2B - Thursday, December 2, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com I Judging A Book By Its Cover Why read a single page when the cover tells the whole story? SINGLE REVIEW J. Cole's success just affirms that the rap game is changing. No lon- ger is hip hop ruled by the street lore of stand- ing on the cor- ner hustling and writing rhymes J. Ce on brown bags before getting "Tat Deep for that big record theintro" deal. Where was J. Cole before he became the first artist signed to Jay-Z's burgeoning label Roc Nation? On scholarship at St. John's University, cracking the books and graduating with highest honors. "Too Deep for the Intro," the first song off J. Cole's most recent mixtape Friday Night Lights, is more of his familiar blend of hon- or-student ruminations and open- diary anecdotes. Over a wonderfully chilled-out beat that samples the J Dilla-produced Erykah Badu track "Didn't Cha Know," he rhymes, "Should I admit that a slutty bitch was my first smash?" and then goes on to describe the episode in detail. The self-consciousness of the line (and the song in general) leaves him vulnerable, like any artist airing it all out for the sake of art. It's the new generation of "keeping it real": Share the truth, regardless of how reveal- ing it is. While not the most lyrically impressive J. Cole track, "Too Deep" reaffirms his position as the hot up- and-comer. 40 a Before "In the Beginning," the Dexter team said, "Let there be Lumen," and she was good. But by this week, Julia Stiles's role as ** Dexter's vengeful partner in crime Dexter has worn its wel- 9n the come. She contin- ues to serve almost Beginning" no purpose except Showtime making Dexter (Michael C. Hall) re-explain all his methodology that fans already know. To the show's credit, the story- lines are beingweaved together more intricately than in any prior season. All of the relationships, whether they be professional, familial or intimate, serve some purpose in the grand and imminent climax. But looking ateach plot on its own, things moved too slowly and predict- ably. Season villain Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) is setting a com- plex trap rather than taking care of business the simple, murderous way. General menace Stan Liddy (Peter Weller) has learned some pretty damn compromising information but is just sitting on it. The only break- through is the newfound intimacy between Lumen and Dexter - but it doesn't feel believable coming so soon after Lumen's trauma. "In the Beginning" goes to show that building tension does not always make for entertaining television. With so little time in the season, the shit needs to start hitting the fan soon. --JAMIE BLOCK EPISODE REVI[ -JEFF SANFORD V-W If you're looking for mystery, intrigue and spicy recipes, look no further than world-renowned chef Barbara Hot's latest mem- oir, "Sexy Hot Tales." Part erotic nonfiction, part cookbook, "Sexy Hot Tales" offers a much-awaited glimpse into Hot's turbulent past. Barbara grew up in the slums of Nashville, Tennessee, but always found solace and peace in watching her mother cook - especially spicy food. When Bar- bara entered her adult years, they told her she couldn't make it as a chef, so Hot was forced to turn to a life as a call girl. She remained optimistic and found new and inventive ways to work vegeta- bles into her new c areer, eventu- ally resulting in a Nashville-wide vegetable fetish epidemic. one night, luck came knocking as Barbara entertained Guy Fieri for a steamy evening of food and fun. Before Hot could say "I ant the cover of mny memoir to have a steaming chili pepper," she was cooking ineals for the Queen of England. There's no doubting Hot's tal- ent as a chef or sex artist, and her writing ability is just another talent she can add to her resumd. Her use of gustatory imagery is the stuff only a prostitute- turned-chef could write. The recipes following each chap- ter beautifully complement the chapter's theme, and are tasty to boot! Look for more from Barba- ra Hot because this call girl/chef/ author is on fire! -CAROLYN KLARECKI The new trailer for "The Lincoln Lawyer," based on a Michael Con- nelly book, is none too subtle about the morality of its protagonist. Want ** to know how he got his name? He The Lincoln gets chauffeured Lawyer around L.A. in a shiny black Lin- Lionsgate coln paid for with bribes from his clients. Oh, and the license plate reads "NTGUILTY." A sleazy lawyer? In Hollywood? Well, I never. But the biggest giveaway to the Lincoln Lawyer's shady underpin- nings may be that he's being played by Matthew McConaughey ("Fool's Gold"). One glance upon McCo- GATE naughey's carefully permed locks, one gaze into his inexplicably glis- tening face (glistening with acting intensity, of course) and you'll know: This dude means business. He's totally the kind of guy who could pass the California bar exam ... with extreme prejudice. And having him star alongside Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler") can only mean one thing: Somebody's gettin' nekkid. Where this preview does win restraint points is in the closing sec- onds, when McConaughey pulls out a gun from his suit's breast pocket, then locks eyes with Ryan Phillipe ("Stop-Loss"). No actual gunshots nor loud noises necessary. If after this promising moment, "Lincoln Lawyer" still ends up being the cheesiest legal thriller ever, I'll sue. -ANDREWLAPIN Stunts and swordplay in the Ring. The Ring of Steel stages combat all over Ann Arbor By BRAD SANDERS DailvyArts Writer The sun is shining as LSA Pro- fessor David Doris leads his class into the Law Quad for an exercise. Suddenly, a large group of dis- guised figures appears from out of the distance and charges the unsuspecting students, engag- ing in simultaneous sword battles around them. Once finished, the attackers flee, leading their wit- nesses to wonder what in the world just happened. They will later learn that this was a staged event set up by their professor and The Ring of Steel, an organizationoncampus that focus- es on learning various aspects of staged combat from different eras. The members of The Ring of Steel mostly use their talents to cre- ate fight sequences in local films and professional theater, like the Michigan Opera Theatre, and to create live performances of their own that can be seen at Renais- sance festivals, haunted houses, science fiction conventions and even weddings when the bride is kidiaped from the altar. "Ring of Steel" refers to the group's pride in its swordfight- ing abilities, as well as to its social cohesion. "We're swinging swords at 200 miles an hour at each other's head and if I can't trust you, I can't per- form with you," said Christopher Barbeau, the organization's mae- stro. "It's a double entendre - it's a ring of friends, and it's also the sound that steel makes when it hits (steel)." "I've come about three days a week for the last three years, and picked it up relatively quick- ly because I came from a dance background and had the physical coordination skills," added Diane Miller, the student president and a junior in the School of Music, The- atre & Dance. "That helps a lot with martial arts. My favorite weapon is broadsword because it's big and heavy and barbaric." Members can learn a variety of martial arts techniques includ- ing aikido, jiu-jitsu and tae kwon do, and can also take advantage of the group's collection of 2,000 weapons, including whips, visu- ally stimulating light sabers and semi-automatic guns with plugged barrels. Aside from weapons, The Ring of Steel also focuses on stunt work. During fight sequences, it is not uncommon to see one of the com- batants fall off of a high surface, jump off of a mini trampoline and flip in midair, break through sheets of glass or be completely enveloped in flames. To be lit on fire, the actor must wear underwear made out of Nomex - the material worn by racecar drivers - and get soaked in heat-resistant stunt gel applied to many layers of clothing. The actor must then be covered in rub- ber cement. Once the heat is felt, the actor falls to the ground and is extinguished by multiple onlook- ers. "We can pretty much do every burn in the movies," Barbeau explained. "There's a little bit of timing and skill on your part in how you move because it's real flames. You have to make sure the fire doesn't go in your face." For some of its other stunts, The Ring of Steel uses special equip- ment not commonly found on a col- lege campus. "We use quick-release shackles (for entrances by flight) that aren't intended for human use," Barbeau said. "We're all using it for human use but it's manufactured for releasing a sail. They're learning on professional-level equipment. This is what is used in Los Angeles." With all of these dangerous weapons and stunts, one may won- der how many injuries can result from being a member of The Ring of Steel. However, each of the fights are calculated and rehearsed, with the actors memorizing each physi- cal movement, fall to the ground and drop of their weapon. "In telling the story of a fight, we have to make it bigger and a little slower than a real fight, and we can build in safety protocols," Barbeau said. "So this is kind of like wrestling your dad over actual fighting." "I've got a couple sword scars, but to be honest I probably have more scars from my cat," added Dave Melcher, a 'journeyman' in The Ring of Steel, or the equiva- lent of a second-degree black belt. "Like any sport, injuries do hap- pen."_ According to Barbeau, theatri- cal combat is one of the earliest forms of drama, with documented pictures of cavemen reenacting 0 of Steel performs at Renaissance festivals, haunted houses, science fiction conventions and even some weddings their victory over thousand-pound bison. From here, The Ring of Steel has marked the evolution of staged combat over 1,800 years, learning the styles of each era leading up to present day. In addition to fighting, members are expected to perform to music and participate in small skits that inspire battle. "You can't certify fights with- out having a performance because that's the ultimate integration of things," Miller explained. "You have the martial arts, then the ancient swordplay techniques, then the musical elements of rhythm and ... the choreography and then on top of the pyramid is acting, so you have to be able to keep everything in your head and recite things." "There are stuntmen who learn to perform stunts at a high level and ... they're just doing a stunt anyway, but they have to learn martial acting," Barbeau added. "Like reacting to head punches and things like that. They have to sell being in pain from a bad landing." The Ring of Steel prides itself on performing scenarios from a variety of different genres, usu- ally customizing its shows to the type of event and audience. In the past, The Ring of Steel has created shooting battles in the Wild West, medieval swordfights and rendi- tions of Shakespearean plays such as "Romeo and Juliet." Barbeau alone has choreographed more than 500 stage performances in his 39 years as The Ring of Steel maestro. For LSA senior Breezy Mullins, her favorite performance was set outside of the Quality 16 movie theater for the premiere of "Indi- ana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The show, themed around the movie, featured Mul- lins as a cleaning lady whose mop was stolen by Indiana Jones. "It wasn't like other perfor- mances where you fight and sit down; this one was constant, it was to music and it made you feel like a Hollywood stunt person, because it was at the level of Hollywood stunt work," Mullins said. "We did gun work, explosions, fire, sword work, high falls, rolling, a little bit of everything." The Ring of Steel will put on a series of performances entitled "Midnight Madness" on Main Street every Friday in December outside of The Black Pearl restau- rant. Viewers will be taught about staged combat and will be able to watch three- to five-minute skits lasting for a total of about two- and-a-half hours. Playing off the name of the restaurant, the group will fight as pirates and and will also perform scenes with muske- teers and "Star Wars" light saber battles. "Our big theme right now is pirate shows, my favorite show in our repertory theater," Miller said. "There was this one that had a four-way fight - there was cutlass versus rapier and dagger. We had two of those going at the same time and then at one point they inter- sect. That's a fun show." For many members of The Ring of Steel, the organization is more than just a local group of stu- dents and townies. Melcher has been with the group for about 11 years, and with all of that train- ing, according to Barbeau, still only knows about 70 percent of what The Ring of Steel is capable of. Even Barbeau admits that he is still learning new techniques after almost 40 years of experience, and continues to find new excitement every year. "Light us on fire, throw us through a third-story plate glass window while we're swinging a flaming broadsword," he said, "and we're very happy people."