Diane Wakoski reads...
Wkoski reads tonight from her
poetry collection, "The Butcher's
Apron." Shaman Drum. 8 pm.
ARTS
ir, chigandaily.com /arts
WEDNESDAY
APRIL 4, 2001
5
White House goes to raunch
clever new comedy'Bush!'
EA shoots just over
par in 'Tiger Woods'
By Matt Grandstaff
Daily Arts Wrter
By Jeff Dickerson
Daily TV/New Media Editor
Trey Parker and Matt Stone have
been offending people across this great
That's My
Bush!
Comedy Central
Tonight at 10:30
nation from the
moment they hit
the big time back
in August of
1997 with their
animated foul-
mouthed cartoon,
"South Park."
The two attempt
to repeat history
with their new
sitcom, "That's
My Bush!," a
comical look at
what really goes
on in the White
man who incorporates all the nuisances
of George, right down to that devious
smirk. The rest of the cast features a
laundry list of no names - anyone
ever heard of Carrie Quinn Dolin
(Laura Bush)? The gifted Kristen
Miller plays Princess, the endowed
assistant to the president. This is her
most satisfying performance since
"USA High." Then we have Kurt
Fuller, best known for his harrowing
role as the sheriff in last year's box
office smash "Scary Movie" He will
play the frustrated advisor to the presi-
dent. While the actors may not be
Oscar-worthy, the writing more than
makes up for it.
The premiere episode, entitled "An
Aborted Dinner Date," sets the tone for
what audiences can expect from the
new series. In the debut episode, Laura
is introduced as the typical first lady.
Within minutes, however, the stereo-
type vanishes as she reveals herself to
be a sex-crazed woman looking for a
little private time with her husband.
George refers to himself as a
"pussy" and decides to have dinner
with her to make up for lost time.
Chaos ensues after the President books _
a dinner with the leaders of the pro-life
and the pro-choice movements for the
same night. I almost forgot, the leader
of the Pro-Life movement is an aborted
fetus. Yes, an aborted fetus.
While the situations resemble those
of classic sitcoms, the team of Parker
and Stone are as loathsome as ever.
"That's My Bush!" will undoubtedly
come under harsh criticism for the con-
troversial images in the premiere
episode alone.
The writing is clever and downright
hilarious at times, although it will prob-
ably be most enjoyed by the devoted
followers of "South Park." Parker and
Stone have managed to create a televi-
sion show that not only pokes fun at the
President himself, but also the dozens
of asinine sitcoms on network TV
House (at least in the minds of Parker
and Stone) with our beloved George W
Kudos to those in the casting depart-
ment for finding Timothy Bottoms, a
Until a few years back, the game of
golf was considered boring to young
people around the country. Golf
appealed priman-
ly to AARP
Grade: El members with
pink and green
pants. This
2001 stereotype of
For Playstation 2 golfers changed,
EA however, with the
arrival of the
young golf phe-
nom, Tiger Woods. Since his arrival on
the PGA Tour, records have been
smashed, TV ratings have skyrocketed
and kids everywhere want to be like
Tiger. Realizing the popularity of Tiger
worldwide, EA Sports joined Tiger-
mania in 1999 by sticking his name to
their "PGA Tour" series. While com-
mercially successful, the first two
"Tiger Woods" games were about as
nasty as the rough at the U.S. Open,
suffering from horrible graphics and
weak controls. Thankfully, with a face-
lift on the Playstation 2, "Tiger Woods
PGA Golf 2001" is almost as fun as
watching Tiger on TV
The most notable change to "Tiger
Woods 2001" is the vastly improved
graphics in the game. The player mod-
els, courses and backgrounds are as
smooth as Tiger's back swing. No
longer suffering from poor angles and
choppy framerates, "Tiger" is one of
the most visually appealing sports titles
for the PS2. The flaw in the visual of
the game is that it lacks an on-looking
gallery. If there's no gallery, where the
hell is all that clapping coming from?
Also new to "Tiger" is a new shot
control system. Using the analog stick
on the Dual Shock 2 controller, shot
control is determined by correctly
moving the analog stick is moved back
and forth. Also, players can use the
control pad to control the spin, flight
and bounce of the ball while the ball is
in the air. This feature leads to better
shots, as players can literally fix their
shot on the fly. While these new fea-
tures in the game are improvements,
other gam:play mechanics are clearly
flawed. For starters, almost at random,
some of the shots are shanked for no
apparent reason. Additionally, the
games system of measurement is as
messed up as Greg Norman's game on
the back nine at Augusta. It seems as if
the computer just guesses the distance
of a shot as one player might out drive
another player, yet the same will say
the person with the weaker drive hit the
ball 30-50 yards further.
Easily the best aspect of "Tiger" is
the variety of game modes available for
players. Up to four players can play
match play, stroke play, "The Skins
Game" and tournament play. But while
there are game modes aplenty, the
game suffers from a lack of players and
courses. Featuring only seven players
(highlighted by the almighty Tiger
Woods and Justin Leonard) and three
courses (including Tiger's favorite Pb-
ble Beach), the game lacks the feel of
the PGA Tour. Hopefully in future ver-
sions of the title, the game will feature
a wide array of courses and players,
which is seen in EA's NASCAR series.
Parker and Stone hope for another
success in "That's My Bush!"
Byversi loses renowned cond
Daily Arts Writer
After 26 years as the Director of Bands, H. Robert
Reynolds will be retiring from the University of
Michigan. In his last concert he will conduct the Sym-
phony Band at Hill Auditorium Friday night. Friends,
fellow musicians, former students and colleagues will
join Professor Reynolds for his farewell performance.
The band has chosen several
of its favorite pieces for this
performance. The works
Symphony include a piece titled, "Weiner
Band Philharmoniker Fanfare," by
ncet German composer Richard
Strauss in 1924. The band will.
Hill Auditorium also perform another German
Friday at 8 p.m. piece," Symphony in Bb," by
Paul Hindemith. His main goal
of composing was to bring pub-
lie and composer together.
- - The next notable work that
will be presented is "Lincolnshire Posy" by Percy
Grainger. He is known especially for his peculiar
behavior throughout his life. This piece is based main-
ly on his notes of folksongs taken down early in the
twentieth century using an Edison phonograph.
The last of the band's music concludes with "First
Courtesyof Uniers"ty"*' mphoy Bwnd
H. Robert Reynolds conducts his final concert Friday.
Suite in Eb" by Gustav Holst. This work was revolu-
tionary for its time in 1909 because it was exclusively
written for a wind band instead of arranged for it a
previous composed orchestral piece. Holst wanted to
make the concert band a serious group and so worked
to compose many other works for wind band.
This work contains three movements each with its
own unique taste. The fast, "Chaconne," begins with a
baritone melody that moves into the trombones and
ends with the brass dropping out leaving the winds
alone. "Intermezzo" has an energetic tempo that con-
tinues throughout the piece. The last is the "March"
which combines the two folk tunes from the first two
movements.
The band will also present other works especially
commissioned for this concert. They include the
ictor Reynolds
world premiere of "Song for Band" by William Bol-
com and "Rosa Parks Boulevard" by Michael Daugh-
erty. As a tribute to Professor Reynolds, the band will
perform a work that was commissioned to commemo-
rate the birth of Professor Reynolds' daughter sixteen
years ago titled, "Lullaby for Kirsten," by Leslie Bas-
sett.
As H. Robert Reynolds retires, he leaves a legacy
not just at this university but also on the international
music stage. His contributions to his students over the
years cannot be measured in achievements. During
his time as the Henry F. Thurnau Professor of Music,
Director of University Bands and Director or the
Division of Instrumental Studies, the Symphony
Band has commissioned and premiered over forty
pieces.
Professor Reynolds graduated from the University
with a degree in Music Education and Performance.
His dedication to this University shows through the
many years he spent training his students not just in
music but also in life. In May he will receive a
national award from the American Society of Com-
posers, Authors and Publishers for his contributions
to contemporary American music. Although he for-
mally retires this year, Reynolds will not disappear
from sight. His future includes many appearances as
a guest conductor and holding clinics and lectures to
continue to shape young musician's minds.