Wednesday October 5, 2005 arts.michigandaily.com artspage@michigandaily.com aJbe 1Mirbirgan uiIQg 8 DOIN' IT OLD SCHOOL I don't want my MTV * VAUGHN BRINGS COMEDY ACT TO DETROIT By Punit Mattoo TV/New Media Editor For one of the supposed saviors of the R-rated comedy, Vince Vaughn seems pretty humble about his success. "I find it flattering," he kept repeating in reference to his cult-icon status and his recent box office suc- cess, while heaping praise upon his fellow comedians in his new- est venture, "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show." Hosting a show that he says emphasizes improv comedy and interaction with the audi- ence, Vaughn hopes to make audiences laugh and introduce them to a crop of young come- dians. Originally thought up Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show Friday $30-40 State Theatre, Detroit after a performance at an army relief fundraiser in Chicago, Vaughn turned the onetime M.C. posi- tion into a tour passing through 30 cities in 30 days. And with a number of stops off the usual comedy map, he hopes to expel the notion that fans can only see good comedy shows in major cities. "I figured people have to go to New York, L.A. or Vegas to see these kind of shows, and I wanted to bring great comedy shows to these towns, to these people who are in middle America." Shying away from the new territory of stand-up comedy, Vaughn instead hosts the show, perform- ing various skits and interacting with the audience. The stand-up comes courtesy of four comedians he handpicked from The Comedy Store in Los Ange- les. Bret Ernst, John Caparulo, Ahmed Ahmed and Sebastian Maniscalco all come with impressive resumes with appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Punk'd" and "Premium Blend." Along the way, different guest-stars from music and movies are set to appear at each stop. Vaughn avoid- ed revealing the guest for the Detroit date, explain- ing, "I'd like to keep it a surprise, I think it's more fun for people to kinda see who's gonna show up." With R-rated hits in "Wedding Crashers" and the dorm room requirement "Old School," Vaughn has become one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. And even in the midst of a box office decline, the surprise success of the films revitalized a genre left for dead after the slew of failed teen comedies fol- lowing "American Pie." "I think it's kinda funny. I grew up on 'Blues Brothers' and 'Animal House' and when we made 'Wedding Crashers,' we all and the director wanted to make it an R-comedy because the subject matter was adult in theme ... It wasn't so Idon't like taking cheap shots at Carson Daly, Limp Bizkit or any of the gutter slush on MTV's program- ming during the '90s. Those years were all-time low moments for the network; everyone has been saying that since. It went downhill, it became the dead horse that even our parents knew had fallen behind the times. But, and I know this is painful, consider just howa it happened. Internet maga- zines, blogs and deluxe estab- lished nine-dollar British' music rags started feasting on§ the network's demographics. Kids who were introduced to the Wu-Tang Clan, "Bea- vis & Butthead" and the E "Smells Like Teen Spirit" McC video turned around and were watching a Carmen Electra-helmed "Singled Out." But remember the good times: They played rap when the Grammys barely blinked an eye at Public Enemy, the Geto Boys and Ice Cube. Recall that the best music videos could tell a story like an opera - the collaboration between then- human Michael Jackson and film legend Vincent Price, the honest-to-goodness video epic "Thriller," scared the bejesus out of me as a young child ( ... and I still have trouble watching the clip alone). And while we can't blame MTV for the frequent slow periods in rap and pop, we can make an honest appraisal of the network as it stands today. It's come back from the dead with surprisingly astute shows (anyone who doesn't think "Lagu- na Beach" is some of the most grotesque social commentary since Brett Easton Ellis isn't watching hard enough) and - gasp - a new focus on music. So while I'm happy to see music back in the meat of its programming, on a closer look, it's off-putting to see the position of the actual music within the context of the network. What's the bread and butter of MTV? "Real World," "Laguna Beach," "Pimp My Ride," etc. So with no real "music-driven" show as the network's flagship, MTV's formula for keeping music as part of the mix has been to advertise, promote and condense emerging artists and albums into man- ageable sound bites suitable for transi- tioning to and from commercial breaks. Now, while I'm sure young outfits like Boyz N Da Hood and Relient K are thirsty for the coverage, we have to look at what MTV is doing to the music. They're trying to make everything pal- atable. They're creating the uneasy asso- ciation between art and product. Their "reality" shows are never without a Fall Out Boy/Ludacris/Coldplay soundtrack (depending on each show's target demo- graphic), the new bands deemed "hot" get sandwiched into bite-sized commer- cial-break morsels on the "10 Spot" (the 'V G block of programming between 10-11 on weekday nights - MTV's equivalent of prime time). Even the experienced mem- bers of the network (John Norris, Kurt Loder) stay strictly on the "catalogue the week's new releases, disclose latest Courtney Love/Paris Hilton escapade, repeat" whenever they get camera time. In a sinister way, it's worse than their "ignore the music, place "Real World" cast member in front of camera" attitude at the turn of the millennium. Then they just ignored music and shuffled it off to early afternoons when 'AN high school kids weren't ARVEY home. Now they're making it just another commodity, another good not unlike a candy bar or soap. Don't listen, just buy. They are, and maybe this is what's necessary today, giving tons of people 15 minutes of fame when, really, some people deserve a whole hour of the spot- light and others need only a few seconds. MTV keeps the top 10 percent of bands equal to the bottom thirds. It's time for MTV to start editorializing, to start breaking bands that deserve to be broken. It's time to start playing music videos on "TRL" or "Direct Effect" for more than 30 seconds before climbing up the count- down again. So of course I've made the situation out to be far more problematic than it is. If you're still under the thumb of your RA and most of your meals are chicken broccoli bake, then there's a nice little surprise in store. MTV2 and mtvU (the latter of which is only available on American college campuses) have begun a fresh ascent toward independence. MTV2 has angled itself as a two-headed force providing surprisingly deep music video coverage from both the worlds of indie-rock and hip-hop. What's more, they've actually done some reporting and history instruction in their excellent "My Block" series about overlooked American hip-hop cities (Memphis, Miami, etc....). MtvU, for all its ama- teurish camera work and poor editing, is just what it says it is - a music channel for college kids. Regina Spektor? Got it. Interpol? Got it. Videos from 50 Cent's mix tapes? Uh huh. Throwback skate- punk video countdowns featuring Ran- cid and Dookie-era Green Day? Check! Ah, I miss the dorms. I feel old. MTV will do that to you. - Evan fantasizes about being cast on one of MTV's fascinating reality shows, and especially wants the number of every girl on "Laguna Beach." Share your MTV fetish with him at evanbmcg@umich.edu 0 Cgs urtesyVofVinVceaug'daun ' sWi ldWest Comed yfSow Vince Vaughn hosts "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show." much language as the situation - whether it was the dinner table scene or the bedroom scene where I'm tied up - you don't want to shy away from that while making an adult-themed comedy. A lot of times Hollywood will say 'let's just go make R- rated comedies' and they'll just try to up the shock- ing or language or (make it) as gross as they can." Much of that success came alongside the so-called "Frat Pack," which includes among others, Will Fer- rell, Owen and Luke Wilson, Steve Carrell and of course Vaughn. He's quick, however, to point out the oft-forgotten original member, Jon Favreau, who wrote and co-starred in the classic tale of L.A. 20- somethings, "Swingers." Fans who thought that the actors often planned their projects together might be disappointed; Vaughn explained, "It's not as if I'm in constant collaboration with those guys. But I've done movies with them and I would do other movies with them if it made sense to both of us." Even with much talked about (critically and commercially) trips into drama ("Domestic Dis- turbance" anyone?), Vaughn is open to the idea of branching out from his recent comedic films. "I'll do drama again. I don't have some sort of game plan saying 'Oh well, I gotta go do this or this.' I just like to mix it up. I like to do different types of stuff to keep motivated. You know, whether it's the character in 'Be cool' or an independent film, 'Thumbsucker,' where I play a high school teacher. I just like to do different stuff. I'm an actor so I like the challenge of playing different roles." For now, Vaughn is busy enough with his show. More than halfway through the grueling tour, and with the last show in his hometown Chicago on Oct. 11 in sight, Vaughn was still enthusiastic, citing the lack of downtime as the only negative, and is even looking forward to another tour. "I'll definitely always do something like this every now and then. I don't know if I'll go 30 days and 30 nights again but I really wanted to get out there right now .:. I'm bringing these shows to people's towns to get a chance to have a really fun night." 'Invasion' leaves much to By Amos Barshad Daily Arts Writer Disney's 'Greatest Game' a family hit. By Imran Syed Daily Arts Writer After capitalizing on two of the greatest underdog stories of the past 30 years with "Miracle" and "The Rookie," Walt Disney Pictures goes back nearly 100 years to tell the tale of perhaps the greatest dark horse of all time. The resulting film, "The Great- The Greatest est Game Ever Played," might conform Game Ever closely to oft-recycled underdog formu- Played las, but it does so in both entertaining and uplifting fashion. At Showcase "Game" tells the true story of Francis and Quality 16 Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf, "Constantine"), Disney a "commoner" from Massachusetts who tore down golf's class barrier with his sensational performance in the 1913 U.S. Open. His final-round playoff against the two best golfers of the age - Brits Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane, "King Arthur") and Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus, "Quills") - was regarded at the time as the greatest game of golf ever played and popularized the sport in America for the first time. Ouimet faces barriers at every level. His father bars him from his house unless he gives up the "fool's game," club elites frown upon his ambitions, and other golfers sneer at him as unworthy. Yet through it all, with his 10-year-old caddy at his side (rela- tive newcomer John Flitter), Ouimet perseveres to become one of America's first true sports legend. Director Bill Paxton's ("Frailty") recreation of early 20th century America and its common people is surpris- ingly realistic - aside from the occasional Disney-movie dialogue that the studio just can't seem to avoid. Ouimet's family hardships, his father's desire to protect him from upper-class prejudice and his mother's remarkable under- standing of his dreams are all genuine family entertainment (you even half-expect someone to chime in with a "God bless us, every one!"). Anchoring the story is LaBeouf's excellent portrayal of Ouimet; he shows a sterling dramatic resilience that recalls Tobey Maguire's overlooked work in 2003's "Sea- biscuit." He has the composure required to play someone of the era and a knack for portraying the outsider. His rela- tionship with his boyhood idol, Vardon, is also compelling but at times unclear; the constant flashbacks into Vardon's own childhood as a social outcast often cut in awkwardly. How Vardon rose to become a golfing legend may well be a theme worth exploring; but when juxtaposed with Oui- met's struggle, it interferes with a true understanding of either story. Though a bit lengthy and overly steeped in genre conventions, "Game" ultimately soars because of how remarkable Ouimet's achievement really was. Only when one realizes how much of the storyline is actually based on fact is it possible to really appreci- ate the film and its characters. His struggle shows how elitism in golf has been around as long as the game has been played in the United States and should be an inspiration to those trying to tear down the game's outdated gender barrier today. With a premiere focusing on a small Florida town in the wake of a major hurricane, Invasion had all promotions and marketing halted " " by ABC in the Invasioni aftermath of Hur- Wednesdays ricane Katrina. The ° at 10 p.m. network had even ABC considered delav- Courtesy of ABC Check out the new features on this Nokia. ing the peiey premiere but ultimately did not, which seems entirely appropriate; as the title makes abundantly clear, there are extraterrestrials in them hills.. With such an emphasis, its hard to believe that "Invasion's" hurricane portrayal would offend. Our hero is a divorced park ranger and straight arrow Russell Varon. Only a few months prior, Russell was Eddie Towne on ESPN's tepid and highly hyped drama "Tilt"- that's right, Eddie Cibrain! Whose idea was it to give the most nonde- script white guy to grace the small screen since the heyday of Jona- than Silverman's "The Single Guy" another lead role? We're also introduced to a full time: Russell's bitter ex-wife, Mariel (Kari Matchett, "Blue Murder"), her husband, sheriff Tom Underlay (William Fichtner, "Empire Falls") and Russell's boozy, slacker broth- er-in-law Dave (Tyler Labine, "My Boss's Daughter"). Everyone falls into place quickly enough; in the pilot, Dave gathers skeletal evidence supporting the presence of aliens, and the viewers realize that he will spend signifi- cant chunks of his time attempting to convince Russell of the imminent invasion. Tom and Mariel, who are clearly under the mysterious, unde- tected influence of the aliens, will appear on the other bank of the river, in cahoots with the invaders. Grant- ed, the network has only aired a few episodes, but the primary players thus far all serve a stated purpose: Dave's the alien conspiracist, Rus- sell the unassuming hero, and Tom plays the nemesis. It's almost impos- sible to care what happens to these tner in a locked-jaw face-off while Matchett plays Mariel with an edge- less Stepford coolness. Potentially, Labine could have been a saving grace; he plays zany Uncle Dave with enough off-the-cuff eccentricities so that his advice is always suspect. Unfortunately, Labine delivers the most unconvincing substance abuser since Jesse Spano with the caffeine pills on "Saved By The Bell." Add to the mix some cheap spe- cial effects and attempts at "Lost"- type mysteries that barely get off the ground for their painful predict- ability, and that's it. It says some- thing about the state of non-HBO television that Cibrain has managed to finagle a lead role,on two medio- cre shows promised enough hype to last beyond their first season. Like "Tilt," "Invasion" is guaranteed a certain amount of viewers through forces other than its own merit. This is unfortunate. The more viewers accept low rate material, the more Gordon-Levitt saves plot in 'Skin' By Hyatt Michaels Daily Arts Writer Hell hath no fury like a former child star trying to gain indie cred. Teen heart- throb Joseph Gordon-Levitt (TV's "Third is Ellen, Neil's often-absent mother who is, in part, a catalyst to her son's molesta- tion and never discovers his part-time job. Shue's role is limited to a near cameo, but during her brief appearance, the fading actress reminds us why she received her Oscar nomination 10 years ago for her role in "Leaving Las Vegas." "Mysterious Skin" boasts moments of true dramatic edge, but ultimately falls prey to too many art-house wanderings. Though the film is bold in its portrayal The film's outlandish portrayal of the early '90s doesn't help matters either. Who knew imitating the grunge-rock era only took Goth make up and random complaints about small-town culture? In contrast to Gordon-Levitt's riveting per- formance, Michelle Trachtenberg (TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") is nasal and annoying as Neil's best friend, Wendy, and never has enough screen time to build a true character. Also tagging along is fresh-faced Jeff Licon who is endearing Rock from the Sun") makes a triumphant leap in the well-inten- tioned but uneven Mysterious Skin , i