Wednesday
October 6, 2004
arts. michigandaily. com
artspage@michigandaily.com
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ART s
7
KING OF
THE 'HILL
NEW UPN DRAMEDY
SHOWCASES THE CHARIS-
MATIC TAYE DIGSa
By Amanda McAllister
For the Daily
THE HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER
"Shark Tale" - The top-grossing movie in theaters over the past
weekend, this fish story takes the under-water setting of "Finding
Nemo" and spices up the plot with "Shrek"-like humor. Chock-full
i of famous voices, this story of an unlikely alliance between a fish
and a shark is sure to hook your attention.
"Desperate Housewives" - One of ABC's newest programs,
"Desperate Housewives" brings surprisingly fresh humor to net-
work television. Taking the Sunday timeslot normally filled by
"Alias," this new show is filling the void until its predecessor
returns in January.
"In Arabia We'd All Be Kings" - The first work of playwright
Stephen Adly Guirgis, "In Arabia We'd All Be Kings" is a story of
six acquaintances brought together by their addictions. Containing
mature content and adult situations, this play utilizes a bleak, dark
humor to examine the gritty, raw nature of living on the streets.
UPN seems to have developed a knack for pro-
ducing likable but bland programs this season.
This trend ends with "Kevin Hill," a conventional
drama that benefits from a strong central character
and a solid script to create one of UPN's better
fall shows.
Set in New York City, the focus of the show
is its title character. Young and arrogant, Kevin
Hill (Taye Diggs, "Chicago") is a hotshot attor-
ney at a successful law firm. Hill has the same
approach in both work and play; a no-nonsense
guy, he demands rather than
requests and always gets what
he wants. His bachelor ways
are put on hold, though, when
his cousin's death leaves him
to care for a baby. Hill's life
is turned upside-down by the
new arrival which ultimately
Courtesy
of UPN
"I should
know not
to breast
feed in
public..."
Kevin Hill
Wednesdays
at 9 p.m.
UPN
causes him to quit his prestigious job and set up
shop at a small, entirely female law firm. With the
help of his friends, Hill must find a way to balance
his social and professional lives with his unexpect-
ed role as a father.
Although it plays more like a Lifetime movie
than a series, "Kevin Hill" is, at its worst, too
heartwarming. Luckily, the sweetness is dispersed
with humor; scenes of former flings refusing Hill's
request for babysitters are juxtaposed with him
dancing around in a hopeless attempt to enter-
tain the baby. There are constant comparisons of
Hill the bachelor and Hill the father, and as they
progress, the scenes of fatherhood gain momen-
tum and validity. Even before he learns of his
inheritance, Hill is portrayed slightly differently
than his friends; he's just as slippery but also more
human.
There are a few stereotypical characters, includ-
ing the gay nanny George (Patrick Breen, "Radio")
and the smarmy, but good-intentioned friend Dame
(Jon Seda, "Bad Boys II"), but they're established
well enough to allow for further development.
Diggs oozes charisma and manages to make even
the unyielding arrogance of Hill pretty charming,
and his performance could easily carry the show.
The supporting cast is nondescript, but serve their
purpose well. Scenes between Diggs and Breen
have the most convincing rapport, while interac-
tion with the new boss Jessie (Michael Michele,
"ER") points toward promising future chemistry.
Solid but unexciting, "Kevin Hill" can boast smart
writing, an excellent lead actor and a strong base of
supporting characters, but there is little else notable
about it. Diggs turns in a strong performance, and
every established character and relationship seems
to have the potential to go somewhere; whether
they make it there is up to the writers.
2f
"I Heart Huckabees" - A story
of crossed paths, tangled fortunes
and strange coincidence, "I Heart
Huckabees" is one of the most antici-
pated films of the fall. Boasting the
talents of Dustin Hoffman, Lily
Tomlin, Jude Law, Mark Wahl-
berg and Naomi Watts, this film
has the potential of being as good as
advertised becauase of the many star cast
members who are leading in the film.
Paul Taylor Dance Company - One of
the giants of the dancing community,
Paul Taylor brings his troupe to Ann
Arbor this weekend for an event full of
rhythmic beauty. The performanc-
es will feature pieces including
Cloven Kingdom, Eventide 4
and Promethean Fire. Courtesy of the Paul Taylor Dance Company
I
ABC finds
heart in'Sap
By Nick Kochmanski
For the Daily
Yes, it's true. Defying all expectations, ABC's "Wife
Swap" - the latest version of the old "My mom sucks, get me
a new one" - is actually enjoyable. More than that, the show
is surprising good, mixing some funny moments with a poi-
gnant message of love. Audiences will
be captivated by the antics of the two
families as they struggle to deal with Wife Swap
the absence of their loved one and the Wednesdays
presence of a foreign, sometimes crazed, at 10 p.m.
replacement. ABC
The basic premise behind the show
is really rather simple. Two families swap mothers for two
weeks. During the first week, the mothers must adhere to
the rules of the family. The second week, however, the new
mothers get a chance at revenge, forcing the family to live
by their new, often comical, rules. While the basic idea may
seem simple, the drama that unfolds is what makes the show
worth watching.
In the first episode, Lynn, a rural mother who operates a
log splitting business, and Jodi, a rich heiress who spends her
days working out and shopping, must switch families. Right
off the bat, the two ladies feel uncomfortable in their new
environment. Jodi immediately begins to battle the rural-
minded Brad over everything from cleaning duties to wood
cutting, while Lynn attacks workaholic Steven for spending
only one hour a day with his kids.
The two ladies then introduce their own set of rules, meant
to teach the families a lesson. In Jodi's case, Brad is forced
to do all of the domestic tasks and help with the log splitting
business. He complies with the rules and learns something
about himself in the process, above all that he really loves his
own wife. Steven, on the other hand, acts completely child-
ish. Deciding that spending more time with the family is just
too much to bear, he visits the gym after work, completely
blowing off the family dinner Lynn had planned. In addition
to this, Steven mocks and otherwise ridicules all of Lynn's
beliefs. The poor woman is actually forced to leave the apart-
ment. Steven retains his wife, but the expression on his face
when Jodi proclaims her wish to spend more time with the
family is priceless. Audiences can expect this sort of situation
every week.
When the families are reunited, it becomes painfully clear
that all of the parties have learned something from the endeavor
- except, perhaps, Steven. It's these lessons that make the show
so enjoyable. Simply put, despite being overly dramatic at times,
"Wife Swap" actually has a message behind it, which sets it apart
from the other trashy reality TV shows out there.
By Lindsey Bieber
Daily Arts Writer
What happens when a train full of
legendary rock 'n' roll performers do
nothing except make music and feel the
highs of life for five straight days? The
result is shown in a behind-the-scenes
documentary about the lesser known
Canadian Wood- ______________
stock, "Festival Festival
Express." Icons Express
such as Janis Jop-
lin, the Band and At the
the Grateful Dead Michigan Theater
were just a few of Think Films
the musicians per-
forming at the event.
The tour had its first show in Toron-
to, where it was met with thousands of
delighted supporters at an open theater.
However, the mounted police officers
were met with less than pleased fans
outside the gates. Believing that the $14
tickets were too expensive, they began to
riot. They demanded to be let in for free,
so Jerry Garcia came to the rescue by
creatinga free show in a nearby park.
The troubles at Toronto did not in
any way damper the musicians' 24-
hour party. Full of laughter, the clink
of glasses and music, the festival
rambled on to the next show in Win-
nipeg. The bands played another flaw-
less show, without getting more than
a couple hours of sleep if any at all.
Drummer Mickey Hart of the Grateful
Dead explained, "This train was not for
sleeping. It was for a lot of other things
but not for sleeping."
The biggest catastrophe of the tour
occurred halfway to their last show in
Calgary. The last drop of alcohol dis-
appeared, and the musicians refused to
go on any further without drinks. The
entire train came to a halt. Fortunately,
in the town of Saskatoon, liquor stores
are right across from railroad tracks,
and the musicians pitched in $800 to last
them through their last performance.
While "Festival Express" does a
fine job displaying the fans' inebri-
ated swaying to the music, the movie
could have included more cinema ver-
ite-style footage of the musicians on
the train. The clips of Garcia playing
his guitar with Joplin and others sing-
ing and laughing along are far more
appealing than the clips of the concerts
themselves. Fans who come to see this
movie already know what the artists'
music sounds like. They want to see
the magic that takes place behind the
scenes and feel like they are on the
road with the bands.
Janis Joplin's performance saves the
film. Singing "Cry Baby" and "Tell
Mama," Joplin talked directly to the
audience and drew the listener on stage
with her. Her stage presence, intoxicat-
ing to fans and new listeners alike, is
a reminder of why she went down in
history as one of the greatest musicians
of all time.
Garcia summed up the overall feel-
ing of the tour when he said it was "the
best I've had in rock'n'roll," meaning
that the entire tour was a musicians'
convention. There was no "show biz
bullshit." It was a rare opportunity for
the bands to be in each other's com-
pany for long periods of time without
the media, fans or celebrity schedules.
With an explosive set list that included
the Band's "Slippin' and Slidin' " and
"The Weight," the Grateful Dead's
"Casey Jones," "Don't Ease Me In,"
"Friend of the Devil," and many more
classics, "Festival Express" proved to
be a fun step back in time, when "a
train of insane people careened across
the Canadian countryside, making
music night and day and then occasion-
ally got off to play a concert."
Get back on the bus with 'Express'
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