Archive for May, 2007 Page 2 of 3

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O-B-S-C-U-R-E W-O-R-D

Published by
Tony
 on May 22, 2007

For nerds like myself, next week is one of the greatest of the year, as it means the Scripps National Spelling be will be upon us. On May 30th, 286 geeky kids with glasses will descend upon Washington DC in order to determine just who is the best speller. Now, for most people, the Spelling Bee is nothing more than a novelty, and another of many reasons to complain about ESPN (it’s a fair complaint, really, as there’s not exactly a lot of athletic ability on display and you’re about as likely to find a sports fan on hand as you are to find a contestant who isn’t awkward around girls). But for us nerds, it’s our chance to shine. Our fifteen minutes in the spotlight.

We here at The Lost Ogle will be pulling for the two local Okie spellers, Audrey Kaye Foote, who will be representing the Daily Oklahoman, and Bruce Haiduk, representing the Tulsa World. Both are first-time entrants and are probably considered longshots compared to grizzled veterans like Samir Patel (entered for the fifth time) and Tia Natasha-Elizabeth Thomas, Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan, and Matthew C. Evans (all entered for the fourth time). Still, you never know what the Bee has in store for us, and Audrey and Bruce should be congratulated on making it as far as they have. I myself was not that nerd-worthy, having been ousted during the regional competition on “diuretic,” a word that means so much to fifth-graders.

Hardcore Bee fans can follow the results over at A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago, where Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes will be liveblogging the results, as she does every year. If you’re just interested in the local contestants, we’ll let you know how Audrey and Bruce do.

But I urge you all to tune in so you can recognize the signs of the nerd.

Being able to get excited about being able to spell words no one will ever use better than everyone else:

Really bad attempts at humor that invariably end up with someone saying “What?” instead of laughing:

Anxiety attacks, but even more so, resilience in the hope that no one will remember what had just happened:

Category: Uncategorized. 1 Comment

A former OU football player might be gay.

Published by
Tony
 on May 21, 2007

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

From Post Secret via Deadspin and Burnt Orange Nation, where they make a half-hearted effort to convince us that they really are open and tolerant before giving up and playing Laugh at Teh Gay.

Category: OU Football. 1 Comment

Watch movies in Oklahoma City

Published by
Tony
 on May 21, 2007

So the deadCENTER Film Festival is nearly upon us. From June 6th through June 10th, a bunch of independent film makers and enthusiasts will descend upon our fair city. If you’ve ever been to an indie film festival, you know what that means: you get to spend a whole lot of time a bunch of rarely-shaven hipsters who think they’re smarter than you and often smell pretty bad. And that’s just the women.

Though founded in 2001, I have to admit that I wasn’t even aware of the deadCENTER film festival until last year, when I attended a screening of a film called Stomp! Shout! Scream! I had high hopes, given the writer and director was a guy named Jay Edwards, who is a producer on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, a show that I’m told is quite entertaining (it’s probably the show I most frequently claim to watch, but that’s just a lie to make me look cool). Anyway, I don’t want to claim it was a disappointing evening, but the screening was outside, and just before the film started it was announced that the organizers had forgotten to have the sprinklers turned off and that they would randomly be coming on during the movie. It was requested that if a sprinkler came on near us that we throw our blankets over it to smother the water. Which we did. As for the movie itself, a campy satire of 1960s monster movies, lets just say that the best part of the film was a song about Syphillis.

So, unfortunately, my experience with this particular film festival hasn’t exactly been great, but many others inform me that this was an aberration, and I’m enthused about giving it a second chance this year. There are lots of interesting and highly regarded movies on tap, so I hope to see you there.

Category: DeadCenter Film Festival. 1 Comment

It’s time for the wiener dog races

Published by
Tony
 on May 19, 2007

Like any red-blooded American, when I think of this great country of ours, I think of mom and pop, baseball, apple pie, and wiener dog racing. As everyone knows, today is the 3rd annual Oklahoma Gazette Dachshund Dash. Frankly, I don’t think it takes much to get fired up for an event that can be sponsored by a company called “Dog Gone Poop.”

A few things strike me about the Gazette official program for the Dachshund Dash. First, the fact that there is a Gazette official program for the Dachshund Dash. Secondly, there seems to be a pretty strong correlation between owners who enter wiener dogs in wiener dog races and owners who dress their wiener dog in stupid outfits. This means that if you’re anywhere near the Fairgrounds this afternoon after 1 o’clock, there is a good chance you will be affected by the enormous amount of Annoying in the air. I particularly like the dog that is dressed up to look like a hot dog. Thirdly, I had no idea that the wiener dog was such an intelligent breed of dog. It seems that each and every one of the entrants in today’s races actually wrote their bio and sent it in themselves! And finally, I would like to say that it is not lost on me that the very next story in the Gazette following the wiener dog race preview is a feature on an Edmond restaurant with this headline: “Hot diggity dog! A subtle neighborhood gem, Iggy’s fills the yen for an all-American hot dog — and more, served by folks all the way from Sarajevo.” The editors at the Oklahoma Gazette have an outstanding sense of humor.

Also, for you you amateur filmmakers out there who think you’ve got a great idea for a documentary and are planning on heading down to the races with cameras in hand, I’m sorry to inform you that, astonishingly, someone has beaten you to the punch.

Category: Sports, The Oklahoma Gazette and Unusual. 2 Comments

These are movies I would watch.

Published by
Tony
 on May 17, 2007

The Edmond Sun features a story about two local boys — Richard Ford and Scott Bridges — who left town to pursue acting careers, and have now returned and set up a locally-based movie company, Sure Crossing Films. I thought it would be nice to provide Ford and Bridges with seven ideas for movies that Sure Crossing Films should pursue.

Hairspray. This would be a remake of the John Waters cult classic, though the star of this film would be Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy.

Conspiracy Theory II. The sequel to the Mel Gibson film would star Senator Jim Inhofe as a man who, frustratingly, cannot seem to convince the world that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by liberals and scientists out to make a buck.

Ghost Town. The story of home games for the University of Oklahoma basketball team.

Corporate Raiders of the Lost Ark. This newest installment of the Indiana Jones series features Indiana being played by T. Boone Pickens. In this sequel, Indiana becomes a corporate raider, and his hostile takeovers of numerous companies earn him his first ten million dollars.

Leprechaun 2. The Al Eschbach story.

Dazed and Confused, Part Deux. This documentary would focus on three Oklahoma football fans, and their attempt to understand what was going on during a game while listening to Bob Barry’s radio broadcast.

Major League IV. The third sequel to Major League focuses not on the lovable Cleveland Indians, but on Mayor Mick Cornett, and his quest to make sure everyone in the world is well aware that Oklahoma City is indeed a Major League city while not, at the same time, looking like he has a massive inferiority complex.

Category: Jim Inhofe, Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City Media, Sports and The Sports Animal. 2 Comments

Sean Sutton, Chuck E. Cheese’s Ink Sponsorship Deal

Published by
Patrick
 on May 17, 2007

Chuck E. Sutton

Chuck E. Cheese’s announced today that it has agreed to a 5-year sponsorship package with Sean Sutton, Head Coach Designate of the Oklahoma State University men’s basketball team.

As part of the agreement, Coach Sutton will serve as the voice of the animatronic Chuck E. Cheese character in all Midwest restaurant locations, replacing long time voice actor Duncan Brannan.   He will also dress up as the famous mouse for special occasions in the Stillwater area, including Orange Peel, Boone Pickens grandson’s birthday party, and NCAA wrestling championship celebrations.

“Ever since I was child, I dreamed of one day being a rodent.  I dreamed it so much that I even mimicked their look, feel and voice.  Now I get to live my lifelong dream,” a humbled, raspy voiced Sutton said.  “Plus I get all the cheeeese pizza I want. And I mean free pizza, too.”

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.  Chuck E. Cheese’s operates over 500 “family fun” restaurant locations throughout the United States and other nations.

Category: Fake News, Sean Sutton and Sports. 4 Comments

Bring the Arcade Fire to OKC

Published by
Patrick
 on May 16, 2007

It was announced last week that The Arcade Fire will perform at the Austin City Limits music festival on September 14-16. Along with them, the following other bands will also play:

The White Stripes • The Killers • Wilco • Muse • My Morning Jacket • Bloc Party • The Arctic Monkeys • Spoon • Clap Your Hands Say Yeah • Andrew Bird

Talk about an Indie music wet dream. This line-up means two things:

Continue reading ‘Bring the Arcade Fire to OKC’

Category: Hinder and OKC Music. 0 Comments

Women of Worth

Published by
Tony
 on May 16, 2007

Maggie Carlo wants to know who you would nominate as a “Woman of Worth,” someone who is making a difference in society. For those of you struggling to come up with anyone, here are a few ideas.

Maggie Carlo

Maggie herself is the first person that came to my mind. Is that because I was reading something she wrote at the time? Probably. But still.

Did you know that if your television is tuned to KOCO during the six o’clock newscast it’s impossible not to watch the news? Even if you try to actively avoid it, it’s impossible, because Maggie Carlo’s eyes follow you all around the room, like the Mona Lisa or one of those lifesize cardboard cutouts of Gary Busey. Her DNA is built in such a way that she is singularly qualified to giving you the news of the day, and that makes her a Woman of Worth. Also, she’s much sexier than Jessica Shambach, so what is up with this?

Three more nominees after the jump…

Continue reading ‘Women of Worth’

Category: Maggie Carlo, Oklahoma City Media, Sports and The Sports Animal. 2 Comments
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