8 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 29, 1997
Fox gives prime time a new 'Spin
By Julia Shih
Daily Arts Writer
In the past few years with success in films like
"Mars Attacks" and "The Frighteners," Michael J. Fox
has proven that he is a multitalented young actor. Yet it
is in the realm of television that Fox's charm truly
thrives.
Fox is remembered most fondly
for his stint on "Family Ties" play- R
ing conservative, business-mind-
ed Alex P. Keaton.
The role earned him not only
three Emmy Awards and a Golden
Globe, but implanted him in the
hearts of millions.
But Fox's later venture into cinema had noticeably
less impact on the general public. While he starred in
the occasional blockbuster hit (the "Back to the
Future" series, "Casualties of War"), he also captained
quite a few flops ("Greedy," "Life with Mikey," "For
Love or Money").
Now in his much-hoped-for return to television on
ABC's "Spin City," Fox works his magic in the same
way a sports team flourishes with home-field advan-
tage.
With this sitcom, Fox is reunited with producer Gary
David Goldberg - the same producer who shot the
actor into stardom with "Family Ties."
In the sophomore (but far from sophomoric) sitcom,
E
Fox plays Michael Flaherty, the Deputy Mayor of New
York City. As the right-hand man to Mayor Randall
Winston (Barry Bostwick) Flaherty is in charge of an
oddball staff.
Each week, Flaherty's goal is to keep the office in
working order and clear of scandal while at the same
time carrying on a successful
social life.
VI EW Obviously Fox is doing some-
thing right, since he garnered an
Spin City Emmy nomination last year for his
A BC portrayal of Flaherty in the show's
first season.
Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Fox plays the young politician
as a slightly older Alex Keaton
who isn't quite as fanatically conservative, so, not too
surprisingly, the character is appealing enough to
enchant viewers every week. Fox's Flaherty is a solid
source for laughs.
"Spin City" is carried even further by the other phe-
nomenal members of the ensemble cast. Richard Kind
plays Paul Lassiter, the amusingly neurotic press sec-
retary who is always experiencing some form of per-
sonal crisis.
Victoria Dillard is Janelle, Flaherty's secretary who
is reeling from a recent promotion and Connie Britton
is Nikki, the accountant with a star-crossed dating life.
Best of all is Alan Ruck as Stuart Bondek, the polit-
ically incorrect and sardonic chief of staff. Formerly
seen as cult-favorite Cameron from "Ferris Bueller's
Day Off." Ruck is always hilarious as the tormentor of
his staff members.
Whether it's dragging Carter (Michael Boatman),
the Special Assistant for Minority Affairs along to pry
into the secret hobbies of James (Alexander Chaplin),
an idealistic speechwriter, or trying to take ov r
Flaherty's job, Ruck is consistently offensive and hi*
ious in his career-resurrecting role.
This season offers a whole new lineup of gaffes and
mini-scandals as the less-than-perfect mayor goes
through a messy divorce and readjusts to single life.
Meanwhile, Flaherty begins and finishes dating Laurie
(Paula Marshall), who has him scrambling around on
his knees by feeding him the same non-committal lines
he's ustd on women.
And as usual, the rest of the staff members try.to
avoid scandals of their own as they work within their
own love-hate relationships with each other.
While "Spin City" may not be the most prominent
sitcom in the ratings, it definitely has a large and devot-
ed fan base.
The show promises more than just cheap, superficial
laughs and with its outstanding cast, proves to be an
underdog hit.
Though NBC's Thursday lineup still reigns over
prime time, ABC's Wednesday lineup of "The Drew
Carey Show," "Ellen" and Fox's "Spin City" makes a
very formidable competitor.
Michael J. Fox stars as Deputy Mayor of New York Michael Flaherty in "Spin City."
Ominous Seapods dive into improvisation at Blind Pig tonight
By Peter Altman and Reilly Brennan promote their new album in 1997, participating in various
For the Daily festivals and withstanding tiresome tours throughout the New
If you can't wait for the Phish Fall Tour to start, love York area.
improv-rock bands and have $5 laying
around, check out the Ominous Seapods
tonight at the Blind Pig. PI
Originally known only as a northeasternm
pot-rock band and brethren to God Street
Wine, The Ominous Seapods have
matured in the past few years to where
their sound has weathered the storm and
loyalists are starting to receive credit for
sticking with the off-beat group from Albany.
This spring, the band released their third CD, titled "Jet
:Smooth Ride" on independent label Ripe & Ready.
Their finest effort to date, "Jet Smooth Ride" is an excel-
4ent representation of the band's commitment to creativity,
tnprovisation and hypnotic blends of music.
The Seapods' sound is comparable to jam bands like Phish
end Moe., yet as upbeat as the early music of God Street
Wine. Songs have creative, happy lyrics and are usually jam-
Jaden.
The Seapods made a great effort to extend themselves and
n'Chicago' hopes f(
By Leann Dawson Who would ha,
For the Daily young man enter
Take the buying of donor organs, a room was about to
gangland shooting, gambling addiction, with an automaticv
bdangerous surgery, engagements and one. If this seems
resignations. Mix with old friendships, then take heed. Ho'
;thical dilemmas, and distrust of a fel- tals when conflict
,pw surgeon. The result? find their way in?
Why, the fourth season of "Chicago The show illus
Hope," of course.
It may be arisk R V E
switching from R E V I E W
Monday to
Wednesday nights Chicago Hope
7~s this series enters
ts fourth season,
;ht ; if the risky Wednesdays at 10 p.m.
nusical premiere
and the excellent ensuing episodes are Of course, we're n
any indication of what is to follow, then but give them a bre
this is one gamble that may have paid an hour.
off: Sometimes thei
REVIEW
inous Seapods
Tonight
The Blind Pig
Tickets are $5
During the spring, the band hooked
up with Sony powerhouse Moe., open-
ing for them at a sold out Irving Plaza
in New York City.
In June, guitarist Max Verna and
bassist Tom Pirozzi teamed up with
members of moe. and Moon Boot
Lover on an acoustic tour through the
northeast.
In a recent telephone interview
with The Michigan Daily, bassist
Tom Pirozzi said the Seapods are
known for their change-of-pace
shows.
This is brought about somewhat
by the bands influences, "which
range anywhere from the Chili
Peppers to Miles Davis to Frank
Zappa to Wilco," he said.
Currently, the band is in the midst
of a three-month-long national tour,
that began in Saranac Lake, N.Y.,
near the band's base of operations at
Albany.
"Our shows tend to
get a little crazy, so
I'd recommend that
people come with an
open mind".
- Tom Pirozzi,
Bassist for The Ominous Seapods
HORDE., but in some ways that
works to our advantage,". Pirozzi
said. "Our fan base is very personal"
A typical Seapods set is non-exis-
tent, but Pirozzi said seven or eight
of "Jet Smooth Ride"'s tunes m
occasional appearances dur,
shows, as do a few covers by The
Who.
Pirozzi said the live performance
is what made The Ominous-Seapods
who they are, and even though the
album speaks well of them, a live
Under the bill of the Merry Danksters (a play off Ken
Kesey's "Merry Pranksters"), the artists sold out such famous
venues as the Wetlands Preserve in New York City.
More important, the Seapods were one of the featured
bands at The Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival in Upstate
New York in late June.
The two-day festival featured such bands as moe. and
Strangefolk and was an enormous success and positive
adventure for the Seapods.Certainly on-the-road growth has
played a huge factor in the Pods' distinct sound and crazy live
shows. The group averages about 200 live shows a year.
The tour is highlighted by a two-week stretch of opening
for Sister Hazel, a planned Halloween Night performance at
Gunnerz in Iowa City and the band's first trip out west in late
November.
Pirozzi said the independent label route has worked out
well for the group, and in some ways is better.
"We're grass roots in the truest sense. We don't have the big
guns like other bands have to get us on huge festivals like
show speaks volumes.
"Our shows tend to get a little
crazy, so I'd recommend that people come with an open
mind," he said.
"We like to see people moved by the music," Pirozzi s .
"It's always nice when you can tell people are thinking 'holy
shit, what are these guys doing?!'
Those curious individuals are advised to head down to The
Blind Pig, where the reasonable cover charge will no doubt'be
repaid and then some by the Pods' energy and solid groove.
)r the best in its fourth season
Y
ve thought that the
ing the emergency
start wildly shooting
weapon? Missed that
s a little unrealistic
w safe are our hospi-
s from outside can
Arates how external
influences hinder
the work of med-
ical staff. In this
case it was, gang
related, but the
same analogy
could be applied to
forces such as drug
or alcohol abuse.
ot talking depth here,
ak - they only have
instructional tone of
Interesting, because gambling is
what "Chicago Hope" is all about.
This show takes a chance on the fact
hat there are some viewers who might
actually want a program providing
room for discussion, rather than pure
escapism.
One recent episode had Drs. McNeil
(Mark Harmon) and Shutt (Adam
Arkin) debating the pros and cons of
potentially hazardous brain surgery.
McNeil advocated instinct over reason
- of course, he is "Chicago Hope"'s
resident compulsive gambler, so relia-
bility in such matters is questionable.
Happily, in this instance he is proved
right, yet, in the process, the whole
debate of scientific fact versus human
instincts is placed firmly in the spot-
light.
. Further topical debates are incorpo-
rated into the show through the regular
characters' interpersonal relationships.
Dr. Watters (Emmy-winner Hector
Elizondo) is confronted with the knowl-
edge that a wealthy friend has pur-
chased a donor heart. As staff clash
over the ethics of performing the proce-
dure, the audience is left to wonder just
who decides where the organs go. How
is one life assessed as more valuable
than another? Once the wealthy can buy
organs, will healthcare become a "sur-
vival of the fittest" battleground? Think
of the current issues surrounding
Medicaid, welfare programs, budget
cuts, etc. and you begin to realize the
relevance of such drama.
There is so much going on, and the
action moves so quickly, that one can be
forgiven for missing what seem like
the show can become tedious, and the
trite, "life is a gamble" analogy could
have been avoided. Anyone willing to
drive on the freeway doesn't need
"Chicago Hope" to know that.
But the continued success of the
show is due to the fact that it can be
appreciated on many different levels.
You want entertainment? There's the
on-and-off romance between Nurse
Grad (Jayne Brook) and Dr. Billy
Kronk (Peter Berg). You want drama?
There's the gangland shooting, which
seems to somehow miraculously miss
any regular cast members. But then, if
television gave us reality, how many
people would actually still watch it?
For those who feel most comfortable
with escapism, "Chicago Hope" has
many of the required elements. It can
be a little too sentimental - does any-
one really think that a patient could
walk five minutes after brain surgery,
with no anesthetic, let alone play ball
with his son? It has a bad boy, maverick
doctor. I mean, does McNeil really have
to shoot dice on his break? Even if it
fits in nicely with the gambling theme,
do we really feel comfortable with a
doctor willing to risk it all? And the
writ'sr; are not adverse to throwing in a
few ii ppy endings and emotional, tug-
at-the-heartstrings routines, just to
make you remember that happy end-
ings are what sell.
For all its faults, "Chicago Hope"
remains that rare commodity - a tele-
vision show that gambles with viewers
and actually wins respect.
Now that's something you don't see
everyday. Perhaps a miracle has
occurred after all.
n I
i a J j
" \ +.I
o i i i
i
} % N
m° o
N
f a C
E
;
m°
i
, .-a.,s . N..
phone: 663.5800
1140 south university (above goodtime chadeys), AA
mon.-thurs.: 9:00a-10:00p sundays
1 fri. & sat.: 9:00a-11:00p 11:00a-8:000
.
S3
? t~l#AWM A3.c fTUBTHU'PEii
x b4; " ts~giig
Wlir ease
RECORDS
KMFDM
-.9,
Adam Arkin, Christine Lahtl, Mark Harmon, Hector Elizondo and Rocky Carroll star
in "Chicago Hope" as it takes a chance on success on Wednesday nights.
r
ovr ,96c(s f
xfock .. ct ('OW
T~tkV ( 5..
..
"I
OPEN 8AtAIQ08 PtM
wth kt M MdkMSecurity peposit
f * . 'Q i ,
I e1 l
AIN 0fiW'Y
I
I [