Jack White to play Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa on March 15; tickets on sale Friday
Jack White (AP file)
Former White Stripes guitarist/singer Jack White will play March 15 at historic Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, the venue announced today.
Tickets will go on sale at noon Friday. Prices are set at $38 and $49. There will be a limit of four tickets per person.
For more information, go to www.cainsballroom.com.
White founded The Stripes in Detroit in 1997 with his then-wife, drummer Meg White, and in February 2011, the influential duo announced they had decided to part ways. Jack White has formed several other music projects over the years, including The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs. He also produced Loretta Lynn’s 2004 album “Van Lear Rose” and Oklahoma native Wanda Jackson’s 2011 album “The Party Ain’t Over.”
He recently announced that he will release his debut solo album “Blunderbuss” in April on own label, Third Man Records. “Love Interrruption,” the first single, has already been released:
-BAM
Video: St. Vincent to appear on “Gossip Girl” tonight
Tulsa-born singer/songwriter/guitarist St. Vincent will appear on tonight’s Valentine’s Day-theme episode of the teen drama series “Gossip Girl.” The show airs at 7 p.m. on the CW.
St. Vincent will perform her song “Cruel,” from her 2011 album “Strange Mercy.”
Check out this clip of the performance. On Facebook, St. Vincent says “They don’t show when I smash my guitar on the bar, but pretty sure they will tonight….” Please let this not be sarcasm.
If you want to see St. Vincent play in person, she will perform in concert May 15 at Cain’s Ballroom. For more information, go to www.cainsballroom.com.
-BAM
Best Bets for Feb. 10-12, 2012: Chris Young, Alabama, “The Firebird,” Children’s Miracle Network benefit show
Chris Young
Here are my Best Bets for entertainment happening around the state this weekend, as listed in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. For more options, go to www.wimgo.com.
1. Listen to up-and-coming country star Chris Young, with special guests the Lost Trailers, at 7 p.m. Friday at the Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S Eastern. Information: 677-9169 or www.diamondballroom.net. (Look for my review of the show in the wee hours of Saturday here on BAM’s Blog.)
2. Watch Oklahoma City Ballet’s production of Stravinsky’s stunning “The Firebird” at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Information: 848-8637 or www.okcballet.com.
3. NORMAN — Hear Pretty Black Chains, Burning Hotels, Crown Imperial and BradChad Porter perform at a Benefit for Children’s Miracle Network at 9 p.m. Friday at the Opolis, 113 N Crawford. Information: www.starlightmints.com/opolis.html.
4. WINSTAR — Catch reunited Country Music Hall of Famers Alabama at 8 p.m. Saturday at WinStar World Casino, Interstate 35, Exit 1. Information: (800) 622-6317 or www.winstarworldcasino.com.
-BAM
Target, Walmart hosting “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” release parties tonight
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To read my interview with “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” director Bill Condon, click here.
Target, Walmart hosting “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” release parties
Forget vampires vs. werewolves: Friday night’s anticipated DVD release of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1” is setting up an epic battle between big-box giants Target and Walmart.
“Breaking Dawn — Part 1” drops on DVD and Blu-ray at the stroke of midnight Saturday, with release parties planned Friday night (tonight) at Walmart and Target locations across the country, including many Oklahoma stores.
Nearly 500 Target stores nationwide, including the Midwest City, Norman and Quail Springs locations, will extend their hours to 1 a.m. Saturday morning for the release events. Beginning at 11 p.m. Friday, fans will be shown an exclusive, world-premiere scene from the fifth and final film, “Breaking Dawn — Part 2.”
At midnight, fans can purchase the Target exclusive, limited edition DVD of “Breaking Dawn — Part 1” that includes an authentic prop flower from the wedding scene encased in an acrylic keepsake, according to a news release.
For more information, go to Target.com/Twilight.
More than 2,700 Walmart stores across the country, including several across Oklahoma, will have giveaways, trivia games and “Twilight”-theme bakery treats at release parties beginning at 11 p.m. Friday. The stores will feature a cameo by Cullen vampire Rosalie (Nikki Reed) on their in-store TV feed during the lead-up to the release, according to Home Media Magazine.
Walmart also will be selling an exclusively packaged version of the movie, the “Bella’s Wedding Special Edition,” featuring collectible wedding dress packaging, a fabric poster of Bella and Edward’s big day and music videos from Bruno Mars and Christina Perri.
For more information, go to www.walmart.com/moviecenter.
— BAM
Bill Condon takes on twice the challenges with “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” movies; “Part 1″ to be released on DVD at midnight Saturday
From left, Robert Pattinson, Bill Condon andTaylor Lautner attend a Nov. 17, 2011, film premiere of "The Twilight Sage: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1" in Barcelona, Spain. AP photo
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Bill Condon takes on twice the challenges with “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” movies
The “Chicago” and “Dreamgirls” director made “Breaking Dawn — Part 1,” which will be released on DVD and Blu-ray at midnight Saturday, and “Breaking Dawn — Part 2,” due in theaters Nov. 16, at the same time.
LOS ANGELES — Director Bill Condon’s initiation into the global pop culture phenomenon known as “The Twilight Saga” began with a literal honeymoon period.
Adapting “Breaking Dawn,” the fourth and final book in Stephenie Meyer’s supernaturally popular vampire-romance series, involved dividing the weighty character- and milestone-packed novel into two movies that were filmed simultaneously. But the process started with just Kristen Stewart, who plays human heroine Bella Swan, and Robert Pattinson, who plays her courtly vampire sweetheart Edward Cullen, filming their characters’ honeymoon in Brazil.
“We started this big movie very small. It was only Rob and Kristen plus a couple other actors for half a day … We were starting on a honeymoon. It was kind of a dreamy thing to do, you know. I found it great,” Condon said during a fall press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel. “We had some weather problems and got rained in, socked in, and all had to sleep in bathtubs and things at the honeymoon house. But everything about it was magical.”
“Twi-hard” fans of the series seemed to agree: “Breaking Dawn — Part 1” has grossed nearly $702 million worldwide since it opened in theaters Nov. 18.
The penultimate film in the blockbuster franchise drops on DVD and Blu-ray at the stroke of midnight Saturday, with release parties planned Friday night (tonight) at Walmart and Target locations across the country, including many Oklahoma stores. For more information on the release parties planned at the retail giants, click here.
“The biggest challenge is that these books are so beloved by so many people that you want to make sure that it’s your take on the material but that it doesn’t betray what people’s expectations are and yet still becomes a fully cinematic experience,” said Condon, 56, who became the fourth director to work on “The Twilight Saga” when he took the helm of the final two movies.
“Making two movies at once wasn’t fun, either. Well, it was fun. It was hard, though. It was hard ‘cause it was such a big thing,” he added. “Kristen … would be young Bella, high school girl, in the morning and then a vampire in the afternoon and then a pregnant mother in the evening. She had days like that. It was crazy.”
Condon, who won an adapted screenplay Oscar for the 1998 biopic “Gods and Monsters,” is best known for directing the movie musicals “Dreamgirls” and “Chicago,” as well as the fact-based drama “Kinsey.” Part of the appeal of the “Twilight” films, he said, was the chance to helm an old-fashioned melodrama.
“I’m … a big fan of classic Hollywood genres. And that’s a genre that’s sort of fallen out of fashion. … I think like other things like detective stories it became something that TV took over, and it became devalued. But some of our greatest directors worked in that forum. And it allows you to immerse yourself in emotion, you know, and to do that both with camera and music, with design and color, so I very much embraced and didn’t fight against (that),” he said. “It’s a valuable genre that I think because it often puts women and women concerns in the center, gets devalued too, which is too bad.”
Along with Edward and Bella’s highly anticipated wedding and honeymoon, “Breaking Dawn — Part 1” includes the dramatic arrival of their daughter, Renesmee. The birth not only threatens Bella’s life — an emergency vampire conversion is her only hope for survival — it also endangers the Cullen clan’s pact with the local werewolves of the Quileute Tribe, including Bella’s best pal, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).
“That’s a good example of the challenges because obviously it’s very, very kind of powerfully described in the book, and you want to be true to that experience. But how do you show some of those things? As with a lot of other things, I think the key to doing it and being able to have that experience is to tell it from Bella’s point of view,” Condon said.
“Once Bella’s on that slab, we’re only gonna see what she can see as these things are happening to her — and we’re only gonna see it through her eyes as she gets weaker, as the morphine takes over.”
The harrowing birth of Renesmee and rebirth of Bella as a vampire set up the series’ eagerly awaited finale in “Breaking Dawn — Part 2,” due in theaters Nov. 16. When they learn the baby has been targeted by the corrupt vampire peacekeepers known as the Volturi, the Cullens gather other covens to make a stand and protect the child.
“I remember we would have scenes with the Cullens and you’d have eight or nine vampires in a room and I was thinking, ‘Oh, good, this is an easy day.’ Because we had so many scenes with literally 27 people in a room,” he said. “It’s huge that way. But we have such good actors and it is important that everybody get their moment to define who they are. It’s a real challenge …. about the second movie. But we gather these vampires from around the world, and we want to know as we get into the climax of that movie what each of them represents and what their powers are and who they are.”
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 9, 2012: Hear Ronnie Dunn in Tulsa or Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights in Oklahoma City
Ronnie Dunn
Today’s featured events:
CATOOSA – Hear country music star and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn play at 8 tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W Cherokee.
“Tulsa is a great music town – and it was a crazy town in the day,” said Dunn in the concert announcement. “So Tulsa was this crazy mix-match of music styles at the time, and it was all there and very much alive. Live music was really important, and the club scene there was hot.
“So for someone like me, it was the perfect place to learn your chops.”
Dunn cites all the musicians who lived in Tulsa in the late ‘70s, including Leon Russell and Eric Clapton, as an inspiration to launch his career in northeast Oklahoma.
After following Tulsa drummer Jamie Oldaker to Nashville, Tenn., Dunn submitted a demo that won the Marlboro Country Music Contest, which set in motion the events that led to the formation of Brooks & Dunn. Included on the demo were the future hits “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Neon Moon.”
During his 20-year run as half of Brooks & Dunn, Dunn and musical partner Kix Brooks sold more than 30 million albums, charted 20 No. 1 singles, earned 27 Academy of Country Music awards, 17 Country Music Association awards and two Grammys. The collection of ACM and CMA awards are the most for any act in country music history.
Last June, Dunn, an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame member, released his self-titled solo debut. The album peaked at No. 1 on the country charts and features the singles “Bleed Red” and “Cost of Livin’.”
For more information, go to www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com.
Since the Dunn show is sold out, here is another featured event:
Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights
Hear Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at 7 tonight at the Conservatory, 8911 N Western.
In April 2010, the Dallas-based rock band released its major-label debut album “Pardon Me,” a collection of genuine throwback, blues-based rock ‘n’ roll reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Lenny Kravitz.
Since, the Northern Lights have made their late-night TV debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” performed at the Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits festivals, headlined Relix magazine’s party at the South By Southwest Festival and covered Zeppelin’s “Bring It on Home” for Revolver, one of several magazines to feature the band.
The Northern Lights also have beamed onto television as shows like “Friday Night Lights,” “Criminal Minds,” “CSI: Miami” and “Boardwalk Empire” have featured their music.
For more information, go to www.conservatoryokc.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Black Keys’ “Gold on the Ceiling”
The Black Keys have released the music video for “Gold on the Ceiling,” from their 2011 album “El Camino.”
The celebrated duo is coming to Tulsa for an April 28 show at the BOK Center. For more information, go to www.bokcenter.com.
“El Camino” was released Dec. 6 on Nonesuch Records, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200. The duo recently was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time.
The duo embarks on the first leg of its North American tour this March, featuring sold-out shows at Chicago’s United Center, DC’s Verizon Center, and two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, followed by a second batch of April dates, including the shows at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center and Tulsa’s BOK Center.
Special guests Arctic Monkeys open on the tour.
In anticipation of the release of “El Camino,” the duo joined Steve Buscemi on the Dec. 2 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” This was the band’s second time in 2011 as musical guests on the show, a “rare distinction,” says Rolling Stone. Other recent television appearances include “The Colbert Report” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
Produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys, “El Camino” was recorded in the band’s new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. In advance of the release, the album’s first single, “Lonely Boy,” was released in October, to acclaim from fans and press; the song climbed the radio charts rapidly and is currently No. 1 on the AAA chart and has spent weeks at No. 1 on the Alternative chart. It also has entered the top 10 at Rock radio. Additionally, the accompanying video has been viewed nearly 6 million times on YouTube.
Describing the sound of the album, drummer Patrick Carney tells Rolling Stone, “Every record, we figure out the mood and stick with that. With ‘Brothers,’ we were listening to a lot of hip-hop and old R&B and drawing from that. This is the first record we’ve made where it’s all rock & roll.” And in an interview with Spin Magazine vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach says, “I’ve never been into guitar solos. I really like when every instrument in the band is a rhythm instrument. This record has a lot of that going on—guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards all working together as a rhythm instrument. But unlike Brothers, which has more of these slower songs with an open feeling, [the new LP] is definitely fast.”
“El Camino” follows the most successful two years in The Black Keys’ career. In May 2010, they released their breakthrough album, “Brothers.” It won three Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award, and topped numerous year-end lists. “Brothers,” which included the hit singles “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ for You,” has been certified gold in the U.S. and U.K., and platinum in Canada. U.S. sales are nearly 1 million and counting.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 8, 2012: Celebrate Roger Creager’s new CD at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa
Roger Creager
Today’s featured event:
TULSA – Celebrate the release of Texas country artist Roger Creager’s new album, “Surrender,” at 8 tonight at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main. Doors open at 7 p.m.
For more information, go to www.cainsballroom.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Video: St. Vincent releases music video for “Cheerleader,” models police uniforms on “Portlandia”
Tulsa-born singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist St. Vincent is huge in the new music video for “Cheerleader,” one of the tracks from her 2011 album “Strange Mercy.”
As previously reported, St. Vincent (who was born Annie Clark) made a guest appearance on Friday’s episode of the IFC sketch series “Portlandia,” and you can check out that rather funny clip of her modeling a totally impractical police uniform here as well. Her appearance on the show reunited her with “Portlandia” masterminds Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, who starred in St. Vincent’s 2010 video for “Laughing with a Mouth of Blood.”
By the way, I’m no mayor or Kyle MacLachlan, but if someone wanted to make me a super-journalist cape, I would proudly wear it at least once.
BTW again, St. Vincent is playing a show in the city of her birth May 15 at Cain’s Ballroom, and if you want more information, you can go to www.cainsballroom.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 1, 2012: Hear They Might Be Giants at Cain’s Ballroom
Today’s featured event:
TULSA – Hear indie rockers They Might Be Giants at 8 tonight at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main. Doors open at 7 p.m.
This show was originally scheduled for September but delayed due to a family health emergency; all tickets purchased for the previous date will be honored. Although They Might Be Giants has recorded children’s albums, this show is for ages 14 and older.
For more information, go to www.cainsballroom.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
