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18B - The Michigan Daily - IIMkCsiaiazie - Thursday, April 10, 2003
Sweet home
sweethearts
By Jacquelyn Nixon
Daily Arts Writer
They kiss under a sky before being struck by lighten-
ing - and love. It's about dreams coming true. It's about
fate. It's about marriage. It's about the good guy getting
the girl.
So it's no wonder why Sweet Home Alabama is the Best
Date Movie of the year.
"Why would you want to marry me?" a young Melanie
asks Jake under a torrent of Alabama rain.
"So I can kiss you anytime I want," he replies. Kiss.
Cue lightening.
Sort of makes a girl's heart skip a beat.
Skip to the present where Melanie (Reese Witherspoon,
"Cruel Intentions") is living the perfect life in New York.
She's a successful up-and-coming fashion designer who
has recently become engaged to the perfect bachelor of
NYC, Andrew Hennings, a politician from a prominent,
wealthy family.
But Melanie has a few minor details to sort out before
the wedding - divorcing her husband Jake (Josh Lucas,
"American Psycho"), her high school sweetheart, who she
hasn't seen since their quickie marriage. Although she
may be finished with the past, past isn't finished with her.
She must confront her parents, the people in her home-
town, and her unresolved feelings for Jake.
It's any girl's ideal situation. She must choose between
two men who love her, and, unlike the predicament of
most women in romantic comedies, Melanie holds the
attention two good, honest men. Melanie's men don't
cheat, judge her for her decisions or run away from com-
mitment. There's the rough-around-the-edges bad boy and
sweetheart Jake Perry (with standard southern accent and
striking blue eyes). And then there's the JFK Jr. type. A
true romantic, classically tasteful and equipped with
smoldering dark looks, Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) dotes
on Melanie with flowers and expensive jewelry and
Urban able to outfit
anyone at anytime
The Michigan Daily - WICked Ianaz
Best of Ann Arbor: And the winners arc
By Kade Marie Gates
Daily Arts Writer
Courte syo fuenadVista
Best Date Movie, especially if your date is your sister.
always says the right things. When she returns to her
apartment to find the floor and bed covered with rose
petals he says, "There's a rose for every moment I thought
of you last night."
Sure, the script and plot may appear a bit cheesy or
contrived, but it works because it's not over the top or
heavy-handed in its delivery.
While the film celebrates a girl's fantasy of falling in
love and getting married, it celebrates women's' independ-
ence. Melanie has a successful career and chooses who
she wants to be with, rather than waiting for her perfect
guy to save her. The other major female characters are
equally independent in their professions as Andrew's
mother serves as a mayor and Jake's mother manages a
bar - and neither is involved in a relationship.
But the film is hardly feminist propaganda. Following
in the footsteps of romance films, there's the storybook
wedding and the happy ending with a twist. Fate is real-
ized and like every Cinderella, Melanie finds her Prince
Charming. Again.
For those of us who emerged from the
sheltered conformity of suburban high
schools, the unique atmosphere and
trendy merchandise of Urban Outfitters
is a treasure chest beneath the State The-
ater. Colorful display tables and illumi-
nated lanterns contradict the
warehouse-like environment of this Ann
Arbor favorite known for its distinctive
offerings. Upbeat music rings in the
background, making the brightly lit shop
welcoming, especially for some brows-
ing between classes. Commended for
both men's and women's clothing,
Urban also outfits the home with wall
hangings, pillows and rugs, offering
plenty for the Ann Arbor urbanite.
Candice Williams, a student at Washt-
enaw Community College who works as
a cashier, says the clientele is pretty con-
sistent. "We see the same people," she
commented, "but we get a lot of people
from out of town."
Long drives result from the fact that
Ann Arbor is home to one of only two
Urban Outfitters in the state. Born in
Philadelphia, the chain now spans 22
states, with several stores in California
and New York, two Canadian cities and
three European locals.
Recently reconfigured, the new layout
of the State Street favorite displays
women's clothing to the left and men's
in the back with household items found
interspersed throughout. The new setup
removes the messy piles of clearance
items from the back corner, putting dis-
counted material more central, near the
check out.
Women's merchandise outnumbers
men's, showcasing everything from
bathing suits to vintage looking skirts
and a surplus of accessories. Less
unique is the simplistic men's section,
overrun with hooded sweaters (but, can
guys really ever have too many?), button
down shirts and a wall of jeans. A rain-
bow of tennis shoes is available in vari-
ous styles, and Urban promises to even
outfit the underwear.
While the standard Puma, Adidas,
Levis and Calvin Klein fill racks, it is
the unique Urban style offered by lesser-
known brands that draws students. "The
clothes look like they were found in
someone's attic," LSA junior Amy
Keller comments with a laugh, "it's like
an overpriced thrift store."
With jeans reaching $100 and tops
nearing $40 or more, the wanting eye
often loses to the checkbook here. After
all, unique doesn't come cheap. Howev-
er, frequent sales make prices fairly rea-
sonable for Ann Arbor, and there's
always something to pick up, even if it's
just a hat.
Though female shoppers are over-
whelmingly enthusiastic about Urban,
males find it less deserving, and almost
too trendy. Nevertheless, Urban Outfit-
ters is awarded best men's and women's
clothing for being something different,
an effort to save us from the conformity
found at the other end of State Street in
the world of Abercrombie and J. Crew.
BEST BUSINESSES
Art Supplies: Michigan Book & Supply
Athletic Shoe Store: Footlocker
Bank/Credit Union: U of M Credit
Union
Bicycle Sales: Great Lakes Cycling
Books: Border's
Bowling Alley: Colonial Lanes
Cab Service: Yellow Cab
Camera/Photo Shop: Ritz
Camping Gear Shop: Bivouac
Car Dealer: Briarwood Ford
Compact Disc: Border's
Computer Store: (Tie) Computer
Showcase and Best Buy
Copy Store: Kinko's
Customer Service: U of M Credit
Union
Dry Cleaner: Clothesline
Florist: Normandie Flowers
Furniture Store: Art Van
Gift Store: Middle Earth
Grocery Store: Meiler
Haircut: Nog gins
Hardware tore: Jack's Hardware
Health Club: One on One Athletic Club
Hotel: Campus Inn
Jewelry Store: Schlanderer's
Laundromat: Mr. Stadium
Liquor: Campus Corner
Men's Clothing: (Tie) Bivouac and
Urban Outfitters
Moving Company: (Tie) 2 Men and a
Truck and U-Haul
Musical Instrument Store: Herb David
Guitar Studio
New Local Business: (Tie) Bubble
Island and Sushi.come
Outdoor Apparel: Bivouac
Packaging Store: Mailboxes Etc.
Place to Go for Piercing: Name Brand
Tattoos
Place to Pamper Yourself:
Oasis Hot Tub Gardens
Public Golf Course: (Tie) Leslie Park
Golf Course and Huron Park Golf Course
Realtor: Edward Surovell
Shoe Store: Mast Shoes
Sporting Goods: Bivouac
Store Display Window:Middle Earth
Tanning Salon: Tanfastic
Test Prep: Kaplan
Textbooks: U rich's
Thift Clothing: Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop
Travel Agency: STA Travel
Used Compact Discs: Encore
Recordings of Ann Arbor
'U' Fan Apparel: Steve & Barry's
Women's Clothing: Urban Outfitter's
Dance Spot: Necto
Live Music Club: Blind Pig
Local Band: Bypolar
Local Festival: Art Fair
Movie Theater: Michigan Theater
Radio Station: 89x
Video Store: Blockbuster
BEST OF DATING
Date Movie: Sweet Home Alabama
Inexpensive Date: The Arb
Pickup Bar: (Tie) Rick's and Scorekeepers
Pickup Line: "How you doin'
Place for a First Date: The Arb
Place for a Rendezvous: The Arb
Place to Break Up: The Diag
Place to Meet a New Mate: Class
Public Place for Sex: Graduate Library
Rejection Line: "Ummm ... no"
Restaurant for a Date: Gratzi
Unusual Date Idea: Ann Arbor Hands on
Museum
BEST RESTAURANTS
All You Can Eat: Mongolian BBQ
Bagels: Bruegger's Bagels
Bar Drinks: Good Time Charley's
BBQ: Mongolian BBQ
Breakfast: Angelo's
Brunch: Angelo's
Burgers: BlimpyBurger
Burrito: Pancheros
Cheap Beer: Scorekeepers
Cheap Eats: Jimmy Johns
Chinese Food: China Gate
Chipatis: Pizza House
Cfee: Starbucksd'
Cookies: Mrs. Field's
Deli: Zingerman's
Dessert: La Dolce Vita
Dinner: Pizza House
Fries: Pizza House
Greasy Spoon: Fleetwood Diner
Greek Food: Parthenon
Hap Hour: Good Time Charley's
Hot p~og: Red Hot Lovers
Ice creamyogurt: Stucchi's
Indian Food: Ra'a Rani
Korean Food: niversity Cafe
Late Night Munchies: Pizza House
Lunch: Amer's
Mexican: Tio's
Microbrew: Leopold Brothers of Ann
Arbor
Mid-eastern Food: Jerusalem Garden
New Restaurant: Cosi
Outdoor Eatery: Dominick's
Overall Restaurant: Pizza House
Overall Bar: Scorekeepers
Pizza: Pizza House
Place For Folks to Treat:
Chop House
Restaurant for Large Groups:
Pizza House
Restaurant Service: Chop
House
Romantic Restaurant: Gratzi
Salads: Pizza House
Seafood: Real Seafood Company
Sports Bar: Scorekeepers
Steak: Chop House
Subs: Jimmy John's
Take-Out: Pizza House
Vegetarian Food: Seva
Wings: Mr. Spots
BEST OF THE '
Athlete (Female): Elizabeth
Boyle
Athlete (Male): Derek Hickey
Bathroom: In Angell Hall
Blow-off Course: Psychology Pa W
111
Campus Event: Football
Saturday
Campus Tradition: Naked Mile
ComputingCenter: Fishbowl
Co-op: Michigan
Course: (Tie) Psychology 111 and History
271
Dorm Cafeteria: Bursley
Frat to Party With: Phi Kappa Psi
Lecture Hall: 1800 Chem
Library: Graduate Library
Place to Study: Graduate Library
Place to Work Out: CCRB
Professor: Ralph Williams
Residence Hall: South Quad
Sorority to Party With: Tri-Delt
Speaker (past year): Eve Ensler
Sports Team: Football
Sports Tradition: Football Saturday
Student Group: Dance Marathon
Student Job: Library Assistant
Thing About Football Saturday:
Tailgating
BEST OF THE REST
Apartments: University Towers
Daily Columnist/Writer: Aubrey
Henretty
Excuse for a Late Paper: Computer
problems
Excuse for Cutting Class: Sick
Fad: North Face fleece
News Headline: (past year) Finally!
Place to Get a Parking Ticket:
Anywhere
Place to People Watch:
The Diag
Place to See and Be Seen:
The Diag
Place to Take a Nap: The Diag
house, always
Slang: F
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