12 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 16, 2001 ARTS 'Blonde' smarter than you think Reese Witherspoon suns herself in the middle of Harvard Square. Forget books,.. we've got looks. .otPan ic!!. if you think you're pregnant... Call us-we i sten we care. PROBLEM PREGNANCY HELP 975-4357 Any time, any day, 24 hours. fully confidential. Serving Students since 1970. By Wilhelmina Mauritz Daily Arts Writer Blondes 101: A refresher course. Everyone knows that blondes are more attractive and always have more fun. "Legally Blonde" deals with this stereotype and a few oth- ers having to do with the old-school snobbery set in no better place than Harvard Law School. This film is not Legally entirely free from one last stereotype Blonde having to do with a teen genre plot as a romantic comedy. Grade: A- "Legally Blonde" follows Elle At Quality 16 and Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a rich Showcase valley girl from California who wants nothing more in life than to marry her college sweetheart. The movie starts on the night of their "supposed" engagement. Instead of a proposal, Elle is dumped! She's not the type of girl her boyfriend could ever marry. She's not smart enough. Elle is heartbroken, but in the midst of her moping she comes up with a plan to get her man back. She will go to law school to show her boyfriend that she can be the "right" woman for him. With hard work along with a bit of luck, Elle makes her way into Harvard Law School and begins her journey. The departure from your average teen genre plot with a romantic comedy starts here. The film is about Elle's discovery of herself, not how she gets her man. The humor is non-stop. All stereotypes take a beating. It is indeed fun and a feel-good show. Witherspoon is great as Elle. She plays the role perfectly, encompassing the true blonde stereotype while squashing all the rumors. Her facial expressions alone are enough to make the whole movie worthwhile. J. Rawls' newest The film begins with all the Harvard haughtiness p ed before us with our heroine being the only real "chara ter." In the end, the only ones left standing are tho capable of being touched by her goodness. There is a great scene at the start of the movie whe Elle is dress shopping. The store clerk mentions how s "loves a dumb blond with daddy's credit card." She tries sell Elle a sales item for fusll price claiming it is brand ne Elle asks a couple questions about the fabric of the itei and proves to the clerk that she not only knows more ab these clothing items than the woman herself, but that sh in no way a dumb blonde. This small yet important scene shows the audience th Elle isn't stupid at all. She may wear wild clothing and ta like she has a lower level IQ, but there's a lot more goi on in that mind of hers all the time. The best part is, matter what happens or how stupid people think she is, El never really loses faith in herself. She knows she's a go person and even better, she knows she can do just abo anything if she puts her mind to it. Not dissimilar to other movies of this kind, "Legal Blonde" does have a few scenes that are a bit predictab with many characters that are black and white. There 4 few good guys on one side and plenty of really bad guys the other. Life doesn't usually work like this, nor should i seeing it in a movie sometimes feels unnatural and a b boring. However, commonplace as these elements may to their genre, "Legally Blonde" does a better job th most at playing out its story line. Most people going into "Legally Blonde" will expect laugh a lot and to have a good time; those people will con away from the film happy. The few that go into it expectin more than a dumb blonde on screen for two hours will sibly have a pleasant surprise. "Legally Blonde" isn't ab stupidity or dumb luck; it's about sincerity and about goo guys not finishing last - even if they are blonde. CD is essential Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Research Study Common signs and symptoms of PCOS are: - Fewer than 6 menstrual periods in a year " Increased coarse hair on face and body . Excessive weight gain, especially over mid section . Balding of the scalp - Glucose/Insulin problems . High blood pressure or acne/skin F t ."3- A 4 C /sV1 problems You may be eligible to participate in a research study if you: " Are generally healthy and between 18 and 40 years old " Are diagnosed with PCOS or have most of the above signs and symptoms In addition: " All study-related doctor assessments, study meds, all other related procedures free -Compensation for 9-1 I visits is $580 PCOS is a leading cause of infertility and irregular menstrual cycles INTERESTED? Call ClinSite at 930-3700 locally or 1-888-254-6748 toll free, or e-mail us, clinsite@aol.com The Essence ofJ Rawls, J. Rawls; Groove Attack Records By W. Jacarl Melon Daily Arts Writer As of late, radio-friendly Midwest hip-hop artists have been gaining more RECORDS & USED CDS 617 Packard Upstairs from Paying $4 to $6 for top CD's in top condition. Also buying premium LP's and cassettes. Y}' Open 7 days 663-3441 The selection is ENDLESS attention and love from people located in the traditional media centers of New York and Los Angeles Unfortunately, their less commercial comrades are still working to do the same in the under- ground scene. In Columbus, Ohio, native J. Rawls is somewhat of an exception. He lent his production skills to Mos Def and Talib Kweli's Black Star and built a name for himself with the Lone Catalysts. With his release The Essence of1 Rawls, J. Rawls lays down 14 tight tracks while enlisting a talented yet almost unknown group of wordsmiths from the Midwest and East Coast. On "Great Live Caper," a frantic J- Live tells of an apartment break-in where whack emcees get away with his sacred book of rhymes. After a car chase through New York that ends at a New MEXICAN CAFE 333 E. Huron " Ann Arbor ANN ARBOR'S FINEST MEXICAN STYLE FOOD! MEXICAN RESTAURANT MicD{ia Osily .'us WE Vt LIVIFT. ff suh,.11&.,1 Miai70 . -St it t ilt 5 Jersey airplane hanger, the suspect escape only to have J-Live detonate t book as they fly to supposed safety. Live's creativity and delivery allows ti listener to follow and visualize scene he sees throughout the chase. "Far Away" features two-thirds of t Polyrhymaddicts' Apani B. Fly and M Complex. Both rappers describe the gk betrotting they've done through hip-ho and their love for their home. If any thing, the number of locations the name proves that hip-hop is a globs phenomenon. At the same time, thoug it makes you wonder why they di name any locations in the U.S. be NewYork. With "They Can't See Me," J. Raw shows he can bless the mic. He stats flat out that he isn't getting rich from h rhymes or producing, but he's havin fun. Even if he did happen to strike rich, it doesn't look like he'd be rmnnin for the jewelry store or Bentley deale: ship. Rather, Rawls works on refinin his already well-honed skills. Overall, J. Rawls performance on T Essence is somewhere between 4 and excellent. His heavily jazz-influ enced style makes the album pleasing t the ear. However, it falls a little short c the efforts put out by other producet this year like Jay Dee, Pete Rock an Rawls' Ohio compatriot Hi-Tek. Whil introducing some lyricists that peop! may not be familiar with could b regarded as a positive for the album, also limits Rawls mainly to "unO ground" hip-hop heads in the U.S. an abroad. Although this album definitel isn't a total negative, J. Rawls may has to wait longer for people to capture an appreciate his essence.