Wednesday
November 17, 2004
arts.michigandaily.com
artspage@michigandaily.com
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THE
HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER
Good movies - This week brings the DVD release of "Elf" in addi-
tion to the big-screen debut of the highly anticipated "The Spongebob
Squarepants Movie." Anyone with the audacity to admit to watching
the show will attest that it is the most cracked-out TV show ever - in
a good way.
John Legend - On Friday, future R&B star Mr. Legend (aka John
Stephens), will perform at the Michigan League Ballroom. If you
haven't heard of him, you will. His major label debut comes out in
December and features production from, among others, Kanye West.
Not to be missed.
"Dreamgirls" - The MUSKET production of "Dreamgirls" will
run Friday through Sunday at the Power Center. The musical loosely
follows the career of the '60s Motown legends the Supremes. Pre-
pare to be funkified.
courtesy or Attermain
Kim, where are you?
MORE MARSHALL
'ENCORE' PROVES TO BE A STEP BACK IN EMINEM'S PROGRESSION
The original Nintendo Entertainment Sys-
tem on projection screens - Currently
available probably only at my house
(in Ann Arbor), but this combina-
tion comes highly recommended.
You've never realized how much
fun "Duck Hunt" or "Punchout"
or even "Wheel of Fortune" can
be once it's projected on a huge
white wall. Call my roommate for
details. It's his projector.
By Joel Hoard
Daily Arts Writer
MUSIC R EVIEW
Five years after exploding onto the rap scene with
The Slim Shady LP, Eminem has become a cultural
phenomenon larger than anyone could have imag-
ined. His name is synonymous
with controversy, and there
isn't a public figure or special Eminem
interest group he hasn't crossed Encore
swords with. Not only that, but A
Eminem has broken ground Aftermath
musically, bending and shaping
words like no one before him and proving his intel-
lect stretches far beyond his ninth-grade education.
In the process, he earned the respect and even awe of
his peers and millions of fans.
Now that he's reached that apparent apex, where
can he go from here? If his latest record, Encore,
is the answer, it's nowhere new. Throughout the
record, Eminem sounds like he's on auto-pilot, as he
explores few new themes and is content to continue
rapping about his ex-wife, his mother and the media
circus that follows him. He shows signs of compla-
cency on songs such as the anti-Kim (Eminem's ex-
wife) tirade "Puke" and the cheeky "My 1st Single,"
and too often he resorts to toilet
humor and tasteless potshots at the
likes of Michael Jackson, R. Kelly
and Christopher Reeve.
But even at his worst, Eminem is
better than 95 percent of the rappers
on the charts today. If his ideas have
grown a bit stale, his lyrical style is .
still second to none and is more than
enough to compensate. On the omi-
nous banger "Never Enough" and
the auto-biographical "Yellow Brick
Road" he effortlessly weaves his
lyrics together with his distinctive complex rhyme
schemes and internal rhymes - so intricate and
crisp that writing them out doesn't do them justice.
Although Eminem has always been a bit two-faced
with his juvenile Slim Shady persona and his more
serious Marshall Mathers side, never has it been so
evident as on Encore. He is both at his most childish
and his most staid. At one moment, he's ogling teen
idols on "Ass Like That" and talking about his dick
on "Big Weenie," and in another he's delivering a
heartfelt tribute to his daughter on "Mockingbird"
and criticizing the Bush administra-
tion with surprising sentiment on
"Mosh." It might seem impossible
that one record could contain both
the lines "So Gwen Stefani, can you
pee pee on me please?" and "Maybe
this is God just saying we're respon-
sible for this monster - this cow-
ard that we have empowered," but
Encore has them both.
aa By no means is Encore Emi-
nem's death knell - he'll continue
to be a force in hip-hop for some
time - but it is a frustrating step back for one of
the genre's most innovative and talented artists.
Perhaps it's a bit too much to ask for a Marshall
Mathers LP every two years, but for someone with
such God-given ability, he should be held to a high-
er standard. We'll let you slide this time, Marshall,
but don't let it happen again.
0
Bright Eyes -
Indie music stomps
on all the other
crap. This week
Conor Oberst and
his crew debuted
new material at the
No. 1 and 2 spots
of the Billboard
200 Singles
Chart. In other
news, the presi-
dent is, in fact,
from a differ-
ent planet.
Courtesy o Saddle Creek
'House'
built on
solid
foundation
By Nick Kochmanski
Daily Arts Writer
Blues concert revisited with 'Lightning'
By Karl Stampfl
Daily Arts Writer
Yes, it follows the trials and tribu-
lations of a team of physicians, but
that doesn't mean FOX's "House"
is a normal run-of-the-mill medical
"I forgot my lab coat at the dry cleaner."
show. It is some-
thing more, com-
bining mystery,
character-driven
drama, emergen-
cy-room urgency
and appealing
camera work to
House
Tuesdays at
9 p.m.
FOX
create a visceral and cerebral expe-
rience that oozes style.
The pilot episode begins with a
kindergarten teacher collapsing to
the ground in front of her class, fall-
ing into convulsions and struggling
to speak coherently. The, patient,
named Rebecca, is taken to the
hospital and placed in the hands of
the quirky, yet brilliant, Dr. Greg-
ory House. House, along with his
three-man team sets to work try-
ing to diagnose Rebecca's malady.
As the mystery pans out, audiences
will find themselves captivated by
the stellar writing and enticing plot
dynamic. Every twist and each little
hang-up in the case proves to be
intriguing.
The all-around excellent acting is
also a high point. Hugh Laurie, as
the neurotic and highly anti-social
House, breathes fidgety life into the
character, making the hero seem
both impervious and also human.
The supporting cast, led by Omar
Epps ("Love and Basketball") as
Dr. Foreman, also contributes to the
authenticity of the show. Their per-
formances make the hospital realis-
tic, which, needless to say, adds to
the overall quality of the program.
As the show builds toward the
climax, House is forced by his over-
bearing boss to take part in a vari-
ety of pesky diagnoses, which helps
to lighten the atmosphere, lending
a sense of humor to a show that
could have been derailed by too
much serious drama. These hilari-
ous little interludes make the dra-
matic moments and also the final
confrontation with the patient's ail-
ment that much more suspenseful.
Kudos to the writers for striking
such a nice balance.
Overall, "House" is an excellent
show that deserves an audience.
Exciting programming seems to be
a rarity these days, so it is always
refreshing to discover such a smart,
well-produced series. It seems that
FOX's latest effort is just what the
doctor ordered.
MoVir: REVIEW
See this one in a theater with a good sound system. "Light-
ing in a Bottle" - a big-bellied concert film chronicling a
one-night all-star blues show at Radio City Music Hall on
Feb. 7, 2003 - challenges moviegoers to sit through all 103-
minutes with a still foot. The film operates under a constant
rhythm. Everything is moving, swaying, swinging, belting,
wailing, dancing and whining in a celebration of sadness.
This film, directed by Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day"),
mixes rhythm and sorrow into a combi-
nation that tells viewers: "it's all right to
be sad; tonight, we're all going to be sad Lightning in
together." The lineup of musicians says a Bottle
enough about the quality of the music - At the
B.B. King, Solomon Burke, Robert Cray, Michigan Theater
Steven Tyler, Alison Kraus, Macy Gray Sony Pictures Classic
and Muddy Waters. Even Bill Cosby SonPitursCassi
makes a cameo, reminding America he
can still dance. Blues legends who have died are included
through vintage footage.
The music is amazing. How could it not be with that list
of toe-tapping performers? But the question that remains
is whether it offers moviegoers more than something they
could download off iTunes on their living-room PCs. And the
answer is mostly "no." A beautifully orchestrated "no," but a
"no" nonetheless.
"Lightning" sounds good, but it doesn't take advantage of
the historical substance beneath the notes. For the most part,
the film fails to explore the 100-year story of the blues like the
concert itself was intended to do.
Occasionally, "Lightning" does delve deeper. The most
valuable parts of the film are the interviews, insights and sto-
ries of the performers. King recollects when an audience of
teenagers in Baltimore tried to boo him off the stage because
they were only interested in soul and rock music. It was 1960,
and they'd never heard of King. By the end of the perfor-
mance, though, the teenagers showered him with effusive
applause.
Still, the film would stand to gain by offering more insight
into the performers' lives and less full-out concert cover-
age. However overused, the footage of musicians playing is
engaging. Often, the camerawork is jerky but effective, like
an extended blues riff. The most striking shot comes from a
camera positioned under Waters's guitar of his pick eclipsing
the stage lights.
The visuals alone, though, won't capture the attention of a
non-blues lover. A few more dives into the varied characters
of the musical genre might have been sufficient to pique the
interest of a blues neophyte. "Lighting" is an above-average
concert film, but when it has the opportunity to be thunderous,
it doesn't take it, instead leaning too heavily on the music.
With Watters, King, Burke and many more on board, it
would be hard for this film to go astray. But if Fuqua had devi-
ated from the sheet music of the typical concert film, "Light-
ning" would strike a more resounding note.
"My lips are bigger than this microphone."
WINNING,
TJOMBJNATJON
Your ambition combined with a law degree from Michigan State University
College of Law will result in professional success!