Student TV show is on cutting 'Edge' y Karl Jones edge to cable television. And he doesn't Boredoms. They also received exclusive Daily Arts Writer mind tackling some serious topics to do coverage of the Detroit Music Awards in Generation X. It's a phrase that strikes it. The "Rough Edge" crew even traveled November 1994. fear into the hearts of many degenerate los- to local store "Condoms 101" recently The show's juxtaposition of serious ers ... eryoung people today. A few frus- for'a show on how to practice safe sex in and entertaining topics has earned Barris trated students from Oakland University, the '90s. and the crew major recognition in the Wayne State, Center for Creative Studies "We had a store employee demon- Metro Detroit area. Six months after the and Specs Howard School of Broadcasting strate how to put a condom on a banana show's May 1994 debut, it was awarded have banded together to break the mold the in that episode," Barris laughed. a prestigious Philo nomination for "Best mediahas cast for their generation. "People on (shows like 90210 and student programming, grades 12 and Oakland Uniyersity senior Gary Barris Melrose Place) can solve a problem up." Last month "Rough Edge" also won the creator and producer of "Rough within 30 minutes, and it's just not real- outstanding achievement awards for ed- Edge," a 30-minute long magazine-style istic," he continued. "We try to solve iting and publicity in Comcast Cable's cable show aired Thursday nights at 8:30 in problems in a realistic way on our show public access programming awards. Pontiac and Waterford. The show's goalis and give people alternative solutions to A recent show, which aired on May to challenge the "slacker" stereotype many what's going on. With sexually transmit- 5th, featured a Christian underground people considersynonymous with the term ted diseases, for example, there is no concert played at the Clarisville United "Generation X." easy solution because people are going Methodist Church in Livonia. Voice "Since many have branded this gen- to have sex whether it's safe or not. We impressionist Eric Harthen came up eration as underachievers and whiners, try to give our audience options and tell with the idea for the Christian under- our goal is to change that perception," them what they can do to take more re- ground episode, partially to introduce Barris insisted. sponsibility." the general public to a style of music t With the help of reporters Mandie Not all "Rough Edge" episodes are they might not normally listen to be- ee, Ross Marroso and Tom Balog, message oriented, however."Barris and the cause it is labeled as "religious" or voice impressionist Eric Harthen, art di- crew have also aired purely fun episodes "Christian." rector Adam Monblatt and songwriter like"Lifeonthe Road With Lollapalooza," "I don't like putting labels on stuff Guiseppe Manzella, Barris has at- with appearances by Smashing Pumpkins, because if you heard this somewhere tempted to bring a younger, "rougher" L7, The Flaming Lips, the Verve and the else, you might like it," Harthen said. 'Women' is a comedy with bite Wednesday, June 7, 1995 - The Michigan Daily -- 11 Is that a banana In a condom or are yoL "Some people get an opinion already when they hear the label, and I don't think it's fair for people to say 'I've al- ready made up my mind about this, and I haven't even heard the music."' Barris is also excited to be one of the first shows to introduce Christian under- ground music to the Detroit area. He's even planning more ground breaking "We're looking to add on even more personalities and trying to involve stu- dents from more college campuses." Barris said. "I'm not just going to stop in the Metro Detroit area. We're making a difference, and we want to spread the message!" Students interested in getting in- volved with "Rough Edge" can contact Barris at (810 36f0-0617 By Matthew Steinhauser Daily Arts Writer "The Women" gives "a very pointed critique about excess and the boredom that comes with it," states director Camilo Fontecilla. The play ridicules the material excess and inherent boredom in the high lifestyles of upper-class fe- males, creating a comedy with bite. b THE WOMEN When: June 8-11, 8 p.m. " Where: Trueblood Theater Call 996-2525 for more information. Fontecilla explains that "the basic plot is woman loses her man, gets a di- vorce (and) wants her man back." Com- plexities arise from little subplots, minor relationships, and floating gossip. Fontecilla brings all these elements to- gether into a speedy, fluttering perfor- mance with overlapping scenes and 'any abrupt entrances and exits. The director describes the essence of the characters' personalities as "being beautiful, having the best clothes, (and) looking the best (they) can," and he tries to capture their extravagant style with colorful costumes and gaudy jewelry. Ac a , krth ,ts av apratae and stereotypes the roles of women and makes fun of the catty relationships and silly lives of a group of female charac- ters. "The Women" condemns shallow relationships and materialism and at the same time gleefully jokes about them. "Claire Booth Luce wrote (the play) in 1937 and she intended it as a parody of her friends at the time," says Fontecilla. Apparently, the autobiographical over- tones stuck out like a sore thumb, alien- ating the playwright's friends. Fontecilla on the other hand has no specific people in mind with his production of Booth Luce's work. Though "The Women" features only women characters, Fontecilla wants the audience to "reflect (on the play) in terms of people in gen- eral." The director fears that "a lot of people will dismiss the play as a silly little comedy." "The Women" however, confronts and reveals deeper issues with its frivolous surface. If Fontecilla suc- ceeds in his directing goals, the audience will "accept the fact that these are over- blown characters - that (the play) is a mockery." "The Women" is "definitely an unselfconscious/self-conscious expe- rience," says Fontecilla. "I want this to be a mirror where (the audience) can see themselves andlaineh." ANN A ahnR 1 R!7 I J-t 1. 1'M 1 V V. %6 . ._ 5th at Liberty 761-9700 I KKUU JUeKi15Uln the right track Matador's Railroad Jerk combine the bluesy rock of bands like the Stones or Jon Spencer Blues Explosion with the choogling kind of indie rock that their labelmates Pavement specialize in on their new album "One Track Mind." Songs like "Gun Problem," "Bang the Drum," "Rollercoaster" and "You Better Go Now" off the new album highlight the band's charismatic sound, and no doubt will sound just as good live at the Ritz in Roseville. The band plays on Thursday, June 8. Call 778-8150 for more information. $375 STUDENT W/ I.. $4.00 EVENINGS- BENEFIT A A IGOODRICH QUALTY THEATER FREQUENT MOVIEGOER before 6pm ALLSCREENS STEREO I Mad Love Present This Coupon When Purchasing A 1 The Englishman large Popcorn & Receive One 1 1 Crimson Tide *J . k Student Organization CCoUnrS Service [SOBS] General Fund AccountrConversion Beginning September 1, 1995, and running through September 30, 1996 SOAS General Fund (GF) Accounts will undergo a conversion. As a result of this conversion, student organizations can either choose to convert their GF account to what is now referred to as a "University Fund" account, or to close the GF account and remove the funds. All accounts remaining after September 30, 1996 will automatically be converted into an SOAS Account (UF). Open forums wiltbe held to provide information,8and answer questions on: * March 30.1995.at 3pm-4pm.flichigan Union [Wolverine Room] * April111995, at 4pl-Spm.Michigan Union [Anderson REB Room] * September 25.1995. at4pm-Spm,.Michigan Union [Wolverine Room] * September28.1995,.at3pm-4pm. MichiganUnion [Wolverine Room] If you have any questions, please feel free to stop by the SOAS office or contact an SOAS Representative at 763-5767. Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm. We will be happy to serve you!