The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, March 14, 2008 - 5

So elegant. So Oprah.
TELEVISION IREV
Giving cash to
those who give

ByJOHN DAAVETTILA
DailyArts Writer
ABC's new reality show, "Oprah's
Big Give," gives
contestants the
opportunity to
become Daddy Oprah's
Warbucks, helping
people in need by Big GiVe
giving them money Sundays at
from ABC. Unbe- 9 P.M.
Sknownst to the ABC
contestants, who-
ever does the most
good with his or her money will be
rewarded with one million dollars at
the end of the series.
The show contains the standard
mix of reality show contestants,
including a dot-com millionaire (who
should be giving away his own damn
money), an angry paraplegic and a
former beauty queen. The contes-
tants areeachgivenalarge amountof
money and a project involving a dif-
ferent disadvantaged household, and
whoever helps their house the most
wins.After the contestants have com-
pleted the challenge, they're rated by
three judges: British chef Jamie Oli-
ver, NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez,
and ... Chris Rock's wife? Was Mar-
tha Stewart's dog-walker busy with
other projects?At the end of each epi-
sode, the person who made the least
impact goes home.
It's astounding that the contes-
tants can even see through their
tears when the producers confront
them with incredibly sad situa-
tions. This is what "Oprah's Big
Give" is all about: making the audi-
ence feel terrible for people in need
of help. And it succeeds. Between a
recently widowed mother of twin
girls, a homeless mother, a wounded

Iraq War veteran and a woman who
runs a house for mentally disabled
people, it's a wonder we can find the
strength to channel-surf through all
the depression.
This cloying appeal to our emo-
tions is a slight rip-off of "Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition," also on
ABC. The show's assumption that
audiences have nothing better to do
on Sunday nights than feel guilty is
a little irritating. But the worst part
Oprah used to be
a philanthropist,
now she just gives
money to the rich
is it might be true. "Extreme Make-
over" has been on the air for over four
years, and no one seems to get tired of
the never-ending parade of unfortu-
nate families - something "Big Give"
also exploits.
The show features guest appear-
ances from the likes of Jennifer Anis-
ton, Andre Agassi and John Travolta
- whichmeans there's agood chance
we get to hear Oprah yell, "John Tra-
volta!" ina tone more appropriate for
"300."
But "Big Give" has two important
faults, which are ironically the same
as Oprah's: It's boring and preachy.
Yes, there are points where it can be
amusing (suggesting a fashion show
to decrease a medicalstudent's loans?
Hilarious), but for the most part, it's
nothing but a guilt trip. Let us be
greedy in peace, Oprah.

This show has one set ... And one scene.

Slee pless in Boston

Latest Farrelly brothers
show looks to make waves
if it can find a consistent
viewer base
By IMRAN SYED
DailyArts Writer
It's difficult to love or hate a show like
"Unhitched." This latest production from
the Farrelly brothers
(Bobby and Peter, who
gave us winners like
"Dumb and Dumber" and Unhitched
"There'sSomethingAbout
Mary," but also duds like Sundays at
"Fever Pitch" and "The 9:30 p.m.
Heartbreak Kid") works Fox
in the classic hit-or-miss
form the Farrellys have
become known for. There's a lot here to be
amused by and even occasionally charmed
by, but it's difficult as a viewer to really get
into the show beyond some brief moments.
The premise of "Unhitched" has all the
makings of the usual, uninspired, genre-
neutering bust, but it overcomes that. Fea-

turing four recently divorced friends living
in Boston, the show can be seen as just
another post-"Friends" attempt to capture
and exploit whatever foibles of relation-
ships and friendships that better shows
like "Seinfeld" may have overlooked. But
it brings some flair into the proceedings by
featuring characters that are surprisingly
multi-dimensional. .
on their own, these people and their
neurotic eccentricities wouldn't 'amount
to anything, but like any decent show,
"Unhitched" features a measured collabo-
ration that makes for a whole that is better
than the sum of its parts. Why the charac-
ters of this show work where similar ones
do not is a difficult thing to describe. It
probably comes down to the fact that this
group seems genuine: You can really imag-
ine the group hanging out together and
having some of these problems.
All that said, there's absolutely no
need to get philosophical in discussing
"Unhitched." Any show that features (pos-
sible) orangutan sex and jokes about short
people or skin tags is basically your aver-
age, slightly disgusting Fox sitcom. The fact
that there is occasional charm and some
humor coupled with the jokes may actually
be purely accidental - as I maintain was

the case with "Dumb and Dumber," a pro-
duction that turned out much better than it
was meant to be.
"Unhitched" occupies the same ratings
and viewership niche as "Rules of Engage-
ment," the CBS sitcom with a slightly dif-
ferent premise that returns to the air next
month following its strike hiatus. Both
shows succeed on the lowest level possi-
ble, recycling plotlines from older sitcoms
that were boring the first-time around.It's
a testament to our exceedingly banal col-
lective wishes as viewers that such dull,
unoriginal shows continue to be produced,
but at least "Unhitched" attempts to be
something more, even when it falters hor-
ribly.
What will come of the show is a tough
call. Given the Farrellys' fanbase and Fox's
uncanny ability to sell mediocre sitcoms
("Til Death" is still on the air and "The
War at Home" lasted 44 episodes - about
43 more than it should have), it's likely that
"Unhitched" will be around for a while. If
it finds a solid viewership, it'll probably be
because people are watching the show for
its gags. Another side of the show has some
potential, though, and hopefully that's the
side that wins out.wins out for more than
brief moments.

ARTS IN BRIEF

A serious
orchestra that's
accessible too

By BEN VANWAGONER
DailyArts Writer
The free program of this con-
cert alone should be enough to
inspire.
The San Francisco Sympho-
ny is world-renowned in every
sense: through its recordings, its
immense pop-
ular presence San
in the classical
music scene Francisco
and perhaps Symphony
more impor-
tantly, through Tonight at
the outreach 8p.m.
efforts of its At Hill Auditorium
conductor,
Michael Tilson
Thomas.
Thomas has been highly laud-
ed - and deservedly so. When he
took the baton for the Symphony
in 1995, the already exceptional
organization gained not only a
genius of a conductor but direc-
tion in presentation and market-
ing. Under Thomas's guidance,
the San Francisco Symphony
has accomplished the impos-
sible: a symphony for the every-
man as well as for classical music
aficionados. His programs are
famously accessible and artisti-

cally daring in a way that few
other ensembles have been able
to duplicate. The group's reputa-
tion as an avant-garde, American
symphony for lovers of the clas-
sics has made it prosperous in
recent years while other orches-
tras struggle to remain profit-
able.
Tonight's program is particu-
larly well-chosen for a college
campus - it is in no way a con-
cessionbut instead a keen under-
standing of the audience. It does
not include, though, any of the
American musical flair for which
the orchestra is so renowned,
sadly. Even so, the program for
this concert is possibly the best
When the Bay
invades A2
offering this year from the Uni-
versity Musical Society - the St.
Petersburg Philharmonic being
the only contender - and will not
only ward off the mid-concert
snooze but will likely capture a
young audience in a way most
more obscure programs cannot.
The first piece will be Sibel-

ius's Symphony No. 7, followed
by Beethoven's Symphony No. 3
in E-flat Major, or the "Eroica."
The Sibelius piece is different in
form from a standard symphony
- with just one movement rath-
er than four - and is praised as
highly creative and original. The
Beethoven piece should act as an
effective counterbalance, but no
less revolutionary for its famil-
iarity to modern listeners. The
"Eroica" is regarded as a mile-
stone in classical music, both for
its style and its length, greater
than other Classical-period sym-
phonies.
There is little doubt that the
San Francisco Symphony is a
good orchestral grab for the win-

ter calendar and for UMS. With
a conductor like Michael Tilson
Thomas,who has achieved celeb-
rity status in his field, as well as
particularly fine musicians, the
symphony has more than earned
its reputation. The only downfall
of today's performance is the dif-
ficulty in acquiring tickets.
Ticket woes aside, if there is
one concert to see this season,
for both casual concertgoers and
classical lovers alike, this is it.
Tell your friends that your par-
ents are coming into town if you
have to, or that you just found out
you had a 10-page paper due Fri-
day night, but take this one night
of the St. Patty's Day weekend
and spend it at Hill Auditorium.

"Please tell me I'm still funny. Please?"
Television
Miller stoops to new low on latest NBC
game show
**
"Amnesia"
Fridays at 8 p.m.
NBC
Oh, Dennis Miller - you used tobe funny. So why are you hosting a crappy
game show on NBC?
On "Amnesia," contestants are given thousands of dollars in exchange
for correctly answering obscure questions about their life. Like Fox's "The
Moment of Truth," "Amnesia" reveals secrets about their contestants, but
it's less contrived and more light-hearted.
This is mainly due to Miller, who makes sardonic comments on the
various events in the contestant's life. But peering through the cheerful
fagade, it's easy to see that Miller is silently berating himself for agreeing
to host this embarrassment. And who can blame him? The contestants are
painfully irritating to watch, and the TMI line is constantly crossed. No
one wants to hear about the first-time coitus of a middle-aged couple, or
how hairy a guy was in middle school. Those fun facts are best left to the
imagination.
A re-processed "This Is Your Life," "Amnesia" is the best game show about
the private lives of contestants today. But that's not saying much.
John Daavettila