Glimpse | Personal Perspectives
The Other Side of By Lauren Hammack Photo by K.O. Rinearson
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“Flashpoint”
very Sunday morning, the three kings of political banter, Mike Turpen, Kirk Humphreys and Kevin Ogle, bring a feisty and spirited exchange on current events for half an hour on KFOR’s “Flashpoint.” Hours of preparation, carefully edited scripts, three dress rehearsals… pshaw. The tools of amateurs. These three kings walk into the studio every week and get the job done in one take – all off the cuff. Once the cameras were off, we decided to get to the other side of “Flashpoint” and we were pleased to find the Sultans of Sunday equally unrehearsed. How long have you guys been doing “Flashpoint?” MT: 18 years KO: 15 years KH: 3 years Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? MT: Yes – to befriend and cooperate with more Republicans. KO: I will openly acknowledge Kelly [Ogle] as my brother on KWTV, Channel 9. KH: To work out every other day. What else will you accomplish this year if it kills you? MT: Break 90 at golf. KO: Get my daughter graduated from college and into a broadcasting job. KH: Take the whole family on vacation together. There are 14 of us, so this will kill me. What’s the best advice you ever got? MT: Attorney Pat Williams told me, “You’ll win more cases in the law library than you’ll ever win in the courtroom,” and he was right. KO: My dad [the late veteran broadcaster Jack Ogle] told me, “Be yourself on the air and you’ll do fine.” KH: Give 10 percent, save 10 percent and keep the rest. What mad skills do you have off-camera? MT: I could be a stand-up comic. I’d like to try it for a while. KO: I play the drums and bass. KH: I can multiply any number by 12 in a split second.
KO: “Undercover Angel” [Ogle claims that his wife put the song on his iPod.] KH: I’ve got about 6,000 songs on my iPod – too many to defend. Which movie can you recite the words to? MT: “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” KO: “The Godfather” KH: “Patton” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” What would surprise your first grade teacher most about you today? KO: Seeing me on TV. Or knowing that I’m 6'8". KH: That I became [Oklahoma City] mayor. MT: Well, I was pretty talkative in first grade – I know that’s surprising. One day at 8:30am, I got sent to the cloakroom for talking. My teacher forgot about me until 3:30. My mom told my teacher, “This could screw him up for the rest of his life!” So I think she’d be surprised that I’m not in a medium-security correctional facility now, and I was even inducted into the 2010 Oklahoma Hall of Fame. So, you had a whole day to rifle through the pockets of unsuspecting citizens? Is that when you knew you wanted to go into politics? KH: That’s when he knew he’d be a Democrat. What’s not all it’s cracked up to be? KH: Elected office. It extracts its pound of flesh. KO: Being the moderator of “Flashpoint.” MT: Being Susan Turpen. Any recurring dreams? MT: I always dream I’m Atticus Finch. KO: I always dream that I’m a good golfer – which I’m not – and I’m playing with famous golfers, having a great game. I’ve got my ball on the green at sunset and we have to quit because it’s too dark. KH: I’m always walking up a long hill that never ends. So, so much to pick apart there. What are you obsessed with during your waking hours? MT: The 2011 Lyric Theatre season that kicks off this month! KO: Deciding what to get my wife for her birthday later this month. KH: Carlton Landing, a community development on Lake Eufaula, opening next summer.
Is there anything you can’t do? KH: I can’t dive. MT: I can’t get elected governor.
What are your philosophies about life? KO: Do the best you can. KH: Never think you’ve “arrived.” It’s not far from the castle to the outhouse. MT: The man with the fastest golf cart never has to play a bad lie.
What song on your iPod are you least prepared to defend? MT: You’d think, at my age, that I wouldn’t care much about current artists, but I love Taylor Swift. [This begins Turpen’s five-minute pitch on the merits of Taylor Swift.]
Any nonprofit shout-outs? MT: Lyric Theatre and the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum KO: Young Life and the Salvation Army KH: Whiz Kids and the American Indian Cultural Center
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slice | january 2011