Thursday, May 8, 2014 Thursday, May 8, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Loul After long hiatus, C.K. is back and as funny and poignant as ever By MADDIE THOMAS Daily TV Editor If there were such a thing as artisanal, homegrown television, "Louie" would be the brand's mascot. Fea- turing 13-epi- sode seasons of comedic vignettes and LOtite existential mus- Season 4 ings, each sea- Premiere son of "Louie" is handcrafted Mondays at by the creator 10 p.m. himself. Come- FX dian Louis C.K. writes, directs, edits and stars in every episode of his auteur-driven series, and it shows. In three seasons he has been nominated for nine Prime- time Emmy Awards, taking home the prize for Outstanding Writ- ing for a Comedy Series in 2012. Considering the creative and emotional investment this show requires, it shouldn't be surpris- ing that, at the end of his third season of "Louie," C.K. decided that he needed to take a break. 19 long months later, we're finally back in business, and the product is as fresh as ever. In the back-to-back premiere episodes and the two additional ones sent to critics for review, there exists both the familiar "Louie" material (mean strang- ers, surreal situations, women who aren't interested in Louie) and an entirely new edge. It's only been 19 months, but C.K. has gotten older, and so has the show. In a sly callout to his hiatus, the first episode, "Back," includes a stand-up story about how Louie spent an entire year thinking he was 44, when he was really 45. Then on his actual 46th birthday, a friend pointed out to him that he was a year off in his counting. Like his show, he aged two years in what felt like an instant. With his same trademark don't-give-a-fuck attitude, C.K. explores all kinds of hot-button topics in the beginning of this ie' returns Pearl and the .- , Beard at The Ark CHRIS TAKAHASHI AND GREG HANAFIN I Revamping renewable energy Thursday, May 8, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Getting to the Hill C.K.'s show returns after 19 month break FX fourth season. There's a long discussion about masturbation around a poker table with some comedian friends, a conversa- tion with a doctor who explains that back pain is inevitable until human vertebrae evolve to accommodate for gravity and, more seriously, Louie address- es aging and death. But unlike other prominent New York-based comedians/auteurs, Louie doesn't obsess over death; he treats it in a nonchalant, off-the-cuff way. When his daughter has to write a letter to AIDS for a school assign- ment, he pitches the opening, "Dear AIDS, please cut it out?" In a stand-up bit that FX has been using liberally in the "Louie" sea- son four promos, he explains, "A lot of things happen after you die ... just none of them include you." He also ruminates on women and dating. In the season's sec- ond episode, "Model," Louie bombs at a stand-up gig but ends up hitting it off with a beautiful, young, blonde model (Yvonne Strahovski, "Chuck"). He's invited back to the billion- aire daughter-of-an-astronaut's home, where he makes her laugh and they promptly sleep together. But in typical "Louie" fashion, this absurdity is matched with more absurdity. She tickles him in attempt to make him laugh, Louie reacts violently to tick- ling, he ends up knocking her out cold and hospitalizing her, only to finish the episode with a lawsuit from her family and a payment of $5,000 a month in damages for the rest of his life. A more in-depth and truly inter- esting reflection plays out in the season's third episode, titled "So Did The Fat Lady." C.K. calls out a societal contradiction in a blunt and thoughtful way, with help from the hilarious Sarah Baker, who plays the episode's "fat lady," Vanessa. When she badgers (in a likeable way, I swear) Louie to go out on a date with her and he eventually agrees, Louie makes a stupid comment and provokes a rant from Sarah thr.t spouts more truth than any othe: half hour of television I've ever seen. In an inspired move, C.K. allows the episode to bask in the discussion of the contradictions and expec- tations of female body image and self-esteem rather than cutting it short to get to the "funny." "Louie" is good because it's a vehicle through which Louis C.K. can inject his unique brand of humor into almost-neurotic musings on human nature that anyone can connect to. "Louie" is great because Louis C.K. is not afraid to push boundaries and experiment with his work. Fin- gerprints of his personal style cover every aspect of every epi- sode of his show: there's no one to blame but himself when an epi- sode misfires. Luckily, the show consistently hits its mark. That's what happens when you let a proven creative genius like C.K. have free reign over the content he produces: you get "Louie," a beautiful, nuanced, emotional, hilarious game-changing show that has forever changed the tele- vision landscape, for the better. By PAIGE PFLEGER Daily Arts Writer I've lived in Ann Arbor for about three years now, but this past week- end was the first time I had visited the Ark - a fact that I'm told is a crime, atravesty. I mean, I like music just as much as the next gal; in fact I've spent most of my life behind a marimba or singing on a stage as a marching band and choir geek dur- ing high school (a personality I've since stuffed frantically into a box in the back of my closet since I came to college). And I go to concerts occa- sionally, but I'm a bit poor because college costs too much money and so does rent in A2. After scoring a free ticket to the FolkFest from a friend, I fell in love with the indie-alt musical trio, Pearl and the Beard. So going to their show at the Ark, located on Main Street, seemed like a no-brain- er, especially with a press pass. Note: I would have paid money for the show, but who says noto free things? The Ark was nothing like I expected. Igrabbed my ticket down- stairs and followed a steady stream of people up the stairs and into the performance space - a huge half- oval room with a stage in the middle and rows of chairs fanning out from the middle. The place was already packed, and people were scurrying about frantically to find any open seats. It almost felt like a church, but if church was more popular among hipsters and lesbians and a hell of a lot more relaxed. By the time the opener started it was clear that they had over sold the venue, and people lined up in the hallways and leaned against walls while the local Little Island Lakes crooned and harmo- nized. Lead singer Bobby Voorheis has a sound reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens and sings like it takes no effort. I can barely even tell that his mouth is moving. When Pearl and the Beard took the stage, most people had settled into chairs that The Ark volunteers had scrambled to set up. The band started with hits off their newest album, Killing the Darlings, such as "The Lament of Coronado Brown," with a straight transition into "Sweetness." "The LamentofCoronado Brown" was absolutely stunning, and the room went silent when Emily Hope Price began plucking the strings of hercello. Sheheld itclosetoherbody and leaned her head towards it like she was embracing a dancing part- ner. "They don't know," she began quietly, "that I love you." Jocelyn Mackenzie joined in on percussion, and Jeremy Styles on guitar. When the three harmonize their voices are indistinguishable and chill inducing. After"The Lament"the bandsped it up again with its hit "Sweetness." They got the audience clapping, and by the halfway point of the song the person working the bar in the back room is jumping up and down, danc- ing wildly and clapping her hands. Unique and crowd-pleasing folk music from young band The rest of the audience was equally enthralled, bobbing heads in their seats, clapping and mouthing along with the words. Mackenzie's drum- beats were catchy, Price's cello play- ing mesmerizing, and Styles' vocals loud and strong. Put together, their songs are amazing works of musi- cianship and multitasking. "We're so happy to be back at the Ark!" Mackenzie says to a cheering crowd. One of my favorite things about concerts is listeningtothe stageban- ter of the performers, and Pearl and the Beard have witty banter down to an art. "I feel like a gymnast, you know, mounting an apparatus," Price says, holding her arms up and then pull- ing her cello towards herself. The rest of the band giggles at this, and talks about its trip to the Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary. Styles realizes he has been swear- ing and asks the audience, "Are there children here?" The audience laughs, and Styles follows up with "Do you know cuss words?" They babble more about the rab- See PEARL, Page 9 During the 2007 football season opener, the top-10 ranked Wolver- ines were handed a humiliating defeat at the hands of Appalachian State University. With one of the worst openers in Michigan history, it looked like the season was lost. A few months later and off the gridiron, the Michigan Student Assembly - later renamed Cen- tral Student Government - passed a student government resolu- tion calling on the University to revamp investments in renewable energy. Citing an unacceptably low percentage of electricity gener- ated from renewable sources (wind, solar, geothermal) for campus - 0.3 percent at the time - the resolution called for Ann Arbor's campus to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy by 2015. Now just a year shy of that 2015 deadline, how does the University fare when it comes to renewable energy? Somewhere between three and four percent of campus' energy needs are met by renewable energy today, according to the Office of Campus Sustainability. With the release of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Cli- mate Change report in late March, the United Nations warns that in order to stave off the worst effects of climate change we must double investments in clean energy. If the University didn't heed the call of a student government resolution in 2007 will they at least recognize a message from the United Nations and the world's leading scientists? One of the greatest things about the University of Michigan is that we are always in a position to make a difference. We are role mod- els, the leaders and best. When Michigan speaks, others listen. So we must speak, and we must do it loudly. Within our relatively secure community, it can often be diffi- cult to see the effects of fossil fuels, but look with a wider perspective and they are staggering. Look at Detroit, where communities are exposed daily to the air and water pollution from coal and oil refiner- ies. Look at the Great Lakes, where plummeting water levels and spik- ing water temperatures threaten the economy, water security and ecology of the region. On a more national scale, look at the recent drought in California, the worst in its recorded history. And these pale in comparison to the climate- induced impacts on many of the poorest and most vulnerable coun- tries around the world. That's why our organization - Students for Clean Energy - decided to act. We launched our "Greener Than Sparty" campaign in March and rolled out with a UPe- tition that has since surpassed 700 signatures. Through countless con- versations with fellow students, we have yet to experience any trepida- tion to support the cause. The cam- paign continues to grow in both student involvement and in making our presence felt by the administra- tion, and we have no intentions of slowing down. The technology is out there, it's up to us to take advantage of it and then improve upon it. We should expect our University to be inno- vative when it comes to sourcing clean, renewable energy on cam- pus. Take the Ohio State University for example. OSU has committed to a stake in wind farm develop- ment that powers approximately 23 percent of their electricity and will now annually save nearly $1 million. When will Michigan fol- low suit? Are we so content to bow down to the school down south? As the inspiration for our cam- paign name, Greener Than Sparty, Michigan State is on track to power 15 percent of their campus' energy needs from renewable sources. Our campaign calls for the University to either match or exceed the renew- able energy goals of MSU by 2015. Remember that 2007 team that lost to Appalachian State? Well they turned the season around, going 9-4 and winning the Capi- tal One Bowl. Like them, we can turn around our attitude toward clean energy. We envision some poetic justice in this story - Appa- lachian State is Michigan's season opener this fall. Just as they will seek redemption for their previous defeat, so too can the University for past failure to invest in clean ener- gy. It's time to recognize that when it comes to energy, there's no better way to be Blue than to go green. Chris Takahashi and Greg Hanafin are LSA seniors. Washington, D.C., the promised land of internships for all students interested in politics, advocacy and govern- ment. After spending last summer in Manhat- tan, I knew HARLEEN I wanted to KAUR be in D.C. this sum- mer, to experience the other big East Coast option for me post-graduation. As someone interested in a career in policy work and advocacy for minority rights, it was clear it was time to pursue the revered Capitol Hill internship. I decided to apply for an internship placement program, SikhLEAD, which is part of a Sikh advocacy and education organization, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund. After being selected for SikhLEAD, the process began. I had to work with the placement organizer to focus my interests, determine what would be a good fit for me and start the applica- tions for congressional offices. The process was lengthy and tiresome, often requiring imme- diate responses or an application filled out within 24 hours, send- ing me on a complete rollercoast- er of emotions. After getting interviews for a few congressional offices, I real- ized that the process would take a little more than I expected. A lot of more competitive offices were splitting their summer internships into two sessions, in order to allow twice as many people the opportunityto partic- ipate in the program. Although this is certainly a great gesture on their part, it made the process more difficult personally. I now needed to get selected for two internships, not one, and I also had to ensure that I received one for the first half of the summer and another for the second half of the summer. On top of school and the cum- bersome internship hunt, there's funding. Learning the hard way from my ridiculously expensive summer in Manhattan (hous- ing alone was close to $4,000 for 11 weeks), I knew I needed to look for funding sources early on. Unfortunately, unlike many of my peers, none of the aca- demic departments I belong to would provide funding for an internship on Capitol Hill. I kept searching and found the LSA Internship Scholarship, to which I ended up applying. But I know that my summer will cost at least a few thousand dollars, soI made a visit to The Career Center with the expectation that they could help me locate more funding. Unfortunately, I was disap- pointed. The Career Center representative I met with told me that beyond the LSA Intern- ship Scholarship, the University doesn't have much funding to support students over the sum- mer, and there are little to no local or national scholarships. If I wanted to find other funding, I would have to do it on my own. Frustrated and disheartened, I walked out of the office. Luckily, I did receive the scholarship, but without it, there's a good chance I wouldn't be going to D.C. for the summer. Knowing that there are so many factors that could have prevented me from having a suc- cessful internship experience is not only disheartening, but it makes me wonder about the ways that these experiences are created for a very select group of people. Without the funding, programs and networks I have, it's likely that I wouldn't have been able to make this summer work for me. Unpaid internships target a very specific group of people and leave many others out. By capitalizing on students who have the socioeconomic status to pursue these internships, these opportunities are cater- ing success to those who are able to afford it. When I decided my career path, the advice rolled in: The road to D.C. has certainly been a long one. you need a law degree, a Capitol Hill internship on your resume is pretty much a prerequisite, make sure you do a lot of net- working. It doesn't take a rocket science to see that all of these "necessities" for success cost money - a lot of money. The road to D.C. has certainly been a long one, and I'm sure my internships will require just as much energy, if not more. I'm leaving Ann Arbor with excite- ment and anticipation for the experiences to come, but also remembering that I'm one of the lucky few who can take advan- tage of experiences like this. Although our social identities certainly have an impact on our daily lives, I hope that one day they won't have such a power- ful influence on what individu- als are and are not able to do. If we're all truly created equal, it's certainly time that our institu- tions reflect that truth - Harleen Kaur can be reached at harleen@umich.edu. It was not our intention to be disrespectful and we sincerely apologize for the ill-advised references." - MSNBC's "Way Too Early" anchor Thomas Roberts in response to the backlash against his offensive Cinco De Mayo segment on the May 5 show.