TiyWednesday, March 13, 2013 - 5A

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Lackluster 'Beast'
needs more spice

Travel Channel's
newest addition
isn't satisfying
By KELLY ETZ
Daily Arts Writer
You've prohably assumed,
while microwaving that third
grilled cheese at 4 a.m., that
there has to be
something bet- C-
ter in the world
of late-night Feed the
eatin'. Beast
Travel Chan-
nel to the res- Wednesdays
cue. "Feed the at 9 p.m.
Beast," a new
six-part series, Travel
chronicles food
"enthusiast"
Mikey Roe's city-hopping quest to
find the holy grail of early morn-
ingeateries.
The premiere, which features
San Francisco's gastronomic
footprint, finds Roe chatting
with the culinary minds behind
a top-secret burrito in Fisher-
man's Wharf. The supersized,
super-stuffed Mexican classic
looks deliciously unhealthy, but
the whole "insider" aspect of the
off-menu order is lost the second
it's revealed, turning a previously
underground option back into a
plain 'ole burrito just in time for
midnight. The rest of the episode
has Roe filling up on deep-fried
peanut butter and jelly, fresh gin-
ger crab and hanging with drag
queens over Portuguese sausage.
Getting up close and personal
withchefs, restaurantowners and
local food columnists, Roe looks
like he's having a blast. But watch-
ing Roe chow his way through a
smorgasbord of stomach-splitting
comfort food? Not so much.
It would've been more fun if
Travel had extended the series,

He takes home seconds in his beard.
with Roe diving into a more
diverse range of cities, instead of
hitting the big-time basics like
NYC, Seattle and Chicago. Why
not get a little grittier and let
viewers in on the best-kept (and
most appetizing) secrets of Provi-
dence, RI., Chattanooga, Tenn. or
hell, even Ann Arbor? Roe getting
down and greasy with the locals is
one of the best parts of the show,
but it would be more exciting if
these were actually hidden-gem-
type places, instead of leaving
half the audience moaning "been
there, ate that."
The travel aspect is practi-
cally nonexistent, making "Feed
the Beast" more like what Food
Network airs when it's not air-
ing "Chopped," a show about
food you'll never make from a
city you've probably already seen.
Unless the next time you mosey
over to San Fran you'll be consult-
ing the list you hastily scrawled
during Roe's endless chomping,
the series is pretty much useless
except as a way for the Travel

Channel to work in more food-
ie-friendly programming sans
Anthony Bourdain.
The 9 p.m. timeslot seems like
a mistake, especially for a series
that claims to know thebest "late-
night" eats. It would fit better,
and will probably end up, in the
dead zone of 3 a.m. television, as
a substitute for all those OxiClean
infomercials. At least in the early
hours of the morning it's easier
to justify watching a show about
late-night eating, instead of actu-
ally having to haul ass off the
futon to hit the Taco Bell drive-
thru.
Even so, this isn't the worst
thing you'll ever see. An ade-
quate alternative if you've
already noshed your way
through every episode of "Top
Chef" ever made, "Feed the
Beast" won't cure the hangover-
induced hunger pains, but it
might distract you from throw-
ing up for a while. What else can
Travel expect after scraping the
bottom of the bland barrel?

HARALD HOFFMANN/Deutsche Grammophon
The Grammy-award winning violinist's upcoming performance will be her sixth appearance in Ann Arbor since 1989.
Celebrated violinist
Mutter to return to A

By GRACE PROSNIEWSKI
Daily Arts Writer
Anne-Sophie Mutter is a
big deal. The German violinist
has received countless awards,

including mul-
tiple Grammys
and the Ernst
von Siemens
Music Prize,
and has been a
fixture on the
international
scene for near-
ly 40 years.
She dedicates
herself and her

Anne-
Sophie
Mutter
Thursday at
7:30 p.m.
Hill
From $10

A testrategy to staying
* ahead of obsolescence

talents to numerous charitable
foundations and provides sup-
port and encouragement for
gifted young musicians follow-
ing in her footsteps. Even with
this immense global success, she
remains grounded.
Mutter doesn't come from a
long line of musicians, but rath-
er from great appreciators of
music. Her introduction to this
world came quite early when, as
a child, she'd listen to her par-
ents' classical records.
"Although we had no profes-
sional musicians in the fam-
ily, there always was this great
love of classical music which
must have influenced, or at least
inspired, all three children to
start to play an instrument,"
Mutter said.
At the age of five, she began
piano lessons and moved quickly
to the violin. She cemented her
status as a violin virtuoso at age
13, beginning her international
career with the Berlin Philhar-

monic 1
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"Wit

under Herbert von Kara- toire, one has to fight traditional
he relationship between expectations of how a piece is
and Karajan would played more than with a contem-
a very important one to porary piece," she said. "With
ding young musician. these pieces, of course, you have
started to collaborate the unique chance as a perform-
ach other until his death, er, particularly when the piece
was 13 years later," she is dedicated to you and you are
an interview with the performing it for the first time,
an Daily. "I was 26 by to really give that particular
.nd that has been a tre- piece of contemporary music
us influence on my life." your personal stamp."
ter's upcoming Hill per- The UMS performance is
ce on March 14 will meaningful to Mutter, as it will
her sixth appearance in exhibit not only classical staples
rbor since her University but also honor the 100th birth-
il Society debut in 1989. day of Lutoslawski, a contem-
me colleague Lambert porary composer and musical
will serve as accompanist inspiration.
ter. The performance will "You delve under and really
Mozart's "Sonata in G try to slip under the skin of
'Schubert's "Fantasy in C Mozart and Schubert, and I
Lutoslawski's "Partita" have to say, the program we are
int-Saens's "Sonata No. 1 bringing to Ann Arbor is partic-
inor." This combination ularly tremendous in my heart
sical staples and more because we have such a personal,
porary compositions is history with it," Mutter said.
nark of many of Mutter's "Lutoslawski has been a com-
mances. poser opening my ears, my heart,
and my brain for contemporary
music."
erform anCe Lutoslawski has composed
several pieces for Mutter since
honor famed the mid-1980s, including the
Partita she will perform at Hill.
composer And for those who feel like
classical music is over their
utoslawski head, not so fast.
"Why would one be intimat-
ed by classical music?" Mutter
asked. "This is ourselves, our
ter noted the differing music. It's vibration. There's no
ancies between classi- reason to be intimidated by clas-
I contemporary composi- sical music. Buy a ticket, go in
there, try to avoid coughing and
th the standard reper- enjoy."

By STEVEN TWEEDIE
Daily TV/New Media Editor
When it comes to gadgets, I'm
an early adopter. The thrill of
experiencing a new technology
before it becomes widespread
makes me feel like a pioneer of
sorts, someone riding the wave
of the future. It's fun when you
can give firsthand impressions
to friends contemplating a pur-
chase, and the added attention
gives me an excuse to start dis-
cussing tech with people. But
most people would sagely advise
you to play it safe, to just wait
when it comes to the ever-pro-
gressing, planned-obsolescence-
embracing tech industry. It's not
bad advice either, as early adop-
tion isn't without its problems (or
premiums). But with a little bit of
strategy, and perhaps an adjust-
ment of expectations, there's a
way to satiate the desire for the
"newest thing" while still allow-
ing you to upgrade in the future.
Be prepared to research. For
someone hopelessly addicted to
technology like myself, I want
to ensure that I can upgrade.
Nothing is more frustrating than
purchasing a new device to, only
weeks later, watch the Internet
blow up with news of the next
generation. Sure, you had a lit-
tle slice of the future for a few
months, but now the future has
moved on, leaving you to watch
its advancements in envy. I try to
avoid this scenario, and research
is the answer. More on that later.
Let's talk specifics. I had an
iPad from day one. There was
something futuristic about the

tablet
nerve
about
ing t
with
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week
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y
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to th
Apple
to an
alreac

that struck some techy nice thing about Apple is the high
,and I was in love. I raved resale value - I ended up receiv-
it to my friends, insist- ing 80 to 85 percent of what I had
hey try perusing the net initially paid. The funds were in
the device, and my favorite my account while I watched the
o describe it was "a slice of official iPad 2 keynote presenta-
net." I read the articles stat- tion, and I had pre-ordered the
hat the iPad was no laptop device from the comfort of my
cement for students and dorm, while I watched eBay's
d Barney's signature "chal- prices on original iPads plummet.
accepted." Freshman year, So with the money from my
'ad was my only computer, well-timed auction, plus about
ife was good. And then the $100 extra, I had an iPad 2. Essen-
2 was announced. tially, I paid about $100 for the
ver.be surprised by a prod- privilege of owning the newest
nnouncement. Those prod- iPad, and I'm willing to do that.
veals are meant to snag the The same thing occurred when
tion of the inattentive, to the third iPad was announced. I
ose not in-tune to the tech had already sold my iPad 2, man-
et know what's going on. aging to avoid the dive in asking
f you want to do early adop- price on eBay that always follows
ight, you should see these a new-generation announcement.
uncements coming a mile Sure, you're paying a premium for
Here's the key, the take- maintaining current-gen status,
bit of advice of this entire but for people that love exploring
e: You should be device- the newest features, it's not a bad
when the official announce- way to go.
rolls around. Who has your This cyclic way of owning the
e? The inattentive person newest gadgets isn't for every-
bought it from you, two one. It requires you to stay on
s before, and who is now top of the rumor mill, and isn't
ng himself. without risk. You have to be in
a position to go without your
device for a couple of weeks, and
Sell while for some people, this just isn't an
option. Instant gratification can
'ou're ahead. become an issue, and some peo-
ple just want the ease of a one-
time purchase. In those cases,
it can be best to wait it out. But
is is how I approached the for those wanting to chase the
2. Ear to the ground, or eyes future, at least there's a strategy
e internet, I knew the day to avoid being penniless and out-
sent out press invitations dated, and it only requires a bit
undisclosed event, and had of time and research. And some
dy sold my original iPad. The obsession. That always helps.

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