Monday April 18, 2005 arts. michigandaily. com artspage@michigandaily.com R TSeldil 8A 0 ............ Mason Jennings performed at the Blind Pig on Friday. Courtesy of Paramount "Get your hand off my ass, Sandler." Mason Je de ights By Jake Smith For the Daily ROCK OF AGES ONE OF AMERICAS GREATEST COMEDIANS TALKS CAREER PATH 0 By Jeffrey Bloomer Daily Arts Writer As the most lauded and sought-after comedian today - and according to a recent Entertainment Weekly cover story, the funniest man in America - Chris Rock has a confession to make: "I am not as smart as people think I am." "A lot of times people come up to me and they start talking really smart. And I am like, 'Dude, I don't know what the fuck you are talking about.' I am an intellec- tual magnet. That happens a lot. I have to go, 'Hey, just jokes! That's all I know - jokes!'" Well, Rock also seems to know timing. Hot on the heels of his recent gig hosting the Academy Awards, Rock will costar in the Adam Sandler- led remake "The Longest Yard" this May. Rock, who plays a prison caretaker in the film, said it was unclear how he landed the role. "Maybe (Adam) Sandler wanted Will Smith and he said 'no,' " he said. All kidding aside, Rock said that fellow Satur- day Night Live alum Sandler was a central motiva- tion for his appearance in the film. "I think it was intended for me. This is what Adam said, so I will take his word on it," he said, adding that his public persona also played a role in the casting. "A direc- tor hires Daniel Day-Lewis to be somebody else. They hire Bill Murray to be himself ... I am the guy you hire to be himself." Still, Rock's role in "The Longest Yard" held him back from what he is best known for - edgy, no-holds-barred comedy. "It is hard. They rare- ly make R rated movies," he said. "You have to fight for an R-rated movie. You really do. It is weird ... 'The Longest Yard' (is set in) jail and it is PG-I3. Maybe (the rating) kind of restricted me a little, but other than that I had a good time. I prepared and I think I got a lot of funny out of the role," he said. And though Rock and his fans might miss his signature hardcore wit, he said that he's taking some time away from his primary outlet for rawer humor - his stand-up comedy tours. "I wish I was on tour right now," he said. "I am probably not going to tour again until ... 2007. When I am off, I kind of take a rest because you get to the point where the world is what it is," Rock said. "It's probably not going to change for awhile. So right now, I'm on hiatus." Rock also said that his work as a stand-up come- dian, along with the work of other African-Ameri- can comedy stars, is more influential than many give it credit, especially in comparison to more drama-oriented films of recent years. "(I) love what Jamie (Foxx) and Denzel (Washington) have done but ... you can't compare what they have done to what Eddie Murphy has done," he said. "As far as the African-American image on film, especially ... the early Eddie stuff, I mean, that is comedy and it reaches a much wider audience than those guys." Rock added that he will continue to remain true to his comedic roots. "I have done (drama) like in 'Nurse Betty' and 'New Jack City.' I just don't feel like starring in (another) dramatic movie," he said. As for his recent stand-up performance - the Oscars - Rock said the aftermath has been most- ly positive. "I get feedback on the street. People seem to like it. As far as the celebrities - (I've heard) nothing," he said, adding that his playful jabs at Jude Law and Colin Farrell did not esca- late into anything more after the show. "I have no beefs, man. I am not 50. No beefs. The Olsen twins, ok," Rock joked. So can we expect him to return to the Academy Awards next year? "Yes, if they asked me again, I would do it again," Rock said. "It was the toughest gig I ever had, but I have received more adulation from it than anything else I have done, too." Rock said that despite his time off, he will return to the stage to continue the quick-witted political and pop-culture commentary that made him the celebrated comedian he is today. "You have to rejuvenate. You don't want to sound stale with the same old stuff." But no need to worry: "I will be back guys," he said. Compared with the energy at the Blind Pig, the surrounding city streets seemed unusually quiet and sleepy. The mass of peo- ple was eager to hear the relatively Mason unknown folk Jennings singer/songwriter Mason Jennings. At the Blind Pig With a guitar in hand and har- monica strapped around his neck, Jennings's influences were strong and clear. Growing up in the booming music scene of Minneapolis, Minn., Jennings showed a clear hint of Bob Dylan's storyteller mentality with his developing lyrics and vocal talents. The intimate setting of the Pig and its impeccable acoustics aided his songs about his love life, home and experiences traveling around the country. "Crown" revved the engine of the audience with its upbeat, simple chord progressions and the conversa- tional style of his vocal delivery. The number of people who knew Jennings's material and sang along with his soulful ballads and bombas- tic verses made the atmosphere elec- tric for any newcomer to his music. His limited choruses and repetitive verses were hardly noticeable thanks to the contagious passion fused into nnrngS he Pig the performance. The masses chimed in during "Butterfly" when Jennings questioned, "I don't know why it is I do things like this / After all that I've run from / Where the fuck did you come from?" The mood calmed when Jennings left his guitar to sit down at the key- board. During "Duluth," the crowd held up their lighters as he sang of marriage and unrequited love from childhood to maturity with melan- choly. While playing crowd favorites "Big Sur," "California Part II" and "The Mountain," his lyrics sparked the audi- ence to respond to the ideal picture of California and life he presented. The roars of the crowd following "The Mountain" overpowered Jennings and drowned out all other noise. Jennings's lifeless cover of Allison Krauss's "Down to the River to Pray" from the O, Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack, was completely out of place. The harmonizing demanded by the song didn't complement Jennings's monotone voice. When Jennings finished his set with "Keepin' It Real," from his most recent album Use Your Voice, chants of "Mason, Mason," assaulted the stage. His presence was impressive as he sang a fair mix of old and new songs. He responded to the thunder- ing crowd with a simple statement, "Thank you for having so much fun." Simple words from a man reveling in simplicity. *1 -..i Tweet loses herself in angst By Jake Smith For the Daily 'Rwanda' paralyzes with humanity 01 By Christopher Lechner Daily Arts Writer A brief history lesson: In 1994, the African country of Rwanda was torn apart by a civil war between two ethnic groups: the Hutus and the Tutsis. "Hotel Rwanda" is the true story of how hotel manager Paul Rusesaba- gina (Don Cheadle, "Boogie Nights") saved the lives over 1,200 Tutsi refu- gees by offering them sanctuary in his hotel. Hotel Rwanda United Artists Sometimes it's good to hear from an old girlfriend. However, when she's only got one thing to say, you get an experi- ence as unsatisfactory and confusing as R&B songstress Tweet's new album, Tweet It's Me Again. The follow-up to it's Me Again her heralded 2002 Atlantic debut "Southern Hummingbird," where producing legend Timbaland gave Tweet the hit single "Oops (Oh My)" and Missy Elliott took the young singer under her metaphorical wing, Tweet returns to the studio with 15 tracks of smooth R&B melodies, seven of which were produced by Elliott. Sadly, Elliott's contribution don't go further than a handful of whiny tracks. Tweet tries to follow the standard of R&B singers who mourn their love life, but somehow she gets lost along the well beaten path. The album is filled CurLHtesy ofAlantIic "Bring me the head of Missy!" with hackneyed lines: "I'm moving on, making a new start / I'll make it / I will live my life and surely it won't be with you." Tweet covers everything from the initial spark to breaking up and to the emotional growth that comes out of it, with all the Lifetime Channel frills in between. One highlight of the album is "Ice- berg," which begins with a soft Span- ish guitar scale and melts into a smooth but simple drum and bass beat. Tweet cries out her frustration, "Love from my family / Close without my frees / They said you were no good for me / But I didn't listen." "Things I Don't Mean" features a sad rap from Elliot, and the male manifesto "Sports, Sex and Food" features the baf- flingly blunt hook, "If you gotta know the way, I'll show you / Pay attention you need to know how to I Hook up a meal / Learn a new move / The way to his heart is sports, sex and food." The occasional track like "You" and "Steer" showcases Tweet's strong voice and impressive vocal range. These feats alone, however, don't save the album from the pitfalls of mediocrity, Tweet still simply sounds like she is whining about her problems. "When I Need A Man" is a shame- less cross-promotion tool to celebrate USA Network's remake of the 1970's television show "Kojak." This tacked on bonus track splits in tone from the rest of the album and gives Telly Savalas a reason to roll in his grave. Though Tweet's talent is shown in bits and pieces in It's Me Again, she leaves the album with only a feeble tweet of her considerable potential. Filled with apathy, despair and eventually hope, "Hotel Rwanda" is an intricately woven biopic that focuses on the life of Rusesabagina and his family. Rusesabagina is a Hutu, but his wife Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo, "Dirty Pretty Things") is a Tutsi. As a relatively wealthy hotel man- ager, Rusesabagina is able to use bribes and influential contacts from the hotel to procure safety for himself and his family. However, his conscience gets the better of him as he eventually puts his family at risk by sheltering Tutsis in his hotel. Don Cheadle turns in a mesmerizing performance as Rusesabagina. He deftly displays his linguistic skills again in utilizing an effective African accent, and he succeeds in capturing the internal struggle of a man torn between his instincts of self-preservation and his con- science. Playing Rusesabagina's wife, Tatiana, Oscar- nominated Okonedo is extremely effective at capturing the terror created by the ubiquitous threats. In support- ing parts, Nick Nolte ("The Thin Red Line") plays a U.N. general and Joaquin Phoenix ("Gladiator") plays a cameraman bent on showing the world the true nature of this tragedy. Though the film tackles issues of death and violence, the film shies away from the more graphic visuals. courtesy of United Artists Don Cheadle stars in 'Hotel Rwanda.' Color and sound are crisp and clean on the DVD. Many of the special features are dedicated to documenting the actual events that happened during the Rwandan genocide. Included are interviews with the real Paul Rusesabagina and other characters depicted in the movie as they return to Rwanda for the first time since fleeing as refugees. Espe- cially haunting is their trip to a memorial for the victims of the war - nearly one million by its end. In a genre typically characterized by forced pathos, "Hotel Rwanda" stands apart as a genuine testament to the compassion of a man compelled to do extraordinary works in the face of daunting odds. It is an emotion- ally disturbing film about rampant apathy in the face of unspeakable atrocities, and yet, for all the suffering and death, it is ultimately a film that celebrates life and human kindness. And this, above all, gives cause for hope. Film: **** Picture/Sound: **** Features: **** 01 (TAD Don't CRAM for FINALS on an empty stomach... CALL THE DELIVERY BUTLER! --- !