4D - Tuesday, September 6, 2011

NEW STUDENT EDITION

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

Lullabyes for
getting laid
By JULIA SMITH- could give you more bang for
EPPSTEINER your buck.
For the Daily Back to the plot: Rising Action.
Suspense. This means foreplay if
Feb. 6, 2011 - We're days away you're into that. If not, skip past
from Valentine's Day - a time this step and go straight toward
when college students purchase the 'O.' Personal suggestions:
and butter up someone special "BecomingAJackal"by Villagers
with cards, flowers, jewelry, and "Bloodstream" by Stateless.
candy, hearts and candy hearts. Climax. This is where that
They're all hoping for one thing: song of the week needs to be
sex. And what goes better with heard. Your song. Or their song.
sex than chocolate? Music. Something with the same ecstat-
A friend once told me: "The ic energy as "Sweet Disposition"
only thing better than sex is and "Love Lost" by The Temper
music. And the only thing bet- Trap, or if the lust is coming from
ter than that is putting the two a darker place, "White Blank
together." Page" by Mumford & Sons -
The combination? Sex playl- though hopefully the song play-
ists. These creations are always ing at this point of the plot is no
relevant, but particularly so at longer heard by the participants.
this time of year, when snowy Tumblr highly recommends
cupids are looking for warmth. "All to All" by Broken Social
Familiar with sexmusiccon- Scene, which I'm far from
test.tumblr.com? For girls into opposed to, but a less trancey,
reading Cosmopolitan, the web- more powerful artist that won't
site is its alternative - a free way disappoint would be Kings of
of enhancing the experience. Leon. And I'm not just speaking
(Experience meaning ... well, of"Sex on Fire" but also "Ragoo"
you know.) It isn't pages of tips and their newer songs, "Pyro"
like, "trace his entire bod with an and "Birthday."
ice cube," but it gives playlists to Falling Action. Snuggle? Eat?
get down to. And boys, assuming Re-do? This isn't as common as
you don't read Cosmo, take the some would like in this under-
endless minutes spent browsing graduate setting, but if this
websites involving infinite X's musical go-'round ends with a
and check out Tumblr instead. snuggle session, I'm thinking
So let's equate your sexy-time "Cold Fame" by Band of Skulls
to a narrative structure. It's a or anythingby Ray LaMontagne
play, a book, a movie. First in the and Bon Iver. Either would com-
plot comes the exposition. Who plete the ride with a beautiful
are the two characters? Maybe exhale. Both are quiet enough
there are three. Where are you? to feel the hotness of you catch-
Perhaps his bed, her bed, the ing your breath, and the lyrics
shower, the stacks, the rug. This make you feel more connected
all could affect what playlist will than you probably are. They're
set sparks flyin'. The time of day also quiet enough to embrace the
is also a key determinant. Classic awkwardness of the conversa-
evening, 3 a.m. blackout, morn- tion that precedes one partner's
ing or a lunchtime pick-me-up? discombobulated exit. Either
These factors, plus the charac- way, you should re-fuel with
tern' :noise levels, preferences some food - whether it is shared
and duration coalesce to form the buttered toast under sheets or a
ideal playlist. more depressing coffee-to-go.
Before continuing on to the The denouement or resolution
sequence of plotted events, we of this plot is what you listen to
must address the issue of main- the next day by yourself, on your
stream playlists versus the ver- individual iPod.
sion for the Juno MacGuffs and In addition to your newly pur-
Paulie Bleekers out there making chased, Tumblr-advised songs,
babies in "the chair." both "Ode to the LRC" and
Though Tumblr's suggestions "The Great Salt Lake" by Band
(and my own) diverge from the of Horses are great choices for
mainstream, it seems that uni- walking and thinking about that
versally appealing hookup music last-night encounter - whether
is less Flo Rida and more Radio- it was perfection or should never
head. If you want to ram-jam to happen again.
"Grenade" by Bruno Mars, be my If it was perfection, and not
guest, but you might not care to just an attempt on Valentine's
read on. Though a fairly stellar Day to convince yourself you're
playlist can be made with the not lonely, you might also want
current Top 10 in iTunes, specifi- to try the two songs by Band of
cally Christina Perri's gorgeously Horses at the next go-around. If
icy "Jar of Hearts," other songs not - eat your candy.
ARE YOU WITTY, CHARM-
ING AND ATTRACTIVE?
You'd be perfect for Daily Arts! Mass meetings will
be held on Sept. 12,13,18 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. at
420 Maynard St.

20J12 SEASON
AVIE N U E
[YDIA MEND5LS5OHN H1ATR1
DEATH O A SALESMAN
ARTHUR MILLER THEATRE
MUCH ADO ABOUT
N OT H ING
ARTH UR MILLER TH:EATRE
GREY GAl DENS
AtnHUR MILLER T I: RE
LEAVING IOWA
ARFEHUR MILLER THEATRE

40

Aida' unites contemporary music and
classical themes in timeless love triangle

By BRAD SANDERS
Daily Arts Writer
Nov. 16, 2010 - "Aida,"
MUSKET's first musical of the
season, a powerhouse of con-
temporary music and ancient
themes, bridges its extremes
with a universal plotline: a love
triangle.
"Aida" has origins in an opera
by the same name. The story
focuses on the struggle of Aida,
a Nubian princess and recently
captured slave, and an Egyptian
captain, Radames, to pursue
their romance while remaining
loyal to their combating coun-
tries.
"Aida" fulfilled the producers'
criteria of a show that was com-
mercial and attention-grabbing,
as well as artistically pleasing
and comedic. Casting for the
show began during the first few
weeks of classes with rehearsals
immediately following.
MUSKET is a student-run
theater group sponsored by the
University Activities Center.
"I feel like Aida was a good
compromise, because it's a big
show ... but at the same time
not many people have seen it
because it hasn't gone on tours,"
said Patrick Fromuth, a senior
in the school of Music, Theatre
& Dance and one of the show's

producers.
With music written by Elton
John and Tim Rice, "Aida" cov-
ers a broad spectrum of genres,
ranging from rock to gospel to
disco. The powerful soundtrack
will reverberate through the
Power Center via a 14-member
student orchestra.
"The music can be removed
from the musical and out of con-
text it isnstill really relevant, and
I think that's just Elton John's
genius," said Jake McClory an
MT&D senior and music direc-
tor for "Aida." "There's three
songs that (Aida and Radames)
sing twice. I thought it was real-
ly repetitive, but when you put it
with the story, it made sense that
they were going through these
changes but feeling the same."
The choreography mirrors
the music's variety of styles, but
many of the dancers had mini-
mal previous experience.
"It's a blessing and a curse
to work with a cast that doesn't
have a lot of dance training, but
it's been a beautiful challenge,"
said Edith Freyer, a junior in
LSA and MT&D and the show's
choreographer. "It came down
to looking sharp and keeping
things simple and trying to tell a
greater story."
"Aida" willstill show offbeau-
tiful choreography with a fea-

tured dancer, Sadie Yarrington
an LSA and MT&D senior.
"I'm not somebody who really
understands dance, but when
(Sadie) dances, I'm just in com-
plete awe," Fromuth added.
"Seeing Sadie and Edith work
truly makes me see the value
and the talent it takes to do all
of that."
In addition to the music and
dance spectacles of "Aida," the
set design is augmented with
video projections, which will
be operated by two alumni who
came back to the University in
order to use this eqqipment.
"It's going to be like a movie
mixed with theater, but it's more
or less highlighting what's hap-
pening in the scene," said Kath-
ryn Pamula, a Business and
MT&D junior and one of the
producers. "This is where the-
ater is going, and we have the
opportunity to take more risks
than otherwise."
"It's not one of those plays
where we black out and there's
a scene change - its constantly
flowing,kindoflikeourdreams,"
added director Richard Grasso,
an MT&D junior. "We're not
remembering everything, but
the big impact moments of the
dream."
Evoking this dreamlike nar-
rative state, the show begins

and ends with a set resembling
a modern-day, museum. With
the aid of video projectors, the
audience is transported into
the hazy storytelling space that
exists for the majority of the
musical. The artifacts and piec-
es in the museum will unravel
an ancient Egyptian set in a
surreal fashion.
"It's book-ended with this
museum scene so we can be
reminded of the modern day
audience and how this musical
is still relevant to us regardless
of the time period," Grasso said.
"It's a timeless story ... and
we can relate to that today -
whether it be through racial
segregation, orientation segre-
gation, we can still see that in
modern times."
Bringing "Aida" to a college
stage brings increased rele-
vance, as many of the themes in
the show are applicable to stu-
dents, particularly on this cam-
pus with our theme semester,
"What makes life worth living?"
"Not only is it striking and
stirringand sexy, it kind of plays
into Mary Sue Coleman's widen-
ing your worldview and cultural
diversity at Michigan, which we
take a lot of pride in," Fromuth
said. "The show is kind of a cel-
ebration of crossing those cul-
tural divides."

6

BESTV IDEOGAMESOF2010

StarCraft II:
Wings ofLiberty
Twelve years was a long time to
wait for a sequel to "StarCraft," but
after the first few minutes of "Star-
Craft II," it's clear the series aged
very well. Blizzard Entertainment
has managed to develop some of the
most impressive video games ever
made, and there is no question that
"Wingsnof Liberty" falls in rankwith
Mass Effect 2

COURTESY OF US BATTLE.NET

BioWare broke all the boundaries
of the original "Mass Effect" with
this sequel. It expanded on every-
thing it did right and trimmed
down baggy and unnecessary fea-
tures. The character classes were
thoroughly fleshed out without
sacrificing streamlined action.
Though the game had enough
depth that it could have easily
COURTESY OF EA.COM made a satisfying and slow-paced
Red Dead
Redemption
"Red Dead Redemption" captures
everything a Wild West game
should be. The Western setting
truly feels like a frontier - the
landscape is vast and beautiful, and
wild animals can be seen roaming
the land constantly. Outlaw John
Marston's story as he makes up for
the evils of his past is extremely
COURTFSYOF ROCKSTARGAMES.COM well done. Marston runs into a

therestofitsreleases.
The gameplay is extremely com-
plex and the graphics are absolutely
gorgeous - beautiful sprawling
landscapes and a nuanced design
of each unit and building make
staring at the game as much fun as
playing it. And as impressive as its
looks are, the revamped gameplay
is really what makes "Starcraft II"
so much fun. Rather than clinging
to the dynamicsof the original, Bliz-
RPG or an exciting action game, it
is a nearly perfect amalgamation
of the two.
In true BioWare fashion, the
story was one of the most com-
pelling of any game to date, and
it shows that well written scripts
are not reserved for Hollywood.
And while these benefits are ren-
dered close to inexhaustible by
the huge quantity of content in
the game, the ability to continue a
character from the original "Mass
range of flawed characters that end
up helping (and sometimes betray-
ing) him, and, in typical form for
developer Rockstar, the dialogue
and voice acting for every charac-
ter is excellent. The music stands
out even more - a riveting and
era-appropriate score that sounds
like no other game. As far asgame-
play goes, "Red Dead Redemption"
impressively manages to make old
guns feel satisfying - the gunplay
is fluid and exciting. There's a tre-

By DAILY STAFF Jan. 5,2011
zardexpandedandalteredthethree
races, fleshing out distinct idiosyn-
crasiesfor each.
The world of real-time strategy
now has anothersharpand carefully
crafted titletoadd to its ranks.It will
keep competitive gamershappy for a
longtime,and inalllikelihood,it will
be the bar for all subsequent games
ofits kind.It would be quitea feat for
another tosurpass it.
- TEDDYPAPES
Effect" is the most remarkable
feature, not only for the series,
but for video gaming as a whole.
With it, the worlds in each install-
ment are connected throughout
the series and allows the games to
grow with the player.
By completely raising the
expectations and capabilities of
an open-ended RPG, "Mass Effect
2" can only make us wonder what
"Mass Effect 3" has in store.
- TEDDYPAPES
mendous amount of variety in the
missions, from robbing trains in
Mexico to shooting grizzly bears in
wooded territories.
It's the little things that make
"Red Dead Redemption" great.
Running into a man being chased
by wolveson the prairie or the real-
istic way the horses are animated
really bring the game to life. It's
just an enjoyable world to be in -
the Wild West depicted perfectly.
- SHIN HIEFTJE

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