: 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 looft do r cx '1L"a . C M n I^ ! z . "IF s 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 30D N'AM ul- ict vil at c- all 4 VATI **, LENNON/MCCARTNEY? JAGGERIRICHARDS? CAN'T HOLD A CANDLE TO KULA/HOARD. 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