s personal adventure is about is learning how to be a captain, learning what it means to be a leader of men and women, learning what it means to be a true, responsible kind of fully realized man in a position of incredible responsibility,” Pine said.
-BAM
Oklahoma Contemporary offering “Last Look” at “Bryan Adams: Exposed” tonight
Lindsay Lohan, New York, 2007, by Bryan Adams.
The Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center is inviting the public to take a “Last Look” at the exhibit “Bryan Adams: Exposed” beginning at 5:30 p.m. today. The exhibit closes Friday.
Visitors are invited to partake of light refreshments while exploring the exhibition. No RSVP required. Admission is free.
For the past 12 years, Grammy-winning musician Bryan Adams has sharpened his skills as a professional photographer by capturing intimate images of friends and colleagues in the entertainment, fashion and art industries. This beautiful exhibition features select images from his recently released book titled, “Exposed,” a comprehensive retrospective of his photographic work.
“Bryan Adams’ photographs of distinguished personalities from the world of fashion, art and music precisely mirror the major public preoccupations of the 21st century. Exposed comprises of work that is accessible but challenging, offering the audience a creative tension of sorts. It’s my aim to form connections – between art and the individual, between viewing and learning, between the easily understandable and the unfamilar – and this exhibition does it on all levels,” said Mary Ann Prior, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center Executive Director, in the release.
Adams, 53, told me in an email interview that the images in the book and exhibit mostly are taken from photo shoots he’s done for magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire and Interview. He also founded and shoots for the German art fashion publication Zoo Magazine.
Sometimes the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter-turned-shutterbug uses elaborate set pieces, like the roomful of mirrors he arranged for Lana Del Rey after her highly scrutinized “Saturday Night Live” performance last year.
“They all seem to happen quite organically; things happen. I can’t explain it. I usually have a team of people I work with, all kinds of creatives, from hair and makeup to stylists and art directors,” he said of choosing the right sets and props.
“It’s a journey, I love working in the studio and sometimes on location. Candid shots are always being taken, and there is something spontaneous and fun about them … but my preference is the studio.”
To read more of my interview with Adams, click here.
Portraits in the exhibition include a cross-section of international celebrities and emerging stars such as Danny Trejo, Victoria Beckham, Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, Mickey Rourke, Lana Del Ray, Natalia Vodianova, Mick Jagger, Sean Penn, Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Ben Kingsley and South African rave rapper Yo-Landi Visser.
Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, formerly City Arts Center, is located at State Fair Park, 3000 General Pershing Blvd. For more information, go to www.oklahomacontemporary.org.
-BAM
deadCenter Film Festival to screen “Last of the Mohicans,” give Hunt Lowry the Oklahoma Film ICON Award
“Last of the Mohicans”
Oklahoma City native and acclaimed Hollywood producer Hunt Lowry will receive the 2013 Oklahoma Film ICON Award during the 2013 deadCenter Film Festival.
Lowry will receive the award prior to a free outdoor screening of “The Last of the Mohicans” at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, June 7 on the Great Lawn at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno.
The Oklahoma Film ICON Award is given annually to an outstanding Oklahoman whose success in the film industry brings honor to our state and helps increase the profile of the local film industry. This is the second year for the award, according to a news release. Last year’s recipients were Oscar-winning producer Gray Frederickson and actor James Marsden from Stillwater.
Lowry, a Casady grad, is best known for producing the Oscar-winning epic “The Last of the Mohicans” and the legal thriller “A Time to Kill,” starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Samuel L. Jackson. He started his career on classic comedies like “Airplane!” and “Top Secret” before shifting gears to bring the intense family drama “Surviving” home to be filmed in Oklahoma City. He captured the teen market with his Gaylord Films “A Walk to Remember,” “What a Girl Wants,” “A Cinderella Story,” and the “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.” During the past decade, Lowry has produced successful comedies like the “Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie,” and “Thou Shalt Laugh.” Independent film lovers hail the cult classic “Donnie Darko” as Lowry’s masterpiece.
“Just as impressive as any individual film is Lowry’s ability to move seamlessly across film genres and styles, creating visual stories that endure the test of time,” deadCenter Film Festival Executive Director Lance McDaniel said in the release. “He has also served as a beacon to Oklahomans moving to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams in motion pictures.”
Wes Studi, a renowned Native American actor from No Fire Hollow, Oklahoma, will present Lowry with the award at 9 p.m. Studi played the villain Magua in “The Last of the Mohicans.”
deadCenter will offer two free outdoor screenings, in addition to “The Last of the Mohicans,” on the Great Lawn at Myriad Botanical Gardens, including the feature-length rockumentary “The Rolling Stones: Charlie is My Darling,” at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5, and “Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams” at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 9.
deadCenter Film Festival is Oklahoma’s largest film festival for the past 13 years and one of the “Top 20 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” according to MovieMaker magazine. This year’s festival is June 5-9 and includes 115 comedies, dramas, hard-hitting documentaries and short films from Oklahoma and around the world. For more information, please visit www.deadcenterfilm.org.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: One-time screening of Paul McCartney and Wings concert film “Rockshow” Thursday night at Harkins Bricktown
A special one-time screening of “Rockshow” — a concert film starring Paul McCartney and Wings on their 1975-76 “Wings Over the World” tour — will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday at Harkins Bricktown Cinema 16, 150 E Reno Ave.
SpectiCast, in association with Eagle Rock Entertainment, is premiering the film in theaters in the U.K. on Wednesday and worldwide on 
Thursday.
Although filmed on the tour in 1976 at the enormous Kingdome in Seattle, “Rockshow,” originally a cutdown version of the concert, was not premiered until November 1980 in New York and April 1981 in London.
The film will be shown at nearly 1,000 theaters in more than 700 cities worldwide, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cape Town, South Africa, Sydney, Rome, Warsaw, Poland, and many other cities across the U.S., Mexico, Asia, Europe and South America. These special theatrical presentations will include a bonus 12-minute interview with McCartney, according to a news release.
The demand that greeted Paul McCartney and Wings (Linda McCartney, Joe English, Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch) in the spring of 1976 as they embarked on what would become their only North American tour was overwhelming.
Having released four consecutive chart-busting albums including “Red Rose Speedway, “Band on the Run,” “Venus and Mars” and “Wings at the Speed of Sound” — not to mention 1973′s Academy Award-winning James Bond theme “Live and Let Die” — McCartney’s solo career was in full flight, having not performed in the States for 10 years, either solo or with The Beatles.
Tickets for “Rockshow” are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.rockshowonscreen.com.
McCartney will bring his “Out There” Tour to Tulsa for a two-night stand May 29-30 at the BOK Center. For more information, go to www.bokcenter.com.
-BAM
See it: New “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” poster
Check out the new poster for the eagerly awaited sequel “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” featuring a battle-ready Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence).
The poster features the tagline, “The sun persists in rising, so I make myself stand,” which of course comes from the opening passages of the second book.
Gives me chills just looking at it!
The follow-up to last year’s blockbuster “The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire” is due in theaters Nov. 22 and stars Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci and Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. Based on Suzanne Collins’ best-selling young-adult dystopian book series, “The Hunger Games” saga takes place in a bleak, not-too-distant future in which North American society has collapsed and been replaced by Panem, in which every year two teenagers from each of the country’s 12 districts are summoned to the corrupt Capitol to participate in the deadly Hunger Games, a spectacle televised throughout the land.
After winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games in the initial film, “Catching Fire” picks up as Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) embark on their Victory Tour and realize they’ve become a symbol of hope and potential rebellion to the Panem population. Back at the Capitol, President Snow (Sutherland) and Head Gamekeeper Plutarch Heavesbee (Hoffman) plot to eliminate them.
-BAM
Bill Hader leaving “Saturday Night Live”
Bill Hader (AP file)
Tulsa native Bill Hader is leaving “Saturday Night Live” after eight years, reports the New York Times.
The comedian/actor will be leaving that NBC late-night series when its season ends on Saturday.
“It was a hard decision, but it has to happen at some point,” Hader told the New York Times. “It got to a point where I said, ‘Maybe it’s just time to go.’ ”
Mr. Hader, 34, joined “SNL” as a featured performer in the fall of 2005 and was promoted to a full cast member the following year. The popular performer is known for his oddball celebrity impressions of Clint Eastwood, Vincent Price, Alan Alda and ragin’ Cajun James Carville, as well as for his, um, distinctive “Weekend Update” city correspondent, Stefon.
Last year, he became the rare “Saturday Night Live” cast member to be nominated for an Emmy for supporting actor in a comedy series, according to the newspaper.
Hader has appeared in several movies, including “Superbad,” “Tropic Thunder” and “Men in Black 3,” and voiced the main character in the animated feature “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and its upcoming sequel.
He isn’t the only popular performer leaving “SNL”: Seth Meyers, a head writer and the anchor of its “Weekend Update,” will depart next year to replace Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s “Late Night,” when Fallon takes over “The Tonight Show” from Jay Leno in February.
-BAM
Monday Catchy Quote No. 264
A catchy quote from a movie, TV show or other source to brighten the beginning of your week:
Frances: I’ll hire the muscular descendants of Roman gods to do the heavy lifting.
- Click here to learn the source.
-BAM
Must see: “August: Osage County” poster and first trailer
Check out the first trailer for John Wells’ (“The Company Men”) film adaptation of Tulsa native Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the dysfunctional Weston family. The movie is set in Oklahoma and was filmed around Bartlesville in late 2012.
As the poster veritably crows, the film stars such Hollywood heavy-hitters as Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Margo Martindale, Benedict Cumberbatch and Abigail Breslin, among others.
It is due in theaters Nov. 8.
It’s hard to tell too much from a 2 1/2-minute preview, but as expected, the acting looks stellar, and I’m awarding double bonus points for the use of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes’ “Man on Fire” in the trailer.
-BAM
