M ttin' Ziggy with it ax j fi i -m V tTomorrow In Daily Arts:
Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers play at the Michigan U You know you've been waiting for the season premiere of "
tonight. The son of Bob Marley carries on the reggae tradition, Home Improvement," and to meet your demands, tomorrow
and adds his own unique sounds this evening. The show begins at Daily Arts has a preview of it.
7:30 p.m., and tickets cost $22.50. Tickets can be obtained at
the Michigan Union Ticket Office or other Ticketmaster outlets.
September 22, 1998
Troupe
reveals
musical
talent
By Jennifer Curren
For the Daily
Trumpeter Humberto Ramirez
and his band proved in their con-
cert at Mendelssohn Theater this
past Sunday night that the most
talented musicians are often hid-
den treasures.
The energetic Puerto Rican
ensemble eased the audience into
the show with "Nilda" and
"Portrait of a Stranger," two num-
bers that got toes wiggling, thanks
to extraordinary percussionist
Paoli Mejillas and the strong bass
of the slightly hyper Raman
Vasquez.
After a brief hiatus, saxophonist
Ruben Rios returned to the stage to
blow the roof off with "Pacifico."
The cool professionalism of
Rios and Ramirez as front men
didn't detract from the sheer joyful
energy that exuded from the stage.
These guys live to play, a fact that
was unmistak-
ably reflected
in the exuber-
ant faces of
Humberto Mejillas and
Ramirez pianist Luis
Mendelssohn Marin.
Theater A f t e r
"Pacifico,"
things cooled
down with
"Catalina," a
soft, sensual
jazz piece that
showcased the
exceptional
talent of Ramirez. "Para Chiqui,"
followed, kicking the tempo up a
notch with mambo rhythms.
Humberto Ramirez and his band had toes-wiggling at the Mendelssohn
Theater Sunday night.
courtesy ofTouchstone toe4
The cast of "Sports Night," Joshua Malina, Sabrina Uoyd, Josh Charles, Felicity Huffman, Peter Krause and Robert Guillaum
get pumped for their premiere tonight on ABC.
'Night' has great potential
This piece featured the only solo
by drummer Hdctor Matos.
Although not featured often on his
own throughout the set, Matos' tal-
ent provided an important founda-
tion for the set.
in the next song, "Sofando con
Puerto Rico" ("Dreaming of
Puerto Rico"), Matos worked his
drumsticks like paintbrushes on
canvas, as a man absorbed in his
craft.
Ramirez dedicated "Sonando
con Puerto Rico" to the many
Puerto Ricans who attended the
show. He told the audience he
wanted to bring them a piece of the
island with the song.
Percussionist Mejillas kicked off
the final song "Barandilla" with a
phenomenal and inspired bongo
solo, and Ramirez invited the audi-
ence to indulge in what had tempt-
ed them all night: to dance.
Within minutes, a few brave
souls were christening the pristine
carpet in the aisles with exuberant
footwork. By the end of the num-
ber, over half the audience had
joined in, continuing through the
inevitable 10-minute encore that
left everyone breathless.
Sunday's show was Ramirez's
first concert in Ann Arbor, but it
won't be the last, according to
Rios, who said they'd return if the
University "brings us back."
Katarina Berdy, organizer of the
concert, remarked that she hoped
they'd be back again next year, in
an even bigger venue with a larger
audience. Hopefully, with a man-
ager as enthusiastic as Miguel
Quinones, and the overwhelming
support of the Multi-E thnic
Student Affairs group, it will
become a reality.
Humberto Ramirez has five
albums -"Treasures," "Canciones
de Amor," "Portrait of a Stranger,"
"Aspects" and "Jazz Project" -
available on the Tropijazz label.
By Ed Sholinsky
i)ly Arts Writer
When is a sitcom not a sitcom? When said sitcom is "Sports
Night." Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact,
"Sports Night" is at its best when it's not trying to be funny,
giving it the feel of a half-hour drama.
The idea for "Sports Night" is "SportsCenter" meets "The
Larry Sanders Show." Series creator and writer Aaron Sorkin
(screenwriter of "A Few Good Men" and "The American
President") has a great idea, which isn't quite realized. While
"Sports Night" has the intelligence of "SportsCenter" and
"The Larry Sanders Show," ultimately it lacks their zing.
The pilot episode focuses on the show's stars, Josh Charles
and Peter Krause who play "Sports Night's" anchors Dan
Rydell and Casey McCall, respectively.
McCall is recently divorced and in a funk that is dragging
down the show. This is bringing heat from the network onto the
show's executive producer Isaac JatTee (Robert Guillaume) and
the shows producer Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman).
Though the pair has protected McCall until the point where the
pilot picks up, they accept the fact they might have to replace
him. Rydell's refusal to do the show without McCall is the only
thing saving him.
While the strength of the pilot episode is its characters and
character interactions, the comedy falls
short. The humor derived from Joshua
Malina's Jeremy Goodwin, the show's
Sp orts new assistant producer. He's a spat. The
smallest pressure sets him off into a mad,
Night sweaty rant, which is too cliched to be
.* funny. In both the pilot and "The
ABC Apology," Malina's brand of physical
Tonight at 9 30 p.m. humor is embarrassing.
What also falls short are the one-lin-
ers characters blurt out every once in a
while. The comments seem out of place
with the show's more serious atmos-
phere. The writers and producers of
"Sports Night" either need to punch up
the scripts a bit, or need to make the
decision to become a half-hour drama. The show needs to
commit itself one way or the other.
"The Apology" works better than the pilot by shedding
many of the attempts at humor. The episode revolves around
Rydell publicizing his opinion that marijuana should be legal-
ized. This sets off a controversy that leads to the network insist-
ing he apologize on air. Though tie isn't sorry, Rydell reluc-
tantly gives in.
The show is at its best when it is focusing on Rydell's strug-
gle. It relies on comic content to come from the interaet
between Krause's McCall and Malina's Goodwin. As ih
pilot, Malina's brand of humor doesn't fit the show. What d
work is Natalie Rosen (Sabrina Lloyd), who plays the ot
assistant producer. She tells everyone she can't evalu
Goodwin's job performance objectively because she thinks
might have feelings for him. But after Matina's terrible pee
mance, it's hard to understand why she might have thif
ings.
Given that the show's writer Aaron Sorkin's ability forth
ancing the serious and the humorous in "The Ameri.
President," "Sports Night's" lack of comedy is a disappo
ment. Perhaps the confines of series television - a hal fl
to develop a story, censorship, etc. - don't suit Sorkin t
ents. Or maybe the show just needs some time to find
groove. Given time, "Sports Night" might end up being out
the funniest serious comedies.
For now, however, "Sports Night" has to rely on the ie
istry between stars Charles and Krause, and the excelle'nts
porting cast (with, of course, the exception of Malina)We
attention must be paid to both Lloyd and Guillaume who
scene-stealers, easily making the transition from reserved
comedic.
"Sports Night" might not be a great show, but it mi
become one. The show has a lot of potential, even if it's
using it to the fullest.
E
Coutesy o1Tochstone
Peter Krause and Josh Charles pose for a sportscaster
moment in "Sports Night."
I REGISTRAR'S BULLETIN BOARD
Each term the Registrar will publish important information and key dates affecting students
DATES TO REMEMBER
Last Day to:
Mon., Sept. 28 WITHDRAW FROM FALL TERM-with payment of $50'
disenrollment fee and $80 registration fee.
Mon., Sept. 28 DROP ALL CLASSES-with a reduction in tuition.
NOTE: Some units (Law, Medicine and Dentistry) begin classes
on a different academic calendar and this date will vary for those"
units.
Mon., Oct. 19 WITHDRAW FROM FALL TERM-with payment of half,
tuition and $80 registration fee. NOTE: This date will vary for"
the units having a different academic calendar.
Beginning:
Tues., Sept. 29 WITHDRAW FROM FALL TERM-pay half tuition and $80:
registration fee through Monday, Oct. 19. This fee adjustment'
applies only to complete withdrawals from the term and not to a,
reduction of credit hours.
Tues., Oct. 20 Full payment of tuition and fees for students who withdraw for
the Fall Term.
Pick Up Free Passes at
the Cinema Guild Office
Wednesday September 23
8:00 PM
Lorch Hall
Presented By
Cinema Guild
End of Term Schedule:
Classes End: Friday, December 11, 1998
Study Days: Saturday, Sunday, December 12-t3
Final Examinations: Monday - Friday, December 14-18 and Monday, December 21
Commencement: Sunday, December 20
i