10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 23, 1998 Johnson to fly high at Borders Brad Johnson The Bird That Flies Highest Rutledge Tih year is 2013 The oldies station on the car radio hums to the sound of the Mghty Mighty Bosstones. And w hile there aie no kids nding around on flying skateboards or wearing inflathable jackets as "Back to the Future" pre- dicted, the world has changed dramatically. In his new thriller "The Bird That Flies Highest," Brad Johnson reveals his predictions for the frightening future of the nation. Johnson's novel has been characterized under the new genre of "mindtrigue" which combines global suspense, science fiction and insight into a fast-paced cliff-hanger. Johnson masterfully weaves a tale that is realistic enough to cause a pang of anxiety to run through all that read the book. He tackles the issue of personal emptiness while grasping the larger concept of global- ization. There are many subtleties that are woven through the book, each chapter adding another dimen- sion. The future, for the average man, does not look bright. Intranational trade wars between the 48 con- tiguous United States are raging. All the power in the world is controlled by the government, virtual corpo- rations and, most important, the media. But it is far worse than the media of the 20th Century. It is media that not only controls what is broadcast to the masses, Courtesy of ABC Television Peter Gallagher, Miche Rouse and Brad Whitford reveal the secrets of men. Sitcom doesn't offer seCrets By Chris Cousino Daily Arts Writer "Vegas baby, Vegas,"Vince Vaughn utters to his buddy Jon Favereu near the beginning of the Doug Liman film, "Swingers." Now if Liman made this film ten years later, these guys would probably be crying, "Alimony baby, alimony." And, voila, that's the premise of the new ABC comedy "The Secret Lives of Men," a half hour of "Swingers"-turns-35 from Susan Harris, creator of the charming show, "The Secret Uves Golden Girls." of Men These men, however, are far from golden, ABC, Wednesdays lacking a charas- at 9:30 p.m. matic Vaughn crooning, "Our baby's all growed up." "Secret Lives" follows the lives of three middle- aged, divorced buddies leaning on each other as they bounce to and from favorite guy places like the bar and the golf course. Like "Swingers," which also show- cases the putting green and the pub, there are two scenes in the premiere episode that highlight an answering machine, not to mention the Dean Martin-esque songs that play when the show cuts for commercials. But Favereu plays no part in the poor writing of this underachieving sit- com. The premiere episode focuses on Michael, played by "While You Were Sleeping"'s Peter Gallagher. Gallagher's acting is way over the top as he learns that his ex-wife plans to marry his best friend and move to Los Angeles, taking his kids. He shakes his head in amazed disgust, but is Mike disgusted with his wife, his life, or is it Peter who's disgusted with himself for sinking so low into the abysmal television sitcom:? Joining Gallagher for this mediocre mecca are his two buds, Andy and Phil, played by Mitch Rouse and Brad Whitford. Harris cre- ates similar characters comparable to the Betty White and Estelle Getty roles of Rose and Sophia in "The Golden Girls," with the clueless Andy and the wise-cracking, sharp- witted Phil. The Phil character brings the only laughable grace to "Secret Lives," sharing his insight on the benefits of being divorced by claiming, "I'm finally able to take a nice, peaceful dump." Another one of the minimal laugh- out-loud moments occurs when Mike explains who his ex-wife is seeing and Phil blurts out, "Son of a bitch!" Funny, but resorting to lines from other shows (like, I don't know, "South Park") is pretty low. But the show's writers don't fail completely. In a following scene, Phil and Andy confront Mike's back-stab- bing best friend Barry, a commercial director, and Andy ironically decrees, "Ya know, you're lucky you're mov- ing to Hollywood cause guys like you do very well out there. It's great to see Hollywood poke fun at its cut- throat self. Other than these few scenes, though, "Secret Lives" dies. There's nothing secret in the lives of these men who frequent the aforemen- tioned typical guy places. "Lives" provides no new insight into the life of the American male and doesn't even resort to having its characters banter about the enjoyable, over-dis- cussed topic of women. They just make crack after crack about each other and let the always-annoying laugh track yuk away. If you're look- ing for a far better comedic look into the real secret lives of men, go rent "Swingers." Don't waste your own life with this mediocre wannabe. Brad Johnson Borders Friday at 7 p.m. but edits the news as they see fit, no matter how false a story becomes. It is a press that answers to no one. Johnson introduces a group of characters, the majority of whom are caught in the relentless machine that keeps them working ever harder for some sort of advancement. The result is a group of characters who, though human, more closely resemble androids who look and talk like humans, yet have no emotions. While they are still people and do feel, they are so far removed from are distanced even from themselves. the character known simply as the one character who embraces 'C"our"esy"of N"""i"" Duv" l Brad Johnson wig visit Borders on Friday. try not to be preachy in my books. I try to bring up issues and show all of the sides. I like to be subtle a let the reader make the connections." In discussing the issue of globalization as a threat to the future, Johnson says, "we accept globalization as this unstoppable train," He continues by saying how society today thinks one must either be pro- or anti- globalization. det Johnson says that is not even the question, "the question is what form will it take." Such are the types of inquiries Johnson hopes to extract from his readers; he wants them to think. Johnson's novel will certainly thrill all who read it. He has mastered the art of the science fiction novel, and his works resembles those of Orwell !n Bradbury. But much of the technological jargoni enough to send t:he readers mind into information overload. Although perhaps this is necessary to accu- rately describe thiE future corporate takeovers, and even to prove their realism, it is enough to dull some of the suspenseful edge. The reader is so busy trying to decipher what Johnson is saying that part of the message is lost. While "The Bird that Flies Highest" might fly over the heads of many, k is still important to read either i a warning, or for entertainment. As Johnson sums his book he says, "it is just a small piece to give peo- ple an opportunity to think about things more global- ly." Well, Mr. Johnson, you have achieved your goal. Though a novice to the literary world, Johnson has entered the realm of Huxley, while adding a dimen- sion of realism that its lacking from the others' works. Johnson's predicted future is not only one that can exist, but will exist unless readers heed his warning. Just as Orwell's "1914" will be ever-pertinent, so will Johnson's 2013 soar ever higher into the future, Brad Johnson will be reading and signing copies his book Thursday at Barnes and Noble from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. and Friday at Borders from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. -Corinne Schneider the trutht Theni Baruch. that theyc there is ie is humanity as it is known today. lie feels and he cares; his mission is to show truth to the masses so that they might enjoy the world around them. By those seeking control of the world, Baruch is described as "danger- ous to the establishment as Dr. King was." Johnson says of his main character that he is a "compellation of the best of everybody I know. He is witty, intelligent, subtle and powerful." Baruch is the enigma that draws the readers ever deeper into the plot. Though Johnson created the character, he said, "the best moment in the book for me was when I myself figured out who Baruch was." Johnson wrote this book to be both an enjoying read and a warning. However, Johnson does not throw the issue in the readers' faces, but rather allows them to take froin his message what they will. As he says, "I Activists condemn new UPN comedy for c WHEN AND WHERE. September 24 Ann Arbor Theater (II) WHAT. Cardmembers get two compli- mentary passes to a preview screening of Universal Pictures' new film Antz to be released Oct 2nd. HOW. Just bring your American Express* Card and your student ID to the location listed below to pick up your passes. SPECIAL OFFER JUST FOR APPLYING. Receive 2 complimentary pass- es when you apply for the American Express Credit Card for Students (stop by the loca- tion listed below). MORE TO COME. Antz is one in a series of three major motion pictures to be pre- viewed on your campus this year, compliments of American x-vnress LOS ANGELES (AP) - Black activists are condemning "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer," an upcoming UPN com- edy set during the Civil War, say- ing that it makes fun of slavery. "This show desensitizes the pain and devastating suffering of slavery," said Ron Wright, pastor of the Emmanuel AME Church in Los Angeles. "There is no compromise on this. This show need not air," said Danny Bakewell, head of the Brotherhood Crusade civil rights group.- Bakewell and Wright said they plan to organize a protest to demand that the show be kept off the air, and say they will target advertisers if it does appear. The network has no plans to yank the show, UPN President' Dean Valentine told the Los Angeles Times. "We have nothing to feel bad about," he said. "They can march up and down the street all they want to." The series, set to debut Oct. 5, is a farce about a black English nobleman who winds up as a ser- vant and adviser to Abraham Lincoln.. Chi McBride, who plays Pfeiffer, said he anticipated the. controversy but stands by the show.i "If this were a comedy about ~ivi1 rights slavery, I would not be involved," he said. There are a few jokes referring to slavery in early episodes, including one in which Lincoln's chief of staff sees the title charac- ter relaxing in the kitchen a* remarks: "The slaves haven't been emancipated yet, Pfeiffer. Get your f t off that table." Val ptine said the pilot was show , to black groups, who "found it incredibly funny." He said the network has gone out of its way to avoid alienating blacks. "The ast thing we want to do* offend ; n important part of our- constitu ncy." See the world from a whole new perspective. __ IZ COMING10-2-98 t'9ACTW /4 Iwww.pepsimcm/antz -