Discover the joy of Origami, the art of paper-folding. Join other cre- ative folks and learn how to turn plain old paper into magnificent designs. The activity will begin at 7 p.m. tonight at the Ann Arbor District Library, located on 343 S. Fifth Ave. Call 994-2345 for more information. Tuesday February 11, 1997 5 4 Once Upon A Time ... Drescher loses her annoying laugh, 'Beast' lives happily ever after . By Neal C. Carruth Daily Arts Writer Once upon a time, a stuffy film critic ent to see a movie called "The autician and the Beast." Now, this critic had never been impressed by either of the film's leads and he'd had E his fill of The Be light roman- and th tic comedies. nut, a funny At Briarwoo thing hap- ned. For once, he was pleasantly sur- sed. "The Beautician and the Beast" will probably not turn out to be one of the best films of 1997, but considering that we are in the midst of the spring cine- matic wasteland, one could do far worse. Such stinkers as "Meet Wally Sparks" and "The Pest" attest to this. Fran Drescher stars as Joy Miller, a Queens beauty school instructor with big dreams. After a fire destroys her assroom, used during the day for sci- ence classes, Miller is portrayed as a heroine when she rescues the laborato- Vy animals that share the room. One individual who see newspaper headline is Gr McNeice), assistant to th Slovetzia, a tiny East Euro Grushinsky is in the Un search of a suitable tutor IEW eautician he Beast **I children. Be to be both great educa vinces her Slovetzia. Miller ar find a count still antiqua I d and Showcase yearning for the ways of t West. Its overbearing and autocratic supreme ruler, Boris Pochenko (Timothy Dalton), is instantly taken aback by Miller's direct style. As Miller loosens up the children, she begins to fall in love with Pochenko. She also inadvertently west- ernizes the country, intro ducing notions of over- time and labor unions s a valorizing into the its factories. The resulting labor ushinsky (Ian strike jeopardizes the budding romance e dictator of that has developed between Miller and pean country. Pochenko. ited States in Though "The Beautician and the for his boss' Beast" is somewhat predictable and for- lieving Miller mulaic, it is still pleasurable to watch it brave and a go through the motions. One does not tor, he con- leave with the awful feeling that the to come to film was a depressing waste of time. Rather, the film was quite captivating, rives there to due in large part to the two lead perfor- ry in turmoil, mances. Drescher, who seems to be uni- ted but versally considered annoying, the comes off quite well in this film. She keeps her grat- ing laugh in check and strives for an Audrey Hepburn-esque charm. While she doesn't quite make it, she does prove herself to be quite capable within a limited range. Drescher does falter a little in a big emotion- al scene, near the end of the film, when Miller is sup- OK, smile. But just don't laugh. posed to be disap- pointed with and hurt by Pochenko. At this point, her acting suddenly ceases to be light and effortless. Dalton, whose career has taken a sad turn, does a fine job as Pochenko. With his slightly spiked hair and imposing eyebrows, he gives Pochenko undeni- able presence. Unfortunately, the romantic chem- istry between Dalton and Drescher isn't quite right, and this is the fatal flaw of "The Beautician and the Beast" Even though the film is supposed to be a story of oddly paired lovers, the princi- pals are simply not credible as love interests. They fail to generate any heat. The screenplay also presents some problems, moving forward a little too leisurely. A film of this sort shouldn't exceed 90 minutes or so, but "The Beautician and the Beast," comes in at just under two hours, trying the audi- ence's patience. Additionally, some of the film's gags, like one involving a dutiful chicken, land with a thud. Overall, this represents a pretty good effort. It's an example of the sort of pol- ished entertainment that used to be pro- duced in the halcyon days when there were more talented people in Hollywood. Fran Drescher and Timothy Dalton star in "The Beautician and the Beast." We've got more free Ray Charles tickets! ~ oc In celebration of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, which is bringing Ray Charles to Hill Auditorium on Feb.15, the Daily is giving away one more pair of superb tickets to see a phenomenal performance by one of the world's finest musicians. Charles will appear with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra to play his roaring classics along with his great new material. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Ann Arbor Summer Festival and help keep the Top of the Park outdoor concert and movie series free and open to all. If you are interested in entering the contest to win a FREE pair of tickets, e-mail your name and phone number to dally.arts@umich.edu. If you entered the contest last week, you are automatically re-entered. Here's the scoop: You must be a student at the University; employees of The Michigan Daily and the Ann Arbor Summer Arts Festival are not eligible. If } you don't win, tickets are still available by calling 764-2538. Good luckl Latest from 702 will no doubt please fans 6 t 702 No Doubt Biv Ten Records Mix harmonious vocals and the latest in R&B and hip hop and what's the end result? 702's debut album, "No Doubt." 702, comprised of Irish (16), Kameela (18) and Lemisha (18), was first introduced to the music scene in the song "This Little Game We Play," with Subway. Two years later, these three Las Vegas natives have decided to venture off on their own musical : endeavor, and what a wonderful endeavor it is. This 10-track album is packed full of first-rate music and vocals. From the beginning song "Get Down Like Dat," it's obvious that these girls are out to take care of business. "Steelo," the group's current single, gives only a small hint of the musical bonanza 702 has to offer. On songs like "Show You My Love" and "Not Gonna," 702 showcases versatile vocals over up-tempo beats. "Round & Round" and "Word Iz Bond" offer sweet harmonies, while incorporating a smooth laid-back sound. On "All I Want," 702 samples the music from New Edition's "Candy Girl" to sing about longing for the ideal man who knows all the right things to say. "Get It Together" and "Finding My Way," two of the more slow-tempo songs on the album, give listeners a true sense of the group's vocal depth. 702's real talent manifests itself as the group belts out serious harmonies on these two ballads. The only problem with "No Doubt" is that it's too short. Just as you get caught up in the vibe of the album, it's over, leaving you longing for more. 702 has meticulously combined R&B, hip hop and jazzy grooves to produce a fierce debut album. Long after you've listened to this CD, you'll continue to hum and sing it's con- tagious tunes - no doubt! - Jessica Simmons Cibo Matto Super Relax Warner Bros. Records "Viva! La Woman," Cibo Matto's fierce, funky and fun debut album, was one of 1996's finest releases. The new year has brought new tunes from the duo, in the form of the "Super Relax" EP. This nine-track disc is being released in conjunction with the video for the band's first heavily promoted single, "Sugar Water," a tune from "Viva!" that sounds as sweet as its title with a dreamy chorus that's catchier than the flu. If you're going to buy "Super Relax," you'd better like' "Sugar Water." Track one is the "Viva!" album ver- turing vocalist Miho Hatori in sing- song mode. She kicks into her flow with the hard-edged hip hop -of "BBQ," which would be the -easy standout were it not for the poor sound quality of a live recording. "Crumbs" is aptly named: It's miot much of a song, and it sounds -n'iore like scraps pasted together off of the cutting-room floor. The EP is saved, however, by the two cover songs. The first of thd is "Aguas :e Marco, a .xery swanky-sounding duet between Hatori and a male who is not ideriti- fied, sung in Portuguese. No, I can't understand a word, but that's not the point.. I can, howeever, sion; track two is a slightly sparser, harder remix, courtesy of Beastie Boy Mike D., Blues Explosion drum- mer Russell Simins and Beastie pro- C ducer Mario Miho and Yuka are Cal dato; track seven is a jazz-tinged acoustic version; track nine is a remix by DJ Coldcut with vague reggae and dub overtones. Yep, that's four versions of the one song. That leaves us with five new songs. Three of these are originals: "Spoon," "BBQ" and "Crumbs" (notice that the food theme continues from "Viva!"). "Spoon" is unremarkable if solid, fea- CI ibo Matto. understand the words to the other cover, a version of the Rolling Stones' "Sing This All Together." For the uninitiated, I recommend buying the debut album rather than starting with this EP But for the fan who devoured "Viva! La Woman," "Super Relax" is a tasty appetizer, enough to tide us over until the next full-length feast. - Anders Smith-Lindall Want to share your writing Ernp1 y ent Opportunities with Daily readers? Submit fiction or poetry to I next month's LiteraryII Issue. For more details on how to enter, re ad IBAGEL SANDWICH & SMALL SOUP a Wage Thursday's Weekend, etc. The Healthy Alternativea n ag zn .Low-Fat and Fat-Free Foods Magazne.- 6 - --Residence Halls __662.4700