Beyond the Box – a Better Way to Give
Do you have a hard-to-buy-for mother or a dad that has everything? Why not buy Mama a llama? Or get Dad a herd of guinea pigs?Beyond the Box (www.wn.org/gifts) is a World Neighbors program where you can find a wonderful and creative way to support the work of World Neighbors while marking a few gifts off your Christmas list. There, you can buy symbolic gifts that support communities around the globe and help them lift themselves out of poverty. When you purchase one of the items, the recipient receives a personalized card and your donation transforms communities by helping people address hunger, poverty, disease and other challenges that undermine their well-being. And because you are helping World Neighbors inspire people and strengthen communities, your purchases are tax deductible.
Meet the Food Dude!
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Since our beloved and legendary food editor Sharon Dowell recently retired, we have a new face of food around here and he is Dave Cathey. Dave is a fun guy, his desk is full of nifty toys and he brings a whole new take on food to The Oklahoman that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Check out his first Food Dude video and blog!
This week’s Weekend Look
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Here’s the latest episode of Weekend Look, a discussion between yours truly and George Lang about local and national entertainment news.
Who’s The Dummy Now?
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At a recent show, celebrity impersonator, ventriloquist and singer Terry Fator was approached by an audience member who said she was a huge Elvis fan and that his Elvis impersonation “needed a lot of work.”
Fator’s response? “If Elvis had sung with his mouth closed, that’s exactly what he would have sounded like.”
In fact, at his Nov. 9 Civic Center performance, Fator actually sounded better without moving his lips than the actual singers he impersonated ever sounded live. Fator won the second season of “America’s Got Talent” and since walking away with that $1 million prize, landed a whopping $100 million 5-year gig at The Mirage in Las Vegas.
Fator kicked off the Oklahoma City show with an uncanny rendition of “At Last” that had the audience expecting James herself to appear from behind the curtain at any moment.
Fator’s live show is an ingenious mix of singing in his own voice (beautiful tone, perfect pitch), celebrity impersonations with and without puppets and comedy delivered with impeccable timing.
He previewed “Horses in Heaven” a country song he wrote about a little boy who is dying and wondering about heaven. The tune will premier on country music radio stations soon and all the proceeds will go to childhood disease charities. He also previewed “Vicki,” a racy puppet character he created for his Mirage run.
Fator pulled an audience member, Frank, on stage, put a “special mask” on him that allowed Fator to “control” his speech (a device, he said, every woman in the audience would want after she saw it in action). He dressed Frank in a sequined blue dress and long black wig and together, the pair impersonated Sony and Cher singing “I Got You Babe.” It was hilarious.
Fator is perfect for Las Vegas. Though it might seem strange to go see a ventriloquist celebrity impersonator, the show is great with excellent singing, great comedy, clever ventriloquism and good audience participation. The only thing I would suggest is a live band. The canned music distracted me a little. Otherwise, bravo, Fator!
Oh, what a night!
I spent election night at the Ok Democrats watch party at the Skirvin Hilton hotel in Oklahoma City. Thousands of Obama supporters packed into the Grand Ballroom, overflowing into the halls, the lobby and the Red Piano bar. People of all walks, skin colors, ages and ethnicities hugged each other, cried together and celebrated the election of Barak Obama, the United State’s first black president. It was an amazing place to be for probably the most historical evening of my life. I am thrilled for America, for African Americans, for the future and for the world. I pray for Obama and his beautiful family and for Joe Biden and his family. I also pray that Americans can put aside their differences in opinion and come together after what has been an incredibly divisive 21 months. We are all the same, it’s time we started acting as one rather than as enemies.
