m
8A - Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
95 master's and 38 doctoral programs spanning the academic spectrum.
Come and learn about the diverse opportunities
for graduate study at
UNIVERSITY
CARGO
From page 5A
too hard to round up. We could
even just hire al the writers
of the best music blogs already
out there, and Googlemusicblog
could be a one-stop site for the
best in commentary and con-
tent. It could even be custom-
ized to the individual reader, as
a sort of companion to my next
proposal.
* Googlemusicnewsfeed.
The name is unwieldy, I know,
but I'm flexible on that. The
idea, though, is golden. Where
can you go on the Internet for
news about your favorite art-
ists? There isn't one place where
you wouldn't have to wade
through a bunch of other crap
you didn't care about to get to
Bruce Springsteen and Sufjan
Stevens tour dates. That's why
a personalized news feed, avail-
able at google.com or in an
e-mail digest, would be such a
valuable service.
I've got a ton more of these,
so maybe we could get together
sometime and talk about them.
There's a great coffee place on
Maynard I think you'd really
enjoy, and let's face it: we need
each other.
Sincerely,
Lloyd
- Cargo thinks of this
as a public service, not self-
promotion. Wake him up
at lhcargo@umich.edu.
CTES OF AB
Look at that Brenneman pose. Sexy.
Just a little more
'Practice' is needed
PRACTICE From page 5A
posedly skilled physicians in the
prime of their career, the char-
acters are best when they deal
with their various patients. One
sub-plotline in the pilot episode,
following the mental breakdown
of a bereaved mother in a depart-
ment store, is tear-jerking televi-
sion at its finest.
Where "Private Practice" falls
apart is when it deals with the
outrageous personal lives of its
ensemble cast.
Much ofthe overzealous drama
and sexual escapades seem out of
place for a show whose actors are
a full age bracket older than the
"Grey's" interns. In one scene
we're forced to watch a middle-
aged man get tied to his bed and
call his lover "Mama," only to
hear him rehash it later with a
coworker.
Some of the dialogue also
strains to strike the pithy tone it
obviously seeks, making certain
scenes clunky and contrived.
Throughout the pilot episode,
Walsh repeatedly retorts to her
coworkers to stop "Addisoning"
her when they repeat her name,
all in a transparent attempt by
the writers to create repeatable
catchphrases like "McSteamy."
Fortunately, Walsh compen-
sates for the awkward dialogue
and age-inappropriate behavior.
She's extremely likeable in her
role as the brash but relatable
Addison, providing the neces-
sary anchor to a spin-off that has
only one major character carry-
ing over. As opposed to the stoic
moodiness of Dr. Meredith Grey,
Walsh is energetic and emotion-
ally uneven, ultimately creating a
far more appealing central char-
acter.
Surrounding Walsh is a diverse
cast of former TV stars whose
neurotic characters comple-
ment -each other nicely. Amy
Brenneman ("Judging Amy")
almost steals the show as psy-
chologist Violet Turner, whose
messy post-divorce life is juxta-
posed with her dedication to her
patients. Brenneman's pedigree
is clear as she effortlessly ties
together Turner's convoluted life
into a cohesive character. Filling
out the talented cast of doctors
are Taye Diggs ("Day Break"),
Paul Adelstein ("Prison Break")
and Audra McDonald ("Kid-
napped").
With Walsh and her co-stars
at the forefront, this spin-off has
a real chance of emerging from
the shadows of its predecessor to
become a respected stand-alone
series. But this is dependent on
the writers not forcing the char-
acters to imitate the social con-
ventions of the 20-something
"Grey's" interns, which it doesn't
yet seem content to do.
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