Paseo Arts Festival offers treats for the senses
Oklahoma City artist Thomas Stotts works on his latest painting while crowds mill about Monday at the Paseo Arts Festival. (BAM photo)
Mr. BAM and I decided to spend our Memorial Day off trying to remember what it was like when we went places without our children. Dispatching our boys to various relatives, we headed out for a day of kid-free fun.
We started out at the final day of the 33rd annual Paseo Arts Festival. If you didn’t make it out this year – or worse, if you’ve never been – I highly recommend you add the free event to your 2010 calendar. We’ve made it a tradition over the last few years, and it’s now hard for me to imagine the unofficial first weekend of summer without our jaunt down to the historic arts district.
Our first order of business was to hear Spiritful Voices Community Choir perform down on the wimgo.com (south) stage. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the group lately, and I wanted to hear the music. The lively group of adults enthusiastically belted a variety of songs, from a medley from “A Chorus Line” to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” The performance was definitely worth the wait as sound system issues delayed the start of the music.
Then, it was time for lunch, and the festival offered many choices along the usual fair food lines. My husband, Patrick, went the traditional corn dog route, while I noshed an Oklahoma and personal favorite, the Indian taco. It was one of the best I’d ever eaten, with perfectly cooked fry bread. Big cups of tea helped stave of thirst caused by the bright sun and rising temperatures.
While we were eating, I struck up a conversation with local painter Thomas Stotts, who was working on his latest landscape outside Adelante! Gallery, where shows his work in Oklahoma City. We chatted about his current project, featuring a farmhouse reportedly owned by one of his ancestors, and about his use of a textured, wraparound canvas for the painting.
The more than 80 juried artists exhibiting along the Paseo provided a wide variety of artwork to peruse, from Dana Forrester’s amazing watercolors of vintage cars to Scott Gamble’s colorful glasswork to Connie Baker’s beautifully textured stucco art tiles of shells and fruits. Another favorite was Suzy Toronto’s whimsical “Wonderful Wacky Women” illustrations, one of which echoed my fashion philosophy – “Life is too short to wear panty hose.”
Checking out artwork in the late May sun is warm work, so we cooled down with scrumptious homemade gelato from Bella Crema. I’d heard raves about Bella Crema’s creamy concoctions, but they didn’t prepare me for the delightful taste and texture of my scoop of mint chocolate chip. And my husband liked the caramel so much, he only very reluctantly shared a bite. Bella Crema gelato is a favorite at local festivals and also can be found at the Buzz coffeeshop in downtown’s First National Center.
We followed our trip to the Paseo with a second viewing of J.J. Abrams’ awesome reboot “Star Trek.” Even though the movie opened last weekend, we actually had trouble getting into a matinee screening. It was worth making the effort to drive to another theater when the first cinema we tried had already sold out the 2 p.m. screening.
Most parents of young children will tell you that the rare opportunities for a couple’s day are not to be missed – and are made all the sweeter when your toddler grins at you when you reappear and then gives you an extra-long hug at bedtime. And if you can spend a date day at one of Oklahoma’s terrific arts festivals, so much the better.
- BAM
Box office report
It seems the Terminator isn’t so unstoppable after all.
The family-friendly sequel “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” won the top spot at the Memorial Day weekend box office, beating out “Terminator Salvation,” the dark fourth film of the long-running R-rated franchise.
The second “Night at the Museum” film, starring Ben Stiller, Amy Adams and Hank Azaria and distributed by 20th Century Fox, earned $70 million over the long weekend, according to the Associated Press. It far exceeded the debut of the first “Night at the Museum” movie, which made $30.4 million in its three-day opening in December 2006.
Warner Bros.’ “Terminator Salvation” raked in $53.8 million over the four-day holiday weekend – plus $13.4 million from Thursday screenings. That brought director McG’s take on the post-apocalyptic action series, starring Christian Bale, Anton Yelchin and Sam Worthington, to second place and a total of $67.2 million since debuting.
The three-day total of $43 million ranks the fourth movie in the “Terminator” series behind “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” the last of the franchise’s installments to star California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The third chapter generated $44 million in its first weekend in 2003.
“I think people expected it to be No. 1 because of that ‘Terminator’ name alone,” box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com told the AP. “If you look at it objectively though, it’s a sci-fi action film that played to an older audience. It didn’t have the broad based appeal of ‘Night at the Museum.’”
The weekend’s other wide release, Paramount’s over-the-top spoof “Dance Flick,” took the No. 5 spot with $13.1 million. So far, it is the worst movie I have seen in 2009, so I think even that is too much.
But Paramout’s “Star Trek” seems to be capitalizing on its great reviews and word of mouth, and I couldn’t be happier about its success. It was in third place but made another $29.4 million, raising its total to $191 million. J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the venerable franchise sits on the cusp of becoming the year’s top-grossing movie so far, approaching the $193.5 million gross of the animated “Monsters vs. Aliens.”
It appears that “Star Trek” is living up to its initial promise as this year’s “Iron Man” – a big blockbuster with legs. My husband and I ventured out to see it a second time today and found a 2 p.m. screening sold out at one local theater, forcing us to drive to another cinema.
“‘Star Trek’ is living long and prospering,” Dergarabedian told the AP. “It’s just one of those movies we knew would hold up. People are enjoying it and talking about it. It’s unusual for a summer blockbuster to be propelled by word of mouth, not just the typical marketing push for a big opening weekend. I think it’s going to continue to do well week after week.”
The previous weekend’s No. 1 movie, Sony’s “Angels & Demons,” fell to fourth place with $27.7 million. Its domestic take is now at $87.8 million.
Movie theaters continue to draw large crowds, as they have throughout this year of recession. Dergarabedian told the AP that the year-to-date attendance is running at a nearly 12 percent increase over last year. But 2007 remains the top Memorial Day weekend in box office history; the third installments of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Shrek” and “Spider-Man” all opened over the holiday two years ago.
Here are the top 10 movies from Friday through Monday, according to the AP:
1. “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” $70 million.
2. “Terminator Salvation,” $53.8 million.
3. “Star Trek,” $29.4 million.
4. “Angels & Demons,” $27.7 million.
5. “Dance Flick,” $13.1 million.
6. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” $10.1 million.
7. “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” $4.8 million.
8. “Obsessed,” $2.5 million.
9. “Monsters vs. Aliens,” $1.9 million.
10. “17 Again,” $1.3 million.
-BAM
Box office report
“Angels & Demons,” the sequel to the 2006 hit “The Da Vinci Code” topped the box office over the weekend, raking in $48 million in its debut, according to the Associated Press.
The follow-up reteamed director and Oklahoma native Ron Howard with Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, who reprises his ”Da Vinci Code” role as Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon. The second adaptation of a Dan Brown novel, “Angels & Demons” opened with far less than “The Da Vinci Code,” which earned $77.1 million when in opened in 2006.
“Angels & Demons” didn’t draw the protests, controversy and buzz that helped “The Da Vinci Code” attain a $753 million worldwide total. Reviews were not stellar for “Angels & Demons,” but they were mostly better than for its predecessor.
Overseas business was again solid for “Angels & Demons,” which earned $104.3 million internationally, according to the AP. Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony, told the AP the studio expects the film will eventually take in half a billion altogether in theatrical release.
“That chemistry (of Hanks and Howard) worked incredibly well with ‘Da Vinci’ and it looks like it’s absolutely headed in that same vein, certainly on a lesser scale,” said Bruer. “We never expected anything to the phenomenon of `Da Vinci.’”
In its second weekend, J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” slipped to second place, but the reboot took in $43 million. That’s a strong second-week return following its $75.2 million opening last weekend, excluding its Thursday midnight screenings. The cumulative total has warped to $147.6 million.
In the No. 3 spot was “X-Men Originals: Wolverine,” which earned $14.8 million in its third week, bringing its total to $151.1 million. The prequel to the “X-Men” franchise, starring Hugh Jackman as the metal-clawed mutant, experienced a steep drop in its second week.
Here are the top 10 movies over the weekend, according to the AP:
1. “Angels & Demons,” $48 million.
2. “Star Trek,” $43 million.
3. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” $14.8 million.
4. “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” $6.9 million.
5. “Obsessed,” $4.6 million.
6. “17 Again,” $3.4 million.
7. “Monsters vs. Aliens,” $3 million.
8. “The Soloist,” $2.4 million.
9. “Next Day Air,” $2.2 million.
10. “Earth,” $1.7 million.
-BAM
Entertainment Insider: “The Killer Inside Me,” “Angels and Demons,” “Star Trek”
In this week’s Entertainment Insider, Gene Triplett, George Lang, Matt Price and I are talking about the film “The Killer Inside Me,” Oklahoma’s film incentives and the latest box office news. Check it out.
-BAM
DVD review: “Galaxy Quest Deluxe Edition”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“Galaxy Quest Deluxe Edition”
Until J.J. Abrams’ reboot opened last week, “Galaxy Quest” was the best “Star Trek” film to come out in many years. The friendly spoof was certainly more fun than 2002’s “Star Trek: Nemesis.”
“Galaxy Quest” gets a new deluxe edition DVD release to coincide with the movie’s 10th anniversary and the opening of Abrams’ “Star Trek.” (A trailer for the new film is the first item on the disc.) The loving parody of diehard sci-fi fans and frustrated, typecast actors continues to spark nearly nonstop laughs.
Tim Allen stars as the egotistical Jason Nesmith, who played the bold captain of a fake starship on the TV show “Galaxy Quest.” The series was canceled 18 years ago, and he and his castmates make their living appearing at conventions and signing autographs for hardcore fans.
When a group of naïve aliens (Enrico Colantoni, Patrick Breen, Missi Pyle) approaches Jason with a mission, he thinks they’re fans with some gig in mind. But they are actually Thermians who have misinterpreted the old TV episodes as “historical documents.” They transport Jason into space so he can negotiate a treaty with the intimidating Gen. Sarris (Robin Sachs).
The actor doesn’t realize until after the fact that he’s actually been to space, and he recruits his old TV crew to return with him to the Thermians’ ship. But the actors are unprepared to deal with the warmongering Sarris and risk getting themselves and the Thermians killed.
The entire cast plays the parody just right. Sigourney Weaver is great ironic casting as the show’s token woman, whose job on the ship was to repeat the computer and show cleavage. Alan Rickman seethes as the Shakespearean actor whose defining role involves an elaborate purple alien skull. And Sam Rockwell is pitch perfect as the former extra who fears his TV death with be replayed in real life in space.
DVD extras: Several making-of featurettes with new interviews with all the principals, deleted scenes, a rap by Weaver, and a silly audio track that translates the movie into Thermian. No commentary is included.
- BAM
Anton Yelchin talks “Terminator Salvation” and gelatinous killing machines
Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese in “Terminator Salvation”
Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov in “Star Trek”
Our own George Lang of Staticblog traveled last weekend to Los Angeles for the junket for the upcoming sequel “Terminator Salvation.”
George talked to Anton Yelchin, who takes over the Kyle Reese role originated by Michael Biehn, about the 20-year-old actor’s longtime love of gelatinous killing machines. Check it out by clicking here.
Hopefully, this snippet will spark your interest because George will have later this week a full interview with Yelchin about his roles in two big summer blockbusters. Along with “Terminator Salvation,” Yelchin stars in this week’s No. 1 film, J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek.” He plays Pavel Chekov, the bright young helmsman originally played by Walter Koenig.
-BAM
BAM Column: Meeting Twinprov a lesson in patience and kindness
From left, Buck Vrazel, BAM and Clint Vrazel after the first public performance of the “Twinprov Star Trek Rap.”
From Tuesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Twinprov rapping entertains
Sometimes your first instinct isn’t the best one, no matter what your ACT test prep instructor used to say.
On a recent Saturday, I attended an advance screening of “Star Trek” at a local theater. I was a little cranky from getting up early, a little apprehensive that my Trekkie husband would hate the movie, and a lot tired of the rain. And the guy behind me was spitting on me.
Actually, he was teaching his companions beatboxing techniques. But it sounded like spitting, and it went on for 25 minutes.
I was annoyed, but instead of going with my first instinct – to turn around and launch into an aggravated, sharply-worded tirade – I opted to try a bit of patience and humor.
“You’d better not be spitting on my favorite hat,” I said lightly (though maybe a little irritably).
“No, ma’am, we’re professionals. And my head was turned to the side,” said the guy behind me.
“Professional what?” I replied.
The spitters, er, rappers turned out to be Clint and Buck Vrazel, local improv comics who specialize in laying down hot and hilarious beats. Having heard nothing but rhythmic sputtering out of the brothers known as Twinprov, I was firmly unconvinced of their funniness.
But 90 minutes into “Star Trek,” I had a change of heart. The enthralling film stuttered to a halt, setting off cries of alarm in the audience. Before a Trekkie riot could ensue, Clint turned grumbles into giggles with his William Shatner-esque cry of “KHAN!”
OK, so maybe they were funny.
After the movie, I challenged the brothers Vrazel to meet me in the lobby in five minutes with a new “Star Trek” rap and “make it good.” They volleyed by spouting a fun and furious two-minute song based on the film. I replied by reporting about it on my blog, so the twins and their friends in turn pulled a couple of late-nighters to revise, film and post the rap online.
Next I knew, they were performing in front of 400 people at another “Star Trek” screening and later cracking wise in a “Trek”-related video and podcast at the NewsOK studios. Now, they’re pondering new raps based on this summer’s other big movies, maybe “Transformers” or “Harry Potter.”
Because I checked my temper, I got to meet a couple of funny local entertainers. I hope they go far and I get to cover it – and maybe feel like I contributed in some small way to the fun they’re making.
-BAM
Box office report
“Star Trek” beamed up even more box office cash than originally estimated over its opening weekend.
According to final studio numbers released today, director J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the popular sci-fi franchise made $79.2 million from late Thursday night through Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
That’s nearly $3 million more than Paramount Pictures estimated on Sunday. Final box office numbers for movies often differ from earlier projections, since Sunday totals are based on estimates of how many people will see the film that day. The original estimated take for “Star Trek” was $76.5 million in its opening weekend.
Paramount conservatively estimated that “Star Trek” would make$50 million, according to the AP.
The film made a record $8.2 million in IMAX showings, beating the $6.3 million record “The Dark Knight” set in its opening weekend on IMAX screens last year.
Great reviews and strong word of mouth helped the prequel, which tells the back stories of Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew. The movie earned 96 percent positive reviews on www.RottenTomatoes.com.
Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore said he expected the movie, which had a $140 million budget, should gross more than $200 million total this summer, even with competition like “Terminator: Salvation” opening on May 21 and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” opening on July 15.
He attributed the film’s success to Abrams’ success at appealing to both hardcore Trekkie and moviegoers who may not have been familiar with the 1960s television series and its many movies and TV spin-offs.
“Star Trek” improved its take from $26.8 million on Friday to $27.4 million on Saturday, Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com, told the AP.
“Sometimes you will see a movie drop big-time,” Dergarabedian said. “What this ‘Star Trek’ is going to have is legs, a rare commodity in this world where every week there’s a new blockbuster.”
The week’s other new wide release, the dark comedy “Next Day Air,” landed at No. 6 with $4 million.
Last week’s top movie, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” came in at No. 2 with $27 million, a big drop from $85.1 million the prequel to the “X-Men” franchise made in its first week. Still, the film, which stars Hugh Jackman as the iconic clawed mutant, has made nearly $129.6 million in two weeks.
“It’s the same weekend drop as (‘X-Men: The Last Stand’), the last one. That tends to be what fan-based movies do,” Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox, told the AP. ”To have $130 million in the first 10 days is sensational. We think we withstood the attack of ‘Star Trek,’ if you will, and will settle into a long, successful run.”
1. “Star Trek,” Paramount, $75,204,289, 3,849 locations, $19,539 average, $79,204,289, one week.
2. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” Fox, $26,408,288, 4,102 locations, $6,438 average, $129,032,435, two weeks.
3. “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” Warner Bros., $10,258,141, 3,175 locations, $3,231 average, $30,054,386, two weeks.
4. “Obsessed,” Sony Screen Gems, $6,560,266, 2,602 locations, $2,521 average, $56,207,576, three weeks.
5. “17 Again,” Warner Bros., $4,232,422, 2,903 locations, $1,458 average, $53,994,515, four weeks.
6. “Next Day Air,” Summit, $4,111,043, 1,138 locations, $3,613 average, $4,111,043, one week.
7. “The Soloist,” Paramount, $3,949,430, 2,090 locations, $1,890 average, $23,845,177, three weeks.
8. “Monsters vs. Aliens,” Paramount, $3,260,440, 2,185 locations, $1,492 average, $186,774,092, seven weeks.
9. “Earth,” Disney, $2,666,219, 1,794 locations, $1,486 average, $26,264,242, three weeks.
10. “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” Disney, $2,193,043, 2,301 locations, $953 average, $73,861,795, five weeks.
-BAM
Entertainment Insider: “Star Trek’s” big opening
Gene Triplett, George Lang, Matt Price and I talk about the big opening for J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” reboot and whether it met expectations in this week’s Entertainment Insider video.
Beam it up now.
-BAM
Getting to know the new “Star Trek” crew
Over the past few days, I’ve raved about what a terrific casting job J.J. Abrams’ did of his “Star Trek” reboot. The casting looked great on paper but proved even better in the film.
Here’s a guide to the cast of the new “Star Trek” movie, which seems poised to become a big blockbuster:
Chris Pine (Associated Press photos)
- Capt. James T. Kirk
Played by: Chris Pine
Originally played by: William Shatner
Pine’s previous roles: “Bottle Shock” and ”Smokin’ Aces.”
Why it works: Pine managed to convey the brash confidence and bold charisma – not to mention the skirt-chasing nature – of Capt. Kirk without becoming a William Shatner caricature.
Zachary Quinto
- Science officer Spock
Played by: Zachary Quinto
Originally played by: Leonard Nimoy
Quinto’s previous roles: TV’s “Heroes” and “24.”
Why it works: Quinto does such a great job as Spock that when Nimoy shows up, the whole alternate reality premise doesn’t come completely unraveled. Quinto portrays a Spock that isn’t quite in control of his conflicted human-Vulcan nature without getting melodramatic.
Karl Urban
- Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy
Played by: Karl Urban
Originally played by: DeForest Kelley (who died in 1999)
You know Urban from: “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “TLOTR: The Return of the King” and “The Chronicles of Riddick.”
Why it works: The New Zealand actor is a personal favorite of mine, so I’m glad to report that his performance is particularly great. Urban obviously studied up on Kelley’s portrayal of Dr. McCoy because he’s got the delivery, mannerisms and attitude nailed. He plays him as a caring curmudgeon without getting too old and stodgy. And as standard for “Star Trek” films, he gets many of the best lines.
Simon Pegg
- Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott
Played by: Simon Pegg
Originally played by: James Doohan (who died in 2005)
You know Pegg from: “Shaun of the Dead,” “Run, Fat Boy, Run” and ”Hot Fuzz.”
Why it works: Pegg has excellent comedic timing, and Scotty was always the funniest guy on the show and in the movies. He also convincingly portrays Scotty as a quirky genius.
Zoe Saldana
- Communications officer Uhura
Played by: Zoe Saldana
Originally played by: Nichelle Nichols
Saldana’s previous roles: TV’s “Six Degrees,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and “Drumline.”
Why it works: Saldana gets more to do in one movie than Nichols did in the whole “Star Trek” series. She does a great job updating the part for the times, playing Uhura as strong, confident and capable, and making her sexy without being trampy.
John Cho
- Helmsman Hikaru Sulu
Played by: John Cho
Originally played by: George Takei
Cho’s previous roles: “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” and TV’s “Kitchen Confidential.”
Why it works: Cho is another personal fave, and he gets down Sulu’s quiet strength and kindness. He also plays up the awkwardness Sulu sometimes showed, which seems appropriate considering he’s young and green in the prequel. Even better, Cho kicks major tail in his big fight scene.
Anton Yelchin
- Navigator Pavel Chekov
Played by: Anton Yelchin
Yelchin’s previous roles: Walter Koenig
You know Yelchin from: “Charlie Bartlett” and the upcoming film ”Terminator Salvation.”
Why it works: Yelchin perfectly captures Chekov’s youthful enthusiasm and budding brilliance. The Russian-born actor opted to keep the exaggerated accent for the sake of preserving Chekov’s signature “nuclear wessels” line. It’s a bit cheesy but he provides wonderful comic relief.
Now, let’s talk about the villian, shall we?
Eric Bana
Eric Bana as Nero
- Romulan Nero
Status: Villian
Played by: Eric Bana
Why it works: Romulans were among the classic villians in the original “Star Trek” series and movies, so it was great to see them back. “Trek” hasn’t fared as well when it tried to introduce new baddies in the films. Nero is basically a Romulan captain bent of revenge after the death of his true love. He’s a little sympathetic and a lot crazy. Shaved, tattooed and painted pale green, Bana really gets into the role without getting too over the top.
-BAM
