10A - Friday, November 14, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 6 I CNN's fake news By DAVE REAP is willing to bet Daily Arts Writer is planning to c renewed intere For normal people, the end of the satire by debuti: campaign season should be a relief. news-sketch com The populace Hughley Breaks was shaking while it appears { with excite- **** choosing D.L. Hu ment during on the Sunset Str the primaries D.L Hughey host with great and happily Breaks the News show's current ti supporting vent it from ac their candi- Saturday at10 p.m. close to the fanfa datesthrough CNN (Stewart and Co thick and Central currently thin after the It was apparen conventions - but then something premiere that Hi happened. People got tired of the rough around the same stump speeches, the same hosting role. He arguments and the same issues. tered, misread c By the time they reached the voter awkwardly durir booth they just wanted to get this interviews. The shit over with already. though, is that H But for those working in televi- smile, easy-going sion - specifically, fake news and stant bouts of lau late-night comedy shows - the end miscues seem lik of the campaign season could end cerns. Plus, its li up being more like a swift kick to few episodes Hug the groin than a welcoming blanket hosting abilitiesa of bliss. The presidential election He also possesses season triggered a massive boost can't be learned, in ratings for shows like "The Daily as a testament to] Show," "The Colbert Report" and doesn't just talk w "Saturday Night Live" in its final connects deeplyA few months. The "Saturday Night seem extra calm Live" episode featuring Sarah his conversations Palin, for one, drew the show's larg- ety of individuals est audience in 14 years. The ques- beauty pageant w tion remains, however, whether the Bush administra abnormally high interest this elec- appear genuine. tion season sparked for these shows Given all these will stick. its hard to under, A most unlikely network, CNN, ley's show runsa WHALE WARS From Page 8A broken helicopter blade occupy twenty more minutes. A demonstration on how to throw stink-bombs might be helpful, especially for anyone practicing for next "Devil's Night," but it isn't too engaging. Details of this kind fill more technical shows like "American Chop- per" and "Modern Marvels," and rightfully so. With "Wars," however, much more could be done. Lack of working equipment, cooperation and success are ingre- dients for quality reality TV drama, but Watson's crew is so single-minded they move on from failure to failure without pause. There's a reason Ahab didn't spend half of "Moby Dick" describing the Pequot: The interaction and minds of men at sea hold much more interest than mundane logistical details. But "Wars" still remains that it will, and apitalize on this st in political ng its own fake edy hybrid, "D.L. the News." And CNN was wise in ghley ("Studio 60 ip") - a budding potential - the me slot will pre- hieving anything re the twin titans lbert) of Comedy enjoy. t from the show's ughley is a little edges in his new repeatedly stut- ues and paused ng many of his amazing thing, tughley's inviting attitude and con- ghter make these e peripheralacon- ikely that after a hley will hone his and find his flow. a capability that one that serves his raw talent: he rith his guests, he with them. People around him, and with a wide vari- - like a physicist, inner and former tion official - initial successes, stand why Hugh- at 10 p.m on Sat- urday nights. Several CNN execs have said that they're hoping "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" can serve as an appetizer for TV watch- ers who regularly dine on "Saturday Night Live," which runs on Satur- day nights at 11:30 p.m. This scenar- io doesn't seem too likely, and in all probability the Saturday night slot will end up hurting the show. Many of the most loyal fans of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" are between 20 and 30 years old, and Hughley would benefit by cater- inglo that demographic. Instead of a 10 p.m. Saturday night slot, Hugh- ley would likely attract more view- A potentially great show with a bad time slot. ers with a weeknight time. It's hard to blame CNN for its scheduling agenda, though. After all, its primary focus is real news, not fake. But if CNN is truly commit- ted to making Hughley a big-time player, it needs to take his up-and- coming show off the backburner and let him do his thing in front of a larg- er audience. CNN's got something noticeably special in "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News," and while it may seem like an odd move for the king of cable news, the network needs to start taking its fake news show a little more seriously. COMING TO A RED CARPE T NEAR YOU Award season is almost here, and a number of unreleased films have already joined the Oscar race. To sort out the season's best, Daily Arts is taking a look at the trailers for the year's most anticipated films. "AUSTRALIA" 20TH CENTURY FOX NOV.26 Oh, Nicole Kidman. You are often presented as a talented actress, but if you continue to Botox your face free of any wrinkles, it's going to become increasingly difficult to keep playing the very dramatic characters you enjoy so much. Looking past Kidman's baby-bottom- smooth forehead, this trailer for "Aus- tralia" hints at a movie full of beautiful visuals - including vast, rolling coun- trysides and Hugh Jackman's wash- board abs. Yes, it's a classical period drama with Kidman and Jackman. And that could spell trouble since the overdone "romance that crosses class barriers" storyline is, well, overdone. Neverthe- "GRAN TORINO" WARNER BROS. DEC.17 "Gran Torino" - directed by and starring the legendary Clint Eastwood - is rumored to be Eastwood's farewell to acting. In the film's superbly under- played trailer, the 78-year-old 4-time Oscar-winning actor/director brings unmatched intensity to this story about a gruff Korean War veteran, his Hmong neighbors and violent neighborhood gangs. The trailer makes this look like per- fect Oscar bait: A serene balance of emotion and humor, and you really get the sad feeling that Eastwood's heroic character will die at the end (just a guess). Nevertheless, if the film (shot entirely in Michigan) is as gripping and poignant as the trailer, Eastwood might less, the scene where the two lovers are curled up in bed looks pretty hot. So there's that. The historical element of the film, set during World War II, promises to bring legitimate drama. But it remains to be seen how much of the film will focus on true-life events and how much will rely on the chemistry between Kidman and Jackman. If "Australia" can follow in the footsteps of "Moulin Rouge!" - the last collaboration between director Baz Lurhmann and Kidman - it should be sure to make some box office bank, even if it's not a critical success. Then again, the film's ending did undergo a re-shoot this past week... ANNIE LEVENE be the favorite to take home the best- actor Oscar that has thus far eluded him. There seems to be a rare blend of raw emotion and competent, measured directing in this film. Not only will the subtlety appeal to audiences, but it should also mean multiple Oscar nomi- nations. And you'd want to chalk up this potent drama as a strong contender in the best director and best picture categories too - if for no other reason than because Eastwood's films always contend in those major categories. "Gran Torino" has all the makings of a very memorable ride into the sunset for Hollywood's last cowboy. IMRAN SYED extremely watchable, because, even though it isn't humanized, at least it's contextualized. Watson's long and sticky - and, perhaps now, a little stinky - rela- tionship with Greenpeacebears listening: He founded the organization in 1978 and was unanimously ousted years later for his radical views. The David vs. Goliath dynamic between Watson and his old allies is worth exploring in detail; hopefully it will be. "Wars" also adroitly brings up thorny ethical issues - is it wrong to eat an intelligent animal or demonstrate this nautical brand of civil disobedience? - without picking sides. Ultimately, "Wars" can't be faulted for playing a bit like the title of its theme song, The Smashing Pump- kin's "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." It simply tries to dress up a miserable situation by focusing on triviali- ties. The show is decent, but I would've loved to see Watson ask, to quote Billy Corgan, "What do I get, for all my pain?" 6 0 6 Do you consider the word "motivated" an understatement? It's time for your hard work to pay off within an org ni.tion that w, onc -g in nIned one of fu in s Wekn $0 Best Places To Launch A Career, We off r j collaborotlve, in du-iv( culOtur With b to/ bisr , prof:sional dvelopment, and benefits, And a commitment to community, the enviromnent, and mking tim for f4nily For an electronic information packet, text "UM" to 78573, Visit us on the web at deloItte.com/us/um. 0 Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer. 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