Entertainment

“It worked.” Those are the quiet words spoken in “Oppenheimer” after the Los Alamos trial of the atomic bomb, the whispery quality of the remark in dramatic contrast to one of the most momentous events of the 20th century.

Ads for “Barbie” claimed it was for people who hate her and love her, which left me wondering: What about people who don’t care about her at all? Turns out the comedy/drama has us covered, too. The key to the movie is director/co-writer Greta Gerwig’s ability — previously demonstrated in “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” as well as in performances in “Maggie’s Plan” and “Frances Ha” — to make sincerity feel cool.

Internationally acclaimed boogie woogie, blues and jazz pianist, Silvan Zingg, will be performing a live solo concert at the Poncan Theatre on Saturday, July 22. Hailing from Lugano, Switzerland, Zingg came from a family with musical talent.

Back by popular demand, the Kay County Amphitheater will be hosting comedian Tavin Dillard on Saturday, July 22 at 8:30 pm. Dillard has produced comedy videos on YouTube since the early days of the site in 2006.

The 32nd Arts Adventure Summer Camp at Northern Oklahoma College was a smashing success. Students entering grades 6th through 12th, as well as those just graduating high school, had the opportunity to spend time on the Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa campus for a four day art camp. This camp not only featured classic painting and sculpting classes, but a range of other classes that fall into the arts category.

Welcome back to television, Raylan Givens. Given that it is in a hero’s nature to return, and the medium’s to encourage that when it seems profitable, the appearance of “Justified: City Primeval,” this week on FX — eight years after Timothy Olyphant hung up his Stetson as the star of the original series, developed by Graham Yost from an Elmore Leonard short story — feels, if not inevitable … well, I’m going to say it: justified.

In 1947, the Cavalcade Rodeo was formed to keep the spirit of the old west and American ideals alive. Created by Alice Adams, a well known lady bronc rider and arena secretary, with the help of the Pawhuska Roundup Club and a magazine known as The Roundup, this rodeo has become the largest amateur rodeo in the world and it is located right here in Oklahoma. Two years later, in February of 1949, the Pawhuska Roundup club bought the sole rights to the Cavalcade and formed the Cavalcade Committee. Now, amateur cowboys and cowgirls from all across the world, come to show their talents and compete for trophies and prize money.

The prolific writer finds inspiration just about everywhere. Dean Koontz has a drawer stuffed with ideas he will never use.

Occasionally, I like to dive into a pop culture rabbit hole for these columns to find something to write about that is different from the usual reviews and ramblings about comic book plots. The TikTok trend that began last month involving the Grimace Shake, something introduced this year to celebrate the 51st anniversary of the character’s inception, has brought the purple mascot back into the public eye.