All that can be said about the last "Seinfeld" has been said - until Thursday, 8 pm that is. Read Daily Arts next week to Monday see if the finale was truly sponge-worthy. y ,19 Bad Religion to stuf The Blind Pig with new 'No Substance' Gabe Fajuri Daily Arts Writer It's been almost two years since Bad Religion played a show in Michigan. The last time around, the seminal punk rockers brought their influential sound to the State Theatre in Downtown Detroit for a big show. But things are different this time around. On' Tuesday, Bad Bad Religion takes over the Blind ReiiON Pig right here in Blind Pig Ann Arbor. Tomorrow at 11pm Why is such a big band playing in such a small club? According to Brian Baker, the band's lead g itar player, Religion is headlining this summer's Warped Tour hitting Michigan some- time in July, which has traditionally been held at Pine Knob. Baker went on to say that even if you weren't lucky enough to get tickets for the Blind Pig show, BR is "coming back in a close enough time frame that everyone else can go see us, too." The band is making this tour to sup- port its newest record, "No Substance, which was released on May 5. The new album, like past BR offerings, is full of the same socially aware, call-for-action anthems. But Baker said that "definitely the lyrical slant on this record is a little less vaguesabout social problems" The band has put together 16 tracks that include messages about ie govemment, hip- pies, and relationships. "Mediocre Minds,"";The State of the end of the MtI mniom Address," "Victimos of the "We recorded about half of it in (lead singer) Greg Graffin's house without any supervision," Baker said. Instead of the typical studio setting, the band had to be sure that the kids were asleep and the air conditioner was turned off so the sounds didn't get picked up on the final cut of the album. Graffin also gave BR an interest aside from blackening the name of the United States government. For the first time this year, the band has put togeth- er the "Bad Religion Scholarship" Conceived by Graffin, the scholar- ship was created, "to reward people who are interested in field work versus laboratory work as far as some sort of physical science," Baker said. Graffin, a Ph.D. candidate in the field of zoology, has lectured in the past at Cornell and holds an under- grsdua.ta dvree in cultural anthropeI- o y and a n' r. rs degree in ge 0 g - the e tr ds a lective -ht --sesseses- - counesy onpaph They're not proud, but Bad ReligIon won't play It low key at The Blind Pig tomor- row night to support their new record, "No Substance." it's an important and visceral experience, as long as it's still fun to play." The band has been around for some It years (the members are now in their early 30's) and have put out 13 albums,. including "No Suhstance. And BR tho smtob'rs sloBwthre' dow f Iore- itt . er vi ye1 , , Ior the t As the first of the summer movies to bombard the multiplexes, 'Vieep Impact" has the advantage of catch- ing movie-goers in a vulnerable state. Bored after a winter that offered little beyond "Titanic," and not yet numbed to the fantastic, computer- ized effects that will prevail in most of the other blockbusters this sum- mer, the public will inevitably flock to theatres to see earth destroyed in this new film from director Mimi Leder ("The Peacemaker"). Unfortunately, many will likely fails to live up to the two hours of adrenaline-pumping wreckage sug- gested by the previews. In the picture, the discovery of a comet the size of New York hurtling towards earth and the subsequent effects on the lives of its characters. A television anchorwoman played by Tea Leoni (NBC's "The Naked Truth") must come to terms with her parents' failed marriage before the disaster. The boy who discovered the comet (Elijah Wood) discovers fame and love, and Robert Duvall leads a team of astronauts of! into space to Summer Wheat Beers ,4 On Ta4p Bell's Oberon Widmer Hefe-Weisse Weinhenstephan Hefe-Weizen Michigan Mondays $101 Pints of MI Beers 9pm-close 338 S. State 9 996-9191 * http://www.Ashleys.com and try to stop she repet ef the best Hollywood it. tresrdents. Elijah Wood as a boy The quatity of Deep deing with young love for the first the perfor- ImpaCt lime is believable. Robert Duvall, mances in she like Freeman, plays a role that film varies from requires little real acting ability, but acceptable to At testies unlike Freeman, Duvall fails to a t r o i s s Everywhere impress. M o r g a n Tea Leoni's performance may be Freeman's role most obvious flaw of "Deep Impact." as the President Her acting skills evidently have not of the United evolved one iota since her failed tele- States, while vision program. Never once is her neither promi- performance even vaguely convinc- nent nor demanding, is well done. He ing. Every line she speaks is flat and uninspired, as if she is reading from a cue card. In one scene, when she makes her first broadcast as an MSNBC anchorwoman, each line she says is so robotic and unbelievable that it's a wonder she ever made it into I Hollywood. Since it's her first broadcast, one thinks that perhaps she's supposed to be acting timid and stage-frightened. Student discounts on Soon, though, the audience learns the eye exams and eyeglasses sad truth through her co-workers' compliment - her character is sup- Great Brands posed to be charming and well-suited for television. Her miserable first Polo TommyHilfiger Calvin Klein broadcast was terrible only because Leoni couldn't make it convincing. a But the real problem with "Deep Impact" spawns not from its lack of . outstanding performances, but from what we have to say," Baker said. And that seems to be the case. "Each album the band releases does better than the last." Baker said. He wouldn't like to characterize the band as "mainstream," but like it or not, its re this film couldn't decide what it wanted so be. Similarly marketed filmns, such as "ludependence Day" and "Twister," make it no secret that all they intend to deliver is eye- candy. They do not suggest any deep morality issues, and they rarely deliver performances beyond the standard fare. "Deep Impact" tries to juggle these dumbed-down action movie charac- teristics with some of the traits of more character-oriented films. In its attempt to be a jack-of-all-trades, the film ends up being the master of none. The character development surpasses that of most other action movies, but most of the- action is reserved for the very end, as most of the film is devoted to the characters. The movie doesn't provide the excitement of most other thrill-a- minute summer blockbusters that don't waste time delving into each character. "Deep Impact" was just too bor- ing. As a character-driven drama, it can't hold a candle to the masters of the genre. The characters, despite two hours of attempting otherwise, are unoriginal and shallow. And for . an action film, it is conspicuouslO void of action - aside from an impressive finale. Although a worthy effort, "Deep Impact" fails to impress.