In celebration of the Michigan Theater's 70th
ing of Charle Chaplin's "The Circus" is present
wrote, directed and acted in this 1928 silent c
tured a score by Chaplin. The fun begins at 8K
cost you just $18.50 to become "Circus" peon
come on down to the Michigan tomorrow.
-Boys Choir brings Harlem to A2
By Jessica Simmons
For The Daily
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was undeniably
one of greatest examples of humanity, not only
to African Americans, but to the world. He had a
dream, and part of that dream was to help better
the condition of the African-American commu-
nity through unity, education and opportunity.
With this in mind, it is only fitting that the
Boys Choir of Harlem be a part of the scheduled
-events to honor the late Dr. King. The choir's
existence is built around the essence of King's
vision for his people.
The Boys Choir of
Harlem was first founded as ;' P RI
the Ephesus Church Boys
Choir in 1968 by current The
director and president
Walter J. Turnbull. Turnbull,
a nationally renowned con- Hils Audito
ductor, tenor and educator,
founded the choir for young African-American
males as an alternative to the troubles facing them
on the streets and in the schools of Harlem. He
wanted to be a part of the solution for these young
men, rather than just talking about the problems
they face.
ri
Since its founding, The Boys Choir of Harlem
has grown tremendously. When the choir first
started, it was a small community ensemble per-
forming primarily in church services. The choir
has since grown into an institution of 500 boys
and girls from ages eight to 18.
In the 1970s, the choir made the transition
from performing mainly in church services to
giving concerts and recitals to the public. In
1979, The Girls Choir of Harlem and the
Touring Choir were established.
The Boys Choir of Harlem has performed
overseas in France,
Belgium, Japan and the
E V I E W Netherlands. Its first
European tour has even
Boys Choir been captured in an Emmy
of Harlem Award-winning documen-
sunday at 7 p.m. tary, "From Harlem to
ium; Tickets $12-$26 Haarlem: The Story of a
Choir Boy"
The choir has sung for major events including
the opening session of the U.N. General
Assembly and Nelson Mandela's arrival in the
United States. The group has also lent its vocal
talents to soundtracks for Spike Lee's "Jungle
Fever" and "Malcolm X" as well as the Grammy
Award-winning soundtrack from "Glory."
The Boys Choir of Harlem impressively
blends classical music, popular song, spirituals,
gospel, jazz, hip-hop and choreography to con-
struct performances that have created its reputa-
tion for stellar showmanship and performance.
But whilethe choir has used singing and per-
forming as its benchmark, this is only a small
fraction of the organization's comprehensive
objective. Turnbull's ultimate goal is to teach
members discipline and integrity and to help
them learn responsibility and values they can
take with them into adulthood long after their
choir days. Music is only one vehicle he has
used to accomplish this task.
Turnbull was able to help make a greater
impact on the children's lives after a school was
created in 1987 for choir members. In the Choir
Academy of Harlem, Turnbull attempted to
teach his children not only singing, but also
real-life, everyday values as well.
Through the Boys Choir of Harlem, the choir
Academy of Harlem and all of his exhausting
efforts, Turnbull has accomplished the unthink-
able for youths. He has taught them never to set-
tle for second-best and that through hard work
and determination, they can achieve their
S V
The staff of "ER" will return to the NBC lineup for three more seasons.
Must-PayT
. nabs 'E'for $13 M
'Undercover' return
By Leann Dawson
For the Daily
The season premiere of "New York Undercover" illustrated an "out with the old,
in the new" philosophy.
In this case, the new is represented by a different lieutenant named Barker
(Tommy Ford), who will "do whatever it takes" to get the bad guys. His team con-
sists of weapons and computer expert Alec Stone (Josh
Hopkins) and the multifunctional - well, she doesn't seem to R1
have any defined role - Delaney (Marisa Ryan). Into this
cozy little set-up walks Williams (Malik Yoba) and Moreno
(Lauren Velez), who, as fans will remember from last season,
are trying to cope with the death of partner and husband Eddie
(Michael DeLorenzo).
There is a neat link-up of storylines as the episode focuses
on Jordan, a woman responsible for a string of armored car robberies, and, some-
what conveniently, Eddie's rather spectacular death in an exploding car last season.
Surely, Williams and Moreno haven't been assigned to this new unit because they
have a personal interest in the case?
Well, yes, actually that is the reason, although it takes them at least half of the
episode to come to that conclusion.
Meanwhile, the audience is treated to a few memories of Moreno and Eddie
together to the strains of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart." But for anyone who
ircus'
anniversary, a screen-
ted. The Little Tramp
comedy, which also fea-
p.m. on Saturday. It'll
pie for one night - so Friday
January 16, 1998
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has a oiento t hobeid ot h is sngthe nly ts ima gsanrod upce a ho we - aact -
weapons, explosions, a bit of human interest thrown in on the side but its attemp
to blur the line between law and outlaw is perhaps a little toc
,E V i E W sucessful
Barker's outburst at Moreno for almost destroying the
New York undercover operation, and Barker's overall devotion to vio-
Undercover lence - he later fakes killing Moreno, thanks to a bullet-proo
FOX vest with blood bags - makes it a little hard to have much
Thursday at 9 pam sympathy for either the individual or the force he represents.
It's easy for the show's producers to claim that he has to be 2
strong character because of the people he is out to get, but when he uses the exact
same methods as the criminals, the differences between them almost disappear. The
one difference that remains - the fact that Barker's violence is sanctioned by the
law - is the one that should really be causing the most concern among audiences.
Of course, both Moreno and Williams, despite their earlier remonstrations
against Barker come to understand and respect his methods by the end. And they
are rewarded by being assigned to his team permanently, thus allowng for the
"widening of appeal" wanted by executive producer Dick Wolf. Williams and Stone
bond when Stone rigs up a remote starter for his car'- understandable, the mem-
ory of Eddie's exploding vehicle is still fresh in Williams' mind, and Moreno and
Williams draw closer in their grief.
Aspects of the show are certainly very favorable. Both Yoba and Velez give
strong performances, and the action moves along at a steady pace. Yet at times the
camera work is reminiscent of "NYPD Blue" and the human interest storylines are
in danger of descending into stereotype. Plus, the preoccupation with gadgets and
explosions poses the question of what will happen when they run out of things to
blow up. But that probably won't happen for a while. The explosions will at least
buy some time for the writers to work on the sript. Maybe theyll even find some
decent music to go with it. a
0Ik
JaZZ Exploratimns into tie Music of the Grateful Deal
featuring Biy Cobbam, JimmU Hening,
Alphonso Johnson, 8 T. Lavitz
with special guest Mern Saunders
l A A
Thurs February 5 Blind Pig
wirn
The Washington Post
NBC, which was left on the sidelines
during the record-setting NFL television
deals this week, held on to its marquee
drama series "ER" for three more sea-
sons by agreeing Wednesday to pay
series producer Warner Bros. Television
just under $13 million per episode.
The price marked another eye-pop-
ping milestone in TV dealmaking, com-
ing amid the $17.6 billion in National
Football League contracts signed by
NBC's rivals this week.
To keep television's top-rated show
from jumping to another network, NBC
agreed to pay $286 million per year for
22 original episodes (and a like number
of repeats).
During the three-year life of the deal,
the network will shell out more than
$850 million to essentially rent "ER"
through the 2000-01 season. NBC, after
losing "Seinfeld" after this season, and
after losing its AFC football contract to
CBS, saw its dominant position among
the networks threatened by the potential
loss of "ER," the medical drama that has
been a cornerstone of its blockbuster
Thursday night lineup for four seasons.
Robert Daly, Warner Bros. chair, said
in an interview with The Washington
Post on Wednesday that negotiations
with his company were unaffected by the
NFL talks. NBC wrapped up the "ER"
deal Monday night, while still in the run-
ning for the "Monday Night Football"
contract won by ABC.
But Jerry Seinfeld's decision last
month to end production of his sitcom
did cause NBC to step up the pace of
negotiations over "ER," Daly said.
The $13-million-per-episode license
fee more than doubles the previous
industry record: NBC pays some $5 mil-
lion for each episode of "Seinfeld." That
show is produced by Castle Rock,
which, like Warner Bros., is a subsidiary
of Time Warner.
Both Daly and NBC West Coast
President Don Ohlmeyer said the license
fee for "ER" accurately reflected the
show's value, particularly in view of
recent public comments by other net-
work executives (notably of CBS and
Fox) indicating they were willing to
negotiate with Warner Bros. if NBC
decided to pass.
"NBC made an enormous profit on
'ER' over the years," Daly said. "Warner
Brothers lost money producing the show
in years 1,2, 3 and 4"-production com-
panies typically produce network series
for more than their license fee, hoping to
earn profits from syndication reruns and
foreign sales of a program. "We said to
NBC, 'It's time for the bill to be paid."'
If the deal had failed, NBC risked not
only losing the big "ER" audience, but
also engendering the perception that it is
an ailing network, something that could
have had a ripple effect in the
Hollywood creative community.
"We're in a tough business,"
Ohlmeyer said. "This business has
changed more in the past 24 months than
it has in the past 24 years.... Every one
of us is struggling with reinventing our-
selves.
"If you've got a program that has
developed an extraordinary bond with
the audience, you damn well have to do
everything you can to keep it."
Malik Yoba returns for the premiere of the retooled "New York Undercover," which
now takes place at a high-tech, downtown "Mission: impossible"-like unit.
I
a
The University of Michigan
School of Music
Saturday, January 17
Faculty Recital
Erling Blondal Bengtsson, cello; Anton Nel, piano
" first recital of the complete piano/cello music by Beethoven
Britton Recital Hall, E. V. Moore Bldg., 4 p.m.
Sunday, January 18
Martin Luther King Day Celebration
Leslie McCurdy, dancer
" The Spirit of Harriet Tubman, written and performed by
Leslie McCurdy, UM dance alumna
Mendelssohn Theatre, 5p.m.
Faculty Recital
Erling Blondal Bengtsson, cello; Anton Nei, piano
* second and last recital of the complete piano/cello music
by Beethoven
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