The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Monday, March 2, 2009- 5A

Bickering and bonding
in front of the tube

Those who argue that families who sit
dazed in front of the television are
distant from one another have clearly
never argued with their friends or parents
about which detour option
would be better on "The
Amazing Race" or whether
that one contestant with
the goofy hair reallyj
deserved to be kicked off
"American Idol."
It's a common stereotype
of "TV families" that they JA
are comprised of couch pota- BLOCK
toes who happen to position
their lumpy, emotionless bodies on the couch at
the same time, stare at a screen for a few hours
and then groggily walk away to separate rooms.
While this family surely exists somewhere, it is
far from my personal experience as a member
of what is undoubtedly a TV family.
Television - like all other forms of art - is
not meant to merely entertain but also to pro-
voke thought and discussion. Far from leav-
ing family members to sit mindlessly in their
own separate pods, a lot of modern television
can lead to real bonding between family and
friends. The topics of conversation can range
from whether or not it's bitchy to bet a dollar
more than someone on "The Price Is Right"
(which it is) to whether the writers of"Heroes"
have finally gotten it right again (which they
haven't). And discussingthese things with
someone can tell you much more than just their
opinions on TV, as long as you each explain
yourself.
Take the "Price Is Right" example. You can
learn someone's moral system - or at least
get a glimpse of it - from how they would
handle one of TV's biggest dilemmas. Do they
believe we have.a moral obligation to give our
competitors a fair chance, or can we use our
privileged position as the last one to bet to
our advantage, even though we did nothing
to earn that spot? The answers here provide
more insight than was clear with the initial,
unexpanded question.
Now, some people may think that I'm read-
ing too much into this. But the fact that, when
faced with a current high bet of $900, some
will bet $901 and others will bet $950 is proof
that people show their true colors under the
pressure of Contestant's Row.
The "Heroes" example is less philosophical,
but perhaps a bit more practical, since it caters
more to questions of taste. Choosing whether
or not you like this season of "Heroes" - or any
other show, really - is based on whether yout

like the riddles that come with mind games
and deception, the action and gunfire of epic
battles, the humor of a few good jokes or any
other aspect of television programming. These
choices can say a lot about someone's personal-
ity. I'm not saying all people who like action
or mind games are the same; I'm merely say-
ing that once you've talked a lot with someone
about a lot of TV - even the trashiest stuff -
you can get a pretty good idea of what they like
and what they don't.
Now obviously some TV shows spark bet-
ter conversation than others. Saying why "The
Bachelor" is a bad show takes about two sec-
onds, even if you delve into detail, and once
you're done there's really nothing else to say.
And it's not just the trash that makes for less
than ideal conversation. There are shows like
"House" - great entertainmentbut hard to dis-
cuss in terms of plot, justbecause most people
don't know how to diagnose lupus or some
strange fever the patient contracted while pet-
ting a snake overseas.
But then there are shows like my constant
source of inspiration, "Lost." Whenever I call
home, there's always at least 10 minutes of
conversation set aside for evaluating the show's
latest episode - 20 minutes if my dad stayed
Couch potatoes can
still wax philosophical.
awake through it. (Important note: He does not
fall asleep because it's a bad show, but because
it's on late and he watches it on a very comfort-
able couch.) The best shows for bonding are
those that make you ask a lot of questions, and
no show is more full of mystery than "Lost."
Butbefore I get caught up praising "Lost"
again, let me leave you with some advice. Next
time you tune in with your friends or fam-
ily, turn down the volume for those annoy-
ing Nasonex ads with the French allergenic
bee and talk about what you're seeing, why
it's good, why'it sucks or anything else that it
sparks in your mind. Television by no means
has to turn you and your friends into isolated
vegetables. Besides, at the rate commercial
breaks are lengthening, these could be some of
your longest - and perhaps most interesting -
conversations to date.

"Man. This is almost as awesome as that time I saved the world."

Empty 'Horizon'

Despite the input of
producer Brian Eno,
U2's newest record is a
middling affair
By RHIANNON HALLER
Daily Arts Writer
Brian Eno's influence on No Line on
the Horizon is marked. Not only did he
produce the album,
but he also took part
in the songwrit-
ing process, which
explains why the U2
majority of the songs No Line on
are atmospheric the Horizon
numbers lacking the Interscope
hard rock punch U2
is famous for deliv-
ering. But the record is still distinctly
U2 - as soon as Bono starts singing,
there's no way anybody even somewhat
familiar with the Irish lads' previous
releases could mistake them for anyone
else. Unfortunately, this combination
of Eno-flavored, airy understatement
and Bono's overpowering vocals fails
to mix well.
The album opens with the dis-
appointing title track, an echoing
synthesizer-led number quickly
drowned by Bono's vocals. He
howls "oh" and "woah" through-
out the song, sounding like a
whiny dog. It's an odd mix of min-
imalism and overcrowding - a
puzzle whose pieces are individu-
ally intriguing but don't quite fit
together.
"Magnificent" follows, starting
off with an evil, heavily-distorted
 guitar and dance-poppy synthe-
sizer. Drummer Larry Mullen adds
a good deal of the danceability to
the track, tapping a tambourine
and hitting the drums in a clap-
your-hands fashion. The track is
more typical U2, and would prob-
ably suit a music video where Bono
LIKE
DANCE?
THEATER?
POETRY?
Write for our Fine Arts staff.
 E-mail battlebots@umich.edu.

stands in the middle of an expansive
canyon lifting his arms up to the sky
and belting out the lyrics.
One of the strongest tracks on the
album (and starkest departures from
U2's trademark sound) is "Moment
of Surrender." Beginning with a very
basic, almost-groovy drumbeat, the
song maintains a relaxing, airy ambi-
ance throughout. A keyboard'reminis-
cent of a dilapidated organ buried in a
stained-glass church plays in the back-
ground, accompanied by understated
strings. Here, Bono almost sounds like
a gospel singer taking an extended
solo. Lyrics like "Playing with the fire
until the fire played with me," along
with a choir-backed chorus, solidify
the feeling.
"White As Snow," a blatant (but
acknowledged) rip-off of the tradition-
al Christmas carol "O Come, O Come,
Emmanuel" is, if nothing else, interest-
ing. Carried by soft plinking on piano
keys and the plucking of an acoustic
guitar, it's almost a folk song. Even the
track's lyrics lend a folky feel, as Bono
sings about such down-to-earth topics
as the land and family rather than his
usual sweeping generalizations.
The album closes with "Cedars of

Lebanon," another distinct b
U2's typical style. It feats
instrumentation and a dru
beat, conjuring images of lon
missing their homes and
Towards the end of the tr
asks, "Where are you'in the
Lebanon?," wrapping up
the ballad of a soldier walk-
ing through the cold, misty
woods - hands in his pock-
ets, eyes fixed on the pine-
needle-covered ground,
mind pondering love lost.
While it's clear that
No Line on the Horizon is
different from U2's best
albums, it's still a letdown.
The band, along with pro-
ducers Brian Eno and Dan-
iel Lanois, toted the record
as something of a revolu-
tion in a jewel case, boost-
ing the expectations of fans
and critics by claiming it
was one oftheirbest releas-
es yet. It's not. It's not terri-
ble either, but U2 definitely
would have been better off
had they let their music do
the hyping instead.

reak from
ares quiet
mmer-boy
ely troops
families.
ack, Bono
cedars of

-Block subscribes to the Chuck
Woolery school of thought. Tell him why
Lingo sucks at jamblock@umich.edu.


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