We must celebrate Oklahoma every chance we get. I hope that you have been watching Ken Burn’s national parks special on PBS.
One of the spokespersons is a gentleman who had served as park superintendent at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur from 1998-2001. I had the privilege of hearing him speak at Pauls Valley Rotary years ago.
Gerard Baker, currently serving as the superintendent at Mt. Rushmore “is Mandan and Hidatsa and (his) Park Service experience includes tenure at the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana and the Knife River Indian Villages in North Dakota…” was eloquent and soft spoken when he talked about his time at the Custer Battlefield and in his (then) new role just a few miles to our south.
It is good seeing a familiar and friendly face on this much anticipated photographic and history special. From the second episode: Learning how the great naturalist John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt met on the future of our national park development by campfire under a tree is a story for the ages.
And now, “the envelope please.” Nope, it is not the Oscars, but television’s Emmy Awards.
The delightful Kristin Chenoweth from Oklahoma recently won a statuette for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for her role as Olive Snook in “Pushing Daisies.” She made light in her acceptance speech of the fact that the series had been canceled and she was more or less, “looking for work.” Visit her Web site to catch her enjoyment of the big win. Oklahoma is doing well.
I had quoted a column from Garrison Keillor last week and I was sad to learn that he recently suffered a stroke.
What a magnificent talent. My thoughts and prayers go out to him for a speedy recovery and continued good health.
The Pauls Valley Panther marching band, “The Pride of the Valley”, traveled to its first 2009-2010 competition season on Sept. 26 and made it to the finals. Well done everyone and keep up the great work.
Live from the Highlands: I was reminded that during the period from 1995-2000 I suffered through another, albeit shorter, theatrical dry spell.
In 1996 I directed a melodrama on the old passenger loading platform at the Pauls Valley train depot. Watching those actors, with true melodramatic posing, freeze their actions every time a train passed still makes me laugh.
Jumping ahead to 2000: In honor of the millennium I directed a staged reading of the first Kaufman and Hart play, their classic 1930 hit, Once In A Lifetime. The comedy centered on the advent of talking movies. That art form changed our world forever; now what would be its counterpart over the next thousand years?
Visit a national park, and Wacker Park, in our town.
Arts & History
And, the Emmy Award goes to …
- Arts & History
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‘Moneyball’ cash in the bank for best actor
Maybe it’s because math was always a special kind of hell for me throughout the education process, but any sort of award attached to a movie where it is the major dynamic seems like a cruel joke.
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‘The Grey’ follows typical blah early year trend
As a relatively balanced movie fan, I tend to be open to the possibility of any time of the year having the chance to win over audiences, though there remains reasons why most of the awesome of the box office begins around summer.
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‘War Horse’ gallops away with enamored audience
There may be some confusion among the top critics none of us pay any mind to on what films deserve the highest accolades as award season progresses, but as far as I’m concerned, a certain equestrian title is making a pretty strong case itself.
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‘Tintin’ may be unsinkable come award time
There’s something to the idea that animation movie makers may have better figured out the art of story telling and could certainly teach a majority of their peers in the live action arena how to weave a plot.
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‘The Muppets’ welcome in sentimental return
While bias is a position I try to leave to the talking heads of television, every now and again I come across a film I anticipate so much it’s hard for it to disappoint.
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‘Chipwrecked’ floats better than first sequel
When it comes to the three most recognized singing rodents this side of the milky way galaxy, one wouldn’t think the term gimmick would be anything more than description as usual.
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‘Holmes: Game of Shadows’ wows in witty sequel
Though I could be struck down by the critic gods at any moment, one thing Hollywood seems to get right more than when I was growing up is the art of the sequel.
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‘Gen. Rex: Agent of Providence’ not even a noob’s paradise
As someone who has witnessed the best and worst video games have had to offer since ET almost killed consoles in the early years, I consider my range of terrible rankings to be rather flexible.
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Stark caps off the year with Fine Dining
Pride in the local scene has always been a part of what drives Pauls Valley residents to make what is otherwise a small town compete with far larger peers.
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‘Arthur Christmas’ best holiday flick in years
Welcome to holiday movies anonymous, the only support group where you can admit you are just like everyone else and watch the same holiday specials well past a sane number of times.
- More Arts & History Headlines
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