8A "Wednesday, November 16, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Au's COMEDIAN INTERVIEW 0 Brand cracks wise 'The Little Dog Laughed' mixes nursery rhymes with Hollywood intrigue. 'Dog'. to bark up Waigreen By ANNA SADOVSKAYA has con Daily Arts Writer heteros Made up of a mismatch of characters and a hodgepodge of sounds, Mother Goose's "Hey, Diddle Did- dle!" has The Little Dog been a favor- g ite of kids everywhere Tomorrow, Friday for years. and Saturday at The Base- 7 p.m., Friday ment Arts atl1p.m. show "The Little Dog StudioOneWalgreen Laughed" Drama Center evokes the Free merriment of its beloved nursery rhyme namesake while exploring the depths and distances people go to find joy. The play deals with four char- acters throwntogether by fate and kept together through a stream of comical happenings that result in ridiculous outcomes. But it's not a surface-deep production: Many of the jokes and comedic interludes serve as a forum to address seri- ous topics. Protagonist Mitchell is an up-and-coming gay actor try- ing to make a name for himself in heteronormative Hollywood. As Mitchell begins a relationship with Alex, a young male escort, the image Mitchell's agent, Diane, AJ I the Sc Dance his ch: ultimat a succe fulfillin "The wants said. fighting show a ings fo relation Ba let M( Thot his life the dail DeCam the she Mitche lated to of the r "Tod place u people to be DeCam nstructed for him as being order to find true happiness as a exual begins to unravel. gay person (or) as a straight per- Klopach, a sophomore in son, you have to accept who you hool of Music, Theatre & really are." who plays Mitchell, said Hollywood seemed to be a aracter has to make the perfect backdrop for the discus- :e decision between being sion of these issues, as many col- ssful actor and leading a lege students spend a lot of time glife. analyzing and watching the lat- character of Mitchell est scandal unfold in the show self-acceptance," Klopach business. He has such a hard time "We as young people who g against himself the entire watch TV, whether that be 'E! nd denying his true feel- News' or the news, see people r this guy he developed a who are part of (the entertain- nship with." ment industry) doing absolutely horrible things," DeCamp said. "The play seeks to question a lot sement Arts of what happens in the entertain- ment industry, but constantly in loose with the most outrageous humor." As the characters struggle to ether Goose. come to terms with their own identities and personalities, it'sup to them to decide what constitutes personal fulfillment and whether ugh Mitchell is an actor, it can coexist with success. may seem far away from "This play is about the pursuit ly lives of most people. Will of happiness," DeCamp said. "It's p, a MT&D junior and subtly referred to throughout ow's director, added that the entire show. The show ques- Il's struggles are not iso- tions how you reach true happi- those who live in the style ness, and (whether) you have to ich and famous. make compromises to get there lay's society is still in a - (whether) you have to fight, vhere we put pressure on lie and cheat to get there. But to conform, forcing them ultimately, we see that finding something they're not," true happiness is the desired end p said. "I think that in result for everyone." EMU welcomes 'Sarah Marshall' star Russell Brand By KATIE STEEN Daily Arts Writer Witty, opinionated and laced with British charm, Rus- sell Brand is as fascinating and entertaining a character in real life' as he is onscreen. Tonightat Despite deliv- 8p.m. ering an inter- view minutes EMU Convocation before partsk- Center log in a photo Fmm$23 shoot, the comedian remained remarkably engaged in the conversation, fir- ing responses that ranged from insightful to did-he-really-just- say-that? Known. for his roles in films like "Forgetting Sarah Mar- shall," "Get Him to the Greek" and "Arthur," Brand also has a long history as a stand-up come- dian. On his "Keepinglt Simple" tour, he plans to shock, enter- tain and perhaps invite audi- ence members to join in on his act at EMU Convocation Center tonight. In an equal combina- tion of sharp-tongued banter and fervent viewpoints, Brand gave a preview of his routine in Ypsilanti. He was actually quite specific as to'what to expect. "It's going to be absolute unbridled insanity," he told The Michigan Daily. "No universities are going tobe the same. We're going to transform everyone's mentality, everybody's outlook. ... It's going to be absolute devil- ment, ribaldry and chaos. I imag- ine that after this gig, the student pregnancies will go through the roof. There's gonna be a lot of erotica and a lot of mating." Hold on.Did Russell Brand just say people are going to be having sex during his comedy act? "Sure, there's gonna be con- ceptions happening all over the stage," Brand claimed. Russell Brand encourages heckling. His lighthearted response was not completely unexpected (maybe the orgy part was a little surprising). But while Brand was joking (hopefully), he also stressed the importance of rec- ognizing when a certain situa- tion calls for seriousness. Toting a long history of addictions and arrests, Brand was comfortable discussing his past and how he is able to morph it into a humorous subject "You think about your own personal experience," he said. "Drugs are aserioussubject... but also very, very funny." He added, "In certain situa- tions people are ready for certain kinds of information. The ability as an artist, you have to recog- nize the situation in context and make sure that the narrative you give people is the narrative that they're ready to understand." But rather than reiteratingthe age-old idea of a fine line between comedy and tragedy, Brand pro- vided his own interpretation. "There's a massive great big tangent between comedy and tragedy," he said. His responses were emphatic and charged with a sense of authenticity not commonly seen in modern celebrities. Brand upholds this realness in his own comedy routines. While he admires comedians like Richard 0 Pryor and Bill Hicks, a key inspi- ration for his jokes is his own story. "The embarrassing things in my life, the peculiar things that people around me say... canmake you laugh a lot more than things on the TV," he said. "So that's what you look out for. Situations where I'm embarrassed, and I try to overcome that embarrassment through comedy." Sometimes Brand actually gets comically inspired mid-routine. What does he think of people who interrupthis act? "That's someone auditioning for a part in your show," Brand said. "I encourage people to heckle and be ready for the con- sequences." A true comedian, Brand revels in the opportunity to make light of any situation. When asked whether he prefers the volatility of stand-up or scripted comedies like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," Brand seemed almost indignant at the question. "Stand-up! Scripted comedy ... it's fuckingboring," he said. While fans of his films would probably disagree that there's anything boring about them, it's hard to argue with the opinion- ated comedian. If you really want to take it up with him, just pipe up during his act in Ypsilanti - he'll be happy to respond. 'Secret Circle' must be shared i i vi ALBUM REVIEW Heroes are nearing zero By EDITH FREYER Daily Arts Writer ® ; ' .em- By KAYLA UPADHYAYA Daily Arts Writer The CW's new witchy drama, "The Secret Circle,"doesn't waste any time before racking up its body count. The show kills off the lead char- acter's mother 'k Secret in a cold open reminiscent of Crcle the first scene Midseason of "The Vam- pire Diaries" - Thursdays chilling, quiet at 9 p.m. and beautifully The CW shot. It contin- ues to take risks and while it's far from perfect, the first nine epi- sodes pack just enough character development and exposition to prove that this show is up to its pointy black hat in potential. "The Secret Circle" is set in the fictional town of Chance Harbor, which becomes Cassie Blake's (Britt Robertson, "Life Unex- pected") new home after her mother is murdered. Having lost her father many years ago, Cassie moves in with her grandma (Ash- ley Crow, "Heroes") and attempts to start over at a new high school. Five students, all of whom lost parents around the same time, approach Cassie and give her the real news: She's a witch. They are all witches and need her to com- plete the circle with a binding ceremony that will strengthen their collective power. Spoiler Alert: The writers take a risk by killing off a member of the circle just five episodes into the first season. Nick (Louis Hunter "Out of the Blue") wasn't working as a character and won't be missed, but for a brand new show to step up with a bold move like that is impressive and unex- pected. Nick's death allows the introduction of a more mysteri- ous character: Jake (Chris Zylka, "Kaboom"), Nick's older brother who returns to Chance Harbor after Nick's death. He is both a witch and a witch hunter, a walk- 4. THE CW "Omigosh, this is going to be the funnest Thanksgiving party ever!!" ing contradiction with some serious identity problems. Jake bounces between being a possible hero and a threat to the circle. The duality of Zylka's performance is almost unsettling to watch, but it's one of the show's strengths. But "The Secret Circle" could improve by developing Cassie. She's often clueless and shows little emotional range in com- parison to Faye (Phoebe Tonkin, "Home and Away"), a standout player and one of the best new female characters on television this fall. She is the most unpre- dictable and unstable member of the circle, following cruel insults with moments of sincerity. Though Faye is all over the place, Tonkin approaches the role with a finesse and precision that make it hard to believe she's so young and inexperienced. The love triangle that forms between unofficial circle leader Diana (Shelley Hennig, "Days of Our Lives"), her longtime boy- friend Adam (Thomas Dekker, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") and Cassie might make the show look like a super- natural teen soap at the surface level, but in reality "The Secret Circle" is dark in tone and story. Someone is always out to get the circle, and when the witches final- ly attempt to have some normal fun at a Halloween party, they're kidnapped by witch hunters. "The Secret Circle" has a strong start, but there is vast room for improvement. Upping the horror will definitely help. "Slither" is the best episode so far - frightening and shocking, it allows the cast to show its range. The midseason finale established that Cassie comes from an evil lineage, which opens up plenty of opportunities for dark drama that will hopefully allow Robert- son to prove she has more than just one facial expression. Something good this way comes. Before tackling a complicated character arc, the writers need to focus on making the show's mythology and timeline air- tight. It's odd that the genera- tion above the the current circle all had children around the same time and at very young ages. Cir- cle magic is confusing, and it's unclear just how many other cir- cles exist. Most of the questions that arise stem from careless writing and not mystery. These gaps need to be fixed and the less-developed characters need to grow before this show can make the transition from enjoy- able to noteworthy. I Remember Gym Class Heroes? They're the band that hit it big on the hip hop- rock fusion scene around 2006 with songs like "New Friend H&e , Request" (that's ThePapercut 2006 for you, hronicles l huh?). Fans of the group have Decaydanse/ been in the dark Fueled by Ramen since 2Q08, when they released The Quilt. Fast forward three years and one solo-career (the group's rap- per, Travie McCoy), and Gym Class Heroes are back with their fifth studio album, The Paper- cut Chronicles IL The record is a sequel to 2005's The Papercut Chronicles, and by the looks of it the band would have been better off starting from scratch. The cornerstone of this album is the less-than-stellar single "Stereo Hearts," featuring Maroon 5's Adam Levine. It's no more than a dime-a-dozen pop song, and even worse because it resounds with the vocalist's hor- ribly nasal falsetto. Need more proof? The song equates Leyine's heart to a stereo and includes these headache-inducing lyrics: "I only pray you'll never leave me behind / Because good music can be so hard to find." Commence eye rolling.' "Life Goes On," a collabora- tion with Denmark's red-hot pop star Oh Land, is the record's greatest triumph (but that's not saying much). Her breezy, clear tones appear oddly sentimen- tal against the gritty rapping, and it works. This song is the most unique (and repeatedly listenable) of the bunch, though it's still distinctly "Gym Class Heroes"esue.Our loss. "MartyrialGirl$" involves rapping over a metal-rock base a Paper cuts are dangerous. and is particularly disappointing. bearable songs of the bunch. It accomplishes an extra-angry Despite the overly honeyed 0 harshness with a surplus of pro- quality of the album (on one fanities and agitated, unison track, the vocalist says, "We put chorus rapping. "The Fighter" the 'us' in 'trust,' baby"), Gym sounds like another generic Top Class Heroes are actually legiti- 40 track - the guest vocalist mately skilled rappers. Beyond (OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder) that, they've got some solid mel- has a decent voice and Gym Class odies and generally choose their Heroes break in every so often to collaborators wisely. Really, the rap and speak-sing the different only problem - and it's a glar- verses. It'll be easy to forget this ing one - is that all the music one the second it's over. on The Papercut Chronicles II - sounds like it could have been released years ago by none other Those who can't than themselves. There's noth- do join this band. Even worse, Gym Class Heroes don't appear to have any over- arching artistic aims with this album all. They certainly aren't "Ass Back Home," featuring pushing their personal musical British songstress Neon Hitch, envelope or furthering their pro- is almost cute - which is sur- duction abilities. prising considering the title. The Fans of the group will find tune's tale goes as follows: The the recycled-sounding record everygirl laments her missing pleasant enough to support them man while the band raps out its through to the next. And for the confusion with the relationship. rest of the population, if nothing A typical narrative, but its plea- else, The Papercut Chronicles II surable melody and comforting makes for barely suitable Top 40 beat make it one of the more commuting music.