I Under the big top... James Cook reads from his book "The Arts of Deception: Playing Fraud in the Age of Barnum" today at Shaman Drum. 4 p.m. michigandaily.com /arts ARTS TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2001 5 Singer Michelle Branch opens the Unlisted tour FOX premieres " a innovative concept tonight on-'24' By Keith N. Dusenberry Daily Arts Writer If you babysit preteens after they get home from school or spend time with a middle school-aged sib- ling, you might have seen the video for Michelle Branch's TRL hit "Everywhere." It would be quite Michelle Branch Blind Pig Tonight at 8 p.m. an accomplishment for the 18- year-old singer/songwriter - if she didn't have the double- headed corporate Hydra of Maverick Records (Madonna's label) and Kenneth Cole sup- porting her, because with that kind of corporate pedigree some sort of success is all but assured. Maverick's more "real" answer to Britney Spears and her "inflated" friends, Branch comes off as a girl caught up in the business of rock, focus- ing on growing her career while trying to retain some form of street cred. Right. The Michigan Daily spoke with her from the road on her Kenneth Cole Unlisted Tour of Big Ten colleges. Tm; MICHIGAN DAILY: Hello? MICHELLE BRANcH: Hey! This is Michelle. TMD: And you're in Wisconsin now? MB: Uhh ... yeah! Wisconsin! I'm at a KFC in Wisconsin. I just ordered some food. TMD: OK, well,. then we'll keep it short so that' you can eat. MB: OK, great. TMD: Our article's about your tour and how it came together and stuff and your upcoming show here in Ann Arbor. Your tour is only coming to Big Ten schools. Tell me about that. MB: Well, Kenneth Cole approached me to do it. We've been planning this for over a year. Since before my album and everything. TMD: Kenneth Cole approached you or they approached Maverick? MB: They approached Maverick because they wanted Jude to do the tour. Maverick played them my stuff, and they were like, "OK, we want her too!" TMD: What's in it for you? Did Kenneth Cole give you free stuff? MB: They let us go to the Kenneth Cole store and .pick out things. I got an awesome leather jacket. But the Unlisted tour is mostly about shoes. TMD: The Unlisted Tour is mostly about shoes? MB: Yeah, Kenneth Cole Unlisted is a new line of shoes. TMD: You're doing the commercials for them, right? MB: Yeah. TMD: It seems like Maverick is marketing you as the not-pre-fab, down to earth rock and roller, but you're on a corporate-sponsored tour; how do you reconcile that? MB: Huh? TMD: Maverick is marketing you as the not-pre- fab, down to earth rock and roller, but you're on a corporate-sponsored tour; how do you justify that? MB: Well, since we were approached before any- thing had happened yet - my album wasn't even out yet - I thought this might be a cool opportunity. TMD: What about the battle of the bands? MB: I think it's an awesome idea. TMD: And your shows? How have they been? Jude? MB: All the people at the shows have been awe- some. Jude's been awesome! He's been doing these dance contests. Last night he brought people up on stage. It was awesome. TMD: Have you met Madonna? MB: [laughs] Yeah! I met her in New York before her show at Madison Square Gardens. She was real- ly cool! She told me that she thought my CD was really cool! I was like, "Are you kidding me?!? Madonna thinks my CD is cool!?!" TMD: Wow. Do you still get nervous on stage? MB: Nah. I never really got nervous. I feel more comfortable on stage than anywhere else. TMD: Since your tour is hitting colleges, are you checking them out, shopping for schools along the way? MB: Nah. I actually ... when I finished high Michelle Branch is finger-lickin' good. school, I decided I didn't want to go to college. I wanted to focus on my music. College is something I can fall back on if I decide to ... I'd probably go to a music college ... TMD: You're 18, you're popular on MTV's teen favorite TRL, but your Ann Arbor show (and most of your tour) is 21 and up. What gives? MB: Yeah. I'm kind of bummed about that. We made the plans before I had my album out and any- thing had happened ... I thought this would be my only tour ... [pause, mumbling] TMD: Oh. MB: Sorry, I had a biscuit in my mouth. So, are you gonna be at the show? TMD: Uhh ... yeah...1 think so. I'll try. MB: OK. Cool. - TMD: OK, Michelle, thanks. I think we got it here and you can get back to eating. MB: OK. Thanks. Bye! TMD: Take it easy. If you like childproofed acoustic-rock, check out' Michelle Branch's show at the Blind Pig tonight. Unfortunate for her ticket sales, because they planned this tour a year ago and Branch didn't know that her target audience was going to be TRL-loving 12 to 17-year-olds, tonight's show (and nearly every show on her tour) is 21 and up. But bring her some fried chicken and she'll see what she can do. 24 FOX Tonight at 9 p.m. season. But after the tragic events of Sept. 11, the fate of the series lay in jeopardy. How would a grieving nation handle such a rel- evant topic in the midst of a nation- al tragedy? "24" revolves By Christian Smith Daily Arts Writer Earlier this fall, FOX's new action drama "24" received an incredible amount of pre-season buzz. Months before it was to set to debut, critics were hailing it as the best new show of the around the life of government agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), as he tries to stop an assassination attempt on an African-American Presidential candi- date. Episode One begins at midnight on the day of the California Primary. Jack, who heads up the CIA's fictional Counter Terrorist Unit, is suddenly called into the office to deal with the presidential threat. Pulled away from home just as his daughter disappears in the night, Jack must weed out a possible double agent while he attempts to solve his family problems over a cell phone. While the actual premise of the show is a fairly typical thriller story, it's the concept that's the kicker. The idea to take one day in the lives of these charac- ters and stretch it out over an entire sea- son of television, makes use of this unique real-time element by spanning each episode over one hour of that day. Although the series does bear a striking similarity to the 1995 Johnny Depp film "Nick Of Time," which used a similar assassination/real-time concept, the idea is wholly original to network television. The real-time device, along with the gimmicky split-screen editing and pur- posefully uneven sound mix all allow the audience to follow multiple overar- ching subplots simultaneously Sutherland, who has been seen recent- ly, only in made for TV and straight-to- video titles, displays strong emotional subtlety in his first high-profile role in years. The supporting cast is solid as well, especially Elisha Cuthbert as Jack's troubled daughter and Dennis Haysbert as Senator Palmer, the presidential can- didate. However, the real excitement lies in watching Sutherland struggling to balance his family crisis with the emerg- ing national one. His taut and tense por- trayal of Jack's wounded family man and expert,-agent may be seeing a few Emmy votes around this time next year. But while awards and praise linger in the background, the true test will come tonight, when the series premieres after a slight delay and minus a possibly offensive exploding airplane sequence. Playing out like a mini- action movie each week, there is no question that "24" is a precedent setting television show. And while this sleek new thriller may redefine the television landscape in the years to come, more immediately it will assess the strength of the American peo- ple in this newly content-conscious era. ,.New details, functions rule 'Civilization' By Jim Schiff Daily Fine/Performing Arts Editor Quality strategy gaming and Sid Meier's "Civilization" are almost syn- onymous. Consistently rated as the best strategy game series of all time, the Grade: A Civilization 111 For PC Firaxis Games "Civilization" games brought- a level of detail and sophistication never seen in the genre back in the mid-'90s. It is no surprise, then, that "Civilization III" is even more addicting, fun and challenging than the previous two games. "Civilization III" allows you to con- trol an empire and compete for world domination against up to seven other nations. Political, cultural and military strategies play an enormous role in your success as an emperor; failing to excel in all three is a clear-cut recipe for defeat. When the game starts out, the player selects from a number of cus- tomizable options, such as the tempera- ture and size of the landmass to play on. Choosing your civilization, such as the English, French, Russians, Aztecs or Germans then becomes a crucial task: Each empire has strengths and weak- nesses that clearly alter the outcome of the game. If you're familiar with the first two games in the series, then "Civilization III" is familiar territory. Once your set- tler units decide on a suitable plot of land to build a city, you watch your empire grow before your eyes. Aiding you in your task are six advisors who manage the intricacies of your domain, such as foreign affairs, trade, military, finance and culture. Unlike the previous games, the advisors are animated and colorful; it gives the illusion of a real person making important decisions. WOULD. YOU LIKE TO SWING ON A * ~STAR~ CAtRY MOOBEAMS HOME. IN A JAR? AND BE BETTER OFF THAN YOU Each makes recommendations on how to improve your empire and none are afraid to tell you if you're doing a bad job. Micromanaging your empire is a daunting task. The more cities you build, the more you have to keep track of. Depending on the difficulty you choose, added variables such as riots in your cities, barbarian attacks and cor- ruption in city governments can impede your progress. Luckily, "Civilization III" has made it easier than ever to streamline your duties as an emperor. You can zoom into each city, which brings up a new screen that allows you to queue the production of buildings and military units. This concept, a car- ryover from the "Civilization: Call to Power" series, allows you to concen- trate on the larger, more salient aspects of your empire and ignore some of the intricate mouse clicking. Since the game starts in ancient times and spans way into the future, it's not unusual to have one game that lasts thousands of years. Watching your empire flourish and evolve through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and into modern times is truly amazing. The designers have paid particular attention to the changing architecture of the buildings and city structures over time. The player can, for the first time, obtain an aerial view of each city and see each building. Though this is a purely asthet- ic component, it still gives "Civilization III" a "Sim-City" type of feel that is welcoming to the player. The game truly enters the stratos- phere by its phenomenal level of authenticity. Each opposing civiliza- tion's leader, whether Queen Elizabeth or Tokugawa, displays prominent physi- cal and personality traits that are both historically accurate and humorous. Intimidating the enemy plays a large role in how "Civilization III" is played. Clever politics can be the saving grace of a leader and an effective way to hold off enemy attacks. In addition, wonderful period music is merely a backdrop to a game that is likely to usher in a whole lot of late night procrastination and legions of fans. * * * * '* What are you looking for in a Graduate School? Chances are we have it! Penn GSE offers Doctoral (Ph.D. & Ed.D.) and Master's degrees in: Education, Culture and Society Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Educational Leadership Teaching English to Speakers of Other Educational Linguistics Languages School, Community, and Clinical Child Educational Policy Psychology-~ Higher Education Management Dual Degree with School of Arts and Tntercimel Communication Sciences' Courtesy o Kiefer gives one hell of a sexy face. ntercuiturai korniuni Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development Policy Research, Evaluation, and. Measurement Psychological Services' Reading/Writing/Literacy* Elementary & Secondary Teacher Education* Executive Ed.D. in Higher Education Management Mid-Career Ed.D. in Educational and Organizational Leadership 'Sate crifcation available "APA accredited Courtesy of Firaxis "Civilization ill" puts gamers on easy street as they build their city. " A U T O M A TI In partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation ICHGA ECNM I I Automation Alley, the nation's newest and fastest growing technology cluster is way out ahead when it comes to exciting opportunities and a great way of life. It's under- standable why some of the world's leading corporations have chosen to headquarter here. More than 88,000 acres of parkland. 460 pristine lakes. Over 100 golf courses. Attractive, diverse communities. Competitive salaries and a cost of living that offers a big return on those salaries in one of the country's hottest settings-Oakland County, Michigan. [THE ALLEY] (000*)