Tulsa's decade (Carrie mention)

[Jade_kt]

Tulsa World: Tulsa's decade: Downtown, nightlife finding niches

But the BOK is here to stay.

So is DFest, it appears. What started as a small gathering of local bands in 2002 — when Tom Green and Angie Devore-Green wanted to enter a Jim Beam/Rolling Stone contest — went big. They came up with a marketing plan, and Diversafest was born. Seven years later, they are owners of a music festival that encompasses a July weekend and drew nearly 80,000 people in 2009. In 2007, the Flaming Lips headlined (and the mayor introduced them); in 2008, Stillwater's own All-American Rejects and The Roots were among the headliners; in 2009, we had The Black Crowes and Cake.

We also gained big exposure in the rest of the world. Oklahoma's own Carrie Underwood won "American Idol," then the hearts of millions, as well as a few Grammys. Her name is so big, she has earned the right to go Hollywood on us. But she hasn't and probably never will. Her roots are deep, and why wouldn't they be?

Bill Hader and Kristin Chenoweth became household names on the small screen, and several of our actors and entertainers hit the big time. Tulsa's Amber Valletta had a pivotal role in the Will Smith comedy, "Hitch," Muskogee's Sarah Vowell made it big on the talk radio circuit with "This American Life," and Tulsa's Jeanne Tripplehorn found a new home on HBO with "Big Love."

Another thing we gained in the last decade: Love of our city. Sure, we all had it. But did we have the T-shirt to prove it? Tulsa's youth began sporting "I (Heart) Tulsa" T-shirts. During the 2009 DFest, Cake lead singer John McCrae wandered through downtown Tulsa, and he came upon the city love T-shirts. He said he admired the pride the city has in itself and wished other cities had it.

See? Even our T-shirts have progressed.

We've got a lot of future living to do, Tulsa. And it might not always be easy, but it should be entertaining. We've laid the groundwork. Now, go have some fun.

How you voted

The results are in, and you're pretty happy with the BOK Center.

In an online vote of the biggest stories of the decade, the BOK Center's opening earned the most votes. Second was Carrie Underwood's win on "American Idol," and a distant third was DFest's rise in fame.

Following are the results of the poll through Dec. 21. You can vote throughout the end of the year at tulsaworld.com/decade.

217 votes: The BOK Center opens in Tulsa (2008) to a highly successful first year. First-year shows include The Eagles twice, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elton John and Paul McCartney and many more.

114: Checotah's Carrie Underwood wins "American Idol."

19: DFest grows from a gathering of local rock acts in 2002 to a huge downtown festival drawing major headliners.

14: Garth Brooks comes out of retirement to take a standing gig at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas.

12: Garth Brooks marries Trisha Yearwood and "retires" in Owasso.

10: Post-9/11, Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" inspires and angers many. It leads to him being named Songwriter of the Decade by the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

6: The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize??" becomes the state rock song.

6: Other/Write-in

4: Tulsans make it big: Broken Arrow's Kristin Chenoweth and Tulsa's Bill Hader become familiar faces on TV.

3: The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) becomes a household name with her blog, cookbooks and tour. She lives outside Pawhuska.

2: The Ford Center opens in Oklahoma City (2002).

[kewlie78189]

ohh amazing comments!

[robinannhunt]

Not many votes!

[opry051008]

There are more votes now and Carrie is winning. You can vote here for Carrie on Question #3 (and you're not required to be from OK to vote). Tulsa World: Decade Poll

Question : What was the biggest local entertainment story of the decade?

Post-9/11, Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" inspires and angers many. It leads to him being named Songwriter of the Decade by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. 13
Checotah's Carrie Underwood wins "American Idol" 305
Garth Brooks marries Trisha Yearwood and "retires" in Owasso. 16
The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize??" becomes the state rock song. 6
The Ford Center opens in Oklahoma City (2002) 2
Garth Brooks comes out of retirement to take a standing gig at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. 16
DFest grows from a gathering of local rock acts in 2002 to a huge downtown festival drawing major headliners. 19
The BOK Center opens in Tulsa (2008) to a highly successful first year. First-year shows include The Eagles twice, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elton John and Paul McCartney and many more. 226
Tulsans make it big: Broken Arrow's Kristin Chenoweth and Tulsa's Bill Hader become familiar faces on TV. 4
The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) becomes a household name with her blog, cookbooks and tour. She lives outside Pawhuska. 4
Other/Write-in 6


The results of this question represent the opinions of 617 people with the following demographic profile:

Oklahomans: 90.1 %
Male: 306
Female: 311

They also have a whole online Library of their Carrie stuff.... cool.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/c...K/default.aspx

[robinannhunt]

That looks better now.

[Carrie_Rocks_The_House]

Loving the comments on Carrie