The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Actors hog the
spotlight
Monday, January 25, 2010 - 7A
xhuming MTs dignity
t is an honor to be here in a
room full of what I consider
to be the most important
people on the planet: actors," said
Ricky Gervais as
he opened last
week's Golden
Globes. "They're
just better than
ordinary people,
aren't they? No,
but we all know
that." ANDREW
We'd like to LAPIN
hope everyone
in that star-studded room was able
to chuckle good-naturedly at Ger-
vais's ribbings, and that no one was
self-absorbed enough - or drunk
enough - to mistake his sarcasm
for groveling sincerity. Unfortu-
nately, we know enough about
Hollywood to know this probably
wasn't the case. Come awards
season, many actors really do
think they're better than ordinary
people, and they have all the shiny
golden trinkets to prove it.
This mindset has heen in place
since the dawn of films, simply hy
virtue of the fact that the actors
are the most visible aspects of the
movie; they're the ones on screen,
they're the ones engaging the
audience. So we see it fit to reward
them and praise them to the skies.
That's all fine and dandy.
The part that gets me is how dis-
proportionately actors are praised
when compared with the screen-
writers who tell them what to say,
the directors who tell them how to
say it, the costumers who tell them
how to dress, the cinematographers
who make sure they're being shown
in their best light, the makeup art-
ists who make sure no one ever has
to see what they really look like,
the people in post-production who
re-dub their singingvoices, the
special-effects guys who make sure
their skin is the right shade of blue,
etc. The list goes on and on, but
according to the studios campaign-
ing for the gold or the general pub-
lie that casually follows the Oscar
race, the movies begin and end with
the actors.
Look, acting's tough. I'm not dis-
putingthat. Very few people in the
world can do what Johnny Depp
and Meryl Streep do. But films are
a collaborative medium. You can't
make a good movie with just good
actors - though with star-studded
dreck like "Nine" and "Every-
body's Fine," Lord knows they've
tried. And so many other people
have input into what the actors
produce on screen, even though we
eventually interpret something like
Sandra Bullock's turn in "The
Blind Side" as entirely the prod-
uct of Sandra Bullock.
Not only that, but as much as
it kills me to say, actors are inter-
changeable. The presence of a
specific actor, in most cases, does
not make or break the impact of
a film. As much as I loved "Up in
the Air" - and I did love it - I
don't see my love as being entirely
dependent on George Clooney's
presence in the film. He could've
been replaced with any other
snarky-sweet actor type, like
Robert Downey, Jr. or Aaron
Eckhart, and I'm sure my enthu-
siasm for the movie wouldn't
have diminished in the slightest.
On those rare occasions when
an iconic, one-of-a-kind perfor-
mance is given by a specific actor,
like Depp in the "Pirates" movies,
we only view the performance in
that light because we have no way
of knowing how any other actor
might have fared in the role. All we
have is the finished product.
Our culture's ever-growing
obsession with actors is justbeg-
ging to be put into perspective,
which is part of the reason why I'm
baffled more attention hasn'tbeen
paid to the brilliant "The Imagi-
narium of Doctor Parnassus." The
mind-bending quadruple perfor-
mance by Heath Ledger, Jude Law,
Colin Farrell and the Deppmeister
elevates the film from a whimsical
fantasy into a wry commentary
on the transformative nature of
performance. Tony, the character
all four of them play, takes on new
Movies are a
team effort.
forms whenever he passes through
the door of someone else's imagi-
nation; he's playingnew roles for
these different "directors." And
in the process, he/they achieve a
certain kind of immortality justby
virtue of being onscreen, a theme
that especially resonates from Led-
ger's unfinished performance.
"Nothing's permanent, not even
death," says the Depp incarnation
of Tony, and we believe him. Actors
live forever, thanks to the movies.
Hell, nominate all four of these
guys for one Best Actor award.
They certainly created a more
memorable and complex character
between the four of them than
most other performances last year.
When the Oscar nominations
are finally announced next Tues-
day, expect, as usual, the major-
ity of attention to be paid to the
acting awards. But if you can tear
yourself away from Mo'Nique's
name for a few minutes (it's hard,
I know, because she has such a
great name), take a look at some
of the other categories, too. Then,
like me, you can find new things
to get indignant about. I'm already
rallying the troops for attack in
the event that "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
and "Coraline" don't receive Best
Animated Feature noms. Join my
cause, and forget about all those
pretty people on screen.
Lapin is an actor - he'll act like he
cares if you e-mail him. To test this,
e-mail him at alapin@umich.edu.
'The Buried Life'
adds a dash of hope
to a bleak lineup
By ROBERT SOAVE
Daily Arts Writer
What do you want to do before
you die? This is the question at the
core of MTV's
latest real-
ity show, "The
Buried Life," *f~~~
which follows
the adventures
of four guys as Mondays at
they check off 10 p.m.
items on a list of MTV
things to achieve
before they die.
The twist is that every time they
accomplish something on their
list, they have to help a random
person do something, too.
"The Buried Life" received
decent media coverage for heing
part of MTV's new brand of pro-
gramming intended to go beyond
the network's traditional terri-
tory of skanky dating shows. The
New York Times ran an article last .
April heralding the show's arrival
as "MTV for the era of Obama."
Praising the existence of "The
Buried Life," the article celebrated"
that social consciousness was now
going to be a higher priority than
the sexual escapades of attractive
young people.
Not so fast, New York Times.
One of the guys (who are all, by the
way, ridiculously good looking and COURt or TV
difficult to tell apart) got naked "You are no son of Poseidon!"
- not once, not twice, but three
times - in the first episode. And That said, a step is a step. go to ridiculous lengths to crash
the item they were attempting to Though the "what do you want to a Willy Wonka-themed party at
check off the list was getting into do before you die?" gimmick may the Playboy Mansion. Duncan
the Playboy Mansion. So it's jump- not be very original, Ben, Duncan, and Dave don Oompa Loompa
ing the gun just a bit to assume Dave and Jonnie try so hard to suits and hide inside a giant cake,
that this is a bold leap forward make it fresh and fun that they're while Ben and Jonnie pretend to
for MTV. A hesitant step toward partly successful. The first episode be European soccer stud Cristiano
decency might be more like it. is a good example of this: They See BURIED LIFE, Page 8A
Commercialism is stealing my bands
By KRISTYN ACHO
Daily Arts Writer
As much as I hate to admit it, I am that
girl. The one whose Google Reader is flood-
ed with news on the latest lo-fi Brooklyn
grunge, gritty London punk or disco-vibe
L.A. bands via the burgeoning indie blogo-
sphere. When I find a band that's nowhere
close to the peak of stardom, I feel like I - in
the twisted workings of my ridiculous mind
- discovered them. At least I know I'll never
be in need of hard drugs; I get a high from
constantly being on the lookout for the latest
up-and-coming bands.
But then something happens. i'll be in a
store or have the television on and I'll hear a
song - my song, by my band - being played.
Cut to last summer for instance: I'm mind-
ing my own business, when I hear a familiar
beat playing in the background of a car com-
mercial. Is that Phoenix, the band known for
making innovative French synth-pop? No,
they wouldn't. But it was. And yes, they did.
What's happening here? These are my
bands. And I'm not trying to come off like a
pretentious bitch here, but I don't want my
favorite bands to go big. Once they're dis-
covered by the masses they'll no doubt get
overplayed - and then the allure dies. I love
having my own bands that barely anyone else
knows about, because, in a way, it makes me
feel connected to them. Is that so wrong? And
I know it's not fair for me to say that they're
"selling out" by wanting to be successful; they
have to make a living somehow. It's illogical,
but I just can't help it. I guess you can say I
have a habit of growing painfully attached.
But how did it get like this? How did the
high-pitched squeals of Passion Pit's "Sleepy-
head" - a track you would think the masses
would find painfully annoying - attract
advertising executives at Palm Pixie? Did The
Magnetic Fields seriously lend its track to a
Caesar Canine Cuisine dog commercial? Talk
about suffering for your art.
Some picks are more predictable, though.
Take Santigold's new-wave, electro-pop slice
"Creator." The track's throbbing bass and
reggae-hipster vocals made Bud Light's lime-
flavored beer seem infinitely cooler. Hell, if
Bud Light is good enough for one of 2008's
hottest new indie artists, it's good enough for
you, too.
You have betrayed me,
Of Montreal. Enjoy
your bloomin' onion.
Companies are clamoring to insert sounds
into their ads to give their products a hip
appeal. Executives would rather use artists
like Wilco in Volkswagen commercials to give
their cars a sleek, cool vibe than do the grunt
work themselves. Financially, bands reap
the benefits of lazy execs, but their integrity
somehow seems lost.
But it might not be fair to throw that in the
faces of artists anymore - the music industry
isn't what it used to be, and bands need to do
whatever possible in order to survive, even if
that means selling their artistic souls to big
business. Still, if we want our favorite bands
to keep making music and commercial adver-
tising provides a means to an end, we all ben-
efit, don't we?
This isn't a new dilemma. Of course, Apple
has used the catchy-bands-plucked-from-
obscurity stunt most prominently in recent
years. The company paired each slick new
version of its iPod with an artist that the
masses had not yet heard of. If any artist was
catapulted into fame by Apple, it's alternative
Canadian artist Feist. You couldn't go any-
where in 2007 without hearing the painfully
overplayed "1234." Unknown no more, Feist
became a Billboard-topping artist thanks to
the psychedelically fresh iPod commercials.
After tracks by indie artists become lost
in a sea of brand-name attachment, they lose
the indie cred that once made them unique
and actually independent. It's hard to proj-
ect a free-spirited, edgy persona when your
once innovative, trippy synths are being tied
to random products (I'm looking at you, Sil-
versun Pickups, in that recent Pontiac Com-
mercial).
That's not to say that I'm willing to give up
on my indie bands that take the mainstream
route; I just know deep down I will never feel
the same about them. Sure, I will continue
shuffling them through my playlists, but at
some point their mainstream appeal will lose
me, and I'll move on to the next up-and-com-
ing thing and hope that they won't go down
the same road. ,
I'm still bitter about Phoenix, and that's
okay. Even though Iam starting to understand
where these bands are coming from, I know
that every time I hear Outback Steakhouse's
debasement of Of Montreal - "Let's go Out-
back tonight" - I am still going to cringe.
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For Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010
ARIES
(March 21 to April 19)
This is an interesting day. It's a time
when friends could become lovers. All
kinds of intense, flirtatious energy is in
the air. (And it's aggressive, too!)
TAURUS
(April 20to May 20)
Today, some of you will fall in love
with your boss or an authority figure in
your life. Perhaps just a flirtation will
stun you. Others will feel strongly about
creative issues.
GEMINI
(May 21to June 20)
You want to travel today. You want to
go someplace different. You want adven-
ture! Religious, political and artistic
ideas excite you!
CANCER
(June 21to July 22)
This is a passionate day for your sign!
(You will feel passionate with partners
about intimate issues.) However, you
also feel passionate about shared prop-
erty and financial matters. Oops.
LEO
(July 23 to Aug. 22)
An interesting emotional tug of war
exists today between you and partners or
close friends. Even if you have differ-
ences, you'll enjoy the differences!
VIRGO
(Aug. 23 to Sept. 22)
You feel strongly today about health
issues, issues at work or both! Perhaps
you're defending your point of view?
Whatever it is, you're not going to back
down.
LIBRA
(Sept. 23 to Oct. 22)
This actually can he a fun-loving,
exciting day for you. Flirtations are pas-
sionate. Sporting events will he compel-
ltive. You want to have fun - or else!
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23 to Nov. 21)
You're determined to accomplish
something at home, perhaps related to
renovations or redecorating projects.
You intend to have your way. And that's
it.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22 to Dec. 21)
Today, you're persuasive and forceful
in all your communications. Because of
this quality, it makes now the perfect
time to ask for what you want. (Ya
think?)
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22 to Jan. 19)
Financial matters are testy today. You
might have squabbles about shared prop-
erty or how you earn money. Disputes
over possessions are possible.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 20 to Feb. 18)
Relations with others definitely are
stimulated today! You can be passionate
and sexy, or full of excitable arguments.
Either way, your exchanges with loved
ones are not boring!
PISCES
(Feb. 19to March 20)
You're determined to accomplish as
much as possible at work today. In truth,
you might be better off working alone or
behind the scenes. Give others a wide
berth. (Forewarned is forearmed.)
YOU BORN TODAY You are very
bold about going after what you want. In
fact, sometimes you end up in contro-
versy. You think very carefully about
how to go about getting what you want.
When the moment comes, you act
quickly. Because you're full of decisive
energy, children admire you; ironically,
you often rebel against authority. In the
year ahead, an important decision or
choice awaits you.
Birthdate of: Paul Newman, actor;
Ellen DeGeneres, TV host; Wayne
Gretzky, hockey champ.
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