A ngry Vi By Brian Cohen Daily Music Editor Every once in a while, a television show comes along with just enough spontaneity and creativity to capture the attention of Generation X-ers every- where. Housed in an intriguing informative-meets- teractive environment, MTV's "12 Angry Viewers" certainly has the potential to fill your late afternoon TV time. With a different panel of 1,2 people between the ages of 16-26 each week, the show has its guests critique music videos and decide which ones merit enough attention to be stted into MTV's prestigious regular rotation. I But like all juries, diversity is a necessary ingre- dient for a truly unbiased verdict. In most cases, this would normally prevent two friends from the -,me school from being chosen as angry viewers 1 the same episode. -But thanks to some enterprising determination and a slight twist of fate, two University students, USA seniors Jordan Berke and Eric Patin, found themselves sitting in MTV's New York studio as jurors on episodes two weeks ago. Suddenly, two seemingly ordinary students were thrown into the media spotlight of one of MTV's newest creations. But the working environment of their fame was- n't quite what Berke and Patin were expecting. "I've had miserable experiences with employers ifore, but this takes the cake," Berke said. "They make working in a Nike factory look like a picnic in the park," Patin said. While fame may have some drawbacks, Patin and Berke's MTV experience was not completely disastrous. Berke's original plan to get on the show and eventual audition were packed with some rather hilarious moments. "Two months ago, I watched the show for the first time and there was a great race going on between Daft Punk and Peter Gunz for the 'Video the Week,"' Berke said. "The concept of the ow and the competition between two classic videos was so great that I thought to myself, 'I NB C's new' The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 24, 1998 - 9 ewers' take on MTV could get jiggy wit dis!"' But instead of simply hopping on a plane to New York and enduring the ills of all subsequent travel expenses, Berke turned to a friend of Patin for help. "I was planning on going to New York for spring break," Patin said. "My friend Dave told me that Jordan was looking for a ride because he wanted to try out for the show. I thought 'Hmm, that's not a bad idea' So I offered him a ride." But a ride was not the only thing these soon-to- be friends were going to share by the week's end. There were many more antics. "We knew that after watching the show, they weren't going to put two people who were both somewhat intelligent, let alone both U of M stu- dents, on the same episode, so we created a new identity for Eric," Berke said. "As far as MTV is concerned, I am actually a writer of fiction who lives on a farm in Western Michigan," Patin said. So, with a little white lie and a boat load full of verve, nerve and guile, Berke and Patin continued in their pursuit of fame and fortune - MTV- angry-viewer style. "We split up as soon as we got to New York;" Patin said. "We went separately to the auditions." "The auditions themselves were a little crazy," Berke said. "Every aspiring actor, actress and Puff Daddy wannabe in the Tri-State area was there to showcase their 'talent."' Careful to preserve their innocent midwestern exteriors, both students took the audition process with a grain of salt. "I walked in just as Jordan was walking out," Patin said. "He threw me a look that said, 'Don't blow our cover.' I sat down in the wait- ing room, which was crawlin' with more New Yorkers than Hill Street during rush week." As a result of their well-practiced posturings, Berke and Patin found themselves side-by-side with hostess Ananda Lewis, as well as 10 other lucky juror selectees. So how about some behind-the-scenes dirt? How did MTV treat its precious viewers-turned- cast members? The two claim that interacting with the other viewers was indeed exciting and stimulating, but other than Lewis, the entire staff was "overbear- ing, incapable and totally classless." "I expected the royal treatment - personal dressing rooms, make-up artists, and wardrobe consultants," Berke said. "We got one dressing room for all 12 of us (male and female) and the only make-up I got was a little lip balm!" Yet even despite the lackluster breakfast of green bananas and stale bagels, and what they said were bare bones accommodations, Berke and Patin enjoyed every minute. But the stars said they didn't get any professional advice from the show's director before their debut. "Fortunately, I'd seen the show;" Patin said, "because they gave us absolutely no direction as to how the show works. They just sat us down (strate- gically) on the set, miked us up and started rolling. The first episode seemed like a practice run, but after we cut, I realized we weren't practicing and we'd actually filmed Monday's show." Adam Freeman, the producer of "12 Angry Viewers;' said this minimal direction tactic is to ensure that the show keeps its fresh improvisation- al feel. "The most frustrating thing is that we shoot five shows in one day," Freeman said. "The first show or two are usually rocky, because the jurors are getting the hang of it - they're learning when to speak up and when to not. The jury has to now when to vote, how to vote, how long their com- ments should be, when to stop for commercial breaks, and things like that.' But instead of cramming these instructions and commands down the jurors' throats, MTV prefers that the cast members learn by experience on the live set, as part of a more hands-off directing approach. "We want the kids to relax and have a good time," Freeman said, "but at the same time, there are technical aspects of making a television show that need to be recognized. We try and put as little ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Daily LSA seniors Jordan Berke and Eric Patin aren't as angry as they seemed on MTV. restraints on them (the cast) as possible. We really just want them to have a good time, and realize that the show is all them - it's the video they pick that is going to go into rotation" And the videos themselves were what excited Berke and Patin the most before they actually started taping. "I went there expecting to see The Beasties, The Verve and Radiohead, and all I got was Sylkk the Shocker, Hanson and Joey Lawrence;' Berke said. "I haven't seen that much crap since I fell in my Uncle Jimmy's manurer pit," Patin joked. Although the selection of videos might not have been the greatest, the dirty dozen did get to see one great video. The group chose U2's "If God Would Send His Angels" as their "Pick of the Week." Both Berke and Patin claim to have chosen U2's video solely on its artistic merit, though they may have been slightly biased. As it turns out, a third University student, LSA senior Dave Valazzi, the same aforementioned friend who originally intro- duced the two, was an extra in the video, provid- ing yet another University-MTV connection. After being filmed for eight hours under the glowing hot studio lights, MTV didn't let the jurors walk away empty handed. "They get break- fast, they get lunch, they get a T-shirt and a hat, and we usually pay about ten dollars, which should cover their travelling expenses," Freeman said. Although they did not receive a T-shirt, Berke and Patin's payment for their time did include a baseball cap, a crisp $10 bill and a brisk 10 min- utes to pack up and leave the studio for good. Fifteen minutes ... and counting. Love' is Swervedriver veers into Motown " Q+ n A'er' By Erin Podolsky For the Daily Sometimes I forget why mid-season replacement shows are, well, mid-season replacement shows. A big thank you and a dead trout for NBC are in order for refresh- ing my memory with their abysmally cliched sitcom "For Your Love." Just imagine the pitch to the NBC pro- gamming heads now. "Uh, Mr. h lefield, how about a sitcom with a racially heteroge- ' nous cast that exploits every For Your mildly amusing marriage stereo- Love type until the joke 01 % . V AJ1 %, Moffett) Winston. The Winstons are the old married couple, relatively speaking, who have been living in superficial mar- ital bliss for four years. Lastly, there are Reggie Ellis (Edafe Blackmon), Mel's brother, and Bobbi Seawright (Tamala Jones) as a commitment-phobic couple. Naturally, much of the humor in their relationship is derived from neither knowing the other's fear ofcommitment. The remainder of the comic relief comes from the two married couples. Dean often gives Mel sage advice and information about the imminent death of his domestic autonomy, like how all of his "stuff" (the Barcolounger, the free weights, etc.) will one day mysteriously be relocated from the house to the garage, where it will remain forever after. Several running gags were introduced in the first episode, including an ongoing temperature feud between Sheri and Dean. One enters the bathroom and read- justs the thermostat on the way. The other changes it back when nobody is looking. Funny, huh? No? Exactly my point. Of course, "For Your Love" must make an effort to be relevant, so the first episode featured a pregnancy scare for the Ellises. The plot thread was woven around faulty information given and withheld by the spouses and their friends. As with every other aspect of this sitcom, all of the dialogue can be found in any number of other sitcoms or NBC 'iisdays at 8:30 p.m. has long since ceased to be funny?" Toss in Holly (wife of for- mer Detroit Lion Rodney) Peete, nee Robinson and Michelle Pfeiffer's underachieving Courtesy of NBC The people of NBC's "For Your Love" would do anything. films. It was probably delivered more effectively on those other shows, too. NBC recently announced that Jill, the dog from "As Good as it Gets," will be joining the "For Your Love" cast as a force in the Reggie/Bobbi relationship. Her help was probably enlisted because dog humor is, in this case, more enter- taining than marriage humor. This does not bode well for the show's renewal. Acting in shows such as this is gener- ally only as good as the dialogue, so it probably wouldn't be fair to comment on the ineptitude of the "For Your Love" players. Let's just say that Robinson Peete probably wishes she was back hangin' with Mr. Cooper. I wish she was, too. "For Your Love" should disappear into the Nielsen nether- world not a moment soon, where its pedestrian humor will commiserate with other canceled divorcees. If NBC was smart, they'd get the show's creators to pay alimony for turning in a sitcom with irreconcilable mediocrity. By Michael Kegler For the Daily This past Thursday night, Swervedriver swung by St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit to promote its outstanding new LP, "99th Dream" The band, which could very well be the most underrated act in rock, once again proved it deserves to be con- sidered among the genre's elite. The set began with "For Seeking Heat," the opening scorcher from 1993's "Mezcal Head." The band members were visually tired, no doubt due to their exhaustive touring schedule of late. But when lead singer Adam Franklin began singing, one could sense that Swervedriver would not disap- point. Despite the band being in town to promote a new CD, the playlist included a variety of songs from all four of the group's albums. Included were great renditions of "Rave Down;' "Never Lose That Feelin" and "These Times" But it was when the group played "Duel" that the show really took off. This classic song, which with proper promotion could have easily been a hit in the United States, reinforced just how good this band is. The band's thick sound never gets in the way of the traditional songwriting that exists at the core of its songs. Surprisingly enough, the band only played three songs off of "99th Dream:" the aforementioned "These Times," the title track and "Wrong Treats.' The live rendition of the title track began with the same "Pulp Fiction"-esque intro found on the album, but was extended an extra minute or so in the live version. At this point, the band seemed to have sum- moned the energy that it lacked at the initiation of the show. "Wrong Treats" retained all of its emotion when done live, with guitarist Jimmy Hartidge soulfully strumming the melancholy riff that lies at the center of the song. As any Swervedriver will probably remain in the shadows, a tragic case of near-misses. Fortunately, it will probably continue to do, what it has always done: provide a soundtrack for the lives of fans of great rock music. Swerve.-' driver St. Andrew's Hall; March 19, 1998 J1 Swervedriver fan will concede, the' song "Duress" is not to be missed live. This was reiterated Thursday night. Clocking in at 8 minutes plus, "Duress" seemed to work the crowd into a trance. To close the night, Swervedriver played a two-song encore consisting of "Son" of Mustang Ford" and "Kill the Superheroes." The performance of "Ford," one of the band's most popular tunes, was by far the night's high wate mark. While other British acts like The Verve are climbing up the charts and' receiving airplay on VH 1 and MTV M Il younger sister DeDee and you've got a marriage destined for divorce court. The show looks at the institution of marriage from the different perspectives of three couples. Malena and Mel Ellis (Robinson Peete and James Lesure) are 'newlyweds who have just moved next *or, to Sheri (Malena's best friend played by Pfeiffer) and Dean (D.W. HIGH MARKS FROM MORNINGSTAR, S&P, MOODY'S, MONEY MAGAZINE AND BILL. 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Visit our Web site at www.tiaa-cref.org or call 8:30-9 am PANEL ONE 9-11 am REGISTRATION & COFFEE Challenges to Industry Leo Hindery President, Tele-Communications Inc. and Chief Executive Officer, InterMedia Partners Ell ll --It I r -. .. . a a- .- - . -. r_-.. .. I I I I 'l