ART S The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 5, 2001 - 13A
Eight shows that would have kept you busy this summer
By Ryan Blay and Jennifer Fogel
Daily Arts Writers
While HBO is showing the first
three seasons of "The Sopranos"
again, and we all are losing sleep
r whether to watch "Love Cruise"
"Scrubs" on Tuesdays this fall,
now is a good a time as any to point
aut some high points in the summer
television wasteland.
Fear Factor (NBC) - OK, this
obviously was not for the highbrow
set, but NBC found a minor hit in
this series which gracefully covered
the woefully underused "watching
people do sick things" niche. Yes,
"Survivor" (hell, even "Indiana Jones
the Temple of Doom") may have
xrted the trend of consuming
unusual animals, but this reality show
;took it to new heights. Anybody who
saw the infamous "buffalo testicles"
episode won't forget it for a long,
long time. The clincher: Three magic
words: "Viewer discretion advised."
The Wayne Brady Show (ABC) -
When Michael Richards took his
Kramer routine to his own show he
* ped miserably. Other characters
terrific in small doses fell into simi-
lar traps. Thus, ABC's decision to
give the versatile Brady his own vari-
ety show was a considerable gamble.
But it seemed to pay off for Brady,
best known as the jack-of-all-trades
improv comedian on "Whose Line is
it Anyways?." No other comedian
(including anyone on "Saturday
Night Live") can pull off both songs
in the style of Michael Jackson and
,c comedy. It's safe to say Wayne
has displaced James Brown (whom
he can also imitate without peer) as
the hardest working man in show
business.
Murder in Small Town X (Fox) -
It all started when a killer hit the
Flint family in picturesque Sunrise,
Maine. Soon ten contestants were
working together with cheesy actors
g ing townspeople in order to solve
t killer's game. Each week a con-
testant was "killed," and with luck,
one suspect cleared. Immediately, in
fighting began, especially between
the guys and the girls. After disgust-
ing reality programming a la "Temp-
tation Island," Fox may have found a
more secure, less trashy reality sub-
genre; the murder mystery.
Six Feet Under (HBO) -The best
new show of the summer. It's a shame
none of the big four networks possess
the capability to produce daring
works. Thankfully, HBO, with hits
already in the gritty "Sopranos" and
the deliciously bawdy "Sex and the
City" found an unlikely blockbuster
- and record ratings. There's noth-
ing unusual about the plot, unless
you count the little thing about the
dead mortician's son assuming his
father's role and trying to deal with
his complicated family. The charac-
terization is superb, and few other
shows could portray homosexuals so
well or deal with a plot involving a
dead porn star. With creator Alan
Ball ("American Beauty") at the
helm, HBO guaranteed at least a
second season of the drama.
Witchblade (TNT) After kick-
ing up some major ratings in a two-
hour movie based on the comic
book, the producers of "Witch-
blade," decided to turn it into a
series - a hit series. Homicide
detective Sara Pezzini (Yancy Butler,
"Drop Zone") has been chosen to
wear the Witchblade, an ancient
weapon with amazing powers and a
mysterious background. Pezzini now
has the 'power to see the killer's
crime as well as perform extraordi-
nary stunts, but this power comes at
a price. Various people are after both
Sara and the Witchblade, but who is
she to trust? The series has already
been renewed for another season,
and after an explosive season finale
it's just a matter of time before
"Witchblade" becomes a household
name.
Night Visions (FOX) - Henry
Rollins hosts this new "Twilight
Zone"-esque anthology series, where
each week A-list stars submit them-
selves to paranormal and nightmar-
ish story lines. Featured guests have
included Bridget Fonda, Randy
Quaid, Natasha Lyonne and Brian
Dennehy. Former Black Flag front-
man, Rollins gives a surly impres-
sion of Rod Serling, while the
stories themselves herald back to
Steven Spielberg's "Amazing Sto-
ries." This new incantation of the TV
cult classic pushes the next genera-
tion to its mental limits.
Sex and the City (HBO) - Car-
rie, Miranda, Samantha and Char-
lotte are back and they are better
than ever. In its fourth season, our
single gals are not so single any-
more. Caution: Spoilers ahead! The
very outgoing Samantha (wink,
wink) finished up a lesbian relation-
ship and headed straight for the sky
with her new boss. Meanwhile, as
Charlotte and her nebbish husband,
Trey, work like rabbits to conceive
their first child, Miranda is getting
busy with her ex-boyfriend who just
lost part of his manhood to testicular
cancer. So maybe it was only once,
but that's all it took for this career
girl to anxiously await her own little
bun in the oven. So what's with Car-
rie? Well Ms. Bradshaw is now
engaged to her rugged boyfriend
Adian. Can Big be'lurking far
behind? Still as quick-witted as ever,
"Sex in the City" returns with six all
new episodes in January.
The Sopranos (HBO) - To tem-
per the long wait between the early
summer end of season three and
next year's new season, HBO is
rerunning the first three seasons in
order, with one episode coming each
Sunday. For those who missed the
death of Livia, Joe Pantaliano's bril-
liant portaryal of troubled mobster
Ralph Cifaretto or the quick entry
and departure of Jackie Jr., now is
the time to get caught up. Don't dis-
respect the Bing by missing these.
Courtesy of HBO, TNT and ABC
Clockwise from-top left: The gals of "Sex and the City," Yancy Butler In "Witchblade,"
Wayne Brady in "The Wayne Brady Show" and Tony Soprano in "The Sopranos."
Summer filled with
authors both old and
few, British take
over book scene
By Lisa Rajt
Books Editor
New York City and London were
featured prominently, as well as
v.audevillian comedians, wealthy
socialites, Jewish escape artists,
nmiedia Whores, working-class Eng-
lishmen and bi-racial schoolchild-
ren.
. This was an eventful summer in
the world of literature, both in the
trade paperback and hardcover are-
nas.
;lative newcomers such as This-
be Nissen and Zadie Smith were
welcomed with open arms; Nissen,
for "The Good People of New York,"
a.hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-
a.e: mother and daughter tale, and
Smith for "White Teeth," a witty,
fascinating look at three generations
and as many cultures, set in work-
ing-class London. Smith smartly
tlvs in an exploration of the ethi-
ca issues surrounding genetic engi-
neering for good measure.
'Old-timers such as John Irving
were less successful in their summer
literary endeavors. Irving's eagerly
anticipated novel, "The Fourth
Hand," was trashed by everyone
from The New York Times to the
"Podunk Press." Many claimed that
Irving mocked himself and his style,
something a literary author should
n r, ever do. Well, he warned
e Myone that "The Fourth Hand"
would be a departure from his usual
Dickensian antics.
Nick Hornby and Michael Chabon
continued to impress the literary
world. Perpetuating the British
takeover whose momentum was
started by Zadie Smith, Hornby's
underrated "How to Be Good"
hu orously delved into the issues of
a' rking-class English family. As
for "Wonder Boys" author Michael
Chabon ... well, he won the presti-
gious Pulitzer Prize in April for
"The Amazing Adventures of Kava-
lier and Clay." A story of two Jewish
men who gain fame in the comic
combines the necessary elements of
good literature.
Here in Ann Arbor, summer siz-
zled with the heat from some of the
year's best authors arriving for read-
ings. Nissen, Charles Baxter and
W.D. Wetherell, among others,
showed up to discuss their work with
large, enthusiastic crowds.
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