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20B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Magazine - Thursday, April 6, 2000
A2 Best Slang
By Toyin Akinmusuru
By Weekend, Etc. Editor
A series of Budweiser commercials
launched during the Superbowl has
created the latest slang craze on cam-
pus.
"Whassup?', the question/greeting
used by the actors in the extremely
successful Anheuser-Busch ad cam-
paigns has become so popular around
campus that telephone calls have been
staged, lasting for minutes at a time,
using only the slang word.
The Whassup? campaign started
with the "true" commercial and has
now grown to the "call waiting", "girl-
friend" and "wasabi" spots. There is
now also a commercial featuring Regis
Philbin as well as the regular commer-
cials' cast members.
"Whassup?" as a slang term has
been around for decades; however, the
over-enthusiastic use of the word gives
Wha s s s s s s s u u u u u u up?
The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Ma
ZA2 Best Athlete
Comrie's skill, matched by
heart, does campus proud
new life to use of the term.
It was all too evident "Whassup?"
had become mainstream when a life-
line callee greeted Regis with a
"Whassup" and Regis enthusiastically
replied in kind on the "Who Wants to
be a Millionaire?" game show.
"Whassup?" has gained even more
noteriety thanks to the internet. More
than 500,000 visitors have downloaded
and played the "Whassup?" from the
Budweiser Website (budweiser.com)
since the SuperBowl.
The true fame of the "Whassup?" on
the web did not come from the regular
commercials but rather the
Superfriends version of the "true"
commercial. The Superfriends'
"Whassup?" clip is a set of scenes fea-
turing Superman, Aquaman, Batman,
Wonder Woman and Robin speaking,
dubbed with the sound from the
Budweiser commercial (wassup.com).
The use of the soundtrack over the
images of Aquaman and Superman are
extremely funny but go up a level
higher in hilarity when Wonder
Woman is introduced with a very low
"Whassup?" It is quite obvious that the
author of the movie clip had way too
much time on their hands; however, the
piece is so funny, you're grateful for
the author's boredom after watching
the clip.
The resulting video clip is even
more popular than the original, already
generating over a million downloads
since its release a week after the origi-
nal commercial hit the airwaves.
Even more "Whassup?" parodies
have been made, the most memorable
being a version with the South Park
characters Chef, Mr. Hanky and
Cartman.
Because of (or in spite of?) the pop-
ularity of "Whassup?," chances are
that "Whassup?" won't be in this mag-
azine next year.
B, the Budweiser drinker, contemplates the age-old question: Whassup?
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By Geoff Gagnon
Daily Sports Writer
Watch Mike Comrie after practice
when he scores a goal.
Watch the speedy skater smile and
point with his arms in the air and his
fists pumping - it's a picture of
youthful exuberance and spirited
enthusiasm. It's a sketch of a 19-year
old doing what he loves and loving
what he's doing.
But it's also a picture of the fiery-
eyed competitor who drives one of the
nation's most feared college hockey
programs - with a talent so pure and
an intensity so focused many forget
that he's just a sophomore.
Take a close look. Observe how, in
his brief tenure at Michigan, Comrie
has done more than come to personify
the hockey program he leads - he's
grown to embody the honor, pride and
mystique of Michigan. And he's done
so in record time.
Two seasons aren't long - but its
all the time Mike Comrie has needed
to boldly stake his claim as one of
Michigan's most remarkable athletes.
And in a city whose athletic past is
littered with a virtual litany of leg-
ends, its a 5' 10" hockey player that in
many ways towers above a host of
heroes built mainly on the gridiron.
Surprised? Don't be.
In a program steeped in tradition,
Michigan's latest hockey star has
wasted no time building a resume in
two years that most would envy after
four.
A candidate for college hockey's
highest honor, the Hobey Baker
Memorial Award, Comrie ranks as the
lone sophomore eligible to be honored
this weekend as the game's absolute
best. And his numbers make a strong
case for his inclusion despite only two
years of college experience.
Comrie's 24 goals this season
matched with 35 assists were good
enough to lead the Wolverines in both
categories, finishing second for the
year in conference scoring. Gaudy
stats notwithstanding, last year's
CCHA Rookie of the Year all did more
than shake his newcomer status as he
took aim at conference dominance
this season.
Casting any lingering sign of inex-
perience aside, Comrie's early season
performance screamed for attention as
the impatient center tallied 10 goals
and 10 assists in Michigan's first nine
games. The explosive start catapulted
Comrie to the top of the national scor-
ing rankings and his Wolverines to the
top of the conference standings.
But for Comrie the quick start was
nothing more than a continuation of
the rookie season that saw the
Edmonton native record a team-best
44 points on 19 goals.
"What we wanted when Mike came
here was a player that could step in
and begin to make an impact immedi-
ately," Michigan coach Red Berenson
said. "And that's certainly what we
got.
This season Berenson got more of
the same from the player some have
termed the best Canadian in college
hockey - and opponents and fans
alike have taken note. Comrie's siz-
zling offensive outburst this season
gave the Wolverines a cornerstone
around which to build the league's
most potent scoring attack. And with
Comrie as the catalyst, Michigan
rolled to its tenth straight NCAA
Tournament appearance after Comrie
tallied 15 goals and 43 points in the
conference season.
Remarkably simple in his approach,
Comrie's sophomore campaign was
made all the more impressive by the
added attention he garnered from
opponents bent on stopping Comrie in
order to stop Michigan. After his elec-
trifying bolt from the gates early in the
fall, Comrie found opposing teams
shadowing his every move often with
intimidating intent. Targeted and
harassed by teams doing their best to
keep him out of Michigan's offensive
picture, Comrie found himself prey to
what, at one point this season,
Berenson termed "on-ice stalking."
But the result, say both Comrie and
his coach, has been good for him at
times.
"It's a form of flattery," Berenson
said. "And it's helped him mature as a
player. To be keyed in on like that all
season long by opposing defenses had
helped him learn how to deal with
being a star player. He's learning to
play with control and to make good
decisions." .
The operative word in Berenson's
remarks - learning. The Michigan
skipper stresses that Comrie's drive to
get better should only make for a more
impressive player with two full sea-
sons yet unplayed and a clear goal in
mind.
"For me, I just want to work hard
and be a part of a winning team,"
Comrie said. "I came here to help
Michigan win a national title and that
is very much our focus as a team."
So as Comrie braces for his final
two years, watch him closely. Watch
as unspoiled potential and unrelenting
dedication combine to mold a super-
star. Watch as poise and promise
defies patience as a smiling Wolverine
skates with his arms in the air and his
fists pumping.
I
Mike Comrie (39) shows his chracteristi
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