what's his name? His Name Is Alive plays tonight at the Blind Pig. The indie-rock band from Livonia-based 4AD recording artists. "Komeda" and Dean Fertita open. Admission is $10 in advance, and are avail- able at the Michigan Union Ticket Office or Ticketmaster outlets. Doors open at 8 p.m. L i&dgg Tonorrow in Daily Arts: V Hey, it's Tuesday tomorrow, so check out Breaking Records featuring Alanis Morissette and Crucial Conflict. Monday November 9, 1998 II Tappers jazz it up at Hill By Jenny Curren Daily Arts Writer In the dance world, tap dancing and jazz are as inseparable as ice cream and hot fudge. Great dancers and musicians alike took to the Hill Auditorium stage in an enthusiastic trib- ute to tap Saturday night titled Jazz Tap Summit. *'As far as 'hoofing' goes, it's basically a lot of improvisa- tion," said Parris Mann, who performed in the duo "Straight, No Chaser" in the Summit. "We find a good connection with jazz musicians because they improvise 75 percent of their music." Improvised it was. At points, the production failed in its Jazz Tap Summit Hill Auditorium Nov. 7, 1998 A A.j lack of structure, but the professional- ism of the performers made it look almost intentional. The air of mutual respect between the dancers and the personal comments, often mumbled out of earshot of the microphone, creat- ed the feeling of a private party to which the audience had been serendip- itously invited. The show opened with a technically tight but lukewarm jazz piece by pianist Dave Burrell, bassist Paul Keller and drummer Pete Siers. Then, the audience was treated to a guest per- formance of local talent - The Steppettes and Friends - a group of and jumps. Both have worked with dance greats such as Jimmy Slyde and Dianne Walker, who were showcased in the Summit. "The best thing about this performance for me is that it's going to be almost like a reunion, with everyone under the same roof again," remarked Mann. Apparently Brenda Buffalino, Margaret Morrison and Tony Waag felt the same way, given the excitement they dis- played in their trio performance that followed "Straight, No Chaser." After the intermission, the jazz trio converted into a quar- tet, bringing pianist Barry Harris and saxophonist Andy McGhee to the floor for a smoldering jam. Though legendary Jimmy Slyde introduced himself with the assertion, "It is SCT- senior citizen time," it was anything but, as Slyde gyrated around the stage in a display of flexi- bility that would embarrass Elvis. Dianne "Lady Di" Walker joined Slyde in an unforgettable duet before she took the stage solo. Although technically flawless, Walker's energy didn't match that of the other dancers, especially when preceded by Slyde. Taking a breather from the non-stop tapping, the band launched into a swinging version of "Goody Goody" with vocalist Yvette Glover, a formidable personality clad in a sparkling orange gown. "How many of you are not college students?" she asked the crowd, greeted by deafening cheers. "Then you'll know this song;' she promised, giving the audience the opportunity to croon along to the chorus. She then introduced her son, Baakari Wilder, a dread- locked tapper whose spontaneous and sporadic movements echoed the essence of the jazz music that accompanied him. The finale, a massive chorus line featuring all of the dancers of the evening, drove home the contribution of young and old. Despite the friendly rivalry between the ages, at the end of it all, it was clear that the tradition of tap relies on the cooperation and mutual learning of many generations. uberant and talented youngsters from Flint. vGermaine Ingram and her mentor, LaVaughn Robinson, performed a duo that reflected the tradition of tap throughout generations. Robinson, who has danced with legends such as Ella Fitzgerald and Charlie Parker, kept up with younger part- ner Ingram, despite diminishing dexterity. A dynamic performance to Miles Davis' "Straight, No Chaser" highlighted the talent of younger dancers Parris Mann and Michael Minery, complete with elaborate kicks Reality loud in comed y By Erin Podosky Daily Arts Writer "Living Out Loud" has no mental- ly ill people. It is missing the usual kooky or disease-stricken next door neighbors. It lacks cute little kids and villains with hearts of gold. "Living Out Loud" has ... divorcees. In an industry strapped for quirky premises about people making friends, falling in love and getting on with their lives, "Living Out Loud" mines what is perhaps the last vestige of American culture before movies begin lurching towards normalcy, and what could have been a two-hour lump of coal instead plays as one of the gems of the fall movie season. The film opens with Upper East Siders Judith (Holly Hunter) and Robert Nelson (Martin Donovan) having a heated lunch discus- Judith accuses Living Out her husband of Loud infidelity. The ,, exchange goes like this: At Showcase "No, no, you weren't ner- vous - you told her the joke about the three A doctors." _"So what, is that our joke?" "Fuck you." And with that, she's off. Hunter owns this movie, carrying on lengthy inner monologues at lightning-fast speed about such subjects as crack babies and schoolyard taunting and ending up "alone and wrinkled in Queens," her only companion the i11 o'clock news. The film makes great use of surround sound during these moments, with Hunter's voice com- ing from all corners of the theatre until it becomes a chorus, a cacopho- ny, a thunderstorm of neuroticism. She tosses and turns at night while imagining jumping out the window and, in a divine twist of fate, landing on her ex-husband and his new wife. She eats lonely meals alone in restau- rants filled with couples. She goes to a jazz club where her favorite singer, Liz Baily (Queen Latifah), performs and impulsively pours her heart out like a obsequious Derivative style kills Golde Courtesy of New Line Cinema Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito try to live out loud In the adult comedy "Living By Ed Slhollnsky Daily Arts Writer During Todd Haynes' "Velvet Goldmine; Brain Slade's (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) wife, Mandy (Toni Collette), tells him, "You live in terror of being misunderstood.' The same Id be said of Haynes' ode to glam rock - it fears being understood. Haynes does make it abundantly clear, however, that Slade is a David Bowie clone. Before the movie Haynes writes that the film should be "played at maxi- mum volume,' a quote taken from Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust. " Structured as "Citizen Kane;' "Velvet Out Loud." groupie. In a matter of seconds all of the pent-up frustration that has been building up in Judith's over-clocked mind is finally let loose. She admits to not talking to anyone in weeks. Literally. But she does begin to talk, not only to Liz - with whom she becomes friends - but to the elevator man in her building as well. His name is Pat (Danny DeVito). A gentle man, he gambles a bit more than he should, he has an ex-wife and he misses his can- cer-felled daughter like crazy. He has big plans at age 52 but he doesn't have the means to bring them to fruition. The two make an unlikely pair, but lonely people need friends, too. Their friendship grows. Do they fall in love? Do they live happily ever after? These aren't important questions in "Living Out Loud" - what's important is that they've found each other. They've found the courage to speak openly and honestly about themselves and their lives. Things aren't held back. Truths are told. There is no more inner monologue. It's all finally out loud, and that's where it stays. There are many wonderful scenes in the film, including a massive dance hall experienced while Judith and Liz drop an ecstasy-like drug that "makes you feel like touching every- one." Late in the film, Judith, mad as hell and refusing to take it anymore, finally sticks it to her ex just when he wants everything to look civil. Elias Koteas, who was a "Crash" victim with Hunter, has a brief cameo that acts as the trigger for Judith's meta- morphosis. The cast is superb. Hunter looks as though she may be lining up for another Oscar nomination, while DeVito and Queen Latifah (who has a gorgeous singing voice and the screen presence to match) also deliv- er Oscar-caliber performances. DeVito has never been warmer on screen, revealing if not a romantic leading man, then at least a tender side we'll be lucky to see more of in the future. "Living Out Loud" is the direct- ing debut of prolific screenwriter Richard LaGravenese, who is also responsible for writing such films as "The Horse Whisperer" and "Beloved" in addition to writing this film's script. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that this is his best effort to date, and he has clearly taken copi- ous notes on the directors who have made his scripts. "Living Out Loud" isn't quite the striking cinematic debut of fellow first-timer Gary Ross ("Pleasantville"), but LaGravenese has a good eye and a magic pen. His plot may be mini- mal, but his characters are richly drawn and very real. Besides, the lack of concrete plot is irrelevant as a result of the dazzling characteriza- tions. You don't need to know how "Living Out Loud" ends, because that's not important either. It is per- haps a flawed ending, but in plot only - the characters remain true to them- selves. We see only a few months in the lives of these people, but they are a good few months. And they are good people, funny people, people who have a lot to offer and are final- ly getting their chance. They are peo- ple we'd be glad to know. They are people who have ended their invisible existence and are whooping it up, out loud and clear. r YVet Goidmine At the State wy Goldmine" could easily have been called "Citizen Slade." The film revolves around mysterious pop star Slade who faked his own death on stage and went under- ground. Reporter Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) has the unenviable task of trying to find Slade and reconstruct his Courtesy of Miramax Jonathan Rhys Meyers talks with Todd Hynes, the director of "Velvet Goldmine." life since his disappearance. Unlike "Kane," though, "Velvet Goldmine"'s "rosebud" is less defined. The sled in "Kane" is either a bejeweled pin - which might have belonged to the ultimate pop icon Oscar Wilde - or Slade himself. *And that's where "Velvet Goldmine"'s major flaw overtakes an otherwise inter- esting movie. Haynes' film is unclear and random, so it's hard to attach mean- ing to much of what's on screen. Although the film shows that the image of glam rock was fake, it achieves this at the expense of narrative coherence. "Velvet Goldmine" moves through time, from Oscar Wilde being left on Earth by aliens to the childhood of Jack Fairy (the first glam rocker, played by *cko Westmoreland) to the youth of Brian Slade to the end of his career. All of this takes place while trying to anchor the action in New York in 1984. By doing this, the film gets muddled, making it hard to decipher what's going on at some points in the film. It's not exactly confus- ing, but sometimes hard to connect all the pieces. Part of the problem is that the film occurs at the speed of memory - the memories of Stuart, Mandy Slade and Brian's ex-manager. The three recon- struct the life of Slade from a youth who deflowered school boys to a bisexual glam icon to leper for fans furious because he faked his own death. In this respect, Haynes bites off more than he can chew, trying to tell not only the story of Slade, but also Slade's best friend and lover Curt Wild (Ewan "Obi Wan" McGregor) and Stuart. "Velvet Goldmine"'s reconstruction of this era plays out like a costume drama, following the changing fashion and music of the era. Slade acts as a catalyst with his anti-hippie music and style, adding glamour and free love to the frumpy peace movement. Slade's influence is felt not only through the music and clothes, but also on Stuart himself. Through Slade, Stuart in his youth finds the meaning the film lacks. Even after Slade's career disap- pears under a blizzard of cocaine and self-pity, Stuart maintains his idealism that Slade and the whole glam rock. movement gave him direction in life. Although flawed, "Velvet Goldmine" has its strong points. McGregor, Rhys- Meyers and Collette are in top form, giv- ing captivating performances. If this film is a hit, expect McGregor to have a strong chance at an Oscar nomination for his manic performance as Wild. Also important to "Velvet Goldmine" is the music. While the soundtrack is generally strong, there are a few notice- able hiccups, especially when the musi- cians try too hard to emulate Bowie's, sound. But in the end, the music plays second fiddle to the spectacle. That is ultimately how Haynes and "Velvet Goldmine" miss what made glam rock so wonderful - the talented musicians. "Velvet Goldmine" ends up dying by its own ambition. By trying to encom- pass the lives of multiple characters and achieve a dream-like cohesiveness, "Velvet Goldmine" falls on its own sword. Though it strives t^ be "Citizen Kane" it's only a glam-drenci.4 bisex- ually-inspired derivative. m Ann Arbor #87 Test 1 Class 1 Class 2 Test 2 Class 3 Class4 Test 3 Class 5 Class 6 Test 4 Class 7 Test 5 Class 8 Class 9 Class 10 Sat. Nov 14 Sun. Nov 15 Tue. Nov 17 c Y 1 F 9-1 1-4:30 6:30-10 6:30-10 1-4:30 Take by Friday, November20 Sat. Nov 21 Sun. Nov 22 Get An Edge. # Expert Instructors # Guaranteed Results # Maximum 15 students per class # Free Extra Help * Proven Techniques # Four computer tests THE PRINCETON REVIEW Take by Monday, November23 Tue. Nov 24 6:30-10 Tue. Dec 1 6:30-10 Take by Wednesday, December 2 Thu. Dec 3 6:30-10 Sat. Dec5 9-1 Sun. Dec6 1-4:30 Tue. Dec 8 6:30-10 Sat.Dec12 9-12:30 E____________ '____________ Considering Law School? 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