2B - The Michigan Daily -Weekend, etc magazine --3Thur ,-- March18, x.299

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The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. N



The Tangled Web:
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Websites we think you'il ke
http://www.oscar com
Despite many oversights and questionable calls through the years, AMPAS comes through with winner of a Website
for any Oscar enthusiast. The official site of the Academy Awards is lots of fun and full of information and memories
of great films from the past.
You can check out the buzz on the streets of Hollywood, see how the nominees are preparing for the big night, quiz
yourself on film trivia, watch footage from nominated films in all categories, check out the highlights of Oscar night,
fashions and read up on the history of the Awards. Just be sure to log off before Sunday at 8 p.m.

Al Pacino won the 1992 Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in "Sent of a
Woman." His award paid tribute to his role in the film as well as his exceptional career.
Offiscr ee politics
pose serious hurdle
for some actors,fin

By Bryan Lark
Daily Arts Writer
"I'm an actress, not a politician," Greek
actress Melina Mercouri said in 1960,
declaring her unwillingness to mount a
campaign for a Best Actress Oscar nomi-
nation in the largely forgotten "Never on
Sunday."
Mercouri could not have known the
irony of her statement, not only because
she later became a member of the Greek
parliament but also because the Academy
Awards themselves are an entirely politi-
cal phenomenon.
Mercouri learned that the hard way -
for not promoting herself, she lost to
Elizabeth Taylor in "Butterfield 8," a film
Taylor called "salacious trash" but still
eagerly touted.
But self-promotion - the fact that the
Academy is often swayed by those "for
your consideration" ads in Variety and
convenient home viewing cassettes - is
only one factor in the race for Oscar, a
game where the best man, woman or film
isn't always the one who wins.
"How Green Was My Valley" over
"Citizen Kane" for Best Picture in 1941?
"Born Yesterday"'s Judy Holliday besting
one of the best performances ever -
Bette Davis in "All About Eve" - in
1950? "Gandhi" over "E.T" and
"Tootsie" in 1982?
If Oscar simply did what he was
intended to do - honor the best of the
film industry in any given year - the lit-
tle gold man would lose some of his mys-
tic luster.
No, Oscar intrigues the world each
March simply because the politics of dol-
ing out statuettes are so infuriatingly fick-
le and unpredictable.
But if you allow enough room for the
occasional fluke (Marisa Tomei, any-

one?), a method to Oscar's political mad-
ness emerges and offers the most con-
scious of viewers an edge on their Oscar-
pool competitors and lets the nominees
decide whether an acceptance speech
need be an accessory to their Joan Rivers-
worthy ensemble.
The foremost rule of Oscar politics,
other than that Oscar voters are largely
white and fantastically wealthy and tend
to vote that way, is that actors generally
win Oscars only if they're owed them.
Call this the payback factor, as the
Academy is making up for an earlier
transgression with a chiseled new gilded
mantelpiece.
Payback has many varieties, the most
common of which is lifetime achieve-
ment with no gold to show for it.
This has occurred recently with Al
Pacino and Susan Sarandon, whose lead
acting awards for "Scent of a Woman" in
1992 and "Dead Man Walking" in 1995,
respectively, were as much for their large
and important oeuvres as for their bril-
liant single performances.
This is also true for Paul Newman,
unhonored until 1986's "The Color of
Money," Jack Palance, whose lifetime of
evil cowboys was recognized by the
Academy in his lighter turn in 1991's
"City Slickers" and for everyone from
Sean Connery in "The Untouchables" to
Jessica Tandy in "Driving Miss Daisy."
Another form of payback is an actor's
win for a lesser film soon after a great
role in a great film is the victim of an
inexplicable oversight.
Exemplars of this form are Ingrid
Begman's 1944 win for "Gaslight" the
year after she failed to even be nominated
for a little film called "Casablanca" and
Jack Lemmon's 1973 Oscar for the
See POLITICS, Page 11B

623-9490. 8 P.M. $5, $3 for sta
dents.
ByeBye tLove See Thursday. 8 pm.
The Cage Theater Street examines
the relationship between two sisters
caught in mistakes of the past.
Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron,
Ypsilanti. 677-8320. 8 p.m. $12, $10
for students
A LTERNA TIVES
Alvin Alley American Dance Theater
The deceased modern dance legend's
troupe leaps and pirouettes into Ann
Arbor, showcasing their dynamic
style. Power Center, 764-2538. 8
p.m. $18-38.
The Animal Lovers Project See
Thursday. 8 p.m. $15, $12 for stu-
dents.
Dr. Karen Goertz Speaks about a vari-
ety of things including "Holocaust
Stories: Impossible but Necessary."
East Quad, rm. #124, 936-1998. 3
p.m. Free.
Rich Hall See Thursday. 8 & 10:30
p.m. $12.
Saturday
CAMPUS CINEMA
37th Ann Arbor Film Festival (1999)
The evening begins with a live perfor-
mance with MA Woodruff presenting
"Grandpa's Dissertation." Film pro-
gram folows. Michigan Theater, 603
E. Liberty St. 2, 7, 9:30 p.m. $6,
$10/2 shows, $13/3 shows, $45
week.
Animania Animania covers a range of
Japanese animation styles and gen-
res, from drama to comedy to science
fiction. ML8 3. 4 p.m. Free
Evil Dead (1983) One Cabin. Five
kids. Demons galore. What more
could you ask for? State Theater, 233
S. State St. Midnight. $5.
Not A Love Song (1997) Husband
and wife Karl an Luise intend to make
a new life for themselves despite
their decaying village near the Polish
border. Lorch. 7 p.m. Free.
Schindler's List (1993) One of the
best films of the '90s chronicles
Oskar Schindler's attempt to save his
Jewish workers during the Holocaust.
Angell Aud. A. 8 p.m. Free.
Wittistock (1997) The last in a six-
part series of films documenting the
lives of three women. Lorch. 8:30
p.m. Free.
MUSiC
Blue Tango CD Release Party Come
out and throw your support behind
the release of B.T.'s new compact
disc. Gypsy Cafe, 214 N. 4th Ave.,
994-3940. 9:30 p.m. $4.
Bugs Beddow Band More bugs, less
thugs and all the sudden the world is
a little better place. Habitat Lounge,
Weber's Inn, 3050 Jackson Rd., 665-
3636. 8:45 p.m. Free. .
Carrie Newcomer is there a connec-
tion with "The Rage: Carrie 2?" Only
John Travolta knows for sure. The
Ark, 316 S. Main St., 761-1451. 7:30
P.m. $11.
Curtis Sumter Project Come wel-
come Curtis to town in style and then
stay to listen to some groovy tunes.
Tap Room, 201 W. Michigan Ave.,
Ypsilanti, 482-5320. 9:30 p.m. $3.
OutLoud Chorus, Greater Lansing
Men's Chorus There is but one way,

to spend life - Living Out Loud.
Cobblestone Farm, 2781 Packard,
971-8789. 8 p.m. $12.
Quasar Wut-Wut Wut, wut, wut's the
frequency Kenneth? The song that
pays tribute to Michael Stipe's friend-
ship with newsman Dan Rather - it
will not be performed by the band of
the evening, however. Cross Street,
511 W. Cross St., Ypsilanti, 485-
5050. 10:30 p.m. $4.
THEA TER
Squirrels See Thursday. 7 p.m.
Short Plays by Christopher Durang
See Friday. 8 p.m.
The Wide Open Floor Basement Arts
sponsors an open mic night. This time
you'll have the whole floor to work
with, not just the mic. They'll sell you
the whole seat, but all you'll need is
the edge. Arena Theater, Frieze
Building. 764-6800. 11 p.m.
ALTERNA TIVES
Alvin Alley American Dance Theater
See Friday. 8 p.m.
The Animal Lovers Project See
Thursday. 8 p.m.
Rich Hall See Thursday. 5:45, 8:15 &
10:45 p.m. $12.
Craig Holden Come let C. Holden pen
his name on your copy of "Four
Corners of Night." Aunt Agatha's
Books, 213 S. Fourth, 769-1114. 1
p.m. Free.
State Street Poetry Project Come
give props and respect to your fellow
students as they read their poems for
you. East Hall, rm. 1316, 763-1107.
8 p.m. Free.
Dr. Louis Tartaglia Is there more than
a loose connection between Dr.
Tartaglia and Bruno Tattaglia of "The
Godfather" Answers could be
revealed during Tartaglia's speech.
Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 3245
Washtenaw, 677-6475. 1 p.m. Free.
.---..----------
Sunday
CAMPUS CINEMA
37th Ann Arbor Film Festival Winners
(1999) Winning films shown today.
Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St.
5, 7, 9 p.m. $6/show, $45 week.
MUSIC
The Dennis Cyporan Trio Good things
come in threes and this is no excep-
tion. Borders, 612 E. Liberty, 668-
7652. 1 p.m. Free.
Great AmericanBlues Jam The
G.A.B. Jam is most certainly a cause
for commotion, so stop by and check
it out. T.C.'s Speakeasy, 207 W.
Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti, 483-4470.
9:30 p.m. $2.
Paul Finkbelner's Jazz Jam Come
watch Finkbeiner jam to start getting
pumped for the 1999 Detroit Tigers.
Bird of Paradise, 207 S. Ashley, 662-
8310. 9 p.m. Free.
THEA TER
The Cage See Friday. 6 p.m.
House Blend Series Line-up includes
presentations of original works by
Ann Arbor playwrights. Attendance is
mandatory as all the material pre-
sented will be on the final - includ-
ing the coffee. Gypsy Cafe, 214 N.
Fourth Ave, (248) 967-2372. 6pm.
$2 donation.

ALTERNATIVES
Second Annual I.D. Day Come make
your own fake .D. Only kidding. Come
let the experts identify any trinkets
that you might have and are curious
about. Exhibit Museum, 1109
Geddes, 764-0478. 1 p.m. Free.
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Monday
CAMPUS CINEMA
The Bicycle Thief (1948) Largely consid-
ered one of the best films ever made,
depicts a jobless working class Italian
searching for the bike he needs to get to
work. Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St.
7 p.m. $5.50.
A Trick Of The Light (1995) Wim
Wender's film tells the story of the
Skladanowsky brothers first motion
picture show. Michigan Theater, 603
E. Liberty St. 9 p.m. $5.50.
Virldiana (1961) Luis Bunuel's dev-
astating and outrageous attack on
religion and society. Michigan
Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 4:10 p.m.
$5.50.
MUSIC
Acoustic Open Mic He might be
retired, but Mike will still drop a j in
your eye if you leave him open. Tap
Room, 201 W. Michigan Ave.,
Ypsilanti, 482-5320. 9:30 p.m. Free.
Michigan Youth Symphony, Michigan
Youth Band They might beyoung, but
they can still rock da house. Hill
Auditorium, 825 N. University Ave.,
764-8350. 7 p.m. Free.
A LTERNA TIVES
The Garlic Girls There's supposed to
be a cool lecture and slide show, but
beware- the room may reek of gar-
lic. Art & Arch. Bldg., rm. 2104, 936-
2082. 7 p.m. Free.
Guild House Writers Series The week
is long, so break it up with this popu-

Australia finally gets back at England for dumping all their prisoners down und
"Ravenous," a new comedy about cannibalism in the American West.

lar series. Come to the open
discussion that's so tight it
you long for it all week long
as peaches, cool as "ThE
Bunch" and just plain great a
ways to describe this serie
House, 802 Monroe, 995-19E
p.m. Free.
Tuesday
CAMPUS CINEMA
Once Upon A Time In Th
(1969) A story of revenge in
West, starring Henry Fonda:
Theater, 233 S. State St.
$5.50.
MUSIC
Ground EFX Effects don't
movie good but do they make
band? Answers will become c
ing the show. Bird of Paradise
Ashley, 662-8310. 9 p.m. $5.
Lyle Lovett Two great reasons to
was married to Julia Roberts
appears in "The Opposite of Sex."
Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., 668
p.m. $27.50.
Open Mic Blues Jam Grab hol
open mic and, to quote the it
N.W.A., "Express yourself
Room, 201 W. Michigar
Ypsilanti,2482-5320. 9:30 p.r
Take a Chance Tuesdays Those n
daring need not apply. The Ark, 31(
St., 761-1451.8 p.m. Free.
Traditional Irish Session Op
St. Patrick's Day has come a
but the love for mother Irela
on. Conor O'Neill's, 318 S. N
665-2968. 9 p.m. Free.
ALTERNATIVES
The Sexual Politics of Meat
interesting. Or it could jus
bunch of bologna. R
Auditorium, 915 E. Washingt
1107. 7:30 p.m. Free.

;at 'ast4hf ernet

Ann Arbor

995-5977
1220 S. University
(above McDonalds)

www.webchateau.com

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