The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - 7A Delectable 'Desserts' Bravo's 'Top Chef' spin-off is sweet ask the day is long By BRIANNE JOHNSON For the Daily Bravo's "Top Chef: Just Des- serts" embraces the mantra that the best is often saved for last. In its seventh season, the hit show has whipped up a little some- thing special for late-night Top Chef. cravings. "Des- serts," a spin- Just Des off of the "Top Wednesdays Chef" phenom- at10 p.m. enon, serves decadent deli- Bravo cibusness with personalities to match. Hosted by food critic Gail Sim- mons, "Desserts" follows (maybe a little predictably) in the flour- marked footsteps of its prede- cessors. Like a fraternal twin, "Desserts" almost exactly mirrors the organized chaos and enter- tainment from past seasons, but distinguishes itself by replacing the food pyramid with a heaping mound of pure sugar. The first episode dives straight into the fillings of sweet tooths, but the chef's mouths aren't watering over the sickly sweet aroma of the workroom. They're focused on the immunity. Obtained through a series of Quick-Fire Challenges, the pastry chefs stir, whip and bake their signature desserts into * the form of a cupcake. But there's a reason past chefs avoided desserts - the required memory involved in preparation is But who would let any of these treats - hummus or otherwise - go to waste? With everything from genoise and ganache to whoopie pie and edible "disco dust," "Desserts" serves to be the closest thing to scrumptious luxu- ry one can afford in a dorm room. A pinch of sugar and a dose of true artistry, the sweet treats concoct- ed are a visual pleasure in their own right. Drizzled in chocolate and fluffed with frosting, the plat- ed beauties fulfill any desire for eye candy in the hour-long show. While the desserts are exqui- site, the chefs' charm is the real treat. As usual, Bravo's stock of varied personalities does not disappoint. The contestants themselves are guaranteed entertainment, a far cry from the assembled bores on the Cook- ing Channel. The contenders are as colorful as the cupcakes they create, from Seth, the slightly arrogant and self-proclaimed genetic spawn of Marky Mark (Wahlberg) and Dexter (Michael C. Hall), to the playfully flam- boyant and competitive Zac, who proclaims, "I will cut you - with my flavor!" But as Zac says, "being a pas- try chef is not all fine, dine and frosting." As homegrown bakers compete with classically trained pastry chefs, the drama turns from sweet to sour and will only mount as the season progresses. The age-old rule is to abandon the fridge (and that stock of cook- ies hidden beneath the bed) once the clock strikes seven. But "Top Chef: Just Desserts" proves that some rules are meant to be bro- ken. "Desserts" inspires a gnaw- ing hunger, but still leaves viewers feeling completely satisfied. Bam! a challenge in itself. Precise mea- surements and strict techniques prove to be the real competition this season. But the contestants flaunt their talent in the elimina- tion challenge: a dare to create the "most luxurious chocolate dessert imaginable." Master pastry chef Jacques "Mr. Chocolate" Torres, editor of New York-based e-mail newsletter DailyCandy Danielle Kyrillos and head judge Johnny Iuzzini dissect each bite as the chefs quake in their batter-soaked boots. After around 50 minutes of tongues fused to the television screen, the verdict is announced and contestant Tania Peterson's "hummus-like" chocolate mousse is tossed into the trash. Kartoon Kings' 'Conflict' Off-camera left: a giant bag of Werther's Originals. Legend enlists Tweedy's help By MIKE KUNTZ Jeff Turmes (bass) and Stephen Daily Arts Writer Hodges (drums). Also contribut- ing to the album are alt-country Chicago is making a comeback. all-stars Kelly Hogan and Pat Between Obama's presidency, an Sansone (Wilco), providing vocals annual music and extra instrumentation to the festival in its sce- carefully laid, sparse mix. Each of nic Grant Park these players, along with the Ray and a wealth of Charles-esque howl ofbackground iconic musicians, vocalist Donny Gerrard, lay the the Windy City Stes perfect soulful foundation for Sta- (failed Olympic You Are ples to do her thing. And boy, does bids aside) has Not Alone she do it - at 71, no less. become one of Anti- "Creep Along Moses," a tradi- the country's tional gospel song that her father, nerve centers for Pops Staples, would play for her bothmusic and progressive politics. with a bunch of other old 78s, has So who better to combine the all the bluesy guitar and restraint of two than Mavis Staples, the young- her best material. Tweedy's tracks, est and arguably most storied of "You Are Not Alone" and "Only the the Staples Singers who has been Lord Knows," feature the songwrit- putting her progressive-minded er athis soulful best, recalling many gospel growl to tape for more than of his trademark melodic turns that 50 years. Famous for her collabora- here seem perfectly tailored to Sta- tions with Bob Dylan and The Band ples's classically American sound. as well as her close involvement With a careful injection of spiritual with the civil rights movement, Sta- themes and lyrics, Tweedy gives ples has often been called the voice of her generation. And while she reached moderate fame on the back of singles like "I'll Take You There" M avis Staples in the '60s, she's never been given - the venerated status and recogni- agesbea u tion enjoyed by other elder acts. Maybe You Are Not Alone is an attempt to finally cement Staples as each song enough skyward longing one of the all-time greats - though to match Staples's religious charge. it seems like everyone who knows "Wrote a Song for Everyone," a her well has given her that status Fogerty-penned ballad, has a cho- long ago. Produced by Jeff Tweedy, ral refrain with enough warmth the principal songwriter behind and fervor to bring the rapture to Wilco, Staples's new record might any Sunday congregation. Likewise finally give her the attention and with "In Christ There Is No East Grammy nods she's long deserved. or West," in which Staples's vocals Tweedy was so impressed with outshine everything else. the legendary gospel singer while And it's Staples who deserves attending the performances that most attention: While Tweedy would comprise 2008's Hope at The skillfully highlights the singer's Hideout live record, he figured he'd most valuable asset (her voice), his be lucky just to meet her. Within production is mostly too careful months, what started as a friendly and unadventurous. Those looking conversation between music fans for a Mermaid Avenue-caliber proj- turned into a symbiotic working ect (Wilco's experimental take on relationship that produced 13 new unreleased Woody Guthrie songs) tracks recorded in Tweedy's Wilco mightbe disappointed with the safe Loft studio. choices on this record - but the A mix of old spiritual stan- album, after all, is about Staples, dards, some well chosen covers not Tweedy. (including tracks by Allen Tous- For as much as this record may saint, John Fogerty and Randy be glossed over for its lack of inno- Newman) and a few originals by vation or exploration, it serves as an Tweedy and Staples, You Are Not important document in the history Alone captures a group of musi- of Mavis Staples's storied career cians who just bleed soul. Tweedy and features an inspired collabora- was keen to keep Staples's touring tion. And if you're amazed at how band for the record, namely the powerful she stillsounds,you're not trio of Rick Holmstrom (guitar), alone. ByADDIE SHRODES Daily Arts Writer Christopher Sperandio and Simon Gren- nan, the artistic duo nicknamed the "Kartoon Kings," bring a blend of high and low art to the University with "Con- flict Theory," an interactive installation to be construct- ed with the help of student Sperandi0 interns in North Campus's Tomorrow at Slusser Gallery. 5:10 p.m. The pair proposed the "Conflict Theory" installa- Michigan Theater tion to the University earlier this year after hearing good things about Ann Arbor. Although they didn't know exactly how it would look, the idea was based on two influ- ences. Their inspiration came from the group of sociological theories asserting that conflict drives human interactions. They also learned of a game that H.G. Wells, author of "The War of The Worlds" and noted pacifist, cre- ated for his children to play. It was a battle game with tin soldiers and dollhouses that Wells thought would curb the need to fight actual war, according to Sperandio, and the duo wanted to construct a piece around the activity. Sperandio plans to construct a version of the same game on a large, low table with 40-inch high replicas of Ann Arbor build- ings for the houses and 5-inch models based on Ann Arborites as the soldiers. On the surrounding walls, he envisions a "mural of destruction," for which the plan isn't final- ized. "I imagine it's going to be kind of cartoony brick walls that are blowing up," Sperandio said of the mural. "We want a balance between the thing being fun and taking ideas about war seriously." The installation should be completed by the third week in October. This week, Sperandio and a team of about a dozen student interns from various disciplines will pool their imagi- nations to begin the design, organization and creation of the installation. He encourages students from any background to get involved - even if they miss the Sept. 24 internship deadline. "I would sort of liken it to a movie produc- tion," Sperandio said. "I'm the director, but movies aren't just made by the director ... It's a big undertaking and everyone who partici- pates is going to have a role." Sperandio and Grennan have worked together for 20 years, making non-traditional Comic artists bring H.G. Wells war game to A2 gallery. artwork throughout the U.S. and Europe. The two have done extensive work in comic-book form, thus the nickname "Kartoon Kings," and their artwork is often interactive. "We make things that are strange and don't fit the traditional boundaries," Sperandio explained, adding that their work doesn't nor- mally appear in galleries or museums. On previous projects, they have worked with groups of people ranging from factory workers to retirees, and they always find a balance of imparting knowledge and learn- ing along the way. One of their latest projects, titled "Invisible City," featured comic render- ings of night workers in Berlin's public transit rail on 10 commercial billboards throughout Berlin. The mural in "Conflict Theory" may draw from Sperandio's comic-drawing expertise, but the team will cast plastic army figures based on Ann Arborites - a sculptural pro- cess Sperandio has never undertaken in his life. "I'm going to be right there learning beside them," Sperandio said. Sperandio is in Ann Arbor this semester for "Conflict Theory" while Grennan is in Britain working on a separate project, but the two are used to long-distance collaboration. "We kind of have an idea about something and then we just jump in," Sperandio said. "We're not very cautious." The game is open to the general public, and Sperandio hopes to involve the Ann Arbor community with a Facebook group for "Con- flict Theory." Sperandio will also give a lecture as part of the Penny W. Stamps speaker series put on by the School of Art & Design at the Michigan Theater this Thursday. He will speak abouthis and Grennan's previous work and how "Con- flict Theory" compares. He added that he and Grennan tend to do extremely diverse projects: animated films, comic books and even a reality TV show about arts on Gallery HD, "Artstar." "This is like all of our other work in that's its uniquely unlike anything else we've done," Sperandio said. 'Devil' ends M. Night Shyamalan's long losing streak By BEN VERDI parody of who he used to be. Daily Arts Writer So if you were one of the people who booed and hissed when you There is a dominant opinion saw Shyamalan's name pop up after toward M. Night Shyamalan that the trailer for "Devil," you weren't many film lovers wrong for being cynical. You had hold. They say, "I the right to assume that "Devil" loved him at first would be just another "Lady in the when his movies Dvil Water." One more cookie-cutter were entertain- attempt at "blowing your mind" ing and intrigu- At Quality16 courtesy of Mr. Shyamalan, the ing, but he's lost and Rave Notre Dame (all name, no sub- his touch." Some Universal stance) of directors. critics think Shy- r However, after seeing "Devil," it amalan has been becomes clear that no one under- making the same movie - with a stands the criticisms of M. Night big twist at the end - for his whole Shyamalan's approach to filmmak- career. And he doesn't help matters ing better than the man himself. by arrogantly inserting himself into "Devil" is the best movie con- his own movies a la Alfred Hitch- ceived by M. Night Shyamalan since * cock. "The Sixth Sense." And the take- Time, and a few admittedly bad away lessonof the storyis that Shya- movies, have allowed this senti- malan is finally learning himself. ment to seep into the psyche of the The story throws red herrings general public to the point where it and false clues at us as we try to fig- seems like Shyamalan has become a ure out which one of the five "bad" people in a broken elevator is the Erick Dowdle, "Quarantine") Devil responsible for killing the manages to elegantly contain the others. But who the Devil is ends up bulk of the story in one broken not being that important, because elevator while successfully fight- we see that every character has the ing the urge to cast Shyamalan as ability to do terrible things. a minor character - two decisions While this may dash the hopes that limit our distractions and help of viewers who don't believe people us focus on the story itself and not are all that bad, it should serve as on its creators. a hopeful reminder that even the While the film is based on Shyamalan's idea, someone else directed it, something we can't say A e l- o about most films with Shyamalan's name on them. Brian Nelson ("30 - i Days of Night") is credited as the "a - screenwriter, which means that Shyamalan also delegated that cre- ative influence over his original worst of us has the potential to take idea to someone else, a multi-lat- responsibility for our past failures eral approach to filmmaking that, and overcome our lingering demons. until now, Shyamalan hadn't fully The film brings the best out of embraced. its makers because it presents to The idea for "Devil" is like the them a series of challenges, all of child that a once overbearing Shya- which are overcome in about 80 malan finally allowed to goout on its minutes. First, the director (John own (as long as it's home at a reason- As the evidence clearly shows, she smelt it, therefore she dealt it. able hour). And because he stopped dle and Brian Nelson wrought this strangling his ideas to death on his new little jewel: a story about huge own, hoping for another classic, he's battles happening in very tiny spac- finally helped make another movie es, and sometimes within a single that can breathe. person. It is through honest, humble sac- In that way, the M. Night critic rifice (of credit and power) that M. might claim, this movie still ended Night Shyamalan, John Erick Dow- up being all about him.