Wednesday November 17, 2004 arts.michigandaily.com artspage@michigandaily.com Ule SidtgtOaW NUd iRTS 8 . .. .. .... .. ... . - ------ ...... 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!