The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, April 16, 2010 - 7 Lynch's lyrical comedy It'sthe little things in life. 'Private Chefs' is a public fai* ure By CHRISTINA ANGER the Botox party, where the age- Daily Arts Writer less host poo-pooed the trio soup appetizer and reminded her Most shows that feature private chefs that some of her respected chefs create a kind of Botoxed guests wouldn't be able aura around to open their mouths very wide. the figure- * Chef Brooke told the camera in head, mak- response to her rejected soup that ing him or Pfiva Cef& every chef knows Botox is made her seem from botulism, "and botulism is untouchable. Of BewirIy Hills what happens when mayonnaise Chef Ram- Fridays at10 p.m. is left on the counter." Not quite say on "Hell's Ftod Ntk the zinger she was hoping for, as Kitchen" is the Botox host later squinted at downright Peterson's forehead and offered a fearsome. This kind (and most free treatment. kinds) of chef knows what he or It's not exactly fun to watch the she is doing and doesn't want to be role of chef and client get com- questioned, interrupted or chal- pletely reversed. "Private Chef" lenged. Food Network's "Private manages to hold attention for its Chefs of Beverly Hills" takes this full hour spot, but instead of illus- stereotype and pulls a 180 - the trating the impressive menus and chefs aren't the ones to be feared presentation from private chefs, here, the clients are. Clients mean- it reminds us how pathetic and ing the rich, know-it-all, Botox- snobby people who hire private addicted, puppy-lugging zombies of Beverly Hills, USA. The pilot followed three teams of two chefs, each sent on private Too much Botox chef duty for a terrifying event: a . doggy debutante, a Botox party spols the and aglamcampingktrip (i.e. glam- cookin show ping, duh?). The show could really g go on without the private chefs _______ entirely - the ridiculous Beverly Hills parties are enough to enter- chefs are. The group of five or six tain. At every job, the private chefs men who went "glamping" was weren't revered for their talent or almost too much to handle. After knowledge, but condemned and complaining about a cold appe- tossed around by the clients. tizer that was meant to be cold, "Private Chefs" is less of a cook- the men "roughed it" and actually ing show and more of a lifestyle caught two trout, which they then feature, and it doesn't fit into the demanded be cooked alongside the respectable mold of shows like Apricot Glaze Cornish Game Hen. "Top Chef" and "Hell's Kitchen." "Private Chef" should be a dis- Because the chefs don't make appointment to chefs everywhere. the rules, the cooking takes sec- As they say in some of the best ond place to Beverly Hills cul- kitchens, sometimes the client ture, which 'dashes with Food isn't always right; but on "Private Network's ostensible goal for the Chef of Beverly Hills," the clients show: to give a glimpse into the are the alpha dogs and the chefs wide varieties of professional are the ... bitches. Sometimes the home cooking. truth hurts just as much as try- Chefs Stuart O'Keeffe and ing to eat after a Botox injection. Brooke Peterson were sent to Sorry, Beverly Hills! S musi to PIKE liner St demons that's more just dotes, liners silly it Lynch Tenacio Adam S and of the chords( shortlis popular an acou their s punchli In a: the Da fusion o organic the dor Univers "Whe roommo in band guitar . taught: get then "It w so stone Short 1993 wi headed worked aginaw-born caught his first big break: a half- hour special for Comedy Central. cal comic comes "I went fromperforming almost exclusively in the New York area the Michigan to headlining rock clubs and the- aters all over the U.S.," he wrote. By DAVID RIVA Lynch went on to release two DailyArts Writer live recordings, a studio album and a greatest hits compilation Comedy Night head- before scoring a gig on Broadway ephen Lynch has always as the lead role in "The Wedding trated a form of comedy Singer." about 2009 saw his return to the than recording studio with the release anec- PIKE Comedy of 3 Balloons, a collection of songs one- Night2O1O. tackling hot button issues like and S y AIDS and Anne Frank as well as nsults. Stephen LyflCh light-hearted topics like mafia joins Tonightat movies and Charlie Brown. us D, 7 30 p.m. The album is ambitious in its andler instrumentation and song struc- Flight Michigan Theater tures, employing a full band for a Con- Tickets from $20 majority of the tracks as well as on the string and piano parts to add more t of comedians who gained texture and convey a fuller sound. 'ity by performing with Much of Lynch's lyrical con- stic guitar to complement tent might be considered taboo, idesplitting stories and irreverent and even disturbing at nes. times. But like most comedians, he n e-mail interview with doesn't seem to care. ily, Lynch explained the "Anything people hold sacred is f music and comedy as an funny to take the piss out of," he process that happened in wrote. .ims of Western Michigan Growing up in Saginaw, Lynch ity. has many fond memories of Michi- en all my friends (and) gan, including "summers at the ates at WMU - who were beach (and) apple-picking in the s - taught me how to play fall." In his return home, he will .. I would take what they perform for a college audience, a me and make up songs to crowd he's grown accustomed to a to laugh," he wrote. on past touring circuits. vas easy because they were "Most of the time, the shows d all the time," he added. are free to students," he wrote. "So ly after graduating in I tend to put on a real half-assed th a B.A. in Drama, Lynch performance. You know, really out to New York where he give it 20 or 30 percent. Save the and performed until he good stuff for the paying crowds." Stephen Lynch enjoys apple-picking and summers at the beach. Fortunately (or unfortunate- ly - depending on the size of your bank account), there is a fee attached to Lynch's Ann Arbor show. But those hard earned dol- lars you spend will go to Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation as part of Pi Kappa Alpha's philan- thropic work. With this perfect combina- tion of laugh-inducing multitask- ing and earthquake relief there's really no excuse not to head over to the Michigan tonight to see a fellow Michigander thrive in the spotlight. CMT's 'Gator 911' wrestles with alligators and unoriginality By LINDSAY HURD Daily Arts Writer After the death of everyone's favorite ani- mal-loving jungle man Steve Irwin, the world probably thought they would never again watch someone wrestle an alligator with such charis- ma, hilarity and aptitude. Enter Gary Saurage and company, who know way Gator 911 more than anyone should Fridaysat9 p.m. about alligators and have a CMT great time showing it off. In "Gator 911," CMT is clearly taking inspiration from Animal Plan- et's "The Crocodile Hunter" by taking what Irwin did and simply relocating it to Texas. From culverts to golf courses, Saurage and his gator-hunting crew capture the scaly beasts bare-handed, with the occasional rope, lasso or fishing pole. Afterward, they relocate the creatures to either Saurage's gator sanctuary or to the wild, where they won't have a chance to harm humans. Gary Saurage can't match Steve Irwin. about an alligator's lifestyle and attack meth- ods is on the verge of creepy. Clearly, he has had one mad obsession with gators for his entire life and he won't be stopping anytime soon. But one sour point of the show is Saurage's use of the alligators in his sanctuary to practice his handling skills. Throughout the show, he always professes his love and care for the crea- tures and expresses that he just wants them to live a peaceful life - that is, until he decides that he needs one to practice on. It clearly was not a pleasant experience for the animals to be captured, relocated and then jumped on while Saurage practices his skills and custom- ers come to his conservatory to watch. Saurage better hope that PETA doesn't watch CMT or else he mightbe in trouble. Needless to say, the manly men of "Gator 911" will make you forget metro-sexual even exists. From the overly chauvinist pickup truck with "Gator 911" sprawled across it, to the sheer cajones it takes to step into muddy water with a 9-foot gator, these dudes are not reaching for the hair gel anytime soon. At one point, Sau- rage gets a fishing hook caught in his leg after he wrestles a gator to the ground. Instead of going to the hospital like a normal person, Sau- rage takes a pair of pliers, yanks out the hook and then walks it off - all within 30 seconds so he can get back to catching his gator. From gator-pouncing to corky personali- ties, "Gator 911" has everythingviewers would want from a thrill-seeking program. Because of Saurage's unlimited bravery, someone's got to wonder if he does this show because he loves his gators or if he's just showing off. And simi- lar to the deceased Irwin, everyone watching the show is wondering how long until Saurage and crew get an arm or a leg chomped off by a pissy alligator. SHARON From Page 5 everytoolused bythe Kingsisvin- tage, and it's not hard to believe. "The Game Gets Old" opens the album with some blaxploita- tion horns before it drops into crisp Stax soul, leading smoothly into the schizophrenic "I Learned the Hard Way," a song so tight you wish it would loosen up. The remaining 10 songs cover a lot of ground, from the eerily timely "Money" to the slinky doo-wop of "If You Call" and instrumental burner "The Reason." Third track "Better Things" is a clear highlight. Sounding like a lost Motown classic, with a bouncing, rhythmic guitar chug, handclaps and a little electric piano, Jones proclaims "I'm a bet- ter woman than I have been" and shouts "I got better things to do!" as a bass riff and horn section play cat and mouse. There is an ease to the band's playing here, and great vocals by Jones ice the cake. But when it comes down to it, FARM From Page 5 School of Art & Design, worked as the costume director for "Animal Farm," and worked with King dur- ing her freshman year in an East Quad production of "Girl in the Goldfish Bowl." "I had to collaborate with Lou to see what his vision was and made the costumes using trash basically," Murray said. "It's kind of puppetry based; most of the animals are removed from the actor that is play- ing them. It was really exciting see- ing the costumes I worked on for so long be worn by the cast members." "Animal Farm" will be set in the Providence-inspired tent city, the trash being the only provisions for the animals' survival. "Aside from just being a junk- there's just a crucial lack of the most important thing of all on Way, and that's soul. For all of the band's immaculate play and arrangements, everything feels self-conscious and controlled. In all of the impressive saxophone, guitar and drum solos, there isn't a single unhinged feeling of joy, or the illicit sensation of funk. Jones is a terrifically talented vocalist with great pipes and character, but the most appropriate word to describe her seems to be "flex- ible;" she can croon, wail and testify when the songs call for it, but seldom do you feel that she is truly letting it all go. Her voice is about as characteristic as the Kings's tunes themselves: evoca- tive, well-played and written, but ultimately trapped by the group's aspirations. I Learned the Hard Way is worth a listen for any soul fan, no doubt, but don't expect anything game-changing. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings are talented, and a dynamite live act. Album-wise, the songs are good and occasion- ally great, but they're not replac- ing The Payback anytime soon. yard, we also have a large wind- mill structure that will extend into the grid of Studio One, and the play will be more a part of the audience instead of them just facing the stage," King added. Through working on "Ani- mal Farm," King has been able to explore a new area of theater, encourage the actors and design- ers to reach their full potentials and create a balance between the political and artistic aspects of the performance. He also expressed a correlation between the produc- tion's theme and the interactions involving the homeless in the U.S. "The treatment of homeless people in America is correlated with the animals in the play," King said. "Just walk down State Street, you ignore and avoid the homeless. It's dehumanizing, and these ani- mals are dehumanized individuals as well." In the world of reality TV, unfortunately, it's hard to be innovative these days, and alliga- tor wrangling is definitely nothing new. When Irwin first appeared on the scene, his show was exciting and original. But while "Gator 911" may not be ground-breaking at this point, the thrill of the catch is still there. These are still wild animals, and the threat of being seriously hurt is always apparent, which is admittedly entertaining, if in a sadistic way. Viewers will watch in amazement as the crew searches out and then continues to catch alligators like it's no big deal. But the amount of knowledge Saurage has Best orgy ever.