10A - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 20, 2006 Fox gets a lii' tipsy with'HappyHour' U ,,- 4 By Imran Syed Daily Arts Writer "Happy Hour" is a show with no real expectations. Its premise is a one-trick pony to say the least, looking simply to pig: Hap Hour gyback off of the pop- ularity of other shows Thursdays at about a group of yup- 8:30 p.m. pie friends. Most of its Fox jokes never even aim above about level two of the comedic hierar- chy (there's got to be at least five levels). It cores as a surprise then that the show has actually revamped those trite jokes to make them appear somehow fresh and yes, even funny. As opposed to a show that aims too high and gets nowhere, it aims low goes further than the creators could have ever hoped. Set in Chicago, "Happy Hour" follows of Henry (John Sloan, "Commander in Chief'), a moping dreamer who just got kicked out by his girlfriend. He opts to room with someone else in that same building - Larry (Lex Medlin, "Still Standing"), the clueless, eccentric, Sinatra wannabe. Bring in Larry's endearingly lewd friend Amanda and you've got your comic trio - nothing spectacular to be sure, but they work togeth- er and complement each other well enough in their roles. As boring and annoyingly glum as Henry is (he definitely has a little Paul Rudd going on), Larry is the rambunctious, spirited opposite. This brings about an interesting juxtaposition: Neither character would be worth watching alone, but together make for an entertaining duo. They couldn't survive on their own, but the combination of characters is just what keeps the show watchable. Larry appears to be the oddball bor- rowed from any number of shows, but Medlin has a slightly inexplicable charm "Oddly enough, you were cuter before my third martini." about him that makes his delivery brazen although surviving its first season won't be ings will fall and Fox has pulled them out and novel. If there were a bit more content an easy going for "Happy Hour" It stands of unexpected places before (could millions to this show, his character would help carry to face off against "The Office;' which of people really be watching "The War at it into prominence. What's interesting here recently won the Emmy for outstanding Home"?). If the show builds steam before is that the show may just have enough per- comedy series. the other big Thursday shows' premieres, it sonality and genuine sass to stick around, Still, no one can predict where the rat- could be here to stay. Ful s. edahead. We remove the barriers, so you can accelerate your career. We've created an environment that's conducive to personal and professional growth and success. At Ernst & Young, we're recognized for our inclusive culture that expects everyone to contribute and everyone to grow. Stop just long enough to visit us on campus, or at ey.com/us/careers. FORTUNE 100 BEST COMPANIES(= TO WORK FOR'-: '_ %Owl The retirement of Detroit's prodigal son, Marshall Mathers, n6 Eminem, has lasted about as long as a blunt in D12's green room. That is to say, not very long at all. This winter will see the release of Eminen Pres- ents: The Re-Up, an elegantly titled mixtape that will debut artists from the Shady Records Camp. That's not in and of itself news, except that Eminem pro- duced most of the tracks (with assistance from the Alchemist), and he even contributes a few rhymes. Contrary to what many expected, it will not be a trib- ute to fallen comrade Proof, but rather another mixtape that is essentially between-album filler - self-promotion to the max. While Shady is busy making his mixtape, another artist has steppedupto theplate to pay hom- age to recently deceased Detroit rapper Proof: Jeff Mangum. Just kidding. But really, Mangum is coming out of a hiatus that began with the release of the classic In The Aeroplane Over The Sea in 1998 to guest on the forthcoming Apples in Stereo album, New Magnetic Wonder. It'll be the first release on Elijah Wood's Simian Records. Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall. Speaking of fearless leaders such as Aragorn, U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinos pulled some heavy strings to ensure the unexpected reunion of Thrill Jockey's Extra Golden. Obama, who is of Kenyan descent, along with the help of Chicago's Depart- ment of Cultural Affairs, helped bring the Kenyan members of the band back to the states for an upcoming tour. As surprising as Obama's taste in indie rock may be, what's even more shocking is Jay-Z's appar- ent admiration for wussy piano bitches. But fuck, at least he's coming out of retirement, so we can ignore the fact that Cold- play's frontman Chris Martin is producing a track on Hova's much-anticipated Kingdom Come. How one man can rep both Coldplay and gestural, Warholian painter Jean-Miche Basquiat is beyond us, but fuck, at least he's coming out of retirement. If modernism taught us any- thing, it's that there are no rules to art - anything goes. The most discomforting of topics deserve the spotlight, and they do so en masse in filmmaker Carol Jacobsen's documentary"Censorius"debuting at 5 p.m. in the Michigan Theater's Screening Room. The film looks at female artists and the prejudice they face in a man's world - and that's alongside of issues of identity, sexuality and violence. Throughout the documentary are excerpts from raw, sexually explicit performances by Carolee Schneemann, Annie Sprinkle, Hardena Pindell and Karen Finley. And of course, if modernism taught us anything other than the infallibility of art, it's that cor- porations are always willing to make extra dollars. And if that entails marketing to the Christian televangelist crowd, then so be it - anything goes. In a not-so- surprising move, 20th Century Fox announced plans to launch a Christian film division, FoxFaith - remember "The Passion of the Christ?" Yeah, it made a bit of money. There are 12 films already on the drawing board, with the first, "Love's Abiding Joy" set to debut Oct. 6. - Lloyd H. Cargo and Andrew Sargus Klein 4 4 4 IMMOMP141 . RNST & YOUNG LLP Quality In Everything We Do I ..