Friday February 2, 2003 michigandaily.com mae@michigandaily.com ARTS 5 STERLING SEES FUTURE AUTHOR ENVISIONS WORLD 50 YEARS FROM NOW By Ricky Lax Daily Arts Writer In 1981, Bruce Sterling, a science fiction writer who specializes in Futurism, wrote a story narrated by a suicidal jihad Arab terrorist who travels to Florida in order to kill a prominent Amer- ican political figure with bio-warfare powder. That is what's niceK about Futurism: People only talk about the pre- dictions that came true. Sterling's new book, "Tomorrow Now," went to print last year. In it, Sterling's predictions Sterling included the fact that, along with passports, travelers would get "per- Courtesy of Artisan Toss me the football. Madstone showcases five documentaries Following are some of Sterling's forecasts: Advances in genetic experimentation are real but not as bad as you may think. "Even though this is a genetically altered world, there are no weird-looking 'mutants' or 'monsters' in you house, neighborhood or city. They sound really cool and scary, but go ahead, make one. Where is the market?" says Sterling. The best thing public education will teach our child is how to learn. The process of learn- ing is important because success will come to those who constantly ride the wave of ever- obsolete knowledge - in other words, there would be no real graduation. Students learn to access data on the Internet, their primary infor- mation source, which has "no curriculum, no moral values, and no philosophy. It just brings on the data, railroad cars of it, data by the ton." Computer-molded objects and consumer electronics will look more and more like Poke- mon, "... fleshy, pseudo-alive, and seductive: rubbery, grippy, flexy, squeezy, pettable and cuddly." "Tomorrow Now" doesn't just predict the future, though. Sterling RROW goes to great lengths to describe W, three successful criminal/terrorists W: of recent times, and then explains )NING how analyzing their stories will T FIFTY help future crime fighters and .RS nations deal with these characters. But Sterling's readings of cur- Sterling rent social phenomenon are less House than original. "Our possessions often seem best suited for the harsh demands of a mountain-climbing rescue squad, even though we use them to go get a cappuccino," he states. By Zach Mabee Daily Arts Writer Fans of the documentary film should gird their loins for the upcoming Full Frame Series at Madstone Theater. A three-day saga beginning Feb. 28, the series will showcase five critically acclaimed documentaries: "The Two Towns of Jasper," "Return with Honor," "The First Year," "Startup.com" and "The Life and Times of Hank Green- berg." These previously-released documentaries candidly explore a variety of issues, ranging from depression-era major league base- ball to the plights of American POWs in Vietnam. "The Two Towns of Jasper," co- directed by Whitney Dow and Marco Williams, explores the 1998 James Byrd Jr. murder case as a means to highlight racial tensions in modern America. Dow, a white male, and Williams, an African American male, made "Towns" from a segregated perspective, as Dow and a white cameraman filmed and interviewed the town's white residents, while Williams and an African American cameraman filmed and interviewed the town's black residents. This emotionally- and racially-charged issue, viewed through segregated accounts, pro- vides a frank story that brings many perspectives and issues to light. "The First Year," directed by Davis Guggenheim, also attempts to gain insight into complex, mod- ern social realities; however, it focuses on public schools and the fate of young American teachers. It follows several of the profession's brightest prospects, and chronicles their trials and tribulations in hopes of recruiting more to the field in hopes of improving this nation's plagued educationsystem. Like "Towns," it is a plea for change and an arousing call to duty. The promotional highlight of the series is Freida Lee Mock and Terry Sanders's "Return with Honor," pre- sented by Tom Hanks. "Return" is a realist tribute to the many American POWs who were imprisoned and brutally tortured during the Vietnam War. The film provides a holistic account of pilots' imprisonments via firsthand accounts, perspectives from wives and family members and previously unreleased 35mm footage from Vietnamese archives. The end product is patriotic and tri- umphant but also mournful, remem- bering all those prisoners who are still missing in action. "Startup.com" affords viewers an insider's look into the lucrative but tenuous dot-com industry. Direc- tors Chris Hegedus and Jehane Noujaim follow one of Noujaim's Harvard classmates as he and his partner attempt to establish them- selves in the savage world of online entrepreneurship. "Startup" not only probes the realm of internet business, but it also explores the burden that business partnerships place on friendships. Aviva Kempner's "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" fills the last spot on the series' docket. As the title suggests, this film chroni- cles the hall-of-fame career of base- ball great Hank Greenberg. In doing so, Kempner emphasizes the anti- Semitic sociopolitical climate of the time. She elucidates the many barri- ers that Greenberg surmounted and relates his relatively unpublicized struggle to that of Jackie Robinson. This piece provides a fitting conclu- sion to a series that is characterized by poignant realism and social con- scientiousness. sonally searched down to their shoe months ago, American airports began checking the soles of pas- senger's shoes with a special device. Shoes themselves have been the target of inspection ever since the December 2001 "Shoe Bomber" incident. In "Tomorrow Now," Sterling gives his predictions in the fields of health, education, war, electron- ics, pop culture, politics and busi- ness for the next half-century. His hypotheses are reasoned, convinc- ing and full of capitalism. soles." Only ToMoI No' ENVISI THE NEX YEA By Bruce Random While "Tomorrow Now's" back cover suggests that bookstores shelve it under "Technology/Soci- ology," the book's real home is the business sec- tion. In his introduction, Sterling claims to view the future through the lenses of business, govern- ment, military, and pop culture. His business lens most certainly triumphs. This is not to say his predictions are necessarily wrong, for an anthro- pomorphic capitalism may drive the next 50 years wherever it wants. Perhaps the future will view countries as nothing more than "a brand name. Buy China, hold Finland, sell Indonesia." Perhaps attracting foreign business will drive American politics, offering foreign businesses high-tech breathing space devoid of traditional American rhetoric, "aspiring to supremehistorical signifi- cance has a large market downside." Nobody likes an ugly American, only her dollars. The book's most compelling passages are written as if the reader lives in 2050, a time when Sterling's predictions are lived as reality. Celebrity nobodys abound on ABC By Douglas Wernert Daily Arts Writer de A ABC is at it again. Hoping to capitalize off the hard- earned success and popularity of CBS's "Survivor," the network that brought you "Are You Hot?" now offers the viewing public "I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!" This show, which ought to be titled "Celebrity Survivor," provides viewers with celebrities nobody cares about to create a show nobody will really care about either. All the immunity challenges in the world won'tbheip this show from falling to the bottom of the ratings list. For 15 consecutive nights, 10 celebrities will live in the Australian rainforest and hWe their fates- delettitted by tie live viewing audience via phone and Internet poll. They're given rice and beans, cots and a few other necessities such as an outdoor.toilet. To earn more food, the viewers choose one person to compete in a "Fear Factor"-type challenge called the Bush-Tucker chal- lenge. For example, one contest involved putting critters in your pants while another involved div- ing into a pit of alligators to get food. The show is a replicate of "Survivor," only with a nicer camp, more extreme challenges, and the fact that group dynamics, an , attractive quality from "Survivor," doesn't matter in the slightest. The cast of charac- CELEBRI ters isn't exactly the top tier of the most ME C famous people either. When you combine HE J-Lo's ex-husband (Cris Judd) with an MTV personality from 10 years ago Night] (Downtown Julie Brown), then add Joan February1 Rivers' over-dramatic daughter (Melissa A] Rivers) and the guy from "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (Robin Leach), you've got trouble. Former Olympian Bruce Jenner, Stuttering John Melen- Smile for your paychecks ... I mean camera. r l IM Lil dez from "Howard Stern," a paranoid Alana Stewart, former Barker Beauty and Playboy Playmate Nikki Schieler-Ziering and actress Maria Con- chita Alonso round out the cast of quasi- celebrities. I The ability to force Joan Rivers' daugh- ter to dive into an alligator pit is the only A redeemable quality viewers at home will FY: GET get out of this. In addition, it can also be JT OF kind of fun to watch millionaires squirm REt when they are taken away from their masseuses and limousines. Other than y from that, "I'm a Celebrity" is nothing more 5-March S than a combination of shows viewers have C grown tired of already. After one of the challenges, Rivers said, "This show is about humiliating us." Sorry, but you're wrong there, Melissa. You're doing a fine job of that yourself. SHORT TAKES TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS HEARTS OF OAK LOOKOUT! RECORDS Ted Leo sharpened his axe and honed his songcraft in '90s punk band Chisel, but 2001's unfortu- nately-titled The Tyranny of Dis- tance proved he had far outgrown his previous band: quirky, extremely melodic pop songs mined everyone from Costello to Mellencamp. On Hearts of Oak, Leo and his Phar- macists mine most of the same A.M. gold that their previous effort did. And even if the hooks don't have the same idiot-savant magic Leo produced on Tyranny, taut, crafty numbers like "The High Party" and the title track still chime with the wit and tal- ent of a veteran. Too bad he still can't name an album. *** -Andrew M. Gaerig RAY FOGG AND THE SWINGIN' LESBIAN FROGS KISS MY BASS SWEETWATER RECORDS A folk-bluegrass blend of col- lege level immaturity, Kiss My Bass contains such ballads as "Walk of Shame" and "If They Could Just Cut Off Your Great Big Fat Ass I Think I Could Love You Forever." While this acoustic brand of debauchery makes for a small burst of good drinkin' music, don't be sur- prised if you hear Nelly coming through your stereo 10 minutes later. ** Special features complete well-rounded 'Barb ershop' By Ryan Lewis Daily Film Editor With every cliched, plot-lacking movie starring Rap superstar crossovers, ala DMX and Ja Rule (the list goes on), it seems like the indus- try is hard-pressed to unearth any real talent from the Hip-hop genus. Ice Cube, however, continually manages to waylay this commonality and show his staying power as a legitimate force in Hollywood. Past films like "Fri- day" and "Three Kings" brought him to a whole new level of fame, but 2002's "Barbershop" brought him to an even higher performance level, especially with its culturally and eth- nically rich contents. "Barbershop" takes place in the ghetto of Chicago. Cube plays Calvin Palmer Jr., a haphazard dreamer who inherits a barbershop from his father. His shop serves as a breeding ground for M local culture, "the black man's country club" as BARB Cedric the Entertainer D refers to it. A hearty mix of engrossing characters Picture/Soup fill the barber's chairs at Movie: **I the shop, including old- Features:* timer Eddie (Cedric),M Jimmy James (Sean Thomas, "Cruel Inten- tions"), Terri (Eve), and Ricky (Michael Ealy, "Bad Company"). The main plotline follows Calvin in his tribulations over keeping the shop or selling it to chase a better life. TIGA DJ KICKS !K7 By Jeremy Kressmann Daily Arts Writer 1 , cultural exploits from last year alongside the low-budget hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," but it includes a sense of complexity in its attempt to capture that ERSHOP attitude and environ- VD ment of which few oth- ers can match. It rnd: * certainly doesn't com- pare to the deeply *** meaningful cultural explorations in great GM films like "Boyz N the Hood," or even attempt to, but it does take a light-hearted peek into the mentality and lifestyle of its characters. Tiga, my friend, you are really pushing my buttons right now. Fact of the matter is, this whole electro craze has gone on just about long enough. If this genre is going to survive, it's time to put some substance over style. Maybe Tiga has been spinning delightful electro tunes since he came out of the womb. But the truth is, if TAT.U. 200 KM/H IN THE WRONG LANE INTERSCOPE By Jeff Dickerson Daily Arts Writer Julia Volkova, the brunette, and Lena Katina, the blonde, are Tatu - the hottest faux-lesbian-Russian-1 pop duo in the music industry today. On their debut album, 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane, the girls, one 17 the other 18, profess their love for one another over a this wily jack-of-all-trades (producer, DJ, record store owner, label founder) has been making delightful electro mixes since before electro was "cool," no one cares or has noticed up to this point. The real question then, is whether or not Tiga's mix transcends the current trendiness of his chosen genre. To his detriment, this is probably the bazillionth electro compilation we've all listened to in the past six months - it's not exactly host of kitschy, pounding dance beats. The highlight of the album is undoubtedly their single "All the Things She Said" - an annoyingly catchy track laden with all the great lyrics you'd come to expect from an international teenage lesbian romance. The steamy video for the song, seen often in wee hours on MTV, is included on the enhanced CD - a wel- come bonus for Russ- ian pop music aficionados and fans of schoolgirls trapped in a torrential downpour. original. To its credit, the mix is released by !K7's quality DJ Kicks mix series, name drops tracks by 80's heavy hit- ters like Soft Cell, and is laden with deep grooves. In fact, in quite a few spots, the tracks are better described as minimal house tunes than as electro. Tiga has passed the exam - let's give him a listen. RATING: * * * ' -Jared Newman ... ; :: .'.: b j RATING: * * * 11 E[;