JAMMIN' WITH JUAN COLE
Notorious prof's iPod playlist, page 6B.
struts his stuff. Fashion, page 7B.
B
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2006
p
Redeem
thysel
ay what you want about
the cruelty of Hollywood
criticism - few industries
ever give such big welcome-
back hugs.
Consider
the sad
case
of Ben
Affleck, h
once,
a big-
league
star, now
a piti-
ful one,
habitually KRISTIN
associ- MACDONALD
ated with
such non-big-league terms as
"washed-up," "craptastic" and
- worst of all - "done."
The beauty of Hollywood,
however, is that the door is
always open for a second act:
Earlier this week, Affleck
took top male acting honors at
the Venice Film Festival for
his portrayal of real-life TV
Superman George Reeves in
"Hollywoodland." It's quite a
surprising turnaround for the
star of "Gigli," "Jersey Girl,"
"Daredevil," "Paycheck," "Sur-
viving Christmas" (et cetera, et
cetera, crap ad infinitum), nor is
the award small potatoes, either.
Affleck joins the lofty ranks
of greats like Toshiro Mifune
("Yojimbo"), Albert Finney
("Tom Jones") and Jack Lem-
mon ("Glengarry Glen Ross"),
a far different company to keep
than, say, Jason Mewes.
The celebrity comeback has
long been a notoriously popu-
lar trick, although often with
television as the medium. Just
look at the deserving triumph of
such limelight returns as Kiefer
Sutherland ("24") and the once-
Radioshack-bound Teri Hatcher
("Desperate Housewives"). By
now, however, the comeback is
such a valuable device for driv-
ing industry buzz that television
has gone ahead and set up a
(very successful) "celebreality"
comeback machine - "Celebrity
Fit Club," "The Surreal Life,"
"Dancing With the Stars." Hey,
it worked for Jessica Simpson.
And Flava Flav.
Ben's bounce back to the A-
list acting fold would be a much
harder trick than merely party-
ing or cheating his way onto
the gossip page. After all, if a
true "comeback" meant simply
returning to the public eye, it
would always be just a mea
culpa away, no matter what the
initial deterrent: Self-imposed
isolation (Demi Moore, Jane
Fonda). An extra 150 pounds
(Kirstie Alley). Continuous,
rampant coke addiction (Rob-
ert Downe Jr). Hookers (Hugh
Grant, Eddie Murphy, Charlie
Sheen).
Ben's particular vice, other
than a few tabloid-noted inter-
ests in booze and gambling?
Bad movies. Admittedly, there's
some bad acting here and there
as well, but I'm of the school
that Affleck is usually better
than his material. If there's one
thing that's truly wrong with
bomb-prone Ben, it's either his
luck or his agent, as the direc-
tors he's signed up for have
been, largely, as phenomenally
See AFFLECK, page 3B
ILIST
Sept. 14 to 17
A weekly guide to
who's where, what's
happening and
why you should be
there. Arts editors
recommend this
week's best bets.
Naomi Long Madgett will appear at The Detroit Scarab Club for a poetry reading Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.
WHERE TO FIND POETRY IN ANN ARBOR
The University is known for its creative writing pro-
grams and awards, but sometimes it's hard for afi-
cionados to find poetry readings and the like in this
busy, saturated town. Here's how you can get your
fix this month:
The next stop for the Wave Books Poetry Bus Tour is in An
L IE Arbor on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Residential College Audito
rium. The Poetry Bus is currently on a 50-day tour of all of 50
states. Tuesday's event will feature RC Prof. Ken Mikolowski ant
n
-
0
d
Aging Detroit poet laureate reflects on past
By Caroline Hartmann I Daily Arts Writer
enied seating at the local
ice-cream parlor and
ushered to far-flung the-
ater balconies, life in the 1920s
for African-Americans in East
Orange, N.J., was far from the
idealized vision of equal oppor-
tunity that America so boldly
trumpets.
But East Orange meant home
for Naomi Long Madgett, albeit
a lonely one. She had little com-
pany growing up beyond the
pen and paper she used to scrib-
ble down "silly rhymes." Her
precocious pursuits bloomed
to unveil the wordsmith within;
Madgett emerged a preeminent
poet of the 20th century and
went on to become an English
teacher, journalist and founder
of her own publishing company,
Lotus Press. She has held the
title of Detroit's Poet Laureate
since 2001.
Madgett has published nine
books of poetry since 1938
- "Pink Ladies In The After-
noon," "Octavia And Other
Poems" and "Midway" among
them - an accomplishment
few others can hold a candle
to. And in an effort to celebrate
African-American poets, the
Long Poetry Foundation estab-
lished the Naomi Long Madgett
Award in honor of her lasting
dedication to poetry.
Madgett absorbed the con-
tents of her minister father's
extensive library at an early
age and learned the art of com-
position from his sermons and
spiritual hymns, all of which
bolstered her literary impulses.
By the time she was 12, Madgett
had written exactly 100 poems
See MADGETT, page 2B
many others.
The Zell Visiting Writers series continues to bring a steady flow of
established poets and writersto campus. Susan Stewart isgiving
a poetry reading on Sept. 21 at the Rackham Amphitheater at
5 p.m. and a lecture on poetics on Sept. 22 in 3222 Angell Hall
at 2 p.m. Keith Taylor will hold a poetry reading Sept. 28 in the
Residential College Auditorium at 5 p.m.
You may have heard of the Hopwood Awards for creative writing,
but when was the last time you visited the Hopwood Room in
Angell Hall? On Thursdays from 3to 5 p.m.. tea, coffee, cookies
and conversation await students, faculty and staff who drop by.
Stop by to browse the countless poetry and fiction publications
that cover their huge table while you eat. Distinguished writers
have also been known to drop in on these days and talk with the
students who are lucky enough to catch them.
Regular poetry slams are held at the Michigan Union U-Club
during the year. The first slam of this term will be Sept. 21 at 8
p.m. A open-mike session begins the night, and the slam proper
starts at 9 p m. Try your hand at reading something aloud - or
even slam, if you've got the guts.
- Caitlin Cowan
Renowned stand-up comedienne
MargaGomezcomestotheMichigan
Theater today at 5 p.m. "Everything
I Know About Comedy, Theater and
Cooking" is part of the Penny W.
Stamps Distinguished Visitor Series.
Gomez has won numerous awards
for her work and has appeared on
HBO, Showtime and Comedy Cen-
tral. The event is sponsored by the
School of Art and Design. The event
is free and open to the public.
Arts on the Hill is offering a
free figure drawing workshop
tonight from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the
Alice Lloyd Hall art studio. Ses-
sions meet Tuesday and Thursday
evenings throughout the semester
and are always free. The sessions
feature live models in a relaxed
studio setting. Instruction and
limited supplies are available. No
prior experience? No problem -
beginners are always welcome.
IN CONCERT
The Blind Pig presents Dylan-
fest, a tribute to (you guessed
it) the one-and-only Bob Dylan.
Featuring Dirt Road Logic, Chris
Bathgate, Maggie McCabe, Corn-
daddy, Hummingbirds, Derek
Daniel, Horse Cave Trio and many
more. The tribute is 18+ $10 Cover
/ Under 21 $13. Doors open at 8
p.m. Friday. All proceeds from the
show benefit the Mary Beth Doyle
Foundation.
ON SCREEN
Tonight and Sunday the Michi-
gan Theater will show "Roger &
Me," controversial director Michael
Moore's 1989 film, as part of their
25 films from the Sundance Film
Festival series. In this early work,
Moore tracks down General Motors
CEO Roger Smith to grill him
about the harm his downsizing did
to the economy of Flint. The film
will show tonight at 7:15 p.m. and
Sunday at 6:15 p.m.