! ! w w 0 Celebrity role playing: character vs. caricature TH-E DAILY DISH Everyone's a Critic I Media Column By Kristin MacDonald Preserver of Clayton Lewis, Curator of Graphics at ti By Kate i nternet ads for the Oscars took a blatantly star-oriented spin this year. "Heath vs. Philip!" blared one, flashing a photo- shpped image of cowboy-hatted Heath Ledger glaring down a meekly spectacled Philip Sey- mour Hoffman. Though it perhaps makes for no life-changing revelation that the Academy Awards largely promote themselves with the stars they honor, this obvious celebrity face-off marketing angle seemed like barefaced acknowledgement that the whole best actor/actress game tends to award performers more than their performances. Of course, that's cause for little complaint. Watching the big names get dolled-up for compe- tition is unapologetically Oscar night's big draw. Nonetheless, the widely debated predictions leading up to the big night do beg the question of quality in acting, and the query remains pertinent even as Hollywood gradually steps back from the self-obsession of its frenzied awards season: how much of any performance is truly acting, and how much is a star's external persona? The acting style lauded in bygone Hollywood eras tipped decidedly towards persona. Cary Grant, for instance, cited by many film buffs as one of the greatest actors of all time, boasted irre- sistible charm, commendable sense of timing and an impressive list of revered movies. And yet, in all honesty, whom did Cary Grant ever play but Cary Grant? Whether cat burglar, newspaper man or bewildered newlywed, Grant's roles came fully equipped with his trademark quirky speech pattern and suavely polished look, rendering him, like many legends (Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Steward), more character-brand than actor. That's not to imply that either Grant or his style is any less entertaining or cinematically impor- tant. Just the opposite - there is something whol- ly satisfying about the dependability of a favorite actor's persona. Why else return to our favorites again and again? Why else stop dead in the middle of Blockbuster and reach for a straight-to-video B-flick of which you have never even heard just because there's a familiar face on the box? Not a bad policy of selection, incidentally, though a decidedly dangerous one - witness "Blue Juice," the 1995 surfing classic so many misguided Cath- erine Zeta-Jones and Ewan MacGregor fans have been suckered into renting by their pre-fame, wet- suited bodies on the cover. That Grant-style personal branding, however, has become increasingly less common, resulting in two fairly distinct types of film stars - on one hand, acting celebrities, famous for a certain personality; on the other hand, celebrity actors, respected and consistent performers for whom fame just seems an occupational hazard. While the distinction itself is no new trend, the recent developments of reality TV and con- stant entertainment-news coverage have both contributed to a widening of the gulf. With the tabloids devoting most of their headlines to the abundance of 15-minute, reality-star "celebs," general pop culture itself forks into a dichotomy of celebrity. It seems literally everyone wants to be famous (E!'s "Gastineau Girls," anyone?), and this growing breed focuses almost entirely on persona alone. Sure, Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson have both utilized prefabricated imag- es as clout for promoting new movies, but their brief and uncelebrated cinematic forays are less exercises in actual acting than mere extensions of their established personal brands. And they've effectively taken on the celebrity burden. Their style of omnipresent checkout-aisle fame allows other performers to sidestep the head- line-filler celebrity duties and earn their renown on acting instead. Once termed mere character actors, these latter types are finding more and more rec- ognition as top-billers in their own right. Take, for example, a certain Philip Seymour Hoffman, this year's freshly-minted best actor. His terrific work, while consistently good, is all the more impressive for its variation - his range extends from "Boo- gie Night's" naive and timid porn-set hanger-on to "Punch-Drunk Love's" aggressive sleazeball to last year's polished portrayal of Truman Capote. Hoffman belongs to a different sort of Hol- lywood A-List, along with the likes of Steve Buscemi, Don Cheadle and Paul Giamatti. These are the guys whose familiar mugs invoke nods of recognition and approval, even if many audience members can't quite remember their names. Granted, they probably can't sell an issue of GQ like George Clooney. But they've earned widespread industry respect all the same, as go- to guys who can not only enliven the most tepid of parts but also successfully avoid the trap of a single typecast role. That's not to say that much of modern cinema doesn't still play more or less by rules of persona; certain movie genres always call for types. After all, when it -omes to slinging guns or out-running bad guys, it's not some huge gulf of acting talent which separates Will Smith from Bruce Willis from Tom Cruise. Will simply does it with inof- fensive wit, Willis with gotta-do-whatchu-gotta- do masculinity, and the tragically overrated Mr. Cruise with an arrogant, coldly inhuman glower (I hate Tom Cruise). But beyond those pre-set sort of roles or poor performers merely typecast at every turn, few current actors maintain a constant guise as con- sistently as Cary Grant once did. Perhaps Owen Wilson is fairly dependable as the charming Everyman/borderline cad. Maybe Al Pacino has cornered the market on tough, loud and slightly scummy. And, of course, there's Paris and Jessi- ca, making blondes everywhere groan with their cheerful submission to the airhead stereotype. But keep an eye out, too, for the industry's rising Hoffmans and Cheadles. They're a safe bet for that next bout of Blockbuster browsing, for even if the movie turns out a dud, they can guarantee a solid, and singular, performance. Kristin can be reached by e-mail at kmacd@umich.edu earching for a rare boc ists for your American I paper? How about a 16 South America? Look no f Clements Library, located ne ident's house on South Univ While many students pass each day, most don't realizet the premier historical librarie With an impressive set of photographs and maps fromt covery to the early tw it houses such famou the original pamphl Columbus sent to Q announcing the dis New World. For the pa C k on abolition- the library's director. I'm in charge of our history research graphics collections, which mostly includes th century map prints and photographs. My job involves the further than the preservation and care of these old, fragile ext to the pres- materials. The preservation is handled on a versity Avenue. case-by-case basis. I have to make sure the the Clements items are kept dark and dry so that they will that it is one of last; sometimes, they will need a chemical es in the nation. treatment to de-acidify. I also make these prints, books, items accessible to researchers who come the Age of Dis- here. entieth century, TMD: Why are you interested in visual us treasures as materials? let Christopher CL: I have a graduate degree in painting Queen Isabella, and I used to work in the commercial print- scovery of the ing industry. With early prints, I admire the artistry of the craft. In the 18th century, it st five years, involved cutting grooves into metal plates, layton Lewis so it was a very laborious process. has served TMD: How does the library acquire these as curator materials? of graphics, CL: There are so many exciting and valu- charged with able things that come here every day. We managing have a very active acquisitions program. the library's There are gifts and purchases from all dif- extensive col- ferent directions. Some come from private lection of dealers and others come from families of visual materi- historical figures. I have some long-term als. In a large relationships with dealers who act as scouts. wood-pan- We usually receive hundreds of books and eled exhibit graphics each year. It's amazing how much hall that looks historical information is still out there, wait- as though it ing to be discovered. belongs in a TMD: What is the most exciting acquisi- historical text- tion you've seen recently? book, Lewis CL: We recently received a 100-year- paused to dis- old book of photographs from the 1906 San cuss his work. Francisco earthquake. We have pictures of the ruins, as well as how people managed in The Michi- the aftermath. This is a real human story. You gan Daily: can see that the country was not prepared to What is your deal with a natural disaster of this magnitude. role at the It's quite fascinating because exactly the same library? thing is happening now with Katrina. It makes Clayton me think that perhaps we haven't made that Lewis: I am much progress. The old cliche that those who one of four don't study the mistakes of history are doomed curators who to repeat it holds true in this case. work under TMD: From which era do most of the items in your department originate? CL: We have a lot of visual materials dating back to the Civil War, from both the North and South. The Civil War came at a time when photography was a relatively new invention. We have a number of photos by Matthew Brady, the most famous Civil War photographer. In general, we are also known for primary sources from the Colo- nial and Revolutionary periods, such as some engravings and prints by Paul Revere. Our collection also contains satiric car- toons from the American and British sides during Revolutionary War. TMD: What are some of the Library's other showpieces? CL: There are some very important items from the Age of Discovery. We have the original pamphlet Christopher Columbus printed when he returned from his first voy- age to America. This is a famous document I L Want more practice You'll get over 4,500 questions with complete Don't settle. Prep 1-800 Test Prep and Admissions kapte 'LSAT is regisered trademark of the Law School Admission Council. kaptmoLcom/hsg. The Higher Score Guarantee applies onlyk What happened to the Greek system? You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? j Campus Life Column By Mark Giannotto I T ead over to a house on East Univer- sity Avenue on a Saturday night. j. You'll see a group of seniors who began driiking kegs at 4p.m., have all of their friends over and are generally getting wild before they head over to Scorekeepers for the mixed-drink pitcher specials. These guys are the last remaining semblance of what used to be Sigma Chi. They were kicked off campus in October 2003 due to hazing allegations. Now head over to one of the fraternities that are still on campus. There are no kegs, there is a limit to the amount of girls present and, in gen- eral, it's pretty tame. So why do the old Sigma Chis get to do as they please, while frats still on campus look lame? I'll tell you why. The new social policy. To be blunt: it sucks. The Sigma Chi hazing incident set about a series of events that eventually led to the removal of a couple fraternities, as well as a sorority. This doesn't even include the countless fraternities put on probation during that time. The Interfraternity. Council and the Office of Greek Life went about creating many new anti-hazing regulations, along with a new social policy for Greeks to follow. I have no qualms with the hazing stuff, because hazing is against the law in the state of Michigan. There were obviously some changes that needed to be made so that hazing incidents would become few and far between. But I do think there was an overreaction by the University. It felt like the school decided that because of one incident, all fun had to decrease. They determined the way to do this was to create a social policy that is painful to even read. Now that it has been in place for more than a year, I'd like to examine how inept this social policy truly is. As a member of the Greek system, I can tell you it is the most hypocritical set of regula- tions my eyes have ever beheld. When read- ing, you wonder whether the very students who came up with it actually attend college. When the IFC and Panhellenic Council first announced this new social policy, they trum- peted it as preventing much of the liability that a fraternity could face if someone drank too much at a party. The biggest change in policy was the "bring your own booze" concept. Beginning with the Winter 2005 semester, fraternities could no lon- ger provide alcohol for guests at parties. Instead, people coming to a party could bring just 12- packs of beer or a pint of liquor. Upon arrival, a courteous, sober (haha) fraternity member would check said booze and partygoers could get their booze as they pleased. The powers that be within the Greek system figured this would curtail the amount of extreme- ly drunk partygoers at the University. It was the answer to all of the problems in the Greek world. So by limiting the liability of the fraternities, the leaders of the Greek system are instead ask- ing the people they supposedly represent to go out and get their own alcohol. OK. That makes sense. Oh wait, there's a problem. I'd venture to say 95 percent of people who attend frat parties are under the age of 21. So basically the majority of people at a party have to be in the Greek system, and because they are under 21 they need to use their fake IDs at a liquor store. Thanks IFC. I'm really going to appreciate that MIP now that my fraternity is less liable. And now I'm alienated from people because I forgot to put them on my guest list and couldn't let them in. Another issue I have with this social policy is some of the ridiculous little nuances in it. Did you know that when holding a registered party there must be non-salty food and non-alcoholic beverages for guests to consume? Are you serious? If you are coming to a frat party to have some nice hors d'oeuvres and juice you are probably insane. Further, the policy allows individuals on the Social Responsibility Committee the authority to simply walk into any fraternity without cause or concern. They aren't the cops; why should they be allowed in? When the average person on campus is hav- ing a house party, the Ann Arbor Police Depart- ment is not allowed to simply enter the house and levy fines and probations. There has to be cause for them to do such things. The people running this Greek system are slowly, but surely burying out once great com- munity. I am from the state of Maryland and have seen the carnage that the administration at the University of Maryland inflicted upon their Greek system. There are no parties allowed at fraternities there. In fact, the frats look like sorority hous- es. The nightlife for freshmen revolves around dorm parties. Now envision Welcome Week here without fraternities. Yeah, it isn't pleasant. But that's where we're headed. I would not be surprised if in five years I return to the University and all fraternities are dry. I ask everyone in and out of the Greek system to try and get rid of this awful policy. That way we can go back to the way they were supposed to be. Let's have some fun again. I realize this is highly unlikely. The powers that be are not going to allow things to return to the way they were, especially with the recent alcohol-related deaths at Colorado State and Col- orado Universities. So while everyone else watches our Greek system slowly self-destruct, I'm going to head over to East U. I heard Sigma Chi is having one of its infamous house parties. Giannotto can be reached by e-mail at mgiann@umich.edu EIIMA k5NOLAN'-ABRAHM lIAN~/JDaily The Clements Library is home to many historical documents, including a pamphlet that Christopher Columbus sent back to Europe announcing the discovery of the New World. 10B - The Michigan Daily ;Thursday, March 9, 2006 The Michigar