Hey! Read this!
'On the Playground' is at the
East Quad auditorium
tonight at 7:30 only.
iRTS
michigandaily. com/arts
FRIDAY
MARCH 22, 2002
5
Hughley brings
irreverance to Hill
Tharp brings creative
steps, visionary style
to the Power Center
By Lyle Henretty
Daily Arts Editor
"Yeah, it's gonna be a good time
coming to the University," comedi-
an D.L. Hughley said of his upcom-
ing performance at
Hill Auditorium.
"There's always a dif-
ferent vibe performing D.L. H
in front of a college WSG
crowd. Lots of ener-
gy," Hughley told The BL
Daily. The comic will Hill Au
be on campus Sunday Sun. at
evening with Lewis $2
Black, best known for
his curmudgeonly
rants on "The Daily Show with
John Stewart."
Hughley originally made a name
for himself on HBO's "Def Comedy
Jam" and as the first host of BET's
"Comic View," has since done two
HBO comedy specials and has his
own television show on UPN, now
entering its third season.
The sitcom is a fictionalized
account of Hughley's own family
life. Hughley plays Darryl Hughley,
the owner of a successful vending
machine company, who moves his
family from a working-class neigh-
U
iul
L
AC
idi
7:3
10-2
borhood to a more upscale (and
slightly white) one. The racial
humor of the show is an offshoot of
the humor Hughley uses in his
standup routine, in which he decon-
structs stereotypes and pokes fun at
the social differences
between races in
everyday life. The
JGHLEY show has been a hit for
EWIS UPN's Monday night
CWS line-up. "I guess peo-
ple say they can relate
torium to my comedy, which
30 p.m. is good," sais Hughley.
23 .Despite his success
in numerous fields,
Hughley feels that
being funny is similar across differ-
ent media. "Although, you know,
comedy is comedy for me, no mat-
ter where I do it - whether it's on
stage at a school, or a [comedy]
club, a movie set or on the set of
the TV show. It's like a meal at Taco
Bell - all the same thing just fold-
ed a different way. I mean, who the
hell can tell the difference between
an enchirito and a burrito?"
Despite his flippant attitude
towards his craft, his importance is
apparent in the prestigious nomina-
tions of both Hughley and his tele-
By Archana Ravi
Daily Arts Writer
When Twyla Tharp has a vision,
she twists, bends and sometimes
juxtaposes it with three or four of
her other visions until the final
product is a work of creative
genius. This tendency is manifest-
ed in her dancers' bodies and is
illustrated in her choreography.
Hughley is determined to make you laugh, I
vision show. Both "The Hughleys"
and Hughley himself have received
NAACP Image Award nominations
each of the last four years.
Accolades aside, Hughley is dead
set on entertaining audiences. He
promises that "they can bet I'm
gonna be doing that this weekend."
He may be opening for Hughely,
but Lewis Black has his own cult of
like-minded anger-mongers sure to
be pleased by the comedian's
astounded haranguing of worldwide
stupidity.
Every Wednesday on "The Daily
Show," viewers are treated to
Black's recap of the world's greatest
Courtesy of UPN
like Taco Bell.
atrocities to the intellect during his
"Back in Black" segment. He is
known for his disheveled look and
frighteningly large forefingers,
which seem to take on a mind of,
their own when agitated. His simple
observations are often punctuated
by his extreme disgust for humani-
ty, as the casual viewer often won-
ders whether on not the comedian
may drop dead of a heart attack
while onstage.
Black's social observations and
hectic delivery meld perfectly with
Hughley's smooth racial and per-
sonal musings. This weekend's pair-
ing is sure to be an explosion of
Known by many as
America's greatest liv-
ing choreographer,
Tharp revolutionizes
dance fusion through
her unique integration
of ballet, modern and
jazz dance.
But Tharp is not one
to pursue all of her
visions. In 1988, she
TWYLAr
DAN
At Power
Tomorrow
Sun. at
first to step over the boundary
between modern dance and classi-
cal ballet.
Some of the troupe's most popu-
lar pieces, including Mozart's
"Clarinet Quintet, K.581" and
"Surfer at the River Styx," will be
performed this weekend at the
Power Center. The Mozart piece is
noteworthy because the dance takes
place on the beach, focusing on the
interactions between
men and women.
There are traditional
THARP male/female couples,
4CE but Tharp also created
a trio of lovers, which
Center make the story all the
at 8 p.m., more exciting. This
3 p.m. dance is filled with
acrobatic yet sexy
lifts, designed to draw
attention towards the inner thighs.
The "Surfer at the River Styx" is
based on Euripides' "The Bac-
chae." An interesting thing about
this piece is that it displays one of
Tharp's most notorious trademarks:
the juxtaposition of ballet with var-
ious forms of boogie.
Other featured dances in this
weekend's programs are "Westerly
Round," with music by Mark
O'Connor and "Sinatra Suites," a
dance set to one of America's most
popular and beloved singers.
East Lansing Film Festival this weekend
By Lyle Henretty and Andy TayloFabe
Daily Arts Editors
The fifth annual East Lansing Film Festival
(ELFF) kicked of Wednesday night with a screen-
ing of Jeff Daniels' new film "Super Sucker,"
with the Michigan actor-director and several cast
members in atten-
dence. The film,
which is about compe-
tition between door-
to-door vacuum
cleaner salesmen, is
the second effort of
Daniels' Purple Rose
Productions (after last
year's comedic
"Escanaba in da
Moonlight").
ers"), a collection of Czech fairytales brought to
the screen by director F.A Brabec. The seven dark
fairytales blend dark eroticism with themes of
death and despair.
Those less interested in high art can view Jessi-
ca Villines' "Plaster Caster," a documentary look
at the infamous rock groupie and her impressive
colection of plaster casts of rock star penises.
Tomorrow, the festival takes on a more interna-
tional flavor, showing both "Dear Fidel: Marita's
Story" from Germany and "Lumumba," a joint
effort between France, Belgium, Germany and
Haiti. Wilfried Huismann's documentary on the
life of concentration camp survivor/Castro-
lover/CIA operative/FBI operative with mob ties
Marita Lorenz is an interesting study in the nature
Films made by former Michigan residents are also
included.William Greaves' "Ralph Bunche: An
American Odyssey" follows the life of Bunche, a
human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner
and statesman. Greaves will also be at the screen-
ing.
On the lighter, more bizarre side is Christopher
Robin Hood's "Coping," a story of a man who is
mistaken for a terrorist after he meets the woman
of his dreams at the airport. He then begins an
exhaustive, city-wide search to find her.
The student film category, which has over a
dozen films this year, has two showings Sunday
afternoon. There will also be a seminar on Sunday
morning during which several filmmakers wil dis-
cuss their work and independent film.
brought her modern danice compa-
ny to a close after 20 years due to a
lack of sustained interest. Soon
after, she started missing her
troupe, so she formed another,
which eventually collapsed as well.
A third troupe came and went, just
like the others. But with her fourth
and most recent group of dancers,
the innovative and stylish Twyla
Tharp Dance Company, her work
has finally paid off.
The TTDC is composed of seven
veteran dancers from institutes
such as the American Ballet The-
atre, the New York City Ballet and
the Joffrey and Feld Ballets. These
dancers left their prestigious jobs
because they were attracted to
Tharp's artistic visions of dance.
And, because of this, Tharp chose
these dancers because of their
unconventionality.
When Tharp picks her dancers,
she walks into a ballet company,
looks around and selects the
dancers whom everyone else
ignores. Often, these dancers might
be the ones with less than "ideal"
body types or with otherwise
"ordinary" talent. .
It is this type of unconventional
practice that brought Tharp a lot of
criticism from the public eye.
Many complained that she was try-
ing to combine ballet with "lower"
dance forms. Her objective, howev-
er, was simply to intensify, comple-
ment and transform ballet, keeping
in mind its strong resilience. Tharp
became known as a "crossover"
choreographer because she was the
MrS I
5TH ANNUAL
EAST LANSING
FILM FESTIVAL
Michigan State campus
Thru Sun.
Prices vary
The ELFF's the largest film festival in Michi-
gan and boasts being the most diverse. It screens
short and student films as well as foriegn and
independet. They also have entire sub-festivals
dedicated to both children and homegrown
Michigan filmmakers.
The festival was created in 1997 with full sup-
port from the city of East Lansing and Michigan
State University.
The festival gets into full swing this weekend,
with speakers and films from around the world,
many making their mid-Michigan debuts. Last
night kicked off the main part of the festival with
"Hip Hop: The New World Order," a look at hip
hop's effect on global youth. Tonight is the festi-
val debut of the Czech film "Kytice" ("Wildflow-
of truth. Roaul
Peck's "Lumumba"
is a fictional
account of the rise
and assassination of
Patrice Lumumba,
the first prime min-
ister of independent
Congo.
Sunday is the
"Michigan's Own"
portion of the festi-
val. All of the film-
makers are from
in-state, and awards
are given for best
short film, feature,
documentary and
student films.
Courtesy of Twyla Tharp
Man, these guys sure can dance!
Courtesy of the East Lansing Film Festival
Huismann's documentary "Dear Fidel: Marita's story" contains both fact and fiction.
Bodies hit the floor: Drowmng
Pool lead Jagermeister tour
By Sonya Sutherland
Daily Arts Writer
JiAgermeister and its blend of 56 unique herbs, roots,
and fruits is a key ingredient at any classy soiree. There-
fore, it is no surprise that the essential hard liquor is now
supporting the essential hard spring tour and bringing a
good time with a puke-free guarantee (in the
form of a fine night of all-ages rock). First
up on the bill are 40 Below Summer, new-
comer to the mainstream arena but certainly JAGERb
not novices on stage. Handled by the same TOUR F
folks who brought Fear Factory and Slipknot DROWI
out of the underground, 40 Below share the
intensity found in their peers of hard rock At Clut
but fortunately spread their sonic foundation Sun. a
far past hoarse lyrics and distorted guitar
licks. Recognizing the importance of going
beyond the new trend of rap-rock singing and repetitive
catchy riffs, lead singer Max Illidge's alternation of softer
singing and more angst-motivated vocalization carries
their already-strong tracks into the category of superb.
Forty Below's set will end only to make room on stage
for Ill Nino, another new face in the hard crowd. They are
along the lines of a Soulfly-type intensity, but with a little
less aggression. Ill Nino maintains an energy sure to fire
up the mosh pit as well as entertain those more comfort-
able in seats, and it will eventually clear the way for Coal
Chamber.
Although Coal Chamber seems to have been missing-
in-action these days, rest assured that their days out of
sight have not been days laid to waste.
LOWEST PRICES!
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The Balcony
By Jean Genet
Directed by Mbala Nkanga
A controversial portrait ofpower
and sex set in a brothel.
March 28-30 & April 4- 6 at 8pm
March 31 & April 7 at 2pm
Trueblood Theatre
Join us for a discussion with the
director and cast following
the Friday evening performances!
General Admission $15
Students $7 with ID
League Ticket Office
Charge it! 734-764-2538
UM School of Music Dept. ofThatre & Drama
MEISTER
EATURING
NG POOL
:h Cargo's
t 6 p.m.
Originally accused of ripping off Korn,
the co-ed quartet has made it clear that they
are more than a third-generation copy of the
ever-popular heavy rock scene. Relying on
self-described "spooky-core" sound, Coal
Chambers' might as a metal contender is
backed up by its large fan following, despite
their absence from the scene. Though origi-
nal bassist Rayna Foss-Rose left the band to
care for her daughter, Coal Chamber is no
weaker for the loss, gearing up for the high-
ly anticipated release of their third effort.
Which brings us to the headliners, Drowning Pool.
They were the favorite of last summer's second stage
Ozzfest, and they are confirmed to appear on the headlin-
ing stage of this summer's bat-biting extravaganza.
Drowning Pool's first hit, "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor,"
may have been the anthem of last fall, but it still continues
to carry their record sales into platinum status. As one of
the hotter metal bands of the year, Drowning Pool relies
heavily on its no-frills approach to rock. There is no
make-up and there are no costumes, only straight music
- that's the strategy the boys have relied on to bring
them this far.
Gamma Sigma
National Greek
A ipha Academic Honor Society
Alpha Omicron Chapter - University of Michigan
Winter 2002 New Members
Congratulations to our
Winter 2002 initiates
for representing
academic excellence
Heather Bruce KKF
Elizabeth Burpee A'
Erin Danahy 2K
Karen Gibbons HB(D
Kara Horsley HB(D
Lindsey Kotler EAT
Katherine Pape AA
Elizabeth Erin Post XK
Jordan Powell AD
Monica Rose AX9
i