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Menefee performs
Michigan's musical treasure David Menefee appears tonight at the
Ark. A veteran of the North Country Opera, the Bliss Festival and
some of the world's greatest pubs, Menefee's performances feature
unique interpretations of the greatest songs ever written. Tickets are
$10 at the door. Arrive early to guarantee seating -- the show
begins at 8 p.m.
Wednesday
January 14, 1998
5
U.
hoto exl
By Anna Kovalszki
Daily Arts Writer
Many campus organizations and communities
are aiming to actively participate in the upcom-
ing Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Each incor-
porates some aspect of the legacy that King's
activism has bestowed upon the American socio-
hnic structure.
The University Museum of Art is also partic-
ipating in these festivities.
Don Camp's "Dust-Shaped R
Hearts" is a photographic
collection of larger-than-life D
earth pigment and casein
monoprints of African
American men who have
had some impact on the
photographer's life. And these, too, allude to
'ng's "Dream," which according to Camp, has
t been completely fulfilled by the news media.
Camp, a former news photographer for the
Evening and Sunday Bulletin in Philadelphia
who has also published with The Associated
Press and Ebony, turned to artistic modes of rep-
resentation when he realized the negative,
stereotypical ways in which African American
men are portrayed in the news media. His exhi-
bition of 15 works at the Museum of Art stem
ibit captures culture
I
from his inspiration by images of earth and soil
in a 1940's poetic collection by Robert Hayden,
titled "Heart-Shape in the Dust."
The main lobby of the museum houses these
images of dignified visages, evoked on paper
that seem to "cry itself," as Camp describes. The
simplicity of the exhibition (only three images
have frames, the others are hung with tacks) and
the grainy, washed appearance and texture of the
prints aptly show the mod-
E VI E esty of these men.
The photographic mono-
ust-Shaped prints are of different series
Hearts called suites, such as "Sons
Museum of Art of my Father" and "Men
Through April 19 Who Pray." Each man in
Camp's photographs is
shown with either an intelligent and unflinching
stare ahead, or with a soft smile on his lips.
Camp presents the men in a noble light,
whether they are musicians, brothers who offer
beneficial guidance, religious leaders, writers or
participants in the Million Man March. Out of
his artistic endeavors. Camp hopes that "the pre-
sent fear and distrust of the men will end."
"What I hope remains," he said. "are the reflec-
tions of modesty, humility and perhaps the
struggle that is evident in the faces I've chosen."
Annette Dixon, curator of Western Art at the
Museum and organizer of this exhibit, first dis-
covered Camp's photography through an Ann
Arbor resident of whom Camp had taken a pho-
tograph. "We at the Museum readily recognized
the great significance of these photographs," she
said. "We felt that organizing an exhibition of
Camp's photographs, which would include the
period around Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
would be appropriate as a way to mark that
important holiday."
Dixon also sees the importance of Camp's
images, which she feels "offer a corrective by
bringing out the inherent nobility, fragility and
courage in the faces of the subjects he has cho-
sen to portray."
The dignity of this exhibition did not go unno-
ticed by University students. Sharon Bridbord,
an LSA senior and a public relations assistant at
the Museum, said, "Don Camp represents his
feeling of what African American men are, what
he wants the public to see, to show his point of
view with what he feels his own history is. He
takes a photo and manipulates it, to more befit-
tingly achieve his goal"
With the opportunity to see the artist and hear
his viewpoints on his work (as well as partake of
tea and pastries from Zingerman's), one will find
"Brother Who Taught Me to Dance," a Don Camp photograph, is on display at the Museum of Art.
these and other exhibit-related events a wel-
comed addition to seeing Camp's work,
It seems. this artist has assimilated some
aspects of King's dreams, and viewing Camp's
images can only enrich the campus-wide cele-
bration of the Reverend's activism.
Bidding farewell to a 'Sein'
Lee Evans and Nathan Lane try to trap a wily mouse in "Mouse Hunt."
Slapstickrule s In
mighty 'Mouse'
By Michael Galloway
Daily Arts Writer
Once, a T-shirt hung in the window of Elmo's on
Liberty Street that surely signified the modern televi-
sion era. The days of the week were printed on it, one
beneath the other. But, what was interesting was that
instead ofThursdav. it said "Seinfeld."
Many said that the show at this time wasn't as good
as it used to be. This number grew especially when
Larry David, who had long worked with "Seinfeld" as
co-producer of the show, left last season.
Some viewers may find this surprising especially
because last season produced some of the most
humorous "Scinfeld" moments. Even the episode
guide that some die-hard fan has so politely posted on
the Internet shows that at least half of last season's
episodes deserve the title of classic.
This season is a slightly different matter. All
episodes have had funny parts, but one gets the sense
that the ideas aren't coming like they used to. The
plots are a little too ridiculous and contrived. In "The
Blood," Kramer takes his blood out of the blood bank
because he doesn't like the interest rates, and uses
some for radiator fluid in Jerry's car as he transports
h. it. "The Betrayal," the famous backward episode, that
was modeled and titled after Harold Pintar's backward
running play, was just a gimmick to make more peo-
ple watch the show.
But there here seems to be little hard evidence that
the show was beginning to fade. This season. before
Jerry Seinfeld's announcement to end the show and
before the backward episode, an estimated 30 million
viewers were tuning in, The New York Times reported
in a Nov. 20 feature.
The show's three other main characters, Julia
Louis-Drevfus, Jason Alexander and Michael
Richards, were taking in S600,000 per episode
according to the Times, which also stated that
Seinfeld is making more than SI million dollars per
episode. NBC has been in the top spot for ratings for
the past three years. Of NBC's almost S1 billion
profit. the Times said the "Seinfeld" boom account-
ed for S200 million.
1lie Times also stated that Seinfeld was offered S5
million per episode from NBC if ile would decide to
keep producing the show. With more than 20 episodes
per season, that's a lot of clams for "a show about
nothing."
Seinfeld told the Times that his decision to end the
show would have nothing to do with money. His main
of the times
concern was for the show "to go out in full blazing
color."
Seinfeld obviously seems interested in leaving a
legacy behind with his show, and if he's already mak-
ing S20 million each year, not including royalties and
fine endorsements, wh} does he need more money?
So in the spirit of nostalgia for the show that has
created more "isms" than anything ...
® Remember the one with the Soup Nazi? If some-
one did not order soup in the way he likes, he yells
"No soup for you," and throws the person out.
® Remember the contest between Jerry, George,
Elaine and Kramer over who could go without (ahem)
pleasuring themselves the longest?
* Remember when Jerry dates a masseuse but gets
upset because she wouldn't give him a massage? He
compares it to going to ldaho and not having a potato.
Remember the show about "shrinkage?" George
and Jerry ask Elaine is she knows about the affect of
cold water on men's bodies. "It shrinks?" she asks, and
Jerry replies, "Like a frightened turtle"
The list could go on for pages. But there's time for
everything to end. To the cast and crew of"Seinfeld":
thanks for nothing! And for showing us how funny it
could be.
By Geordy Gantsoudes
Daily Arts Writer
During the 1994 Super Bowl,
America was introduced to three talk-
ingfrogs: Bud, Weis and Er. These three
*phibians took America by storm in a
commercial and merchandising frenzy.
Gore Verbinsky, who directed these
commercials, used his popularity to get
himself a motion picture deal.
The product is a combination of
"Home Alone" and
the 1981 MichaelR
Jackson song,
"Ben." The film
starts with the funer-
of Rudolph
untz, string-czar. At Ann
The plot of the
movie is set in to motion as the two sur-
viving Smuntz's, Ernie (Nathan Lane)
and" Lars (Lee Evans), while carrying
their father's coffin, argue about
whether Lars's suit is gray or black. The
handle of the coffin breaks, the coffin
slides down the stairs, ejecting the
body, which then flies down a sewer.
The two brothers inherit the family's
wing factory and a decrepit old house,
which turns out to be a long lost cre-
ation of a famous architect. The two
brothers decide to fix up the house and
auction it, possibly for as much as $10
million. There is a catch, however, as a
very possessive and mischievous
mouse already inhabits the house.
The movie works primarily on one
level: it plugs away and constantly goes
for the cheap, immature laugh
Fortunately, it does succeed. The chi
dren in the theater were laughing non
stop, but there were quite a few adu
cackles as well. This reviewer was eve
motivated to laugh at the film's mo
shameless attempt at humor when th
exterminator (a mediocre Christophe
Walken) eats mouse feces while tryin
to track down the hero.
The mouse is mostly computer gen
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n
st
ie
er
g
n-
crated and is
R E V I E W given great facial
expressi o n s.
Mouse Hunt You'll howl when
the mouse winces
* ** as he struggles to
Arbor 1&2 and Showcase hold on to a wire
to avoid getting
sucked into a vacuum cleaner. You'll
chuckle at the look of shock on his face
as his home is bombarded with nails
from a nail gun.
This movie is pure slapstick. Lane
and Evans (who bears a surprisingly
strong resemblance to our hero) do a
superb job entertaining us while the
mouse is away. They have the comic
timing of seasoned veterans that have
worked together for years.
The ensemble cast, including "News
Radio"'s Vicki Lewis and a cat "with a
history of mental illness" make this
slapstick, and occasionally dark come-
dy a winner.
It is good for a nice laugh, and a
break from the usually overbearing
winter dramas.
Soi you think you
are a movie,
music, television,
book or campus
arts expert? Then
we want you!
Come to a
MASS MEETING*
Tonight at 7:30.
ISPRING BREAK '981
THE FEEL-GOOD MOVIE
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