0 . 0 49 -w 7 12B -- The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Thursday, November 20, 2003 Dating not dead with these hopping hot spots The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine DATING Continued from Page 9B knowledge, or lack thereof, of fine fare, a few issues need to be hatched out before the big event. First, if you are the one cooking, which is a fan- tastic way to impress your date (by the way, a friend swears that her mother snagged her father's heart with her excellent Italian cooking), make sure that you know your date's likes and dislikes, along with any food allergies. Second, to avoid having to do all of the work, have your date bring dessert and help with the clean-up. It will be enough work to provide the main course, let alone act as if you know how to master the meal preparation in the first place. Lastly, make sure your housemates evacu- ate the premises, unless you want people interrupting your meal, and don't make your date wait an eterni- ty before eating. It also doesn't hurt to look good in an apron. Cooking together provides an even more daring, exciting experi- ence. You can sensually help each other sample the food (use a spoon though) and chances are, your kitchen is small and will force the two of you to closely chop and peel, rub past each other or sneakily reach for that jar of tomato sauce on the top shelf. Speaking of tomato sauce, it is a good idea to steer clear of making anything messy, like spaghetti, or using anything that requires excess amounts of garlic. Keep in mind that you are attempting to create an enjoyable evening. You don't want to send your date rushing out for fresh air. Among other words of wisdom: Make sure that all bones, wrappers and even hairs are absent in the food and above all else, try not to burn the house down! When it comes to the actual din- ing, play some music and have a wine selected that complements the meal. Conveniently, Village Corner on South University Avenue has a great selection. Girls, don't forget to eat the food. You have just spent time in a kitchen - now is clearly not the time to regress to fanatical, nitpicky eating habits. To satisfy a sweet tooth, mom's prized cookie recipe may be your answer, or maybe you prefer some- thing more romantic, such as straw- berries dipped in chocolate sauce. Whatever the case may be, just make sure that you leave room for dessert. *.4 BRETT MOUNTAIN/Daily Lala doesn't need a dictionary, she knows her ABC's. * 4 The sweet spell of success oom" Flattery will get you everything including a cushy job, a rich bride, and lots of trouble! By Megan Jacobs For the Daily She is a Scrabble player's worst nightmare. Among her favorite words is "vwetschenwasser," a type of plum brandy. But for Nupur Lala, LSA fresh- man from Fayetteville, Ark., spelling "logorrhea" took the cake. A $10,000 cake, to be more accurate, for winning the National Spelling Bee in 1999. Though winning first place at only 14 years old took her into the spotlight, bringing her to "The Today Show" and "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," it was the motion picture documentary, "Spellbound," that truly highlighted Lala's achievements. Filmed during the summer of 1999, the idea originally called for 16 com- petitors, which were then narrowed down to 13, then finally to the eight who appeared in the film. Director/producer Jeff Blitz and producer Sean Welch trav- eled around the nation to find those with interesting stories and "basically who they thought had the best chance of actually winning," Lala said. Final edit- ing was wrapped up in August, and then "we never heard about it for about three years. We thought the movie was canned, or just didn't take off, or nobody wanted to distribute it," she recalled. But 2002 brought a few changes. After running the documentary film festival loop in the United States and Italy for almost a year, the piece start- ed turning heads when it won the grand prize at the Toronto Film Festi- val. It really reached the climax when it received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary in 2003. Though "Spellbound" lost to "Bowling for Columbine" by a margin of only two digits, it caught enough eyes to be picked up by the independent film company ThinkFilm. It re-released the documentary in mainstream movie theaters, and it skyrocketed, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing docu- mentary of all time. "None of us were paid to be in the movie ... I think it's probably a good thing, or who knows how the project would have turned out," reflected Lala. "I was young, and I thought it would be fun to be in front of the cam- era. It's like being in your own produc- tion of 'The Real World!"' Filming was casual, much of the footage in her house being with her family or watching TV, with a lot of interviews, too. In addition to her potential to win, Blitz and Welch were drawn to Lala as a result of her past spelling bee success; though she was defeated, she almost made it to the National Bee in 1998. Apparently, the past can never be escaped in more ways than one. In a great books lecture by Prof. H. D Cameron, Lala was shocked to hear him use "sophrosyne," one of hei favorite words. "I was like, whoa, I never thought I would hear that again!' said Lala. Ironically enough, the term means wisdom. "I thought to myself, as he kept saying it over and over again, 'only at Michigan."' As for the direction of these first-time filmmakers, Lala has no complaints. "Initially we were a little wary before we had met Sean and Jeff. It's an easy sub- ject to make a parody out of, this crazy competition and crazy parents. But they wanted to show that spelling bees are a microcosm of America, and so their direction was very sensitive." A satire by Alexander Ostrovsky4 Translated by Stephen Mulrine Directed by Malcolm Tuhlip Mendelssohn Theatrey November 20 - 22 at 8pm November 23 at 2pmk Tickets $20 & $15 Students $8 with IDh League Ticket Office 734-764-2538 UM School of Music . Dept. of Theatre & Dramah -9 W MAGAZINEIa' Writers: Sravya Chirumamilla Aliya Chowdhri, Andrew Gaerig, Megan Jacobs, Sarah Peterson Photo Editors: Tony Ding, Brett Mountain Photographers: Elise Bergman, Shubra Ohri, Laura Shlecter, Jonathon Triest Cover Photo: Ryan Weiner Arts Editors: Todd Weiser Mana in Editor, Jason Roberts, Scott Serf a, Editors Editor in Chief: Louie Meizlish U of M is home to both the anti-sweatshop movement & . the naked mile When you have to wear clothes... A PA RT ME NT HOM E S A fforcmable! 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartment Homes "7. i;i iORS!I 'i ?I?: iii >ai! iiii ?? %3'? IA.. 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