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Thursday, July 30, 2015

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com ARTS

Actor Alan Ruck talks 
career & ‘Major Crimes’

‘Ferris Bueller’s Day 

Off’ cast member 
guest stars on TNT

By REGAN DETWILER

Daily Arts Writer

Alan Ruck … you might not 

know the name but you may know 
the voice, and you definitely know 
the face. Ruck is best known for 
his role in the iconic John Hughes 
film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” as 
Cameron, Bueller’s existentially 
troubled best friend. Now 59 years 
old and having inhabited the film 
world for decades, one of his most 
recent projects was guest starring 
on Monday’s episode of TNT’s 
good-humored, 
high-intensity 

police drama, “Major Crimes,” as 
the incorrigible FBI Special Agent 
Jerry Shea. 

With a loyal but small fan 

base, “Major Crimes” is TNT’s 
continuation of “The Closer,” 
which went off the air in 2012, 
and stars Mary McDonnell as 
Sharon Raydor, captain of the 
Los Angeles Police Department’s 
Major Crimes Unit. The cast of 
the show has a certain effortless 
chemistry that I’ve found doesn’t 
exist for many crime dramas that 
are popular today. 

In Monday’s episode the LAPD 

investigated a murder associated 
with a young man’s alleged kid-

napping, which FBI Special Agent 
Jerry Shea (Alan Ruck) had 
investigated in the past. He had 
even appeared on shows compa-
rable to “Dateline” or “Ameri-
can Justice” as a specialist on 
the case, which both enlarged 
his already humongous ego and 
enraged his colleagues at the 
Bureau. To top it off, Shea had 
also written a novel based off 
the case under the pseudonym 
Guy LaFontaigne — and yes, that 
should be pronounced in a full-
fledged French accent. 

“Yeah, he’s a jerk,” Ruck said of 

his character in a phone interview 
with The Michigan Daily. 

Lucky for the LAPD, the FBI 

“no longer trusts” Shea and sends 
him over to Major Crimes so that 
they may be distracted by his 
belligerent egotism while the 
FBI solves the case, takes all the 
glory, etc., leaving viewers in the 
LAPD’s office with a spectacular 
medley of personalities to enjoy. 

Having worked with leading 

actor Mary McDonnell, having 
met the episode’s director Paul 
McCrane and having met support-
ing actor Tony Denison here and 
there, Ruck said making the episode 
“kinda felt like a family reunion.”

“You really try to pray for 

parts like this,” he said of his 
role as Jerry Shea. “I am serious-
ly middle-aged,” he continued, 
explaining that with a wife and 
two young children, he enjoys 

smaller roles that he can pour all 
of his effort into. 

When asked about how his 

role in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” 
has affected the rest of his acting 
career, he said it was “the best 
part I’ve ever had in a movie, 
surely,” and that he’s glad people 
still enjoy the film. 

Having grown up in Cleve-

land, Ohio, Ruck said he wanted 
to be an actor from a young age. 
The young Alan Ruck wanted to 
be just like his fellow Cleveland 
native, Paul Newman, that sexy 
movie star who didn’t make his 
first film until the age of 29. 

It just so happens that Ruck was 

29 years old when he acted in “Fer-
ris Bueller’s Day Off,” and after 
such a huge role, Ruck said he was 
simply convinced his career would 
be downhill from there. 

Having come to terms with 

what he called an up and down 
career, Ruck said he’s satisfied 
with where he is now, having 
some good work behind him and 
being able to continue acting. 

“Instead of being careful what 

you wish for…be specific what 
you wish for,” the actor said as a 
word of advice for young people. 

Monday’s episode of “Major 

Crimes” was a success. Ruck 
clicked with the cast seamlessly, 
adding splashes of humor and 
making it easy to believe that 
filming the episode was a sort of 
“family reunion.” 

Bennett & Gaga, 
jazz duo for ages

By CHRISTIAN KENNEDY

Summer Managing Arts Editor

When it was announced that 

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga 
would 
release 
a 
collaborative 

album, the obvious thought was 
“what an odd pair.” When Cheek To 
Cheek came out, it was a surprise 
of the best nature — a beautifully-
crafted, precisely sung jazz duet. 
The pair seamlessly carried over 
their partnership to the stage of 
Meadow Brook Music Festival this 
past Monday.

There was no opening, just some 

smooth tunes playing over the 
speakers and just after 8:30 p.m. 
the duo took the stage. Tony sport-
ing a light blue suit jacket and Gaga 
sheathed in a shimmering silver 
gown. They open their sets with 
the booming “Anything Goes.” It’s 
hard not to notice the chemistry 
between the two. They produce 
an aura of true friendship and 
genuine appreciation. They ecstati-
cally introduce one another; “Lady 
Gaga!” Bennett shouts as he waves 
his arm towards her; she does the 
same. As he sang, she stood next to 
him with her hand on his shoulder 
tapping to the beat. They quickly 
move into title track “Cheek to 
Cheek,” during which they dance, 
quite literally, cheek to cheek. Then 
Gaga heads off stage and Bennett 
goes solo for “They All Laughed.” 

The stage, set up much like a 

dueling piano bar, had two nearly 
complete bands. Bennett’s on the 
left and Gaga’s on the right. When 
Bennett took the stage alone, his 
band was illuminated in lights 
while Gaga’s sat patiently in the 
dark, and vice versa. And when they 
met for duets, both bands became 
fully engaged. 

Bennett maintained his light 

blue suit-coat throughout the eve-

ning, while Gaga rocked several 
outfits. Ranging from a pale pink 
gown with an enlarged bow, to a 
silver studded leotard paired with 
a sheer shawl. Her attire, while at 
points revealing, never once over-
shadowed the jazz. Conversely, her 
sleek appearance seemed to only 
escalate the essence of seduction 
found in jazz.

The two superstars whisked their 

way through nearly 3 dozen songs 
over the course of their 95-minute 
set, each taking solos and coming 
together when the song required it. 
Vocally, both were stunning. Ben-
nett, even with age, has kept every 
ounce of power and finesse. Gaga, 
often thought of as an auto-tuned 
pop star, is probably one of the best 
technical singers of our generation 
— she received a standing ovation 
following her take on Edith Piaf’s 
“La vie en rose,” during which she 
sang perfect French. Bennett also 
had a handful of standing ovations 
from the diverse crowd. 

It was unlike any concert I’ve 

attended before. I sat the entire 
time, which is a far cry from my 
typical standing and dancing per-
sona. However, as I sat there leaned 
over, attempting to get as close 
to the show as possible I found 
myself mesmerized. This music, 
it felt pure. I could hear the bass, 
and I could see the bassist singular 
strums. I could hear every inflec-
tion in either performers voice. It 
didn’t have all the pizzazz of a typi-
cal 2015 concert because the music 
did all of that on its own. 

By the time the duo slipped into 

their final song, “It Don’t Mean a 
Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” 
the crowd still wanted more. Not 
because we weren’t given enough, 
but because with a show that sim-
plistically stunning, you can watch 
for hours. You can listen for hours.

CHEEK TO CHEEK

Put your cheeks on my cheeks (butt stuff)

TNT

Pardon my French, but you’re Alan Ruck!

CONCERT REVIEW
TV INTERVIEW

