Friday January 24, 2003 michigandaily.corm/arts mae@michigandaily.com ARTS 5 CBS SHOW DEVALUES THE WORD 'SUPREME' By Katie Marie Gates Daily Arts Writer * According to the realm of television drama, there are only two settings in which intellectual and successful Americans reside: The operating room and the courtroom. CBS once again pro- vides the latter with its latest "Queens Supreme," a drama that rehashes the legal system from the perspective of the Queens, N.Y. Supreme Court judges. Tossing in some colorful cases and char- acters, the one-hour Friday night show provides serves as a father figure, presiding over the seri- ous case of a cancer patient, reminding him of his own wife's death. Surprisingly interesting characters are also found in the legal aides, Carmen Hui (Marcy Har- riell, "Rent") and Mike Powell (James Madio, "Band.of Brothers"). The two offer assistance and comic relief to the judges. Refreshingly, half the cast sport New York accents, a detail often overlooked in TV dramas set in areas with a distinctive dialect. The story- line has potential but fails to live up to it. The some laughs but leaves viewers wanting something more. The pilot episode introduces us to eccentric Judge Jack Moran (Oliver Platt, "A Time to Kill") as he bursts into song in the middle of trial. A hilarious opening to the series proves to be the undoing of this unconventional liberal judge. While he finds himself on trial against the mayor's associates, the young Kim Vicidomini (Annabella Sciorra, "The QUEENS SUPREME opening scene of singing on the bench indicates a different show than what follows, leaving the audi- ence questioning the program's intent. Are we supposed to laugh or cry? Maybe both. However, this realistic attempt proves boring. Half-way through the first episode Kim's gun is stolen from her handbag by a crazed father seeking justice for his daughter's Fridays at 10 p.m. CBS Courtesy of Nintendo Mario scores hi! Sopranos"), a Republican, shows up to take his place. It is soon clear that the mayor, up for reelection, is looking to make his mark in the Supreme Court. While Kim attacks her first trial, in which the only piece of evidence is the plaintiff's penis in a jar, she must also contend with her new cowork- ers. Judge Rose Barnea (L. Scott Caldwell, "Wait- ing to Exhale") is tough and rude. Hard headed and looking for justice, she disagrees with Vicidomini's new appointment. The kinder Judge Thomas O'Neill (Robert Loggia, "Jagged Edge") rape. Moran soon pulls out his gun and it seems the show is going to take a drastic turn, but all is resolved and the only shot fired hits the ceiling. Obviously, creator Kevin Fox real- ized the audience needed a little wake up, but comedic writing would have been more appro- priate than gunplay. By the end of the first edition, Moran.has regained his job with the help of newcomer Vicidomini. The show ends with another humor- ous musical interlude by Platt, showing he is "Queens Supremes"'s best bet for survival. Nintendo's 'Mario Party 4' lacking in depth, not action Courtesy o1 Here comes the judge. No wait, it's your man. By Daniel Yowell Daily Arts Writer Common plays ringmaster on eclectic 'Circus' By Joseph Litman Daily ArtsWriter Oh boy. We should have seen this coming. Between hanging out with the Roots and falling in love with Erykah Badu, Common has been fix- ing for something new, and partially crazy, for a while, and now it is finally upon us. Elec- tric Circus is one of the s most eclectic, bizarre records hip-hop has *E seen in recent time. Such distinctions do ELETRII not carry with them Con normative evaluations, O however, and this Okay album has both many strengths and many flaws. Oddly, though, the record is almost more about the growth of its executive producer, Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, than Common himself. Those familiar with ?uestlove's profound apprecia- tion for and curiosity about music will quickly begin to appreciate this distinction as they listen to a varied album that draws as heavily on rock and roll as it does on standard hip- hop elements. Thompson has endowed this LP with a wide range of sounds. The record's opening song, "Ferris Wheel," is a quiet, smooth instrumental piece featuring the * infrequent, melodic chants of Vinia Mojica CIRCUS and Marie Daulne, non evocative of a pristine, bucolic setting. Any er MCA remnants of these serene feelings are later completely destroyed by the loud, energetic "Electric Wire sounds are found throughout Circus, as are a bevy of instrumental jams between tracks that serve as the album's transitions. Noting the significant influence of the Roots' drummer and sound mas- termind does not diminish Common's creativity or talent, however. The verses spit by Lonnie Lynn at times border on poetry, and as always, he makes use of his forum by filling the songs with poignant ideas about love, black society, the music industry and knowledge of self. "I'm the only cat in hip-hop who could go to a thrift shop / Bring that up to the ghetto and still get props" is just one example of Common's keen awareness concern- ing his place in music, a hiche from which he commands great respect by being himself - a funky cat with diverse interests and influences. As alluded to previously, Circus is a mixture of good and bad. The best tracks, "Come Close" and "I Got a Right Ta," are Neptunes productions, When the first "Mario Party" debuted on Nintendo 64 in 1999, it ushered in a new wave of video board games. Since then, Nintendo's inventive game has been replicated time and time again, with other developers copying the format and inserting their own mascots. While two more entries in the "Mario Party" series appeared on the. N64, clones featuring characters from Crash Bandicoot to Pac Man fol- lowed, with minimal success. Now, "Mario Party" is back in its fourth installment, and it's still the best game of its kind on the market. This time around, Mario has relo- cated his party to a more upscale rC mn lay( :co the former a smoother R&B song while the latter a funky jam with a sinister bass. The unique "New Wave" also deserves mention for its beautiful chorus. Other, more exper- imental songs, like "Star *69" and "Jimi was a Rock Star," don't work because they sound flat and boring. These shortcomings are illustrative of the album's theme, growth, and all that comes with it. locale - namely, the Nintendo GameCube. As the first game in the series to appear on the system, "Mario Party 4" features greatly enhanced graphics and sound. The characters and environments are polished and look great while the music and sound effects suit the game very well. Althoughl Hustler Flower," an electric guitar- carried song whose chorus features Common and Sonny of P.O.D. shouting the title in a scratchy har- mony. Similar juxtapositions of MARIO P Ninte Hudsor For Gam MP4 does ters, for example, can stomp on their opponents in passing and snag some of their coins. Mini characters can pass through pipes and participate in mini games that normal characters can't reach. Aside from the mushroom update, few other additions have been made to the "Mario Party" formula this time around. Instead, MP4 is a tighter "Mario Party" than its predecessors, featuring the most dynamic level design seen in the series so far and 70 well-designed mini games, with filler trimmed down to a bare minimum. Few, if any, of the mini games fall flat and some, such as the "Tetris"- inspired Bob-omb Breakers, are even good enough to stand alone. Unfortunately, "Mario Party 4" includes hidden features that can only be unlocked in the sin- gle-player Story Mode, which is just like Party Mode only without the human interaction that ARTY 4 makes Party Mode fun. In order to play the final ndo/ board with friends, a n Soft player must first finish ecCube every board alone, which is an excruciat- ingly boring and tedious task. While Story Mode does feature a handful of excellent single player mini games, playing through six full-length games against computer-controlled characters is not much fun. If locked features are a must, they should be accessible either through a better Story Mode optimized for single players or through standard Party Mode. "Mario Party 4" may be the best game in the series so far, but it is still a party game and little more. Fans of the series or multiplayer gaming in general should definitely check it out, but it is doubtful that MP4 will keep lone garners entertained for long. Cre- ative groups of friends can also make "Mario Party 4" their own by spicing the game up a little. Raising the stakes by putting some cash on the line can add a whole new dimension to the game. Or, to make a "Mario Party" really interesting, why not turn it into a drinking game? "Mario Party" possesses nearly endless mul- tiplayer possibilities, but without at least two players, it has little to offer. In order to get the most out of "Mario Party 4," it is best to bring the party to Mario, not to expect Mario to bring it to you. Korean drummers keep the beat alive at U' By Melissa Runstrom Daily Arts Writer Rhythm, beat, beauty and move- ment all unite in Sinaboro's third annual concert on Saturday. Sin- aboro is the University's traditional Korean drumming group that aims to raise awareness of Korean culture in the Michigan Community. The group performs a type of music called Poongmul, which utilizes four instruments representing natu- ral elements; the Janggo and Buk drums symbolize rain and clouds while the Kkwengari and Jing stand for lightning and wind, respectively. The Poongmul music has its ori- gins.in the agricultural communities of Korea where it was used to express happiness and thanks after the harvest season. Now it is being employed to increase solidarity and awareness between students and tra- ditional Korean culture and political rights. In 1978 the music was revo- lutionized and adapted for stage per- formances and concerts. Currently the music is practiced at almost every major university in the nation. Sinaboro, itself, formed in 1998 with just nine members. Currently, the group is comprised of thirty enthusiastic students who practice once a week, shaking SINA the walls with their .motivating beats. The At T group isn't all work, as Mendelsso Sinaboro president Saturdaya Hahna Kim states, "In $6 pre-s addition to everyone $att being passionate about drumming, I think everyone likes coming together and having fun." The word Sinaboro means little by little or gradually without notice. The group seems to have kept true to its name by slowly growing and impacting the community. This year, B he ohs at al th in particular, they are trying to increase attention on.substance abuse problems at U of M. Two years ago Sinaboro member Byung Soo Kim died of alcohol poisoning just after his twenty-first birthday. The drummers are donating all tick- et sales to his memori- al fund, which endeavors to educate BORO students on substance abuse issues. L dia The upcoming show in heater differs from past annu- 7:30 p.m. al concerts in that e tickets there will be a "Romeo e door and Juliet" subplot with feuding families. Besides the Sinaboro students, a group of adopted Korean children from the community will also be performing along with the Korean Students Association group, pre- senting modern Korean dancing. The theme for this concert is "Love of a Century." This ties into both their "Romeo and Juliet" subplot as well as honoring the one-hundredth anniversary of Korean immigration, a time filled with trials and difficul- ties in terms of discrimination, but is ultimately a kind of love story. Sinaboro, a group where everyone is welcomed, attempts to cross Korean ancestral differences. "It is better to be united as one, as. Sinaboro, then apart from each other," Kim says. During this year's concert, which has more of a play aspect than in previous years, there will be two kinds of drumming and three types of dancing including mask, sword and fan dancing performed by Sin- aboro. The group feels that the play aspect will add a new and interest- ing dimension to the concert, which is important to Sinaboro. The group's president said, "I feel good when people really enjoy them- selves at the show." not push the envelope technically, it looks great for what it is and makes good use of the GameCube's hardware. "Mario Party 4" retains the same basic gameplay that made the first three games popular - players control Mario and his pals as they advance around a board, challenging each other at a variety of mini games and earning the coins necessary to purchase stars. The player with the most stars at the end of the game wins. What keeps "Mario Party 4" excit- ing is how quickly a game can turn around. The "Reversal of Fortune" board forces random players to swap stars or coins, and "Boo's Crystal Ball" allows players to steal from their opponents, keeping things interesting all the way through the final turn. For its first foray into GameCube territory, Nintendo has refined "Mario Party," incorporating only a few inno- vations. Most significant is the addi- tion of mega and mini mushrooms, which not only increase or decrease the number of dice used for a player's turn, but also increase or decrease their character's size, triggering spe- cial events on the board. Mega charac- THE TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2002? PEEP THE Focus. i1 Day, Evening and Weekend Appointments (734) 971-1970 (800) 858-4992 STUDENT DISCOUNTS Routine Gynecological Care Low Cost Birth Control Pills Abortions through 24 weeks Medications Available - Conscious Sedation Non-Surgical Options Available RU-486/Abortion Pill - Methotrexate/Abortion Injection I ..,...... h ,. . . >_ . .