The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 23, 1995 - 11

Margaret Smith is headed for the big time

There's nothing like a sweet talker. Ask Candyman. All the women fall for the him ... hook, line and sinker.
'Candyman' can make a good sequel

By Kirk Miller
Daily Arts Writer
"Soon we'll be together, just like
we planned. You can't fight what was
meant to be."
With the thundering deep and sexy
voice, the cool presence and a way to
make an impression on the ladies, that
just has to be Barry White, right?
Sure, if Barry had a giant hook in
place of his hand and was sort of an
undead mythological bogeyman; then
he'd just begin to approximate the
charm of Candyman (Tony Todd).
Smooth. Sexy. Dead.
The original "Candyman" was
stunning because it wanted to be dif-
ferent. Above average acting, an op-
pressively moody score by Philip
Glass, and an unexpected look at race
relations made the first movie more
of a scary art film than a typical slasher
pick. Besides, it had all that cool bee
imagery.
An inherent problem with sequels
is taking everything good about the
first and repeating it ad nauseam, with-
out the consistency or vision (sort of
like cinematic in-breeding). So it's no
surprise that the new "Candyman"

has nothing the first didn't.
Yes, it's set in New Orleans dur-
ing Mardi Gras (a point made way too
often by the annoying Cajun DJ they
have occasionally narrating the film)
instead of Chicago. But see if this
doesn't sound familiar; a young pretty
Candyman 2:
Farewell to
the Flesh
Directed by Bill Condon
with Tony Todd
At Showcase
teacher named Annie Tarrant (Kelly
Rowan, looking alot like Helen Hunt)
is dealing with her wacked-out fam-
ily, including her late father, rumored
to have been slashed to death by the
Candyman, and a brother accused of
a similar murder.
"That family won the jackpot in
the shit sweepstakes," uncaring De-
tective Ray Levesque (overplayed by
David Gianopolous) comments at one
point, even before the real suffering

begins.
It seems her family has more than
just a couple of homicides bonding
them to the legend of Candyman. A
lot is made of Candyman's past, which
all began after the Civil War and
involved the son of a former slave
named Daniel Robaitaille and his so-
cially unaccepted love of a white
woman, Caroline Sullivan (Caroline
Barclay, who I would marry in a sec-
ond, especially if it would get her out
of this film). Once Caroline became
pregnant with Robitaille's child, an
angry white mob attacks him, cuts off
his hand with a rusty blade, covers his
body in honey and lets a swarm of
bees have their way with him. This is
known as overstating your point.
Switch to the present, where the
Candyman is a myth, supposedly ap-
pearing if anyone looks in a mirror
and says his name five times. Of course
everyone has to prove that there is no
such thing as the Candyman, so they
all rush to the closest mirrors and say
"Candyman, Candyman, Candyman,
Candyman, Candyman" much like all
stupid people in horror movies that
See CANDYMAN, page 12

By Alexandra Twin
Daily Film Editor
"When I first started out," said
moody comic Margaret Smith, "I
got told by a club owner, 'you should
talk about what women talk about.'"'
There was a long, grumpy pause.
Finally, she said, deadpan: "I had no
idea what he was talking about."
Dry, droll, sarcastic and just a wee
bit crabby, the 37-year old Smith has
been cracking-up audiences and crit-
ics alike for the last decade, stopping
by everywhere from "Late Night" to
the "Tonight Show" to "Comic Strip
Live." This weekend she hits the
MainstreetComedy Showcase on East
Liberty Street. And, oh boy, is she
excited about the "college crowd."
"The last time I played before a
college audience, I made the mistake
of starting in on on one of the local
football stars," she said, "You know,
Mr. Forehead. Apparantly, his iden-
tity was tied into touchdowns. This
guy was like Bam-Bam. He stormed
out, slammed the door and nearly
knocked it off its hinges. Of course,"
she added slyly, "that was somewhere
else in the midwest. Somewhere way
out in East Jesus where there's noth-
ing but an Arby's. I consider Ann-
Arbor to be a lot hipper than that."
Smith's return to Ann Arbor
comes at an exciting, if frantic time
in the Chicago Native's life. In Feb-
ruary, she was awarded "Best Fe-
male Stand-Up Comic" at the 1995
American Comedy Awards. The
awards, which are something of an
"Oscars" of Comedy, have proven
immensely productive for such pre-
vious winners as Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff
Foxworthy and most recently, Ellen
Degeneres, of whom Smith is a fan.
"YeahIreally likeEllen and her TV
show. That's kind of along the lines of
what I'd like to do if I get a show," she
said. This is, in fact, a very realistic
possibility, as network bigwigs have
been swarming since the award. Smith
is also a fan of Rosie O' Donnell.
And the rest of the comedy world?
"Well ... ,"she begins, sighing. "Ev-
eryone else is kind of a loser."
And Smith would know. She's
played in nearly every city in the
country, from New York's Ye Olde


Triple Inn -"It had a dartboard in the
back room and you never knew when
someone cheered if they'd made a
bull's eye or liked your joke" - to
opening spots for the likes of Jay
MARGARET SMITH
Where:Mainstreet Comedy
Shovcase
When: Friday, Saturday 8:30,
10:30
For more information, call 996-
9080
Leno, an early Smith proponent.
A strong believer in women's
rights, Smith says that she never felt
intimidated by the rarity of her sex in
the '80s comedy club scene. "I wasn't
too gender aware. I think that if you
get into that, you're gonna miss the
boat. You just have to do your best


and good things will come."
As a writer, Smith draws on "Fear
and loathing. I'm just more comfort-
able writing from that negative state."
Ofhercomedy, Smith says: "I don't
beat people over the head with
punchlines. I leave a little space in what
I write so that they can participate men-
tally, really be engaged and have fun,
'cause that's what I think is fun."
So come be engaged. With movie
and TV deals in the works, Smith may
not be making the rounds again any
time soon.
"I could never do anything else,"
the former professional chef admit-
ted. "Although if I were born at an-
other time, I would have liked to have
played professional baseball, but
that's not gonna happen," she said
laughing. "I think I'm doing exactly
what I'm supposed to be doing."

ret Smith - a star that is about to be born.


Student Organization Occounts Service
[SOBS] GeneralFund AccountC onversion
Beginning September 1, 1995, and running through September 30,
1996 SOAS General Fund (GF) Accounts will undergo a conversion. As a result
of this conversion, student organizations can either choose to convert their GF
account to what is now referred to as a "University Fund" account, or to close
the GF account and remove the funds. All accounts remaining after September
30, 1996 will automatically be converted into an SOAS Account (UF).
Open forums will be held to provide information.fand answer questions on:
" March 30,1995,.at 3pm-4pm.Michigan Union [Wolverine Room]
" April11,.1995.fat 4pm-Spm,.Michigan Union [Anderson RAF Room]
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" September 28.1995.at 3pm-4pm, Michigan Union [Wolverine Room]
If you have any questions, please feel free to stop by the SOAS office
or contact an SOAS Representative at 763-5767. Our office is open Monday
,through Friday, 8am-5pm. We will be happy to serve you!


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