"Titanic: Breaking New Ground" takes an inside look at the film
that has found fame and fortune in box office sales and Oscar
nominations. Fox sneaks inside the making of the disaster flick
and allows audiences the chance to see if "Titanic" really
deserves the prestigious Oscar nod. "Titanic: Breaking New
Ground" begins at 8 p.m. on Fox.
Ure Sirjuigam &zilg
Monday in Daily Arts:
* Can't make the Alan Jackson concert this weekend? Don't
worr y. Daily Arts will be there and will return on Monday with
a full review to give you all of the details of the show.
Friday
February 13, 1998
5
.Down-to-earth Rollins visits A2
$y Jason Birchmeier
For the Daily
In a musical climate where talent seems to take a
back seat to effort, Henry Rollins stands out as one of
today's hardest-working and most-committed artists.
-Before heading out on his present tour, Rollins
spoke candidly in a recent interview about his "over-
whelming will to survive" as an entrepreneurial artist.
The students of Ann
Henry
Rollins
Michigan Theater
-'Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
Arbor will have. the opportunity
to spend an intimate evening
with Rollins on Sunday when he
comes to The Michigan Theater
for a spoken word performance.
For the past six weeks,
Rollins has been at home in LA
finishing up his new book, "The
Solipsist" and writing lyrics for
a new album. He also is plan-
ning to record a spoken word
album during his present tour
that will be released this sum-
mer, followed by a national tour
of larger venues across America.
Now that he's been on MTV
and had a book published by
r
doing this stuff, I make minimum wage." After all, he
still lives in an apartment and sleeps on a futon. Much
of his income gets funneled back to his publishing
company, 2.13.61, which has published works of
notable authors like Henry Miller and various inde-
pendent writers.
Rollins admitted that working is what makes him
happiest. "I'm a travelaholic," he said. "Last year I
was in like 30 countries. I was in Japan twice last year,
Thailand twice, Australia three times, Europe six
times and finished up in Africa and Madagascar. It
was insane, man."
Rollins also makes time in his busy schedule to talk
with young college students and support artistic devel-
opment. "In the winter or between records I do a lot of
universities." He feels that in college "you can get
your mind in shape, strengthen your aptitude so you
can learn anything and adapt anywhere."
"Flex some entrepreneurial muscle," he said.
"Those who really succeed in life are those who have
perspective. You get a perspective by just getting
your ass out there. Utilize the time you have at this
place to really stoke your mind with mental fuel and
not treat it like the Stroh's four-year vacation. You
can really take this time to get your mind happen-
ing."
Rollins also looks forward to the opportunity to
inspire frustrated artists during the campus stops on
his tour. "Uncertainty is a good thing because it gives
you some awareness and makes you engage your
intellect with your task. Let that education make you a
brainier artist ... you need to sell your art to survive."
This "One-must-pay-the-rent" philosophy is one
that Henry shares with many struggling artists,
although he "never really thought about the money
with art."
"I always thought about making music good and
making books as good as you can make them. To
make something good artistically, it has to hurt a lit-
tIe."
Often stereotyped in the past as an egotistical,
testosterone-fueled maniac, Rollins seems to be devel-
oping a sense of modesty. "I definitely think I can be
a better writer. I don't think I'll be remembered in the
bigger picture, but that's not important. Not as impor-
tant as doing good and working hard."
Despite this toned-down Rollins, he said he is ready
to restart his busy traveling schedule.
"I've been home six weeks now. This is weird. I
wake up on the same futon every day. I'm really itch-
ing to get out to see some weather and hear some great
stories ... I'll be doing it when I leave tomorrow
morning. I can't even wait"
"I have an idea of what I'm going to get at," Rollins
said about what the audience can expect on Sunday
night at the Michigan Theater.
Rollins prefers to leave it to the unexpected. "Why
should I tell you now? You're going to have to wait."
'Random House, how does Rollins react to critics who
"cull him a sell-out?
"Don't even go there," he said. "See all the money
"C make. If you amortize it over the time I've been
Courtesy of Chris Cuftarfr,
Henry Rollins, commonly known as an eccentric musical artist, will give his spo'
ken word performance Sunday at the Michigan.
Talent' brings sensitive issues to stage
y Erin Diane Schwartz
Far the Daily
Basement Arts, a student-run pro-
d'uction company within the
University's department of theater and
'4rama, is known for the opportunities
it gives student directors. In a dress
rehearsal Tuesday night, student play-
wright Ben Hurvitz watched his work
'c'ome to life. Hurvitz, who wrote
"Twenty-Four Hour Theatre," its unti-
'tled sequel and the book for the musi-
dal review "Kid Inside," presents
"Those Talented." His first full-length
play will run tonight through Saturday
night.
"Those Talented," directed by Music
senior Randi Roland, centers around a
"goup of five friends Ryan (Benjamin
Hurvitz), Ahman (Taiwo Okusanya),
Carla (Maddy Wyatt), Sabrina
(Melissa Grant), Tiger (Heather
Weiner) and their journey in finding
love and fulfillment after college
-while facing changing friendships,
'interracial dating and homosexuality.
DLuring this "journey," they also come
0 ito contact with Alana (Angela
Lewis), Alex (Markitiwa Jackson) and
John (Jon Gentry).
The play takes
place in a series of
episodes and
- : flashbacks. The
Those scenes do not nec-
Talented essarily fold neat-
Frieze Building ly into one anoth-
Arena Theater er, but each
Tonight at 7 becomes impor-
and 11 p.m. tant in developing
the plot. Roland
describes the play
as, "episodic" in
which each scene
leads toward the
progression of the
larger sequence of the play.
Though the performance becomes
more centered around Ryan and
Ahman's relationship than the rela-
tionship between the women, the
scenes performed by the women add a
necessary layer to the play. "Those
Talented" tries to maintain a universal
appeal by focusing not only on homo-
sexuality, but on the changes in friend-
ships in general.
Maddy Wyatt (Carla) explained that
'World' lose
The Lost World
Electronic Arts
SONY Playstation
In general, when a movie has
been turned into a video game -
and vice versa for that matter - the
result has been horrible enough to
make people want to ignore the sec-
and product. "The Lost World" does
nothing but add fuel to that fire. The
movie wasn't that great, so you can
probably imagine
what the game
must be like.
'he Lost
World" is a side-
scrolling adven-
turC in whiCh you
can control the
chicken-sized comp-
sognaihus (compy), violent
velociraptor, hunting/hunted
humans and finally the terrible T-
Rex. Oddly enough, the graphics are
some of the best I've seen on the
Playstation. The dinosaurs are
extremely well-animated and look
about a real as they are going to get
in a game. The sound effects are also
intense. Pump the game through a
stereo, let loose a T-Rex roar and
observe as books fall of your shelves.
But that is where the praise ends.
Electronic Arts could have called
this "The Lost Game" instead of
JOHN KRAFT/Daily
Melissa Grant and Heather Weiner star as Sabrina and Tiger in "Those Talented," a film written by student playwright Ben
Hurvitz. "Those Talented" begins tonight and will run through Saturday at the Frieze Building Arena Theater.
in one of her favorite scenes, "Carla,
Sabrina and Tiger are in a restaurant
and I have to struggle for power while
trying to develop my place in our
friendship."
Alana, a poet who Ryan falls in love
with after leaving Ahman, also holds an
important role in the play. Most of her
dialogue is written with a rhythmic beat
and tone. This poetry in the midst of
dialogue adds another dimension to the
play. Alana's life had been difficult and
she expresses herself best through spo-
ken poetry. She and Ryan meet as she
performs, "A girl with a body and emo-
tion and motion and whoops slipped,
I'm falling ... you're there."
Hurvitz was inspired to write the
play because of incidences and people
in his life.
"I am most motivated by talented
people and what they must sacrifice as
a result of their own talent."
Hurritz was not originally scheduled
to act in the play, but was slotted to fill
in after an actor left the show two
weeks ago.
"I'm the best choice with two weeks
left!" he said,
In the future, however, Hurvitz said
he hopes to spend the majority of his
time on writing and choreography.
The cast marvels at the opportunity
to actually work with a playwright.
Music first-year student Markitiwa
Jackson said, "It is a good experience.
We don't get to work with many play-
wrights. We are pioneering new charac-
ters and that is exciting."
Music sophomore Jon Gentry said,
"Many times we see or do the same
play over and over and it is challenging
to find something new. Here, we give
our own take on the play."
Though the play was not purposely
performed during Queer Visibility
Week, the cast is excited about the
impact that it could make on the
University community.
"1 hope that they can take away from
it what Ben intended them to take away
from it - the need for people to be
loved and in unpredictable, yet compat-
'ble relationships," Wyatt said.
Although the script generates a
great amount of excitement from the
actors, not all of the actors immedi-
ately felt comfortable performing in
roles so different to their own experi-
ences.
Taiwo Okusanya was initially hesi-
tant to perform in the homosexual role
of Ahman. "It's an issue that most peo-
ple try to stay away from," she said. "I
admire Ben for trying to write it. I real-
ized that I couldn't have issues with
playing a gay character. That's not what
acting is about."
Since the majority of Basement Arts'
audience consists of students, Roland
thinks that the story will make a greater
impression because fellow students
interpret the story.
"Students who see this play will be
viewing it from a peers perspective,'
Roland said. "Many students are going
through similar issues and coming to
grips with changes in their lives. They
are learning to break away from old
friendships and forming new ones."
"The Basement," as the black box
theater is affectionately called, is a
haven for experimental work. Students
are allowed to use the space in order to
develop their work as well as their tal-
ent.
"This is really wonderful. If it can't
be done in the basement, it won't be
done anywhere," cast member Melissa
Grant said. "I think that we have an
opportunity, through theater, to educate
while we entertain and to share our val-
ues without preaching.
The cast hopes that the audience will
be receptive to the vision of both
Roland and Hurvitz in spite of contro-
versial issue surrounding the play.
"I am confident that this play will be
closest to my vision," Hurvitz said.
Friday, February 20, 1998
3:30- 4:30 p.m.
Registration
Hutchins Hall, Room 236
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Presentation
Student Notes
Hutchins Hall, Room 236
Saturday, February 21, 1998
ip
The A erosmith
review that was
scheduled to run
today can be found
in yesterday's
Weekend, etc. Stop
by the Daily to pick
up a copy yester-
day's paper.
'~---~ - - U
8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental
Breakfast
Hutchins Hall, Room 236
9:00 - 9:10 a.m.
Welcome Address
Dean Jeffrey S. Lehman,
University of Michigan
Law School
Hutchins Hall, Room 250
9:15 - 10:45 a.m.
First Plenary: ImmiPgraio
Huis Ha , Room 25
11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Secondary Plenary:
Affirmative Action
Hutchins Hall, Room 250
3:00 -4:45 p.m.
Third Plenary:
Gender and Sexuality
Hutchins Hall, Room 250
c.nn - . n ~.
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