Die Like a Dog Trio German free-jazzer Peter .otzmann brings his nuclear- powered ensemble to the Fire- *f=A Club tonight. 8 p.m. niachigandaily.com /arts ARTS MONDAY APRIL 16, 2001 8A Quirky 'Bridget' NBC: 'You are the weakest link, goodbye' brings British novel to big screen By Christian Smith Daily Arts Writer Leslie Boxer : Daily Arts Writer . . : ;; "; 'Bridget Jones's Diary" is delight- ful. It is based on the Helen Fielding flcvel of the same title, and is the story of Bridget Bridget Jones's Diary Grade: B+ At Showcase and State Jones, a 30-some- thing London singleton, who is certain that her life will improve if she could only lose weight, stop smoking and start dating the right kind of men - a mantra many women not only repeat to them- selves, but also truly believe. Bridget (an endearing Renee Zell- weger) is extremely self-aware and decides that one way to accomplish her goals is to keep a diary. The diary, which consists of a number of voice-overs throughout the film, is perfect; it is funny, sharp-witted, perceptive and overall right-on with the thoughts of the average single woman. The story begins at an annual day after new-years turkey and curry party thrown by Bridget's over-the top mother. Bridget's mom, who believes class is defined by a gherkin on a toothpick, is incessant- ly trying to fix Bridget up with available young men. This year's attempt turns out to be quite handsome yet unable to deal with Bridget's unabashed personali- ty. The audience immediately sees the truth behind author Helen Field- ing's description of Bridget: Uncen- sored - uninhibited -unmarried. From this disaster, Bridget rebounds quickly with an interoffice affair with her gorgeous and suave boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). It seems that Cleaver understands Bridget and that they can have fun, be intimate and enjoy each other immensely. Yet, all is not puppy dogs and rainbows for Bridget -- she has many more adventuress in love and life with which she must deal. From this point the story unfolds into pure enjoyment. The dialogue is smart and funny and the acting is stellar. Fielding, who participated in writing the screenplay, has adapted her novel quite well to the big screen. Who really deserves much of the credit for the success of this film, however, is Zellweger. She portrays Bridget as both tough and sweet and easily embodies every quirk and every comedic detail that defines the character. Zellweger, a native Texan, adopts a perfect British accent, adds 20 pounds to play the role and seemingly effortlessly nails the part. Both Grant and Colin Firth, who play the men in Bridget's life, also With all the other networks shov- ing reality programming down the American public's throats faster than they can Weakest Link NBC Tonight at 8 p.m. 1 . say "Temptation Island," it comes as no surprise that NBC is jumping on the band- wagon. In an attempt to strengthen its Monday night lineup, the Pea- cock is debut- ing its new game show, "Weakest Link" as a midseason vivor" winner Richard Hatch and another by Anne Robinson, who also hosted the original BBC ver- sion. NBC's syndication division is still considering launching a sepa- rate version of the series, to be hosted by Hatch. Robinson, who may or may not@ be speaking in a fake British accent, was chosen as the "inquisitor" because of her evil persona. She is being promoted in NBC's aggres- sive promotional campaign as "TV's rudest woman" - a hard-nosed ultra-bitch of a host that gives fans nightmares. Whereas "Millionaire's" Regis admittedly wants his players to witi,. Robinson is found spouting such brutal lines as "You should requestea refund from your university" and "You're quite honestly the most stu- pid person I have ever met. Are yoi intelligent enough to be on the show?" But she does deliver the show's smarmy sendclff catchphrase, "Yoar are the weakest link. Goodbye;" with uncanny blunt effectiveness.- While "Weakest Link" may be* interesting to watch for a while to see if any of the contestants actually smack Robinson, the recent failure of similar quiz-show fare like "Greed" and "Twenty One" could spell trouble. One wonders how much of this the viewing public can take before UPN comes out with "Strip Naked Survivor Game Show." Oh wait would you look at that - "Chaii of Love" premieres tomorrow. "Hey, I know what you're thinking ... but I'm telling you, Rudolph was the best reindeer of them all." (Colin Firth of "Bridget Jones's Diary") deserve praise for their acting. Grant departs from his usual bumbling and sweet leading man and takes on a more devious version of himself; it is a good change for Grant. Firth plays the conservative and somewhat abrasive Mark Darcy. le, like the others, does an excellent job. This movie is truly priceless. It takes a cynical yet comical look at a single woman looking to be loved just the way she is. Admittedly, I do think it is a bit of a chick flick - yet many of the scenes caused out-loud, riotous laughter amongst the audience, men included. With that in mind, I would say Food for Thought Pride & Honor Surveys show that 91% of actual Vietnam War Veterans and 90% of those who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their country. Gary Lillie & Assoc., Realtors www.garylillie.com there are infinitely worse chick- flicks out there, and this one can certainly be enjoyed by both men and women. r e p1a c e m e n t which, depending on its success, will continue on into the summer. NBC has so much faith in the show that it's preempting program- ming on Tuesday and Wednesday this week to give the show two addi- tional runs. "Weakest Link" features eight contestants standing around in a cir- cle battling each other, the clock and the host, in a trivia contest in an effort to win the jackpot. Through the first seven rounds, the contes- tants play together as a team answering rapid-fire questions. Every time a question is answered correctly, more money is added to the pot. For every wrong answer, the pot goes down to zero. At the end of each of the first six rounds, each contestant votes to eliminate the fellow contestant they consider to be the weakest link in the chain. In the seventh round, the remaining contestants have a chance to double the bank. Each player who is voted out leaves with nothing; only one contestant will walk away with the prize money. While the slogan, "You have never seen anything like this on American television," may be true, it doesn't necessarily mean that "Weakest Link" is anything new or original. Like ABC's monster smash "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire," the show is based on the highly suc- cessful British game show of the same name. "Millionaire" host Regis Philbin even called the new game show a "copycat." To avoid being labeled as a desperate and humiliating blend (read: rip-off) of "Millionaire" and CBS mega-hit "Survivor," the show is being touted as ... a game show that combines the best of "Survivor" and "Million- aire." Interesting approach. NBC initially viewed two pilots of the show, one hosted by "Sur- Courtesy of Miramax "Wait a minute, nobody told me it was so far down." (Renee Zellweger) Courtesy ofNBC Beware of the witch of the "Weakest Link," Anne Robinson. 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