#oku ad-man s peaks out... Comedian Richard Lewis reads from and signs copies of his book "The Other Great Depression." Borders. 7 p.m. michigandaily.com /arts 09WOS~f MONDAY JANUARY 22, 2001 5A 'Famous' scores amongst snores; 'West Wing,''Sex' win at Globes 'Pretender' fans get a second chance By Matthew Barrett and Christopher Cousino Dil s W ters Huah! Last night, all of Hollywood gathered together to pat themselves on the backs and pass out the 58th annual Golden Globes which saluted the best in film and television. The awards show, best known as a precursor to the Academy Awards, was rather uneventful, dull and at times, bordered on the ridiculous. Television personality Dick Clark chirped away throughout the evening, providing unnecessary commentary that only served to drag out the already lengthy event. The awards got off to a rolling start with Benicio Del & picking up the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as the conflicted cop, Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez, in "Traffic." The film also won a Best Screenplay trophy for Stephen Gaghan's script. Newcomer Kate Hudson beat out the competition including her "Almost Famous" co-star Frances McDormand in winning the Best Supporting Actress stat- uette. The film also scored an award for Best Comedy, providing one of the few highpoints of the evening. Tom Hanks took home the Best Actor hardware for "Cast Away" and trimmed his Robinson Crusoe shag down to some dirty filth on his upper lip. George Clooney was also called out for his comedic turn in the Coen brothers' "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Renee Zellweger won for "Nurse Betty" and treated viewers to a few awkward moments as she was nowhere to be seen when her name was called. She turned out to be in the bathroom and eventually made her way to the stage. Though it was ineligible for Best Dramatic Film (due to a foreign film technicality), "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" came up big. After winning the award for Best Foreign Language Film, director Ang Lee edged out the dually nominated Steven Soderbergh ("Erin Brockovich," "Traffic") and netted the Best Director award. The Globes also took time out to salute the career of Al Pacino, presenting the actor with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. Pacino was praised by pre- senter Kevin Spacey with a retrospective of some of the best moments from a career including "The Godfather," "Dog Day Afternoon" and recently "The Insider.". The low moment of the night came when none other than the real Erin Brockovich appeared onstage to intro- duce a clip of "Erin Brockovich." While she had the stage, Brockovich went on and on about how wonderful the film was, even hailing Julia Roberts as "the actress of the millennium." Roberts followed this up by winning a Best Actress award for her performance in "Brockovich." In the end, the braun beat out "Brocko" as the blockbuster epic "Gladiator" took home the top prize for Best Drama, mak- ing it an early favorite for a Best Picture Oscar nod. On the television side of things, "The West Wing" and "Sex and the City" ruled supreme, each picking up two awards. "The West Wing" won for Best Drama and Martin Sheen's performance as the President. "Sex and the City" picked up awards for Best Comedy and its star, Sarah Jessica Parker. Sela Ward and Kelsey Grammer also received awards for "Once and Again" and "Fraiser," respectfully. By Jennifer Fogel Daily Arts Editor Who said that television fans have no voice? After four years on NBC, "The Pretender" was cancelled by the ignorant higher-ups at the pea- cock network without a proper send- The Pretender 2001 TNT Tonight at 8 p.m. off. Tonight, thanks to a mas- sive fan Internet campaign and a very wise TNT, "The Pretender" gets a second chance at life with the first of three made-for- TV movies. For those of you who have never caught an episode of "The Pretender" here's AP PHOTO Director Cameron Crowe strikes a pose with wife Nancy Wilson. Days' a realistic look at Bay of Pigs what you've missed: Jarod (Michael T. Weiss), a genius, was stolen from his parents when he was four, and taken to an objectionable and treach- erous think tank called the Centre. Here he was formed into a Pretender, someone who has the ability to sim- ulate any experience from plane crashes to the Kennedy shooting. When Jarod is older, he finds that the Centre has used his simulations for devious means and escapes into the real world. Like a child trapped in a man's body, Jarod experiences new and interesting things like Pez and silly putty, while trying to find his family. Along his journey Jarod uses his abilities to impersonate different professions allowing him to help people he comes into contact with. Meanwhile, the Centre has formed a team, led by Miss Parker (Andrea Parker) to find Jarod and bring him back. For four years, Jarod has elud- ed capture while exposing Centre secrets from the past. The movie starts where the series left off. As the lies of the Centre come tumbling down, fans learn that Miss Parker and Jarod share a broth- cr, Ethan (Tyler Christopher), who demonstrates a special "inner sense." Trying to come to terms with the lies that she grew up with, Miss Parker tries to expose her own "inner sense," while searching for her kid- napped father - the only one with the answers to all her questions. All the while, Jarod infiltrates the National Security Agency and poses as an agent in order to solve the mur- der of a fellow Pretender by a terror- ist called the Chameleon, who exhibits many Pretender-like quali- ties. In a game of cat and mouse, Jarod and Miss Parker must work together (an unusual task for both) in order to find the Chameleon. "The Pretender 2001" presents a lot of back-story from the series, which is good for those who have never watched the show. Unfortunately, this will seem very worthless to avid fans. In fact, a whole new depiction of Jarod's escape from the Centre is a main part of the movie. However, "The Pretender 2001" will definitely answer old questions. But true to "Pretender" form, a slew of new questions emerge, many of which involve the paternity of cer- tain characters. Despite a few lagging scenes, "The Pretender 2001" is able to keep a steady and active storyline for the new two-hour format. Plus, action sequences are even more elaborate than ever attempted during the series' run. Michael T. Weiss and Andrea Parker both sizzle on the screen and take their characters to a new level as both experience new stages in their lives. Of course we can't forget Broots! Jon Gries provides most of the comedy during the movie bring- ing his loveable, computer geek to the forefront. Who could resist him? The new two-hour film is truly a gift for fans of "The Pretender," reminding them just how great the show was. Besides, any show that can keep up with four years of mythology more complex and con- fusing than "The X-files" deserves a look. If your interest is peaked, check out "The Pretender" marathon, air- ing today until the premiere of the movie tonight at 8 p.m. By Matthew Barrett Daily Arts Writer #hirteen Days" is a sharp and sophisticated retelling of the two- week period in October of 1962 when the United States was in the throes of the Cuban missile crisis. Despite the fact that we already know how the story ends, the makers pump enough suspense into the plot to Thirteen help the film rise Days above the many Grade: B other mediocre GrShoade political thrillers At Showcase and into some- and Quality 16 thing more than a simple rehash of events. The principle characters in the film are President John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood), /$rney General Bobby Kennedy (Steven Culp) and Kenny O'Donnell (Kevin Costner), a special assistant to the president. Other than Costner, there are no well-known actors in the cast and this decision enhances the film. Viewers already know the majority of the key characters here so it's a better move to have actors rather than stars play the ps - it gives the story more of an opportunity to speak for itself. Kenny O'Donnell is the most inter- esting character in the film and the center of its narrative. We see many characters in the movie wrestle with hard decisions and throughout the action we feel as if O'Donnell is the voice of reason, thinking before he speaks And always having something productive to say. Although he has the ear and respect both Kennedys, O'Donnell is e sentially a third wheel, something which causes him frustration at cer- tain spots along the way. In one scene, the president dismisses O'Donnell so that he can meet alone with Bobby, and this stings him to his core. Director Roger Donaldson peppers the film with just the right amount of action scenes to inject periodic bursts o energy into the story. Daring s ops by American helicopters to take photographs of the missile sites come up every so often and only serve to raise the stakes and remind viewers ofjust what the United States is up against (foreboding shots of the missiles themselves' are also shown biggest moments of glory. It's also hard not to get a rush of adrenaline when seeing the recreation of a moment in time when great minds came together and helped to save the country from potential destruction. The film, however, is not without its faults. Donaldson periodically shoots the action in black and white with no apparent rhyme or reason for doing so. This comes off as very gim- micky and only distracts us from the story. "Thirteen Days" also falters in its last chapters, losing the momentum that it had been building for its first two hours. Things get hokey and heavy handed, in particular with Kenny's character, and for the first time the makers start to resort to cliches to elicit the desired emotions from viewers. This is really a shame, because "Thirteen Days" had so much going for it for so long and yet its ending leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths and prevents the film from becoming something truly great. Receive for a one-time, 4 two-and-a-half hour session. Volunteers should be UM students between ages 18 and 29. Phone #936-0640 for more information. Doy'rou suffer from asthma Subjects are needed to participate in a clinical research study to evaluate the effectiveness of an investigational drug for asthma. Participants must be: Men or women between 18 and 70 years old An asthmatic for 6 months or longer Willing to stop current medication or only use Ventolin Able to complete 6-7 outpatient visits over 6-8 weeks I I DON'T MISS THE r HO k I