10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 25, 1998 'FANTASY ISLAND' SHOULD BE DESERTED Cupid shoots potent load in new ABC sitcom New cast makes world of difference By Michael Galloway TV/New Media Editor At least, Tatoo isn't in it. Barry Sonnenfeld has hit a lot of homers in recent years: "Men in Black," "Get Shorty," and "The Addams Family." But even McGwire and Sosa have to strike out sometime. "Fantasy Island" promises a lot. Actually, it promises too much, like Babe Ruth calling a homer out in left field. Babe delivered, but hey, that was the Great Bambino. This show not only has Sonnenfeld as the executive producer, but Malcolm McDowell is the new Mr. Roarch, a much more mysterious and dangerous version than the character Ricardo Montalban made famous. The new "Fantasy Island" also has better special effects and-a better location than before (Oahu, Hawaii rather than the L.A. area). Furthermore, the show opens with a great scene in a mysterious travel office where everything looks a little too mundane and dreary to be ordi- nary. Fyvush Finkel, best known as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on "Picket Fences," plays the aptly named Fisher, the travel agent who interests people into taking a vacation to Fantasy Island. He does a great job with the role. You're not sure whether he has benign intentions or is the devil him- self. Sylvia Sydney also Fantasy does a superb Island job as an aged * and apathetic ABC secretary who Saturdays at 9 p.m. must average 15 typed words per minute, if that. The show begins to decline after that. For those who don't remember the original show, guests to the Island get their deepest desire made into reality in order to teach them, usually, that they Courtesy of ABC, Inco Jeremy Piven stars as "Cupid" tomorrow on ABC. By Erin Podolsky Daily Arts Writer Against my better judgment of the ludicrous premise that is at the heart of "Cupid," I was smitten as if the dia- pered god himself had shot me through the heart. "Cupid"'s plot is this: Cupid, a.k.a. Trevor Hale, has been exiled from Mt. Olympus for bad behavior. In order to return home, he must unite no fewer than 100 couples in true love. He must do this sans bow and arrow, i.e. sans magic. Sounds almost as crazy as a teenager who kills vam- pires in order to save the world, does- nt it.? Jeremy Piven ("Ellen." "The Larry Courtesy of ABC, Inc. Malcom McDowell and Madchen Amick may become lovers in the new "Fantasy Island." shouldn't want their deepest desire. Now, the show works in the begin- ning because everything is so mys- terious. You don't know what the guests are there for. and you don't know what the resort's employees are there for, except to pay off some debt, likely incurred sins done in life, or some such hack- neyed stuff. But the mystery wears out quick as you slowly realize everything is going to work out. Everyone will learn their lesson and be a better person, and Mr. Roark will have a 100 percent suc- cess rate. Without the possibility of fail- ure, there's nothing at stake, so boredom ensues. The mystery around the resort's employees - Cal the bellhop (Tatoo's replace- ment, Louis Lombardi), Harry (Edward Hibbert) and Clia (Madchen Amick), who can change into any woman - really isn't much of a mystery. So all that's left is how things will resolve themselves. Using this strategy unfortunately requires much greater levels of plot and character development than this show offers. The guests are only around for one show, and the resort employees only get enough air time to be mysterious or comi- cal. Mr. Roark is not really meant to change, although there's hints of a possible relationship between him and Clia. Still, this is thrown in at the end and comes out of the blue. Sonnenfeld probably saw a lot of potential in the idea of a new "Fantasy Island," and he may even get a success out of this show. The magical and mysterious are big right now, and there's certainly lit- te competition on Saturday nights to face from other networks. If audiences don't want much, then they'll be satisfied. Cupid A BC 10 p.m. Sanders Show") stars as the sar- castic Cupid who complains inces- santly about how much Earth sucks (and how much Olympus rules) and is on a personal mission to kill the nasty rumor floating around Earth that Cupid was mar- ried to Psyche. Uh-uh. Never Saturdays at The pilot episode also feaitEW Cupid's first attempt at bringin twe lonely people together; whether oi not he succeeds is another story entirely. It looks as if the show is set to have guest stars each week as fod- der for Cupid's matchmaking skills. a device that is not only smart but could potentially bring in viewers who are fans of a particular guest. Finally given a chance to holh* own in a show after playing support to countless other stars, Piven stands out as the heart and soul of "Cupid." He smirks his way through the role as if dealing with knaves who don't understand him. It's impossible not to like him with his vaguely Clooney-esque smirk and endless patience with us mere mortals. Marshall is a little weaker although that may just be the imp s- sion she gives as the straight gi c Piven 's sarcasm-wielding Cupid. Her Claire is, if not a man-hater, at thc very least a dream-hater who prefers to shatter the fantasies of her sin- gles' group members rather than let them believe that relationships basec on true love actually can exist. All of this is to say that just because a TV show sounds insanely stupid doesn't mean that iq "Cupid" is actually well-written, well-acted, and well-produced ABC's placement of the show in the Saturday night death knell is* not only typical of the cowardly 'net- work's inability to support worth- while, quirky shows, but gruesomely unfair. This basically means that "Cupid' will die a critically acclaimed dpatt sometime in the next few months after the ABC execs jeyk the * around as they have done with"y So-Called Life" and "Relativity' to name a few. It shouldn't be this way. If you can't stay home on Saturday nights, tape it If you can't tape it, write ABC a nasty letter. "Cupid" is far too good to be insulted like this while ABC fills their weekday primetime schedule witi more and more iterations of "20 .' It just isn't right. V. F ,two -00 Infinite opportunities. Dynamic careers. Tricia Che began building her future in 1995 within GE's Technical Leadership Program. Today, she's an Account Manager at GE Power Systems. You have a future here. Please Join Us for Meet the Firms Friday, September 2501 Office of Career Development 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Please confinn dates and limes 'with your Career Placemen ()/Vite Par any last minute changes. www.gecareers.com happened. No matter what the books say. And that silly little diaper he wears on all of the Valentine's Day propaganda? Completely inaccurate. After being freed from the loony bin in the, first half of the pilot, Cupid gets a job as a bartender - or is that matchmaker? - and spends time creating havoc at the singles' meetings run by his shrink, Dr. Claire Allen (Paula Marshall). Typical Cupid advice: "Treadmill. Clearasil. Happy pill." Claire does not take well to being upstaged at her own group but is ultimately unable to give Cupid the boot, perhaps because she sees him as the basis for her next book, "The Search for Cupid." She also ques- tions Cupid's endless array of pop culture references. "Cable?" she asks. "Omniscience," Cupid replies. oin Radi Syste n Radiant Systems specializes in developing and implementing advanced Retail Software Solutions on both open systems and custom hardware platforms, focusing on multi-media, user interface and transaction processing. We are looking to fill consulting and product development positions as we enter new markets and capitalize on revenue opportunities. We seek aggressive, committed candidates for our offices in Atlanta, GA and Pleasanton, CA (northern Silicon Valley). All positions offer equity in a rapidly grow- :re:rr - - 1- - _+- 1- 100 Ifl'7 a: Iry!