Wednesday October 29, 2003 michigandaily.com artseditor@michigandaity.com cFir tcjim 1?&1, ARTS 9 THE HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER S The Adventures of Indiana Jones - If it isn't wonderful enough to have three of the most fun and adventurous movies ever made together in one boxed set, there are also loads of special fea- tures, and Spielberg didn't get to screw it all up like he did for "E.T." "I Love the '80s Strikes Back" - Because we all love the decade so much and because the first round wasn't enough to satisfy the masses, the ingenious people of VH 1 have provided an utterly and completely glorious series of supplemental material with new B- and C-List celebrities, better '80s memories and more Michael Ian Black. "The Lord of the Rings" Marathon - I thought the re- release of the extended edition "Fellowship" and "Two Towers" films was great, but then the studio heads of New Line decided to give you those and "The Return of the King" all in a row, showing the final part of the trilogy at midnight, Dec. 17. Too bad tickets sold out in mere minutes and can only be found on Ebay for upwards of $1,000. Gambling - With the World Series of Poker having become a regu- lar installment for ESPN and gaining popularity, Casino and Gaming Television is set to launch on cable in 2004. More gambling, that's all the 18-34 target audience needs. "Alien: The Director's Cut" - It's Hal- loween weekend and what better way to spend Friday night than watching one of the greatest sci-fi/horror films ever created. Easily one of the scariest movies of all time, "Alien" returns to theaters longer and uncut, x which is scary in and of itself. Courtesy of 20th Ceintury FOX episode where Stan Lee was a guest voice, but that part was written for George Lucas, who begged to be on the show, but pulled out at the last minute." Although considered a failure based on its disappointing ratings in its two- year run, "The Critic," Reiss said, is a "show that appealed to too few people and I'll take the blame. It was created by doing the opposite of what 'The Simpsons' did." Reiss admits that the show was initially a Krusty spin-off, but Matt Groening nixed the idea. "The Critic" was written for Jon Lovitz as a live action show before he was even signed. The biggest conflict over "The Critic" occurred with the Jay Sherman crossover on an episode of "The Simp- sons," Reiss said. "The staff took such a high moral ground and refused to work on it, but were contractually obli- gated to get paid for it." Only Groening ended up removing his name from the credits while others did nothing but keep their names in the credits and cash their checks anyway. Even after 15 years on the air, Reiss believes "The Simpsons" can go on for- ever unless "the network makes a stupid mistake and kills it. The key to 'The Simpsons' is that everything is right about it, I don't see any end in sight." He revealed that the oft-discussed movie is in development and that he is working on the script. Reiss offers an explanation on why quality has slid in recent years: "The only reason that 'The Simpsons' has declined is that it's just not new." Reiss has played an integral role in the creation of one of television's few remaining bright spots, so "Simp- sons" fans should be saying "D'oh" if they miss his appearance on campus. WRITER TELLS OF JEWISH CLOWNS, POSSIBLE FILM By Adam Rottenberg Daily Arts Writer about 'The Simpsons,' but also talk about my life and the Jewish themes that keep popping up in my work" He considers Krusty the Clown to be With its place firmly entrenched in American popular culture, "The Simp- sons" continues its satirical reign weekly on televisions across the nations. Behind the yellow-skinned clan's antics is writer/producer Mike Reiss, a comedy veteran who is also responsible for co-creating the vastly underrated "The Critic." Approachable and affable, Reiss wants students to come to the Michigan League Ballroom to hear him speak about " 'The Simpsons' and gossip "one of the most pronounced Jewish characters on tele- vision." The growth of that character can be attributed to the Mike Reiss Tonight at 8:00 p.m. At the Michigan League Ballroom about Judaism and humor ... the most scholarly discussion you will ever see can be found in this random episode of 'The Simpsons,"' Reiss said. Celebrity visits are commonplace and Reiss fondly recalls the guests who have come and gone. "A little white guy was used to be Michael Jackson's singing voice in 'Stark Raving Dad,' he recorded it in front of Michael Jackson, but for some odd reason Jackson only wanted to do the speaking voice." Even though many stars claim they want to join in the hilarity, some have backed out after episodes have been written for them. "We had a recent Reiss-penned show, also his favorite, "Like Father, Like Clown" in which Krusty reconciles with his disapproving rabbi father a la "The Jazz Singer." "The episode ends in a scholarly debate 'Kid Notorious' the latest animated episode in Evans saga By Kevin Holiffield For the Daily TV REVI EW Quick, name a '70s movie. Save "Star Wars," chances are Robert Evans was involved. As head of Paramount, Evans was involved in films as diverse as "Love Story," "Marathon Man" and "The Godfather." Last year, Evans narrated the filmed version of his autobiography "The Kid Stays in the Picture." Now animated in Comedy Central's "Kid Notori- ous," he still exudes the persona of the boozing ladies' man at age 73. This new sitcom based on his life gives Evans a showcase for his cartoon- ish, self-indulgent exploits. While most of the events in the show are ficti- tious, many of the characters are real people from Evans' life. With impersonated voices, "Kid Notorious" skewers Hollywood's A-list from Francis Ford Coppola to Ben Affleck. The home front also stays true to reali- ty, as Evans' dependable butler, English, is voiced by Alan Selka, Evans' real-life butler. Also starring are Niecy Nash ("Reno 911!") Kid Notorious Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. Comedy Central Roses portraying himself as the next-door neigh- bor. Evans also has his loyal housecat, Puss Puss, to serve as a source of jokes. "Kid Notorious" follows the classic sitcom model, only with more outrageous plots. Evans is confronted with a problem, devises a wacky plan then comes through within 30 minutes. The show derives much of its comedy from satire of Evans' movies, but his sidekicks keep things fresh by being the butts of his jokes. Even if it is basic N cable, Comedy Central has been the only network to consistently deliver on its programming. "Kid Notorious" is no excep- tion, ranking on the Evans scale somewhere between "Chinatown" and "The Two Jakes." as the sassy housekeeper and Slash of Guns 'N' Aft