4B - Thursday, January 13, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4B - Thursday, January 13, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 'NETWORK' (1976), MGM Clairvoyance from the '70s MODCLOTH From Page 3B By TIMOTHY RABB Daily Arts Writer Would you believe that a mere 12 years after "Dr. Strangelove," a welcome addition to the film canon would rise to the occasion of challenging the dominant satire of Kubrick's masterpiece? Sidney Lumet's "Network" has received countless accolades, including an induction into the National Film Registry, four Golden Globes, four Academy Awards, and the 64th position on AFI's list of the top 100 films of the last century. But in spite of the film's critical rec- ognition, chances are you've never seen it. The film begins with a tense discussion between executives at the fictional UBS television net- work and news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Fincher, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"), during which Beale is informed that he'll be fired within the next two weeks due to his show's poor ratings. Upon receiving this troubling news, Beale has a nervous break- down and announces that he'll be committing suicide on live televi- sion. When a subsequent series of outrageous events and mad rants by Beale brings him and UBS unprecedented popularity, he's given his own prophetic talk show segment and coins his trademark phrase of aimless rebellion: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" The screenplay is airtight and the characterizations are spot-on - there's enough subtlety in its political and social commentary to engage us intellectually, but there's not so much abstraction as to encumber it with the hazy intent of so many art films. For example, the politics of the show are all too evident in the relationship between madman Beale and his superiors. A wide viewer base of everyday Ameri- cans is enthralled with Beale's antics - antics that give an illu- sion of the rebellion that they've long awaited to turn their worlds upside down and endow their lives with more drama, excitement and, ultimately, purpose. What's ironic about this whole facade of revolution is that at the end of the day, Beale is still sub- ordinate to the whims of the net- work executives at UBS. Like a raving child, he is constantly scru- tinized by his overseers. His free- spirited diatribes are brought to a shuddering halt after a dark-lit meeting with the network chair- man - leaving no question as to who's the boss of whom, and end- ing with Beale's ominous observa- tion: "I have seen the face of God." If an unforgiving look at the omnipotence of corporate Amer- "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" ica isn't enough to whet your appetite for scandal, there's also the melodrama of a heated affair. Diana Christensen (Faye Dun- away, "Chinatown"), a producer at UBS, gets entangled with Max Schumacher (William Holden, "The Wild Bunch"), president of UBS's News division. After a tumultuous relationship that leads Schumacher to leave his I'll have to pay shipping on a package I'll likely be return- ing anyway come next week, because nothing looks like the pictures andI didn't have the benefit of a store in which to try on my choices. Granted, I've had some great successes with ModCloth, as well as Zappos and Endless for shoes, and once, tights from fredflare.com. Between bus delays and a hectic student life, it's nearly impossible for me to make it to Briarwood, and when I'm home for break, I'm too busy sleeping and eating food that doesn't say Kraft on it to go to the mall. To be honest, my real- world interactions with clothing stores are few and far between. The Internet, as it is prone to do, broadens my horizons, allow- ing me access to designs I would never encounter otherwise. And yet, the Internet's inher- ent lack of physicality makes ita pretty counterintuitive shopping ground, and for good reason. I've heard rumors that the photos of ModCloth's outfits are tailored (pun intended), and I can attest that the outfitsI carefully pluck from their packages generally have a cheaper look and feel than I would have imagined from their online appearances. When all is said and done, I'm more often than not disappointed with my Internet-bought outfits, and my ModCloth "order history" tab currently lists four returns in a row. So what's the answer? Is my Internet addiction OK? Online shopping has opened my eyes to new brands, designs and styles. No, I can't possibly eliminate it from my shopping repertoire. But it's simply not worth the cost - in either money or clothing quality - that I'm currently put- ting into it. As I retype that familiar URL into my browser and watch ModCloth's comfortable faded colors load on the screen,I make this solemn vow: No longer will I blindly buy the contents of that virtual shopping cart. Iwill understand that the Internet is a toolto help me know what's out there in the wide world of clothes, but that the actual hit- ting of the "checkout" button must be reserved for the most obscure of garments, the perfect pieces thatI absolutely can't find anyplace real. Online shop- ping can no longer be my drug of choice - it can only exist as a diagnostic tool to help me find my real-life wardrobe prescrip- tion. Jacobs is looking for her next trip. To recommend your favorite brand, e-mail her at shacobs@umich.edu. 0 'Network' predicted consumer dependency on corporate media. wife, Schumacher realizes he's made a grave mistake and that his dalliance with Christensen has no potential for love - she is inca- pable of feeling, and talks only of business, even during sex. His last words to her are unforgettable: "You are madness, Diana, viru- lent madness, and everything you touch dies with you. Well, not me. Not whileI can still feel pleasure and pain and love." Some critics lambasted the film for its preachy attitude by noting there isn't a single character that isn't featured in some long-wind- ed tirade. But what a simplistic approach to criticism! Does the constant presence of dinosaurs preclude "Jurassic Park" from greatness, or the recurrence of gunfire in "Saving Private Ryan?" Motifs and themes in a film are essential to the conveyance of a deeper meaning, and the fact that the brand of satire found in "Network" relies on the theme of prophecy doesn't diminish its greatness (or even its watchabil- ity) in the least. "Network" is just as important to today's college students as it was to film enthusiasts of the '70s - in some ways even more so. It specifically points out the problems that face a generation raised by television through the relationship between the elder- ly Schumacher and the young Christensen. It highlights the gap between an era of thinking, feel- ing individuals and one in which preprogrammed imagery does all the thinking and feeling for us - so much so, in fact, that the whole gamut of human emotion feels cli- ched and overused, and we're no more cognizant of our bondage to corporate sensibilities than caged animals. MEDMA From Page 3B jam-packed clubs and played for Ann Arbor citizens of all ages at the outdoor summer festival Top of the Park, he had one of-his best DJing experiences to date. "There was this one guy - he kept saying, 'Hey man, play some- thing I can groove to,' " Masters said. "I thought I was playing something perfectly grooveable, but then I played this song at the very end. I didn't think anyone would recognize it ... but this guy knew every single word to it, and he was so pumped up." Ultimately, that's what MEDMA is all about - exposing as many people as possible to elec- tronic music and finding some- thing "grooveable" for everyone. UMMT From Page 1B 'Brigadoon,' or 'Carousel' - but also to be up to date and be com- fortable if they're auditioning for 'Next to Normal' or 'The Addams Family' so that they understand where the field has come from and what's happeningtoday." The University is also keen on following and sensing popular trends as they are manifested in the musical theater world. Accord- ing to Creel, understanding both the past and present of musical theater is important. "WhenI was there, there wasn't as much of a pressure to be good at pop and contemporary styles," he said. "Now they're becoming way more savvy, because that's the way the world is going." Participation in the Senior Showcase is another Musical The- atre event that helps prepare stu- dents for a career in the spotlight. Each year, the Musical Theatre seniors travel to New York City to perform for agents, directors and casting directors to demonstrate their talent. For many, the end-of- the-year performance is a way to jumpstart their careers. Students must make every second of their Showcase count. In Creel's year, the Senior Showcase lasted less than 45 minutes and included pre- sentations from all 22 students in his class. "We sang about a 45-second song, and there were a bunch of casting directors and agents and things like that," Creel said. "We found out if people were interest- ed in talking to us further, and the next thing you know, I took a lot of meetings and I was one of the lucky ones who got an agent from that." Jenni Barber, a 2005 gradu- ate who is starring in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" on Broadway - a role she's had since 2007- also has a iot to thank the Showcase for. "(My career) definitely start- ed off with the Musical Theatre Showcase out in New York," Bar- ber said. "(It) certainly helped me get representation and introduced me to the casting world." In addition to being in national and international tours of many different Broadway shows, Bar- ber is now preparing to audition for the TV show "Hawaii Five-O" and has been in working with new playwrights and directors along the way. Maize and Blue on the Great White Way once seniors have performed in the Showcase in New York, they move onto the next part of their journey to stardom - landing a job. It often requires a blood-and- sweat summer in New York City, but the graduates feel prepared, Burton assured. "We've got a lot ready, we're put together, we know how to approach an audition scenario," he said. Once there, the former students audition and compete for the lim- ited number of industry jobs in the Big Apple. Whether it be Broad- way, a regional theater, a national tour, an off-Broadway production, a TV show or a film, spots are severely restricted. However, Michigan students have a certain advantage over other talented young people who are auditioning for the same jobs. Because many casting directors and agents view the University's program as one of the best in the world, they can sometimes imme- diately tell when they're seeing an alum audition. "Apparently, you can kind of tell when a Michigan graduate walks through the door because of how 0 they carry themselves and you can tell that they're comfortable with themselves," musical theatre senior Andy Jones said. Another benefit of the Musical Theatre Department is the long list of alumni that graduates can use as stepping stones for their careers. "Michigan is everywhere in New York," musical theatre senior Sean McKnight said. McKnight, the self-proclaimed "longest-running Michigan senior," has been in the Univer- sity's program for the past 16 years and is already an established dancer and choreographer. He explained there are even certain bars that University alumni resid- ing in New York go to watch the games on Football Saturdays. Oftentimes, the intimate com- munity of the Musical Theatre Department is regarded as a fam- ily, but Jones describes it another way. "There's this term, as we joke, 'The Michigan Mafia,' " he con- tinued. "When you leave for New York, there's this common bond of Michigan experience. And that's not just some little phrase that people throw around," It's a feeling Creel noted when first applying to musical theater programs in high school. "The schoolsI went to, for what- ever reason, I thought like, 'Those people are over there,' and when I was at Michigan I thought, 'These people are my people,' "he said. Graduates come out of the pro- gram with confidence and a com- petitive edge, but still remain grounded, Wagner said - adding that one of the goals of the pro- gram is to give students the con- fidence to perform at their best, while keeping the competition outside of the classroom. "When they get to New York, it will be plenty competitive. But I don't think there's a place for that at the school," he said. "So that's one thing that Michigan has a reputation for. That's something really important to me that we continue to maintain." Singing and dancing in the city that never sleeps As students move to New York and find their ways into jobs, they often recognize how hectic and busy their new lifestyle is com- pared to the one they enjoyed within the University bubble. Bar- ber elaborated on the whirlwind of a life she leads. "You're freelance - it's like any kind of freelance work. You just go where the job is and it changes, which makes it really exciting, but you kind of have to be on top of it - the day changes often," she said. Though chaotic and confusing, the students are pursuing their passion. They love what they do. They are aware of the competitive and cutthroat nature of the busi- ness - but there is no business like show business. A performer may audition five or six times for the same role and still never land it. There are high points in the indus- try, but there are also some lows. "You can't give up." McKnight explained. "It's a brutal industry. If you don't love it, you won't sur- vive it." But the University has-produced many success stories. Students who graduate from the Musical Theatre Department have gone on to land Tony-nominations, star- ring spots on Broadway, film and television roles and other highly regarded accomplishments. Many students even get jobs right after the Showcase. "Pretty much everyone in my Each year, the University's Musical Theatre Department accepts approximately three percent of its applicants. class is working either nation- ally or internationally on tour or at a regional theater," said Robert Hartwell, a 2009 graduate who is currently in "Memphis" on Broad- way. "No one's, like, scrubbing tables right now." To Broadway and back again The Musical Theatre Depart- ment has made such an impact on its students' lives that the gradu- ates often come back to give guest lectures or become teachers - sometimes even while still a stu- dent. McKnight teaches at MPulse Summer Performing Arts Camp - a selective three-week summer program the helps prospective high school juniors and seniors get a feel for how the School of Music, Theatre & Dance works and what it has to offer. Creel, who is currently doing some teaching in New York, said he would also eventually like to come back to the University to teach. "I'm looking forward to recon- necting with the school and stomping around Ann Arbor. It would be a dream to come back and teach someday," he said. "I'm not going to do that yet, but I love Ann Arbor and I love the program and I love what it's about." The rise to fame is a difficult process, but with the support of the University, a push from some friends and the backbone of a huge alumni network, everything can fall into place. Graduates follow their passion - whether that be choreographing a dance routine in a musical, reciting lines for a TV show or accepting Tony awards left and right. And they do so while knowing all the time that it was hard workat their alma mater that helped thrust them into the limelight. Talent agents can sometimes recognize 'U' alums from their onstage confidence.