1 .. --- - -V V._ . - , .. L] shaken, notstirred Iwith Ellen McGarrity w w a EIGHT REASONS WHY THE O.C. IS MY GUILTY PLEASURE Iam a diehard fan of "The O.C." And while you may not be, I bet you've tuned in at least once in the past year to see what all the fuss is about (even my Wall Street-bound brother knows who Summer and 1) Seth Cohen Marissa are). So go on - indulge This kid is about as dorky as they yourself in the eight reasons why this come - curly hair, super skinny, loves show is my guilty pleasure (and maybe comic books - he's a walking, talking yours too!). bundle of witty phrases. He even has a YOU'LL PUT THEM ITO GOOD USE. UNLIKE THOSE TXBOS plastic horse named Captain Oats. Logi- cally, I should swoon over handsome, brooding Ryan, but it's Seth thatI secret- ly wish was my boy toy (too bad cast- mate Rachel Bilson has already snagged this actor in real life). Summer's picked up on this too - she's the hottest girl on the show, and she can't even move on from old flame Seth to appreciate new and perfect boyfriend Zach. But does anyone ever wonder why no one else has caught "Seth fever" at the O.C. high school now that uber-popular Summer has dated him? 2) An unrealistic understanding of what normal mothers look and act like Okay, I expect the young starlets in these types of shows to have amazing Hollywood bodies and wear a size 0, but the moms? Kirsten Cohen and Julie Cooper have brought new meaning to the acronym "MILF" (Mom I'd Like to F*#k, from the movie "American Pie"). Both women have children in their late teens, yet they themselves look like they could pass for 28. Julie really takes the cake - during the course of the show, she's divorced her first husband (played by early '90s heartthrob Tate Donovan), had an affair with her daughter's ex-boy- friend (Abercrombie poster child Chris Carmack), married Kirsten's father (a seventy-something man who only cares about money) and recently re-hooked up with Donovan. 3) Eww! Summer's catchphrase of the first season is not only fun to say, but is also very handy. Try using it around campus in response to these everyday gripes (and don't forget to scowl!): "I fell in mud and ruined the bottom of my sorority-monogrammed sweat pants." "Eww!" "Exams this year went until Decem- ber 23." "Eww!" "There's a Texas Longhorn fan stand- ing right next to you." "Eww!" It's just so much cooler than Paris Hilton's "That's hot." 4) Milking the fans for all they're worth From the beginning, this show has made us wait. During the summer of '03, Fox teased us with a handful of episodes, then pulled the show off the air for a couple months. It was on and off the air about four more times before the season ended prematurely in March. As if that wasn't enough, fans had to wait until November of this year to see the first episode of season two. Annoying - but you know this is one of the reasons why fans love this show. _ It's never a guarantee that it will be on, so you have to watch when you can. The minds behind "The O.C." have also cashed in on fan's devotion by making the first season DVD available (around $70 on the show's website - I know because I asked Santa for it this Christ- mas), plus selling CDs of music from the show and charging a monthly fee for access to The O.C. Insider online newsletter. 5) Chrismakkah (aka Christmas + Hanukkah) What other show could combine a Christian and Jewish holiday and still manage not to offend anyone? Seth - whose father is Jewish and mother is Christian - introduced this amazingly inventive concept last December. Meno- rahs and Christmas trees coexist in the Cohen living room and house guests wear "Yamiclaus" (red yamakas with a white stuffed ball on the top) - how adorable. 6) Marissa's deviant behavior This girl may look like an angel, but there's definitely a little devil inside that head of hers. Last year, when she and the gang took a Spring Break trip to 'TJ' (Tijuana), she was hospitalized after drinking herself into oblivion. Since then, she's barely made it through an episode without busting out a bottle or flask of vodka. Summer even caught her spiking her latte at the school cof- fee shop in the second episode of this season. And the word on the street is that Marissa moves on from the hunks of Newport in an upcoming episode - she apparently hooks up with wild girl Alex (Seth's new flame). 7) The new allure of Ryan Atwood It's no secret that I melt for Seth, but Ryan's not far behind. During the first season, I couldn't understand the appeal of the show's troubled main character - I mean, who could date someone with a brown leather strap permanently affixed to his wrist?!. But now that he's ditched Marissa and Teresa, and stopped getting in a fight every episode, he's starting to grow on me. And his budding romance with Lindsay (did they steal this name from look-alike Lohan?) makes my heart flutter - literally. I'm not just using that phrase to be cute. 8) The incest factor Has anyone else noticed that nearly every character in the show is now relat- ed? Ryan was adopted in the beginning by the Cohens. After he started dat- ing Marissa, her mom married Ryan's new grandfather. And now that Ryan's dating Lindsay, it was discovered she is the illegitimate love child of Ryan's grandfather. Confused? Basically, Ryan has been dating two of his "aunts" (Marissa is the step-daughter of his grandfather and Lindsey is the sister of his mom). Yeah, it's really messed up. I thought they were going to run out of family mem- bers to hook up at the end of last season, but they keep surprising me. Ellen wonders if[anyone else remem- bers when Mischa Barton had that bit part opposite Hugh Grant in "Notting Hill." She welcomes all "The O.C." fans to write her at emcgarri@umich.edu. eU RealRetro jerseys honor the past By Stephanie Canning Daily Arts Writer So you think your style is retro? It may be, but is it real retro? The boys of 521 Linden St. have reinvented the concept of the retro-style throwback jersey. Instead of famous athletes, the jerseys serve as a tribute to some of history's finest figures. The concept for the jersey was thought up by LSA junior Andrew Lloyd who, along with his eight other roommates, has turned this original and innovative vision into a reality with the creation of their company, The RealRetro. "I saw the throw-back jersey craze and thought it would be cool to eel- ebrate accomplished historical figures they way we celebrate athletes," Lloyd says. The RealRetro jerseys feature ten different figures, all of whom have significantly impacted history. Lloyd said the merchandise empha- -, sizes the importance of education while encouraging the idea that learn- TOMMASO suuEZ/uei ing can indeed be fun. The founders of The Real Retro showcase their jerseys at their house at 521 Linden St. The jerseys feature individuals that were selected from a list that once lish major, supports the addition of Lloyd's silhouette is featured as the The RealRetro's merchandise has included more than 200 prospective Shakespeare to The RealRetro roster, human in the image that depicts the universal appeal. The company has candidates. Currently the RealRet- while Pat Ford, an Economics major, process of evolution. The number on sold t-shirts to people ranging fron ro's "starting lineup" is comprised would be thrilled to see the addition the back of Napoleon's jersey, 55, is children in elementary school to col- of Achilles, Julius Caesar, Cleopa- of an Adam Smith jersey. really 5'5", symbolic of his trade- lege-aged individuals. tra, Charles Darwin, Amelia Earhart, Of the already existing jerseys, The mark height. "We'd love to see our professors Genghis Kahn, Shakespeare's Romeo RealRetro's top sellers include Juliet The star and the cross that teaching classes in oui and Juliet, Napoleon and General and Charles Darwin. appear in the logos on the -. shirts," says Lloyd. George Patton. But this team roster is All of the t-shirts are printed on soft, front of both the Romeo They jer- by no means complete. high-quality cotton, and the founders and Juliet jerseys seys have beer The RealRetro will continue to add said the material has received many represent the idea shipped al] players to its already outstanding line- compliments from many of those who of star-crossed over the Unit- up; William Shakespeare, Beethoven, have purchased a jersey. lovers. The tags ed States - Aphrodite and Harriet Tubman are The shirts are slightly more fitted on the shirts are s s afrom down only a few of the figures scheduled to than a normal cotton t-shirt, which even custom- the street make appearances. makes for a stylish look. They come designed and in Ann All of the potential jersey candi- in a range of sizes and are can be uniquely placed Arbor to dates are researched and voted upon worn around the house or dorm, to on the t-shirt. It New Mex- by the entire house. Each roommate, class or even out on a Friday night. is obvious that ico. The however, tends to be partial to the his- Each jersey is unique, featuring each jersey is the RealRetro torical figures that would represent his one-of-a-kind designs with small result of an enor- is even mak- major. details. On the back of the Charles mous amount of ing appear- For example, Lloyd, who is an Eng- Darwin jersey, for example, Andrew thought and effort. ances overseas * Over a million shoes to choose from * Free shipping & return shipping * 365-day return policy * Superior customer service * 110% price protection See www.zappos.com/cs.zhtmlifor details. the web's most popular shoe store!e I I