1OB -The Michigan Daily Weekeni Magazine - Thursday, October 2, 1997 0 0 0 0.. 0 The Michiga aily Weekend 1M E3State of the Arts U c o ns equ e n ces . > < Lucky for us. Claudia, decked out in a near-Jennie Garth 'do, enters high school and we are left to wonder Jennifer Petlinski what that means. Daily Arts Editor Uh oh ... is she to follow in the con- fused, mildly slutty path of her older sister? Probably. If the show continues down the path that it is headed. And let's not forget the whole abuse thing with Owen's teacher. Gotta pull in the abuse somewhere because other- wise people won't watch, right? While the show's at it, it might as well throw in a little cross-dressing with Owen. That's realistic and engaging. Yeah right, and Donna Martin is still a virgin. Why is it that the moment television brings a quality show to audiences it's bound to ruin? It's as if "Party of Five" can't continue at its own level, go at its own pace because then it will get tram- pled by the questionable advances other shows have made. Let's take a look at the "other dra-- mas" in question: On "90210" every- one's already slept with everyone; there's been drugs, diet pills, engage- ments, two graduations, divorces and so much more. Now Kelly's been shot and, whoa, is that big news, especially since she can't remember who anyone is any- more. That's about 10 episodes worth of problems. At least ... On Melrose Place (to tell you the truth, I haven't watched the show this season - except in passing - because it has gotten so completely ridiculous), they've all slept with each other at least five times; there's been incest, murder, marriage, alcoholism, psycho people, psycho people and did I mention psy- cho people? Not to mention enough electric guitar to add more drama to any one of these subplots. So maybe we can forgive "Party of Five" for getting so terrible. Look at what it's up against. Which of these can be the drama of all dramas? Which will top the list? Already, "Party of Five" has made some "advances," supposedly adding to the dramatic nature of the show. The most important one I see so far is the excessive use of the colon. Yeah, the colon. Two small dots is really all it is. But let's deconstruct it in the context of the show. Do these sound familiar? Julia, Charlie, Owen, Claudia and Grace give Bailey a night he will never forget on "Party of Five: (notice the colon here) Intervention." Or how about this one? Bailey goes to court and faces the consequences on "Party of Five: (here it is again) The Verdict." Suddenly, these "colon" shows become "very special episodes of 'Party of Five."' But if, there's a colon in every episode, which may arguably be in the near future, then what's so special about that? "Days of Our Lives" and other soap operas use the colon to hype up 4peir trash. Come on "Party of Five" can't you stay the way you once were? Sadly enough, I just may be able to predict where this is headed. And is my prediction really as far off as it seems? Bailey and Sara move in together, but Sara starts sleeping with the doorman in their new apartment building on "Party of Five: Double Trouble Sex Games.' Claudia becomes a 32 B on "Party of Five: Blossoming." Owen's teacher brings whips and chains to the Salinger house and starts to beat Charlie on "Party of Five: S & M is fun stuff." Julia and Griffin can't have kids because of Griffin's "problem" on "Party of Five: The Gun Ain't Loaded." All VERY SPECIAL episodes, mind you. I - I Sunday, October 19 8:00 pm Hill Auditorium Tickets available at the Michigan Union Ticket Office Charge by phone 763-TKTS By Jessica Eaton Daily Books Editor To be a writer, you need to write about what you know. But what hap- pens when all you know is crime, death and unresolved investigations? You become a crime novelist, of course. James Ellroy is the author of 13 books, including "L.A. Confidential," recently released in a film adaptation starring Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito. Taking place over eight years of Los Angeles history, "L.A. Confidential" tells the story of police department scandal in the 1950s as seen through the eyes of three mem- bers of the LAPD. Ellroy has roots in crime investiga- tion established years before any of his novels were published. Ellroy's memoir, "My Dark Places," recently published in paperback, is the account of his life and his personal experience with crime. Ellroy was 10 years old when his mother was raped and murdered. He had spent the weekend with his father, and received the news stoically. "When my mother was murdered in June of '58," Ellroy explained to The Michigan Daily, "I hated her, I lusted after her, I was very much my father's son, I was in his sway completely. He brainwashed me against my mother and at the time of her death my greatest desire, since my parents were divorced, was to live with my father exclusively. And on June 22, 1958, that wish came true." It was years before Ellroy turned back to face that incident. He went to live with his father, where he was left to take care of himself, and immersed himself in the fantasy world of true crime stories. He neglected school and the simple childhood social life in exchange for dreams of dead women and grotesque crimes. Eventually, he dropped out of school altogether. "I drank, I used drugs, I broke into houses, I sniffed women's undergar- ments, I did county jail time in my late teens and 20s. I slept in parks, I stole anything that wasn't nailed down ... I got sober when I was 29 and started writing books." And in 1994, he decided to make one of those crime books nonfiction. With Books by James Ellroy: 4 "Clandestine," 1984 * "The Black Dahlia," 1987 + "Suicide Hill," 1988 + "The Big Nowhere," 1989 4 "White Jazz," 1992 * "American Tabloid," 1995 + "My Dark Places," 1996 the help of homicide detective Bill Stoner, Ellroy went back into his moth- er's file to uncover her past and, essen- tially, uncover his own. "When I opened the first page of her crime report,"said Ellroy, "I realized ... this isn't over. I had understood her death intellectually, but now it was as if a little gear clicked and I could under- stand it fully for the first time. I could- n't afford to take two years off and play homicide detective. There had to be a book in it ... The killer was irrelevant; this was all about the search for her." Ellroy spent 18 months reinvestigat- ing his mother's death 36 years before. As he phrased it, "it's been a wild ride, this ride toward confronting (my) moth- er." Throughout the research and writ- ing process of "My Dark Places" how- ever, he never found the dark milieu morbid or depressing. "And (this wild ride) continues. She continues to inhab- it a large part of my thoughts. I am insa- tiably curious about her life. I'm con- vinced that the more publicity my book gets, the more I will learn about her. And I want that information." Is Ellroy obsessive? Yes, and he read- ily admits it. His obsession, he asserted, blunted the horror that he would have felt as a child, and it made him a more effective novelist. However, when asked if he ever thinks hypothetically about a life with a different childhood, he recog- nized himself as an "efficacy-minded guy" and denied fantasizing. "This is the way it's all played out, and I can't bring my mother back;" Ellroy said. "I'm pleased with the way things are. I don't have any regrets; I think that you regret the things you did- n't do, not the things you did" And with that straightforward atti- tude, Ellroy has nothing to regret at this point in his life. He now lives in Kansas City, Mo., with his wife, and next plans to write a sequel to "American Tabloid," Time Magazine's 1995 novel of the year. He has the basis of a major motion picture to his credit and is in the process of becoming one of the greatest crime writers of the century. "I was a happy man before I started writing "My Dark Places," ElIroy said, "and I'm a happier man now. I never felt I was a victim ... I have a great life." Hear me out, "P05.' If any of these actually do become realities, then I am no longer watching your show. You have the chance to save yourself. Go back a few years; stay original; keep the bittersweet edge; don't be too over- dramatic. And lose the colon. -- E-mail Jen at petlinsk@,umich. edit I West Side Book Shop since 1975 Used & Rare Books Bought & Sold 113 W. Liberty (1/2 block W. of Main St.) : 995-1891 I UNIVERSITY SECRETS: YOUR GUIDE TO SURVIVING A COLLEGE EDUCATION Author: Robert D. Honigman I Part/Full Time Programmer for Start-up High Tech Firm Experienced with: :atal Reports " Visual Basic Send Resume to MS Access P Box 4267 Ann Arbor MI 48106-4267 :..,,.. The author is a long time contributor to the Daily, and his book contains many chapters of U-M lore. Check it out at: http://www.tir.com/-honigman Open 7pm - 2am 7 days Roundtree Plaza next A Major Events/Division of Student Affairs presentation http://www.umich.edu/-mevents It's Worth the Trip! .:.::::::::: ::::::.:::::::. ::::::::. ::::::::::::::::........ _ ::.::::::::::::::.:::.:::::::::::::::._:::::::::::.:. ..............................................................:;,.;: a: :" is 3Yk.. >. ................................ ...............x.x:.'"}:: vUF:i...".v::t ::"h+hWi":aR xv{ Omsk ok AM 0 . IS LOOKING FOR A COLLEGE REP! BMI, one of the largest performing rights organizations, collects and distributes royalties to its songwriters and music publishers when their music is used on radio, television and other forms of public performances. Some of the artists we represent are Live, Counting Crows, Foo Fighters, Alanis Morissette, Wu-Tang Clan, The Smashing Pumpkins, Boys 11 Men, Sheryl Crow, R. Kelly and many many more. We are currently looking to hire a college student who will work with new and established artists and songwriters in the Michigan area. A representative from BMI will be on campus October 6th - 8th to interview potential candidates for the position. Anyone who is interested should contact Marc Kleiner to arrange for an interview. g ld boyA QUALITY DRY CLEANING & SHIRT SERVICE 332 Maynard (Across from Nickels Arcade) 668-6335F COME JOIN US FOR PRAISE AND WORSHIP EVERY SUNDAY! Worship at 9:30AM 9 Christian Education at 11:00AM Classes for all ages, includingcollege students Meeting at Tappan Middle School 2251 East Stadium Blvd. 1/2 mile from Packard & Stadium Sunday morning student shuttle service: 9:00 East Quad 9:03 Martha' Cook 9:05 Michigan Union 9:10 Stockwelf 9:15 Markley Please call 973-KNOX for more information and/or directions. Marc Kleiner BMI 320 West 57th St New York, NY 10019 (212) 830-2585 " (212) 245-8986 Fax " E-Mail: mkleiner@bmi.com I