10D - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Fall 2004 ART4 ARTS Fans show 'The O.C.' a little California love ADAM ROTTENBERG Bringing bac April 2, 2004 - T he Super Bowl - before being overshadowed by "wardrobe mal- functions" - served as the launchpad for special episodes or series premieres. Back in '99,I was more anx- ious than ever for the debuting show, especially considering the lackluster Broncos-Falcons game that preceded it. This new animated series, paired with a special episode of "The Simpsons," was going to be the perfect companion piece. "Family Guy" not only met my expecta- tions, but its raucous, pop-culture-laden segu6s offered a completely unrelenting approach to comedy. The series followed the exploits of the Griffin family, their dog Brian and the residents of Quahog, R.I. Three uproariously humorous seasons later - after complete mismanagement by the network - "Family Guy" van- ished from the schedule. FOX had the opportunity to create a night filled with animated classics with "King of the Hill," "Futurama" and "The Simpsons' but inexplicably removed "Family Guy." With the boom of TV on DVD, all I could do was hope that the show would be released. Last year, the error of the network's ways finally came to light with a successful run of the episodes on Cartoon Network and on DVD. Few shows dared to cover the topics that "Family Guy" would. Creator Seth MacFarlane pulled no punches, best shown by the unaired episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinsten' first seen on the DVD, in which Peter decides to have his son Chris convert to Judaism to become smarter. Strong DVD sales and incredible cable ratings have resuscitated my fond- ly remembered cartoon. No longer rele- gated to rerun limbo, Peter, Stewie and the gang will return in January 2005 in a completely unprecedented move. But will it be the same show that shocked viewers with unabashed jokes about race, religion and sex? I hate to think that MacFarlane would agree to I the 'Family' release a watered-down version of his brainchild, but who knows? The net- works have been browbeaten by adver- tisers into changing content, shying away from things deemed obscene. FOX, while often unabashed in its disturbing and disgusting reality pro- gramming - look at the upcoming "The Swan," for example - may fear backlash for an animated show as it appears to be innocent. FOX may be too afraid to let "Family Guy" be as free as it once was. The show constantly plays off of things that shouldn't be funny. Stewie often attempts to murder his mother, neighbor Quagmire constantly tries to sexually assault women and Peter treats people like stereotypes. If a return of the series means that the show has to change, then don't bring it back. I have the DVDs, and I can watch it on cable, but I don't want an FCC-friendly "Family Guy." "South Park," a similarly foul- mouthed and R-rated cartoon, doesn't have to deal with the constraints of net- work TV Cable is a different beast than the networks, which is why more risque series can get around censors. If "Family Guy" comes back to FOX, as opposed to Cartoon Network, the integrity of the show would surely suffer. Even with the fear of a post-"nipple- gate" TV landscape, I still have high hopes for the Griffins. FOX missed the boat the first time and now sees the potential profits in its return. Additional- ly, the precedent is now set that passion- ate fans who rally around prematurely cancelled favorites (just look at what is going on with the fan campaigns for the WB's "Angel") actually can have an effect. But why worry about the poten- tial pitfalls? Welcome back, "Family Guy." I'll be watching. -Adam is personally leading a campaign to get "Angel" back on the air Mock him relentlessly for that and other things at amtten@umich.edu September 9, 2003 By Adam Rottenb~rg and Jason Pesick Daily Staff Writers Filling the void left by such seminal series as "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place,' "The O.C." is the story of a young man, Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie), from a des- I i titute part of town. He The O.C. becomes embroiled inF FOX trouble with the law and is invited to live with his lawyer Sandy Cohen's (Peter Gallagher) rich family. With a soundtrack that heightens the feel of the show, "The O.C." provides salacious and campy entertainment in an otherwise mun- dane television landscape. This new trashy melodrama, which takes place in ritzy New- port Beach, Calif., has become a sensation with horny teenagers and young adults alike. To be sure, "The O.C." is not winning its time slot as a result of the quality of its scripts, but rather the beautiful people who inhabit the scenic California setting. A show filled with kids who look like they came straight off the pages of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog provides plenty of eye candy for both sexes. College kids enjoy watching the tawdry exploits and sexual escapades of the pretty boys and prima donnas of Newport Beach. Since "90210" ended in 2000, there has been a noticeable absence of inane plots on the air. Last week's episode featured a scene in which a boy from the valley partied in New- port and shot someone because of a verbal spat. Entertainment such as this is unmatched anywhere except on FOX's bea- con of trash. However, a flaw does exist: Many of the "high schoolers" appear to be in their late 20s. Eventually, the cast will face a "Daw- son's Creek" situation where the actors are laughably older than their characters - specifically McKenzie, who plays a charac- ter eight years younger than his actual age. While many would consider "The O.C." simply low-brow entertainment, it allows a weekly escape from the rigors of life into a world even more messed up than reality. In contrast to the crap often shown in reality television, especially FOX's own garbage like "Paradise Hotel," "The O.C." still has a moral center and a message to send to its viewers. In a few years, the toughest challenge for "The O.C." will come when its characters are faced with the inevitable growth beyond their high school environment which has crippled earlier shows like "90210" and "Saved by the Bell." The major test for the writers will be keeping the plot lines fresh, but not veering too far off the deep end. After tonight's episode, FOX is putting the show on a six-week hiatus before moving it to Thursdays at the end of October. This move places it against much more formida- ble competition than the reality programs and reruns found during its summer run. The cult following is slowly growing but might lose some momentum with all of the sched- uling changes. Nevertheless, for fans of teenage melodrama, there is nothing better than a trip to "The O.C." 4 Courtesy of FOX Fuck me, your majesty. 4 'U' student takes shot at 'Fear Factor' fame October 6, 2003 By Forest Casey Daily Staff Writer Graduate student Joshua Schwadron is spreading his 15 minutes as far as they will go. With the recent win of the GQ Man on Campus award, Schwadron felt that he was easily qualified for NBC's "Fear Factor" when auditions for the show came to Ann Arbor. After several stages of interviews, Schwadron was the only contestant selected from the Uni- versity. He was booked for the season premiere of "Fear Factor" - a special two-night contest in Las Vegas. Schwadron, unafraid of his fleet- ing fame, spoke with The Michigan Daily. The Michigan Daily: Was "Fear Factor" like boot camp - very hard but not regrettable? Joshua Schwadron: I think that being on "Fear Factor" was the best experience of my life. It was good to experience Hollywood with all of the publicity, the make-up artists and the cameras. It's especially signifi- cant to me because there were 20 cameras recording my experience and sending it out to 20 million people. I'll always be able to have that. TMD: The competitors on "Fear Factor" always seem like they are trying to degrade their opponents, but Joe Rogan (the host) always seems so supportive. JS: Both Joe and I have ... strong personali- ties, and they seemed to clash, so he didn't real- ly support me. TMD: What were your feelings after the first stunt? JS: After I made it through the first stunt, I was really reassured. I was told that the biggest fear is failing the first stunt and having to go home. After that, I was pretty confident and ready to win. TMD: The spider trick that you did (tossing a spider into your mouth) - did you plan that to intimidate your opponents? JS: I did it because there was a crowd behind me of a thousand people. It was the first live stunt that "Fear Factor" has ever had for their "gross stunt." Eating it normally would've been boring; not to intimidate, but more to please the crowd The spiders tasted like tree bark and were huge. They actually bit, and my mouth was bleeding by the end e stunt. TMD: How did yob watching yourself on TV? JS: Weird. I thdu 'that I made a fool of myself a lot of times. 4 episodes have been written for them. "We had a recent 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 Simpsons," Reiss said. "The staff took such a high moral ground and refused to work FILM on it but were contractually obli- gated to get paid for it," he said. Only Groening ended up remov- ing 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 forever unless "the network makes a stupid mistake and kills it. "The key to 'The Simpsons' is that every- thing is right about it; I don't see any end in sight," he said. He revealed that the oft-dis- cussed movie is in development and that he is working on the script. Reiss offered 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 remain- ing bright spots, so "Simpsons" fans should be saying "D'oh" if they miss his appearance on campus. FAR FROM AVERAGE' 4 WRITER TELLS OF JEWISH CLOWNS, POSSIBLE October 29, 2003 By Adam Rottenberg Daily Staff Writer With its place firmly entrenched in Ameri- can popular culture, "The Simpsons" contin- ues its satirical reign weekly on televisions across the nation. 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 stu- dents to come to the Michigan League Ball- room to hear him speak about "'The Simpsons' and gossip 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 "one of the most pronounced Jewish characters on television." The growth of that character can be attributed to the 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 about Judaism and humor ... the most scholar- ly 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 November 10, 2003 By Nianib levin Daily Staff Writer Arriving on the set of what he thought to be "Life of the Party" a faux-reality series centering on former fraternity brothers, Brad Holcman was stunned to learn he had been duped. Rather than a frat-based show, he discovered he'd set foot onto one of NBC's dating shows. With a cast of 15 other men and one woman, he said it didn't sound much like a party show anymore. "It sounds like a sausage show," he laughed. After a glance at his competitors, he quickly called his family and chuckled, "I'm on the 'Revenge of the Nerds' set." "Average Joe" follows the dating fiascos of Melana Scantlin, a former NFL cheer- leader, as she searches for love among an unusual slew of guys. While there are no Brad Pitt look-alikes in the bunch, each man hopes to win her heart with his out- standing personality. But in the eyes of many needy Detroit- area families, this latest recruit to NBC's reality empire is far from an "Average Joe." Holcman graduated from the University Courtesy of NBC Did I mention I have a really good personality? in 1999, two years after co-founding Dance Marathon, a charity group dedicat- ed to funding pediatric programs through C.S. Mott Hospital and William Beaumont Hospital. Though the organization hosts charity events throughout the year, the largest sponsorship occurs at the annual 30-hour dance marathon. Serving as the morale chair for the first two years of the group's existence, Hol- cman was always interested in hosting fun projects to capture attention for its cause. With the help of the current Dance Marathon staff and the Blue Martini Bar in Birmingham, Holcman discovered a way to mesh his network fame with his dedica- tion to pediatric charities. On Monday, Holcman will appear at the Blue Martini as part of a charity viewing party for the show's second episode. The proceeds will go toward Dance Marathon. As a fan of reality TV in general, Hol- cman is thrilled for the opportunities the show will afford him, both on and off the set. "In a non-pompous way, I think I'm a good catch. I have a good time. I'm laid- back, and it's time for the groomsman to be the groom." U University Musical Society Half-Price Student Ticket Sat, Sept10 9 am -12 noon For one day only at the beginning of each semester, UMS offers HALF-PRICE TICKETS to students. This extremely popular event draws hundreds ofstudents every year - last year, students saved over $104,000 by purchasing tickets at the Half-Price Student Ticket Sales. Some perfomances have a limited number of tickets available, so get there early! M