0 0 14B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Thursday, February 21, 2002 A guide to who's where, Thursday, February 21 what's hapenng and why TIIT through you n tobemthere... Wednesday, February 27 Films opening1__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magaine 'HITTING THE POST' WCBN keeps the airwaves alive with i Dragonfly While many of you travel to foreign nations to celebrate your spring break, Kevin Costner will stay in America playing to empty theaters and downward thumbed critics. At Showcase: 12:55, 3:10, 5:25, 7:40, 10:05, 12:20 (Fri. and Sat.). Queen of the Damned This isn't funny: Don't you hate it when an actor dies in real life and then dies in a film that comes out posthumously. I haven't seen this movie yet, but I'm bringing tissue. At Showcase: 12:00, 12:30, 2:15, 2:45, 4:30, 5:00, 6:45, 7:15, 9:00, 9:30, 11:15 (Fri. and Sat.), Films holding BY WILL EL-NACHEF DAILY ARTS WRITER . The University's radio station, 88.3 WCBN FM, is largely unknown. But, similar to that hole in the wall restaurant that's really good but you don't want other people to find out about and "ruin" it for you, WCBN's obscurity isn't such a bad thing. "We try to pres- ent our music in a way so that we can get as many people to lis- ten to what we're doing as possible, but there's a fundamental E roblem in playing music that isn't built into the mega-money usiness like the formatted radio stations are," explained James Ilgenfritz, a senior at the School of Music and a WCBN DJ. A Beautiful Mind Why does Daniel Day- Lewis make two movies every four years and Russell is on screen every other week?! At Showcase: 1:15, 4:00, 6:40, 9:50, 12:25 (Fri. and Sat.). *** Big Fat Liar Pig Vomit used to be an up- and-coming star; now he's second fiddle to middle-loving Malcolm. At Showcase: 12:45, 2:40, 4:35, 7:10, 9:05, 11:10 (Fri. and Sat.). * Black Hawk Down Ridley Scott could learn a little something from "La Grande Illusion" and realize that our military enemies are real people, too. At Showcase: 12:45, 3:40, 6:35, 9:35, 12:15 (Fri. and Sat.). *** - Collateral Damage It is official, turn on AMC because Arnold's "Predator" is now an official classic; "If it bleeds, we can kill it." At Showcase: 12:25, 2:55, 5:10, 7:25, 9:45, 12:00 (Fri. and Sat.).**o The Count of Monte Cristo Guy Pearce is on the cover of GQ, those Aussies are taking over! At Showcase: 1:30, 4:15, 6:50, 9:55, 12:20 (Fri. and Sat.). *** Crossroads "Hey Babe, how's the fetus?" An actual line from Britney's film debut. At Showcase: 12:50, 3:15, 5:15, 7:20, 9:25, 11:25 (Fri. and Sat.). * Hart's War We now know WWII was really about our hearts, not those pesky Nazi's. At Showcase: 1:45, 4:20, 7:35, 10:10, 12:30 (Fri. and Sat.). ** I am Sam Sean Penn should go back to directing low-budget indie films no one sees. At Showcase: 1:20, 4:05, 6:55, 9:40, 12:10 (Fri. and Sat.). *** In the Bedroom ITB's director Todd Field almost got the lead in "Say Anything" over Johnny Cusack; spread the knowl- edge! At Showcase: 1:05, 3:45, 6:30, 9:10, 11:55 (Fri. and Sat.). **** John Q Julia Roberts can't live in a world where Denzel hasn't won the Oscar for best Oscar; go count your money, Julia. At Showcase: 12:10, 12:40, 2:35, 3:05, 5:05, 5:35, 7:30, 8:00, 10:00, 10:30, 12:30 (Fri. and Sat.). *** The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Frodo's journey will be easy if he just watches out for downed power lines during all ice storms. At Showcase: 1:10, 4:45, 8:15, 11:40 (Fri. and Sat.). ***** Monster's Ball Puffy says this monster bash is a graveyard smash At Showcase: 12:05, 2:25, 4:40, 7:00, 9:20, 11:50 (Fri. and Sat.). **** The Mothman Prophecies Can this real- ly be in theaters when "Dragonfly" comes out? They are the same movie! At Showcase: 12:25, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:20, 12:35 (Fri. and Sat.). *** Rollerball What happened, McTiernan? I remember when the Predator used to Die Hard in Red October. At Showcase: 2:30, 4:50, 9:15, 11:30 (Fri. and Sat.). Retum to Nevedand You know, for the kids. At Showcase: 1:00, 3:00, 4:55, 7:00, 8:45, 11:00 (Fri. and Sat.). The Royal Tenenbaums The new Criterion Collection "Rushmore" is out and it rocks; "Oh, are they?" At Showcase: 8:10, 10:25. ****y Snow Dogs Cuba shoplifted the pootie! You had me at ... never. At Showcase: 12:15, 2:10, 4:10, 6:10. * A Walk to Remember It's a bitch fight at the theaters: Spears vs. Moore. Let's go virgins! At Showcase: 12:20, 7:05. Courtesy of Universal Kevin Costner loses control on the set of "Dragonfly" after learning that he will not get to be a superhero in a dragonfly costume. Thursday BOOKS Deborah Copaken Kogan Reads Copaken Kogan reads from and signs copies of her book "Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War." 7 p.m., Borders Books & Music, 612 E. Liberty, free; 668-7652. Kathryn McCamant Reads McCamant reads from her book "Cohousing." 8 p.m., Shaman Drum Bookshop, 315 S. State, free; 662-7407. CAMPUS CINEMA Amelie She has stolen hearts all over the world, and Audrey Tautou isnow coming for Renee Zellweger's. State Theater, 6:45 & 9:15 p.m. The Business of Strangers Julia Stiles and Stockard Channing star in a por- trait of power in business. Michigan Theater, 9:40 p.m. Elizabeth Cate Blanchett's Oscar nomi- nated performance is mesmerizing and beautiful as the titular queen. Michigan Theater, 7 p.m. Gosford Park This is what happens when dinosaurs attack the British elite. State Theater, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Monster's Ball The moving tale of a beast recovering from a baseball acci- dent when he wasn't wearing a cup. Michigan Theater, 7:10 & 9:30 p.m. MUSIC Ron Brooks Trio Does Ronnie make it in every week because he is that good or beause I am toolazy to change this template? You be the judge. Bird of Paradise, 312 S. Main St., 8 p.m. $5 662-8310. Danny Barnes & thee Old Codgers Bluegrass with a banjo. The Ark, 316 S. Main St., 8 p.m. $13.50 761-1451. Bruce Pooley Duo Drown in this Pooley of pop. Habitat Lounge, Weber's Inn 3050 Jackson Road 8:45 p.m. Free 665-3636. THEA TER Eleemosynary Through monologues and short scenes, this Basement Arts play, written by Lee Blessing, examines the permutations of the mother-daughter bond among three generations of women. 7 p.m., Arena Theatre, Frieze Bldg, Free; 764-6800. Elizabeth Rex A runaway hit at Stratford, this play centers on the meeting of Ned Lowenscroft, Shakespeare's genius player of women and Elizabeth I, England's genius player of men. 8 p.m., Performance Network, 120 E. Huron, $20; 663-0681. A LTERNA TIVES SamulNori Led by artistic director Kim Duk Soo, this quartet is dedicated to preserving and performing traditional Korean music and dance. 8 p.m., Power Center, $16-30; 764-2538. Cavafy's World This exhibit, located in the Works on Paper Gallery, presents a series of etchings by well-known British artist David Hockney. The drawings focus on Hockney's representations of themes explored by poet Constantine P. Cavafy, including homosexuality and human memory. Michigan Museum of Art, 525 S. State, Free; 764-0395. Women Who Ruled: Queens, Goddesses, Amazons 1500-1650 This new exhibit focuses on the representa- tions of powerful females during the 16th and 17th centuries, a time when numerous states and kingdoms were led by women. Michigan Museum of Art, 525 S. State, Free; 764-0395. Friday 7 p.m., Nicola's Books, 2513 Jackson, free; 662-4110. CAMPUS CINEMA Amelle See Thursday. State Theater, 6:45 & 9:15 p.m. Gosford Park See Thursday. State Theater, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Lantana Geoffrey Rush and Anthony LaPaglia star in this award-winning Australiansmystery. Michigan Theater, 6:45 & 9:15 p.m. Monster's Ball See Thursday. Michigan Theater, 7:00 & 9:30 p.m. MUSIC Funktelligence, The Athletic Mic League Do they live atthe Blind Pig? The Blind Pig, 208 5. 1st St., 10 p.m. $6 ($8 under 21) 996-8555. Preston Woodward He goes folk now but he used to do alt. Rock and punk, that's some serious flava. Zou Zou's, Chelsea, 8 p.m. Free 433-4226. Superdot They're not a polka band but if they were the easily amused would laugh. T.C.'s Speakeasy, Ypsilanti 10:30 p.m. $3 483-4470. THEA TER Eleemosynary See Thursday. Elizabeth Rex See Thursday. ALTERNATIVES Cavafy's World See Thursday. Women Who Ruled: Queens, Goddesses, Amazons 1500-1650 See Thursday. Saturday BOOKS Loren Estelman and Deborah Morgan There's a lot more going on in the must basement of the Student Activities Buildin than simple disc jockeying. Several of th WCBN DJs practice the style of freeforn radio - a style of DJing that most peopl consider an art, or at least as something art like. In its briefest, simplest definition freeform is playing songs of all genres fror all parts of the world in one show. The artfu aspect of freeform is that most of these DJ don't have adamant playlists and instea improvise and often choose songs according to how a previously chosen song inspire them. "Usually I'll show up with a couple thing of my own that I hope I might get to, but I just sort of improvise the whole thing. I'm always ready to sudden- ly have some brilliant thing and I'll have to completely redi- rect myself at any moment," said Ilgenfritz. "What I try to do is never play the same genre back to back or more than twice in th show," added John Schietinger, an LSA jun ior and freeform DJ at WCBN. Freeform isn't just about variety of music though. The DJ's purpose is to reach and dis play a deeper understanding of the music. "It's not just about the songs you're play ing; it's about the meaning of everything you're playing in the context of the whol world. Whatever you're playing, you play i from the perspective of 'it's my job t( Editors: Matt kGrandstaff, JaneKrull MAGAZINE Associate Editors: Caitlin Nish, Andy Taylor-Fabe Writers: Will El-Nachef, Jenni Glenn, Rich Haffner, Kari Johnson, Neal Pais, Manish Raiji Photo Editor: David Katz Photogra her: Emma Fosdick, Kelly Lin, Brett ountain, Alyssa Wood Cover Photo: Alyssa Wood Arts Editors: Lyle Henretty, Luke Smith, Managing Editors, Jeff Dickerson, Associate Editor Editor in Chief: Jon Schwartz y g e n e - z, n Is d g d address the music of all parts of the world, of all walks of life,' from European classical music to punk rock to folk music to West African polyrhythmic drumming. It goes beyond simple eclecticism - the more you are able to strive for the ideals that freeform stands for, you're getting closer to the real true meaning that lies beneath all music ... The more you're able to play all the different kinds of music, you're getting a larger pic- ture of the whole thing. It's like a mosaic," Ilgenfritz said. A lot of what a ,4 freeform DJ does ;s depends on juxtaposi- tion. An example of this is contrasting the moods of the songs, like an aggressive song followed by a mellow one, or a loud song fol- lowed by a soft song. The DJ also plays songs from uncommon genres in series to produce another type of contrast. For example, a sample of Schietinger's set from his freeform show last Friday goes: e British electronic, reggae, '50s soul, ambient - electronic, folk, lounge and then instrumen- tal hip-hop. "I think it's an important position that freeform DJs have. Because there's so much music in this world that to put it in a certain - order is totally unique to you ... I can put g music in the right context to make it sound e differently than it would otherwise," t Schietinger said. o The DJ can also play the freeform game by using consistency in the order of songs. "I'll arrange five or six tunes that will make a beautiful transition from one kind of music to another by way of like 'they're all composed by one person' or 'they're all from people who lived in the same town.' Some sort of connection in the music that goes beyond the notes," Ilgenfritz said. With all this heavy talk of the craft of the disc jockey and the art in present- ing music in freeform, some people may find WCBN's format to be eso- teric. "I don't want to say it's for a more select few, but there are fewer people that are able to identify with it immedi- ately," admitted Ilgenfritz. However, he continued, "As a college radio station goes, our listenership is enormous. But it's not the kind of level as the kind of radio stations that play pop or any other single format type of thing." Although WCBN has received praise by magazines such as Rolling Stone for its freeform format, the station has gotten criticism as being a heavily leftist station that does not play what the students want to hear. Schietinger counters the critics by answer- ing, "I don't think it's the station's responsi- bility to pander and give people what they can hear anywhere else. It's whatever the DJ wants. It's not about playlists ..: Do you want all the movie theaters to be show- ing the same movies? Do you want all the TV channels to be showing the same shows? That's why you have sta- tions like this and art house movie the- atres. Not everybody wants the same Pthing." Schietinger.compared WCBN to format- ted radio stations, saying, "Music is more than just MTV and Britney Spears and everything that you're forced to listen to. When you turn on the radio, you don't have a choice in what they're playing. They'll play it 50 times a day just so it'll sell more units. That's not at all what this station is about; that's what people need to know." With its non-profit and non-commercial- ized orientation, it's easy to understand that money is tight at WCBN. If you ask to see a picture of Bill Cosby's visit to WCBN when he first started touring college radio stations to begin his comedy career, you'll notice that the walls and design of the station then are identical to today's. "It would be nice to have a new studio, but to be surrounded by the things that peo- ple saw nice. It part of a WCBT listener in dona comes d is what I But th tain by 1 talk by charging the song WCBN, pay," sai DJ John Lamberson, Angela Pilchak and Ben Tausig share a few la BOOKS Phone Numbers: Michigan Theater: 668-8397; Quality 16: 827-2837; Showcase: 973-8380; State: 761-8667. Showtimes are effective Friday through Thursday. Matinee times at State Theater are effective for Saturday and Sunday only. Pam Flowers Reads Author and explor- er Flowers reads from and signs copies of her book "Alone Across the Arctic."