2B - Thursday, September 9, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 2B - Thursday, September 9, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Drop/Add Arts Let's face it. At least one of the classes you registered for sucks. Well, have we got some solutions for you! Here are some artsy classes that you can still get into: COMPLIT 340 - Travels to Greece Through films, stories, paintings, poems and more, learn exactly what it is about the human psyche that forms our innate desire to visit Greece. Pros: Go Greek! The real way. Cons: No field trip. RCIDIV 350, Section 003 - Beginning Javanese Dance Java is the Indonesian island home to capital city Jakarta, as well as sev- eral zillion world music enthusiasts. Accompanied by a percussive gamelan ensemble, learn its dance. Pros: Hippie cred, and lots of it. Cons: Possible awkwardness for the inflexible. HISTART 212 - Understanding Architecture This class is a lecture-based introduction to architecture. What else did you think it could possibly be? Pros: Chicks dig architects. True story. Cons: "Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to demon- strate an understanding of the ideation context and the formal attributes of the built environments of various eras." Whaa...? SAC 236- The Art of Film This introductory class explores different aspects of filmmaking - even the technical ones that get glossed over after a commercial break during the Oscars. Pros: Watch movies in class. Cons: $50 lab fee. Seriously? LHSP 140, Section 001- From Kansas to Munchkin Land The first half of this course focuses on black-and-white drawing, the second on painting in color. The goal? To teach you how to "see." Pros: Lab fee covers models ... but does it cover their naughty bits? Cons: Could suffer from a "Dead Poets Society" mentality. SINGLE REVIEW Kanye West (Feat. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Justin Vernon and Nikki Minaj) "Monster" G.O.O.D/Island Def Jam For a guy who's known for his bizarre and volatile behavior, Kanye West's music has been anything but erratic over the years. Hear an East-Coast soul beat with some sped-up samples and a meaty hook, you immediately think Kanye. With new singles "Power" and now "Monster," it seems that Yeezy's unpredictablity has finally carried over into his music. With its martian beat and "Thriller" aesthetics, "Monster" marks a new sound for Kanye, like he finally got the number to George Clinton's weed guy, and he's buying. The guests just amp up the weirdness factor, with Nikki Minaj alternating between boombaklat shouts and her best Barbie impression. Justin Vernon's vocals sound more lawnmower than man, and Jay-Z, though delivering a sub-par verse, sounds possessed. The track's compellingly odd and oddly compelling, just like the man himself. -JEFF SANFORD EPISODE REVIEW "Rubicon" - "The Truth Will Out" Sundays at 9 p.m. AMC Back when it humbly began, "Rubicon" made one thing very clear: Its viewers are going to have to be patient. And for four weeks, the majority of each episode seemed to be devoted to the main characters frowning and looking around their apartments, offices and houses. But then things got exciting with action, suspense and intrigue surrounding the crazy covert operations driving the series forward. But this week's episode "The Truth Will Out" started to regress back into the awkward-silence hole the show was stuck in early on. Yes, there was some excitement that will definitely amount to a big reveal in an upcoming episode, but there was also a grand return to pacing and scowling. While "Rubicon" centers on its enigmatic con- spiracy, the real mystery is whether the show's pacing will ever get resolved. -JAMIE BLOCK RALPH WILLIAMS ALERT *I The legend himself, former 'U' professor Ralph Williams, will be at the MDen on State Street tonight at 7 p.m. to sign T-Shirts for his movie star debut in the upcoming film "Answer This." To read more about "Answer This" and how Michigan is emerging as a film-making Mecca, read our feature, starting on Page lB. I We know what arts did last summer Studied Abroad? Lived under a rock? Studied abroad under a rock? Here's what you missed. Theater Changes While you were out, the Washtenaw County movie theater community was rocked by two separate changes. First, in late April, Showcase Cinemas became Rave following its acquisi- tion by a Texas motion picture company of the same name. Besides proving that we still love the '90s, the new Rave has vastly improved on the old Showcase formula by switching from Pepsi to Coke products. Then, about two months later, Briarwood Mall's dollar movie theater closed its doors for good. The space that once provided second-run flicks for cheap to preteen mall rats and stingy college dates alike will now cater to a different crowd. The new occupant, MC Sports, plans to use the area to expand its collection of hunting and fishing gear - jocks, 1; movie geeks and deer, 0. "A Very Potter Sequel" Let us all hail once again the (totally awesome) talent of Team StarKid, the theater troupe of Music Theater & Dance students and graduates that has taken cyberspace by storm with its bril- liant unauthorized re-imagining of J.K. Rowling's characters. When it premiered at Walgreen Drama Center in May, we had nothing but genuine affection for the show's original songs, humor and creativity. "AVPS" became a genuine phenom- enon this summer: Hundreds of thousands of YouTube hits, a soundtrack album that charted on iTunes, an appearance at the Harry Potter fan convention Infinitus and a shout-out on Enter- tainment Weekly's Must List have cemented these StarKids' stellar reputations - and the University's, too. Old Spice Viral Campaign It would take one hell of an innovation to land an advertis- ing campaign on a list of notable summer arts events. Well Old Spice innovated like you wish your man could innovate, taking the social media world by storm for an epic two-day outreach campaign. It started out harmless enough, with a few personal YouTube responses from Isaiah Mustafa (a.k.a. the man your man could smell like) to celebrities and fans of the Old Spice commercials. And the general response was, "Oh, that's really cool, they're giving back to the fans with an attractive, shirtless man making grand, manly declarations." That is, until everyone quickly figured out it was happening in real time. The videos would be posted on YouTube and linked in the @OldSpice twitter account (where you can still go back and find them). But when people responded to these new vid- eos, the Old Spice man would respond back. Yes, for two days a complete crew of copywriters and producers from the ad agency Wieden + Kennedy - and one muscly actor - stood around on a bathroom set reading the Internet and writing macho replies. Over 180 macho replies, earning more than 35 million views in just the first week. It was unprecedented. It was hilarious. It smelled like chainsaws, bear-wrestling and being a good listener. Arcade Fire's The Suburbs Congratulations, Arcade Fire. You've officially become the biggest band in North America. August saw the release of the group's third album The Suburbs, which went straight to num- ber one in three countries and was loved by just about everyone. But Arcade Fire wasn't content to simply make music this sum- mer; they strove to change the way we consume it. The band's Aug. 5 concert at Madison Square Garden was streamed live on YouTube, with Terry Gilliam directing and a menu of differ- ent camera angles from which fans could choose. Then came the interactive video for "We Used To Wait." Thanks to Google technology, viewers could type in their home addresses and get a customized video featuring their very own "suburb." Next on the agenda: Arcade Fire saves Haiti - IN 3-D! OK, maybe not. Lindsay Lohan Goes To Prison LiLo got locked up. Every- Aar one knew it would happen - sooner or later, but did anyone expect the process to be so hilarious? The video of her sen- tencing was probably the finest piece of unintentional humor this summer. It starts off with what is far and away Lohan's best performance ever, as she tells the judge with a straight # face, "As far as I knew I was in compliance with my program," and seconds later, "I have to provide for myself." But right when you thought it would be another case of a celebrity getting off easy, the judge doles out the discipline: 90 days. Lohan reacts like she was just condemned to die by firing squad. As the judge lays "into her, Lohan weeps and stares crazy-eyed at her attor- ney as the latter nods grimly, desperately avoiding eye contact. Double Rainbow ain't got shit on this. Too bad she served only 14 days. Lady Justice works in mysterious ways, folks. See SUMMER, Page 3B "Inception" Oh my God you guys do you remember when Ellen Page folded an entire city by waving her hands? And when Joseph Gordon-Levitt spun around in that hotel hallway and it was all like "Whoa!" and then the music was going"BRRRNNNHHH" and there were four different levels of reality but they were all awesome? But then the crazy ending happened and we were all like, "What's the reality?" and then someone said "What is reality, anyway?" and then no one knew. Has anyone even stopped talking about this movie since July?