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14B - The Michigan Daily Weekend Magazine - Thursday, March 26, 1998
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The Michigan DaiIy Week
Jews
MoToWN HITS 40
Detroit's Motown Museum preserves the hist(
Costner plays the 'Game';
Martin drums for RE.M.
Film/Television
ga Kevin Costner, fresh off his
astounding critical and popular suc-
cess in "The Postman," is looking to
expand his film horizons, as he has
signed on to do yet another movie
about baseball. The star of "Field of
Dreams" and "Bull Durham" is
scheduled to start filming on "For
Love Of The Game" (the eponymous
game being baseball), the story of a
down-and-out pitcher who reflects
on his life during a perfect game.
"For The Love Of The Game" is
based on the novel of the same name,
written by Pulitzer Prize-winning
author Michael Shaara, who is best-
known for his Civil War epic, "The
Killer Angels."
V And now we come to the
Leonardo DiCaprio portion of the
entertainment news. In case anyone
didn't notice, DiCaprio was promi-
nently absent from the Oscar crowd
Monday night. In response to his
Best Actor snub, DiCaprio boycotted
the event. His agent said, "He's not
planning on attending because he
feels it would take away from every-
one else's moment." So much for
supporting your fellow cast mem-
bers.
In other news, DiCaprio has
recently taken a part on the produc-
tion of "As I Lay Dying," an adapta-
tion of the William Faulkner novel,
starring Jack Nicholson and Sean
- Penn. Because of its quality screen-
play and talented cast, DiCaprio
reportedly turned down a number of
other, more lucrative offers to take
this role.
V Be afraid. Be very afraid. Jerry
Springer, whose scourge-of-televi-
sion talk show continues to gain
popular support, is going to the
movies. Following in the footsteps of
Howard Stern, Springer has signed
a $2 million movie deal. Why anyone
would want to watch his film autobi-
ography is still a mystery, but it will
be directed by Steve Sabler. It's hard
to believe that residents of
Cincinnati gave Springer any real
power by electing him mayor of their
fine city.
/ Let the mourning begin - for
George Clooney's career, that is.
The actor, who has met with both
critical and popular success on
NBC's "ER," has confirmed that
next year will be his last on the
Thursday-night medical drama. He
is hoping to move on to greater
things in film, but if "Batman and
Robin" and "The Peacemaker" are at
all representative of his best work,
let's hope that he reconsiders quit-
ting his job as television's most pop-
ular pediatrician.
Music
/ R.E.M is set to play its first
live performance ever without the
services of drummer Bill Berry at
this summer's Tibetan Freedom
Concert in Washington, D.C. The
concert, set to feature Beck and U2,
among others, will kick off on June
13.
Former Screaming Trees drum-
mer Barrett Martin will most likely
replace Berry for the one-off gig,
and it also is in the realm of possi-
bility that Martin will officially join
the band following its next release.
Martin is currently recording new
material with the remaining mem-
bers of R.E.M - Michael Stipe,
Mike Mills and Peter Buck - for a
new album slated for release in late
October. Some 40 songs have
already been demoed for the as-yet-
untitled release.
Buck recently spoke to Addicted
To Noise about the current studio
sessions and the changes in the
sound of the next album.
"It's not like a rock band this time
around, it's something else, but I
don't know what it is," Buck said.
The guitarist also said that Scott
McCaughey, who helped out on
1995's "Monster" Tour, will con-
tribute keyboards to the new album,
which has a bit more of a jazz tinge,
reminiscent of the world-music
sound of Buck's side band Tuatara.
The experimental side of the band
is likely to be more evident on this
new material than on any other
R.E.M release. Buck said that on one
track, all the percussion instruments
were thrown into a duffel bag and
then dropped onto the floor while a
piano bench was simultaneously
slammed on the ground. "That's the
percussion for that song, it sounds
great. You couldn't pay 10 people to
make that sound."
R.E.M has hinted at kicking off a
world tour at the beginning of next
year, scheduled to start in Australia
in January and moving into the
United Kingdom in spring.
V Sean "Puffy" Combs testified
in front of a New York courtroom on
Monday in a $48 million lawsuit
against the state of New York. The
suit was filed by the families of four
of the nine people who were crushed
to death following a riot at a concert
that Combs promoted, at the City
College of New York in December
1991.
Although not an actual defendant
in the case, Combs was on the stand
for approximately 10 minutes
attempting to explain his role in the
matter. "I was the promoter of the
event," Combs said, "and I'm sorry
for being the promoter of the event
and anything that I could have had to
do with this tragedy. I have no prob-
lem with that and never ran from
that. It's a tragic event and my heart
goes out to the family." The case is
expected to be finished by late this
afternoon.
- Compiled by Daily Film Editor
Joshua Pederson and Daily Music
Editor Brian Cohen. The Associated
Press and Entertainment Weekly
contributed to this report.
By Chris Cousin
Daily Arts Writer
A short cruise off 1-96 down West
Grand Boulevard in Detroit leads to a
blue-and-white, two-story treasure. A
sign reading "Hitsville U.S.A." over-
hangs a large bay window of the small
residential home that once was the
home of the music phenomenon known
as Motown.
Founded in 1985, the Motown
Historical Museum now resides in this
home, which housed Motown founder
Berry Gordy. It also was the studio
where artists such as the Jackson 5,
Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder record-
ed their numerous hit songs.
Celebrating the years Motown Records
was based in Detroit, 1959 to 1972, the
museum offers a look back at the peo-
ple and the magic of "the Motown
Sound" that took the nation by storm.
The musical journey begins as visi-
tors walk through the front door and
wander down a hall where artists' rendi-
tions of Michael Jackson, The
Supremes and Smokey Robinson adorn
the wall. An introductory video chroni-
cles Berry Gordy's childhood and his
rise to producing genius as Motown cat-
apulted into the music scene. Watching
Nelson Mandela recite the Marvin
Gaye lyric, "Brother, brother there is far
too many of you dead," creates a chill-
ing feeling as one begins to recognize
Motown's impact on the world.
This feeling resonates as visitors
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Top 10 movies k
(for the weekend of March 20
to March 22)
1. "Titanic," $17.3 mil-
lion (14 weeks in theaters)
2. "Primary Colors," $12.4 mil-
lion (1)
3. "The Man in the Iron Mask,"
$11. 2 million (2)
4. "Wild Things," $9.6 million (1)
5. "U.S. Marshals," $7.4 million (3)
6. "Mr. Nice Guy," $5 million (1)
7. "Good Will Hunting," $3.9 mil-
lion (12)
8. "The Wedding Singer," $3.4 mil-
lion (6)
9: "As Good as it Gets," $3.3 mil-
lion (13)
10. "The Big Lebowski," $1.8 mil-
lion (3)
Source: The Associated Press
Billboard Top 10
(top albums for the week ending
March 21, 1998)
1. "Titanic" soundtrack (14 weeks
on chart)
2. Madonna, "Ray of Light" (2)
3. Celine Dion, "Let's Talk About
Love" (17)
4. Eric Clapton, "Pilgrim" (1)
5. Savage Garden, "Savage
Garden" (48)
6. K-Ci & JoJo, "Love Always" (39)
7. "The Wedding Singer" sound-
track (6)
8. Backstreet Boys, "Backstreet
Boys" (31)
9. Scarface, "My Homies" (2)
10. Natalie Imbruglia, "Left of the
Middle" (1)
Source: Billboard Magazine
Dear Harlan,
My ex-boyfriend is obsessed with
me.
We broke up three months ago and
he can't accept the fact that I don't
want to go out with him anymore. He
asks my friends to ask me if I'll go out
with him. He tells all my friends that
he loves me, but he never talks to me.
He annoys me so much that I don't
even want him to talk to
me.
I've tried telling him, but
he just won't accept the
facts. How can I get the
point across to him and
make him listen?
- Obsessed Ex
Dear Obsessed,
Coincidentally, I just got
off the phone with your ex-
boyfriend. He called to tell Harlan C
me he loves you. I don't
know how he does it, but he's good,
very good.
Until he meets a new woman to
become the target of his affection,
you'll probably remain the love of his
life. He may seem irrational, but he's
in love, whatever that means to him.
Instead of being irritated, be flat-
tered. Your friends and family know
the truth. Like the President in the
heat of controversy, ignore, ignore and
ignore. Of course, you don't have the
Secret Service protecting you, so if
you're ever feeling uncomfortable or
threatened, talk to the proper authori-
ties.
Dear Harlan,
I've been dating this guy for about a
year, on and off. We've broken up
seven times; all seven times he did the
breaking. For the past couple of
months, things have been better, but
recently, he hasn't been returning my
oh
phone calls. He finally did call me a
few days ago and told me he was just
busy working.
I love him and care for him and
don't want to lose him again. He says
he loves me, but he barely tells me
how he feels. I'm just afraid he doesn't
want to be a bad guy and break up with
me again.
I'm concerned that his actions may
speak louder than words. Do
you think he's trying to tell
me something? I don't know
if I should continue with this
relationship or call it off?
- Verge of breaking
Dear Breaking,
I live by the 10-break-up
rule. This means after the
10th break-up, the relation-
ship is officially over.
ien Therefore, you've still got
three more before things get
serious.
I'm just astonished that you're still
seeing this guy. He seems to have
more issues than you have broken
hearts.
A successful relationship includes
making priorities. Obviously, you're
not much of a priority to him. He may
tell you he's busy working, but certain-
ly he's not busy working on your rela-
tionship. He says he loves you, but he's
got a very funny way of showing it.
You deserve to be treated better!
I would tell you to give him another
chance, but you've already given him
six. And that's already five too many (I
would say six too many, but some peo-
ple deserve a second chance.)
Harlan Cohen is a syndicated columnist and is
not a licensed psychologist, therapist or physi-
cian. Write Help Me Harlan via e-mail at har-
lan~a helpmeharan.com. All letters submitted
become the property of the columnn. Letters
included in this column may or maynot be. vm
the University of Michigan community.
move to the second floor, whose walls
are covered by a plethora of old pho-
tographs, album covers and gold
records. As Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It
Through the Grapevine" jingles in your
ears, the shimmering Irish-green
sequins from the jackets of The
Temptations brighten your eyes. In the
same showcase are the elegant mauve-
colored dresses of The Supremes.
"Motown" wouldn't be complete
without Michael Jackson's famed
sequined white glove and black fedora
hat, which he donated to the museum in
1988. These are found in the center of
the second room.
A doorway from there leads into the
apartment where Berry Gordy resided.
With old 45s littering one of the tables
and a classic flamingo-pink bathroom
Motor City's music is the soundtrack for Ameri
By Curtis Zimmermann
Daily Arts Writer
The accomplishments of Motown Records seem
boundless. In this anniversary year, just a glance for
a Motown mention yields a staggering amount of
material. Information in books, film and on the
World Wide Web tell of the label's numerous stars,
including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Marvin
Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie and others.
Motown has encompassed many American musi-
cal styles and has even come to define some of
them. Sixties soul music, for instance, is often
referred to as Motown. But the label's overall style
can best be described as American music. The
groups it signed over the years included gospel,
doo-wop, blues, rock 'n' roll, protest rock, disco,
funk and even rap. And Motown represents more
than a sound. While Motown broke down barriers in
music, it did the same in race. The label made super-
stars out of many African Americans who, before
the '60s, often were overlooked in favor of white
artists. In music and beyond, Motown's effects on
America are worth noting.
In the Beginning
The early history of Motown Records is not too
different from that of many other independent
labels. It began with a vision, in this case that of
Berry Gordy in the late '50s. After penning some
songs for Jackie Wilson, Gordy found there was lit-
tle opportunity for songwriters to have creative
input in the songs' production. So Gordy, after bor-
rowing a few hundred dollars from his sister, decid-
ed to start a record label of his own.
After establishing company offices in Detroit,
Gordy signed local act Smokey Robinson and The
Miracles. Their first track, "Get a Job/My Mama
Done Told Me," was released on Tamala Records,
an independent label in New York City. Shortly after
this, Gordy established the Jobete Music Publishing
Company. In a pivotal moment in the early history
of the company, Berry Gordy met Barret Strong.
Together, they co-wrote their first hit, "Money
(That's What I Want)," which, although reaching
only No. 23 on the charts, helped the company gain
a foothold in the music business.
But it was The Miracles that first established
Motown as a major player in the music business.
1961, The Miracles' "Shop Around" sold more th
one million copies, and The Miracles became t
first Motown band to appear on "America
Bandstand." The other group to equal the early su
cess of The Miracles was The Marvelettes, whi
provided the label's first No. 1 song in 1961, "Plea
Mr. Postman."
In this pre-Beatles age, teen idols such as Rick
Nelson and Frankie Valli, as well as female grou
like The Shirelles, dominated the mainstrea
American musical scene. Motown's early mus
catered to this image. The company even set up
charm school to try to make its artists mo
"acceptable" to the middle-class white audienc
who were these teen idols' fan base. Motown gra
ually expanded its operations and signed numero
acts, including Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Th
Primes (who later became The Temptations), T
Four Tops and The Supremes.
Hitsville
"When the Love Light Shines," released in 19%
was The Supremes' first single, and "Baby Love
of the '50s glowing in th
flat, this apartment is a
time. It contains some of
furniture, such as an orang
sofa and a bedroom set.
Climbing downstairs h
original office of Motou
which has a starburst cloc
cent cigarette machine.
schedule of recording tim
Weekend Magazine Editors:
Emily Lambe
I
I
abJir ti wn Jtdlg
Weekend~
M A G A Z 1 N E
Weekend Magazine Associate Editor: Christopher Tkaczyk.
Writers: Amy Barber, Brian Cohen, Chris Cousino, Gabe Fajuri, Chris Faral
Pedersen, Aaron Rich and Curtis Zimmermann.
Photographers: Margaret Myers and Adriana Yugovich.
Cover photo by Margaret Myers: The facade of the Motown Historical Museu
Arts Editors: Bryan Lark and Kristin Long.
"Marion Brando last night won and refused the Academy Award for Best Actor of 1972. Brando, who was not present at
the ceremony, had announced beforehand he would not accept any award for his role in 'The Godfather.' ... Brando's
refusal was conveyed by an Apache woman who said Brando could not accept the award because of 'the treatment of
American Indians today by the film industry and on TV movie reruns and recent happenings at Wounded Knee.'"
- The Michigan Daily, March 28, 1973