: Christmas comes early...
Pe sure to catch tonight's Radio City
Christmas Spectacular at Detroit's
Iox Theatre, starring the Rockettes,
ho are mare than worth the price of
,dttission, believe Ie.
michigandaily.com /arts
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TUESDAY
DECEMBER 5, 2000
Cole triumphs over
drugs, father's death
in new NBC biopic
Timely 'God's Name' deals with
use of religion in political rhetori(
By Melissa Gollob
Daily ArtsWriter
Unforgettable ... that is Natalie Cole.
On Sunday, Natalie Cole stars in a frank
documentary retelling her life. "Livin' For
Ino\ e: The Natalie Cole Story" chronicles
Cole's early life
and how her
father's sudden
ivin' for Love: death impacted
The Natalie her life for years to
come. In conjunc-
Cole Story tion with the TV
Grade: B- movie, she will
NeC also release her
Suaay at 9 p.. 27th album,
Natalie Cole:
rcatest lits
t/tume I and an
a uto bi og rap hy
titled "Angel on
My Shoulder" to commemorate her 25th
aniitersary in music.
Her story begins in her hotel room in
the fire engulfed Las Vegas Hilton. Cole
decides that if she was going to die, shed
rather be hil. Then the scene flashes
back to thirteen-year-old Natalie singing
with her father before their annual
Christmas party. Cole tells her story from
that point on highlighting the important
ceetits in her life. Music became a central
part of her life when Nat King Cole
(tames McDaniel "NYPD Blue") heard
eight-year-old Natalie (Stephanie Sams,
'The Miracle Worker") sing and decided
# to let her perform a duet with him in his
revue. After her father's death, Natalie lost
her desire to sing and protested Vietnam.
While participating in a sit-in she met the
leaderof her first band, Black Magic. This
sparked her inspiration once again and
she realized that her gift really was
singing. Unfortunately, as Natalie redis-
covered her love for music, her roommate
helped get her hooked on her first drug of
choice: Heroin.
Cole convinced her mother Maria
(Diahann Carroll, "Julia") that she could
make a living while not overshadowing
her father's inage.
Throughout the years, Maria Cole was
always against her daughter following in
Nat's footsteps but the reasons are never
made quite clear. Because the story is told
from Natalie's perspective, the insights
are limited to her revelations over time.
While searching for a song for her
demo tape, Natalie (Theresa Randle,
"Space Jam") encounters Marvin Yancy
Who becomes influential throughout her
life as both a partner in life and spirit. As
her career rose, her addiction to heroin
increased and culminated at a hot New
York nightclub. When she finally put her
life together in the '70s. Natalie began to
drift and her addictions nearly killed her
igain. Cocaine mixed with alcohol sent
her to the brink and nearly destroyed her
career for good.
In rehab, she finally gives in to the pain
that was building inside since her father's
death and finds peace for herself. She
returns to the first scene of the documten-
tary and shows how God finally answered
Stephanie Sams stars as a young
Natalie Cole in NBC's "Livin' for Love."
her prayers. The finale of her story shs
the video of"Unforeettahle" which shows
the full circle Natalie CbleI iad in her
life.
"The Natalie Cole Stry is tochi
and makes attempts to tell her story as
she was on "Behind ttl i hi Msic.' I
scenes link together by short interled
with Natalie Cole speaking dir etiv tl
camera. This provides a cofii.a ii
her to explain her actions nt d i sti
them. This is definitely effectite ic
it is the only way to copllsetely ma
sense of what it gtoigt tonthrouhtout i
Imovie.
HIowever, the documsctaie has io
pie problems. The time am is ne
established so yarst ly by ho nii
and the only way to tell tihe dctlesp
are by the fashions tte actors i sa. i
times makes the story conusin . T
other problem is that Natalie Cole tik
over as herself toward the end ofth do
umentayry sitle si iy seem is rushed r l
the other actresses playin yotngti 'ci iN
sions of Cole.
if
he
he
By Johanna Hanink
Itsl i'ArtsWritr
Stephen L Carter couldn't have picked a better year to
release "God's Name in Vain: The Wrongs and Rights of
Religion in Politics." Both presidential and vice-presidential
candidate teams have made frequent
references to God during their cam-
/ paigns - George Bush picked Jesus
God's Name 'Christ as his favorite philosopher, while
Joseph Lieberman declared that when
in Vain Al Gore called him to ask him to be his
Stephen L. Carter running mate, the two prayed together
Grade: A- over the phone.
asc Books Carter, author of several books and
articles, is Professor of Law at Yale
iiversity and a revered academic who
has made several appearances on
national television and radio. "God's
Name in Vain" is somesthat of a sequel
to Carter's acclaimed 1994 novel
"Culture of Disbelief" in which he
explains how Americans can preserve both the secularization
of politics and the recognition of the value of personal reli-
sious beliefs.
in "God's Name in Vain" Carter presents two theses: "first
that there is nothing wrong ... with the robust participation of
the nation's many religious voiced in debates over matters of
public moment. Second, that religions -although not democ-
racy - will almost always lose their best, most spiritual selves
when they choose to be involved in the partisan, electoral side
of American politics:'
Carter goes on to argue that while it is possible to separate
ithe institutional church from the institutional state, it is impos-
sible to separate religion from politics. And, while people on
all sides of political issues invoke "God's name," the state
remains in competition with religion to explain to its people
the "meaning of the world.
Although religion is inseparable from politics, Carter
heieves that the religious must work to maintain a delicate
balance to protect religion from "compromising doctrine to
make it more palatable to the public" and as a result softening
its message as a sacrifice for the realization of political aims.
In this vein, Carter argues that it is not the place of preachers .
and other religious headers to endorse political candidates.
One point tuat Carter raises is that "every generation seems
to think that they have discovered something new," citing as an
example the conflict over the role of Republican religious coil-
servatives in nominating the party candidate. While the media
presented this is a situation unique to history, Carter finds a
similar situation in almost every election dating back to the
1909i camtpaign osfiJohtntE Kennecdy.
Carier effectively uses hisioricah anecdotes chaitingri
abolition to the present, Supreme Court cases and scripir
references to support his arguments.
Although the book is based around the initial two thes
Carter seems to make hundreds ofsmaller arguments, alm
one in each paragraph, which alone could fill chaptersE
philosophical concepts behind many of the arguments
multifaceted and often difficult, which sometimes makes
slow and intense reading but also serves to illustrate Cart
point: The role of religion in politics is extreriely complex
"God's Name in Vain" is both timely and well writt
Carter. who writes through the lens of devout Christianity
able to make his views appealing on a universal basis as s'
as to write with a respect for all religions. But he makes
argitmictts assuiiig at strcitg dhesotioni utn thte par11 cf th
struggling to rationally inject faith into politics, writir
religion that makes no difference in the life of a believer
really worthy of that name."
IN lN
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