higandaily. com
6A - Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Michigan Daily - mic
Agents' a steady fling
By KAVI SHEKHAR PANDEY
Senior Arts Editor
It's an unavoidable truth: All
people will face some terrible,
horrible, no-good-very-bad event
at some point in
their lives. What gj
really matters
then, is how one Free Agents
reacts to that
circumstance Pilot
- either be a Wednesdays
Charlie Brown- at 8:30 p.m.
esque ball of NBC
despondency for
eternity or smack those negative
emotions into oblivion and find a
way to move on with your life. In
the case of the new NBC sitcom
"Free Agents," the two sad-sack
main characters are churning
around in their respective emo-
tional blenders until they finally
decide to pour themselves out into
each other's arms.
Our male lead is Alex (Hank
Azaria, "The Simpsons") a chron-
ic crier who's lost custody of his
kids following a recent divorce.
His path to solace begins after a
one-night stand with co-worker
Helen (Kathryn Hahn, "Cross-
ing Jordan"), who's been trying
to bury her grief over the death of
her fiance in bottles of wine and
microwavable dinners. The tale of
Alex and Helen is awkward at first
(sleeping with a colleague tends
to do that) and Helen is initially
resistant, but their natural chem-
istry soon becomes obvious - both
to each other and to the audi-
ence. Their sharp, nonstop ban-
ter, unleashed by the remarkably
gifted Azaria and Hahn, is what
makes the show a surprise success.
The relationship between
Alex and Helen is the crux of
"Free Agents," but the show is
as much a workplace sitcom as it
is a romantic comedy, bringing
. I I~ /
along
bolster
(Mo M
sleazy
one wi
the pr
Office
(Natas
Standi
with e
Streep
Wears
a
The
stando
kalike
Show"
of Ken
piercin
and to
than
ness q
overbo
of crer
("Supe
unfunr
an appropriate ensemble to sary as a creepy security guard.
the laughs. There's Dan Another disappointing failure is
dandel, "Love Bites"), the Alex and Helen's boss, played by
"B-school bro" type every- Anthony Stewart Head ("Buffy
ill love to hate, always on the Vampire Slayer'"), who is
owl for his next hookup. reprising his role from the origi-
executive assistant Emma nal British series. Head's char-
ha Leggero, "Last Comic acter is instantly forgettable,
ng") is a pint-size maneater following the trope of an aloof,
nough sass to make Meryl filthy rich, filthy-joking execu-
's character in "The Devil tive who really has no business
Prada" blush. running a corporation.
"Free Agents" spreads the con-
tent of its humor nicely, ranging
BC's hum from the lowbrow (God save the
sex joke) to the mildly highbrow
lay answer. (Willy Loman zingers) to the
absolutely random ("Scooby Doo:
Monsters Unleashed" references),
all managingto be funny. Note the
show's clear supporting usage of the relatively tame adjec-
ut is Fred Armisen-loo- tive "funny" - the pilot of "Free
Al Madrigal ("The Daily Agents" is never uproarious, just
) as this office's version a steady stream of chuckles and
neth "The Page" Parcell, guffaws that lacks any true gut-
sg scenes with his foibles busting moments.
:mfoolery. Madrigal more Still, with the bubbly chemistry
enough fills the weird- of its charming leads and a (most-
uotient, so the show goes ly) solid supporting cast, the foun-
ard with the inclusion dation has been laid for something
epy actor Joe Lo Truglio potentially great. Let's hope NBC
rbad"), embarrassingly will sign "Free Agents" to a long-
ny and utterly unneces- term contract.
The perfect meeting space for Dumbledore's Army.
North Quaid's digs
The 'U' has its
own Room of
Requirement
By VERONICA MENALDI
Daily Arts Writer
Imagine a place that changes
and adapts to the needs of the
students - a place so moldable
it can go from a yoga session to
an intensive interactive study
session within minutes. Now
imagine it being easily acces-
sible on campus.
This magical space exists
inside of North Quad under the
name of "Creative Commons
Atelier" - a name that mixes
creativity and a touch of inter-
national flavoring, with the
French word meaning "studio"
RELEASE DATE- Wednesday, September 21, 2011
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or "artist workshop." Resource Center and instru-
The name itself helps rep- mental member in the creation
resent the image North Quad of the CCA.
wants to portray, one of origi- There's also almost a sense of
nality and a cross between the mystery in the room - it never
foreign and the familiar. looks the same from day to day.
Jamie Vander Broek, for- "What I like about it is that
mer North Quad Programming every time I walk in, I never
Coordinator, said that though know what it's going to look
the room itself hasn't been like," Evershed said. "I really
around for long, the idea has love the flexibility. Sometimes
been in the works for years. you walk into a soft casual set-
This has resulted in a place ting and sometimes it'll be divid-
completely student-, faculty- ed up where you can go into a
and staff-made, with the intent little corner and feel secluded
of providing a common room but still in an open space."
unlike others, where those The common room is also
inside are free to color outside home to many events, like
of the lines. pilates, yoga and even ticketed
"Oftentimes students are sort events like puppeteers or dan-
of shoehorned into classroom ers. These events in particular
space that isn't as flexible," can take advantage of the multi-
Vander Broek said. "In North media speaker systems that are
Quad, the (common spaces) can a key characteristic of the CCA.
be shaped by the people who All the technology in the
are in it. The architecture of the room is designed to be easily
room isn't dominant." accessible, but help is still avail-
Cosirng othQuad is able Upon request 22
home to a variety of schools "The room is meant for pre,1
and programs - including sentations, lectures or othgr
the Communication Studies, events and groups that can
Screen Arts and Cultures, the use more advanced techno
Language Resource Center, the 'ogy designed for self seftvite
Sweetland Center for Writing, and showcases a rich variety o
the School of Information, the content," said Matt Rubinstein,
Global Scholars Program, the North Quad's-technology coor-
Max Kade house and North dinator.
Quad Residential Community Beeutse it's only been ope
- the placement of the CCA since March of this past wintr
serves as the unification of semester, students ape stilljn
many of their disciplines. the 'process of discoveringita4.1
Vander Broek said the com- unique qualities.
mon room gives those inside "It's a great place for people
the freedom to do absolutely to go and work collaboratively,"
whatever their imagination lets said Chris McNamara, a Screen
them. She particularlyloved the Arts and Cultures lecturer who
flexibility of the room itself as also helped create the space.
well as its furniture and num- "It's turned into somethingthat
ber of different LCD screens. could be a laboratory or incu-
The feelings the room gives bator for all kinds of creative
those who enter is comparable endeavors."
to the feeling a child gets when Though access to the build-
presented with an empty page ing for those not residing in
along with crayons and mark- North Quad is limited, the CCA
ers - they just want to let their never closes, and therefore can
creativity shine. be particularly appealing for
There are moveable walls those students who want to
that are both magnetic and dry- study later in the evenings.
erase, which allows a personal Its main campus location is
touch and division of the room also ideal for drawing in more
along with digital banners dis- students and events, since a nice
playing news feeds. The room walk or bus ride up to North
itself is narrow with an incred- Campus wouldn't be necessary.
ibly high ceiling, a large array McNamara said the quality
of windows and three smaller of the projection and sound sys-
private conference rooms in the tem is phenomenal and allows
back. those inside to experience qual-
"It gives off the sense of this ity sight and sound while at the
enormous room, while on the same time not feeling isolated
other hand because it's very from the outside world, thanks
narrow and long, it gives the to all the windows.
ability to have very intimate "It sort of feels very acces-
meetings," said Julie Ever- sible to the street and not closed
shed, Director of the Language in a box," he said.
PROVE YOUR BEER
IS BEST!
Enter The Michigan Daily's
third annual home brew competition.
Bottles are due Oct. 16.
E-mail klarecki@michigandaily.com0
for more details.
temple
42 Buttey'sperh
44 Noble headpiece
45 *Freetown is its
capital
48 Response to a
dare
498,11 razor
5 ActrMorales
54 Film buff's
channel
55 "That's exactly
how Ifeel"...or
what eachstre
clue's frstnerd
r ando?
s8aStatnfor Ryan
Heward
59 Havingthe krack
60Toghlsather
61 pubj.thathelps
people assimilate
62 Niggling things
63 "Enough already!"
DOWN
1 Publisher's ID
2 Royally named
liner, briefly
13
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30
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38 37 38
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84 55 58 57
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61 62 63
By Julian Lim 09/21/11
(c)2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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A