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. AVATAR! NOW THAT WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, WRITE FOR DAILY ARTS. WE'RE IN 3-D. E-mail join.arts@umich.edu for details on applying. i " 1100 Sq. Ft. Apts. Great for 2-5 people " Balconies + Patios los esteriaining " Free High-Speed Internet " HD Direct TV w/ DVR Service " Built in microwave, dishwasher, disposal " Contemporary Furniture " Close to CCRB " Exercise Room, Rec. Room " Study Lounge w/ Computers Models open Daily C B 741-9300 www.annarborapartments.net GREAT CAMPUS APTS.! 608 Monroe - Behind S. 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Contact: 1.800.648.4849 www.ststravel.cos w as ps ashtars.ceM 1.800.426.7710 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. Summer mploynent Page By advertsing on thsyear's Sumsmer Employment Page you can reach over 40,000+ highly quahhfed Wolverines! Thisis a great oppurtunity for internships orsummer positionsto reach the eyes of many eligible students. Presented by The Michigan Daily Classifieds. Deadline Feb.18 at 11:30am Published Feb. 2$ dailyclassified@gmail.com (734) 764-0557 C 2010 King Features Syndicate, Inc.