2B - Thursday, March 20, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 28 - Thursday, March 20, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom SAC Prof. fulfills his dreams at 'U' 'Last Impact' tells partial.story of Cobain Bi Ji scree the 1 ing d lawyc "I playw and I going I was A Burn ity study sell Depa ing playw "(F spear be a stein a pla didn' really Aft got Madi at th sin. D realiz to be. "TI to be "I'm and-I really this i to te ple w werer Bu writi finish retur urnstein helped where he earned a Master's degree in English in a year. establish the "I thought, 'Maybe, I'll get a Ph.D. in English litera- SCreenwriting ture, teach Shakespeare, and then I'll write," he said. "But department nobody then was getting an English Ph.D. and getting a job. By CARLY KEYES The unkindest cut of all was DailyArts Writer when my Chaucer professor announced on the last day that a Burnstein, Hollywood he was leaving being an Eng- nwriter and founder of lish professor and he was going University's Screenwrit- to law school. It was bizarre." epartment, was almost a That's when Burnstein er instead. realized he just had to "do it." took creative writing and Shortly thereafter, he wrote vriting (at the University), an episode of a half-hour did pretty well, but I was drama that got syndicated to to law school from the time all the various PBS stations. ten years old," he said. It inspired confidence, and University alumnus, in the meantime, he was still stein developed an affin- looking to fulfill his other for Shakespeare after dream of teaching Shake- 'ing English under Rus- speare. Fraser, former English "I went to a senior citizen rtment Head and a lead- place in Birmingham (Michi- expert on the revered gan) and said, 'I'd like to teach 'right. Shakespeare,' and they said, raser) said, 'If Shake- 'Can you teach aerobics?"' *e were alive today, he'd Burnstein recalled. "I couldn't screenwriter,' " Burn- give it away." recalled. "I knew what Then, a friend who was ywright was, but I just an admissions counselor t think, 'Wow, somebody at Wayne State informed y writes those movies.' " Burnstein that Selfridge Air :er graduation, Burnstein National Guard Base was look- married and headed to ing for an English teacher. son to attend law school "And I said, 'Soldiers?' " he e University of Wiscon- said. "God has spoken. That's uring the drive there, he exactly who I was looking zed he really didn't want for." a lawyer. Little did Burnstein know his is the wrong time that his experience at Self- thinking this," he said. ridge would eventually fulfill driving to law school, both of his dreams. 'm thinking, 'What do I Burnstein wrote the script want to do?' So, I got for "Renaissance Man," and dea in my head, 'I want after several re-writes under ach Shakespeare to peo- the mentorship of Academy- ho wouldn't have it if it award winning screenwriter n't for me."' Kurt Luedtke, it was optioned rnstein also dreamed of and sold to Touchstone Pic- ng his own drama, so he tures at Disney. Penny Mar- ked off the term and then shall, just after "A League of ned to the University Their Own," had come out, signed on to direct, with Danny DeVito in the lead role. "So, they made it," Burn- stein said. "And once they made it, I've worked fairly steadily since." Just after Burnstein had finished penning the third sequel in the beloved Mighty Ducks franchise for Disney, the University called. "They heard that I was still living locally and asked, 'Why aren't you teaching for us?' " Burnstein said. "First night I got here, the line was out the door and around the block because there was such a demand for screenwriting." Burnstein was instrumen- tal in expanding the Screen Arts & Cultures Department, known then as Film and Video, which now features a Screenwriting sub-major, several introductory and re- write courses for both feature film and television, the Don- ald Hall Collection of scripts, and the James Gindin Visiting Artists Series where each term industry professionals come to the University to speak. Today, Burnstein balances his responsibilities as a profes- sor and a working professional with his writing partner, Gar- rett K. Schiff, with whom he's collaborated since the success of their recent film, "Love and Honor," which was filmed largely in Ann Arbor. "I write every day here, and now because you can just send the file, (Schiff) works on it, kicks it back. But when I have to go out (to Los Angeles) for meetings, I just try to sched- ule it when I have a three-day chunk or on a break." Currently, Burnstein has a few projects in the works including a script he is writ- ing on spec, an animated feature, and another story inspired by Shakespeare. Cross book examines cultural significance of Nirvana lead singer By JAMIE BIRCOLL Daily Film Editor Charles R. Cross's "Here We Are Now: The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain" comes to book- shelves 25 years after Nirvana's debut Here We Are album "Bleach," Now: The less than lasting Impact a month before of Kurt Cobain the band's Chades R.Cross induc- H tion into Harper Callins the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 20 years, almost to the date, since Kurt Cobain's suicide. It certainly seems that his death is better remembered than his life, and his music will always be marked by the circumstances of its abrupt end. Kurt Cobain's life was a troubled and interesting one, but perhaps most importantly it was an impactful life, one that has left its mark on fash- ion, cultural trends, substance abuse and, obviously, music. To think that everything about rock and roll culture changed with four little power chords ... Cross, a best-selling author who has written about other Seattle-based rockers, includ- ing Hendrix and the band Heart, previously wrote a biography of Cobain. With "Here We Are Now," who's title comes from lyrics of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he opts not to examine the life of this tortured man, but rather explore the impact of his life and death on society. It is not a biography, and one would have difficulty to call it a history; it's more a social commentary on the origins of some of the American cul- tural phenomena that began in the mid-90s. The author makes clear in his preface that this book is comprised of his own thoughts and that he draws his own conclusions in trying to quantify Coba n's life beyond album sales; he does so with moder- ate success. The book begins with Cross's experience on April 8, VELASTING IMPACT 1994, the day of Cobain's death, or rather the discovery of his body. Having worked as a journalist at Seattle-based The Rocket magazine, one of the first media outlets to really cover the Grunge era of the early '90s, Cross interacted with Cobain on several occasions, and his duties as a journal- ist often conflicted with his sentiments as a fan - no more so than on that day in April. Cross documents his experi- ence in reporting the news of the loss of a rock icon, which ultimately culminated in Cross's sudden appearance on Larry King's radio show, where he was asked, "Why did Kurt Cobain matter?" It is the brief anecdotes like these that have the most to offer the reader since they rely not on speculation but on personal experience and sentiments. But the book is mostly com- prised of conjectures and commentary, often without the backing of documentation or sources. Indeed, several of Cross's examples, such as the rise of heroin-chic fashion in the late '90s, seem more like retrospective tabloid con- tent than true observations. Cobain's drug use is well docu- mented, but the face of heroin he was not, and the assigning him to a controversial style that is rooted in culture rather than a single man disservices the two and comes off as super- fanaticism by the author. On the whole, however, the book is solid in its cultural assertions, most notably in Cobain's impact on Grunge culture, a term he detested, and the response to heroin abuse treatment in the years fol- lowing his death. Cross has some noteworthy points to offer the reader as he exam- IFKRTODB otines Cobain's feminist and pro-gay rights activism and his tearing down of clas- sical gen- der roles in rock music. Towards the end of the book, Cross looks at trends in young adult suicide rates and their small but sur- prising decrease in the weeks, months and years following Cobain's death. "Here We Are Now" serves best the reader who has yet.to be indoctrinated into the histo- ry of Nirvana or Grunge music as a whole; it is best read as an introduction to Cobain and his music by presenting some of its greatest lasting legacies, and, hopefully, will encourage the reader to pick up a record or download an MP3. To the diehards, though, there is less appeal - we know why Kurt Cobain was important; we can hear his influence on nearly every song on the radio and see his influence in countless areas of society like the rise in thrift store culture. The book doesn't delve into the psyche of the man behind the music or the movements, which might be more interesting to some. But Cross's main point, which he is careful to stress, is that Cobain never conformed to society's standards even as society tried to morph those standards around him. He was a free spirit trapped by his own demons, but who very much lived by his lyrics, "come as you are, as you were." His music is his legacy, but his lasting impact stems from the subtext of his life: be yourself, live fully, love everyone. TRAILER REVIEW This is a great trailer. Almost nothing about Phillip Noyce's upcoming "TheGiver" seems aston- ishing or sur- The Gier prising, but it looks intrigu- Haldet Media ing enough for your curiosity to be considerably aroused. Everything is dealt with in perfect measure and nothing feels like it's overdone. From the music to the visuals to the quick glimpses of characters, viewers get just the peek they need in order to hit that replay button. It's so refreshingto come across a trailer that actu- ally ends when it should, with- out giving away too much of the plot or focusing on the key dramatic moments. With this one, you knowwhat the movie is going to be about, not what's going to happen. There's almost an air of nonchalance when Academy Award winners Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart") and Meryl Streep ("Iron Lady") appear on the screen as pivotal charac- ters, which is perfect because it doesn't steal focus from the rest of the trailer. The events are depicted in a near perfect progression - from calmness, to suspicion and finally conflict. As the music becomes eerier, Brenton Thwaites (TV's "Home and Away"), who plays Jonah, is abducted by a spaceship and very abruptly, the title of the film appears on screen - bring- ing the trailer full circle and to a close which leaves you want- ingmore. -MAYANKMATHUR WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE UNIVERSITY'S MOST TALENTED WRITERS. PROVE TO US THAT YOU'RE ONE OF THEM. E-mail jplyn@umich.edu to request an application to the Daily Arts section. MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW EPISODE REVIEW There was a stretch of epi- sodes last fall where there was no stopping "The Good Wife." This week's episode . differed from T Good that stretch, l Mef diverging CBS slightly from the main story to give us insight into Alicia's past through a series of fascinating flashbacks. The focus of the episode is Alicia's attempt to write a speech for an American Bar Association conference. Through flashbacks, the writers showed the troubles she dealt with, including being told that she couldn't be hired because she was the wife of a disgraced politician; they showed how much more confident in her abilities she's become over the past five seasons. Though the episode did interrupt the major story arc, it didn't completely ignore the ongoing arc of this half-season involving the Office of Public Integrity investigating Peter Florrick's voter fraud. This week, they went after Will as a co-conspirator in the action. This also served as the return of Carrie Preston ("True Blood"), the show's best recurring guest star, as the quirky lawyer Els- beth Tascioni who Will enlists to represent him. Preston per- fectly captures the eccentrici- ties of the character, creating some brilliantly funny moments in each of the episodes she's in. This episode was no exception. With 22 episodes to fill, broadcast network series like "The Good Wife" sometimes need filler episodes in order to not stretch their main arc too thin. The episode's captivating flashbacks provided some great insights into Alicia's past, and the return ojf Preston added some much needed fun. -ALEXINTNER In the last year, Zedd has gone from little-known elec- tro house producer to a bonafide mainstream pop star. Best itd Y known for Zedd his smash Interscope singles "Clar- ity" and "Stay the Night," the German EDM artist churns out radio- friendly fare at an alarming clip. His latest track, "Find You," is the lead single off of the "Divergent" soundtrack, a young-adult blockbuster released this week. Like Zedd's previous singles, "Find You" is dancefloor-ready, but its lack of originality makes it ultimately an unmemorable listen. "Find You" features vocals from two mostly anonymous singers, Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant. What the track lacks in star power, it attempts to make up for in a catchy hook and an elaborate video. The music video opens with a typical club scene, but quickly changes direction by including a Hitchcock-esque bird chase and a cinemati- cally gorgeous motorcycle excursion. The nonsensical plot moves to a snowy forest, which is never described, but a cohesive script is clearly not the director's goal. The video features good- looking young people and colorful backdrops that nicely accompany the soaring vocals of the chorus. "Find You" may not have achieved the main- stream popularity that Zedd's previous singles have, but it succeeds as an accessible song that fits in on pop radio while maintaining EDM credibility. -JOSHUA FRAZIER I I