8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 27, 1998 Reiser disappoints in Paul Reiser Babyhood Rob Weisbach Books ** Much of the world is star-struck, enamored by the lives of the select few lucky enough to call themselves celebrities. As a result of this obsession with H-lollywood, many famous individuals have begun to write novels. Americans have been pawns in this game numerous times, and now, they have lost another match. Paul Reiser, co-creator, producer and star of TV's "Mad About You," and best-selling author of his first book, "Couplehood," has come out with a sequel, "Babyhood." Reiser is one of the funniest comedians gracing prime time today. However, his writing abili- ties hardly match up to his abilities as an actor. Perhaps this is too harsh. For those who are used to reading high quality literature, "Babyhood" simply cannot match up. But for what this book intends to be, a comedic look at the very serious issue of parent- hood, it certainly has its good qualities. Paul Reiser's writing style perfectly mimics his speaking voice, so his comedy which one might think would only come through by hearing his voice, is strikingly apparent. As a great comedian, anything Reiser writes will certain- ly be funny, and this book is no exception. "Babyhood," a knock-off of the word parenthood, is an isolated autobiography of the few years of Reiser's and his wife's life, starting with their deliberation about having a child and continuing until the baby is brought home from the hospital. Reiser tackles such serious issues as how a pregnant wife and then a new baby can strain a marriage. But, to lighten the subject matter, he jokes about such issues by bringing to light their ridiculous sides. For example, a pregnant woman's food cravings are a dominant and serious part of a woman's pregnancy. In one scene of his novel, Reiser explains how he woke up in the middle of the night to the criesr of his hysterical wife, who, incidentally, was eating a banana.When he asked her = why she was crying, she replied that the banana in her hand was the ninth banana she had eaten in 15 minutes. Here, Reiser's comic side certainly succeeds in showing the readers the hilarity and absurdity of this issue. While in some cases this works, his humor is not enough to make other subjects funny. On his weekly TV show, Reiser captures his audi- ence members and has them laughing out loud. As a result of his popular status and great number of fans, Reiser intended to write a novel that, like his show, would make his readers laugh out loud. Try as he might, Reiser does not have the writing ability to make his readers laugh out loud. His fans are in for a disappointment. Babyhood' One noteworthy aspect of this novel is that it is suit- ed toward all audiences. While couples who have actu- ally experienced this situation would probably find it much more amusing, it still has a great entertainment value, and scare factor, for those who have not ever begun to think about bringing a child into this world. Reiser's style of writing is simple and easy to folo And while his novel is not full of great literary device. and techniques, he does creatively bring hip story full circle. | Upon completing the novel the reader feels a certain sense on accomplishment. the reader has shared in the process or bringing a child into this :.world. Reiser's readers now have the experience needed to determine if they ever wish to b part of such an ordeal again. For those diehard fans of Reiserthis comic autobiography is full of some good laughs. Reiser began with a brilliantly original idea for a novel that came so close to being a knee-slapping comedy. But he could not seem to succeed making his idea a reality. Perhaps Reiser has just set such high standards for himself as a result of his universal hilarity that he was destined not to continue his trend. His second novel, "Babyhood," is a letdown, and it i certain that if Reiser were not already a big star, fe would spend the money to purchase this novel -- Corintne Schneide Actor Paul Reiser delivers a somewhat disappointing novel with "Babyhood." Favorites' contains Gill's best 'Forbes' crashes in confusion Johnny Gill Favorites MOTOWN RECORDS I've never been a fan of greatest hits albums. With Motown recording artist JOnny Gill's career still flourishing as both a solo artist and as a member of New Edition and LSG, it's easy to wonder why a "Favorites" album was r cased only three0 albumis deep into his career. It would seem> that there is so much more ahead of him. But this collection provides a great jump- irg-on point for those who are new to the soulful croon- ing of Gill, and gives those of us who don't have all three of his previous albums, "Johnny Gill," "Let's Get The Mood Right" and "Provocative,' respectively the chance to catch up on what we have missed. For most Johnny Gill fans, most of the songs featured on "Favorites" have lady been heard. tevertheless, the guys at Motown were smart enough to give die-hard fans four very good reasons to pick up this album - four extremely hard-to- find Gill songs are also included. "Where Do We Go From Here" is a wonderful duet with Stacy Lattisaw that throws back to the classic R&B duets of the '70s and '80s, and was featured on Lattisaw's album instead of Gill's. "Give Love on Christmas Day" is the obligatory Christmas song that every music artist seems to think gives Gill credence ! !as a solo artist. 'There is also a rare remix of "Rub You the Right Way." But this Jack Swing-styled remix lacks the impact of the original and the guest rap by hip-hop legend CL Smooth is bland. The best treat is the all-new "If You're Wondering," a laid-back ballad that is written. pro- duced and sung by Gill. It is becoming more difficult to find quality R&B music today, and Gill has proven how wonderful the music can be if it is done right. Most of the featured songs on this album, from the upbeat "Fairweather Friend" to the seductive "My. My, My" to the romantic "Let's Get the Mood Right," are either classics or potential classics. You will not have wasted your money in getting this seemingly premature greatest hits album. It may even become one of your favorites. - JuQuan lJ4/iwms Forbes Corporate Warrior Bryon Press Multimedia Win 95 CD-ROM ** I don't understand, and I don't care. That's what I found myself think- ing as I plowed through "Forbes Corporate Warrior." It's not the pre- ferred, open-minded, college student sentiment, but I really found the seeming complexity of this game to be not only confusing, but unneces- sary. "Forbes Corporate Warrior" is set in the future where a scientist has developed a way to handle business and marketing transac- tions through virtual reality, where. military weapons represent actual business tactics. For instance, the Price Slicer is supposed to repre- sent actual price promotion strate- gies in the "real" world, such as coupons, price guarantees and big discounts. And let's pretend the pen I have in my hand is a light saber. I'm Luke Skywalker, and my opponent is Darth Vader. If I want to, I can shout, "You're not my father!" What is great about video games is that they submerge you into fantasy worlds. The best video games are the ones that present the most complete fantasy, which is why graphics, sound, speed and memory are always being improved. When I looked at the cover and the instruction booklet, I was intimidated by how complex the game seemed, but I thought that once I understood it, the complexity of the game would' be the best part. Then I discovered that all the business terms of the game were just embellishments and distractions.' "Forbes Corporate Warrior" was- n't successful in convincing me that the virtual military battles I was fighting were at all related to the business world. Yes, your cash is your ammo, and it also costs money to move around in the virtual reality world. Yes, the goal is to raise your stock up to the top of the chart, which is at the bottom of the screen, by the fourth quarter. And yes, there's a little video- phone sub-screen on which your trusted advisers call. But, the num- ber that corresponds to how much ammo and movement could have been anything - the money does- n't matter. It is nothing new to have to reach a certain amount of points in video during a given amount of time. You are also shown your office between the levels, but all you can do is click on the virtual reality helmet on your desk. The character essentially moves around in a virtual landscape, shoot things and tries to find the right com~ binations of weapons and strategy to defeat your opponent. The* supply and demand arrows tell you how to deal with each, enemy, and you have your own set that need to meet each other or you lose cash. Again, these are all arbi- trary names. I wasn't thinking about how vari- ance between supply and demand made my cash flow and stock price decrease. I was just worried that if the top and bottom arrows were not pointing at each other, then my points decrease and the line on the graph angles down when I need to angle it up. OK, the game is a little more complicated than that, but not by much. Bryon Press Multimedia and Simon and Schuster Interactive prob- * ably thought that game players would be bored by a game that didn't involve explosions or shooting. Crain's New York Business Magazine described "Forbes" as " Doom' meets Wharton School of Business." This game has none of the suspense or excitement of "Doom," nor is the fighting as intense or fun. The only surprise in this game is what your new office looks like after you complete the next level. - Michael Gallowav Smooth Johnny Gill gives good love. I I Watson Wyatt Worldwide Watson Wyatt Worldwide helps clients succeed by increasing their return on investment in people. Watson Wyatt Worldwide is an alliance between R. Watson & Sons, headquartered in Reigate, England and The Wyatt Company, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The two firms operate as a single consulting resource for employers throughout the world. We work with organizations of all sizes and types, ranging from the largest multinationals to public employers to nonprofit institutions. 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