Buzz Magazine: Nov. 13, 2003

1113buzz0128

11/12/03

5:06 PM

Page 1

z buz 1 28

st ever

I LIKE MOVIES | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

Film Festival at The Virginia Theatre

Nov. 17

The Graduate (1967) 9 p.m. The Last Picture Show (1971) 11:15 p.m. A Clockwork Orange (1971) 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 18

Raging Bull (1980) 9:30 p.m. Easy Rider (1969) 7 p.m.

The Films of New Hollywood

z buz Nov. 13-Nov.19, 2003 Arts | Entertainment | Community

FREE!

COMMUNIT Y

Q&A with Rocks’ owner

Bonus Movie

(page 5) ARTS

Dance hits high-tech (page 7) MUSIC

The Graduate (1967) 105 minutes Directed by Mike Nichols Starring Anne Bancroft Dustin Hoffman Katharine Ross William Daniels

TICKETS

The Last Picture Show (1971)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

118 minutes Directed by Peter Bogdanovich Starring Timothy Bottoms Jeff Bridges Cybill Shepherd Ellen Burstyn

137 minutes Directed by Stanley Kubrick Starring Malcolm McDowell Patrick Magee Michael Bates Warren Clarke

Raging Bull (1980)

Easy Rider (1969)

129 minutes Directed by Martin Scorsese Starring Robert De Niro Cathy Moriarty Joe Pesci Frank Vincent

94 minutes Directed by Dennis Hopper Starring Dennis Hopper Peter Fonda Jack Nicholson Phil Spector

On sale now at The Virginia Theatre 203 W. Park Avenue in Champaign 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or call The Virginia Theatre at 356-9063.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

$5 per movie $20 for all five movies

Jazz fusion trio lights up Canopy (page 10) CALENDAR

Fest mixes rock with good cause (page 14) FILM & TV

The Matrix: 5 reviews (page 21)

A PROTESTER’S PATH

1113buzz0227

11/12/03

5:25 PM

Page 1

2

COME TO THE FILM FESTIVAL | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

AND ANOTHER THING...

Voting ends today at 5 p.m.

Win Great Prizes!

You’re automatically entered when you submit this form!

DVD Player Best Place For A Martini Best Bar

Best Place To Read A Book

$100 Gift Certificate

Best Breakfast

$150 Gift Certificate ILLINI UNION

Best Pizza Best Retro Store Best Burger

bookstore

Best Overall Restaurant

Brunch for 2

Best Place To Take Kids

Lunch for 2

Best Park

Breakfast for 2 Courier Cafe

Best Relaxing Place

Best Spot For People Watching

Best Art Gallery

Best Place For A First Date

Best Theater Troupe

Best Wine Selection

Best Vegetarian Meal

Best Concert Venue

PLUS:

(20) $5 Gift Certificates Illini Union Bookstore (25) $5 Gift Certificates Panera (10) Gift Certificates for 1 Drink Green Street Coffee House (20) Gift Certificates for 1 Drink Smoothie King (5) Gift Certificates for 1 Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake Courier Cafe (20) Free tickets to buzz Film Festival buzz

buzz

Name: Street: City/State:

Best Steak

Best Coffee Shop

Best Ethnic Restaurant

Best Local Band

Best $5 Lunch

Most C-Unique... Anything!

Best Jukebox

Zip:

Phone: ( ) E-mail @

First 25 peop $5 Gift le to vote ge ta Certific a Panera te to

Mail or drop entry at buzz, 57 E. Green, Champaign (or drop entry at University YMCA) or fill out form online at www.readbuzz.com All IMC employees are excluded from raffle. Your information will only be used for the raffle. It will not be used for any other purposes.

27

buzz NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19 , 2003 | ATTACK OF THE CELL PHONES

Keep your cell phones to yourself

BY MICHAEL COUTLER | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

remember several years ago when I was a kid and there was a campaign against noise pollution. It seemed like sort of a ridiculous undertaking, asking everyone and everything to just be quiet. Water, land and air pollution seemed dangerous. Noise pollution though, while annoying, was pretty much temporary.

You could reverse its damages anytime you wanted, just by shutting the hell up. The problem is no one ever does.

The other day I was walking through a parking lot, searching for my keys and wishing I kept aspirin in my glove box, when a deafening sound assaulted me. It wasn’t a jet or even a loud muffler. It wasn’t the hum from a factory or a siren. It was someone screaming into a cell phone.

From what I could gather, this young lady was breaking up with her boyfriend and wasn’t at all happy about the termination. I believe his name was DeShon because every time his name was mentioned it was surrounded by expletives. I can appreciate her creative effort in the tirade, as she used several combinations of the word “fuck” to get her point across. It was used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective and strangely, a conjunction.

I got in my car and drove away, feeling as if I’d left a somewhat compelling movie just as the opening credits had ended. I could have followed her around all day and probably gotten many intimate details of the relationship just by listening to her cell phone conversations. I would have felt dirty afterwards, but no worse than if I watched an entire episode of The Anna Nicole Smith Show. I didn’t follow her though.

You know why? Because I don’t care.

It doesn’t matter whether I care or not though. Everything in everyone’s life is becoming public. Look, I know it’s hard to break up with someone. I know people can get angry and let their emotions get the best of them. Still, there is no reason to make it an improvisational piece of performance art in a parking lot. Use your indoor voice, or at least get in your car.

Here’s an even better idea, talk to the person face to face.

People, people, it’s a freaking phone. You aren’t on some Star Trek planet being pursued

by Klingons. It’s not a communicator. Your life doesn’t depend on you keeping in constant communication with every person you’ve ever

met in your life. It doesn’t have to be on every damned minute of every damned day, regardless of how many minutes you’re paying for.

If you’re driving in traffic, it might not be the best time to call your sister and tell her about your day. If you’re grocery shopping, you could maybe hold off calling your spouse to confirm or deny any item you’re about to place in the cart. If anyone takes a cell phone out on the golf course they should incur a one stroke penalty and also have to carry the phone up their ass for the rest of the round.

I know it seems like human contact, but it really isn’t; it’s an avoidance of it. I know a girl whose boyfriend called her from a department store while he was buying a space heater. He wasn’t asking her about BTUs or anything. He was breaking up with her. I know a guy who called to wish his mom a happy birthday while he was walking into a strip club. I have friends who call me from various bars all night long to tell me they are getting drunk. Access to anyone should not come that easily.

I know many of us are busy now. I think many more of us like to pretend we’re busy.

Somewhere along the line people using a cell phone thought they seemed cool and important. Well let me tell you, you’re about as cool as those guys with the ham radio license plates.

Yeah, your equipment may be smaller, but you’re still a big tool, especially if you have one of those godforsaken walkie talkie phones that broadcast your conversation like the PA system at Soldier Field.

It’s really just a point of manners. It’s like saying, “Hey, listen, I’m in a big hurry and I’m doing other things, but I can do them and talk to you at the same time because I’m not really paying attention to anything I’m doing. I’m not at a point in my life where I can sit in a room and concentrate and care about our conversation, so I’m combining it with the other mindless things I have to do today.”

Look around today and see how many folks are needlessly on cell phones. Try talking to one of these people. They’ll hold up a finger and say “Just a second, I’m on my cell phone.” You’ll be polite and wait for them to finish because they’re more important than you. They are the Cell Phone Talkers. They deserve our respect, even if they never give it back. buzz

Michael Coulter is a videographer at Parkland College. He writes a weekly e-mail column, “This Sporting Life” and has hosted several local comedy shows.

DirtyTalk

MC - It's me.......BETH!!!! Yes, you know that I would definetely beat, mmmmmmk???

Hey barbie, you can look but you can't touch the new "car".

To My Sweetheart,Dudley

Bring Mike back!!!

I LOVE THUNDERGOD!! YOU ROCK MY WORLD BABY!!

Exorcism and clothes needed. stat.

Hey teeni, where's the channel switcher?!?!?

Excuse me Pilar? Good luck this weekend hockey player #15. Iím so happy I can be here to help you celebrate the victories!

Dairy Dave-- You are so udderly wonderful. You are the cream of the crop. You and I are like BUTTER. You know what I mean... Peter Sexy Dean-- Crop science doesn't deserve you. I've seen you play volleyball and I want to see more. Call me... Shy Gal Illini Edge - Good Luck in the exhibition. We'll never QUIDDITCH. SAN DIEGO AND PEWTER MEDAL here we come.

I can't wait to share a bed with you Mary. Dallas is the most romantic place in the world.

ECE 280 SouthSidarz girl, you must be an angel cuz everytime I see you Im in heaven.

BETH- I would totally beat.mmmk,love MC

Leslie Anne, everytime I see you in Anthro 105 I wanna excavate your bones!

In the past I only acted with pencil, But with you I only use permanent ink!!! I love you with all of my heart!!!!sdg--can't wait till thanksgiving...will you stuff my turkey?--anm Steph-You said it got bigger, well so did your heart. 2 years of painting lines on each others backs. I'll be there soon and can you let me in the backdoor?Reverend E. Mason- Do you pop up as handsomely as your Boys?

Ifso, Holla.

Kaiser- The sky is falling.

Carol- Sorry for making out with you, the way your beard brushed against me kept me up last night.

Krissy- Happy belated birthday. If you want I’ll jump out of a cake for you.

Tom-You spin me right round baby right round.

Future husband- Stand up to the man.

Mundar- I’d change my sexuality for you any day of the week. grrowl.

SWEET “DIRTY” TALKS ARE FREE. To submit your message go to www.readbuzz.com and click on the Sweet Talk link.

Leave out last names and phone numbers because we (and probably you!) could get in big fat trouble for printing them.

We reserve the right to edit your messages.

5:05 PM

Page 1

26odds & end

INJURED OR IN PAIN?

Chiropractic Honors the Body’s Ability to Heal Itself, Naturally HEADACHE NECK AND BACK PAIN • FATIGUE ACCIDENT OR TRAUMA • CHRONIC PAIN WELLNESS PROGRAMS LOW BACK PAIN • STRESS RELATED PAIN HEADACHES • LEG AND ARM PAIN • CARPAL TUNNEL

FREE EXAM & X-RAY (IF NEEDED) COVERED BY STUDENT INSURANCE

Dr. Joseph Snell

24 HR. ANSWERING SERVICE

ASS SQUEAZING CURES DEPRESSION? | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): The latest movie from Aries filmmaker Quentin Tarantino received mixed reviews. Commenting on "Kill Bill," Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper raved, "It's amazing.

Brilliant and stylized! Tarantino is at the top of his form." On the other hand, critic Mick LaSalle had this to say: "If this recycled, derivative nonsense is all this once-promising director has to offer after six years, it's sad." I predict you will provoke a similar range of reactions in the coming week, Aries. It's probably best if you don't put too much stock in either the people who regard you as a genius or those who think you're a crank. Just be satisfied to believe in yourself.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "Consumer brands are the new religion," reports "The Financial Times." "People turn to them for meaning." The evidence? Instead of attending church on Sunday, many of the faithful swarm to Ikea. Countless couples exchange their marital vows at Disneyland. Bikers are buried in coffins bearing Harley-Davidson logos. Don't tell me you haven't been infected with this faux religion, Taurus; we all have. But I'm happy to announce that it's a perfect astrological moment for blasphemy and dissent. Renounce your worshipful attachment to brand names and products that are sapping your spiritual juice! Break the hold of your addiction NOW! Just say NO to false gods!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I have just finished skimming Hiroyuki Nishigaki's surprising book How to Good-Bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? or Effective Way? Though I haven't had a chance to try out his simple and revolutionary approach to mental health, I feel confident about recommending it to you. It's time to take drastic, perhaps unconventional measures to disperse the funky moods that have plagued you recently. Regular butt-squeezing may be able to accomplish what no other therapy can. As one satisfied reader testified after achieving miracles with this technique: "Free your ass and your mind will follow."

SNELL CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Can you find a sensitive saint who'll cater to your desires for a whole day? Someone who is knowledgeable about what gives you pleasure, who would listen with supple curiosity to your stories, who would sing you songs and read you poems and describe to you in lyrical detail all your wonderful qualities? In other words, Cancerian, can you enlist the devotion of a love genius who would regard being of service to you as a holy privilege? The planets have rarely been better aligned for such a possibility.The entire universe is yearning to be more demonstrative in showing its love for you.

1802 Woodfield Dr. • 217-352-9899 2 Blocks North of Savoy 16

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The bumblebee seems to be aerodynamically unsound. Its body weight appears too great for its

wingspan. Indeed, if it were as big as an airplane, it would never get off the ground. Fortunately, it knows nothing of the laws of physics as they apply to machines, and therefore never suffers from self-doubt as it soars and darts. I suggest you make this creature your power animal in the coming weeks. You will need to accomplish small wonders that there are no theories to account for.

go of the tightly wound emotions you've been holding onto. Sob or sigh or babble until you achieve a spiritual orgasm that will clear your mind of all its gunk and free you to make the decision you've been postponing. Ever hereafter you will call this the Crying Rock, and you will go there whenever you need the kind of release that only a beloved natural power spot can facilitate.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If a friend or companion is pregnant, buy her some lingerie. If people close to you are depressed, take them to a karaoke bar and insist that they sing in public. If you're feeling cautious and superstitious, book a flight to an island paradise or learn to ride a motorcycle. If you're afraid you're running out of good ideas, start writing a booklet entitled, "My Inexhaustible Supply of Good Ideas." Are you catching my drift, Capricorn? To capitalize on the odd opportunities fate will bring you this week, you should definitely not go with the flow.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): My reading of your astrological omens suggests that you are now standing before three doors.

The word "scapegoat" is written on door number one.

"Chameleon" is on door two and "weaver" on door three. What you do in the next six days will determine whether you'll ultimately have a choice about which door you open. If you do succeed in winning that privilege, I advise you to pick the "weaver" door sometime after November 22. Selecting the "chameleon" door wouldn't be terrible, but it wouldn't be half as stimulating.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Many of you feel that you're only truly yourself if others see you as you want to be seen. But this week I suggest you try out a different perspective. It's hinted at

by Suzan-Lori Parks in her play "Topdog/ Underdog": "Yr only yrself when no one's watching." Who are you when you're alone, Aquarius? Turn off your awareness of what everyone thinks about you. Listen only to the clues arising from your silent depths.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Recently I received a letter with testimony you might find helpful. "Hello, my name is Randall Xavier Ludwick," it began. "I am inspector number 23 for the Federal Commission on Amusement Park Safety. My main responsibility is to ensure that all 'You Must Be This Tall To Go on This Ride' signs are up to code. It's the perfect job for a major Libra like me. Since I can never make up my mind if left to my own devices, I decided to pursue a career that has rigid boundaries and also appeals to my sense of justice." Mr. Ludwick's approach to his indecisiveness might be worth imitating in the coming weeks, dear Libra. I suggest you put yourself in positions where you must adhere to crisply defined limits and rules. (Thanks to Edgar Roberts for introducing me to Mr. Ludwick.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Back in the days when I could afford employees, one of them dreamed up a witty ad campaign for my expanded audio horoscopes. The headline was "Rob Brezsny's astrological advice is like Viagra for the soul!" A week after the first ads appeared, I got a letter from the lawyers of the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the real Viagra. "Cease and desist using our trademarked brand name," it said, "or we will sue your ass." (I'm paraphrasing.) My campaign came to a dead stop, and I vowed never again to borrow a corporate fetish for my own marketing purposes. Carefully, then, I make the following announcement:What life brings you in the coming weeks will be like Viagra for your soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You are fresh, radical, and as free as you've ever been. Only the ripest truths interest you. No pretty lies can trick you and no super-hyped trivia can distract you. I believe you're ready, therefore, to commune with the axioms of healing chaos, lifted from the Whores of Goddess Scientists website at http://adtriancain.tripod.com/. Here's a sample. You are the hidden God. Wake up in the dream. Read between the lies. To question is the answer.The frontline is everywhere.There are no innocent bystanders. Truth is a three-edged sword. Practice infinite tolerance except for intolerance. Achieve strength through joy. Embrace your shadow. Change is stability. Creation never ends. Everything is verb.

The way in is the way out. All things fornicate all the time.The going is the goal.Today is the day!

✍ HOMEWORK:

The media love bad news because they think it's more interesting than good news.

Is it? Send your interesting good news to me at www.freewillastrology.com.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Walk into the hills or woods and find a large rock jutting up out of the earth in a place that makes you feel at home. Sit down on or next to that rock and let

ACROSS 1 Joseph Conrad’s dis-

DOWN 1 First name in 1920’s40’s Broadway 2 The drink you shouldn’t have had 3 What a bomb defuser may be in 4 Onetime White House inits.

5 Wears out 6 Couple 7 Hegira destination

1

section 15 9 Secondcentury 17 year 10 Like some 19 attitudes 23 11 College that was a cen28 ter of abolitionism 12 Friend of Han Solo, 37 in “Star 41 Wars” 13 Tatar Strait 45 feeder 14 Be enough for 53 21 Lead, often 24 Chart 58 maker 26 House 63 27 Math func65 tion 29 Like some holistic treatments 31 “Baudolino” author 32 Parisian possessive 34 Pitching choice 36 Further 37 See 46-Across

2

insidebuzz 4 7

COMMUNIT Y

A protester’s story ARTS

Influential professor returns to University

12

MUSIC

14

CALENDAR

23

FILM & TV

Criticizing the critics See all there is to do in C-U The films of Thailand hit American soil

@ f r e e w i l l a s t r o l o g y. c o m 415.459.7209(v)• 415.457.3769 http://www.freewillastrology. com P.O. Box 798 San Anselmo, CA 94979

Volume 1, Number 37 COVER DESIGN | Meaghan Dee 3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

18 21 25

24

22 26

27

29 33

30

34

35

38

39

32

40 43

46 50

31

36

42

44

47

48

51

49

52 55

54 59

60

56 61

57 62

64 66

39 42 44 47 49 51

Cub of note “Ssss” maker Hotel amenity Apple market?

Nuclei Latin stars

A

t age 6, Native Americans were Indians, and all I knew was to chase them in the playground, as a good cowboy should.

All I knew of Native Americans were stereotypes. But, as I learned about the Native American story, the buoyant mascot flailing around the center of the floor seemed less than majestic.

I have no qualms about proclaiming my strong feelings against the University of Illinois’ current mascot. I think it is a racist statement that speaks loudly about our university and the Champaign-Urbana community at large. As a flagship university, we have an obligation to hold ourselves to that standard, race relations included.

As a 6-year-old I was unaware of the cultural history of Native Americans, but as a 21year-old University student, I am well aware of what our mascot looks like to people of every race who have been oppressed. It’s easy to sit back, look at the mascot and think that we have done our part to pay tribute to further the legacy of the tribes of Illinois. But truthfully, we have done much more to steer thoughts away from the real problems Native Americans face in our country: poverty, isolation and extinction. Pay tribute to this culture like they haven’t died off yet. Pay tribute to them by helping their situation instead of perpetuating stereotypes.

Take note of California’s flagship university, Stanford. Until 1971, their mascot was a Native American caricature. After the disbandment,

the university actively pursued an alternative that would promote positive, accurate stereotypes throughout the university community.

Their efforts produced an annual Native American powwow that brings more than 30,000 participants from around the country to the campus. Native Americans from around the country participate in the three-day event that promotes cultural awareness and authentic traditions.

The native people of this region, the Peoria, requested the resolution on April 20, 2000, that the University discontinue the Chief Illiniwek tradition. Pro-Chief activists cling to the idea that the chief represents tradition and respect; however, the tribute is not a welcomed acknowledgement by its beneficiaries.

The Native American population continues to dwindle, and unfortunately the cries of protest never reach louder than a low roar. We, as a cultured, socially conscious group of individuals, must react and push our community in the right direction. Where Stanford moves forward, every year the University of Illinois takes two steps back.

The symbol of a dying culture should not be displayed through inaccurate dances or worn on T-shirts. If we as a community want to really honor the tribes of this region, there are alternatives. A resolution to this issue is long overdue. This controversy currently diverts tax dollars, research and resources from the University’s daily operations.

Chief Illiniwek looks and feels like racism, because that is exactly what it is. I urge the Board to vote today for an alternative to our mascot, one that will promote the Native American culture, instead of making it a punch line.

— Marissa Monson, Calendar Editor

openingbands.com we want you if you're a: - writer - photographer - graphic designer

OB

- fan of ANY kind of music - band member

- c-u's most complete and up to date concert listings - online forums and instant messaging - cd reviews, articles and editorials

Owned and operated by local artists since 1971

352-4562 410 e. green st. champaign free parking beneath the building Enter from 5th street bring in this ad and receive 10% off your next purchase of any non-sale items

BUZZ STAFF

16

20

editor’snote

52 Lento e largo 53 Pro footballer turned

congressman

54 Abbr. on some dials 56 Sight in a Degas

painting 59 Umpire’s call

Editor in chief Tom Rybarczyk Art Director Meaghan Dee Copy Chief Erin Green Arts Katie Richardson Music Brian Mertz Entertainment Jason Cantone Calendar Marissa Monson Assistant Music Editor Jacob Dittmer Calendar Coordinators Lauren Smith, Cassie Conner, Erin Scottberg Photography Adam Young, Nik Gallicchio Katy Mull, Brad Kahler Copy Editors Elizabeth Zeman, Jen Hubert, Suzanne Sitrick Designers Adam Obendorf, Carol Mudra, Jason Cantone, Marissa Monson, Amy Hanlon Production Manager Theon Smith Editorial Adviser Elliot Kolkovich Sales Manager Lindsey Benton Marketing/Distribution Melissa Schleicher, Maria Erickson Publisher Mary Cory All editorial questions or letters to the editor should be sent to buzz@readbuzz.com or 337-8137 or buzz, 57 E. Green St., Champaign, Ill., 61820.

Buzz magazine is a student-run publication of Illini Media Company and does not necessarily represent,in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students.

nt ur y

Ce

is T 46 With 37-Down, without dissent 48 Publisher’s concern: Abbr.

50 Sounds of gaiety 52 Outer part of a seed 53 Many-stringed Japanese instruments 55 Renaissance patron 57 Chunk of green 58 Jude, e.g.

61 Less svelte 63 TDK competitor 64 Calm 65 Bishop, e.g.

66 Alternative to Subway or Blimpie

8 CD store

3

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | HER NAME IS NAOMI, THAT’S IMOAN BACKWARDS.

– Mid

honored officer 8 Some pops 15 At the movies, perhaps 16 Home of Horseshoe Bend National Military Park 17 Moved away 18 Pesto bit 19 Part of l’année 20 Utter 22 Big name in 8-Down 23 ___ Dove (constellation near Canis Major) 25 Philosopher Machiavelli 28 King of Albania, 192839 29 “Little Iodine” cartoonist 30 People are closely watched in them: Abbr.

33 Kind of finish 35 It may be changed at the altar 37 Cocktail part?

38 Hall of entertainment 40 Barbell abbr.

41 City on the Huron River

43 Black, as la nuit 45 Where AT&T

buzz

Rob Brezsny's Free Will ☎ Astrology beautyandtruth

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

H A I R S A L ON

buzz

ts

11/12/03

rti fa c

1113buzz0326

Furniture &

A

Did you know we have... Danish modern & designer furniture, art pottery, modern art, and accessories for every room in your home?!?

9 E. University Ave, Champaign

furniturelounge @ sbcglobal.net

352-5150

Sun-Tues 12-4:30pm

Wed-Sat 11-5:30pm

Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Fest

1113buzz0425

11/12/03

5:05 PM

Page 1

4

community

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

buzz

buzz

PHONE: 217/337-8337

A protester’s continuing struggle

BY LISA SCHENCKER | STAFF WRITER

W

Taking it to Court At that game, police arrested Cook on charges of criminal trespass to state supported land. According to police, Cook resisted arrest.

The charges of trespass were quickly dropped because Cook had a valid ticket to attend the game, but charges of resisting arrest remained.

The first trial on Oct. 15, 2002, was declared a mistrial because of a hung jury. At a second trial on Jan. 21, 2003, Cook was convicted of resisting arrest – a misdemeanor.

The judge sentenced Cook to 18 months of probation, a $100 fine and court costs,

University police officers named in the suit declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Former University spokesman Bill Murphy said that though the University is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, the University will defend the officers and guards and incur all costs because they were sued while “acting within the scope of their duties.”

Murphy said he could not comment on anything else having to do with the lawsuit against the officers and guards.

Cook declined to comment on how the lawsuit would be affected should the Board vote to retire the Chief today.

and community service.

Cook is appealing the decision.

“It doesn’t sound like much,” Cook said of the sentence. “But for an innocent person it’s quite a bit.”

Cook and his lawyer, Jude Redwood, say that Cook did not resist arrest, but instead was being pulled in two directions and was unable to submit to arrest because of a previous shoulder injury.

Not only is Cook appealing the conviction, but he also filed suit against the University nearly a year ago – a lawsuit worth $2.5 million.

Cook, Naanes and Wegeng filed the lawsuit against seven University police officers and security Guards, alleging that they violated the three protesters’ First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Cook said University police officers approached him at the game and told him they wanted him to step out into a side area to talk.

Cook said he asked the officers why and they would not tell him, so he refused to leave his seat.

According to the lawsuit, “The plaintiffs were singled out and were ordered to leave the Assembly Hall because of and due only to their heritage (Native American), their religion (Lakota) and their exercise of their right to religious expression.”

PHOTO | KATY MULL

illiam Cook and Sherry Naanes don’t answer their home phone anymore.

Usually they let the answering machine pick up calls. Sometimes they pick up the phone depending on whose voice they hear coming through the answering machine.

They ignore their phone to avoid telemarketers and prank callers. But mostly they ignore their phone because of the death threats.

“People call up and harass,” Cook said. “I figure that’s what answering machines are for.”

Cook, 43, and Naanes, 42, have received their fair share of harassment since they began protesting Chief Illiniwek, the University of Illinois’ controversial Native American mascot, at University sporting events in 1995.

Today, the University Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on whether to retire the Chief.

Cook doubts the Board will vote to retire the mascot, but if they do, Cook will rethink how he’s been protesting for years.

Since 1995, the rural Champaign couple and their friend David Wegeng have regularly attended University sporting events wearing anti-Chief clothing, cheering for opposing

teams and yelling that the mascot is racist when he comes out to perform during breaks in games and matches.

Cook, Naanes and Wegeng, who practice Lakota, a type of Native American religion, say they are exercising their First Amendment right to free speech by protesting a mascot they deem racist and offensive to Native Americans.

But nearly two years ago, on Jan. 27, 2002, Cook, Naanes and Wegeng protested at a University of Illinois women’s basketball game where University police and security guards deemed their protesting more than just expression.

Sherry Naanes and William Cook plan to continue to protest at basketball games this season at Assembly Hall despite Cook's arrest while protesting during a women's basketball game two years ago

Protesting Despite the lawsuit and the conviction, Cook and Naanes have no intention of halting their protests until the Native American community is satisfied by the retirement of the Chief, retirement of the name “Fighting Illini” or both. The resolution facing the Board of Trustees today proposes eliminating the Chief but not the name Fighting Illini.

Cook would like to see both the name and the mascot go.

“When you have a cancer, you don’t just remove bits and pieces of it,” Cook said.

Cook and Naanes attended football games last fall and plan to attend basketball games this upcoming season if the Chief is still around.

Cook hasn’t been confronted by security guards or police at any of the games he’s attended since his arrest nearly two years ago.

For Cook and Naanes, who have been dating since 1989 and living together since 1990, it’s been life as usual since the arrest.

The couple appeared relaxed in their small rural Champaign home several days before Cook’s sentencing last spring.

Cook, who describes himself as selfemployed, said he wasn’t surprised by his conviction last year.

“I fully expected to be convicted, not because I’m guilty but because 80 percent of this state is for the mascot,” he said. “Even my mom won’t pay anything on my lawyer bill because she doesn’t want anything to do with getting rid of the mascot.”

Though the resolution facing the Board today calls for the Chief’s retirement as University mascot, it also states, “Chief Illiniwek has represented the dignity, strength, intelligence and grace to which Illinois athletic teams have aspired.”

Naanes also said she wasn’t surprised.

“We knew eventually they’d find him guilty,” said Naanes, who works for the University as a janitor.

At the time, Cook wasn’t sure how he’d be sentenced, but he wasn’t afraid of going to jail.

“Penalty-wise, I should have taken the plea bargain, but it wouldn’t have shown that I’m innocent. That’s not what we wanted,” he said

25

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | REMEMBER THAT OLD BIRTHDAY PRESENT FROM GRANDMA THAT YOU HATE? SELL IT HERE!!

DEADLINE: 2 p.m. Monday for the next Thursday’s edition.

INDEX Employment Services Merchandise Transportation Apartments Other Housing/Rent Real Estate for Sale Things To Do Announcements Personals

000 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

• PLEASE CHECK YOUR AD! Report errors immediately by calling 337-8337. We cannot be responsible for more than one day’s incorrect insertion if you do not notify us of the error by 2 pm on the day of the first insertion.

• All advertising is subject to the approval of the publisher. The Daily Illini shall have the right to revise, reject or cancel, in whole or in part, any advertisement, at any time.

• All employment advertising in this newspaper is subject to the City of Champaign Human Rights Ordinance and similar state and local laws, making it illegal for any person to cause to be published any advertisement which expresses limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, color, mental handicap, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, political affiliation, prior arrest or conviction record, source of income, or the fact that such person is a student.

• Specification in employment classifications are made only where such factors are bonafide occupational qualifications necessary for employment.

• All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, and similar state and local laws which make it illegal for any person to cause to be published any advertisement relating to the transfer, sale, rental, or lease of any housing which expresses limitation, specifications or discrimination as to race, color, creed, class, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, personal appearance, sexual oientation, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or the fact that such person is a student.

• This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. Our readers are informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal oppportunity basis.

DEADLINE:

2 p.m. Monday for the next Thursday’s edition.

RATES: Billed rate: 34¢/word Paid-in-Advance: 25¢/word Photo Sellers 30 words or less + photo: $5 per issue Garage Sales 30 words in both Thursday’s buzz and Friday’s Daily Illini!! $10. If it rains, your next date is free.

Action Ads • 20 words, run any 5 days (in buzz or The Daily Illini), $14 • 10 words, run any 5 days (in buzz or The Daily Illini), $7 • add a photo to an action ad, $10

Employment 000 HELP WANTED | Full Time Express Personnel Services 217.355.8500 101 Devonshire Dr., Champaign

Happi House Learning Center, Inc. Come join our winning team!

Assistant Teacher positions now available in our infant/toddler programs. Full time positions only. Call 367-5388 or visit 1603 E. Mumford Dr. Urbana to apply!

The Champaign County Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Council (40N\88W) is looking for the right person to be Managing Director.

See 40north.org for details and application procedures.

HELP WANTED | Part Time Flexible hours Office Associate. $8/hr. Meyer Drapery 330 N. Neil. Downtown Champaign 352-5318. Apply in person or send resume.

HELP WANTED | Full / Part Time AUNTIE ANNE’S SOFT PRETZELS Market Place Mall 3-4 PT-FT Positions Monday-Friday Must Have Flexible Schedule Must Be At Least 18 Years Old Excellent Starting Wage Non-Smoker Apply In Person

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES $250-$500/week. Will train to work at home helping the US Govt. file HUD/FHA mortgage refunds. No experience necessary. Call toll-free 1866-537-2906.

Services

100

BUSINESS SERVICES Graphic design studio is seeking models, makeup artists for beauty and style photography. www.victoriasphoto.com Victoria’s Photographics 217-328-3013

Le Therapeutic Massage. Day/ Evening/ Weekend, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Only by appointment. 344-8879.

CLEANING Exact Extraction. Carpet & upholstery cleaning. Free estimates. 6883101.

LAWN CARE FREE ESTIMATES: Tree trimming, Topping, Removal, Stump Grinding.

384-5010.

Merchandise 200

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Furnished

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Unurnished

1 Bedroom Luxury Apartments

107 N. Busey, U.

Washer/dryer, AC, balcony, dishwasher, intercom, ethernet, contemporary furnishings, microwave.

605 E. Clark St., C. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

August 2004 3 level townhouse, cathedral ceiling living room, loft deck. Must see to appreciate. Sleeps 4, 2 full baths, gas heat, central air, washer/dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, internet, and cable ready. Two free parking spaces. $1380/month.

Call 352-3674 or 377-1552

Brand new luxury 1, 2, 3, bedroom apartments available in Champaign.

Call Manchester Property Management at 359-0248 for an appointment.

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Furnished

New Security Building

JOHN SMITH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT www.johnsmithproperties.com (217)384-6930 “believe the hype” 101 E. Daniel, C.

New Security Building

1, 2 bedroom and bi-level 4 bedroom, two bath. Imported furnishings, balconies, skylights, cathedral ceilings, washer/ dryer in each apt.

Security underground parking. Aug. 2004 www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

101 S. Busey, U. 1 bedroom apartment with

Apartments

400

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Furnished | Unfurnished 801 STOUGHTON, URBANA. MULTI-LEVEL TOWNHOME, 4 BLOCKS FROM QUAD. PRIVATE LOFT W/ FULL BATH, FIREPLACE, PATIO, GARAGE, SKYLIGHT, W/D, CENTRAL A/C. CALL MISSY FOR DETAILS, 202-6412

2 Bedroom, Oregon/Lincoln, Furnished, Spring/Summer (217)3847412. lanluo@uiuc.edu $705.

808 S. Oak, Champaign Imported furnishings, sound proofing, A/C, 2 balconies, burglar alarms, laundry. Utility discount.

Parking. Aug 2004. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

One BR. Second and Greg! Spring semester ‘04. Free Parking. $350/mo. AC, ethernet available, furnished, laundry. (847)951-6696.

3 & 4 bedroom luxury apartments 205 S. Sixth St.

Security Building

Washer/ dryer, AC, balconies, dishwasher, ethernet, 48’ TV, microwave. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

Living room, eat-in kitchen, porch, parking, laundry facilities, air conditioning, furnished. August 2004. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

102 S. Lincoln Horizon Apts.

Green and Lincoln, U.

August ‘04. New 2,3,4 bedroom luxury furnished apartments.Sundeck, Balconies, Skylights, 2 Full Baths, Cathedral Ceilings, Ceiling Fan, Laundry on each floor. Assigned parking. Sound proofing. Utility discount, security system. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

502 W. Green, U Aug 2004 A fireplace and a private balcony is what you will have with this cozy 4 bedroom, 2 full bath apartment. Nice furniture, fully carpeted, washer/dryer, garbage disposal, microwave, and dishwasher. Internet and cable ready, central air. $1120/month.

Call 352-3674 or 377-1552

805 S. Locust, C. 2 & 4 bedroom luxury furnished apartments. Contemporary furnishings, bi-level, laundry, AC, large rooms, microwave, dishwasher, parking. Aug. 2004. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

Great location Spring, furnished efficiency apartment all utilities included, 4th/ Chalmers rent negotiable. pdburnet@uiuc.edu

GREAT LOCATION! Spacious 1 BR of 4 at Third and Daniel. A/C, covered parking available, balcony, right by bus route, DW, W/D, Jan-May or longer. RENT NEGOTIABLE. Call Lauren @ (708)724-4740.

Spacious one bedroom unfurnished hardwood floors $475 negotiable.

217-259-9981 Spring 2004 Sublet. Efficiency near Beckman. $355 per month bbayer@uiuc.edu.

Other Rentals 500

Step 2: Print your ad below

Line ads are unbordered ads in the classified section. Use this form to place a line ad in the Thursday buzz classifieds.

For information on placing your line ad in The Daily Illini as well as buzz, or for display advertising rates, please give us a call at 337-8337.

25¢/word (prepaid) for each issue

Action ads are non-refundable and available only for ads in Services, Merchandise, & Transportation categories.

Choose 5 run dates at Step 3.

Any Thursday run dates will appear in buzz.

10 words 5 days, $7 20 word 5 days, $14

Garage Sale Ad Rain or Shine guarantee... if it rains the weekend of your sale, we’ll run your ad the next weekend for free.

In Thursday buzz and Friday DI 30 words $10

Name State Zip Phone (where you can be reached M-F 8-5)

Place my ad in category

Action Ad

Amount enclosed

Step 3: Choose your run dates

Efficiency rooms on campus $250-$310, all utilities paid. 3676626

Things to Do 700 VACATION | TRAVEL #1 SPRING BREAK COMPANY in Acapulco now offers 3 destinations!.

Go Loco in Acapulco, Party in Vallarta, or get Crazy in Cabo- with BIANCHI-ROSSI TOURS. Organize a group and travel for FREE. Book now before it’s too late! Call 800875-4525 or www.bianchi-rossi.com

Announcements800 Fraternities- Sororities Clubs- Student Groups Earn $1,000-$2,000 this semester with a proven CampusFundraiser 3 hour fundraising event. Our free programs make fundraising easy with no risks. Fundraising dates are filling quickly, so get with the program! It works. Contact CampusFundraiser at (888)923-3238, or visit www.campusfundraiser.com.

Campus Furnished Group Homes (On First, John, Clark, and Locust) 4-11 person, parking, porch, laundry, etc., August 2004.

337-8852 www.mhmproperties.com

Address

Line ad

ROOMS

HOUSES

Placing your ad in buzz is as easy as 1-2-3!

Step 1: Choose your deal

Quiet three bedroom , garage, W/D, mowing and garbage included. 2013 1/2 W. William, Champaign. Excellent credit and references required. $675 367-1406.

SUBLETS 1 BR. Close to campus (First & Daniel). Furnished. Utilities, parking included. Now or Spring thru August. $490. 217-721-1261.

New Security Building

PAID UTILITIES!

STEREO | TV | VIDEO 17” monitor, $65. Technics Stereo receiver, $60. Floor speakers $70.

5disk changer $25 obo bkooistr@uiuc.edu

2, 3, 4 bedroom luxury apartment

HOUSES

Mail this form with payment to: buzz classifieds 57 E. Green, Champaign, IL 61820 or bring it into our office at that address or at the DI @ the YMCA 1001 S. Wright St. Champaign, IL 61820

Place your ad in the Buzz Classifieds today!

337-8337

5:04 PM

Page 1

film & tv

WHAT WOULD SYVLIA DO? PROBABLY KILL HERSELF. | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

Drive-thru Reviews

25% Off Sale All vintage and used clothes

Daily Lunch and Dinner Specials Extensive Beer and Wine Selection Carry out available

retro and recycled clothing for men & women

355-weed M-W 11-6 Th-Sat 11-9 Sun 1-5 proud sponsor

Randolph

9 Taylor, Downtown Champaign

Church

Art Theatre

N

Proud sponsor of the Buzz Film Fest

Tommy G’s Fri., November 14 FREE FOOD FRIDAYS! 5-7 PM featuring David Davenport - free food, no cover!

This acoustic band knows every song ever written!

Sat., November 15

Will rogers

C-U’s favorite rock and roll cowboy! Make your new year’s plans now - performing this year at The G-spot is RENEGADE!

FREE MUSIC no cover weekdays!

BUBBA HO-TEP ★★ BRUCE CAMPBELL AND OSSIE DAVIS It’s a fact that low-budget horror movies can be successful, but Bubba Ho-Tep shows why some fail—with the poor look to the mummy to the cheesy looking beetles that infect the nursing home.With all these combined, it’s hard to take these scenes as seriously as Coscarelli wanted. (Ryan Bicking) Now showing at Boardman’s

Will Roger’s Acoustic Night Plus $2 Tuesdays - two dollar drafts,cans, dom. Bottles, well drinks, order of wings, basket-o-spuds, chips-n-salsa.

Thursdays - Pool Tourney, Cash Prizes, 7 PM

114 W. Church 359-7377 Daily at 11am

RADIO ★★ CUBA GOODING JR. AND ED HARRIS Cuba Gooding Jr. does his best to give a performance that will make his critics less likely to demand that he give back his Oscar after horrendous films such as Snow Dogs, but this film doesn’t do anything more than give a dramatic version of Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy. (Jason Cantone) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

RUNAWAY JURY ★★★ DUSTIN HOFFMAN AND GENE HACKMAN Based upon the best-selling John Grisham novel, this story was originally about tobacco farms, but becomes a tale of guns. Featuring two of the greatest actors alive, this film is exactly what a summer beach novel is good for: a lot of fun, provided that you suspend disbelief. (Jason Cantone) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

SCARY MOVIE 3 ★★★ CHARLIE SHEEN AND DENISE RICHARDS With the Wayans brothers gone, slapstick king David Zucker does his best to reinvent this dying franchise. Occasionally hilarious, but often stupid. (Andrew Crewell) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE ★ JESSICA BIEL AND MIKE VOGEL While on a drug run to Mexico, a bunch of people pick up a bloodied hitchhiker who has been attacked by someone or something. The movie substitutes screams and gore for the careful artistry that is present in the original, only to create the same formula that moviegoers have seen a hundred times before and are frankly quite tired of. (Aaron Leach) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

OPENING THIS WEEKEND

last spring. “They can hit me with the maximum sentence, and compared to what other people have lost, that’s easy.”

And by other people, Cook means other practicing Native Americans. Though Naanes and Cook describe themselves as Caucasian, Cook said one of his ancestors was Native American and he is part Cherokee Indian. Both Cook and Naanes were raised as Christians but adopted the Lakota religion in addition to their Christianity around 1995.

Cook and Naanes said they first started practicing the Native American religion after observing and researching it.

“I had always been interested in Native American culture knowing I had Cherokee ancestors,” Cook said. “I went to (a powwow) at Oneida, Wis., and it just felt like home. It was the greatest place I had ever been.”

Native Americans spiritually purify themselves.

“It was a path that accepted me totally for what I was,” Cook said. “We didn’t absorb it; it absorbed us.”

Cook is not a person who has always felt accepted.

A lifelong resident of Champaign County, he got into occasional trouble with the law as a teenager. He ran away from his mother several times to live with his alcoholic father, only to be placed back with his mother by government and school officials. He dropped out of high school three times before deciding to call it quits permanently a fourth time. Cook then joined the Navy for several years.

After the Navy, Cook worked a string of jobs including one as a tree surgeon.

He worked for the University briefly before being fired as part of what he called “a type of reverse discrimination.” He also once worked for a plastic company that is no longer in town, but he was fired from that job for showing up to work drunk.

“They fired me for being drunk one day,” Cook said. “But I wasn’t drunk; I was just hung over.”

Cook inherited his father’s alcoholism.

Though he is now rid of it, Cook still refers to the years during which he was an alcoholic as his “drinking days.”

As Cook told his life story, Naanes occasionally looked at him and rolled her eyes. He described himself as a “four-time high school dropout,” and Naanes interjected.

A Way of Life Though Naanes, who wears her slightly graying brown hair tied in a low ponytail and walks with a walking stick, looks like any average Midwestern white woman, Cook’s appearance reflects his adopted culture.

Cook wears his brown hair in two thin braids that fall midway across his chest. Pictures of Native Americans hang on his living room wall.

A Native American sweat lodge Cook built in the backyard, which sits beyond the scattered tires, rusted car parts and dog pens surrounding the small country house, is a testament to Cook’s devotion to the Lakota religion. Cook described the sweat lodge ceremony as a way

Q & A

How did you get into the restaurant business?

I had been in the beverage business with Coca-Cola and Anheuser Busch for 16 to 17 years and the Cochranes were one of my customers. We had always talked about doing something together.

JeffRyan

LILI TAYLOR AND MARY STEENBURGEN Six American women go to South America to adopt babies and are then forced to live there. So not only are these women pissed off about not being able to be new mothers, but they’re stuck in a country they don’t want to live in.

Expect a PMS display of Oscar-winning proportions in this John Sayles film. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Boardman’s

What is the history of Rocks?

Scott Cochrane, Tom Cochrane and I put our heads together and came up with the idea in October of 2001. Sadly, Tom Cochrane died of a heart attack shortly after and the project stalled for while his estate was settled. After that, we added our third partner, Dan Manolakes, who had been the owner of the White Horse, and went from there.

LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION

LOVE ACTUALLY ★★★★

MASTER AND COMMANDER

KEANU REEVES AND LAURENCE FISHBURNE In the utterly disappointing The Matrix: Revolutions, the Wachowskis simultaneously step away from that which made the previous films worthwhile and indulge in the elements that made them hollow. Gone are the eye-popping action sequences of high-tech originality and legitimate conceptions of a machine-oriented future spun out of control.

(Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy.

community

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

CASA DE LOS BABYS

JENNA ELFMAN AND STEVE MARTIN Remember the old days when a good cartoon made us laugh as the characters took a lickin’ and kept on tickin’?

This film takes Hollywood cameos to bring Bugs Bunny and Co. back into the spotlight. But with the recent DVDs only doing so-so business, this film could be a trickier sell than imagined. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Beverly and Savoy.

THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS ★★

Every Wednesday Kilborn Alley

KEVIN BACON AND SEAN PENN Three childhood friends are united after one loses his daughter.This story goes beyond the usual crime thriller and is filled with some brilliant performances expected to be honored with Oscars. (Andrew Vecelas) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

UMA THURMAN AND DAVID CARRADINE Kill Bill is raw entertainment that packs brains with its brawn.

That is because Tarantino is an expert at drawing feeling from his killers, robbers and sociopaths. In Kill Bill, Tarantino revisits his penchant for characters who have experienced past— and specifically, childhood—trauma, again hitting the mark with brave situational dichotomy.(Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

HUGH GRANT AND EMMA THOMPSON The film’s delicate blend of outrageous comedic scenes, which also prove that Brits can perform slapstick and dry humor equally, mix well with heartwarming confessions from each of the characters. Needless to say, keep a lookout for a wonderful dance sequence with Grant’s character.. The large ensemble cast is also made up of the “who’s who” of English actors. Laura Linney joins in too, and puts in a marvelous performance as an American wallflower who draws on everyone’s empathy without appearing fake. (Janelle Greenwood) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

Every Tuesday

www.tommygs.com

JOAQUIN PHOENIX AND PHIL COLLINS While American animators still have a long way to go to achieve the sheer grandeur and exhilarating imagination of foreign animation, such as in last year’s Spirited Away, Brother Bear shows they do have their moments. It’s just unfortunate that their visuals have to be spoiled by rudimentary plots, discardable characters and downright ugly music. (John Loos) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

KILL BILL: VOLUME ONE ★★★★

10 Adam wolf party& the hounds PM

123 S. Mattis, Champaign - Counrty Fair Mall, 359-2177

BROTHER BEAR ★★

WILL FERRELL AND JAMES CAAN The film itself really makes no attempts to hide its basic premise as a Christmas movie.There’s Santa, perfectly played by Ed Asner.There’s the head elf, portrayed by Bob Newhart.There’s the grumpy, anti-Christmas guy, James Caan. It’s like every Christmas television special and movie rolled into one. And therein lies its genius. (Dan Maloney) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

featuring food by Foudini’s

21 - American Heritage Band, 22 - Renegade

ANGELINA JOLIE AND CLIVE OWEN Its preachiness will repulse many viewers, but, as our elected officials are busy fomenting humanitarian crises, it’s a sermon comfortable Americans deserve to hear. While it’s unlikely audiences will elbow one another aside as they exit the theater in their haste to donate their stock portfolios to Amnesty International, the film’s heart is in the right place. (Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

ELF ★★★

Bar and Grill

Coming in November

Monday - Thursday 11am-9pm 308 N. Randolph, Champaign Nitaya Thai Ph: 359-6977

BEYOND BORDERS ★★★

MYSTIC RIVER ★★★★

buzz

RUSSELL CROWE AND PAUL BETTANY A bunch of guys on a boat deal with this little thing called the Napoleonic Wars, whatever those are. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Beverly and Savoy.

STOP MAKING SENSE

ALEX WEIR AND LYNN MABRY This has been considered by many critics to be the best concert film of all time. If it isn’t, this Talking Heads concert film is one of the most innovative. (Jason Cantone) Special showings at Boardman’s this weekend

SYLVIA

GWYNETH PALTROW AND BLYTHE DANNER If you’re looking for a film that will make you suicidal and depressed, this is the movie for you. Poet Sylvia Plath wasn’t exactly a bundle of joy. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Beverly

TUPAC: RESURRECTION

NARRATED BY TUPAC SHAKUR Tupac’s supposed to be dead, but here he narrates the story of his life. Uh huh. Yeah. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Savoy.

Champaign native and Peoria resident Jeff Ryan recently celebrated the long-awaited grand opening of his restaurant, Rocks, on Oct. 27. Ryan, also known as Rocky, is partowner of the bar and grill along with Scott Cochrane and Dan Manolakes. Rocks, located at 25 E. Springfield in Champaign, features a full menu and bar, and is open to the general public from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. when customers must be 21 to enter.

How did you come up with the idea for Rocks?

I had always liked this location. We knew we had a good physical facility, nice patio and pretty good parking at this location. After Tom died, and Dan came in, we continued to develop the menu. Soozie Robinson helped with the decorating and we spent hours at Borders, picking out the decor and colors.

There were over 1,000 people that were involved in this project.

What is the atmosphere like at Rocks?

I don’t think we have quite nailed it down yet, but it is clean and friendly. We do everything we possibly can to provide the best service. We want people to have a good time and good service.

5

PHOTO | KATY MULL

24

11/12/03

PHOTO | ADAM YOUNG

1113buzz0524

William Cook and Sherry Naanes review some of their photocopies of a Sports Illustrated article that mentioned Chief Illiniwek.

What has been the biggest challenge of opening a new business?

The length of time it took. There were also a lot of decisions. I would say there (were) over 40,000 decisions, from the small ones, like what kind of salt shakers to have, to major ones. It was also difficult staying within budget and knowing the difference between what we wanted to have and what we needed to have. I used to ask the question, ‘Will this sell another cheeseburger?’ to help us decide.

What kinds of food and drink does Rocks offer?

It is pretty standard fare. We want diverse clients but we offer American food. We do have nonmeat dishes on the menu, like salads and garden burgers. I enjoy red meat but I know not everyone does.

What makes Rocks different from other bars and grills?

There are a lot of great places in the Champaign-Urbana market, so it’s a challenge to come with something unique. We are aware of competitive pricing and we do our best to offer a good value. We are looking forward to the spring with the patio.

What is the best part of your job?

At 48 years old, I have teased people that I have finally found what I want to do when I grow up. I enjoy people and like to meet new people, both customers and employees. I like to tease that I am Sam Malone from Cheers.

What would you be doing if you didn’t own Rocks?

I would still be in sales or sales management.

But, it is going to work out here. So many people have come up to me and said this fills a void for them. My wife asked me the other day what I would do if this didn’t work out, and I told her I would probably go down on North Prospect by 1-74 and hold a sign that said ‘Will work for food.’

Have you had any nights that stand out thus far?

We opened Oct. 27 and we anticipated that Halloween would be a big night. It was a good night, but not great. Last Friday was on though; it was jumping from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

What are some of your other interests outside work?

My family; I have a wife and two daughters, ages 13 and 10, that still are in Peoria. I am working on completing my undergrad degree from (the) University of Illinois. I went here in the ‘80s, met my wife here, but never finished. I have been working on getting my degree on and off since then. I am also an avid sports fan.

What is your goal for Rocks?

I don’t want Rocks to be just a sports bar, but a place where you can sit and catch the game too. I have been to a lot of college towns to watch games, and I want to make Rocks a watering hole on the U of I circuit. I want visitors to feel welcome.

5:03 PM

Page 1

community

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

boisterous shows of emotion by fans throughout the Hall. The plaintiffs were not acting in an objectively different manner than other patrons at the Assembly Hall except that the content of their messages was one that the defendants objected to.”

Redwood said his wife and boss, Jude Redwood, is representing Cook despite the fact that he doesn’t have much money. The front of Cook’s house is marred by peeling white paint, and a black string serves as a

“Oh, Dean,” she said. She then redirected her attention. “He has his GED.” “I do have my GED,” Cook said. “I kept promising my grandmother I’d get it.”

Though Cook is known as William Cook to most of the community because of media attention and litigation, most of his friends and family call him Dean. Cook’s mother changed his full name to William Cecil Dean Cook after he was born to settle a family dispute. But she never legally had his name changed, so his legal name is just William Cecil Cook.

Cook began to turn his life around as he slowly adopted Native American culture and the Lakota religion in the mid-1990s. Cook became an active protester after seeing the documentary In Whose Honor? about the Chief debate.

“What finally threw me over the edge was Susan Gravenhorst in (the documentary),” Cook said, referring to the former University trustee. “I heard her say the Chief is a symbol and not a mascot too many times.”

Cook said he looked up the word “symbol” in the dictionary and found that it was defined as something that represents something else. He felt the term “symbol” dehumanized Native Americans.

“I call it reflective education,” he said. “I try to reflect what they call honor and respect back at them. Once I’d seen that (film) and got the dictionary out, that was when I brought the other leg over the fence. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Cook said he filed the lawsuit against the University police officers and security guards “so that hopefully no one else has to go through this in the future. By filing this lawsuit I am exercising my responsibility as a U.S. citizen to protect the Constitution of this great nation.”

Checker Cab

be years before the suit reaches a conclusion.

In the meantime, Cook and Naanes will continue to protest, attending as many Illini games as they can afford to. Cook said he’s not sure how large a part, if any, his protests played in the Board’s decision to reexamine the Chief as a mascot today, but he feels every bit helps.

“When I’m protesting, I’m addressing the mascot on the floor,” Cook said.

“And I’m hoping a lot of people are listening.” buzz

buzz NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

moviereview

LEGEND OF SURIYOTHAI ★★

M

film & tv

| THAILAND TO THE EXTREME BABY!

ovies with honor, love, betrayal, family grudges, deceit, coup d’etats, beheadings and major wars shouldn’t be boring.

Unfortunately, boredom is exactly what The Legend of Suriyothai delivers.

The Legend of Suriyothai was produced by Francis Ford Coppola, the same man who gave the public The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but fails to live up to the film legend’s reputation. Though the cinematography is smooth and flowing, the war scenes appear choppy and slow.

Legend promised to delivery large, almost epic war scenes, using 3,500 extras and 160 elephants, yet the war scenes seem slow, passionless and small. Slow-moving fighters on the elephants, poor swordsmanship by infantry and an uninspiring leader causes the major battle scenes to fall short of their potential.

The movie is based on the story of a princess named Suriyothai who sacrifices her life to

save her husband, the king. In the film, though, it seems that Suriyothai is a minor character and that her husband, Prince Tien, is reluctant to take the crown. Suriyothai doesn’t even love her husband. Though it isn’t really developed properly, her true love is a warrior named Lord Peren, who leads the majority of troops in the final battle scene.

The story supposedly goes that Suriyothai sacrifices her life to save her husband’s, but in the battle she fights in, it seems that her life is needlessly wasted. She rides an elephant into battle carrying a long weapon that she can barely wield. The man whose hand she falls to is clearly a seasoned warrior and has no trouble killing the brave Suriyothai. Her death appears to inspire the troops, though it does not appear to save her husband’s life.

In the beginning of the movie it is established Suriyothai is somewhat rebellious to rules, which foreshadows her fighting for her country; women fighting in the army was not common practice.

Suriyothai’s character is not developed or concentrated on enough to have the audience care that she dies. Her death feels more like a plot device than the death of a legendary princess who sacrifices her life so that her country would live on. The most emotion we see from Suriyothai is from her teenage years when she is apparently in love with Lord Peren, who would eventually become a great warrior.

Their relationship is never really developed,

23

RECENT FILMS FROM THAILAND

LEGEND OF SURIYOTHAI | SIRIWIMOL CHAROENPURA though, and Suriyothai has a happy marriage, though it is arranged to Prince Tien, son of the second king. Suriyothai seems to be mostly a passive observer throughout the turbulent times of the kingdom.

The loved king dies of small pox, and his heir is too young to take power. The jealous second king kills the heir and takes power himself.

His high consort has an affair and becomes pregnant. She then kills the current king and the heir so that her unborn baby’s father can become king. Suriyothai, at this point, tells Prince Tien to bring back his family’s dynasty and take the thrown. He instead becomes a monk. Soon after he is ordained, though, he makes an order to kill the current king, the queen and their infant heir. Though all of this happened, it is extremely drawn out and boring at times.

AGAINST ALL (1990) Gangster Fai's girlfriend Suet is constantly harassed by a gangster named Twelve.

Eventually, Fai and Twelve butt heads, and Fai's uncle is injured. Fai decides to take action to put Twelve out of commission once and for all BANGKOK DANGEROUS (2000) A hitman is forced to choose between the detached, remote existence he leads as a calculating killer, and the chance he has to reinvent himself as a participant in a relationship and normal society as a whole.

FEAR FAITH REVENGE (1998) The story involves an all-boy Catholic school that has some bizarre seniority system where older students haze freshmen under the generally approving eye of the Catholic priests and headmasters. It is also an attempt at a ghost story, but it doesn’t quite work.

NANG NOK (1999) This beautifully sad retelling of an old Thai legend tells the story of a young wife who so loved her husband that she could not leave him upon her premature death but returned to live with him as a ghost. Slowmoving and haunting, with little emphasis on the potentially scary aspects of the story, it is a tale that is distant yet touching.

355.1236 105 N. Market St. Downtown Champaign PHOTO | BRAD KAHLER

The Lawsuit Erik Redwood, husband, paralegal and spokesman for Cook’s attorney, said Cook, Naanes and Wegeng filed the lawsuit as a matter of principle.

“They arrested him because they didn’t like what he screamed,” Redwood said. “They don’t have a right to be the thought police. One of the purposes of free speech is to create unrest.”

According to the lawsuit: “The University of Illinois women’s basketball game that was taking place in Assembly Hall on Jan. 27, 2002, was an atmosphere of continuous loud and raucous yelling, cheering, jeering, swearing and other

makeshift handle for Cook’s front door.

“We’re devoting time to it because he was done such a terrible wrong,” Redwood said.

“They’ll take away your freedoms if you don’t fight for them.”

Redwood said his wife admires Cook. “He’s a person that she respects,” he said.

The 10-count civil rights complaint seeks $250,000 in compensatory damages for each count and additional money for punitive damages and attorney’s fees. Redwood said it might

buzz

BY PAUL WAGNER | STAFF WRITER

William Cook waits outside a courtroom at the Champaign County Courthouse at the start of his hearing on May 2.

Whatever you need, CALL...

355-3553

Open 24/7 *excluding Christmas Eve.

Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Festival

Let us blow our horn!

Yellow Checker Taxi Cab is a full survice transportation company with sedans, minivans, short vans long vans and pick-up trucks.

6

11/12/03

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

1113buzz0623

EAT IN TAKE OUT DRIVE THRU l

l

over $12 $1 charge between $8–$12

$4.99 ALL DAY “QUALITY AND QUANTITY....WE’RE ALWAYS THE BEST” 1209 N. Prospect Ave • Phone 351-8808 • Fax 351-9878 Hours: Mon-Sat. 10:30am-11pm Sun. 10:30am-10:30pm No Personal Checks

“Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Festival”

Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Festival

5:22 PM

Page 1

film & tv

THAT ELF IS GOING TO STREAK THE QUAD! | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

SAVOY 16 Route 45 & Burwash Ave.

moviereview

(217)

355-FILM

$5.50 Kids all shows

$5.75 DAILY Matinees til 6pm & Seniors $6.25 Late Shows Fri & Sat $6.25 Students $7.25 Evenings Mon - Thurs No passes ALL DIGITAL STEREO Unlimited Free Drink Refills & .25¢ Corn Refills

Stadium Seating Gives YOU An Unobstructed View All Rocking Chairs

SHOWTIMES 11/14 - 11/20

MASTER AND COMMANDER (PG-13) 2 PRINTS / 2 SCREENS 12:55, 3:40, 6:25, 9:10 STADIUM SEATING 1:25, 4:10, 6:55, 9:40 LOONEY TUNES BACK IN ACTION (PG) (SAT/SUN 11:00)11:50, 1:00, 1:45, 3:00, 3:40, 5:00, 5:35, 7:00, 7:30, 9:35 FRI/SAT LS 11:35 TUPAC: RESURRECTION (R) STADIUM SEATING 12:40, 3:00, 5:20, 7:40, 9:55 FRI/SAT LS 12:10 MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (R) 5 PRINTS / 5 SCREENS 1:20, 4:10, 7:00, 9:25, 9:50 FRI/SAT LS 12:00 STADIUM SEATING 1:00, 3:50, 6:40, 8:00, 8:30, 9:30 FRI/SAT LS 11:00, 11:10 ELF (PG) 2 PRINTS / 2 SCREENS 12:55, 3:05, 5:10, 7:15 STADIUM SEATING 1:10, 3:25, 5:30, 7:35, 9:40 FRI/SAT LS 11:45 BROTHER BEAR (G)2 PRINTS / 2 SCREENS 1:45, 3:40, 5:45, 7:30, 9:25 FRI/SAT LS 11:20 STADIUM SEATING 12:00, 1:55, 3:50, 5:45 LOVE ACTUALLY (R) (SAT/SUN 11:00) 1:40, 4:15, 6:50, 9:25 FRI/SAT LS 12:00 SCARY MOVIE 3 (PG-13) 11:50, 1:50, 3:50, 5:50, 7:50, 9:50 FRI/SAT LS 11:50 RADIO (PG) 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40 FRI/SAT LS 11:50 RUNAWAY JURY (PG-13) 9:20 FRI/SAT LS 11:50 THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (R)

1:20, 3:30, 5:25, 7:20, 9:20 FRI/SAT LS 11:20 MYSTIC RIVER (R) STADIUM SEATING

12:30, 3:10, 5:50

COUPON

20OZ.DRINK

with $2.50 purchase of 46oz. bag of buttery popcorn

one per ad @ Savoy 16 Exp. Dec. 2003 "DI"

BEST DEAL in eNewsletter at www.savoy16.com

www.savoy16.com

INTOLERABLE CRUELTY (PG–13) Fri. - Thu. 9:15 11:15 MASTER & COMMANDER (PG–13) - Thu. 12:45 1:15 KILL BILL VOLUME I (R) Fri. 3:45 4:15 6:45 7:15 9:30 10:00 Thu. 5:15 9:45 12:00 12:10

(2 SCREENS) Fri.

MYSTIC RIVER (R) Fri. - Thu. LOONEY TUNES (PG) (2 SCREENS) 1:15 4:00 6:45 9:30 12:15 Fri. - Thu. 1:00 1:30 3:00 3:30 5:00 5:30 7:00 9:00 11:00 RADIO (PG) Fri. - Thu. 1:00 3:15 5:30 7:45 10:00 12:15 LOVE ACTUALLY (R) Fri. Thu. 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:40 12:15

SCARY MOVIE 3 (PG–13) Fri. Thu. 1:10 3:00 5:00 7:00 9:00 11:00

◆ MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (R)

(4 SCREENS) Fri.

- Thu. 12:45 1:00 1:15 4:00 4:15 4:30 7:00 7:15 7:30 7:45 9:35 9:50 10:05 10:15 SCHOOL OF ROCK (PG–13) Fri. - Thu. 1:00 3:10 5:30 7:40 12:10 9:50 12:00 BROTHER BEAR (G) (2 SCREENS) CHAINSAW MASSACRE (R) Fri. - Thu. 1:00 1:30 3:00 3:30 Fri. - Thu. 1:00 3:05 7:30 5:00 5:30 7:00 7:15 9:00 11:00 SYLVIA (R) Fri. - Thu. 1:00 3:10 ELF (PG) (2 SCREENS) Fri. - Thu. 5:20 7:30 9:45 12:00 1:00 1:30 3:00 3:30 5:00 5:30 7:00 7:30 9:00 9:30 11:00 11:30

moviereview

ELF

LOVE ACTUALLY

★★★

★★★★

BY DAN MALONEY | STAFF WRITER

BY JANELLE GREENWOOD | STAFF WRITER

W

D

ill Ferrell’s holiday-themed comedy, Elf, opens with a simple set of rules: 1) Treat every day as if it were Christmas. 2) There is room for everybody on the nice list. 3) The best way is to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

This is the Code of the Elves, and the cuteness that director Jon Favreau introduces here continues throughout the film. The audience will be surprised despite all of this sugary sweetness. It won’t make them feel as if they are about to vomit.

The film itself really makes no attempts to hide its basic premise as a Christmas movie.

There’s Santa, perfectly played by Ed Asner.

There’s the head elf, portrayed by Bob Newhart. There’s the grumpy, anti-Christmas guy, James Caan. It’s like every Christmas television special and movie rolled into one. And therein lies its genius.

When the film begins, people will expect this film to be a failed attempt to revitalize the Christmas season that seemed so big and exciting when we were 4 years old. After seeing Ferrell walk around in tights and get into a fight with a raccoon, every opinion was reversed and the audience immediately recognized how wrong they were.

The premise is that an infant, Buddy (Ferrell), accidentally crawled into Santa’s bag and was adopted by the bumbling Newhart we all know and love. Buddy decides he is going to find his father (Caan), who is the antithesis of all that Buddy knows and loves. The confrontation follows the typical Hollywood scenario: introduction, humor by awkwardness, humor by acceptance, confrontation, heartwarming resolve. However, the point of this typical formula is to allow the audience to be able to relate and recall the old Christmas specials: Frosty The Snowman, Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer, Jack Frost, etc. There’s even a bridge scene almost identical to the one in It’s A Wonderful Life.

Boardman’s

NEW LINE CINEMA

22

11/12/03

ELF | WILL FERRELL The film itself doesn’t go without its flaws.

Many cinema attendees and Ferrell fans will expect the slapstick situational comedy of Old School and Saturday Night Live.

Make sure not to enter the film expecting Don’t underestimate the entertainment value of Elf. Take this scene, which most people in the theater laughed at. Buddy finds out that Santa, a perfectly placed Artie Lange (remember Dirty Work?), is coming to Gimbels, a New York City department store, and discovers that Santa really isn’t Santa.

A fight scene commences and the film shows Ferrell in a state of innocence that is completely unique to what he’s been in as of late.

Another fish-out-of-water scene has Peter Dinklage, the dwarf who attained recent stardom in The Station Agent, fighting Ferrell over Buddy’s assumptions of Peter being an elf.

These awkward scenes, although they don’t really fit into the flow of the film, don’t really take away from the overall feelings of innocence and happiness we all used to experience sitting around the television during the week before Christmas.

To truly appreciate this film, one must step outside the conventions of Ferrell, of Favreau and of what the film audience considers typical for the two to produce. If those even remotely interested in the film are able to do that, run, don’t walk to the theater, bring a date and sit back and enjoy. If the interested are unable to do so, go anyway and enjoy something that will remind all of the Christmas Spirit of which the Elves speak.

Art Theatre

126 W. Church St. Champaign, IL

Casa de los Babys R runs 95 minutes directed by John Sayles, starring Marcia Gay Harden, daryl Hannah, Mary Steenburgen, Lili Taylor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, & Rita Moreno.

Presented in HPS-4000/DD

Bubba Ho-Tep

Nightly at 7 pm, matinees on Sat/Sun at 3 pm

Daily at 5:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.

R, HELD OVER!, runs 92 minutes, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis Presented in HPS-4000/DD.

Stop Making Sense NR Talking Heads concert film!

directed by Johnathan Demme. Runs 88 minutes, presented in HPS-4000/DD Midnight shows, Friday & Saturday.

Showtimes for 11/14 thru 11/20

BOARDMAN’S THEATRES www.BoardmansTheatres.com 1-800-BEST PLACE (800-237-8752) 217/355-0068

espite its slightly sappy trailer as a romantic comedy for the holidays, Love Actually is actually one of the best films to come out of this genre in a long time.

It’s no accident that the film works. Tim Bevan, the producer of every Hugh Grant success story—Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Four Weddings and Funeral—decided to outdo himself with this latest installment.

The film is a charming Christmas tale wrapped up in several British romances, ranging from the powerful Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) to a young boy falling for the school princess. This wide mix makes some plotlines more sticky sweet than others, but fortunately the sequences balance each other out.

These stories seem to exist as separate entities until the end of the film, unfortunately, which does take away from some of its continuity. The audience, however, will be too busy laughing at the film’s unapologetic humor that grabs at the funny bone and refuses to let go until the end.

As a refreshing twist, the film takes a wonderful stab at the cheesy Christmas music that comes out every year with a fictitious singer who calls himself out on his own bull during every radio and television interview he gets.

The choice of using London as a backdrop suits this film nicely because it still provides a sense of refinement, so as to not completely shock and horrify its viewers through these great comedic outtakes.

Honesty and realism are rewarded throughout the film again and again through the choices in script as well as delivery, and the audience is going to appreciate not being duped as morons who can’t handle it. The film carries an R rating, but this comes from the fact that comedy comes from the rudeness of daily life.

The film’s delicate blend of outrageous comedic scenes, which also prove that Brits can perform slapstick and dry humor equally, mix well with heartwarming confessions from each of the characters. Needless to say, keep a lookout for a wonderful dance sequence with Grant’s character, together with a classic Pointer Sister’s tune.

The large ensemble cast is also made up of the “who’s who” of English actors, including Emma Thompson and Colin Firth, who all shine as the crème de le crème of the British romantic comedy. Laura Linney joins in too, and puts in a marvelous performance as an American wallflower who draws on everyone’s empathy without appearing fake.

Many Christmas comedies will arrive this season to chose from, but this charming romantic comedy will deliver all the shocking and cheeky wit that will delight any bloke as a favorite for years to come.

buzz

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | THIS STICK GUY REALLY CUTS THE RUG! OW!

Dance hits high-tech

BY KATIE RICHARDSON | ARTS EDITOR

7

arts

The composer/interactive music designer, Bradford Blackburn, will translate the movements of nside a small laboratory on the Engineering dancers, musicians and Quad at the University of Illinois early Sunday projected images into morning, Visiting Assistant Professor Luc music through the use of Vanier puts what seem like innumerable small virtual instruments. A orbs on dancer Anna Marks’ leotard. The “Virtual Marimba” will be Quad north of Green Street is a strange place played with customized to see two members of the Fine Arts mallets that are tracked Association conducting dance practice. using infrared motion capHowever, such endeavors are normal for this ture cameras. Four speakdance instructor, who has been experimenting ers will pick up and project for the last two years on visual interactive the sounds of movement dance in the Integrated Systems Lab at the from both the dancers and the audience. The producBeckman Institute at the University.

The production Vanier is currently working tion is not only interactive on, E-motion 2, will take place Nov. 18-22. It with the artwork in the can be seen in the Krannert Art Museum dur- 20th century room, but ing the open hours of the museum, from 9 a.m. also the viewers.

During rehearsal on to 5 p.m.

During the performance, computerized Sunday, Marks was fitted images of two and three person groups of with several small round dancers will appear on two screens, which are electronic cameras. The essentially two walls of the 20th century room dots are placed in trianguof the museum. In total, the performance will lar patterns around her feature nine dancers. The dancers will be bro- joints. Ten digital cameras ken into the smaller groups due to the long are placed in a circle hours that the performance will be going on around the laboratory. The This figure is the computerized translation of Anna Marcks’ body movements. for. The dancers’ computerized images will digital cameras will register interact with several pieces of art that have the small electronic camVanier ’s strong interest and resulting been saved on five files containing images of eras when Marks enters the circle they have er. So, in that sense, this provides restrictions been placed in. A resulting human outline that form (new) movement itself,” says Vanier. experimentation in this technology has impliart that will be projected on the screens.

Marks is a graduate student in dance at the cations that also effect the dancers’ artistic composed of dots appears on a computer screen manned by Hank University, and this is the first time she has views of themselves.

“A dancer relies on their body as their mediKaczmarski, director of the integra- participated in a high-tech dance production, tive systems lab. However, this “per- though she has previously seen a similar um, but in this production you become more of a conduit for art rather than the art itself, it’s son” is missing a key ingredient— Vanier production.

“It’s very different to participate in one of very interesting. As a dancer you work and lines that connect the dots and make the figure distinctly human. This fig- these productions rather than to watch it. You you work and you work, trying to achieve perure will be saved as an animated rep- have a different sense of exposure than when fection, but then you see a computer that can resentation that will be projected dur- you are on a traditional stage, a different sense go above and beyond what you can do. It’s ing the upcoming performance on the of vulnerability. There is more that can go very humbling,” says Marks.

Marks also indicates that some people wrong because the audience is right there. But walls of Krannert.

“This is the hard part,” says in that same way, the audience is also a part of believe that one day computer dancers will Kaczmarski as he starts to connect the the production. They can directly affect the replace real dancers. However, she is quick to triangular patterns with lines, “this is sounds that will be made by, say, running too counter that notion, stating she does not believe that will ever happen. where we remember that we didn’t fast past a speaker,” comments Marks.

For his part, Vanier sees many artistic According to Kaczmarski, the cameras and learn anything in anatomy class.”

There is difficulty in deciphering computer system that enable this to take place changes that could arise from use of the dot that indicates the ankle from were originally purchased by the University in this technology.

“For one we choreograph according to the the dot that indicates the toe, but soon order to further studies in kinesiology.

“Six weeks after we got it, Luc was in a tools we have. Motion capture permits us to a clearly defined human stick figure appears on the screen. The image is leotard in (the lab) trying (the system) move in very small way and have the greatest impact on the images affected. I don't see an ‘avatar,’ which is a computerized out,” says Kaczmarski.

Vanier has been dealing with video technol- things changing more drastically, just that it version of Marks’ body, and once that version has been drawn on the com- ogy since 1991 and operated his own videog- would be more supportive to create the magic puter screen it is time to dance. raphy company, taping dance in the of the theater. This magic cannot come from Dancing, though, is different when Akron/Cleveland, Ohio, area. He has been at technology, it can only come from the art of choone is ornamented with tiny cameras. the University for the last six years, his thesis reography (in dance anyway) but the various “It changes the way you have to project researched the use of video in dance, tools sure can help the magic,”said Vanier. buzz choreograph. The dancers are limited entitled “Life and Death in 12 Minutes.” He Vanier’s magic will be on view on Nov. 18because they can’t roll on the floor; has also been a member of FAA’s Computing Dancers are fitted with electronic cameras that convey their 22 at Krannert Art Museum. they can’t get too close to one anoth- for the Arts for the last four years. body movements.

I

PHOTOS | ADAM YOUNG

1113buzz0722

5:02 PM

Page 1

arts

8

ONLY WHO CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES? A. YOU B. ME | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

BY NIK GALLICCHIO | STAFF WRITER

S

tephanie Faison is one of the most interesting people one could ever meet. She currently works in the law clinic at the University of Illinois. She took as many art classes as she could as a student, working in all mediums: pottery, photography, painting and the like. So far, Faison seems to be successful at all her endeavors, from answering her question about God’s existence to developing her own photographs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE FAISON

What inspires you?

Every evening my family would watch the New Mexico sun set from our view, perched on top of ‘ranch country.’ The atmosphere was imbued with golden light—the colors of the sunset were so vivid you could feel them on your face. I am persuaded that man and this

Stepmanie Faison’s Houston’s.

world in which we live is the product of God’s imagination, not vice versa. There is no way all this is by chance or the result of an explosion. God is the source of my inspiration; not only is he a scientist, he is unquestionably an artist as well. In college, I double majored in biology and art in an effort to answer the question of God’s existence. In both studies, however, the ‘why’ of life remained unanswered. I came to the conclusion that the only answer to the question ‘why’ is ‘because God says so’—that everything, including all inspiration comes from God, be it scientifically or artistically expressed. Or else I’ll have to agree with Monty Python’s theory that the meaning of life is 42.

Stanley Clark.

You can tell what he is feeling by the sound of his breathing and the slip of his fingertips along the neck of the guitar.

PHOTO | NIK GALLICCHIO

ARTIST CORNER

What are the underlying themes in your work?

Adventure and exploration, whether spiritual, terrestrial or psychological. My work is a form of introspection expressed in a tangible language utilizing imagery, either specific or symbolic.

What piece have you chosen to showcase and why?

The name of it is ‘Houston’s,’ and it is a reproduction of a picture I had taken in Houston’s Chicago restaurant waiting area. I consider it to be one of the more intriguing pieces I’ve painted because the perspective is similar to the reflection one would see if they positioned two mirrors facing each other— one of those endless images inside the other. Though the painting doesn’t necessarily self-reflect, the perspective is such that it would lead you to want to walk through the door and continue to wherever it leads, regardless of the possibility of finding a repetitive outcome.

What environment do you prefer to work in?

I love working in the studio while playing jazz—the louder the better. Like art, it’s a language of its own. It tells a story and conveys emotions in a nonverbal manner. A good example is guitarist

Where can you find the best conversation in town?

Between working full time, attending classes and spending time in my studio, I’m sorry to say I don’t get out much during the semester. I don’t know where to find the best conversation. Help! Someone, please tell me!

Once Upon a Mattress BY: KATIE RICHARDSON | ARTS EDITOR

T

his weekend (Nov. 14 and 15 at 8:00 p.m. with a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 16) the Illini Union Board will be putting on a presentation of Once Upon A Mattress at Foellinger Auditorium. Actor Adam Pasen answers some questions concerning the play.

Who are some of the main characters as well as the actors who portray them?

Some of the main characters include Princess Winefred the Woebegone (Colleen Fee), Prince Dauntless (Kevin Hooper), Queen Agravaine (Courtney Lewis), Lady Larken (Erika Holleb), Sir Harry (Jeff Dare), King Sextimus the Silent (Chris Kliege), the Minstrel (Frank Paul), the Jester (Adam Pasen) and the Wizard (Joe Jurek).

Could you give a short summary of the play?

The show is basically the story of the princess and the pea, except on crack. The king is a sex fiend, the Queen has a reverse Oedipal complex for her son and the princess does a strip show. Add in a new kingdomwide decree that nobody is

buzz

moviereview

THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS ★★

BY MATT PAIS | LEAD REVIEWER

A

fter five years and three films, filmmaking brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski have transformed the term “matrix” from an intellectual idiom to a cultural icon. It wasn’t so long ago that discussion of matrices was relegated to the classroom; now, just hearing the word “matrix” creates swirling, sci-fi images of flickering neon green amidst the bullet-time effects that drew such a faithful fan base to the original film.

In the utterly disappointing The Matrix: Revolutions, the Wachowskis simultaneously step away from that which made the previous films worthwhile and indulge in the elements that made them hollow. Gone are the eye-popping action sequences of high-tech originality and legitimate conceptions of a machine-oriented future spun out of control. Instead, they are replaced by the trilogy’s worst dialogue—a

dvdreview

THE MATRIX: RELOADED ★★★

BY JOHN PIATEK | STAFF WRITER

W

21

film & tv

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 20, 2003 | THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS NEED A NEW JOB.

e raised the bar so high that now there is no bar,” boasts a production staffer for The Matrix: Reloaded. The Matrix: Reloaded set out to be louder, faster, smarter and more beautiful than any movie ever made. In the bonus disc of the DVD set, viewers can see how.

The Matrix: Reloaded is a sequel to the 1999 smash hit The Matrix, considered by many to be the Star Wars of today’s youth. The premise is that machines control the world and have enslaved humans by using a computer program named the “matrix” to simulate the lives of all people, which they use to control them.

Some humans, led by Neo (Keanu Reeves), have discovered this and fight back against the machines.

Reloaded has undoubtedly some of the most intense action sequences ever choreographed and filmed. In order to make this movie, the production crews had to invent new technologies and create perhaps the most elaborate sets and stunts ever. They even built their own

bold statement for a series dominated by pseudo-sophisticated psychobabble—and battle scenes that reek of over-budgeted narcissism.

So what exactly changed from the original The Matrix, a deeply flawed but cerebrally exciting experiment that toyed with the limits of mainstream scientific understanding? Most noticeably, Revolutions exists on an extraordinarily grand level that practically wipes the series clean of its self-contained specificity. The Matrix was a mystifying piece of exaggerated techno-rubbish that succeeded because beneath the stop-motion, high-flying martial arts, it was the small-scale story of a lone man living in a world in which the more he understands, the bigger it seems. Revolutions, on the other hand, is about as large-scale and impersonal as anything this year.

As the fight to save Zion continues, the overly complicated story feels less like a futuristic power struggle between good and evil and more like a lovesick, explosion-driven commercial for dark sunglasses and black trench coats.

The film attempts to step inside the emotions of the empty, expressionless characters and establish love as a unique, essential human emotion.

Such a subtly complex theme is beyond the trigger-happy Wachowskis’ grasp, however, gratingly obvious when perpetual clone Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) tells Neo (Keanu Reeves), “Only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love.”

In fact, it could be said that the entire Matrix trilogy is a valiant, but failed, attempt at instillhighway so they could film on it.

The bonus DVD offers an opportunity to explore how the movie was made. With over an hour of material, there is enough to appease fans. One of the highlights is a documentary on the creation of the famous highway scene. That scene featured a motorcycle chase, a fight on the top of a truck, people jumping from one vehicle to another, perhaps a dozen explosions and nearly 100 cars whizzing by. The DVD outlines the steps needed to accomplish this, from preproduction sketches to advanced computer modeling.

One of the nonmainstream features on the DVD is an explanation for the product placements and advertisements. Usually a movie signs a deal with a company to put its product in the movie, like a character wearing a Nike shirt, for instance. The Matrix: Reloaded was very different. For the cell phones used in the movie, the writers drew up a prototype before production and then shopped it around to potential manufacturers.

The DVD also has the standard interviews with cast and staff. Fans will like hearing Keanu Reeves’ impression of his character Neo and Laurence Fishburne’s inspiration for his portrayal of Morpheus. Hugo Weaving also jokes about the shock of having to act with 13 other people who look just like his character Agent Smith and the plaster molds of his face used so that in some scenes there are hundreds of his characters on scene at once.

The DVD’s best feature is the hilarious parody of The Matrix: Reloaded from the 2003 MTV

ing big ideas into an otherwise brain-dead body. There’s no one better to play Neo than Reeves, an actor criticized for his stoic emptiness and finally given permission to speak in monosyllabic confusion. Yet, he remains a strikingly unengaging hero, even amongst a slew of emotionally blank canvases like Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). Even worse, the relationship between Neo and Trinity continues to be especially free of chemistry or logic—particularly because they have had three movies to develop as justifiable love interests.

There’s a grand effort to make the final installment of this cult phenomenon bigger, brawnier and more satisfying: the sentinels are faster, the Oracle (Mary Alice, replacing the late Gloria Foster) is sassier and the conversational ambiguity hits an astounding high. Virtually every line of dialogue has twice as many words as it should but half the information. (Sample exchange: Oracle: “No one can see beyond a choice they don’t understand.” Neo: “What choice?” Oracle: “It doesn’t matter.”) For all of its thesaurus employing prophesying, Revolutions only accentuates the series’ existing obsession with philosophical techno-speak.

But while some moments are indeed bigger—the explosive, airborne climax practically flies out of the screen—little of Revolutions is better than even the weakest moments in The Matrix or The Matrix: Reloaded. Fishburne spends the entire film with his back arched and lips pursed, resigning the typically somber

WARNER BROS FILMS

11/12/03

THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS | KEANU REEVES Morpheus to a virtually speechless caricature of enigmatic wisdom. At best, the Morpheus character served as a halfway decent, Mr. Miyagiinspired mentor for Neo, but the novelty of the stern, ninja guru has long since faded.

More importantly, the freshness of the matrix itself has gone stale, an all-too familiar incarnation of fantastic technophobia. Laugh-out-loud meditations on love and giant, walking robots are the remnants of an innovative concept and state-of-the-art effects gone terribly astray.

Revolutions opens with the cold, hard feeling of spoiled leftovers, and plays out as a wreck in which the dangers of limitless machination take form and establish The Matrix series as little more than a disastrous, self-fulfilling prophecy.

C-UViews THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS ★★★★ WARNER BROS. FILMS

1113buzz0821

THE MATRIX: RELOADED | JADA PINKETT-SMITH Movie Awards. Sean William Scott and Justin Timberlake get trapped in the matrix on the way to hosting the MTV awards. Stuck in the matrix, they run into Andy Dick, who is obsessed with Morpheus in a naughty way.

Then they meet The Oracle, Wanda Sykes, who convinces Timberlake to do the robot dance as she grinds on him. Confused, the duo make their way to the Architect’s room, where the Architect is played by none other than Will

SCREEN REVIEW GUIDE

★★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★ no stars

Flawless Good Mediocre Bad Unwatchable

Nnamdi Otuwa Champaign

“The final scene was awesome, insane.”

★★★★ Kenn Forberg Champaign

“If you liked the second one, you’ll like this one.”

★★ Nicholas Demma Champaign

“The acting was too corny for the plot.”

20

11/12/03

calendar

5:01 PM

Page 1

WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com | NOVEMBER 6-NOVEMBER 12, 2003

ART-OPENING Holiday Warmth Open House and Art Sale – Featuring new original, open and limited edition photographic artwork. See new Champaign downtown prints. Enter to win a Larry Kanfer original – Larry Kanfer’s Studio, Nov 13-17 Located at 2503 S Neil, Champaign. Free and open to the public, Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm and Sunday 11am - 3pm.

Phone 398-2000 for more information and visit our Web site: www.kanfer.com

THEATER LISTINGS Anton in Show Business – A hilarious skewering of American theatre-with its eccentric directors, impossible critics, inept producers, philistine sponsors and cynical multiculturalism- Anton follows the adventures of a Hollywood soap star, a jaded New Yorker and an enthusiatic ingenue starring in a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters. – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, Nov 6, 7:30pm, Nov. 8, 7:30pm, November 12 at 7:30pm $6-13 Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde – The story of how Oscar Wilde went from the toast of the town with two smash hits playing to packed houses to complete humiliation and utter scorn presents a gripping courtroom drama – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, Nov 7, 7:30pm, Nov 9, 7:30pm, Nov 13, 7:30pm, Nov 15, 7:30pm Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories including well-known tales The Bremen Town Musicians, The Robber Bridegroom, and The Golden Goose,“Story Theatre” is a theatrical tour de force that demands virtuosity from its actors and imagination from its audience. Using mime, music, inventive props and colorful costumes, our troupe of community performers take on the roles of chickens, dogs, peasants, thieves, and other colorful characters. Performances are Nov 5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 at 8pm and Nov 16 at 3pm.

Little Shop of Horrors– a well-known production, both on stage and screen. Tuscola-based ARTCO has scheduled open auditions for this play for Saturday, Nov 15 from 48pm and Sunday, Nov 16 from 1-4pm at the Fine Arts Center located at 211 East Overton in Tuscola.

Elysium on the Prairie, Live Action Roleplaying – Vampires stalk the city streets and struggle for dominance in a world of gothic horror. Create your own character and mingle with dozens of players who portray their own undead alter egos. Each session is another chapter in an ongoing story of triumph, tragedy and betrayal. Friday, “Vampire: The Masquerade” For more information visit: http://ww2.uiuc.edu/ro/elysium/intro.html. Check site for location, 7pm.

buzz

Clear Sky Zen Group – Meets on Thursday evenings in the Geneva Room of the McKinley Foundation. Newcomers to meditation and people of all traditions and faiths are welcome – McKinley Foundation, 809 S Fifth St, 6:25-9pm Formerly-Fat Persons’ Support Group – Free social meeting every Saturday at 2pm at Aroma Cafe, 118 N Neil St, C. For more information contact Jessica Watson at 353-4934.

Loose Womyn Discussion Section (discussion topics are loose, the women need not be ) – Dec 18, 7pm, we’ll discuss the book Not Your Mothers’ Midlife by Marilyn Kentz and Nancy Alspaugh. Borders Bookstore, 802 Town Center Blvd, Champaign (217) 351-9011 Loose Womyn Discussion Section – (discussion topics are loose, the women need not be) – Nov 20 we’ll discuss the book The Right Questions by Debbie Ford. Borders Bookstore, 802 Town Center Blvd, Champaign (217) 3519011.

Simplicity Discussion Group – Dec 4, 7pm, we’ll discuss the book Inner Peace for Busy People by Joan Borysenko.

Borders Bookstore, 802 Town Center Blvd, Champaign (217) 351-9011.

Life Map Workshop – A life map is a collection of visual images, a method of connecting with your intuition, a tool for visualizing your dreams or goals. Come explore life mapping—approaches, uses, and the opportunity to create your own life map. 9:15am-1:00pm on Saturday, Dec 6 at McKinley Foundation, C. $45. To register or for information, contact Jo Pauly, MSW, Whole Life Coach at (217) 3377823 or jopauly@prairienet.org

ART SALE The UIUC Graduate Art and Design Community presents the Affordable Art Sale – Nov 14 – 5 pm until midnight and Nov 15 – 2 pm-10 pm. 112 West Church Street (in downtown Champaign) Contact – Susanna Bluhm at (217) 351-9475

KIDS & FAMILIES Funfare – Nov 13 – Preschool groups are invited to come to Funfare for stories, puppets, songs, and film. Please register in advance by calling – Phillips Recreation Center, 9:4510:15am Teen Advisory Board – Nov 18 – Swap views on movies, music, and books, do volunteer projects and snack. No registration. Information: 403-2070 – Champaign Public Library, 6-7pm After School Tuesdays – Nov 18 – Second in a three-week series featuring stories, crafts, face-painting, songs, and bubble-blowing for grades K to 3. No registration – Champaign Public Library, 4-4:45pm

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Know Zone – Nov 18 – Homework help for school-aged children. No registration – Douglass Branch Library, 4-5pm

Call For Submissions – The Second Annual Filmic Dependency Film Fesitval, Jan 23 and 24 in Urbana, is now accepting submissions. Looking for all lengths and genres, the festival puts focus on the very best no budget, low budget and student films. New films by new filmmakers.

Get your work seen! Send films in VHS, DVD or VCD format to Mongoose Productions, c/o Sam Ambler, 614 W Washington, Urbana, IL 61801. Deadline: Nov 15. Questions, more info contact Gabrielle Reisman at mongoose_productions@hotmail.com

Art To Go – Nov 19 – Presentation, discussion and hands-on activity led by Krannert Art Museum staff. No registration – Douglass Branch Library, 4:30-5pm

MIND BODY SPIRIT Sunday Zen Meditation Meeting – Prairie Zen Center, 515 S Prospect, Champaign, NW corner Prospect & Green, enter thru door from parking area. Introduction to Zen Sitting, 10am; Full Schedule: Service at 9 followed by sitting, Dharma Talk at 11 followed by tea until about 12 noon. Can arrive at any of above times, open to all, no experience needed, no cost. For info call 355-8835 or www.prairiezen.org Prairie Sangha for Mindfullness Meditation – Monday evenings from 7:30-9pm and monthly retreats on Sunday.

Theravadan (Vipassana) and Tibetan (Vjrayana & Dzogchen) meditation practice. Meets in Urbana. More information call or email Tom at 356-7413 or shayir@soltec.net. www.prairiesangha.org

Storyshop – Nov 19 – Preschoolers with a parent or school group will enjoy weekly stories and activities. Registration is not required – Champaign Public Library, 9:30-10am Ginger Lozar Presents Puppets – Nov 19 – Children’s puppet show in honor of National Children’s Book Week. No registration – Champaign Public Library, 9:30-10am Baby Time – Nov 20 – Bring your baby for nursery rhymes, music activities, and play time for little ones. Registration is not required – Douglass Branch Library, 10:30-11am Thursday Arts and Crafts For Kids – Nov 20 – For elementary school-age children. No registration – Douglass Branch Library, 4-5pm Family Reading Night – Nov 20 – Community celebrities will read out loud as part of a statewide celebration planned by the Illinois State Library. No registration – Champaign Public Library, 6:30-8pm Girls, Girls, Girls – Nov 21 – Games, crafts and reading time for girls in kindergarten to fifth grade. No registration – Douglass Branch Library, 4-5pm

buzz

arts

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | PANTS?!?! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR PANTS!

Art in C-U

BY NIK GALLICCHIO | STAFF WRITER

D

ue to a local citizen’s strong interest in art, a once very influential artist in the community and at the University of Illinois can again be appreciated for her contribution. Once a professor at the University of Illinois School of Architecture, Louise Woodroofe returns in the form of her artwork. All of the pieces were displayed at Parkland College until Nov. 7.

Some are still there, but others are traveling to various venues around the city because of a generous contribution from Champaign native Jim Gallivan.

Gallivan became interested in Woodroofe’s work when he organized an art class for hospital patients years ago. The lack of training in the art of throwing clay pottery didn’t keep him from making pieces for the patients to paint. This caused him to make the art of pottery more available to people in the form of Boneyard Pottery, a gallery and studio he created in 1990, located off Springfield Avenue by Neil Street in Champaign. The store is now run

by Michael Schwegmann, but is frequented by its creator.

Gallivan’s donation to Parkland consisted of 14 of Louise Woodroofe’s pictures. Several were paintings, and a handful were mixed media that made use of magazine and newspaper clippings. One of the most interesting is a sketch of a town street. The seemingly careless yet precise drawing looks through the eyes of a child running past the town square— a whirlwind of color that stops to recognize only one sign: that of the candy store. The street appears to belong to the world of transience; Woodroofe subtly communicates the inevitable shift from mom-and-pop shops to something less comfortingly familiar. One doesn’t have to be an art major to appreciate the abstract pieces either. The use of textured black paint creates an overwhelming sense of loneliness.

Most of Woodroofe’s works have a particular roughness that reveals a kind of earthiness.

This is captured well in a painting of wine and eggs—images of everyday life that often go unnoticed. The versatility of her art affects

Mattress continued from page 8 allowed to “get intimate” until the prince gets married and some pregnancy out of wedlock for good measure and you basically have Once Upon a Mattress.

Who do you portray in the play?

I portray the jester, a loveable scamp who tap dances when he’s not wreaking havoc for the queen.

What do you think the audience will get out of this performance?

comments about how working in the studio viewers today as well as former students.

Illinois painter J. Eric Anderson studied allows him to better get into an introspective watercolor painting under Woodroofe and frame of mind, he confesses that throwing pots commented, “Those of you who can say that puts him into a Zen-like state.

“I think I try to create with all my works a you were taught by Louise Woodroofe or were her colleagues are the true work of her creative personal definition of what I think is beautiful,” he says. abilities.”

The artwork displayed in the gallery and on Woodroofe is well-known for paintings that deal with circus life. In the 1930s she accompa- the shelves of the studio is as full of variety as nied the Ringling Brothers Circus and illustrat- Woodroofe’s painting. While studying the ed many aspects of circus life. Though not process of creating something beautiful, many in this particular collection deal with Schwegmann managed to create some pieces that part of her life, one paper collage does that purposely displease the eye. What’s seem to convey the way the audience is per- important, he says, is the intention behind the ceived by the performer. The piece brings artwork.

Unfortunately, Woodroofe’s intentions together magazine images of numerous eyes staring out from behind headlines and care- can only be speculated upon, since she died lessly ripped catalog pages. The word “circus” in 1996 at the age of 104. Her legacy lives on appears clearly in the chaotic milieu and in the School of Architecture at the makes the viewer feel watched as if under a University in an annual award called the microscope, being judged by all the media Louise Woodroofe Prize. It is awarded to a stereotypes that are held in the mind’s eye. The student who shows maturity in architecturmore colorful works allude to her circus-trav- al drawings, sketches and renderings. eling days, but they often convey only the dis- Thanks to Gallivan’s funding, all who live around Champaign-Urbana can see the arttant, shadowy remembrance of such a past.

The variety of subjects she tackles all share work made by the famous native of the area. the common thread of dealing with the Some of the pieces are displayed in the world—the mood of it and the way it some- library of Parkland College, while others times appears unnatural. Woodroofe found an are disseminated throughout offices and admirer in Gallivan, who could also appreciate the University’s School of Fine and this sense of the world in more earthy medi- Applied Arts. buzz ums like clay. While his pottery store offers more to create than just clay, it is the material For more information on where to find these of choice for Schwegmann, the man behind the pieces, call Denise Seis at (217) 351-2485. scenes (in the studio) at Boneyard Pottery.

According to Schwegmann, Gallivan created Boneyard as a place where he and his friends could make pots. In 1995, Schwegmann took over the gallery and studio. He can throw pots while waxing philosophic about how spiritual the act is.

While gently shaping the clay with an expert’s precision, he explains how throwing a pot is a cathartic, relaxing ex-perience. He hardly seems to concentrate as he goes through the motions, which result in three One of Woodroofe’s pieces of art currently on display at the University Main Library. identical clay pitchers. After he

This show is pure entertainment. In the tradition of such shows as Anything Goes and Mama Mia, the point is to have an amazing time, and I think the audience will have just that.

people from the show rotated to keep it manned for 12 hours straight, including stage manager Stephanie Sheridan, who sat on it for the entire 12 hours.

Are there any interesting tidbits about this play?

This show had a recent revival on Broadway starring Sarah Jessica Parker.

A few methods the producers used to generate hype for the show included having a cast member dress up in a giant pea costume and run around the Quad and having a mattress-a-thon where mattresses were stacked in front of the Union and

Once Upon a Mattress is directed by Sean Higgins in his directing debut and choreographed by longtime IUB member Amber Bullock with some of the funniest choreography ever seen on Foellinger ’s stage. The acting scenes and dancing have been filled with tension by Higgins and Bullock to stress the frustrated situation of the characters in the play who cannot get married, all while staying relatively PG-rated. Okay, maybe PG-13. buzz

PHOTO | NIK GALLICCHIO

1113buzz0920

9

1113buzz1019

11/12/03

5:01 PM

Page 1

10

music

I TOTALLY GOT DOUCHED WITH MUD! | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

buzz

The balance of space and solid

Medeski Martin & Wood’s undefinable sound arrives at the Canopy Club

BY BENJI FELDHEIM | STAFF WRITER

“I think it’s possible for all to be lost in the music collectively,” says Billy Martin, drummer for Medeski Martin & Wood, in response to being asked if a musician can get too lost in the moment. “As a soloist, you can go on and on and on, and that’s OK because it’s coming from you. Collectively, you can’t be too lost in yourself for too long unless it’s required. That’s a hard question, because I never feel like there are enough moments where we are too lost for too long. I always feel we could go longer [laughs], you know? I think it needs to keep stretching further.” behind a small jazz drum kit with a battered character that includes a China boy cymbal with a triangular chunk missing from it. His array of percussion includes pieces from around the world and just about anything else that makes a sound. Lately, he’s been using a growling dinosaur toy on loan from his 3-year-old son.

Chris Wood stands in the middle with his 1920 acoustic German bass, or his classic electrics.

“I’m very fortunate to have two visionaries— fire and ice—on either side of me,” said Wood.

“I’m the lukewarm middle.” Modest words from a player whose talents are compared to the likes of Charles Mingus.

Medeski, Martin and Wood each took similar paths to their first jam in Brooklyn in the summer of 1991. Medeski’s father taught him piano around the time he started walking. Wood started playing his brother Oliver’s bass when

PHOTO | COURTESY OF BIG HASSLE MEDIA

For the last 12 years, no band in the world has been more in the moment than the trio of Martin, John Medeski on keyboards and Chris Wood on bass. The three share an ability to stretch hours and hours of music, soothing the audience with strutting grooves only to later terrify with amorphous screeches, all melded with seamless transitions leaving audiences lost in the band’s creation. Their sound has been called acid groove, cerebral groovophonicism, danceable avant garde-fusion-funk-jazz and when all else fails, jam session music. Any term misses the point. Their music needs no name.

John Medeski sits stage right surrounded by an arsenal that includes a Hammond B3 organ, Clavinet, Wurltizer, ARP string ensemble, mellotron, Yamaha CS synth, melodica and a piano, mostly, but not always facing Wood and Martin.

Billy Martin, on the left, sits facing his bandmates

John Medeski, Billy Martin and Chris Wood illuminate the Canopy Club tonight.

he was in seventh grade, after his brother switched to guitar. When the Martin family moved to New Jersey from New York City in 1973, Billy discovered his brother’s drum set and began playing along to records by Frank Zappa, Sly Stone, Led Zeppelin, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. They each played in high school jazz bands and in groups outside school.

Each were instructed by encouraging teachers who stressed creativity and discipline.

Medeski and Wood both studied music at the New England Conservatory where famed drummer and composer Bob Moses taught.

Moses took Medeski and Wood on a tour with him through Israel, solidifying the bond between the future bandmates. Moses then told Martin about Medeski and Wood.

“I used to go up to Boston to play in (Bob) Moses’ band and I met John up there, and that’s how it all happened,” said Martin. “John came down to New York, and I told him when he came I would pick him up and we would play and that’s what we did. John and Chris had already played together with Moses, so they knew each other and it evolved in that way. I had a loft in Brooklyn and had a space to play.

I was already in the Lounge Lizards and touring with bands here and there, and (John and Chris) were doing their thing. But I still had time on my hands. I was still searching. I didn’t want to be in a side band, you know? I think we all were feeling that way. We just kept playing with other musicians and trying to put a band together of our own—collective. And this was it.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. After John and I had duets together in my loft, we had gone through every kind of possible expression in music together. We didn’t talk much. We just played.

After that, John had started to play piano at the Village Gate. He then started using Chris as his bass player, and they were able to use drummers again, which they couldn’t for a while at clubs because of some silly cabaret laws. John came over with Chris to my place one day, and we played. I remember that was a really strong feeling right away. Like love at first sight, except with music.

There was a strong feeling of connection, of chemistry as soon as we started playing, also in just hanging out. They are very warm, generous peo-

ple. It felt like I knew these guys forever.

Musically, it just followed that feeling. The very first thing we played ended up being the first song on our first record. We wrote the first tune without even talking about it. That’s still the basis of how we make music, just sit around and play together and get to know each other that way.”

The band began a grass-roots approach to getting gigs throughout the Northwest. Using Martin’s father’s place as an office, the band created a solid buzz through determined self-promotion. Within months of their first jam, they recorded Notes from the Underground and released it independently in late 1991.

Despite their commitment to each other, the band members never shied away from chances to play with other musicians. With New York bursting at the seams with styles of music from around the globe, they could not help but immerse themselves in the many forms available.

“When I moved to New York, that’s when I got involved in the downtown music scene,” said Martin. “At the time, it was happening at the Knitting Factory, and in the clubs. I was getting the dance club scene, the hip-hop scene and the Brazilian music, jazz and the downtown music. That was a major influence over the years. I then became integrated with all those different scenes. My home was really the downtown area, with the Lounge Lizards and those bands. Those musicians can really adapt styles.

They can play classical or just improvise in a way that was creative and artistic.”

While on tour with Marc Ribot in Europe in 1992, Wood met Liz Penta, who would later become their road manager. In 1993 the band negotiated its first record deal with Grammavision, and released It’s a Jungle In Here. Audiences grew at shows, yet the band maintained their spirit of naturalness with a degree of control on stage.

The first run of 1994 was on a shared bill with the NYC collective Lost Tribe. Just before the tour, Penta had left her job booking bands at CBGB’s Gallery, and the band invited her to come along. For four months the band toured all over the United States and Canada in an RV. They settled into roles on the tour: Medeski was the cook, Martin was the mechanic, Wood was the organizer and Liz handled the business of the tour.

That summer they took four days off from touring to record Friday Afternoon in the Universe.

Medeski Martin & Wood saw big changes in 1995. The band had fans in Europe and Japan and were touring so often they gave up their New York apartments. Penta was hired as their full-time manager, and they also hired Meg Enns from Atlanta to run Indirecto, the band’s merchandise company.

buzz

calendar

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com

19

Interested in arts, music and entertainment?

Apply to be an editor or coordinator. e-mail calendar@ readbuzz.com

International Galleries – Works from local artists including quilts by Nancy Summers. Lincoln Square Mall. Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm. 328-2254.

Larry Kanfer Gallery – University of Illinois images by photographic artist Larry Kanfer. Unique diploma frames and other UI gifts. Sepia Champaign-Urbana Collection also on display. Available now: 2004 Prairiescapes and University of Illinois calendars. 2503 S Neil, Champaign. Free and Open to the Public. Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm. 3982000.www.kanfer.com LaPayne Photography – Specializes in panoramic photography up to 6 feet long of different subjects including sporting events, city skylines, national parks and University of Illinois scenes. 816 Dennison Dr, Champaign.

Mon-Fri 9am-4pm and by appointment. 356-8994.

Old Vic Art Gallery – Fine and original art, hand signed limited edition prints, works by local artists, art restoration, custom framing, and periodic shows by local artists. 11 E University, Champaign. Mon-Thu 11am-5:30pm, Sat 11am4:30pm. 355-8338.

Steeple Gallery – Vintage botanical and bird prints, antiques, framed limited edition prints. 102 E Lafayette St, Monticello. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm. 762-2924. www.steeplegallery.com

Verde Gallery & Verdant News and Coffee – Magazines, newspapers, coffee, beverages and fine pastries along with the Verde Fine Art Gallery. 17 E Taylor St, Champaign.

Cafe hours: Mon-Sat 7am-10 pm; Gallery Hours: Tue-Sat 10am-10pm. 366-3204. www.verdantsystems.com/Verde.htm Ziemer Gallery – Original paintings and limited edition prints by Larry Ziemer. Pottery, weavings, wood turning and glass works by other artists. Gallery visitors are welcome to sit, relax, listen to the music and just enjoy being surrounded by art. 210 W Washington, Monticello. Tue 10am-8pm, Wed-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm. 762-9786. www.ziemergallery.com

ART CLOSING “Trio” – Paintings by Dylan DeWitt and Milena Tiner and ceramics by Tyler Bergfield on display at the Springer Cultural Center through Nov 16. Opening reception featuring live music from Jordan Kaye Oct 24, 6-8pm. Artists’ talk, 7pm. This is a free event. Springer Cultural Center. 301 N Randolph, Champaign. Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 8am9pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm. 398-2376.

ART CLOSING “Whistler and Japonisme: Selections from the Permanent Collection” – Marking the 100th anniversary of James McNeill Whistler’s death, this exhibition highlights his works on paper and examines the influence that Japanese woodcuts had on his artistic technique. On display at the Krannert Art Museum through March 28, 2004.

500 E Peabody, Urbana. Tue, Thu-Sat 9am-5pm, Wed 9am8pm, Sun 2-5pm. 333-1860. Suggested Donation: $3 Featured Works XIII:“The Spirit of Mediterranean Pathos: The Early Work of Pierre Daura” – Pierre Daura (1896-1976) was a member of significant modern art movements in the early 20th century. This exhibition highlights a recent gift of works by Daura and explores the forms and colors of his paintings and drawings from about 1910 to the late 1930s. On display at Krannert Art Museum through Nov 2. 500 E Peabody, Urbana. Tue, ThuSat. 9am-5pm, Wed 9am-8pm, Sun 2-5pm. 333-1860.

Suggested Donation: $3 The IMC’s Middle Room Gallery is pleased to welcome Jessica Mullen with her digital prints and mixed media for our November exibit. Come join us for an opening reception on Nov 7, from 7pm to 9pm. She says her artwork is a deeply personal form of creative expression. Her illustration work, as opposed to her design work, is entirely self-indulgent. The piece may be a result of a mood or

concept, but generally the meaning is discovered after completion. Her intentions for the viewer are to show a different perspective, to activate the sadly often-dormant thinking process and to make one feel. The show will run until Thanksgiving.

Faculty Art Exhibition – the newest work by current faculty in the School of Art and Design. This exhibition, a major event in the Urbana-Champaign art community, is one of the oldest, continuously-running faculty exhibitions in the country. Recent works of painting, sculpture, installation art, photography, glass, graphic design and other media will be exhibited through January 4, 2004.

Four faculty members will give talks about their work at noon on the following Wednesdays: Nov 19 Conrad Bakker Dec 3 Kevin Hamilton Dec 10 Melissa Pokorny Dec 17 Gerald Guthrie “Nevertheless: That’s Our Guarantee!” is a solo exhibit by local artist John Havlik. It will be on display at the Parkland Art Gallery from Nov 5 through Dec 12. Havlik, senior designer at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, will display the design work he has produced for Krannert Center as well as a selection of pieces created specifically for the space of the Parkland Art Gallery. First, Havlik’s collection of Krannert Center posters demonstrates his ability to visually respond to a wide range of artistic presentations.

18

11/12/03

5:01 PM

Page 1

calendar

WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

Krannert Center for Performing Arts 500 S Goodwin, Urbana, Tickets: 333.6280, 800/KCPATIX La Casa Cultural Latina 1203 W Nevada, Urbana, 333.4950 Lava 1906 W Bradley, Champaign, 352.8714 Legends Bar & Grill 522 E Green, Champaign, 355.7674 Les’s Lounge 403 N Coler, Urbana, 328.4000 Lincoln Castle 209 S Broadway, Urbana, 344.7720 Malibu Bay Lounge North Route 45, Urbana, 328.7415 Mike & Molly’s 105 N Market, Champaign, 355.1236 Mulligan’s 604 N Cunningham, Urbana, 367.5888 Murphy’s 604 E Green, Champaign, 352.7275 Neil Street Pub 1505 N Neil, Champaign, 359.1601 Boardman’s Art Theater 126 W Church, Champaign, 351.0068 The Office 214 W Main, Urbana, 344.7608 Parkland College 2400 W Bradley, Champaign, 351.2528 Phoenix 215 S Neil, Champaign, 355.7866 Pia’s of Rantoul Route 136 E, Rantoul, 893.8244 Pink House Routes 49 & 150, Ogden, 582.9997 The Rainbow Coffeehouse 1203 W Green, Urbana, 766.9500 Red Herring/Channing-Murray Foundation 1209 W Oregon, Urbana, 344.1176 Rose Bowl Tavern 106 N Race, Urbana, 367.7031 Springer Cultural Center 301 N Randolph, Champaign, 355.1406 Spurlock Museum 600 S Gregory, Urbana, 333.2360 The Station Theatre 223 N. Broadway, Urbana, 384-4000 Strawberry Fields Cafe 306 W Springfield, Urbana, 328.1655 Ten Thousand Villages 105 N Walnut, Champaign, 352.8938 TK Wendl’s 1901 S Highcross Rd, Urbana, 255.5328 Tommy G’s 123 S. Mattis Ave, Country Fair Shopping Center, 359.2177 Tonic 619 S Wright, Champaign, 356.6768 Two Main 2 Main, Champaign, 359.3148 University YMCA 1001 S Wright, Champaign, 344.0721 Verde/Verdant 17 E Taylor St, Champaign, 366.3204 Virginia Theatre 203 W Park Ave, Champaign, 356.9053 White Horse Inn 112 1/2 E Green, Champaign, 352.5945 Zorba’s 627 E Green, Champaign

CHICAGOSHOWS NOVEMBER 111/13 Mike Doughty’s Band @ Double Door 11/13 Rickie Lee Jones @ Chicago Theatre 11/13 Buddy Guy @ Buddy Guy’s Legends 11/15 The Shins @ House of Blues 11/15 Qbert @ Metro 11/15 Arab Strap @ Abbey Pub 11/15 Spitalfield @ Metro 11/16 Fixx @ Abbey Pub 11/19 Fountains of Wayne @ The Vic 11/20 Jonny Lang @ House of Blues 11/21 Anti-Flag, Rise Against @ Metro 11/21 Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Abbey Pub 11/22 Guided By Voices @ Abbey Pub 11/22 Cash Brothers @ Schubas 11/22 Tom Jones @ House of Blues 11/22 Alabama @ Allstate Arena 11/23 Guided By Voices @ Abbey Pub 11/23 Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs! @ Metro 11/23 Tom Jones @ House of Blues 11/24 Symphony X @ Metro 11/25 Jaguars @ House of Blues 11/25 Mindless Self Indulgence @ Metro 11/26 Mindless Self Indulgence @ Metro 11/16 OK Go @ Abbey Pub 11/19 Fountains of Wayne @ Vic, all ages 11/24 Obie Trice @ House of Blues 11/28 Bollweevils @ Metro, all ages 11/28 Buzzcocks @ Double Door 11/28 Tortoise @ Abbey Pub 11/29 Rocket from the Tombs @ Abbey Pub 11/29 Asylum Street Pranksters @ Schubas

buzz

hours: Thu 12-4pm, Fri 12-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm. 220 W Washington Street in Monticello.

DECEMBER 12/2 Living Colour @ Park West 12/5 Donna The Buffalo @ Martyr’s 12/5 They Might Be Giants @ Vic, all ages 12/6 Autumn Defense @ Schubas 12/6 Rufus Wainwright @ Vic, all ages 12/7 Hey Mercedes @ Metro 12/8 Fun Lovin’ Criminals @ Double Door 12/11 Kurtis Blow, Rob Base @ Double Door 12/12 Coheed & Cambria @ House of Blues 12/12 Atmosphere, Mr. Dibbs, Others @ Abbey Pub, 18 & over 12/12 Neko Case @ Old Town School of Music 12/13 Ryan Adams @ Riviera 12/19 Beyonce, Bow Wow @ United Center 12/19 Los Straitjackets @ Abbey Pub 12/31 Aretha Franklin @ Chicago Theater 12/31 Flaming Lips, White Stripes @ Aragon Ballroom

CHICAGOVENUES House of Blues 329 N Dearborn, Chicago, 312.923.2000 The Bottom Lounge 3206 N Wilton, Chicago Congress Theatre 2135 N Milwaukee, 312.923.2000 Vic Theatre 3145 N Sheffield, Chicago, 773.472.0449 Metro 3730 N Clark St, Chicago, 773.549.0203 Elbo Room 2871 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago Park West 322 W Armitage, Chicago, 773.929.1322 Riviera Theatre 4746 N Racine at Lawerence, Chicago Allstate Arena 6920 N Mannheim Rd, Rosemont, 847.635.6601 Arie Crown Theatre 2300 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, 312.791.6000 UIC Pavilion 1150 W Harrison, Chicago, 312.413.5700 Schubas 3159 N Southport, Chicago, 773.525.2508 Martyrs 3855 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, 773.288.4545 Aragon 1106 W Lawerence, Chicago, 773.561.9500 Abbey Pub 3420 W Grace, Chicago, 773.478.4408 Fireside Bowl 2646 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, 773.486.2700 Schubert Theatre 22 W Monroe, Chicago, 312.977.1700

ART LISTINGS Workshop – Register now to join artist-instructor Sandra Ahten Call (217) 367-6345 or e-mail spiritofsandra@hotmail.com to register. High Cross Studio. 1101 N High Cross Road.

Portraits – Award winning portrait artist Sandra Ahten is currently accepting commissions for portraits for holiday giving. Portraits are priced at an affordable range and professional exchange or barter may be accepted. For examples of work and a quote, contact Sandra Ahten at (217) 367-6345 or spiritofsandra@hotmail.com Creation Art Studio Art Classes for Children and Adults – All classes offer technical instruction and the exploration of materials through expressive, spontaneous art and experimentation. Independent studies of personal interests and ideas, dreams, etc. are expressed and developed through collage and assemblage art and through drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramics. Children meet once a week, Mon-Thu 3:30-5pm. Adolescents meet Fri 45:30pm. Adults meet Wed at 10am and Sat between 1:305:30pm for two or more hours. Create designs, a still life, portraits, landscapes and more. Open to beginners and advanced students. Adult Open Studio meets Tue 7-9pm.

Drop-ins welcome. Come with a friend. Call to make special arrangements for a group. CPDU’s offered. For information, contact Jeannine Bestoso at 344-6955. Creation Art Studio is located at 1102 E Washington, Urbana. www.creationartstudios.com Join Artists and Workshops at Gallery Virtu – Gallery Virtu, an artist-owned cooperative, now invite applications from area artists. The Gallery also offers workshops for adults, teens and children in knitting, embroidery, photography, jewelry making, printmaking, papermaking, bookbinding and ribbon flowers. Gallery Virtu offers original works by the members including: jewelry, pottery, collages, sculptures, journals, hats, handbags and other textiles. For more information please call 762-7790, visit our Web site at www.galleryvirtu.org, e-mail workshops@galleryvirtu.org or visit the gallery. Regular

Art Classes at High Cross Studio – All classes are held at High Cross Studio in Urbana. 1101 N High Cross Road. Email or call for reservations and details. (217) 367-6345 or spiritofsandra@hotmail.com.

“Portrait Paintings with Oils” – This course will provide instruction in painting portraits from photographs. Paint a portrait of your loved one or yourself. Mon-Fri daytime class and weekend workshop offered.

“Collage for the Soul” – Students will learn a variety of collage techniques, including photo and photocopy transfer, papermaking and manipulation, and frontage, while exploring a particular subject, such as a place, a memory, an experience or a relationship. No art-making experience necessary.

“Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” – For adults who have always wanted to learn to draw, but felt as if they lacked talent or confidence.

Other Classes:“Making Monoprints,”“Art With Intention” (Open Studio). For information on these visit http://www.spiritofsandra.com and click on “classes,” then e-mail or call for reservations.

ART EXHIBITS & GALLERIES Boneyard Pottery – Ceramic Art by Michael Schwegmann and more. 403 Water St, Champaign. Tue-Sat 11am-5pm.

355-5610.

Broken Oak Gallery – Local and national artists. Original art including photography, watercolors, pottery, oil paintings, colored pencil, woodturning and more.Refreshments served by the garden all day Saturday. 1865 N 1225 E Rd, White Heath. Thu-Sat 10am-4pm. 762-4907.

Cinema Galley – Local and regional artists including many University of Illinois and Parkland College faculty members. Currently on display through Nov 9:“Alpha and Omega” by Glen C. Davies. 120 W Main, Urbana. Tue-Sat 10am-4pm. Sun 1-5pm. 367-3711.

Cafe Kopi – Swimming oil paintings and various works from local artist Paula McCarty on display through Oct. 109 N Walnut, Champaign. Mon-Thu 7am-11pm, Fri-Sat 7am12pm, Sun 11am-8pm. 359-4266.

Creation Art Studios – Hosts a continuous and evolving display of works by students and associates of the studio.

Landscapes, florals, animal life and expressive art in various mediums by Jeannine Bestoso are also currently on display. For information, contact Jeannine Bestoso. 1102 E Washington St, Urbana. Tue-Sat 1-5:30pm and scheduled studio sessions. 344-6955. www.creationartstudios.com Country in the City – Antiques, architectural, gardening, home accessories. Custom designing available. 1104 E Washington St, Urbana. Thu-Sat 10am-5pm 367-2367.

Framer’s Market – Frame Designers since 1981. Current featured artists on display through Nov 17: Charlotte Brady, Barry Brehm, Lawerance Hamlin, Patrick Harness, Mary McDonald, Hua Nian, David Smith, Bill Stevens, Steve Stoerger and Bonnie Switzter. 807 W Springfield Ave, Champaign. Tue-Fri 9:30am-5:30pm, Sat 10am-4pm. 3517020.

Furniture Lounge – Specializing in mid-century modern furniture from the 1920s-1980s, retro, Danish modern, lighting, vintage stereo equipment and vinyl records. 9 E University, Champaign. 352-5150. Sun-Mon 12-4:30pm, Wed-Sat 11am-5:30pm.

Glass FX –Cast your vote! Entries in the Glass FX Stained Glass Competition are on display now through Nov 15.

Stop in to view work done by local glass artists and vote for your favorite! New and antique stained glass windows, lamps and unique glass gifts. Gallery is free and open to the public. Interested in learning the art of Stained Glass?

Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Stained Glass Classes offered. 202 S First St, Champaign. Mon-Thu 10am5:30pm, Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 9am-4pm. 359-0048. www.glassfx.com.

Griggs Street Potters – Handmade functional and decorative pottery. 305 W Grigg St, Urbana. Mon-Fri 11am-4pm, or call for appointment. 344-8546.

Hill Street Gallery Inc. – Oil and watercolor paintings, hand painted T-shirts, handmade jewelry. 703 W Hill, Champaign. Sat 12-5pm or by appointment during the week. 359-0675.

buzz

music

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | HEY NOW, HEY NOW. DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER.

“The Year of the Shack,” or 1996 to the rest of the world, found the band in Hawaii recording Shack Man in a shack on Hawaii’s big island. Not found on any map, the shack belongs to Carl Green, a friend of Bob Moses. With solar power and generators and little money, the band recorded for a month, delivered the album to Grammavision and were freed from their contract.

Medeski Martin & Wood cut down on marathon tours and holed up in New York for eight weeks to play Monday nights at the Knitting Factory to promote Shack Man. During the “Shack Parties,” the band met an inventive DJ named Jason Kibler, aka DJ Logic.

“He brings a dimension that no one else could do because he’s DJ Logic,” said Martin.

“He has his own thing. It’s the personality that makes it special.”

Following their departure from Grammavision, 17 labels pushed for Medeski Martin & Wood to join. They joined famed jazz label Blue Note Records. In August of 1998 the band released Combustication, further stretching their mix of groove and space with the aid of DJ Logic and the spoken word poet Steve Cannon.

Their sound solidified as a bridge between old and new, incorporating hip hop and more funk into their jazz-laden struts. In April of 2000 they stripped down to all acoustic to record Tonic, reminding the world of their classical abilities. In October of 2000, they followed up with The Dropper—a title joking that it would be the album that would drop them from the label.

The eerie, dense cataclysm of sounds—including Marc Ribot on guitar, Marshal Allen on sax, string sections and a percussion ensemble—

Special Event: ISDA Trunk Show November 23rd

1113buzz1118

make it their most outer-space album to date. friends of ours, the Thunderclouds. They’re Ho The disregard for form, melody and steady Chunk tribe singers. We met them on the rhythm hearkened back to the fusion break- H.O.R.D.E. tour.”

At the second Bonnaroo Festival last summer through of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. The band pulled past experiments together to record in Manchester, Tenn., the band played from Uninvisible, released in April of 2002. Adding midnight until 4:30 a.m., with the Antibalas members of the Antibalas Afro Beat Orchestra horn players, Brazilian madman percussionist Cyro Baptista and horn section and Luther Dickinson on turntables, the band guitar from North bridged the subtle Mississippi All Stars. grooves of Tonic During the sets, with the madness of Medeski had the look The Dropper. They of a scientist possessed are now at work – Billy Martin by his craft, his arms with Dust Brothers flailing around his keyproducer John King boards. Wood’s and on a record they are Martin’s heads nodded finishing while on tour, which includes a stop tonight at the simultaneously to the beat and often caught each other’s eyes to share in their groove pushCanopy Club.

“The advantage of playing live is that you ing. At times all three had expressions of are completely in the moment,” said Martin. intensely pained concentration or simply “When you’re playing in front of people, closed their eyes and escaped from the stage, there’s the energy of the people. They’re with while maintaining their music, which never you and supporting you. That’s important. seemed to stop except for the set break. Rather, You have to perform. You have to show up it just drifted between coherent grooves and bodiless space. there, sick or not [laughs].”

“That has a lot to do with listening to what To this day, their free-form approach carries them through seamless sets, with many guests everybody’s doing and when it feels right to sort of go somewhere else,” said Martin. “It’s and random arrangements.

“We did Halloween in New York and it was just an intuitive feeling. Someone may take the madness. We had this DJ from Miami called DJ le lead, at one point, to take that left turn and go Spam,” said Martin of recent tour dates. “He somewhere else, and the other will follow. You plays with a live horn section. Really dance- have to sort of be open for that, and be supportable, funky. Good Cuban flavor, you know? ive. I do think there’s a certain chemistry and That set off the vibe really nice. We had some ways we’re sensitive enough to take something

[

The advantage of playing live is that you are completely in the moment

Circles 107 N. Walnut Downtown Champaign 359.2195

M – TH FRI SAT SUN

10:30 – 5:30 10:30 – 8:00 10:30 – 5:00 11:00 – 4:00

Proud Sponsor

[

11

and morph it in a seamless way and we’re good at that. Someone does have to decide when we should move on. There’s a collective understanding that eventually we’re going to change it up, and when we do we’ll follow it if it feels right. It’s never a struggle to hold on to something too long. If it feels good, we’ll stay there a while. John will solo over a feeling we have going, or sometimes it’s time to change. It’s really about having an understanding (of) the balance of the music and where’s it’s going to go, where it should go and creating other dimensions. It’s hard to put to words, you know?”

One might think that such a lack of direction would lead players to become too detached from what is going on in a jam.

“Like I said, having any expectations is going to completely put a wall right up in front of you,” said Martin. “You have to have a sense of humor with this, and be able to take risks. Be open to making what people call mistakes.

Those things are the most fertile places to be when you’re creating. It’s not something that is intellectually discussed, or needs to be thought out. It just happens.

Martin said he’d like to see things grow and evolve.

“What else can you ask for?” he said. “I don’t want to die yet; I want things to grow. I want to see people do their own thing. Contributing to the world in a creative way. New ideas. Using their heart.” buzz

Medeski Martin and Wood will be performing tonight at the Canopy Club at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20.

1113buzz1217

12

11/12/03

5:00 PM

Page 1

music

THE WAIT IS OVER. NEW BRITNEY ON TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

Art Re Cus storati tom o Fra n min Cus g tom Por Un iver traits Illi sity of nois Art

Dali Picasso Neiman Matisse Warhol Chugall Miro

355-8338 11 E. University Downtown Champaign

Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Festival oldvicartgallery@shout.net

this week Th Nov 13 Wine Tasting 5pm, free UI Chamber Orchestra 7:30pm, $2-$5 November Playhouse Dance 7:30pm $8-$15 Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde 7:30pm, STH, $6-$13

Fr Nov 14 November Playhouse Dance 7:30pm $8-$15 Anton in Show Business 7:30pm, $6-$13

Sa Nov 15 Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra 7:30pm, $10-$28 Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi 7:30pm, $8-$20 Sponsors: Tom and Jacqueline Lord-Alge

@

krannert center

Su Nov 16

We Nov 19

Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi Libretto 2pm, $5.50

UI Wind Symphony and UI Symphonic Band I 7:30pm, $2-$5

UI Philharmonia 3pm, $2-$5

Th Nov 20

Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi 3pm, $8-$20

Wine Tasting 5pm, free

Anton in Show Business 3pm, $6-$13

Tu Nov 18 UI Symphonic Band II and UI Concert Band I 7:30pm, $2-$5

Enescu Ensemble 7:30pm, $2-$5 Merce Cunningham Dance Company 7:30pm, $22-$34 Talkback following the show, free

Merce Cunningham Dance Company with the Kronos Quartet 7:30pm, $22-$34 Talkback following the show, free Patron Co-sponsors: Jerald Wray and Dirk Mol Anonymous Corporate Platinum Sponsor:

November Playhouse Dance 7:30pm $8-$15 Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde 7:30pm, $6-$13

Some Krannert Center programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, and patron and corporate contributions.

Season Sponsors Coporate Season Underwriters

Patron Season Sponsors

CAROLE AND JERRY RINGER

Support for Krannert Center’s 2003.2004 season is provided in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Champaign-Urbana Symphony concerts are supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

KrannertCenter.com 217/333-6280 or 800/KCPATIX 217/333-9714 (TTY) 217/244-SHOW (Fax) 217/244-0549 (Groups) kran-tix@uiuc.edu Ticket Office Open 10am to 6pm daily; on days of performances open 10am through intermission.

buzz

Criticism for the rock critics MENDOZA MUSIC LINE

BY LIZ MOZZOCCO | STAFF WRITER

I

love spending my nights staring at a computer screen, watching the cursor blink.

Other people are out having a drink, falling off of bar stools, putting gel in their hair and, in general, enjoying a healthy social life, but not me. No, I have no use for the pleasures of controlled substances, outside air or even other humans—because I am a music critic.

You know what I’m talking about. Every one of you has had these fantasies about the life of a record reviewer.

That guy who wrote the scathing article for Pitchfork Media? He’s 32 and lives in his parents’ basement, where he spends all of his plentiful free time going on the Internet, drooling on rare seven inches and writing music manifestos (and probably wretched fan letters too—he just burns them all with the flame from his handrolled cigarettes afterwards).

They’ve all got be losers. How the hell else could someone make a successful career obsessing over and tearing apart something as trivial as rock music?

True, they sound hip when they’re flinging around carefully constructed pop culture references or making emo jokes. But that’s just a cover for their inner nerd, right?

The more record reviews I read, the more I despise them. There’s always something that irks me every time I read a review or listen to a critic talk about music.

Perhaps it’s the sneaking suspicion that the person espousing their opinion only has half an idea what they’re talking about. Critics often just rip off another reviewer’s opinion, or don’t take the time to learn anything about the band they’re critiquing, and that can be painfully obvious to any reader who is a fan.

But what’s worse than an ignorant critic is one that knows too much. This is where the aforementioned Pitchfork reviewer comes in.

For those who have never heard of or read anything from www.pitchforkmedia.com, get thee to a computer, now! I’m not saying this because it’s that great (although it is a good source for all things indie)—it’s just something that you have to look at if you want to understand the logic of pretentious rock criticism.

Pitchfork reviews have a tendency to be hilarious—that’s why people like reading them—but they’re also just a wee bit over the top. You might think you know music, you might think you have good taste, but the lesson that rock criticism teaches us is, no, you don’t know shit. Poser.

I find it hard to feel good about myself when I’m reviewing an album. Sometimes it’s fun, especially if the musicians seem to have gone

out of their way to make themselves look and sound ridiculous. One always feels particularly witty when propped up against the background of bad art.

Reviewing is also fun if you happen to stumble upon a great album. Getting free music and (sometimes) getting paid to listen to it is an enviable duty for anyone, even if you have to whore-up your writing and insert some bad puns to make it interesting.

The trouble comes in when you begin to doubt the basis of your own opinions.

You’re in the middle of some run-on sentence about a drum break that has too many adjectives in it when you start to wonder “What the fuck do I know anyway? I’m not a musician.

I’m not even an average listener. How can I judge this?”

That seed of doubt is a good thing. It can keep you in check, and it probably doesn’t happen to the critic who knows too much, or to the critic who knows too little.

Pretentious assumptions make for a funny review, but not necessarily one that most readers can identify with. Uninformed music criticism makes for Spin magazine.

And that is the thin line that the music critic walks. It’s not a great journalistic policy, but you can’t be entirely objective when you’re writing a record review. Listening to and forming opinions about music is a subjective experience. It’s impossible to say what’s really good and what’s subpar, even if it seems clear that what you’re listening to blatantly sucks.

The thing is, a lot of rock critics are not musicians (arguably, a lot of rock musicians are not musicians, but that’s another column). They don’t know anything about writing songs, or about the guts it takes to put your music on display and to have it criticized. So what makes a critic’s opinion more valid than any other listeners’? Is it just that they spent their time with their head in a vinyl collection while the rest of us had ours in a toilet after a long Saturday night out?

The whole thing just seems ridiculous after a while. If I’m going to live in a cave and neglect my personal hygiene so that I can be knowledgeable about music, I want to at least have the liberty to enjoy what I enjoy without being told that I’ve got bad taste.

As for other people—yeah, all right, so seeing a 25-year-old dude in a Nickelback T-shirt still induces my gag reflex, but I can’t really blame him. I guess if you really want my opinion, I’ll just have to quote my mother, who once said of our neighbor’s dwarf statue lawn ornament collection: there’s no accounting for taste. buzz

Liz Mozzocco is a senior at the University of Illinois. She is also an on-air personality at WPGU, 107.1 The Planet.

buzz

calendar

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com

Colorado – Pages For All Ages, 7-9pm, free

DJ 2ON2OUT – Barfly, 9pm, free DJ Betty Rocker – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, free

KARAOKE “G” Force Karaoke – T.K. Wendl’s, 9pm, free

COMEDY de Bono Improv Comedy – Courtyard Cafe, 9pm, free

FILM Buzz Film Festival – Virginia Theatre, $5 per movie, $20 for passes

TuesdayNov18 LIVE MUSIC Verde Hootenanny – bluegrass jam – Verdant News & Coffee, 7pm, free Open Mic Night – Espresso Royale Cafe, 7:30, free Open Mic/Open Jam hosted by Tom Grassman – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $2 Crystal River – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm Will Rogers Acoustic Night – Tommy G’s, 9pm-1am Acoustic Eidolon – acoustic/instrumental duo from Colorado – Pages For All Ages, 7-9pm, free

DJ Seduction with DJ Resonate – Barfly, 10pm, free Drew Patterson – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, free Preston Wright, Jim Creason – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, $1

KARAOKE “G” Force Karaoke – T.K. Wendl’s, 9pm, free

COMEDY Spicy Clamato Improv Comedy – Courtyard Cafe, 9pm, free

MUSIC PERFORMANCES UI Symphonic Band II and UI Concert Band I – features a variety of works from the symphonic and concert band repertoires – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $2-5

ON STAGE Merce Cunningham Dance Company: 50 Years of Forward Motion – fascintaing and triumphant retrospective celebrating the Merce Cunningham Dance Company’s 50th anniversary. Longtime Cunningham dancers have lovingly reconstructed a group of the choreographer’s dances for the current company – Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $22-34

Brandon T. Washington @ The Iron Post, Friday, 5pm Temple of Low Men @ The Canopy Club, Friday, 9pm

FILM Buzz Film Festival – Virginia Theatre, $5 per movie, $20 for passes

WednesdayNov19 LIVE MUSIC The Great Cover-Up: The Red Hot Valentines, Orphans, Everybody Uh Oh, Lorenzo Goetz, Goldfronts, Green Mountain Grass – The Highdive, 9:30pm, $6 Finga Lickin’, Bochman’s Euphio – The Canopy Club, 10pm, free Open Mic Night hosted by Mike Ingram – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $2 Hot’N’Ready – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm Kilborn Alley – Tommy G’s, 9pm-1am

DJ DJ Joel Spencer – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, $1 Chef Ra – Reggae, Barfly, 9pm, free DJ Forrest – Lava, 9pm

MUSIC PERFORMANCES UI Wind Symphony and UI Symphonic Band I – premier ensembles of the Division of Bands in a concert of works which will include Grantham’s J.S. Dances, the world premiere of David Stanhope’s Australian Fantasia, and Gould’s West Point Symphony. The guest artist on this program is a member of the New York Philharmonic – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $2-5

C-UVENUES Assembly Hall First & Florida, Champaign, 333.5000 American Legion Post 24 705 W Bloomington Rd, Champaign, 356.5144 American Legion Post 71 107 N Broadway, Urbana, 367.3121 Barfly 120 N Neil, Champaign,352.9756 Barnes and Noble 51 E Marketview, Champaign, 355.2045 Boltini Lounge 211 N Neil, Champaign, 378.8001 Borders Books & Music 802 W Town Ctr, Champaign, 351.9011 The Brass Rail 15 E University, Champaign, 352.7512 Canopy Club (The Garden Grill) 708 S Goodwin, Urbana, 367.3140 C.O. Daniels 608 E Daniel, Champaign, 337.7411 Cosmopolitan Club 307 E John, Champaign, 367.3079 Courtyard Cafe Illini Union, 1401 W Green, Urbana, 333.4666 Cowboy Monkey 6 Taylor St, Champaign, 398.2688 Clybourne 706 S Sixth, Champaign, 383.1008 Curtis Orchard 3902 S Duncan Rd, Champaign, 359.5565 D.R. Diggers 604 S Country Fair Dr, Champaign, 356.0888 Embassy Tavern & Grill 114 S Race, Urbana, 384.9526 Esquire Lounge 106 N Walnut, Champaign, 398.5858 Fallon’s Ice House 703 N Prospect, Champaign, 398.5760 Fat City Saloon 505 S Chestnut, Champaign, 356.7100 The Great Impasta 114 W Church, Champaign, 359.7377 G.T.’s Western Bowl Francis Dr, Champaign, 359.1678 The Highdive 51 Main, Champaign, 359.4444 Huber’s 1312 W Church, Champaign, 352.0606 Illinois Disciples Foundation 610 E Springfield, Champaign, 352.8721 Independent Media Center 218 W Main St, Urbana, 344.8820 The Iron Post 120 S Race, Urbana, 337.7678 Joe’s Brewery 706 S Fifth, Champaign, 384.1790 Kam’s 618 E Daniel, Champaign, 328.1605 Krannert Art Museum 500 E Peabody, Champaign, 333.1861

SOLSTICE C E L E B R AT O N TURTLE ISL AND STRING QUARTET

D E C 3 , 7: 3 0 P M

CORPORATE SILVER SPONSOR

For tickets

217/333-6280 KrannertCenter.com

17

1113buzz1316

16

11/12/03

5:00 PM

Page 1

calendar

WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

buzz NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

CDReviews

inspired by literary works on themes of hedonism and secular desires—Three Pieces from The Damnation of Faust by Berlioz and The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan by Griffes – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 7:30pm Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi – Suor Angelica explores the heartbreak of a mother who learns of her child’s death. Gianni Schicchi examines greed with a light, comic touch – Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $8-20

ON STAGE

Lucid Records’ rock outfits Life at Sea (above) and The Blackouts at Cafe Paradiso, Friday, 6pm, $5

ThursdayNov13 LIVE MUSIC

$25 Gift Certificate given away every Friday.

Stop by each week to register.

U of I #3 Big Band – Iron Post, 7pm, TBA G. Lee – Aroma, 8pm, free Lamonte Parsons Jazz Trio – Senators Pub, 8pm, TBA Weasel Dreams Quintet – Zorba’s 9:30pm, $3 Medeski Martin & Wood – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $20 20 Miles, Catfish Haven – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $8

DJ In the Red Room with DJ J-Phlip – Barfly, 9pm, free Julian “Jumpin” Perez, Mixin’ Marc, Bam Bam Budha – The Highdive, 9pm, $5 DJ Orby - Joe’s Brewery, 10 pm

DANCING New arrivals this week! Straight from LA!

Country Line Dance – Courtyard Cafe, 8pm

MUSIC PERFORMANCES UI Chamber Orchestra – features the world premiere of the winning composition of the UI Student Composition Contest and will include Schnittke’s Moz-Art a la Haydn, Haydn’s “Farewell” Symphony (No. 45), and Gliére’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $2-5

ON STAGE

One of the largest selection of International Foods in the Champaign Urbana Area!

Stocked with Latin products an other products from around the globe. Plus….frozen items from Asia

For people with International Tastes.

November Playhouse Dance – The Department of Dance presents solos and group works by Rachel Lampert, Helen Tamiris, Cynthia Pipkin-Doyle, Linda Lehovec, Elizabeth Johnson and Cathy Young. Guest dancer Dianne McIntyre joins faculty artists and students in the performance – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $8-15 Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories – Parkland Theatre, 8pm

FridayNov14 LIVE MUSIC

Expanded Selection of Natural, Organic, and Health Foods Now carrying a wide variety of health conscious items with more organic foods than ever before.

Special foods for people with special Diets.

Roger Clair – Cowboy Monkey, 5pm, free Brandon T. Washington – Iron Post, 5pm, TBA The Blackouts, Life at Sea, The Love Kill, The Situation – Cafe Paradiso, 6pm, $5 Bottle of Justus, Temple of Low Men, Lorenzo Goetz, Big Fur – The Canopy Club, 9pm, TBA Freestyle Smackdown Rapping Competition – Essohess, FACTA, Licwadatid, Akdamo – Channing Murray Foundation, 9pm, $3 Big Bang Theory – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $3 Jiggsaw, TBA – Iron Post, 10pm, $3 David Davenport – classic rock/oldies – Tommy G’s, 5-7pm Adam Wolf and Party Hounds – acoustic rock – Tommy G’s, 10pm-2am

Penny Dreadful Players presents “Come See My Shorts” – Courtyard Cafe, 8pm, $3

ON STAGE Anton in Show Business – this play follows the adventures of a Hollywood soap star, a jaded New Yorker, and an enthusiastic ingénue starring in a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm November Playhouse Dance – The Department of Dance presents solos and group works by Rachel Lampert, Helen Tamiris, Cynthia Pipkin-Doyle, Linda Lehovec, Elizabeth Johnson and Cathy Young. Guest dancer Dianne McIntyre joins faculty artists and students in the performance – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $8-15 Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories – Parkland Theatre, 8pm

SaturdayNov15 LIVE MUSIC The Vice Dolls, Missing in Action, Jiggsaw, RyefieldCrane, New Grenada, The Trembling, Failed Resistance, Missing the Point, Kate Hathaway, MJ Walker and Fictive Kin, Rory Miller, Ripley Caine, Jaik Willis, Gabe Rosen, Finite Element, Darrin Drda’s Theory of Everything - Channing Murray Foundation, 1pm, TBA The Bottle Rockets, Edward Burch – The Highdive, 7:30pm, $10 Candy Foster and Shades of Blue – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $3 Jeff and Vida Band – Iron Post, 10pm, TBA Slighty Stoopid, Lucky Boys Confusion – The Canopy Club, 10pm, TBA Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Tim Kinsella, RoyG.Biv – Courtyard Cafe, TBA, $4 Mighty Groove Trio – Embassy Tavern, TBA, free Hot’N’Ready – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm Will Rogers – classic rock and country – Tommy G’s, 9pm1am Trouble IS –Rick’s Recreation & Pub, 8:30pm-12:30am Ted Leo and The Pharmacists , Tim Kinsella, Roy G. Biv – Courtyard Cafe, 8pm, $4

DJ DJ Hipster Sophisto – Barfly, 9pm, free DJ Resonate – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, $1 DJ Tim Williams – The Highdive, 10:30pm, $5 DJ Naughty Boy – Joe’s Brewery DJ Stiffler – Lava, 9pm DJ Brad – T.K. Wendl’s, 8pm, free “G” Force DJ Chris – White Horse Inn, 10pm

SundayNov16 LIVE MUSIC Josh Caterer – Record Service, 3pm, free Writers in the Round: Mike Ingram, Kristi Kjeldsen, Dave Burdick, Adam Wolfe – Iron Post, 9pm, $3 The Blues Jam hosted by Kilborn Alley – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $2 Duvall, TBA, Jiggsaw – The Highdive, 10pm, $8 Crystal River – Rose Bowl Tavern, 8:30pm

DJ DJ Reflex, TBA – Barfly, 9pm, free Blends by Otter – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, free Reel to Reel and the Wheels of Steel: Spicerack Movies with soundtrack provided by DJ Spinnerty and DJ Bozak – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, $1

KARAOKE “G” Force Karaoke – T.K. Wendl’s, 9pm, free

SPOKEN WORD Open Mic – Poetry/Spoken Word hosted by Illusion - The Canopy Club, 7pm, $2

MUSIC PEFORMANCES Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi – Suor Angelica explores the heartbreak of a mother who learns of her child’s death. Gianni Schicchi examines greed with a light, comic touch – Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $8-20 UI Philharmonica – interesting and exciting works from the symphony orchestra repertoire – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 3pm, $2-5

ON STAGE Anton in Show Business – this play follows the adventures of a Hollywood soap star, a jaded New Yorker, and an enthusiastic ingénue starring in a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories – Parkland Theatre, 3pm

FILM Race in America Film Series – presented by News Gazette and UIUC – Virgina Theatre, 7pm, $5

THE RAPTURE Echoes Strummer/Universal

★★★★

BY LOGAN MOORE Have you ever seen a record collector dance?

There are numerous permutations of this phenomenon and none of them are particularly attractive. It can range from wildly arrhythmic toe-tapping to that hopelessly Caucasian pursuit known as “pogoing.” In some extreme cases it will manifest itself as the tempestuous jerking, twitching and kicking of an epileptic monkey in a frantic attempt to simulate actual rhythm. Yet, just like Chinese food and most British bands, I believe that the hopeless flailing of hipsters

TopFive

and music geeks everywhere is actually much better than it looks. What’s the alternative, to sit there with your arms crossed and your eyes glazed over like a stoned test bunny, pretending that you’ve evolved beyond the plebian recreation of enjoying yourself? At this point in our country’s history, with leaders who fall asleep on oil slicks and pillows of cash whilst cradling their semi-automatics and dreaming up new ways to exploit the lower class I have an over-abundance of cynicism and a serious need for catharsis. Cue the ass shaking. Oh yeah.

Spearheading the new groove nation are bands like The Rapture. I love these guys, and all their brethren, Radio 4, !!!, Out Hud and The Liars. So what if they’re copping a few moves from post-punksters like Wire and Gang of Four. Bands have been swiping from the Velvet Underground playbook for decades now and have been receiving nothing but the drooling praise of Rolling Stone critics everywhere. These fellows are just doing the same thing, building on the templates laid down by geniuses and recontextualizing them, expanding on the sound. Come on, arty, dissonant guitar riffs and funky bass work sound never sounded so good together.

And on the Rapture’s debut, Echoes, it works to brilliant effect. The album starts off promisingly with the trancey “Olio”. Delicately plinked piano and keyboard blurps float over a solid thumping beat while Luke Jenner wails,“I called on you on the telephone / ‘cause I was lonely” like the drugged-out misanthrope at the back of the club. “I Need Your Love” is a great piece of … well, it sounds like “discorock” if that’s a term at all. Jenner pleads that he does in fact “need your love” as bells that seem lifted from a Donna Summer album toll in the background. “Heaven” and “The Coming of Spring” are both great raunchy slabs of post-punk madness, proving that The Rapture don’t necessarily need the bleeps and bloops of the DFA production team to get your attention.

Still though, the album really hits its groovealicious high in the middle when all these elements come together. First up is the deservedly classic “House of Jealous Lovers”. Oh, how I love thee,“House of Jealous Lovers”, that echoey guitar,

Tribute albums

1. El Baile Aleman Senor Coconut

Kraftwerk: revolutionaries, innovators, dorks. All these definitions and more are appropriate for the German band that gave birth to electronic music and influenced rock and hip hop for years to come. How better to honor one of the most important bands in the history of music than to create a Latin tribute album? Senor Coconut (Uwe Schmidt to his German parents), somehow manages to create humorous versions of Kraftwerk classics like “Trans Europe Express” and “Tour De France.” But no fears, this isn’t some kind of Weird Al experience. Musically, El Baile Aleman is top notch as well.Not only did it resonate with music fans with a sense of humor, but the electronic scene praised it as well.

2. Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons

The story of Gram Parsons and his influence on music is far greater than the space alotted for this write-up. He is often attributed with creating and mastering the genre of country

that bassline which kicks in and does make the Chemical Brothers cream their irrelevant pants, and that cowbell, oh, that’s good cowbell. Then the boys proceed to follow it up with the even more frantic but just as deliciously danceable title track. Someone should just hand bassist Mattie Safer an award right now; the man knows how to make take it to the bridge. And let us not forget “Sister Christian,”a song that virtually bridges the rift between post-punk and new-wave that occurred in the late 1970s. It’s like partying with Blondie and The Fall or Joy Division and Duran Duran.

There are a few weak tracks on Echoes, but it sells at a permanent discount around 10 bucks. Treat it like a kick-inthe-ass EP, invite your friends over and dance like drunken madmen all night long. Come on, you know you’re tired of being cool, all you really wanna do is shake what your mother gave you.

MUSIC REVIEW GUIDE

★★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★ no stars

Flawless Good Mediocre Bad Un-listenable

Next week: Top five songs your parents hated.

What’s yours? e-mail us at music@readbuzz.com

rock or early alt-country. Parsons was a member of several influential bands including The International Submarine Band, The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo is cosidered by some to be the first altcountry album and Parsons was a large part of that album. On this tribute, alt-country and folk-rock stars of the 1990s (like Whiskeytown, Wilco, Lucinda Williams and The Cowboy Junkies) pay tribute to him.

3. Third Eye Open: A String Tribute to Tool

Tool are amazing. They are one of those bands that never cease to create interesting and unique music on all their albums. Their love of dynamics is one of their strengths as they often take a song down to the nether regions of near silence then explode with Maynard’s token wails of pure rock. On this album you find a more subdued example of what Tool can sound like. It may not feature the masterful vocals of Maynard but it does focus on the melodies and dynamcs of Tool’s music that allows the listener to appreciate the depth of Tool’s songwriting skills. With only a septet of performers on this CD, they manage to encapsulate all the sounds of a Tool song to perfection.

4. Plastic Mutations: An Electronic Tribute to Radiohead

All you indie snobs trying to “be cool” and get some cred by hating on Radiohead can just stop it. The fact of the matter is that people are going to be making tribute albums to Radiohead for decades to come. This 2001 effort won’t be the best one of all time, but for now it is an impressive effort. Including a triphop, female vocal led version of “Fake Plastic Trees” and other electronic covers of songs through the band’s history, it is a unique take on a genuinely unique band.

5. A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC Hayseed Dixie

Look at this formula:Take one of mankind’s hardest rocking bands and let some hillbilly band have at performing hits like “Back in Black.” Smart, funny and completely unique, it is a tribute that has to be heard to believed.

PARASOL RECORDS TOP 10 SELLERS 1. Guided By Voices - Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (Matador) 2. Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard (A Hidden Agenda) 3. Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts Of The Great Highway (Jetset) 4. The Minders - The Future Is Always Perfect (Future Farmer) 5. Poster Children - No More Songs About Sleep and Fire (A Hidden Agenda) 6. Wheat - Per Second, Per Second, Per Second...

Every Second (Aware) 7. The Ladybug Transistor - The Ladybug Transistor (Merge) 8. M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (Grooom Records - France) 9. The Thrills - So Much For The City (Virgin) 10. Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark (Rough Trade)

RECORD SERVICE TOP 10 SELLERS 1. Ryan Adams - Rock N Roll (Lost Highway) 2. The Strokes - Room On Fire (RCA) 3. Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell Pt. 2 (EP) (Lost Highway) 4. Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow (Arista) 5. Ben Folds - Sunny 16 6. Anti-Flag - Terror State (Fat Wreck Chords) 7. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catasrophe Waitress (Sanctuary Records) 8. John Mayer - Heavier Things (Sony) 9. Guided By Voices - The Best of Guided By Voices: Human Amusement At Hourly Rates (Matador Records) 10. Lucky Boys Confusion - Commitment (Elektra)

NEW RELEASES Dave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert Biz Markie - Weekend Warrior Britney Spears - In the Zone Flaming Lips - Ego-Tripping at the Gates of Hell G Unit - Beg for Mercy Cyndi Lauper - At Last Linkin Park - Live in Texas Al Green - I Can’t Stop Ben Harper - Live Moby - 18 B-sides blink-182 - blink-182 Timbaland & Magoo Under Construction Part II

The Actors Academy is now offering

Acting Classes

“G” Force Karaoke – Lincoln Castle, 9pm, free

MondayNov17

at the Virginia Theatre!

DJ Bozak – Barfly, 9pm, free DJ Tim Williams – The Highdive, 10:30pm, $5 DJ Mertz – Joe’s Brewery, 10 pm DJ Chad – T.K. Wendl’s, 8pm, free

COMEDY

LIVE MUSIC

Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company presents “Follies” – Starring Mark Roberts – Virginia Theatre

Liz Phair, Wheat – Foellinger Auditorium, 7:30pm, $19.50 Openingbands.com Showcase: Rollercoaster Club, TBA – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $3 Hammel on Trial, Larry Gates – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $5 Finga Lickin – The Office, 10pm, free Billy Galt & Ed O’Hara – White Horse Inn, 10pm, free Acoustic Eidolon – acoustic/instrumental duo from

Register at the Bresnan Meeting Center 706 Kenwood Road, Champaign.

“G” Force Karaoke – Lincoln Castle, 9pm, free

KARAOKE

MUSIC PERFORMANCES Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra – concert moves from the profane to the sacred, from music

Questions: 356-9053

13

CHARTS

DJ

KARAOKE Jerry’s IGA on Philo Road

COMEDY

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde – Moisés Kaufman presents the story of how Oscar Wilde went from the toast of the town with two smash hits playing to packed houses (The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband), to complete humiliation and utter scorn – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm November Playhouse Dance – The Department of Dance presents solos and group works by Rachel Lampert, Helen Tamiris, Cynthia Pipkin-Doyle, Linda Lehovec, Elizabeth Johnson and Cathy Young. Guest dancer Dianne McIntyre joins faculty artists and students in the performance – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 7:30pm Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories – Parkland Theatre, 8pm

music

| AC/DC NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD....IN BLUEGRASS

203 W. Park Avenue, Champaign

1113buzz1415

11/12/03

4:59 PM

14

calendar

Page 1

calendar

buzzpicks Leo and the Pharmacists at the Courtyard Cafe

IMC Fest 2003 Prepare yourself for a day of rock for a good cause. This year, IMC has provided a lineup reaching across genres for IMC Fest 2003 at The Channing Murray Foundation. Go out and support great music and a great cause.

Lineup: The Vice Dolls, Missing in Action, Jiggsaw, RyeFieldCrane, New Grenada, The Trembling, Failed Resistance, Missing the Point, Kate Hathaway MJ Walker and Fictive Kin, Rory Miller, Ripley Caine, Jaik Willis, Gabe Rosen, Finite Element, Darrin Drda’s Theory of Everything, Aerin Tedesco, Andrea Bunch Channing Murray Foundation, Saturday, 1pm, all ages, Cover TBA

O N E T O O M M A A N N Y K E M P

O P E R

R A C E A G A I N S T T I M E

D J I M D A T E E D E D E M I H S N I H A T T E A R S A R B O E A S R A L A O S S T L E O R E X L A T E

T I T L E R O L E

R C C O A L A B P I N E D R C C O L L O I A S T N N I O N O I N E C A T E S T E D U M P A T P E Q U I Z

L A N D O C A L R I S S I A N

A M U R

S A T E

U M B E R T O E C O

S E S C A D R E S

LIVE JAZZ at ms a e Dr et l t ase uin $ e 3 W Q 627 E. GREEN 344-0710

THURSDAY AT 9:30 $3.00 COVER

TOO COLD? Proud sponsor of the buzz film festival

L O R E N Z

Starting in the New York hard-core scene with bands like Animal Crackers and Citizens Arrest and playing with the successful Chisel out of Washington, D.C., Ted Leo has been around. Since 1997, he has taken a different route, picking up the moniker singer/songwriter and creating a sound that has been compared to the likes of Billy Bragg. Leo and The Pharmacists are best known for their 2001 release The Tyranny of Distance. Their most recent 2003 release, Hearts of Oak, blends their typical rousing rock with elements of mod, punk, dub and power pop for a sound that is as superior as it is eclectic. Rounding out the lineup are Roy G. Biv and Tim Kinsella (of Joan of Arc).

Courtyard Cafe, Saturday, $5, 18+

It’s Miller Time on Halloween!

AIRVANTAGE™ adjustable insulation allows you to adjust your personal comfort level by simply adding or releasing air through a small inflation tube.

Available at www.airvantage.com/illinois

TOO HOT?

For extra photos, check out readbuzz.com

15

1113buzz1415

11/12/03

4:59 PM

14

calendar

Page 1

calendar

buzzpicks Leo and the Pharmacists at the Courtyard Cafe

IMC Fest 2003 Prepare yourself for a day of rock for a good cause. This year, IMC has provided a lineup reaching across genres for IMC Fest 2003 at The Channing Murray Foundation. Go out and support great music and a great cause.

Lineup: The Vice Dolls, Missing in Action, Jiggsaw, RyeFieldCrane, New Grenada, The Trembling, Failed Resistance, Missing the Point, Kate Hathaway MJ Walker and Fictive Kin, Rory Miller, Ripley Caine, Jaik Willis, Gabe Rosen, Finite Element, Darrin Drda’s Theory of Everything, Aerin Tedesco, Andrea Bunch Channing Murray Foundation, Saturday, 1pm, all ages, Cover TBA

O N E T O O M M A A N N Y K E M P

O P E R

R A C E A G A I N S T T I M E

D J I M D A T E E D E D E M I H S N I H A T T E A R S A R B O E A S R A L A O S S T L E O R E X L A T E

T I T L E R O L E

R C C O A L A B P I N E D R C C O L L O I A S T N N I O N O I N E C A T E S T E D U M P A T P E Q U I Z

L A N D O C A L R I S S I A N

A M U R

S A T E

U M B E R T O E C O

S E S C A D R E S

LIVE JAZZ at ms a e Dr et l t ase uin $ e 3 W Q 627 E. GREEN 344-0710

THURSDAY AT 9:30 $3.00 COVER

TOO COLD? Proud sponsor of the buzz film festival

L O R E N Z

Starting in the New York hard-core scene with bands like Animal Crackers and Citizens Arrest and playing with the successful Chisel out of Washington, D.C., Ted Leo has been around. Since 1997, he has taken a different route, picking up the moniker singer/songwriter and creating a sound that has been compared to the likes of Billy Bragg. Leo and The Pharmacists are best known for their 2001 release The Tyranny of Distance. Their most recent 2003 release, Hearts of Oak, blends their typical rousing rock with elements of mod, punk, dub and power pop for a sound that is as superior as it is eclectic. Rounding out the lineup are Roy G. Biv and Tim Kinsella (of Joan of Arc).

Courtyard Cafe, Saturday, $5, 18+

It’s Miller Time on Halloween!

AIRVANTAGE™ adjustable insulation allows you to adjust your personal comfort level by simply adding or releasing air through a small inflation tube.

Available at www.airvantage.com/illinois

TOO HOT?

For extra photos, check out readbuzz.com

15

1113buzz1316

16

11/12/03

5:00 PM

Page 1

calendar

WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

buzz NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

CDReviews

inspired by literary works on themes of hedonism and secular desires—Three Pieces from The Damnation of Faust by Berlioz and The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan by Griffes – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 7:30pm Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi – Suor Angelica explores the heartbreak of a mother who learns of her child’s death. Gianni Schicchi examines greed with a light, comic touch – Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $8-20

ON STAGE

Lucid Records’ rock outfits Life at Sea (above) and The Blackouts at Cafe Paradiso, Friday, 6pm, $5

ThursdayNov13 LIVE MUSIC

$25 Gift Certificate given away every Friday.

Stop by each week to register.

U of I #3 Big Band – Iron Post, 7pm, TBA G. Lee – Aroma, 8pm, free Lamonte Parsons Jazz Trio – Senators Pub, 8pm, TBA Weasel Dreams Quintet – Zorba’s 9:30pm, $3 Medeski Martin & Wood – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $20 20 Miles, Catfish Haven – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $8

DJ In the Red Room with DJ J-Phlip – Barfly, 9pm, free Julian “Jumpin” Perez, Mixin’ Marc, Bam Bam Budha – The Highdive, 9pm, $5 DJ Orby - Joe’s Brewery, 10 pm

DANCING New arrivals this week! Straight from LA!

Country Line Dance – Courtyard Cafe, 8pm

MUSIC PERFORMANCES UI Chamber Orchestra – features the world premiere of the winning composition of the UI Student Composition Contest and will include Schnittke’s Moz-Art a la Haydn, Haydn’s “Farewell” Symphony (No. 45), and Gliére’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $2-5

ON STAGE

One of the largest selection of International Foods in the Champaign Urbana Area!

Stocked with Latin products an other products from around the globe. Plus….frozen items from Asia

For people with International Tastes.

November Playhouse Dance – The Department of Dance presents solos and group works by Rachel Lampert, Helen Tamiris, Cynthia Pipkin-Doyle, Linda Lehovec, Elizabeth Johnson and Cathy Young. Guest dancer Dianne McIntyre joins faculty artists and students in the performance – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $8-15 Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories – Parkland Theatre, 8pm

FridayNov14 LIVE MUSIC

Expanded Selection of Natural, Organic, and Health Foods Now carrying a wide variety of health conscious items with more organic foods than ever before.

Special foods for people with special Diets.

Roger Clair – Cowboy Monkey, 5pm, free Brandon T. Washington – Iron Post, 5pm, TBA The Blackouts, Life at Sea, The Love Kill, The Situation – Cafe Paradiso, 6pm, $5 Bottle of Justus, Temple of Low Men, Lorenzo Goetz, Big Fur – The Canopy Club, 9pm, TBA Freestyle Smackdown Rapping Competition – Essohess, FACTA, Licwadatid, Akdamo – Channing Murray Foundation, 9pm, $3 Big Bang Theory – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $3 Jiggsaw, TBA – Iron Post, 10pm, $3 David Davenport – classic rock/oldies – Tommy G’s, 5-7pm Adam Wolf and Party Hounds – acoustic rock – Tommy G’s, 10pm-2am

Penny Dreadful Players presents “Come See My Shorts” – Courtyard Cafe, 8pm, $3

ON STAGE Anton in Show Business – this play follows the adventures of a Hollywood soap star, a jaded New Yorker, and an enthusiastic ingénue starring in a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm November Playhouse Dance – The Department of Dance presents solos and group works by Rachel Lampert, Helen Tamiris, Cynthia Pipkin-Doyle, Linda Lehovec, Elizabeth Johnson and Cathy Young. Guest dancer Dianne McIntyre joins faculty artists and students in the performance – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $8-15 Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories – Parkland Theatre, 8pm

SaturdayNov15 LIVE MUSIC The Vice Dolls, Missing in Action, Jiggsaw, RyefieldCrane, New Grenada, The Trembling, Failed Resistance, Missing the Point, Kate Hathaway, MJ Walker and Fictive Kin, Rory Miller, Ripley Caine, Jaik Willis, Gabe Rosen, Finite Element, Darrin Drda’s Theory of Everything - Channing Murray Foundation, 1pm, TBA The Bottle Rockets, Edward Burch – The Highdive, 7:30pm, $10 Candy Foster and Shades of Blue – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $3 Jeff and Vida Band – Iron Post, 10pm, TBA Slighty Stoopid, Lucky Boys Confusion – The Canopy Club, 10pm, TBA Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Tim Kinsella, RoyG.Biv – Courtyard Cafe, TBA, $4 Mighty Groove Trio – Embassy Tavern, TBA, free Hot’N’Ready – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm Will Rogers – classic rock and country – Tommy G’s, 9pm1am Trouble IS –Rick’s Recreation & Pub, 8:30pm-12:30am Ted Leo and The Pharmacists , Tim Kinsella, Roy G. Biv – Courtyard Cafe, 8pm, $4

DJ DJ Hipster Sophisto – Barfly, 9pm, free DJ Resonate – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, $1 DJ Tim Williams – The Highdive, 10:30pm, $5 DJ Naughty Boy – Joe’s Brewery DJ Stiffler – Lava, 9pm DJ Brad – T.K. Wendl’s, 8pm, free “G” Force DJ Chris – White Horse Inn, 10pm

SundayNov16 LIVE MUSIC Josh Caterer – Record Service, 3pm, free Writers in the Round: Mike Ingram, Kristi Kjeldsen, Dave Burdick, Adam Wolfe – Iron Post, 9pm, $3 The Blues Jam hosted by Kilborn Alley – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $2 Duvall, TBA, Jiggsaw – The Highdive, 10pm, $8 Crystal River – Rose Bowl Tavern, 8:30pm

DJ DJ Reflex, TBA – Barfly, 9pm, free Blends by Otter – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, free Reel to Reel and the Wheels of Steel: Spicerack Movies with soundtrack provided by DJ Spinnerty and DJ Bozak – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, $1

KARAOKE “G” Force Karaoke – T.K. Wendl’s, 9pm, free

SPOKEN WORD Open Mic – Poetry/Spoken Word hosted by Illusion - The Canopy Club, 7pm, $2

MUSIC PEFORMANCES Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi – Suor Angelica explores the heartbreak of a mother who learns of her child’s death. Gianni Schicchi examines greed with a light, comic touch – Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $8-20 UI Philharmonica – interesting and exciting works from the symphony orchestra repertoire – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 3pm, $2-5

ON STAGE Anton in Show Business – this play follows the adventures of a Hollywood soap star, a jaded New Yorker, and an enthusiastic ingénue starring in a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories – Parkland Theatre, 3pm

FILM Race in America Film Series – presented by News Gazette and UIUC – Virgina Theatre, 7pm, $5

THE RAPTURE Echoes Strummer/Universal

★★★★

BY LOGAN MOORE Have you ever seen a record collector dance?

There are numerous permutations of this phenomenon and none of them are particularly attractive. It can range from wildly arrhythmic toe-tapping to that hopelessly Caucasian pursuit known as “pogoing.” In some extreme cases it will manifest itself as the tempestuous jerking, twitching and kicking of an epileptic monkey in a frantic attempt to simulate actual rhythm. Yet, just like Chinese food and most British bands, I believe that the hopeless flailing of hipsters

TopFive

and music geeks everywhere is actually much better than it looks. What’s the alternative, to sit there with your arms crossed and your eyes glazed over like a stoned test bunny, pretending that you’ve evolved beyond the plebian recreation of enjoying yourself? At this point in our country’s history, with leaders who fall asleep on oil slicks and pillows of cash whilst cradling their semi-automatics and dreaming up new ways to exploit the lower class I have an over-abundance of cynicism and a serious need for catharsis. Cue the ass shaking. Oh yeah.

Spearheading the new groove nation are bands like The Rapture. I love these guys, and all their brethren, Radio 4, !!!, Out Hud and The Liars. So what if they’re copping a few moves from post-punksters like Wire and Gang of Four. Bands have been swiping from the Velvet Underground playbook for decades now and have been receiving nothing but the drooling praise of Rolling Stone critics everywhere. These fellows are just doing the same thing, building on the templates laid down by geniuses and recontextualizing them, expanding on the sound. Come on, arty, dissonant guitar riffs and funky bass work sound never sounded so good together.

And on the Rapture’s debut, Echoes, it works to brilliant effect. The album starts off promisingly with the trancey “Olio”. Delicately plinked piano and keyboard blurps float over a solid thumping beat while Luke Jenner wails,“I called on you on the telephone / ‘cause I was lonely” like the drugged-out misanthrope at the back of the club. “I Need Your Love” is a great piece of … well, it sounds like “discorock” if that’s a term at all. Jenner pleads that he does in fact “need your love” as bells that seem lifted from a Donna Summer album toll in the background. “Heaven” and “The Coming of Spring” are both great raunchy slabs of post-punk madness, proving that The Rapture don’t necessarily need the bleeps and bloops of the DFA production team to get your attention.

Still though, the album really hits its groovealicious high in the middle when all these elements come together. First up is the deservedly classic “House of Jealous Lovers”. Oh, how I love thee,“House of Jealous Lovers”, that echoey guitar,

Tribute albums

1. El Baile Aleman Senor Coconut

Kraftwerk: revolutionaries, innovators, dorks. All these definitions and more are appropriate for the German band that gave birth to electronic music and influenced rock and hip hop for years to come. How better to honor one of the most important bands in the history of music than to create a Latin tribute album? Senor Coconut (Uwe Schmidt to his German parents), somehow manages to create humorous versions of Kraftwerk classics like “Trans Europe Express” and “Tour De France.” But no fears, this isn’t some kind of Weird Al experience. Musically, El Baile Aleman is top notch as well.Not only did it resonate with music fans with a sense of humor, but the electronic scene praised it as well.

2. Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons

The story of Gram Parsons and his influence on music is far greater than the space alotted for this write-up. He is often attributed with creating and mastering the genre of country

that bassline which kicks in and does make the Chemical Brothers cream their irrelevant pants, and that cowbell, oh, that’s good cowbell. Then the boys proceed to follow it up with the even more frantic but just as deliciously danceable title track. Someone should just hand bassist Mattie Safer an award right now; the man knows how to make take it to the bridge. And let us not forget “Sister Christian,”a song that virtually bridges the rift between post-punk and new-wave that occurred in the late 1970s. It’s like partying with Blondie and The Fall or Joy Division and Duran Duran.

There are a few weak tracks on Echoes, but it sells at a permanent discount around 10 bucks. Treat it like a kick-inthe-ass EP, invite your friends over and dance like drunken madmen all night long. Come on, you know you’re tired of being cool, all you really wanna do is shake what your mother gave you.

MUSIC REVIEW GUIDE

★★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★ no stars

Flawless Good Mediocre Bad Un-listenable

Next week: Top five songs your parents hated.

What’s yours? e-mail us at music@readbuzz.com

rock or early alt-country. Parsons was a member of several influential bands including The International Submarine Band, The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo is cosidered by some to be the first altcountry album and Parsons was a large part of that album. On this tribute, alt-country and folk-rock stars of the 1990s (like Whiskeytown, Wilco, Lucinda Williams and The Cowboy Junkies) pay tribute to him.

3. Third Eye Open: A String Tribute to Tool

Tool are amazing. They are one of those bands that never cease to create interesting and unique music on all their albums. Their love of dynamics is one of their strengths as they often take a song down to the nether regions of near silence then explode with Maynard’s token wails of pure rock. On this album you find a more subdued example of what Tool can sound like. It may not feature the masterful vocals of Maynard but it does focus on the melodies and dynamcs of Tool’s music that allows the listener to appreciate the depth of Tool’s songwriting skills. With only a septet of performers on this CD, they manage to encapsulate all the sounds of a Tool song to perfection.

4. Plastic Mutations: An Electronic Tribute to Radiohead

All you indie snobs trying to “be cool” and get some cred by hating on Radiohead can just stop it. The fact of the matter is that people are going to be making tribute albums to Radiohead for decades to come. This 2001 effort won’t be the best one of all time, but for now it is an impressive effort. Including a triphop, female vocal led version of “Fake Plastic Trees” and other electronic covers of songs through the band’s history, it is a unique take on a genuinely unique band.

5. A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC Hayseed Dixie

Look at this formula:Take one of mankind’s hardest rocking bands and let some hillbilly band have at performing hits like “Back in Black.” Smart, funny and completely unique, it is a tribute that has to be heard to believed.

PARASOL RECORDS TOP 10 SELLERS 1. Guided By Voices - Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (Matador) 2. Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard (A Hidden Agenda) 3. Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts Of The Great Highway (Jetset) 4. The Minders - The Future Is Always Perfect (Future Farmer) 5. Poster Children - No More Songs About Sleep and Fire (A Hidden Agenda) 6. Wheat - Per Second, Per Second, Per Second...

Every Second (Aware) 7. The Ladybug Transistor - The Ladybug Transistor (Merge) 8. M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (Grooom Records - France) 9. The Thrills - So Much For The City (Virgin) 10. Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark (Rough Trade)

RECORD SERVICE TOP 10 SELLERS 1. Ryan Adams - Rock N Roll (Lost Highway) 2. The Strokes - Room On Fire (RCA) 3. Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell Pt. 2 (EP) (Lost Highway) 4. Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow (Arista) 5. Ben Folds - Sunny 16 6. Anti-Flag - Terror State (Fat Wreck Chords) 7. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catasrophe Waitress (Sanctuary Records) 8. John Mayer - Heavier Things (Sony) 9. Guided By Voices - The Best of Guided By Voices: Human Amusement At Hourly Rates (Matador Records) 10. Lucky Boys Confusion - Commitment (Elektra)

NEW RELEASES Dave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert Biz Markie - Weekend Warrior Britney Spears - In the Zone Flaming Lips - Ego-Tripping at the Gates of Hell G Unit - Beg for Mercy Cyndi Lauper - At Last Linkin Park - Live in Texas Al Green - I Can’t Stop Ben Harper - Live Moby - 18 B-sides blink-182 - blink-182 Timbaland & Magoo Under Construction Part II

The Actors Academy is now offering

Acting Classes

“G” Force Karaoke – Lincoln Castle, 9pm, free

MondayNov17

at the Virginia Theatre!

DJ Bozak – Barfly, 9pm, free DJ Tim Williams – The Highdive, 10:30pm, $5 DJ Mertz – Joe’s Brewery, 10 pm DJ Chad – T.K. Wendl’s, 8pm, free

COMEDY

LIVE MUSIC

Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company presents “Follies” – Starring Mark Roberts – Virginia Theatre

Liz Phair, Wheat – Foellinger Auditorium, 7:30pm, $19.50 Openingbands.com Showcase: Rollercoaster Club, TBA – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $3 Hammel on Trial, Larry Gates – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $5 Finga Lickin – The Office, 10pm, free Billy Galt & Ed O’Hara – White Horse Inn, 10pm, free Acoustic Eidolon – acoustic/instrumental duo from

Register at the Bresnan Meeting Center 706 Kenwood Road, Champaign.

“G” Force Karaoke – Lincoln Castle, 9pm, free

KARAOKE

MUSIC PERFORMANCES Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra – concert moves from the profane to the sacred, from music

Questions: 356-9053

13

CHARTS

DJ

KARAOKE Jerry’s IGA on Philo Road

COMEDY

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde – Moisés Kaufman presents the story of how Oscar Wilde went from the toast of the town with two smash hits playing to packed houses (The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband), to complete humiliation and utter scorn – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm November Playhouse Dance – The Department of Dance presents solos and group works by Rachel Lampert, Helen Tamiris, Cynthia Pipkin-Doyle, Linda Lehovec, Elizabeth Johnson and Cathy Young. Guest dancer Dianne McIntyre joins faculty artists and students in the performance – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 7:30pm Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories – Parkland Theatre, 8pm

music

| AC/DC NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD....IN BLUEGRASS

203 W. Park Avenue, Champaign

1113buzz1217

12

11/12/03

5:00 PM

Page 1

music

THE WAIT IS OVER. NEW BRITNEY ON TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

Art Re Cus storati tom o Fra n min Cus g tom Por Un iver traits Illi sity of nois Art

Dali Picasso Neiman Matisse Warhol Chugall Miro

355-8338 11 E. University Downtown Champaign

Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Festival oldvicartgallery@shout.net

this week Th Nov 13 Wine Tasting 5pm, free UI Chamber Orchestra 7:30pm, $2-$5 November Playhouse Dance 7:30pm $8-$15 Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde 7:30pm, STH, $6-$13

Fr Nov 14 November Playhouse Dance 7:30pm $8-$15 Anton in Show Business 7:30pm, $6-$13

Sa Nov 15 Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra 7:30pm, $10-$28 Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi 7:30pm, $8-$20 Sponsors: Tom and Jacqueline Lord-Alge

@

krannert center

Su Nov 16

We Nov 19

Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi Libretto 2pm, $5.50

UI Wind Symphony and UI Symphonic Band I 7:30pm, $2-$5

UI Philharmonia 3pm, $2-$5

Th Nov 20

Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi 3pm, $8-$20

Wine Tasting 5pm, free

Anton in Show Business 3pm, $6-$13

Tu Nov 18 UI Symphonic Band II and UI Concert Band I 7:30pm, $2-$5

Enescu Ensemble 7:30pm, $2-$5 Merce Cunningham Dance Company 7:30pm, $22-$34 Talkback following the show, free

Merce Cunningham Dance Company with the Kronos Quartet 7:30pm, $22-$34 Talkback following the show, free Patron Co-sponsors: Jerald Wray and Dirk Mol Anonymous Corporate Platinum Sponsor:

November Playhouse Dance 7:30pm $8-$15 Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde 7:30pm, $6-$13

Some Krannert Center programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, and patron and corporate contributions.

Season Sponsors Coporate Season Underwriters

Patron Season Sponsors

CAROLE AND JERRY RINGER

Support for Krannert Center’s 2003.2004 season is provided in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Champaign-Urbana Symphony concerts are supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

KrannertCenter.com 217/333-6280 or 800/KCPATIX 217/333-9714 (TTY) 217/244-SHOW (Fax) 217/244-0549 (Groups) kran-tix@uiuc.edu Ticket Office Open 10am to 6pm daily; on days of performances open 10am through intermission.

buzz

Criticism for the rock critics MENDOZA MUSIC LINE

BY LIZ MOZZOCCO | STAFF WRITER

I

love spending my nights staring at a computer screen, watching the cursor blink.

Other people are out having a drink, falling off of bar stools, putting gel in their hair and, in general, enjoying a healthy social life, but not me. No, I have no use for the pleasures of controlled substances, outside air or even other humans—because I am a music critic.

You know what I’m talking about. Every one of you has had these fantasies about the life of a record reviewer.

That guy who wrote the scathing article for Pitchfork Media? He’s 32 and lives in his parents’ basement, where he spends all of his plentiful free time going on the Internet, drooling on rare seven inches and writing music manifestos (and probably wretched fan letters too—he just burns them all with the flame from his handrolled cigarettes afterwards).

They’ve all got be losers. How the hell else could someone make a successful career obsessing over and tearing apart something as trivial as rock music?

True, they sound hip when they’re flinging around carefully constructed pop culture references or making emo jokes. But that’s just a cover for their inner nerd, right?

The more record reviews I read, the more I despise them. There’s always something that irks me every time I read a review or listen to a critic talk about music.

Perhaps it’s the sneaking suspicion that the person espousing their opinion only has half an idea what they’re talking about. Critics often just rip off another reviewer’s opinion, or don’t take the time to learn anything about the band they’re critiquing, and that can be painfully obvious to any reader who is a fan.

But what’s worse than an ignorant critic is one that knows too much. This is where the aforementioned Pitchfork reviewer comes in.

For those who have never heard of or read anything from www.pitchforkmedia.com, get thee to a computer, now! I’m not saying this because it’s that great (although it is a good source for all things indie)—it’s just something that you have to look at if you want to understand the logic of pretentious rock criticism.

Pitchfork reviews have a tendency to be hilarious—that’s why people like reading them—but they’re also just a wee bit over the top. You might think you know music, you might think you have good taste, but the lesson that rock criticism teaches us is, no, you don’t know shit. Poser.

I find it hard to feel good about myself when I’m reviewing an album. Sometimes it’s fun, especially if the musicians seem to have gone

out of their way to make themselves look and sound ridiculous. One always feels particularly witty when propped up against the background of bad art.

Reviewing is also fun if you happen to stumble upon a great album. Getting free music and (sometimes) getting paid to listen to it is an enviable duty for anyone, even if you have to whore-up your writing and insert some bad puns to make it interesting.

The trouble comes in when you begin to doubt the basis of your own opinions.

You’re in the middle of some run-on sentence about a drum break that has too many adjectives in it when you start to wonder “What the fuck do I know anyway? I’m not a musician.

I’m not even an average listener. How can I judge this?”

That seed of doubt is a good thing. It can keep you in check, and it probably doesn’t happen to the critic who knows too much, or to the critic who knows too little.

Pretentious assumptions make for a funny review, but not necessarily one that most readers can identify with. Uninformed music criticism makes for Spin magazine.

And that is the thin line that the music critic walks. It’s not a great journalistic policy, but you can’t be entirely objective when you’re writing a record review. Listening to and forming opinions about music is a subjective experience. It’s impossible to say what’s really good and what’s subpar, even if it seems clear that what you’re listening to blatantly sucks.

The thing is, a lot of rock critics are not musicians (arguably, a lot of rock musicians are not musicians, but that’s another column). They don’t know anything about writing songs, or about the guts it takes to put your music on display and to have it criticized. So what makes a critic’s opinion more valid than any other listeners’? Is it just that they spent their time with their head in a vinyl collection while the rest of us had ours in a toilet after a long Saturday night out?

The whole thing just seems ridiculous after a while. If I’m going to live in a cave and neglect my personal hygiene so that I can be knowledgeable about music, I want to at least have the liberty to enjoy what I enjoy without being told that I’ve got bad taste.

As for other people—yeah, all right, so seeing a 25-year-old dude in a Nickelback T-shirt still induces my gag reflex, but I can’t really blame him. I guess if you really want my opinion, I’ll just have to quote my mother, who once said of our neighbor’s dwarf statue lawn ornament collection: there’s no accounting for taste. buzz

Liz Mozzocco is a senior at the University of Illinois. She is also an on-air personality at WPGU, 107.1 The Planet.

buzz

calendar

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com

Colorado – Pages For All Ages, 7-9pm, free

DJ 2ON2OUT – Barfly, 9pm, free DJ Betty Rocker – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, free

KARAOKE “G” Force Karaoke – T.K. Wendl’s, 9pm, free

COMEDY de Bono Improv Comedy – Courtyard Cafe, 9pm, free

FILM Buzz Film Festival – Virginia Theatre, $5 per movie, $20 for passes

TuesdayNov18 LIVE MUSIC Verde Hootenanny – bluegrass jam – Verdant News & Coffee, 7pm, free Open Mic Night – Espresso Royale Cafe, 7:30, free Open Mic/Open Jam hosted by Tom Grassman – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $2 Crystal River – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm Will Rogers Acoustic Night – Tommy G’s, 9pm-1am Acoustic Eidolon – acoustic/instrumental duo from Colorado – Pages For All Ages, 7-9pm, free

DJ Seduction with DJ Resonate – Barfly, 10pm, free Drew Patterson – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, free Preston Wright, Jim Creason – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, $1

KARAOKE “G” Force Karaoke – T.K. Wendl’s, 9pm, free

COMEDY Spicy Clamato Improv Comedy – Courtyard Cafe, 9pm, free

MUSIC PERFORMANCES UI Symphonic Band II and UI Concert Band I – features a variety of works from the symphonic and concert band repertoires – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $2-5

ON STAGE Merce Cunningham Dance Company: 50 Years of Forward Motion – fascintaing and triumphant retrospective celebrating the Merce Cunningham Dance Company’s 50th anniversary. Longtime Cunningham dancers have lovingly reconstructed a group of the choreographer’s dances for the current company – Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $22-34

Brandon T. Washington @ The Iron Post, Friday, 5pm Temple of Low Men @ The Canopy Club, Friday, 9pm

FILM Buzz Film Festival – Virginia Theatre, $5 per movie, $20 for passes

WednesdayNov19 LIVE MUSIC The Great Cover-Up: The Red Hot Valentines, Orphans, Everybody Uh Oh, Lorenzo Goetz, Goldfronts, Green Mountain Grass – The Highdive, 9:30pm, $6 Finga Lickin’, Bochman’s Euphio – The Canopy Club, 10pm, free Open Mic Night hosted by Mike Ingram – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $2 Hot’N’Ready – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm Kilborn Alley – Tommy G’s, 9pm-1am

DJ DJ Joel Spencer – Mike ‘n Molly’s, 10pm, $1 Chef Ra – Reggae, Barfly, 9pm, free DJ Forrest – Lava, 9pm

MUSIC PERFORMANCES UI Wind Symphony and UI Symphonic Band I – premier ensembles of the Division of Bands in a concert of works which will include Grantham’s J.S. Dances, the world premiere of David Stanhope’s Australian Fantasia, and Gould’s West Point Symphony. The guest artist on this program is a member of the New York Philharmonic – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 7:30pm, $2-5

C-UVENUES Assembly Hall First & Florida, Champaign, 333.5000 American Legion Post 24 705 W Bloomington Rd, Champaign, 356.5144 American Legion Post 71 107 N Broadway, Urbana, 367.3121 Barfly 120 N Neil, Champaign,352.9756 Barnes and Noble 51 E Marketview, Champaign, 355.2045 Boltini Lounge 211 N Neil, Champaign, 378.8001 Borders Books & Music 802 W Town Ctr, Champaign, 351.9011 The Brass Rail 15 E University, Champaign, 352.7512 Canopy Club (The Garden Grill) 708 S Goodwin, Urbana, 367.3140 C.O. Daniels 608 E Daniel, Champaign, 337.7411 Cosmopolitan Club 307 E John, Champaign, 367.3079 Courtyard Cafe Illini Union, 1401 W Green, Urbana, 333.4666 Cowboy Monkey 6 Taylor St, Champaign, 398.2688 Clybourne 706 S Sixth, Champaign, 383.1008 Curtis Orchard 3902 S Duncan Rd, Champaign, 359.5565 D.R. Diggers 604 S Country Fair Dr, Champaign, 356.0888 Embassy Tavern & Grill 114 S Race, Urbana, 384.9526 Esquire Lounge 106 N Walnut, Champaign, 398.5858 Fallon’s Ice House 703 N Prospect, Champaign, 398.5760 Fat City Saloon 505 S Chestnut, Champaign, 356.7100 The Great Impasta 114 W Church, Champaign, 359.7377 G.T.’s Western Bowl Francis Dr, Champaign, 359.1678 The Highdive 51 Main, Champaign, 359.4444 Huber’s 1312 W Church, Champaign, 352.0606 Illinois Disciples Foundation 610 E Springfield, Champaign, 352.8721 Independent Media Center 218 W Main St, Urbana, 344.8820 The Iron Post 120 S Race, Urbana, 337.7678 Joe’s Brewery 706 S Fifth, Champaign, 384.1790 Kam’s 618 E Daniel, Champaign, 328.1605 Krannert Art Museum 500 E Peabody, Champaign, 333.1861

SOLSTICE C E L E B R AT O N TURTLE ISL AND STRING QUARTET

D E C 3 , 7: 3 0 P M

CORPORATE SILVER SPONSOR

For tickets

217/333-6280 KrannertCenter.com

17

18

11/12/03

5:01 PM

Page 1

calendar

WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

Krannert Center for Performing Arts 500 S Goodwin, Urbana, Tickets: 333.6280, 800/KCPATIX La Casa Cultural Latina 1203 W Nevada, Urbana, 333.4950 Lava 1906 W Bradley, Champaign, 352.8714 Legends Bar & Grill 522 E Green, Champaign, 355.7674 Les’s Lounge 403 N Coler, Urbana, 328.4000 Lincoln Castle 209 S Broadway, Urbana, 344.7720 Malibu Bay Lounge North Route 45, Urbana, 328.7415 Mike & Molly’s 105 N Market, Champaign, 355.1236 Mulligan’s 604 N Cunningham, Urbana, 367.5888 Murphy’s 604 E Green, Champaign, 352.7275 Neil Street Pub 1505 N Neil, Champaign, 359.1601 Boardman’s Art Theater 126 W Church, Champaign, 351.0068 The Office 214 W Main, Urbana, 344.7608 Parkland College 2400 W Bradley, Champaign, 351.2528 Phoenix 215 S Neil, Champaign, 355.7866 Pia’s of Rantoul Route 136 E, Rantoul, 893.8244 Pink House Routes 49 & 150, Ogden, 582.9997 The Rainbow Coffeehouse 1203 W Green, Urbana, 766.9500 Red Herring/Channing-Murray Foundation 1209 W Oregon, Urbana, 344.1176 Rose Bowl Tavern 106 N Race, Urbana, 367.7031 Springer Cultural Center 301 N Randolph, Champaign, 355.1406 Spurlock Museum 600 S Gregory, Urbana, 333.2360 The Station Theatre 223 N. Broadway, Urbana, 384-4000 Strawberry Fields Cafe 306 W Springfield, Urbana, 328.1655 Ten Thousand Villages 105 N Walnut, Champaign, 352.8938 TK Wendl’s 1901 S Highcross Rd, Urbana, 255.5328 Tommy G’s 123 S. Mattis Ave, Country Fair Shopping Center, 359.2177 Tonic 619 S Wright, Champaign, 356.6768 Two Main 2 Main, Champaign, 359.3148 University YMCA 1001 S Wright, Champaign, 344.0721 Verde/Verdant 17 E Taylor St, Champaign, 366.3204 Virginia Theatre 203 W Park Ave, Champaign, 356.9053 White Horse Inn 112 1/2 E Green, Champaign, 352.5945 Zorba’s 627 E Green, Champaign

CHICAGOSHOWS NOVEMBER 111/13 Mike Doughty’s Band @ Double Door 11/13 Rickie Lee Jones @ Chicago Theatre 11/13 Buddy Guy @ Buddy Guy’s Legends 11/15 The Shins @ House of Blues 11/15 Qbert @ Metro 11/15 Arab Strap @ Abbey Pub 11/15 Spitalfield @ Metro 11/16 Fixx @ Abbey Pub 11/19 Fountains of Wayne @ The Vic 11/20 Jonny Lang @ House of Blues 11/21 Anti-Flag, Rise Against @ Metro 11/21 Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Abbey Pub 11/22 Guided By Voices @ Abbey Pub 11/22 Cash Brothers @ Schubas 11/22 Tom Jones @ House of Blues 11/22 Alabama @ Allstate Arena 11/23 Guided By Voices @ Abbey Pub 11/23 Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs! @ Metro 11/23 Tom Jones @ House of Blues 11/24 Symphony X @ Metro 11/25 Jaguars @ House of Blues 11/25 Mindless Self Indulgence @ Metro 11/26 Mindless Self Indulgence @ Metro 11/16 OK Go @ Abbey Pub 11/19 Fountains of Wayne @ Vic, all ages 11/24 Obie Trice @ House of Blues 11/28 Bollweevils @ Metro, all ages 11/28 Buzzcocks @ Double Door 11/28 Tortoise @ Abbey Pub 11/29 Rocket from the Tombs @ Abbey Pub 11/29 Asylum Street Pranksters @ Schubas

buzz

hours: Thu 12-4pm, Fri 12-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm. 220 W Washington Street in Monticello.

DECEMBER 12/2 Living Colour @ Park West 12/5 Donna The Buffalo @ Martyr’s 12/5 They Might Be Giants @ Vic, all ages 12/6 Autumn Defense @ Schubas 12/6 Rufus Wainwright @ Vic, all ages 12/7 Hey Mercedes @ Metro 12/8 Fun Lovin’ Criminals @ Double Door 12/11 Kurtis Blow, Rob Base @ Double Door 12/12 Coheed & Cambria @ House of Blues 12/12 Atmosphere, Mr. Dibbs, Others @ Abbey Pub, 18 & over 12/12 Neko Case @ Old Town School of Music 12/13 Ryan Adams @ Riviera 12/19 Beyonce, Bow Wow @ United Center 12/19 Los Straitjackets @ Abbey Pub 12/31 Aretha Franklin @ Chicago Theater 12/31 Flaming Lips, White Stripes @ Aragon Ballroom

CHICAGOVENUES House of Blues 329 N Dearborn, Chicago, 312.923.2000 The Bottom Lounge 3206 N Wilton, Chicago Congress Theatre 2135 N Milwaukee, 312.923.2000 Vic Theatre 3145 N Sheffield, Chicago, 773.472.0449 Metro 3730 N Clark St, Chicago, 773.549.0203 Elbo Room 2871 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago Park West 322 W Armitage, Chicago, 773.929.1322 Riviera Theatre 4746 N Racine at Lawerence, Chicago Allstate Arena 6920 N Mannheim Rd, Rosemont, 847.635.6601 Arie Crown Theatre 2300 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, 312.791.6000 UIC Pavilion 1150 W Harrison, Chicago, 312.413.5700 Schubas 3159 N Southport, Chicago, 773.525.2508 Martyrs 3855 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, 773.288.4545 Aragon 1106 W Lawerence, Chicago, 773.561.9500 Abbey Pub 3420 W Grace, Chicago, 773.478.4408 Fireside Bowl 2646 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, 773.486.2700 Schubert Theatre 22 W Monroe, Chicago, 312.977.1700

ART LISTINGS Workshop – Register now to join artist-instructor Sandra Ahten Call (217) 367-6345 or e-mail spiritofsandra@hotmail.com to register. High Cross Studio. 1101 N High Cross Road.

Portraits – Award winning portrait artist Sandra Ahten is currently accepting commissions for portraits for holiday giving. Portraits are priced at an affordable range and professional exchange or barter may be accepted. For examples of work and a quote, contact Sandra Ahten at (217) 367-6345 or spiritofsandra@hotmail.com Creation Art Studio Art Classes for Children and Adults – All classes offer technical instruction and the exploration of materials through expressive, spontaneous art and experimentation. Independent studies of personal interests and ideas, dreams, etc. are expressed and developed through collage and assemblage art and through drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramics. Children meet once a week, Mon-Thu 3:30-5pm. Adolescents meet Fri 45:30pm. Adults meet Wed at 10am and Sat between 1:305:30pm for two or more hours. Create designs, a still life, portraits, landscapes and more. Open to beginners and advanced students. Adult Open Studio meets Tue 7-9pm.

Drop-ins welcome. Come with a friend. Call to make special arrangements for a group. CPDU’s offered. For information, contact Jeannine Bestoso at 344-6955. Creation Art Studio is located at 1102 E Washington, Urbana. www.creationartstudios.com Join Artists and Workshops at Gallery Virtu – Gallery Virtu, an artist-owned cooperative, now invite applications from area artists. The Gallery also offers workshops for adults, teens and children in knitting, embroidery, photography, jewelry making, printmaking, papermaking, bookbinding and ribbon flowers. Gallery Virtu offers original works by the members including: jewelry, pottery, collages, sculptures, journals, hats, handbags and other textiles. For more information please call 762-7790, visit our Web site at www.galleryvirtu.org, e-mail workshops@galleryvirtu.org or visit the gallery. Regular

Art Classes at High Cross Studio – All classes are held at High Cross Studio in Urbana. 1101 N High Cross Road. Email or call for reservations and details. (217) 367-6345 or spiritofsandra@hotmail.com.

“Portrait Paintings with Oils” – This course will provide instruction in painting portraits from photographs. Paint a portrait of your loved one or yourself. Mon-Fri daytime class and weekend workshop offered.

“Collage for the Soul” – Students will learn a variety of collage techniques, including photo and photocopy transfer, papermaking and manipulation, and frontage, while exploring a particular subject, such as a place, a memory, an experience or a relationship. No art-making experience necessary.

“Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” – For adults who have always wanted to learn to draw, but felt as if they lacked talent or confidence.

Other Classes:“Making Monoprints,”“Art With Intention” (Open Studio). For information on these visit http://www.spiritofsandra.com and click on “classes,” then e-mail or call for reservations.

ART EXHIBITS & GALLERIES Boneyard Pottery – Ceramic Art by Michael Schwegmann and more. 403 Water St, Champaign. Tue-Sat 11am-5pm.

355-5610.

Broken Oak Gallery – Local and national artists. Original art including photography, watercolors, pottery, oil paintings, colored pencil, woodturning and more.Refreshments served by the garden all day Saturday. 1865 N 1225 E Rd, White Heath. Thu-Sat 10am-4pm. 762-4907.

Cinema Galley – Local and regional artists including many University of Illinois and Parkland College faculty members. Currently on display through Nov 9:“Alpha and Omega” by Glen C. Davies. 120 W Main, Urbana. Tue-Sat 10am-4pm. Sun 1-5pm. 367-3711.

Cafe Kopi – Swimming oil paintings and various works from local artist Paula McCarty on display through Oct. 109 N Walnut, Champaign. Mon-Thu 7am-11pm, Fri-Sat 7am12pm, Sun 11am-8pm. 359-4266.

Creation Art Studios – Hosts a continuous and evolving display of works by students and associates of the studio.

Landscapes, florals, animal life and expressive art in various mediums by Jeannine Bestoso are also currently on display. For information, contact Jeannine Bestoso. 1102 E Washington St, Urbana. Tue-Sat 1-5:30pm and scheduled studio sessions. 344-6955. www.creationartstudios.com Country in the City – Antiques, architectural, gardening, home accessories. Custom designing available. 1104 E Washington St, Urbana. Thu-Sat 10am-5pm 367-2367.

Framer’s Market – Frame Designers since 1981. Current featured artists on display through Nov 17: Charlotte Brady, Barry Brehm, Lawerance Hamlin, Patrick Harness, Mary McDonald, Hua Nian, David Smith, Bill Stevens, Steve Stoerger and Bonnie Switzter. 807 W Springfield Ave, Champaign. Tue-Fri 9:30am-5:30pm, Sat 10am-4pm. 3517020.

Furniture Lounge – Specializing in mid-century modern furniture from the 1920s-1980s, retro, Danish modern, lighting, vintage stereo equipment and vinyl records. 9 E University, Champaign. 352-5150. Sun-Mon 12-4:30pm, Wed-Sat 11am-5:30pm.

Glass FX –Cast your vote! Entries in the Glass FX Stained Glass Competition are on display now through Nov 15.

Stop in to view work done by local glass artists and vote for your favorite! New and antique stained glass windows, lamps and unique glass gifts. Gallery is free and open to the public. Interested in learning the art of Stained Glass?

Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Stained Glass Classes offered. 202 S First St, Champaign. Mon-Thu 10am5:30pm, Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 9am-4pm. 359-0048. www.glassfx.com.

Griggs Street Potters – Handmade functional and decorative pottery. 305 W Grigg St, Urbana. Mon-Fri 11am-4pm, or call for appointment. 344-8546.

Hill Street Gallery Inc. – Oil and watercolor paintings, hand painted T-shirts, handmade jewelry. 703 W Hill, Champaign. Sat 12-5pm or by appointment during the week. 359-0675.

buzz

music

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | HEY NOW, HEY NOW. DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER.

“The Year of the Shack,” or 1996 to the rest of the world, found the band in Hawaii recording Shack Man in a shack on Hawaii’s big island. Not found on any map, the shack belongs to Carl Green, a friend of Bob Moses. With solar power and generators and little money, the band recorded for a month, delivered the album to Grammavision and were freed from their contract.

Medeski Martin & Wood cut down on marathon tours and holed up in New York for eight weeks to play Monday nights at the Knitting Factory to promote Shack Man. During the “Shack Parties,” the band met an inventive DJ named Jason Kibler, aka DJ Logic.

“He brings a dimension that no one else could do because he’s DJ Logic,” said Martin.

“He has his own thing. It’s the personality that makes it special.”

Following their departure from Grammavision, 17 labels pushed for Medeski Martin & Wood to join. They joined famed jazz label Blue Note Records. In August of 1998 the band released Combustication, further stretching their mix of groove and space with the aid of DJ Logic and the spoken word poet Steve Cannon.

Their sound solidified as a bridge between old and new, incorporating hip hop and more funk into their jazz-laden struts. In April of 2000 they stripped down to all acoustic to record Tonic, reminding the world of their classical abilities. In October of 2000, they followed up with The Dropper—a title joking that it would be the album that would drop them from the label.

The eerie, dense cataclysm of sounds—including Marc Ribot on guitar, Marshal Allen on sax, string sections and a percussion ensemble—

Special Event: ISDA Trunk Show November 23rd

1113buzz1118

make it their most outer-space album to date. friends of ours, the Thunderclouds. They’re Ho The disregard for form, melody and steady Chunk tribe singers. We met them on the rhythm hearkened back to the fusion break- H.O.R.D.E. tour.”

At the second Bonnaroo Festival last summer through of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. The band pulled past experiments together to record in Manchester, Tenn., the band played from Uninvisible, released in April of 2002. Adding midnight until 4:30 a.m., with the Antibalas members of the Antibalas Afro Beat Orchestra horn players, Brazilian madman percussionist Cyro Baptista and horn section and Luther Dickinson on turntables, the band guitar from North bridged the subtle Mississippi All Stars. grooves of Tonic During the sets, with the madness of Medeski had the look The Dropper. They of a scientist possessed are now at work – Billy Martin by his craft, his arms with Dust Brothers flailing around his keyproducer John King boards. Wood’s and on a record they are Martin’s heads nodded finishing while on tour, which includes a stop tonight at the simultaneously to the beat and often caught each other’s eyes to share in their groove pushCanopy Club.

“The advantage of playing live is that you ing. At times all three had expressions of are completely in the moment,” said Martin. intensely pained concentration or simply “When you’re playing in front of people, closed their eyes and escaped from the stage, there’s the energy of the people. They’re with while maintaining their music, which never you and supporting you. That’s important. seemed to stop except for the set break. Rather, You have to perform. You have to show up it just drifted between coherent grooves and bodiless space. there, sick or not [laughs].”

“That has a lot to do with listening to what To this day, their free-form approach carries them through seamless sets, with many guests everybody’s doing and when it feels right to sort of go somewhere else,” said Martin. “It’s and random arrangements.

“We did Halloween in New York and it was just an intuitive feeling. Someone may take the madness. We had this DJ from Miami called DJ le lead, at one point, to take that left turn and go Spam,” said Martin of recent tour dates. “He somewhere else, and the other will follow. You plays with a live horn section. Really dance- have to sort of be open for that, and be supportable, funky. Good Cuban flavor, you know? ive. I do think there’s a certain chemistry and That set off the vibe really nice. We had some ways we’re sensitive enough to take something

[

The advantage of playing live is that you are completely in the moment

Circles 107 N. Walnut Downtown Champaign 359.2195

M – TH FRI SAT SUN

10:30 – 5:30 10:30 – 8:00 10:30 – 5:00 11:00 – 4:00

Proud Sponsor

[

11

and morph it in a seamless way and we’re good at that. Someone does have to decide when we should move on. There’s a collective understanding that eventually we’re going to change it up, and when we do we’ll follow it if it feels right. It’s never a struggle to hold on to something too long. If it feels good, we’ll stay there a while. John will solo over a feeling we have going, or sometimes it’s time to change. It’s really about having an understanding (of) the balance of the music and where’s it’s going to go, where it should go and creating other dimensions. It’s hard to put to words, you know?”

One might think that such a lack of direction would lead players to become too detached from what is going on in a jam.

“Like I said, having any expectations is going to completely put a wall right up in front of you,” said Martin. “You have to have a sense of humor with this, and be able to take risks. Be open to making what people call mistakes.

Those things are the most fertile places to be when you’re creating. It’s not something that is intellectually discussed, or needs to be thought out. It just happens.

Martin said he’d like to see things grow and evolve.

“What else can you ask for?” he said. “I don’t want to die yet; I want things to grow. I want to see people do their own thing. Contributing to the world in a creative way. New ideas. Using their heart.” buzz

Medeski Martin and Wood will be performing tonight at the Canopy Club at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20.

1113buzz1019

11/12/03

5:01 PM

Page 1

10

music

I TOTALLY GOT DOUCHED WITH MUD! | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

buzz

The balance of space and solid

Medeski Martin & Wood’s undefinable sound arrives at the Canopy Club

BY BENJI FELDHEIM | STAFF WRITER

“I think it’s possible for all to be lost in the music collectively,” says Billy Martin, drummer for Medeski Martin & Wood, in response to being asked if a musician can get too lost in the moment. “As a soloist, you can go on and on and on, and that’s OK because it’s coming from you. Collectively, you can’t be too lost in yourself for too long unless it’s required. That’s a hard question, because I never feel like there are enough moments where we are too lost for too long. I always feel we could go longer [laughs], you know? I think it needs to keep stretching further.” behind a small jazz drum kit with a battered character that includes a China boy cymbal with a triangular chunk missing from it. His array of percussion includes pieces from around the world and just about anything else that makes a sound. Lately, he’s been using a growling dinosaur toy on loan from his 3-year-old son.

Chris Wood stands in the middle with his 1920 acoustic German bass, or his classic electrics.

“I’m very fortunate to have two visionaries— fire and ice—on either side of me,” said Wood.

“I’m the lukewarm middle.” Modest words from a player whose talents are compared to the likes of Charles Mingus.

Medeski, Martin and Wood each took similar paths to their first jam in Brooklyn in the summer of 1991. Medeski’s father taught him piano around the time he started walking. Wood started playing his brother Oliver’s bass when

PHOTO | COURTESY OF BIG HASSLE MEDIA

For the last 12 years, no band in the world has been more in the moment than the trio of Martin, John Medeski on keyboards and Chris Wood on bass. The three share an ability to stretch hours and hours of music, soothing the audience with strutting grooves only to later terrify with amorphous screeches, all melded with seamless transitions leaving audiences lost in the band’s creation. Their sound has been called acid groove, cerebral groovophonicism, danceable avant garde-fusion-funk-jazz and when all else fails, jam session music. Any term misses the point. Their music needs no name.

John Medeski sits stage right surrounded by an arsenal that includes a Hammond B3 organ, Clavinet, Wurltizer, ARP string ensemble, mellotron, Yamaha CS synth, melodica and a piano, mostly, but not always facing Wood and Martin.

Billy Martin, on the left, sits facing his bandmates

John Medeski, Billy Martin and Chris Wood illuminate the Canopy Club tonight.

he was in seventh grade, after his brother switched to guitar. When the Martin family moved to New Jersey from New York City in 1973, Billy discovered his brother’s drum set and began playing along to records by Frank Zappa, Sly Stone, Led Zeppelin, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. They each played in high school jazz bands and in groups outside school.

Each were instructed by encouraging teachers who stressed creativity and discipline.

Medeski and Wood both studied music at the New England Conservatory where famed drummer and composer Bob Moses taught.

Moses took Medeski and Wood on a tour with him through Israel, solidifying the bond between the future bandmates. Moses then told Martin about Medeski and Wood.

“I used to go up to Boston to play in (Bob) Moses’ band and I met John up there, and that’s how it all happened,” said Martin. “John came down to New York, and I told him when he came I would pick him up and we would play and that’s what we did. John and Chris had already played together with Moses, so they knew each other and it evolved in that way. I had a loft in Brooklyn and had a space to play.

I was already in the Lounge Lizards and touring with bands here and there, and (John and Chris) were doing their thing. But I still had time on my hands. I was still searching. I didn’t want to be in a side band, you know? I think we all were feeling that way. We just kept playing with other musicians and trying to put a band together of our own—collective. And this was it.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. After John and I had duets together in my loft, we had gone through every kind of possible expression in music together. We didn’t talk much. We just played.

After that, John had started to play piano at the Village Gate. He then started using Chris as his bass player, and they were able to use drummers again, which they couldn’t for a while at clubs because of some silly cabaret laws. John came over with Chris to my place one day, and we played. I remember that was a really strong feeling right away. Like love at first sight, except with music.

There was a strong feeling of connection, of chemistry as soon as we started playing, also in just hanging out. They are very warm, generous peo-

ple. It felt like I knew these guys forever.

Musically, it just followed that feeling. The very first thing we played ended up being the first song on our first record. We wrote the first tune without even talking about it. That’s still the basis of how we make music, just sit around and play together and get to know each other that way.”

The band began a grass-roots approach to getting gigs throughout the Northwest. Using Martin’s father’s place as an office, the band created a solid buzz through determined self-promotion. Within months of their first jam, they recorded Notes from the Underground and released it independently in late 1991.

Despite their commitment to each other, the band members never shied away from chances to play with other musicians. With New York bursting at the seams with styles of music from around the globe, they could not help but immerse themselves in the many forms available.

“When I moved to New York, that’s when I got involved in the downtown music scene,” said Martin. “At the time, it was happening at the Knitting Factory, and in the clubs. I was getting the dance club scene, the hip-hop scene and the Brazilian music, jazz and the downtown music. That was a major influence over the years. I then became integrated with all those different scenes. My home was really the downtown area, with the Lounge Lizards and those bands. Those musicians can really adapt styles.

They can play classical or just improvise in a way that was creative and artistic.”

While on tour with Marc Ribot in Europe in 1992, Wood met Liz Penta, who would later become their road manager. In 1993 the band negotiated its first record deal with Grammavision, and released It’s a Jungle In Here. Audiences grew at shows, yet the band maintained their spirit of naturalness with a degree of control on stage.

The first run of 1994 was on a shared bill with the NYC collective Lost Tribe. Just before the tour, Penta had left her job booking bands at CBGB’s Gallery, and the band invited her to come along. For four months the band toured all over the United States and Canada in an RV. They settled into roles on the tour: Medeski was the cook, Martin was the mechanic, Wood was the organizer and Liz handled the business of the tour.

That summer they took four days off from touring to record Friday Afternoon in the Universe.

Medeski Martin & Wood saw big changes in 1995. The band had fans in Europe and Japan and were touring so often they gave up their New York apartments. Penta was hired as their full-time manager, and they also hired Meg Enns from Atlanta to run Indirecto, the band’s merchandise company.

buzz

calendar

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com

19

Interested in arts, music and entertainment?

Apply to be an editor or coordinator. e-mail calendar@ readbuzz.com

International Galleries – Works from local artists including quilts by Nancy Summers. Lincoln Square Mall. Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm. 328-2254.

Larry Kanfer Gallery – University of Illinois images by photographic artist Larry Kanfer. Unique diploma frames and other UI gifts. Sepia Champaign-Urbana Collection also on display. Available now: 2004 Prairiescapes and University of Illinois calendars. 2503 S Neil, Champaign. Free and Open to the Public. Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm. 3982000.www.kanfer.com LaPayne Photography – Specializes in panoramic photography up to 6 feet long of different subjects including sporting events, city skylines, national parks and University of Illinois scenes. 816 Dennison Dr, Champaign.

Mon-Fri 9am-4pm and by appointment. 356-8994.

Old Vic Art Gallery – Fine and original art, hand signed limited edition prints, works by local artists, art restoration, custom framing, and periodic shows by local artists. 11 E University, Champaign. Mon-Thu 11am-5:30pm, Sat 11am4:30pm. 355-8338.

Steeple Gallery – Vintage botanical and bird prints, antiques, framed limited edition prints. 102 E Lafayette St, Monticello. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm. 762-2924. www.steeplegallery.com

Verde Gallery & Verdant News and Coffee – Magazines, newspapers, coffee, beverages and fine pastries along with the Verde Fine Art Gallery. 17 E Taylor St, Champaign.

Cafe hours: Mon-Sat 7am-10 pm; Gallery Hours: Tue-Sat 10am-10pm. 366-3204. www.verdantsystems.com/Verde.htm Ziemer Gallery – Original paintings and limited edition prints by Larry Ziemer. Pottery, weavings, wood turning and glass works by other artists. Gallery visitors are welcome to sit, relax, listen to the music and just enjoy being surrounded by art. 210 W Washington, Monticello. Tue 10am-8pm, Wed-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm. 762-9786. www.ziemergallery.com

ART CLOSING “Trio” – Paintings by Dylan DeWitt and Milena Tiner and ceramics by Tyler Bergfield on display at the Springer Cultural Center through Nov 16. Opening reception featuring live music from Jordan Kaye Oct 24, 6-8pm. Artists’ talk, 7pm. This is a free event. Springer Cultural Center. 301 N Randolph, Champaign. Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 8am9pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm. 398-2376.

ART CLOSING “Whistler and Japonisme: Selections from the Permanent Collection” – Marking the 100th anniversary of James McNeill Whistler’s death, this exhibition highlights his works on paper and examines the influence that Japanese woodcuts had on his artistic technique. On display at the Krannert Art Museum through March 28, 2004.

500 E Peabody, Urbana. Tue, Thu-Sat 9am-5pm, Wed 9am8pm, Sun 2-5pm. 333-1860. Suggested Donation: $3 Featured Works XIII:“The Spirit of Mediterranean Pathos: The Early Work of Pierre Daura” – Pierre Daura (1896-1976) was a member of significant modern art movements in the early 20th century. This exhibition highlights a recent gift of works by Daura and explores the forms and colors of his paintings and drawings from about 1910 to the late 1930s. On display at Krannert Art Museum through Nov 2. 500 E Peabody, Urbana. Tue, ThuSat. 9am-5pm, Wed 9am-8pm, Sun 2-5pm. 333-1860.

Suggested Donation: $3 The IMC’s Middle Room Gallery is pleased to welcome Jessica Mullen with her digital prints and mixed media for our November exibit. Come join us for an opening reception on Nov 7, from 7pm to 9pm. She says her artwork is a deeply personal form of creative expression. Her illustration work, as opposed to her design work, is entirely self-indulgent. The piece may be a result of a mood or

concept, but generally the meaning is discovered after completion. Her intentions for the viewer are to show a different perspective, to activate the sadly often-dormant thinking process and to make one feel. The show will run until Thanksgiving.

Faculty Art Exhibition – the newest work by current faculty in the School of Art and Design. This exhibition, a major event in the Urbana-Champaign art community, is one of the oldest, continuously-running faculty exhibitions in the country. Recent works of painting, sculpture, installation art, photography, glass, graphic design and other media will be exhibited through January 4, 2004.

Four faculty members will give talks about their work at noon on the following Wednesdays: Nov 19 Conrad Bakker Dec 3 Kevin Hamilton Dec 10 Melissa Pokorny Dec 17 Gerald Guthrie “Nevertheless: That’s Our Guarantee!” is a solo exhibit by local artist John Havlik. It will be on display at the Parkland Art Gallery from Nov 5 through Dec 12. Havlik, senior designer at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, will display the design work he has produced for Krannert Center as well as a selection of pieces created specifically for the space of the Parkland Art Gallery. First, Havlik’s collection of Krannert Center posters demonstrates his ability to visually respond to a wide range of artistic presentations.

20

11/12/03

calendar

5:01 PM

Page 1

WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com | NOVEMBER 6-NOVEMBER 12, 2003

ART-OPENING Holiday Warmth Open House and Art Sale – Featuring new original, open and limited edition photographic artwork. See new Champaign downtown prints. Enter to win a Larry Kanfer original – Larry Kanfer’s Studio, Nov 13-17 Located at 2503 S Neil, Champaign. Free and open to the public, Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm and Sunday 11am - 3pm.

Phone 398-2000 for more information and visit our Web site: www.kanfer.com

THEATER LISTINGS Anton in Show Business – A hilarious skewering of American theatre-with its eccentric directors, impossible critics, inept producers, philistine sponsors and cynical multiculturalism- Anton follows the adventures of a Hollywood soap star, a jaded New Yorker and an enthusiatic ingenue starring in a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters. – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, Nov 6, 7:30pm, Nov. 8, 7:30pm, November 12 at 7:30pm $6-13 Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde – The story of how Oscar Wilde went from the toast of the town with two smash hits playing to packed houses to complete humiliation and utter scorn presents a gripping courtroom drama – Studio Theatre, Krannert Center, Nov 7, 7:30pm, Nov 9, 7:30pm, Nov 13, 7:30pm, Nov 15, 7:30pm Story Theatre – a play for adults that everyone thought was for kids. Adapted by Paul Sills from Aesop’s fables and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the play uses children’s stories to mirror adult fears and foibles. Composed of 10 separate stories including well-known tales The Bremen Town Musicians, The Robber Bridegroom, and The Golden Goose,“Story Theatre” is a theatrical tour de force that demands virtuosity from its actors and imagination from its audience. Using mime, music, inventive props and colorful costumes, our troupe of community performers take on the roles of chickens, dogs, peasants, thieves, and other colorful characters. Performances are Nov 5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 at 8pm and Nov 16 at 3pm.

Little Shop of Horrors– a well-known production, both on stage and screen. Tuscola-based ARTCO has scheduled open auditions for this play for Saturday, Nov 15 from 48pm and Sunday, Nov 16 from 1-4pm at the Fine Arts Center located at 211 East Overton in Tuscola.

Elysium on the Prairie, Live Action Roleplaying – Vampires stalk the city streets and struggle for dominance in a world of gothic horror. Create your own character and mingle with dozens of players who portray their own undead alter egos. Each session is another chapter in an ongoing story of triumph, tragedy and betrayal. Friday, “Vampire: The Masquerade” For more information visit: http://ww2.uiuc.edu/ro/elysium/intro.html. Check site for location, 7pm.

buzz

Clear Sky Zen Group – Meets on Thursday evenings in the Geneva Room of the McKinley Foundation. Newcomers to meditation and people of all traditions and faiths are welcome – McKinley Foundation, 809 S Fifth St, 6:25-9pm Formerly-Fat Persons’ Support Group – Free social meeting every Saturday at 2pm at Aroma Cafe, 118 N Neil St, C. For more information contact Jessica Watson at 353-4934.

Loose Womyn Discussion Section (discussion topics are loose, the women need not be ) – Dec 18, 7pm, we’ll discuss the book Not Your Mothers’ Midlife by Marilyn Kentz and Nancy Alspaugh. Borders Bookstore, 802 Town Center Blvd, Champaign (217) 351-9011 Loose Womyn Discussion Section – (discussion topics are loose, the women need not be) – Nov 20 we’ll discuss the book The Right Questions by Debbie Ford. Borders Bookstore, 802 Town Center Blvd, Champaign (217) 3519011.

Simplicity Discussion Group – Dec 4, 7pm, we’ll discuss the book Inner Peace for Busy People by Joan Borysenko.

Borders Bookstore, 802 Town Center Blvd, Champaign (217) 351-9011.

Life Map Workshop – A life map is a collection of visual images, a method of connecting with your intuition, a tool for visualizing your dreams or goals. Come explore life mapping—approaches, uses, and the opportunity to create your own life map. 9:15am-1:00pm on Saturday, Dec 6 at McKinley Foundation, C. $45. To register or for information, contact Jo Pauly, MSW, Whole Life Coach at (217) 3377823 or jopauly@prairienet.org

ART SALE The UIUC Graduate Art and Design Community presents the Affordable Art Sale – Nov 14 – 5 pm until midnight and Nov 15 – 2 pm-10 pm. 112 West Church Street (in downtown Champaign) Contact – Susanna Bluhm at (217) 351-9475

KIDS & FAMILIES Funfare – Nov 13 – Preschool groups are invited to come to Funfare for stories, puppets, songs, and film. Please register in advance by calling – Phillips Recreation Center, 9:4510:15am Teen Advisory Board – Nov 18 – Swap views on movies, music, and books, do volunteer projects and snack. No registration. Information: 403-2070 – Champaign Public Library, 6-7pm After School Tuesdays – Nov 18 – Second in a three-week series featuring stories, crafts, face-painting, songs, and bubble-blowing for grades K to 3. No registration – Champaign Public Library, 4-4:45pm

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Know Zone – Nov 18 – Homework help for school-aged children. No registration – Douglass Branch Library, 4-5pm

Call For Submissions – The Second Annual Filmic Dependency Film Fesitval, Jan 23 and 24 in Urbana, is now accepting submissions. Looking for all lengths and genres, the festival puts focus on the very best no budget, low budget and student films. New films by new filmmakers.

Get your work seen! Send films in VHS, DVD or VCD format to Mongoose Productions, c/o Sam Ambler, 614 W Washington, Urbana, IL 61801. Deadline: Nov 15. Questions, more info contact Gabrielle Reisman at mongoose_productions@hotmail.com

Art To Go – Nov 19 – Presentation, discussion and hands-on activity led by Krannert Art Museum staff. No registration – Douglass Branch Library, 4:30-5pm

MIND BODY SPIRIT Sunday Zen Meditation Meeting – Prairie Zen Center, 515 S Prospect, Champaign, NW corner Prospect & Green, enter thru door from parking area. Introduction to Zen Sitting, 10am; Full Schedule: Service at 9 followed by sitting, Dharma Talk at 11 followed by tea until about 12 noon. Can arrive at any of above times, open to all, no experience needed, no cost. For info call 355-8835 or www.prairiezen.org Prairie Sangha for Mindfullness Meditation – Monday evenings from 7:30-9pm and monthly retreats on Sunday.

Theravadan (Vipassana) and Tibetan (Vjrayana & Dzogchen) meditation practice. Meets in Urbana. More information call or email Tom at 356-7413 or shayir@soltec.net. www.prairiesangha.org

Storyshop – Nov 19 – Preschoolers with a parent or school group will enjoy weekly stories and activities. Registration is not required – Champaign Public Library, 9:30-10am Ginger Lozar Presents Puppets – Nov 19 – Children’s puppet show in honor of National Children’s Book Week. No registration – Champaign Public Library, 9:30-10am Baby Time – Nov 20 – Bring your baby for nursery rhymes, music activities, and play time for little ones. Registration is not required – Douglass Branch Library, 10:30-11am Thursday Arts and Crafts For Kids – Nov 20 – For elementary school-age children. No registration – Douglass Branch Library, 4-5pm Family Reading Night – Nov 20 – Community celebrities will read out loud as part of a statewide celebration planned by the Illinois State Library. No registration – Champaign Public Library, 6:30-8pm Girls, Girls, Girls – Nov 21 – Games, crafts and reading time for girls in kindergarten to fifth grade. No registration – Douglass Branch Library, 4-5pm

buzz

arts

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | PANTS?!?! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR PANTS!

Art in C-U

BY NIK GALLICCHIO | STAFF WRITER

D

ue to a local citizen’s strong interest in art, a once very influential artist in the community and at the University of Illinois can again be appreciated for her contribution. Once a professor at the University of Illinois School of Architecture, Louise Woodroofe returns in the form of her artwork. All of the pieces were displayed at Parkland College until Nov. 7.

Some are still there, but others are traveling to various venues around the city because of a generous contribution from Champaign native Jim Gallivan.

Gallivan became interested in Woodroofe’s work when he organized an art class for hospital patients years ago. The lack of training in the art of throwing clay pottery didn’t keep him from making pieces for the patients to paint. This caused him to make the art of pottery more available to people in the form of Boneyard Pottery, a gallery and studio he created in 1990, located off Springfield Avenue by Neil Street in Champaign. The store is now run

by Michael Schwegmann, but is frequented by its creator.

Gallivan’s donation to Parkland consisted of 14 of Louise Woodroofe’s pictures. Several were paintings, and a handful were mixed media that made use of magazine and newspaper clippings. One of the most interesting is a sketch of a town street. The seemingly careless yet precise drawing looks through the eyes of a child running past the town square— a whirlwind of color that stops to recognize only one sign: that of the candy store. The street appears to belong to the world of transience; Woodroofe subtly communicates the inevitable shift from mom-and-pop shops to something less comfortingly familiar. One doesn’t have to be an art major to appreciate the abstract pieces either. The use of textured black paint creates an overwhelming sense of loneliness.

Most of Woodroofe’s works have a particular roughness that reveals a kind of earthiness.

This is captured well in a painting of wine and eggs—images of everyday life that often go unnoticed. The versatility of her art affects

Mattress continued from page 8 allowed to “get intimate” until the prince gets married and some pregnancy out of wedlock for good measure and you basically have Once Upon a Mattress.

Who do you portray in the play?

I portray the jester, a loveable scamp who tap dances when he’s not wreaking havoc for the queen.

What do you think the audience will get out of this performance?

comments about how working in the studio viewers today as well as former students.

Illinois painter J. Eric Anderson studied allows him to better get into an introspective watercolor painting under Woodroofe and frame of mind, he confesses that throwing pots commented, “Those of you who can say that puts him into a Zen-like state.

“I think I try to create with all my works a you were taught by Louise Woodroofe or were her colleagues are the true work of her creative personal definition of what I think is beautiful,” he says. abilities.”

The artwork displayed in the gallery and on Woodroofe is well-known for paintings that deal with circus life. In the 1930s she accompa- the shelves of the studio is as full of variety as nied the Ringling Brothers Circus and illustrat- Woodroofe’s painting. While studying the ed many aspects of circus life. Though not process of creating something beautiful, many in this particular collection deal with Schwegmann managed to create some pieces that part of her life, one paper collage does that purposely displease the eye. What’s seem to convey the way the audience is per- important, he says, is the intention behind the ceived by the performer. The piece brings artwork.

Unfortunately, Woodroofe’s intentions together magazine images of numerous eyes staring out from behind headlines and care- can only be speculated upon, since she died lessly ripped catalog pages. The word “circus” in 1996 at the age of 104. Her legacy lives on appears clearly in the chaotic milieu and in the School of Architecture at the makes the viewer feel watched as if under a University in an annual award called the microscope, being judged by all the media Louise Woodroofe Prize. It is awarded to a stereotypes that are held in the mind’s eye. The student who shows maturity in architecturmore colorful works allude to her circus-trav- al drawings, sketches and renderings. eling days, but they often convey only the dis- Thanks to Gallivan’s funding, all who live around Champaign-Urbana can see the arttant, shadowy remembrance of such a past.

The variety of subjects she tackles all share work made by the famous native of the area. the common thread of dealing with the Some of the pieces are displayed in the world—the mood of it and the way it some- library of Parkland College, while others times appears unnatural. Woodroofe found an are disseminated throughout offices and admirer in Gallivan, who could also appreciate the University’s School of Fine and this sense of the world in more earthy medi- Applied Arts. buzz ums like clay. While his pottery store offers more to create than just clay, it is the material For more information on where to find these of choice for Schwegmann, the man behind the pieces, call Denise Seis at (217) 351-2485. scenes (in the studio) at Boneyard Pottery.

According to Schwegmann, Gallivan created Boneyard as a place where he and his friends could make pots. In 1995, Schwegmann took over the gallery and studio. He can throw pots while waxing philosophic about how spiritual the act is.

While gently shaping the clay with an expert’s precision, he explains how throwing a pot is a cathartic, relaxing ex-perience. He hardly seems to concentrate as he goes through the motions, which result in three One of Woodroofe’s pieces of art currently on display at the University Main Library. identical clay pitchers. After he

This show is pure entertainment. In the tradition of such shows as Anything Goes and Mama Mia, the point is to have an amazing time, and I think the audience will have just that.

people from the show rotated to keep it manned for 12 hours straight, including stage manager Stephanie Sheridan, who sat on it for the entire 12 hours.

Are there any interesting tidbits about this play?

This show had a recent revival on Broadway starring Sarah Jessica Parker.

A few methods the producers used to generate hype for the show included having a cast member dress up in a giant pea costume and run around the Quad and having a mattress-a-thon where mattresses were stacked in front of the Union and

Once Upon a Mattress is directed by Sean Higgins in his directing debut and choreographed by longtime IUB member Amber Bullock with some of the funniest choreography ever seen on Foellinger ’s stage. The acting scenes and dancing have been filled with tension by Higgins and Bullock to stress the frustrated situation of the characters in the play who cannot get married, all while staying relatively PG-rated. Okay, maybe PG-13. buzz

PHOTO | NIK GALLICCHIO

1113buzz0920

9

5:02 PM

Page 1

arts

8

ONLY WHO CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES? A. YOU B. ME | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

BY NIK GALLICCHIO | STAFF WRITER

S

tephanie Faison is one of the most interesting people one could ever meet. She currently works in the law clinic at the University of Illinois. She took as many art classes as she could as a student, working in all mediums: pottery, photography, painting and the like. So far, Faison seems to be successful at all her endeavors, from answering her question about God’s existence to developing her own photographs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE FAISON

What inspires you?

Every evening my family would watch the New Mexico sun set from our view, perched on top of ‘ranch country.’ The atmosphere was imbued with golden light—the colors of the sunset were so vivid you could feel them on your face. I am persuaded that man and this

Stepmanie Faison’s Houston’s.

world in which we live is the product of God’s imagination, not vice versa. There is no way all this is by chance or the result of an explosion. God is the source of my inspiration; not only is he a scientist, he is unquestionably an artist as well. In college, I double majored in biology and art in an effort to answer the question of God’s existence. In both studies, however, the ‘why’ of life remained unanswered. I came to the conclusion that the only answer to the question ‘why’ is ‘because God says so’—that everything, including all inspiration comes from God, be it scientifically or artistically expressed. Or else I’ll have to agree with Monty Python’s theory that the meaning of life is 42.

Stanley Clark.

You can tell what he is feeling by the sound of his breathing and the slip of his fingertips along the neck of the guitar.

PHOTO | NIK GALLICCHIO

ARTIST CORNER

What are the underlying themes in your work?

Adventure and exploration, whether spiritual, terrestrial or psychological. My work is a form of introspection expressed in a tangible language utilizing imagery, either specific or symbolic.

What piece have you chosen to showcase and why?

The name of it is ‘Houston’s,’ and it is a reproduction of a picture I had taken in Houston’s Chicago restaurant waiting area. I consider it to be one of the more intriguing pieces I’ve painted because the perspective is similar to the reflection one would see if they positioned two mirrors facing each other— one of those endless images inside the other. Though the painting doesn’t necessarily self-reflect, the perspective is such that it would lead you to want to walk through the door and continue to wherever it leads, regardless of the possibility of finding a repetitive outcome.

What environment do you prefer to work in?

I love working in the studio while playing jazz—the louder the better. Like art, it’s a language of its own. It tells a story and conveys emotions in a nonverbal manner. A good example is guitarist

Where can you find the best conversation in town?

Between working full time, attending classes and spending time in my studio, I’m sorry to say I don’t get out much during the semester. I don’t know where to find the best conversation. Help! Someone, please tell me!

Once Upon a Mattress BY: KATIE RICHARDSON | ARTS EDITOR

T

his weekend (Nov. 14 and 15 at 8:00 p.m. with a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 16) the Illini Union Board will be putting on a presentation of Once Upon A Mattress at Foellinger Auditorium. Actor Adam Pasen answers some questions concerning the play.

Who are some of the main characters as well as the actors who portray them?

Some of the main characters include Princess Winefred the Woebegone (Colleen Fee), Prince Dauntless (Kevin Hooper), Queen Agravaine (Courtney Lewis), Lady Larken (Erika Holleb), Sir Harry (Jeff Dare), King Sextimus the Silent (Chris Kliege), the Minstrel (Frank Paul), the Jester (Adam Pasen) and the Wizard (Joe Jurek).

Could you give a short summary of the play?

The show is basically the story of the princess and the pea, except on crack. The king is a sex fiend, the Queen has a reverse Oedipal complex for her son and the princess does a strip show. Add in a new kingdomwide decree that nobody is

buzz

moviereview

THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS ★★

BY MATT PAIS | LEAD REVIEWER

A

fter five years and three films, filmmaking brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski have transformed the term “matrix” from an intellectual idiom to a cultural icon. It wasn’t so long ago that discussion of matrices was relegated to the classroom; now, just hearing the word “matrix” creates swirling, sci-fi images of flickering neon green amidst the bullet-time effects that drew such a faithful fan base to the original film.

In the utterly disappointing The Matrix: Revolutions, the Wachowskis simultaneously step away from that which made the previous films worthwhile and indulge in the elements that made them hollow. Gone are the eye-popping action sequences of high-tech originality and legitimate conceptions of a machine-oriented future spun out of control. Instead, they are replaced by the trilogy’s worst dialogue—a

dvdreview

THE MATRIX: RELOADED ★★★

BY JOHN PIATEK | STAFF WRITER

W

21

film & tv

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 20, 2003 | THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS NEED A NEW JOB.

e raised the bar so high that now there is no bar,” boasts a production staffer for The Matrix: Reloaded. The Matrix: Reloaded set out to be louder, faster, smarter and more beautiful than any movie ever made. In the bonus disc of the DVD set, viewers can see how.

The Matrix: Reloaded is a sequel to the 1999 smash hit The Matrix, considered by many to be the Star Wars of today’s youth. The premise is that machines control the world and have enslaved humans by using a computer program named the “matrix” to simulate the lives of all people, which they use to control them.

Some humans, led by Neo (Keanu Reeves), have discovered this and fight back against the machines.

Reloaded has undoubtedly some of the most intense action sequences ever choreographed and filmed. In order to make this movie, the production crews had to invent new technologies and create perhaps the most elaborate sets and stunts ever. They even built their own

bold statement for a series dominated by pseudo-sophisticated psychobabble—and battle scenes that reek of over-budgeted narcissism.

So what exactly changed from the original The Matrix, a deeply flawed but cerebrally exciting experiment that toyed with the limits of mainstream scientific understanding? Most noticeably, Revolutions exists on an extraordinarily grand level that practically wipes the series clean of its self-contained specificity. The Matrix was a mystifying piece of exaggerated techno-rubbish that succeeded because beneath the stop-motion, high-flying martial arts, it was the small-scale story of a lone man living in a world in which the more he understands, the bigger it seems. Revolutions, on the other hand, is about as large-scale and impersonal as anything this year.

As the fight to save Zion continues, the overly complicated story feels less like a futuristic power struggle between good and evil and more like a lovesick, explosion-driven commercial for dark sunglasses and black trench coats.

The film attempts to step inside the emotions of the empty, expressionless characters and establish love as a unique, essential human emotion.

Such a subtly complex theme is beyond the trigger-happy Wachowskis’ grasp, however, gratingly obvious when perpetual clone Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) tells Neo (Keanu Reeves), “Only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love.”

In fact, it could be said that the entire Matrix trilogy is a valiant, but failed, attempt at instillhighway so they could film on it.

The bonus DVD offers an opportunity to explore how the movie was made. With over an hour of material, there is enough to appease fans. One of the highlights is a documentary on the creation of the famous highway scene. That scene featured a motorcycle chase, a fight on the top of a truck, people jumping from one vehicle to another, perhaps a dozen explosions and nearly 100 cars whizzing by. The DVD outlines the steps needed to accomplish this, from preproduction sketches to advanced computer modeling.

One of the nonmainstream features on the DVD is an explanation for the product placements and advertisements. Usually a movie signs a deal with a company to put its product in the movie, like a character wearing a Nike shirt, for instance. The Matrix: Reloaded was very different. For the cell phones used in the movie, the writers drew up a prototype before production and then shopped it around to potential manufacturers.

The DVD also has the standard interviews with cast and staff. Fans will like hearing Keanu Reeves’ impression of his character Neo and Laurence Fishburne’s inspiration for his portrayal of Morpheus. Hugo Weaving also jokes about the shock of having to act with 13 other people who look just like his character Agent Smith and the plaster molds of his face used so that in some scenes there are hundreds of his characters on scene at once.

The DVD’s best feature is the hilarious parody of The Matrix: Reloaded from the 2003 MTV

ing big ideas into an otherwise brain-dead body. There’s no one better to play Neo than Reeves, an actor criticized for his stoic emptiness and finally given permission to speak in monosyllabic confusion. Yet, he remains a strikingly unengaging hero, even amongst a slew of emotionally blank canvases like Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). Even worse, the relationship between Neo and Trinity continues to be especially free of chemistry or logic—particularly because they have had three movies to develop as justifiable love interests.

There’s a grand effort to make the final installment of this cult phenomenon bigger, brawnier and more satisfying: the sentinels are faster, the Oracle (Mary Alice, replacing the late Gloria Foster) is sassier and the conversational ambiguity hits an astounding high. Virtually every line of dialogue has twice as many words as it should but half the information. (Sample exchange: Oracle: “No one can see beyond a choice they don’t understand.” Neo: “What choice?” Oracle: “It doesn’t matter.”) For all of its thesaurus employing prophesying, Revolutions only accentuates the series’ existing obsession with philosophical techno-speak.

But while some moments are indeed bigger—the explosive, airborne climax practically flies out of the screen—little of Revolutions is better than even the weakest moments in The Matrix or The Matrix: Reloaded. Fishburne spends the entire film with his back arched and lips pursed, resigning the typically somber

WARNER BROS FILMS

11/12/03

THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS | KEANU REEVES Morpheus to a virtually speechless caricature of enigmatic wisdom. At best, the Morpheus character served as a halfway decent, Mr. Miyagiinspired mentor for Neo, but the novelty of the stern, ninja guru has long since faded.

More importantly, the freshness of the matrix itself has gone stale, an all-too familiar incarnation of fantastic technophobia. Laugh-out-loud meditations on love and giant, walking robots are the remnants of an innovative concept and state-of-the-art effects gone terribly astray.

Revolutions opens with the cold, hard feeling of spoiled leftovers, and plays out as a wreck in which the dangers of limitless machination take form and establish The Matrix series as little more than a disastrous, self-fulfilling prophecy.

C-UViews THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS ★★★★ WARNER BROS. FILMS

1113buzz0821

THE MATRIX: RELOADED | JADA PINKETT-SMITH Movie Awards. Sean William Scott and Justin Timberlake get trapped in the matrix on the way to hosting the MTV awards. Stuck in the matrix, they run into Andy Dick, who is obsessed with Morpheus in a naughty way.

Then they meet The Oracle, Wanda Sykes, who convinces Timberlake to do the robot dance as she grinds on him. Confused, the duo make their way to the Architect’s room, where the Architect is played by none other than Will

SCREEN REVIEW GUIDE

★★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★ no stars

Flawless Good Mediocre Bad Unwatchable

Nnamdi Otuwa Champaign

“The final scene was awesome, insane.”

★★★★ Kenn Forberg Champaign

“If you liked the second one, you’ll like this one.”

★★ Nicholas Demma Champaign

“The acting was too corny for the plot.”

5:22 PM

Page 1

film & tv

THAT ELF IS GOING TO STREAK THE QUAD! | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

SAVOY 16 Route 45 & Burwash Ave.

moviereview

(217)

355-FILM

$5.50 Kids all shows

$5.75 DAILY Matinees til 6pm & Seniors $6.25 Late Shows Fri & Sat $6.25 Students $7.25 Evenings Mon - Thurs No passes ALL DIGITAL STEREO Unlimited Free Drink Refills & .25¢ Corn Refills

Stadium Seating Gives YOU An Unobstructed View All Rocking Chairs

SHOWTIMES 11/14 - 11/20

MASTER AND COMMANDER (PG-13) 2 PRINTS / 2 SCREENS 12:55, 3:40, 6:25, 9:10 STADIUM SEATING 1:25, 4:10, 6:55, 9:40 LOONEY TUNES BACK IN ACTION (PG) (SAT/SUN 11:00)11:50, 1:00, 1:45, 3:00, 3:40, 5:00, 5:35, 7:00, 7:30, 9:35 FRI/SAT LS 11:35 TUPAC: RESURRECTION (R) STADIUM SEATING 12:40, 3:00, 5:20, 7:40, 9:55 FRI/SAT LS 12:10 MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (R) 5 PRINTS / 5 SCREENS 1:20, 4:10, 7:00, 9:25, 9:50 FRI/SAT LS 12:00 STADIUM SEATING 1:00, 3:50, 6:40, 8:00, 8:30, 9:30 FRI/SAT LS 11:00, 11:10 ELF (PG) 2 PRINTS / 2 SCREENS 12:55, 3:05, 5:10, 7:15 STADIUM SEATING 1:10, 3:25, 5:30, 7:35, 9:40 FRI/SAT LS 11:45 BROTHER BEAR (G)2 PRINTS / 2 SCREENS 1:45, 3:40, 5:45, 7:30, 9:25 FRI/SAT LS 11:20 STADIUM SEATING 12:00, 1:55, 3:50, 5:45 LOVE ACTUALLY (R) (SAT/SUN 11:00) 1:40, 4:15, 6:50, 9:25 FRI/SAT LS 12:00 SCARY MOVIE 3 (PG-13) 11:50, 1:50, 3:50, 5:50, 7:50, 9:50 FRI/SAT LS 11:50 RADIO (PG) 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40 FRI/SAT LS 11:50 RUNAWAY JURY (PG-13) 9:20 FRI/SAT LS 11:50 THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (R)

1:20, 3:30, 5:25, 7:20, 9:20 FRI/SAT LS 11:20 MYSTIC RIVER (R) STADIUM SEATING

12:30, 3:10, 5:50

COUPON

20OZ.DRINK

with $2.50 purchase of 46oz. bag of buttery popcorn

one per ad @ Savoy 16 Exp. Dec. 2003 "DI"

BEST DEAL in eNewsletter at www.savoy16.com

www.savoy16.com

INTOLERABLE CRUELTY (PG–13) Fri. - Thu. 9:15 11:15 MASTER & COMMANDER (PG–13) - Thu. 12:45 1:15 KILL BILL VOLUME I (R) Fri. 3:45 4:15 6:45 7:15 9:30 10:00 Thu. 5:15 9:45 12:00 12:10

(2 SCREENS) Fri.

MYSTIC RIVER (R) Fri. - Thu. LOONEY TUNES (PG) (2 SCREENS) 1:15 4:00 6:45 9:30 12:15 Fri. - Thu. 1:00 1:30 3:00 3:30 5:00 5:30 7:00 9:00 11:00 RADIO (PG) Fri. - Thu. 1:00 3:15 5:30 7:45 10:00 12:15 LOVE ACTUALLY (R) Fri. Thu. 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:40 12:15

SCARY MOVIE 3 (PG–13) Fri. Thu. 1:10 3:00 5:00 7:00 9:00 11:00

◆ MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (R)

(4 SCREENS) Fri.

- Thu. 12:45 1:00 1:15 4:00 4:15 4:30 7:00 7:15 7:30 7:45 9:35 9:50 10:05 10:15 SCHOOL OF ROCK (PG–13) Fri. - Thu. 1:00 3:10 5:30 7:40 12:10 9:50 12:00 BROTHER BEAR (G) (2 SCREENS) CHAINSAW MASSACRE (R) Fri. - Thu. 1:00 1:30 3:00 3:30 Fri. - Thu. 1:00 3:05 7:30 5:00 5:30 7:00 7:15 9:00 11:00 SYLVIA (R) Fri. - Thu. 1:00 3:10 ELF (PG) (2 SCREENS) Fri. - Thu. 5:20 7:30 9:45 12:00 1:00 1:30 3:00 3:30 5:00 5:30 7:00 7:30 9:00 9:30 11:00 11:30

moviereview

ELF

LOVE ACTUALLY

★★★

★★★★

BY DAN MALONEY | STAFF WRITER

BY JANELLE GREENWOOD | STAFF WRITER

W

D

ill Ferrell’s holiday-themed comedy, Elf, opens with a simple set of rules: 1) Treat every day as if it were Christmas. 2) There is room for everybody on the nice list. 3) The best way is to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

This is the Code of the Elves, and the cuteness that director Jon Favreau introduces here continues throughout the film. The audience will be surprised despite all of this sugary sweetness. It won’t make them feel as if they are about to vomit.

The film itself really makes no attempts to hide its basic premise as a Christmas movie.

There’s Santa, perfectly played by Ed Asner.

There’s the head elf, portrayed by Bob Newhart. There’s the grumpy, anti-Christmas guy, James Caan. It’s like every Christmas television special and movie rolled into one. And therein lies its genius.

When the film begins, people will expect this film to be a failed attempt to revitalize the Christmas season that seemed so big and exciting when we were 4 years old. After seeing Ferrell walk around in tights and get into a fight with a raccoon, every opinion was reversed and the audience immediately recognized how wrong they were.

The premise is that an infant, Buddy (Ferrell), accidentally crawled into Santa’s bag and was adopted by the bumbling Newhart we all know and love. Buddy decides he is going to find his father (Caan), who is the antithesis of all that Buddy knows and loves. The confrontation follows the typical Hollywood scenario: introduction, humor by awkwardness, humor by acceptance, confrontation, heartwarming resolve. However, the point of this typical formula is to allow the audience to be able to relate and recall the old Christmas specials: Frosty The Snowman, Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer, Jack Frost, etc. There’s even a bridge scene almost identical to the one in It’s A Wonderful Life.

Boardman’s

NEW LINE CINEMA

22

11/12/03

ELF | WILL FERRELL The film itself doesn’t go without its flaws.

Many cinema attendees and Ferrell fans will expect the slapstick situational comedy of Old School and Saturday Night Live.

Make sure not to enter the film expecting Don’t underestimate the entertainment value of Elf. Take this scene, which most people in the theater laughed at. Buddy finds out that Santa, a perfectly placed Artie Lange (remember Dirty Work?), is coming to Gimbels, a New York City department store, and discovers that Santa really isn’t Santa.

A fight scene commences and the film shows Ferrell in a state of innocence that is completely unique to what he’s been in as of late.

Another fish-out-of-water scene has Peter Dinklage, the dwarf who attained recent stardom in The Station Agent, fighting Ferrell over Buddy’s assumptions of Peter being an elf.

These awkward scenes, although they don’t really fit into the flow of the film, don’t really take away from the overall feelings of innocence and happiness we all used to experience sitting around the television during the week before Christmas.

To truly appreciate this film, one must step outside the conventions of Ferrell, of Favreau and of what the film audience considers typical for the two to produce. If those even remotely interested in the film are able to do that, run, don’t walk to the theater, bring a date and sit back and enjoy. If the interested are unable to do so, go anyway and enjoy something that will remind all of the Christmas Spirit of which the Elves speak.

Art Theatre

126 W. Church St. Champaign, IL

Casa de los Babys R runs 95 minutes directed by John Sayles, starring Marcia Gay Harden, daryl Hannah, Mary Steenburgen, Lili Taylor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, & Rita Moreno.

Presented in HPS-4000/DD

Bubba Ho-Tep

Nightly at 7 pm, matinees on Sat/Sun at 3 pm

Daily at 5:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.

R, HELD OVER!, runs 92 minutes, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis Presented in HPS-4000/DD.

Stop Making Sense NR Talking Heads concert film!

directed by Johnathan Demme. Runs 88 minutes, presented in HPS-4000/DD Midnight shows, Friday & Saturday.

Showtimes for 11/14 thru 11/20

BOARDMAN’S THEATRES www.BoardmansTheatres.com 1-800-BEST PLACE (800-237-8752) 217/355-0068

espite its slightly sappy trailer as a romantic comedy for the holidays, Love Actually is actually one of the best films to come out of this genre in a long time.

It’s no accident that the film works. Tim Bevan, the producer of every Hugh Grant success story—Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Four Weddings and Funeral—decided to outdo himself with this latest installment.

The film is a charming Christmas tale wrapped up in several British romances, ranging from the powerful Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) to a young boy falling for the school princess. This wide mix makes some plotlines more sticky sweet than others, but fortunately the sequences balance each other out.

These stories seem to exist as separate entities until the end of the film, unfortunately, which does take away from some of its continuity. The audience, however, will be too busy laughing at the film’s unapologetic humor that grabs at the funny bone and refuses to let go until the end.

As a refreshing twist, the film takes a wonderful stab at the cheesy Christmas music that comes out every year with a fictitious singer who calls himself out on his own bull during every radio and television interview he gets.

The choice of using London as a backdrop suits this film nicely because it still provides a sense of refinement, so as to not completely shock and horrify its viewers through these great comedic outtakes.

Honesty and realism are rewarded throughout the film again and again through the choices in script as well as delivery, and the audience is going to appreciate not being duped as morons who can’t handle it. The film carries an R rating, but this comes from the fact that comedy comes from the rudeness of daily life.

The film’s delicate blend of outrageous comedic scenes, which also prove that Brits can perform slapstick and dry humor equally, mix well with heartwarming confessions from each of the characters. Needless to say, keep a lookout for a wonderful dance sequence with Grant’s character, together with a classic Pointer Sister’s tune.

The large ensemble cast is also made up of the “who’s who” of English actors, including Emma Thompson and Colin Firth, who all shine as the crème de le crème of the British romantic comedy. Laura Linney joins in too, and puts in a marvelous performance as an American wallflower who draws on everyone’s empathy without appearing fake.

Many Christmas comedies will arrive this season to chose from, but this charming romantic comedy will deliver all the shocking and cheeky wit that will delight any bloke as a favorite for years to come.

buzz

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | THIS STICK GUY REALLY CUTS THE RUG! OW!

Dance hits high-tech

BY KATIE RICHARDSON | ARTS EDITOR

7

arts

The composer/interactive music designer, Bradford Blackburn, will translate the movements of nside a small laboratory on the Engineering dancers, musicians and Quad at the University of Illinois early Sunday projected images into morning, Visiting Assistant Professor Luc music through the use of Vanier puts what seem like innumerable small virtual instruments. A orbs on dancer Anna Marks’ leotard. The “Virtual Marimba” will be Quad north of Green Street is a strange place played with customized to see two members of the Fine Arts mallets that are tracked Association conducting dance practice. using infrared motion capHowever, such endeavors are normal for this ture cameras. Four speakdance instructor, who has been experimenting ers will pick up and project for the last two years on visual interactive the sounds of movement dance in the Integrated Systems Lab at the from both the dancers and the audience. The producBeckman Institute at the University.

The production Vanier is currently working tion is not only interactive on, E-motion 2, will take place Nov. 18-22. It with the artwork in the can be seen in the Krannert Art Museum dur- 20th century room, but ing the open hours of the museum, from 9 a.m. also the viewers.

During rehearsal on to 5 p.m.

During the performance, computerized Sunday, Marks was fitted images of two and three person groups of with several small round dancers will appear on two screens, which are electronic cameras. The essentially two walls of the 20th century room dots are placed in trianguof the museum. In total, the performance will lar patterns around her feature nine dancers. The dancers will be bro- joints. Ten digital cameras ken into the smaller groups due to the long are placed in a circle hours that the performance will be going on around the laboratory. The This figure is the computerized translation of Anna Marcks’ body movements. for. The dancers’ computerized images will digital cameras will register interact with several pieces of art that have the small electronic camVanier ’s strong interest and resulting been saved on five files containing images of eras when Marks enters the circle they have er. So, in that sense, this provides restrictions been placed in. A resulting human outline that form (new) movement itself,” says Vanier. experimentation in this technology has impliart that will be projected on the screens.

Marks is a graduate student in dance at the cations that also effect the dancers’ artistic composed of dots appears on a computer screen manned by Hank University, and this is the first time she has views of themselves.

“A dancer relies on their body as their mediKaczmarski, director of the integra- participated in a high-tech dance production, tive systems lab. However, this “per- though she has previously seen a similar um, but in this production you become more of a conduit for art rather than the art itself, it’s son” is missing a key ingredient— Vanier production.

“It’s very different to participate in one of very interesting. As a dancer you work and lines that connect the dots and make the figure distinctly human. This fig- these productions rather than to watch it. You you work and you work, trying to achieve perure will be saved as an animated rep- have a different sense of exposure than when fection, but then you see a computer that can resentation that will be projected dur- you are on a traditional stage, a different sense go above and beyond what you can do. It’s ing the upcoming performance on the of vulnerability. There is more that can go very humbling,” says Marks.

Marks also indicates that some people wrong because the audience is right there. But walls of Krannert.

“This is the hard part,” says in that same way, the audience is also a part of believe that one day computer dancers will Kaczmarski as he starts to connect the the production. They can directly affect the replace real dancers. However, she is quick to triangular patterns with lines, “this is sounds that will be made by, say, running too counter that notion, stating she does not believe that will ever happen. where we remember that we didn’t fast past a speaker,” comments Marks.

For his part, Vanier sees many artistic According to Kaczmarski, the cameras and learn anything in anatomy class.”

There is difficulty in deciphering computer system that enable this to take place changes that could arise from use of the dot that indicates the ankle from were originally purchased by the University in this technology.

“For one we choreograph according to the the dot that indicates the toe, but soon order to further studies in kinesiology.

“Six weeks after we got it, Luc was in a tools we have. Motion capture permits us to a clearly defined human stick figure appears on the screen. The image is leotard in (the lab) trying (the system) move in very small way and have the greatest impact on the images affected. I don't see an ‘avatar,’ which is a computerized out,” says Kaczmarski.

Vanier has been dealing with video technol- things changing more drastically, just that it version of Marks’ body, and once that version has been drawn on the com- ogy since 1991 and operated his own videog- would be more supportive to create the magic puter screen it is time to dance. raphy company, taping dance in the of the theater. This magic cannot come from Dancing, though, is different when Akron/Cleveland, Ohio, area. He has been at technology, it can only come from the art of choone is ornamented with tiny cameras. the University for the last six years, his thesis reography (in dance anyway) but the various “It changes the way you have to project researched the use of video in dance, tools sure can help the magic,”said Vanier. buzz choreograph. The dancers are limited entitled “Life and Death in 12 Minutes.” He Vanier’s magic will be on view on Nov. 18because they can’t roll on the floor; has also been a member of FAA’s Computing Dancers are fitted with electronic cameras that convey their 22 at Krannert Art Museum. they can’t get too close to one anoth- for the Arts for the last four years. body movements.

I

PHOTOS | ADAM YOUNG

1113buzz0722

5:03 PM

Page 1

community

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

boisterous shows of emotion by fans throughout the Hall. The plaintiffs were not acting in an objectively different manner than other patrons at the Assembly Hall except that the content of their messages was one that the defendants objected to.”

Redwood said his wife and boss, Jude Redwood, is representing Cook despite the fact that he doesn’t have much money. The front of Cook’s house is marred by peeling white paint, and a black string serves as a

“Oh, Dean,” she said. She then redirected her attention. “He has his GED.” “I do have my GED,” Cook said. “I kept promising my grandmother I’d get it.”

Though Cook is known as William Cook to most of the community because of media attention and litigation, most of his friends and family call him Dean. Cook’s mother changed his full name to William Cecil Dean Cook after he was born to settle a family dispute. But she never legally had his name changed, so his legal name is just William Cecil Cook.

Cook began to turn his life around as he slowly adopted Native American culture and the Lakota religion in the mid-1990s. Cook became an active protester after seeing the documentary In Whose Honor? about the Chief debate.

“What finally threw me over the edge was Susan Gravenhorst in (the documentary),” Cook said, referring to the former University trustee. “I heard her say the Chief is a symbol and not a mascot too many times.”

Cook said he looked up the word “symbol” in the dictionary and found that it was defined as something that represents something else. He felt the term “symbol” dehumanized Native Americans.

“I call it reflective education,” he said. “I try to reflect what they call honor and respect back at them. Once I’d seen that (film) and got the dictionary out, that was when I brought the other leg over the fence. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Cook said he filed the lawsuit against the University police officers and security guards “so that hopefully no one else has to go through this in the future. By filing this lawsuit I am exercising my responsibility as a U.S. citizen to protect the Constitution of this great nation.”

Checker Cab

be years before the suit reaches a conclusion.

In the meantime, Cook and Naanes will continue to protest, attending as many Illini games as they can afford to. Cook said he’s not sure how large a part, if any, his protests played in the Board’s decision to reexamine the Chief as a mascot today, but he feels every bit helps.

“When I’m protesting, I’m addressing the mascot on the floor,” Cook said.

“And I’m hoping a lot of people are listening.” buzz

buzz NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

moviereview

LEGEND OF SURIYOTHAI ★★

M

film & tv

| THAILAND TO THE EXTREME BABY!

ovies with honor, love, betrayal, family grudges, deceit, coup d’etats, beheadings and major wars shouldn’t be boring.

Unfortunately, boredom is exactly what The Legend of Suriyothai delivers.

The Legend of Suriyothai was produced by Francis Ford Coppola, the same man who gave the public The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but fails to live up to the film legend’s reputation. Though the cinematography is smooth and flowing, the war scenes appear choppy and slow.

Legend promised to delivery large, almost epic war scenes, using 3,500 extras and 160 elephants, yet the war scenes seem slow, passionless and small. Slow-moving fighters on the elephants, poor swordsmanship by infantry and an uninspiring leader causes the major battle scenes to fall short of their potential.

The movie is based on the story of a princess named Suriyothai who sacrifices her life to

save her husband, the king. In the film, though, it seems that Suriyothai is a minor character and that her husband, Prince Tien, is reluctant to take the crown. Suriyothai doesn’t even love her husband. Though it isn’t really developed properly, her true love is a warrior named Lord Peren, who leads the majority of troops in the final battle scene.

The story supposedly goes that Suriyothai sacrifices her life to save her husband’s, but in the battle she fights in, it seems that her life is needlessly wasted. She rides an elephant into battle carrying a long weapon that she can barely wield. The man whose hand she falls to is clearly a seasoned warrior and has no trouble killing the brave Suriyothai. Her death appears to inspire the troops, though it does not appear to save her husband’s life.

In the beginning of the movie it is established Suriyothai is somewhat rebellious to rules, which foreshadows her fighting for her country; women fighting in the army was not common practice.

Suriyothai’s character is not developed or concentrated on enough to have the audience care that she dies. Her death feels more like a plot device than the death of a legendary princess who sacrifices her life so that her country would live on. The most emotion we see from Suriyothai is from her teenage years when she is apparently in love with Lord Peren, who would eventually become a great warrior.

Their relationship is never really developed,

23

RECENT FILMS FROM THAILAND

LEGEND OF SURIYOTHAI | SIRIWIMOL CHAROENPURA though, and Suriyothai has a happy marriage, though it is arranged to Prince Tien, son of the second king. Suriyothai seems to be mostly a passive observer throughout the turbulent times of the kingdom.

The loved king dies of small pox, and his heir is too young to take power. The jealous second king kills the heir and takes power himself.

His high consort has an affair and becomes pregnant. She then kills the current king and the heir so that her unborn baby’s father can become king. Suriyothai, at this point, tells Prince Tien to bring back his family’s dynasty and take the thrown. He instead becomes a monk. Soon after he is ordained, though, he makes an order to kill the current king, the queen and their infant heir. Though all of this happened, it is extremely drawn out and boring at times.

AGAINST ALL (1990) Gangster Fai's girlfriend Suet is constantly harassed by a gangster named Twelve.

Eventually, Fai and Twelve butt heads, and Fai's uncle is injured. Fai decides to take action to put Twelve out of commission once and for all BANGKOK DANGEROUS (2000) A hitman is forced to choose between the detached, remote existence he leads as a calculating killer, and the chance he has to reinvent himself as a participant in a relationship and normal society as a whole.

FEAR FAITH REVENGE (1998) The story involves an all-boy Catholic school that has some bizarre seniority system where older students haze freshmen under the generally approving eye of the Catholic priests and headmasters. It is also an attempt at a ghost story, but it doesn’t quite work.

NANG NOK (1999) This beautifully sad retelling of an old Thai legend tells the story of a young wife who so loved her husband that she could not leave him upon her premature death but returned to live with him as a ghost. Slowmoving and haunting, with little emphasis on the potentially scary aspects of the story, it is a tale that is distant yet touching.

355.1236 105 N. Market St. Downtown Champaign PHOTO | BRAD KAHLER

The Lawsuit Erik Redwood, husband, paralegal and spokesman for Cook’s attorney, said Cook, Naanes and Wegeng filed the lawsuit as a matter of principle.

“They arrested him because they didn’t like what he screamed,” Redwood said. “They don’t have a right to be the thought police. One of the purposes of free speech is to create unrest.”

According to the lawsuit: “The University of Illinois women’s basketball game that was taking place in Assembly Hall on Jan. 27, 2002, was an atmosphere of continuous loud and raucous yelling, cheering, jeering, swearing and other

makeshift handle for Cook’s front door.

“We’re devoting time to it because he was done such a terrible wrong,” Redwood said.

“They’ll take away your freedoms if you don’t fight for them.”

Redwood said his wife admires Cook. “He’s a person that she respects,” he said.

The 10-count civil rights complaint seeks $250,000 in compensatory damages for each count and additional money for punitive damages and attorney’s fees. Redwood said it might

buzz

BY PAUL WAGNER | STAFF WRITER

William Cook waits outside a courtroom at the Champaign County Courthouse at the start of his hearing on May 2.

Whatever you need, CALL...

355-3553

Open 24/7 *excluding Christmas Eve.

Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Festival

Let us blow our horn!

Yellow Checker Taxi Cab is a full survice transportation company with sedans, minivans, short vans long vans and pick-up trucks.

6

11/12/03

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

1113buzz0623

EAT IN TAKE OUT DRIVE THRU l

l

over $12 $1 charge between $8–$12

$4.99 ALL DAY “QUALITY AND QUANTITY....WE’RE ALWAYS THE BEST” 1209 N. Prospect Ave • Phone 351-8808 • Fax 351-9878 Hours: Mon-Sat. 10:30am-11pm Sun. 10:30am-10:30pm No Personal Checks

“Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Festival”

Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Festival

5:04 PM

Page 1

film & tv

WHAT WOULD SYVLIA DO? PROBABLY KILL HERSELF. | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

Drive-thru Reviews

25% Off Sale All vintage and used clothes

Daily Lunch and Dinner Specials Extensive Beer and Wine Selection Carry out available

retro and recycled clothing for men & women

355-weed M-W 11-6 Th-Sat 11-9 Sun 1-5 proud sponsor

Randolph

9 Taylor, Downtown Champaign

Church

Art Theatre

N

Proud sponsor of the Buzz Film Fest

Tommy G’s Fri., November 14 FREE FOOD FRIDAYS! 5-7 PM featuring David Davenport - free food, no cover!

This acoustic band knows every song ever written!

Sat., November 15

Will rogers

C-U’s favorite rock and roll cowboy! Make your new year’s plans now - performing this year at The G-spot is RENEGADE!

FREE MUSIC no cover weekdays!

BUBBA HO-TEP ★★ BRUCE CAMPBELL AND OSSIE DAVIS It’s a fact that low-budget horror movies can be successful, but Bubba Ho-Tep shows why some fail—with the poor look to the mummy to the cheesy looking beetles that infect the nursing home.With all these combined, it’s hard to take these scenes as seriously as Coscarelli wanted. (Ryan Bicking) Now showing at Boardman’s

Will Roger’s Acoustic Night Plus $2 Tuesdays - two dollar drafts,cans, dom. Bottles, well drinks, order of wings, basket-o-spuds, chips-n-salsa.

Thursdays - Pool Tourney, Cash Prizes, 7 PM

114 W. Church 359-7377 Daily at 11am

RADIO ★★ CUBA GOODING JR. AND ED HARRIS Cuba Gooding Jr. does his best to give a performance that will make his critics less likely to demand that he give back his Oscar after horrendous films such as Snow Dogs, but this film doesn’t do anything more than give a dramatic version of Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy. (Jason Cantone) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

RUNAWAY JURY ★★★ DUSTIN HOFFMAN AND GENE HACKMAN Based upon the best-selling John Grisham novel, this story was originally about tobacco farms, but becomes a tale of guns. Featuring two of the greatest actors alive, this film is exactly what a summer beach novel is good for: a lot of fun, provided that you suspend disbelief. (Jason Cantone) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

SCARY MOVIE 3 ★★★ CHARLIE SHEEN AND DENISE RICHARDS With the Wayans brothers gone, slapstick king David Zucker does his best to reinvent this dying franchise. Occasionally hilarious, but often stupid. (Andrew Crewell) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE ★ JESSICA BIEL AND MIKE VOGEL While on a drug run to Mexico, a bunch of people pick up a bloodied hitchhiker who has been attacked by someone or something. The movie substitutes screams and gore for the careful artistry that is present in the original, only to create the same formula that moviegoers have seen a hundred times before and are frankly quite tired of. (Aaron Leach) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

OPENING THIS WEEKEND

last spring. “They can hit me with the maximum sentence, and compared to what other people have lost, that’s easy.”

And by other people, Cook means other practicing Native Americans. Though Naanes and Cook describe themselves as Caucasian, Cook said one of his ancestors was Native American and he is part Cherokee Indian. Both Cook and Naanes were raised as Christians but adopted the Lakota religion in addition to their Christianity around 1995.

Cook and Naanes said they first started practicing the Native American religion after observing and researching it.

“I had always been interested in Native American culture knowing I had Cherokee ancestors,” Cook said. “I went to (a powwow) at Oneida, Wis., and it just felt like home. It was the greatest place I had ever been.”

Native Americans spiritually purify themselves.

“It was a path that accepted me totally for what I was,” Cook said. “We didn’t absorb it; it absorbed us.”

Cook is not a person who has always felt accepted.

A lifelong resident of Champaign County, he got into occasional trouble with the law as a teenager. He ran away from his mother several times to live with his alcoholic father, only to be placed back with his mother by government and school officials. He dropped out of high school three times before deciding to call it quits permanently a fourth time. Cook then joined the Navy for several years.

After the Navy, Cook worked a string of jobs including one as a tree surgeon.

He worked for the University briefly before being fired as part of what he called “a type of reverse discrimination.” He also once worked for a plastic company that is no longer in town, but he was fired from that job for showing up to work drunk.

“They fired me for being drunk one day,” Cook said. “But I wasn’t drunk; I was just hung over.”

Cook inherited his father’s alcoholism.

Though he is now rid of it, Cook still refers to the years during which he was an alcoholic as his “drinking days.”

As Cook told his life story, Naanes occasionally looked at him and rolled her eyes. He described himself as a “four-time high school dropout,” and Naanes interjected.

A Way of Life Though Naanes, who wears her slightly graying brown hair tied in a low ponytail and walks with a walking stick, looks like any average Midwestern white woman, Cook’s appearance reflects his adopted culture.

Cook wears his brown hair in two thin braids that fall midway across his chest. Pictures of Native Americans hang on his living room wall.

A Native American sweat lodge Cook built in the backyard, which sits beyond the scattered tires, rusted car parts and dog pens surrounding the small country house, is a testament to Cook’s devotion to the Lakota religion. Cook described the sweat lodge ceremony as a way

Q & A

How did you get into the restaurant business?

I had been in the beverage business with Coca-Cola and Anheuser Busch for 16 to 17 years and the Cochranes were one of my customers. We had always talked about doing something together.

JeffRyan

LILI TAYLOR AND MARY STEENBURGEN Six American women go to South America to adopt babies and are then forced to live there. So not only are these women pissed off about not being able to be new mothers, but they’re stuck in a country they don’t want to live in.

Expect a PMS display of Oscar-winning proportions in this John Sayles film. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Boardman’s

What is the history of Rocks?

Scott Cochrane, Tom Cochrane and I put our heads together and came up with the idea in October of 2001. Sadly, Tom Cochrane died of a heart attack shortly after and the project stalled for while his estate was settled. After that, we added our third partner, Dan Manolakes, who had been the owner of the White Horse, and went from there.

LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION

LOVE ACTUALLY ★★★★

MASTER AND COMMANDER

KEANU REEVES AND LAURENCE FISHBURNE In the utterly disappointing The Matrix: Revolutions, the Wachowskis simultaneously step away from that which made the previous films worthwhile and indulge in the elements that made them hollow. Gone are the eye-popping action sequences of high-tech originality and legitimate conceptions of a machine-oriented future spun out of control.

(Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy.

community

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

CASA DE LOS BABYS

JENNA ELFMAN AND STEVE MARTIN Remember the old days when a good cartoon made us laugh as the characters took a lickin’ and kept on tickin’?

This film takes Hollywood cameos to bring Bugs Bunny and Co. back into the spotlight. But with the recent DVDs only doing so-so business, this film could be a trickier sell than imagined. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Beverly and Savoy.

THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS ★★

Every Wednesday Kilborn Alley

KEVIN BACON AND SEAN PENN Three childhood friends are united after one loses his daughter.This story goes beyond the usual crime thriller and is filled with some brilliant performances expected to be honored with Oscars. (Andrew Vecelas) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

UMA THURMAN AND DAVID CARRADINE Kill Bill is raw entertainment that packs brains with its brawn.

That is because Tarantino is an expert at drawing feeling from his killers, robbers and sociopaths. In Kill Bill, Tarantino revisits his penchant for characters who have experienced past— and specifically, childhood—trauma, again hitting the mark with brave situational dichotomy.(Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

HUGH GRANT AND EMMA THOMPSON The film’s delicate blend of outrageous comedic scenes, which also prove that Brits can perform slapstick and dry humor equally, mix well with heartwarming confessions from each of the characters. Needless to say, keep a lookout for a wonderful dance sequence with Grant’s character.. The large ensemble cast is also made up of the “who’s who” of English actors. Laura Linney joins in too, and puts in a marvelous performance as an American wallflower who draws on everyone’s empathy without appearing fake. (Janelle Greenwood) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

Every Tuesday

www.tommygs.com

JOAQUIN PHOENIX AND PHIL COLLINS While American animators still have a long way to go to achieve the sheer grandeur and exhilarating imagination of foreign animation, such as in last year’s Spirited Away, Brother Bear shows they do have their moments. It’s just unfortunate that their visuals have to be spoiled by rudimentary plots, discardable characters and downright ugly music. (John Loos) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

KILL BILL: VOLUME ONE ★★★★

10 Adam wolf party& the hounds PM

123 S. Mattis, Champaign - Counrty Fair Mall, 359-2177

BROTHER BEAR ★★

WILL FERRELL AND JAMES CAAN The film itself really makes no attempts to hide its basic premise as a Christmas movie.There’s Santa, perfectly played by Ed Asner.There’s the head elf, portrayed by Bob Newhart.There’s the grumpy, anti-Christmas guy, James Caan. It’s like every Christmas television special and movie rolled into one. And therein lies its genius. (Dan Maloney) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

featuring food by Foudini’s

21 - American Heritage Band, 22 - Renegade

ANGELINA JOLIE AND CLIVE OWEN Its preachiness will repulse many viewers, but, as our elected officials are busy fomenting humanitarian crises, it’s a sermon comfortable Americans deserve to hear. While it’s unlikely audiences will elbow one another aside as they exit the theater in their haste to donate their stock portfolios to Amnesty International, the film’s heart is in the right place. (Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

ELF ★★★

Bar and Grill

Coming in November

Monday - Thursday 11am-9pm 308 N. Randolph, Champaign Nitaya Thai Ph: 359-6977

BEYOND BORDERS ★★★

MYSTIC RIVER ★★★★

buzz

RUSSELL CROWE AND PAUL BETTANY A bunch of guys on a boat deal with this little thing called the Napoleonic Wars, whatever those are. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Beverly and Savoy.

STOP MAKING SENSE

ALEX WEIR AND LYNN MABRY This has been considered by many critics to be the best concert film of all time. If it isn’t, this Talking Heads concert film is one of the most innovative. (Jason Cantone) Special showings at Boardman’s this weekend

SYLVIA

GWYNETH PALTROW AND BLYTHE DANNER If you’re looking for a film that will make you suicidal and depressed, this is the movie for you. Poet Sylvia Plath wasn’t exactly a bundle of joy. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Beverly

TUPAC: RESURRECTION

NARRATED BY TUPAC SHAKUR Tupac’s supposed to be dead, but here he narrates the story of his life. Uh huh. Yeah. (Jason Cantone) Opening at Savoy.

Champaign native and Peoria resident Jeff Ryan recently celebrated the long-awaited grand opening of his restaurant, Rocks, on Oct. 27. Ryan, also known as Rocky, is partowner of the bar and grill along with Scott Cochrane and Dan Manolakes. Rocks, located at 25 E. Springfield in Champaign, features a full menu and bar, and is open to the general public from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. when customers must be 21 to enter.

How did you come up with the idea for Rocks?

I had always liked this location. We knew we had a good physical facility, nice patio and pretty good parking at this location. After Tom died, and Dan came in, we continued to develop the menu. Soozie Robinson helped with the decorating and we spent hours at Borders, picking out the decor and colors.

There were over 1,000 people that were involved in this project.

What is the atmosphere like at Rocks?

I don’t think we have quite nailed it down yet, but it is clean and friendly. We do everything we possibly can to provide the best service. We want people to have a good time and good service.

5

PHOTO | KATY MULL

24

11/12/03

PHOTO | ADAM YOUNG

1113buzz0524

William Cook and Sherry Naanes review some of their photocopies of a Sports Illustrated article that mentioned Chief Illiniwek.

What has been the biggest challenge of opening a new business?

The length of time it took. There were also a lot of decisions. I would say there (were) over 40,000 decisions, from the small ones, like what kind of salt shakers to have, to major ones. It was also difficult staying within budget and knowing the difference between what we wanted to have and what we needed to have. I used to ask the question, ‘Will this sell another cheeseburger?’ to help us decide.

What kinds of food and drink does Rocks offer?

It is pretty standard fare. We want diverse clients but we offer American food. We do have nonmeat dishes on the menu, like salads and garden burgers. I enjoy red meat but I know not everyone does.

What makes Rocks different from other bars and grills?

There are a lot of great places in the Champaign-Urbana market, so it’s a challenge to come with something unique. We are aware of competitive pricing and we do our best to offer a good value. We are looking forward to the spring with the patio.

What is the best part of your job?

At 48 years old, I have teased people that I have finally found what I want to do when I grow up. I enjoy people and like to meet new people, both customers and employees. I like to tease that I am Sam Malone from Cheers.

What would you be doing if you didn’t own Rocks?

I would still be in sales or sales management.

But, it is going to work out here. So many people have come up to me and said this fills a void for them. My wife asked me the other day what I would do if this didn’t work out, and I told her I would probably go down on North Prospect by 1-74 and hold a sign that said ‘Will work for food.’

Have you had any nights that stand out thus far?

We opened Oct. 27 and we anticipated that Halloween would be a big night. It was a good night, but not great. Last Friday was on though; it was jumping from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

What are some of your other interests outside work?

My family; I have a wife and two daughters, ages 13 and 10, that still are in Peoria. I am working on completing my undergrad degree from (the) University of Illinois. I went here in the ‘80s, met my wife here, but never finished. I have been working on getting my degree on and off since then. I am also an avid sports fan.

What is your goal for Rocks?

I don’t want Rocks to be just a sports bar, but a place where you can sit and catch the game too. I have been to a lot of college towns to watch games, and I want to make Rocks a watering hole on the U of I circuit. I want visitors to feel welcome.

1113buzz0425

11/12/03

5:05 PM

Page 1

4

community

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

buzz

buzz

PHONE: 217/337-8337

A protester’s continuing struggle

BY LISA SCHENCKER | STAFF WRITER

W

Taking it to Court At that game, police arrested Cook on charges of criminal trespass to state supported land. According to police, Cook resisted arrest.

The charges of trespass were quickly dropped because Cook had a valid ticket to attend the game, but charges of resisting arrest remained.

The first trial on Oct. 15, 2002, was declared a mistrial because of a hung jury. At a second trial on Jan. 21, 2003, Cook was convicted of resisting arrest – a misdemeanor.

The judge sentenced Cook to 18 months of probation, a $100 fine and court costs,

University police officers named in the suit declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Former University spokesman Bill Murphy said that though the University is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, the University will defend the officers and guards and incur all costs because they were sued while “acting within the scope of their duties.”

Murphy said he could not comment on anything else having to do with the lawsuit against the officers and guards.

Cook declined to comment on how the lawsuit would be affected should the Board vote to retire the Chief today.

and community service.

Cook is appealing the decision.

“It doesn’t sound like much,” Cook said of the sentence. “But for an innocent person it’s quite a bit.”

Cook and his lawyer, Jude Redwood, say that Cook did not resist arrest, but instead was being pulled in two directions and was unable to submit to arrest because of a previous shoulder injury.

Not only is Cook appealing the conviction, but he also filed suit against the University nearly a year ago – a lawsuit worth $2.5 million.

Cook, Naanes and Wegeng filed the lawsuit against seven University police officers and security Guards, alleging that they violated the three protesters’ First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Cook said University police officers approached him at the game and told him they wanted him to step out into a side area to talk.

Cook said he asked the officers why and they would not tell him, so he refused to leave his seat.

According to the lawsuit, “The plaintiffs were singled out and were ordered to leave the Assembly Hall because of and due only to their heritage (Native American), their religion (Lakota) and their exercise of their right to religious expression.”

PHOTO | KATY MULL

illiam Cook and Sherry Naanes don’t answer their home phone anymore.

Usually they let the answering machine pick up calls. Sometimes they pick up the phone depending on whose voice they hear coming through the answering machine.

They ignore their phone to avoid telemarketers and prank callers. But mostly they ignore their phone because of the death threats.

“People call up and harass,” Cook said. “I figure that’s what answering machines are for.”

Cook, 43, and Naanes, 42, have received their fair share of harassment since they began protesting Chief Illiniwek, the University of Illinois’ controversial Native American mascot, at University sporting events in 1995.

Today, the University Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on whether to retire the Chief.

Cook doubts the Board will vote to retire the mascot, but if they do, Cook will rethink how he’s been protesting for years.

Since 1995, the rural Champaign couple and their friend David Wegeng have regularly attended University sporting events wearing anti-Chief clothing, cheering for opposing

teams and yelling that the mascot is racist when he comes out to perform during breaks in games and matches.

Cook, Naanes and Wegeng, who practice Lakota, a type of Native American religion, say they are exercising their First Amendment right to free speech by protesting a mascot they deem racist and offensive to Native Americans.

But nearly two years ago, on Jan. 27, 2002, Cook, Naanes and Wegeng protested at a University of Illinois women’s basketball game where University police and security guards deemed their protesting more than just expression.

Sherry Naanes and William Cook plan to continue to protest at basketball games this season at Assembly Hall despite Cook's arrest while protesting during a women's basketball game two years ago

Protesting Despite the lawsuit and the conviction, Cook and Naanes have no intention of halting their protests until the Native American community is satisfied by the retirement of the Chief, retirement of the name “Fighting Illini” or both. The resolution facing the Board of Trustees today proposes eliminating the Chief but not the name Fighting Illini.

Cook would like to see both the name and the mascot go.

“When you have a cancer, you don’t just remove bits and pieces of it,” Cook said.

Cook and Naanes attended football games last fall and plan to attend basketball games this upcoming season if the Chief is still around.

Cook hasn’t been confronted by security guards or police at any of the games he’s attended since his arrest nearly two years ago.

For Cook and Naanes, who have been dating since 1989 and living together since 1990, it’s been life as usual since the arrest.

The couple appeared relaxed in their small rural Champaign home several days before Cook’s sentencing last spring.

Cook, who describes himself as selfemployed, said he wasn’t surprised by his conviction last year.

“I fully expected to be convicted, not because I’m guilty but because 80 percent of this state is for the mascot,” he said. “Even my mom won’t pay anything on my lawyer bill because she doesn’t want anything to do with getting rid of the mascot.”

Though the resolution facing the Board today calls for the Chief’s retirement as University mascot, it also states, “Chief Illiniwek has represented the dignity, strength, intelligence and grace to which Illinois athletic teams have aspired.”

Naanes also said she wasn’t surprised.

“We knew eventually they’d find him guilty,” said Naanes, who works for the University as a janitor.

At the time, Cook wasn’t sure how he’d be sentenced, but he wasn’t afraid of going to jail.

“Penalty-wise, I should have taken the plea bargain, but it wouldn’t have shown that I’m innocent. That’s not what we wanted,” he said

25

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | REMEMBER THAT OLD BIRTHDAY PRESENT FROM GRANDMA THAT YOU HATE? SELL IT HERE!!

DEADLINE: 2 p.m. Monday for the next Thursday’s edition.

INDEX Employment Services Merchandise Transportation Apartments Other Housing/Rent Real Estate for Sale Things To Do Announcements Personals

000 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

• PLEASE CHECK YOUR AD! Report errors immediately by calling 337-8337. We cannot be responsible for more than one day’s incorrect insertion if you do not notify us of the error by 2 pm on the day of the first insertion.

• All advertising is subject to the approval of the publisher. The Daily Illini shall have the right to revise, reject or cancel, in whole or in part, any advertisement, at any time.

• All employment advertising in this newspaper is subject to the City of Champaign Human Rights Ordinance and similar state and local laws, making it illegal for any person to cause to be published any advertisement which expresses limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, color, mental handicap, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, political affiliation, prior arrest or conviction record, source of income, or the fact that such person is a student.

• Specification in employment classifications are made only where such factors are bonafide occupational qualifications necessary for employment.

• All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, and similar state and local laws which make it illegal for any person to cause to be published any advertisement relating to the transfer, sale, rental, or lease of any housing which expresses limitation, specifications or discrimination as to race, color, creed, class, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, personal appearance, sexual oientation, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or the fact that such person is a student.

• This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. Our readers are informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal oppportunity basis.

DEADLINE:

2 p.m. Monday for the next Thursday’s edition.

RATES: Billed rate: 34¢/word Paid-in-Advance: 25¢/word Photo Sellers 30 words or less + photo: $5 per issue Garage Sales 30 words in both Thursday’s buzz and Friday’s Daily Illini!! $10. If it rains, your next date is free.

Action Ads • 20 words, run any 5 days (in buzz or The Daily Illini), $14 • 10 words, run any 5 days (in buzz or The Daily Illini), $7 • add a photo to an action ad, $10

Employment 000 HELP WANTED | Full Time Express Personnel Services 217.355.8500 101 Devonshire Dr., Champaign

Happi House Learning Center, Inc. Come join our winning team!

Assistant Teacher positions now available in our infant/toddler programs. Full time positions only. Call 367-5388 or visit 1603 E. Mumford Dr. Urbana to apply!

The Champaign County Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Council (40N\88W) is looking for the right person to be Managing Director.

See 40north.org for details and application procedures.

HELP WANTED | Part Time Flexible hours Office Associate. $8/hr. Meyer Drapery 330 N. Neil. Downtown Champaign 352-5318. Apply in person or send resume.

HELP WANTED | Full / Part Time AUNTIE ANNE’S SOFT PRETZELS Market Place Mall 3-4 PT-FT Positions Monday-Friday Must Have Flexible Schedule Must Be At Least 18 Years Old Excellent Starting Wage Non-Smoker Apply In Person

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES $250-$500/week. Will train to work at home helping the US Govt. file HUD/FHA mortgage refunds. No experience necessary. Call toll-free 1866-537-2906.

Services

100

BUSINESS SERVICES Graphic design studio is seeking models, makeup artists for beauty and style photography. www.victoriasphoto.com Victoria’s Photographics 217-328-3013

Le Therapeutic Massage. Day/ Evening/ Weekend, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Only by appointment. 344-8879.

CLEANING Exact Extraction. Carpet & upholstery cleaning. Free estimates. 6883101.

LAWN CARE FREE ESTIMATES: Tree trimming, Topping, Removal, Stump Grinding.

384-5010.

Merchandise 200

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Furnished

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Unurnished

1 Bedroom Luxury Apartments

107 N. Busey, U.

Washer/dryer, AC, balcony, dishwasher, intercom, ethernet, contemporary furnishings, microwave.

605 E. Clark St., C. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

August 2004 3 level townhouse, cathedral ceiling living room, loft deck. Must see to appreciate. Sleeps 4, 2 full baths, gas heat, central air, washer/dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, internet, and cable ready. Two free parking spaces. $1380/month.

Call 352-3674 or 377-1552

Brand new luxury 1, 2, 3, bedroom apartments available in Champaign.

Call Manchester Property Management at 359-0248 for an appointment.

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Furnished

New Security Building

JOHN SMITH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT www.johnsmithproperties.com (217)384-6930 “believe the hype” 101 E. Daniel, C.

New Security Building

1, 2 bedroom and bi-level 4 bedroom, two bath. Imported furnishings, balconies, skylights, cathedral ceilings, washer/ dryer in each apt.

Security underground parking. Aug. 2004 www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

101 S. Busey, U. 1 bedroom apartment with

Apartments

400

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Furnished | Unfurnished 801 STOUGHTON, URBANA. MULTI-LEVEL TOWNHOME, 4 BLOCKS FROM QUAD. PRIVATE LOFT W/ FULL BATH, FIREPLACE, PATIO, GARAGE, SKYLIGHT, W/D, CENTRAL A/C. CALL MISSY FOR DETAILS, 202-6412

2 Bedroom, Oregon/Lincoln, Furnished, Spring/Summer (217)3847412. lanluo@uiuc.edu $705.

808 S. Oak, Champaign Imported furnishings, sound proofing, A/C, 2 balconies, burglar alarms, laundry. Utility discount.

Parking. Aug 2004. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

One BR. Second and Greg! Spring semester ‘04. Free Parking. $350/mo. AC, ethernet available, furnished, laundry. (847)951-6696.

3 & 4 bedroom luxury apartments 205 S. Sixth St.

Security Building

Washer/ dryer, AC, balconies, dishwasher, ethernet, 48’ TV, microwave. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

Living room, eat-in kitchen, porch, parking, laundry facilities, air conditioning, furnished. August 2004. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

102 S. Lincoln Horizon Apts.

Green and Lincoln, U.

August ‘04. New 2,3,4 bedroom luxury furnished apartments.Sundeck, Balconies, Skylights, 2 Full Baths, Cathedral Ceilings, Ceiling Fan, Laundry on each floor. Assigned parking. Sound proofing. Utility discount, security system. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

502 W. Green, U Aug 2004 A fireplace and a private balcony is what you will have with this cozy 4 bedroom, 2 full bath apartment. Nice furniture, fully carpeted, washer/dryer, garbage disposal, microwave, and dishwasher. Internet and cable ready, central air. $1120/month.

Call 352-3674 or 377-1552

805 S. Locust, C. 2 & 4 bedroom luxury furnished apartments. Contemporary furnishings, bi-level, laundry, AC, large rooms, microwave, dishwasher, parking. Aug. 2004. www.mhmproperties.com 337-8852

Great location Spring, furnished efficiency apartment all utilities included, 4th/ Chalmers rent negotiable. pdburnet@uiuc.edu

GREAT LOCATION! Spacious 1 BR of 4 at Third and Daniel. A/C, covered parking available, balcony, right by bus route, DW, W/D, Jan-May or longer. RENT NEGOTIABLE. Call Lauren @ (708)724-4740.

Spacious one bedroom unfurnished hardwood floors $475 negotiable.

217-259-9981 Spring 2004 Sublet. Efficiency near Beckman. $355 per month bbayer@uiuc.edu.

Other Rentals 500

Step 2: Print your ad below

Line ads are unbordered ads in the classified section. Use this form to place a line ad in the Thursday buzz classifieds.

For information on placing your line ad in The Daily Illini as well as buzz, or for display advertising rates, please give us a call at 337-8337.

25¢/word (prepaid) for each issue

Action ads are non-refundable and available only for ads in Services, Merchandise, & Transportation categories.

Choose 5 run dates at Step 3.

Any Thursday run dates will appear in buzz.

10 words 5 days, $7 20 word 5 days, $14

Garage Sale Ad Rain or Shine guarantee... if it rains the weekend of your sale, we’ll run your ad the next weekend for free.

In Thursday buzz and Friday DI 30 words $10

Name State Zip Phone (where you can be reached M-F 8-5)

Place my ad in category

Action Ad

Amount enclosed

Step 3: Choose your run dates

Efficiency rooms on campus $250-$310, all utilities paid. 3676626

Things to Do 700 VACATION | TRAVEL #1 SPRING BREAK COMPANY in Acapulco now offers 3 destinations!.

Go Loco in Acapulco, Party in Vallarta, or get Crazy in Cabo- with BIANCHI-ROSSI TOURS. Organize a group and travel for FREE. Book now before it’s too late! Call 800875-4525 or www.bianchi-rossi.com

Announcements800 Fraternities- Sororities Clubs- Student Groups Earn $1,000-$2,000 this semester with a proven CampusFundraiser 3 hour fundraising event. Our free programs make fundraising easy with no risks. Fundraising dates are filling quickly, so get with the program! It works. Contact CampusFundraiser at (888)923-3238, or visit www.campusfundraiser.com.

Campus Furnished Group Homes (On First, John, Clark, and Locust) 4-11 person, parking, porch, laundry, etc., August 2004.

337-8852 www.mhmproperties.com

Address

Line ad

ROOMS

HOUSES

Placing your ad in buzz is as easy as 1-2-3!

Step 1: Choose your deal

Quiet three bedroom , garage, W/D, mowing and garbage included. 2013 1/2 W. William, Champaign. Excellent credit and references required. $675 367-1406.

SUBLETS 1 BR. Close to campus (First & Daniel). Furnished. Utilities, parking included. Now or Spring thru August. $490. 217-721-1261.

New Security Building

PAID UTILITIES!

STEREO | TV | VIDEO 17” monitor, $65. Technics Stereo receiver, $60. Floor speakers $70.

5disk changer $25 obo bkooistr@uiuc.edu

2, 3, 4 bedroom luxury apartment

HOUSES

Mail this form with payment to: buzz classifieds 57 E. Green, Champaign, IL 61820 or bring it into our office at that address or at the DI @ the YMCA 1001 S. Wright St. Champaign, IL 61820

Place your ad in the Buzz Classifieds today!

337-8337

5:05 PM

Page 1

26odds & end

INJURED OR IN PAIN?

Chiropractic Honors the Body’s Ability to Heal Itself, Naturally HEADACHE NECK AND BACK PAIN • FATIGUE ACCIDENT OR TRAUMA • CHRONIC PAIN WELLNESS PROGRAMS LOW BACK PAIN • STRESS RELATED PAIN HEADACHES • LEG AND ARM PAIN • CARPAL TUNNEL

FREE EXAM & X-RAY (IF NEEDED) COVERED BY STUDENT INSURANCE

Dr. Joseph Snell

24 HR. ANSWERING SERVICE

ASS SQUEAZING CURES DEPRESSION? | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): The latest movie from Aries filmmaker Quentin Tarantino received mixed reviews. Commenting on "Kill Bill," Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper raved, "It's amazing.

Brilliant and stylized! Tarantino is at the top of his form." On the other hand, critic Mick LaSalle had this to say: "If this recycled, derivative nonsense is all this once-promising director has to offer after six years, it's sad." I predict you will provoke a similar range of reactions in the coming week, Aries. It's probably best if you don't put too much stock in either the people who regard you as a genius or those who think you're a crank. Just be satisfied to believe in yourself.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "Consumer brands are the new religion," reports "The Financial Times." "People turn to them for meaning." The evidence? Instead of attending church on Sunday, many of the faithful swarm to Ikea. Countless couples exchange their marital vows at Disneyland. Bikers are buried in coffins bearing Harley-Davidson logos. Don't tell me you haven't been infected with this faux religion, Taurus; we all have. But I'm happy to announce that it's a perfect astrological moment for blasphemy and dissent. Renounce your worshipful attachment to brand names and products that are sapping your spiritual juice! Break the hold of your addiction NOW! Just say NO to false gods!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I have just finished skimming Hiroyuki Nishigaki's surprising book How to Good-Bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? or Effective Way? Though I haven't had a chance to try out his simple and revolutionary approach to mental health, I feel confident about recommending it to you. It's time to take drastic, perhaps unconventional measures to disperse the funky moods that have plagued you recently. Regular butt-squeezing may be able to accomplish what no other therapy can. As one satisfied reader testified after achieving miracles with this technique: "Free your ass and your mind will follow."

SNELL CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Can you find a sensitive saint who'll cater to your desires for a whole day? Someone who is knowledgeable about what gives you pleasure, who would listen with supple curiosity to your stories, who would sing you songs and read you poems and describe to you in lyrical detail all your wonderful qualities? In other words, Cancerian, can you enlist the devotion of a love genius who would regard being of service to you as a holy privilege? The planets have rarely been better aligned for such a possibility.The entire universe is yearning to be more demonstrative in showing its love for you.

1802 Woodfield Dr. • 217-352-9899 2 Blocks North of Savoy 16

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The bumblebee seems to be aerodynamically unsound. Its body weight appears too great for its

wingspan. Indeed, if it were as big as an airplane, it would never get off the ground. Fortunately, it knows nothing of the laws of physics as they apply to machines, and therefore never suffers from self-doubt as it soars and darts. I suggest you make this creature your power animal in the coming weeks. You will need to accomplish small wonders that there are no theories to account for.

go of the tightly wound emotions you've been holding onto. Sob or sigh or babble until you achieve a spiritual orgasm that will clear your mind of all its gunk and free you to make the decision you've been postponing. Ever hereafter you will call this the Crying Rock, and you will go there whenever you need the kind of release that only a beloved natural power spot can facilitate.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If a friend or companion is pregnant, buy her some lingerie. If people close to you are depressed, take them to a karaoke bar and insist that they sing in public. If you're feeling cautious and superstitious, book a flight to an island paradise or learn to ride a motorcycle. If you're afraid you're running out of good ideas, start writing a booklet entitled, "My Inexhaustible Supply of Good Ideas." Are you catching my drift, Capricorn? To capitalize on the odd opportunities fate will bring you this week, you should definitely not go with the flow.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): My reading of your astrological omens suggests that you are now standing before three doors.

The word "scapegoat" is written on door number one.

"Chameleon" is on door two and "weaver" on door three. What you do in the next six days will determine whether you'll ultimately have a choice about which door you open. If you do succeed in winning that privilege, I advise you to pick the "weaver" door sometime after November 22. Selecting the "chameleon" door wouldn't be terrible, but it wouldn't be half as stimulating.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Many of you feel that you're only truly yourself if others see you as you want to be seen. But this week I suggest you try out a different perspective. It's hinted at

by Suzan-Lori Parks in her play "Topdog/ Underdog": "Yr only yrself when no one's watching." Who are you when you're alone, Aquarius? Turn off your awareness of what everyone thinks about you. Listen only to the clues arising from your silent depths.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Recently I received a letter with testimony you might find helpful. "Hello, my name is Randall Xavier Ludwick," it began. "I am inspector number 23 for the Federal Commission on Amusement Park Safety. My main responsibility is to ensure that all 'You Must Be This Tall To Go on This Ride' signs are up to code. It's the perfect job for a major Libra like me. Since I can never make up my mind if left to my own devices, I decided to pursue a career that has rigid boundaries and also appeals to my sense of justice." Mr. Ludwick's approach to his indecisiveness might be worth imitating in the coming weeks, dear Libra. I suggest you put yourself in positions where you must adhere to crisply defined limits and rules. (Thanks to Edgar Roberts for introducing me to Mr. Ludwick.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Back in the days when I could afford employees, one of them dreamed up a witty ad campaign for my expanded audio horoscopes. The headline was "Rob Brezsny's astrological advice is like Viagra for the soul!" A week after the first ads appeared, I got a letter from the lawyers of the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the real Viagra. "Cease and desist using our trademarked brand name," it said, "or we will sue your ass." (I'm paraphrasing.) My campaign came to a dead stop, and I vowed never again to borrow a corporate fetish for my own marketing purposes. Carefully, then, I make the following announcement:What life brings you in the coming weeks will be like Viagra for your soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You are fresh, radical, and as free as you've ever been. Only the ripest truths interest you. No pretty lies can trick you and no super-hyped trivia can distract you. I believe you're ready, therefore, to commune with the axioms of healing chaos, lifted from the Whores of Goddess Scientists website at http://adtriancain.tripod.com/. Here's a sample. You are the hidden God. Wake up in the dream. Read between the lies. To question is the answer.The frontline is everywhere.There are no innocent bystanders. Truth is a three-edged sword. Practice infinite tolerance except for intolerance. Achieve strength through joy. Embrace your shadow. Change is stability. Creation never ends. Everything is verb.

The way in is the way out. All things fornicate all the time.The going is the goal.Today is the day!

✍ HOMEWORK:

The media love bad news because they think it's more interesting than good news.

Is it? Send your interesting good news to me at www.freewillastrology.com.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Walk into the hills or woods and find a large rock jutting up out of the earth in a place that makes you feel at home. Sit down on or next to that rock and let

ACROSS 1 Joseph Conrad’s dis-

DOWN 1 First name in 1920’s40’s Broadway 2 The drink you shouldn’t have had 3 What a bomb defuser may be in 4 Onetime White House inits.

5 Wears out 6 Couple 7 Hegira destination

1

section 15 9 Secondcentury 17 year 10 Like some 19 attitudes 23 11 College that was a cen28 ter of abolitionism 12 Friend of Han Solo, 37 in “Star 41 Wars” 13 Tatar Strait 45 feeder 14 Be enough for 53 21 Lead, often 24 Chart 58 maker 26 House 63 27 Math func65 tion 29 Like some holistic treatments 31 “Baudolino” author 32 Parisian possessive 34 Pitching choice 36 Further 37 See 46-Across

2

insidebuzz 4 7

COMMUNIT Y

A protester’s story ARTS

Influential professor returns to University

12

MUSIC

14

CALENDAR

23

FILM & TV

Criticizing the critics See all there is to do in C-U The films of Thailand hit American soil

@ f r e e w i l l a s t r o l o g y. c o m 415.459.7209(v)• 415.457.3769 http://www.freewillastrology. com P.O. Box 798 San Anselmo, CA 94979

Volume 1, Number 37 COVER DESIGN | Meaghan Dee 3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

18 21 25

24

22 26

27

29 33

30

34

35

38

39

32

40 43

46 50

31

36

42

44

47

48

51

49

52 55

54 59

60

56 61

57 62

64 66

39 42 44 47 49 51

Cub of note “Ssss” maker Hotel amenity Apple market?

Nuclei Latin stars

A

t age 6, Native Americans were Indians, and all I knew was to chase them in the playground, as a good cowboy should.

All I knew of Native Americans were stereotypes. But, as I learned about the Native American story, the buoyant mascot flailing around the center of the floor seemed less than majestic.

I have no qualms about proclaiming my strong feelings against the University of Illinois’ current mascot. I think it is a racist statement that speaks loudly about our university and the Champaign-Urbana community at large. As a flagship university, we have an obligation to hold ourselves to that standard, race relations included.

As a 6-year-old I was unaware of the cultural history of Native Americans, but as a 21year-old University student, I am well aware of what our mascot looks like to people of every race who have been oppressed. It’s easy to sit back, look at the mascot and think that we have done our part to pay tribute to further the legacy of the tribes of Illinois. But truthfully, we have done much more to steer thoughts away from the real problems Native Americans face in our country: poverty, isolation and extinction. Pay tribute to this culture like they haven’t died off yet. Pay tribute to them by helping their situation instead of perpetuating stereotypes.

Take note of California’s flagship university, Stanford. Until 1971, their mascot was a Native American caricature. After the disbandment,

the university actively pursued an alternative that would promote positive, accurate stereotypes throughout the university community.

Their efforts produced an annual Native American powwow that brings more than 30,000 participants from around the country to the campus. Native Americans from around the country participate in the three-day event that promotes cultural awareness and authentic traditions.

The native people of this region, the Peoria, requested the resolution on April 20, 2000, that the University discontinue the Chief Illiniwek tradition. Pro-Chief activists cling to the idea that the chief represents tradition and respect; however, the tribute is not a welcomed acknowledgement by its beneficiaries.

The Native American population continues to dwindle, and unfortunately the cries of protest never reach louder than a low roar. We, as a cultured, socially conscious group of individuals, must react and push our community in the right direction. Where Stanford moves forward, every year the University of Illinois takes two steps back.

The symbol of a dying culture should not be displayed through inaccurate dances or worn on T-shirts. If we as a community want to really honor the tribes of this region, there are alternatives. A resolution to this issue is long overdue. This controversy currently diverts tax dollars, research and resources from the University’s daily operations.

Chief Illiniwek looks and feels like racism, because that is exactly what it is. I urge the Board to vote today for an alternative to our mascot, one that will promote the Native American culture, instead of making it a punch line.

— Marissa Monson, Calendar Editor

openingbands.com we want you if you're a: - writer - photographer - graphic designer

OB

- fan of ANY kind of music - band member

- c-u's most complete and up to date concert listings - online forums and instant messaging - cd reviews, articles and editorials

Owned and operated by local artists since 1971

352-4562 410 e. green st. champaign free parking beneath the building Enter from 5th street bring in this ad and receive 10% off your next purchase of any non-sale items

BUZZ STAFF

16

20

editor’snote

52 Lento e largo 53 Pro footballer turned

congressman

54 Abbr. on some dials 56 Sight in a Degas

painting 59 Umpire’s call

Editor in chief Tom Rybarczyk Art Director Meaghan Dee Copy Chief Erin Green Arts Katie Richardson Music Brian Mertz Entertainment Jason Cantone Calendar Marissa Monson Assistant Music Editor Jacob Dittmer Calendar Coordinators Lauren Smith, Cassie Conner, Erin Scottberg Photography Adam Young, Nik Gallicchio Katy Mull, Brad Kahler Copy Editors Elizabeth Zeman, Jen Hubert, Suzanne Sitrick Designers Adam Obendorf, Carol Mudra, Jason Cantone, Marissa Monson, Amy Hanlon Production Manager Theon Smith Editorial Adviser Elliot Kolkovich Sales Manager Lindsey Benton Marketing/Distribution Melissa Schleicher, Maria Erickson Publisher Mary Cory All editorial questions or letters to the editor should be sent to buzz@readbuzz.com or 337-8137 or buzz, 57 E. Green St., Champaign, Ill., 61820.

Buzz magazine is a student-run publication of Illini Media Company and does not necessarily represent,in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students.

nt ur y

Ce

is T 46 With 37-Down, without dissent 48 Publisher’s concern: Abbr.

50 Sounds of gaiety 52 Outer part of a seed 53 Many-stringed Japanese instruments 55 Renaissance patron 57 Chunk of green 58 Jude, e.g.

61 Less svelte 63 TDK competitor 64 Calm 65 Bishop, e.g.

66 Alternative to Subway or Blimpie

8 CD store

3

NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 | HER NAME IS NAOMI, THAT’S IMOAN BACKWARDS.

– Mid

honored officer 8 Some pops 15 At the movies, perhaps 16 Home of Horseshoe Bend National Military Park 17 Moved away 18 Pesto bit 19 Part of l’année 20 Utter 22 Big name in 8-Down 23 ___ Dove (constellation near Canis Major) 25 Philosopher Machiavelli 28 King of Albania, 192839 29 “Little Iodine” cartoonist 30 People are closely watched in them: Abbr.

33 Kind of finish 35 It may be changed at the altar 37 Cocktail part?

38 Hall of entertainment 40 Barbell abbr.

41 City on the Huron River

43 Black, as la nuit 45 Where AT&T

buzz

Rob Brezsny's Free Will ☎ Astrology beautyandtruth

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

H A I R S A L ON

buzz

ts

11/12/03

rti fa c

1113buzz0326

Furniture &

A

Did you know we have... Danish modern & designer furniture, art pottery, modern art, and accessories for every room in your home?!?

9 E. University Ave, Champaign

furniturelounge @ sbcglobal.net

352-5150

Sun-Tues 12-4:30pm

Wed-Sat 11-5:30pm

Proud Sponsor of Buzz Film Fest

1113buzz0227

11/12/03

5:25 PM

Page 1

2

COME TO THE FILM FESTIVAL | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

AND ANOTHER THING...

Voting ends today at 5 p.m.

Win Great Prizes!

You’re automatically entered when you submit this form!

DVD Player Best Place For A Martini Best Bar

Best Place To Read A Book

$100 Gift Certificate

Best Breakfast

$150 Gift Certificate ILLINI UNION

Best Pizza Best Retro Store Best Burger

bookstore

Best Overall Restaurant

Brunch for 2

Best Place To Take Kids

Lunch for 2

Best Park

Breakfast for 2 Courier Cafe

Best Relaxing Place

Best Spot For People Watching

Best Art Gallery

Best Place For A First Date

Best Theater Troupe

Best Wine Selection

Best Vegetarian Meal

Best Concert Venue

PLUS:

(20) $5 Gift Certificates Illini Union Bookstore (25) $5 Gift Certificates Panera (10) Gift Certificates for 1 Drink Green Street Coffee House (20) Gift Certificates for 1 Drink Smoothie King (5) Gift Certificates for 1 Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake Courier Cafe (20) Free tickets to buzz Film Festival buzz

buzz

Name: Street: City/State:

Best Steak

Best Coffee Shop

Best Ethnic Restaurant

Best Local Band

Best $5 Lunch

Most C-Unique... Anything!

Best Jukebox

Zip:

Phone: ( ) E-mail @

First 25 peop $5 Gift le to vote ge ta Certific a Panera te to

Mail or drop entry at buzz, 57 E. Green, Champaign (or drop entry at University YMCA) or fill out form online at www.readbuzz.com All IMC employees are excluded from raffle. Your information will only be used for the raffle. It will not be used for any other purposes.

27

buzz NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19 , 2003 | ATTACK OF THE CELL PHONES

Keep your cell phones to yourself

BY MICHAEL COUTLER | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

remember several years ago when I was a kid and there was a campaign against noise pollution. It seemed like sort of a ridiculous undertaking, asking everyone and everything to just be quiet. Water, land and air pollution seemed dangerous. Noise pollution though, while annoying, was pretty much temporary.

You could reverse its damages anytime you wanted, just by shutting the hell up. The problem is no one ever does.

The other day I was walking through a parking lot, searching for my keys and wishing I kept aspirin in my glove box, when a deafening sound assaulted me. It wasn’t a jet or even a loud muffler. It wasn’t the hum from a factory or a siren. It was someone screaming into a cell phone.

From what I could gather, this young lady was breaking up with her boyfriend and wasn’t at all happy about the termination. I believe his name was DeShon because every time his name was mentioned it was surrounded by expletives. I can appreciate her creative effort in the tirade, as she used several combinations of the word “fuck” to get her point across. It was used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective and strangely, a conjunction.

I got in my car and drove away, feeling as if I’d left a somewhat compelling movie just as the opening credits had ended. I could have followed her around all day and probably gotten many intimate details of the relationship just by listening to her cell phone conversations. I would have felt dirty afterwards, but no worse than if I watched an entire episode of The Anna Nicole Smith Show. I didn’t follow her though.

You know why? Because I don’t care.

It doesn’t matter whether I care or not though. Everything in everyone’s life is becoming public. Look, I know it’s hard to break up with someone. I know people can get angry and let their emotions get the best of them. Still, there is no reason to make it an improvisational piece of performance art in a parking lot. Use your indoor voice, or at least get in your car.

Here’s an even better idea, talk to the person face to face.

People, people, it’s a freaking phone. You aren’t on some Star Trek planet being pursued

by Klingons. It’s not a communicator. Your life doesn’t depend on you keeping in constant communication with every person you’ve ever

met in your life. It doesn’t have to be on every damned minute of every damned day, regardless of how many minutes you’re paying for.

If you’re driving in traffic, it might not be the best time to call your sister and tell her about your day. If you’re grocery shopping, you could maybe hold off calling your spouse to confirm or deny any item you’re about to place in the cart. If anyone takes a cell phone out on the golf course they should incur a one stroke penalty and also have to carry the phone up their ass for the rest of the round.

I know it seems like human contact, but it really isn’t; it’s an avoidance of it. I know a girl whose boyfriend called her from a department store while he was buying a space heater. He wasn’t asking her about BTUs or anything. He was breaking up with her. I know a guy who called to wish his mom a happy birthday while he was walking into a strip club. I have friends who call me from various bars all night long to tell me they are getting drunk. Access to anyone should not come that easily.

I know many of us are busy now. I think many more of us like to pretend we’re busy.

Somewhere along the line people using a cell phone thought they seemed cool and important. Well let me tell you, you’re about as cool as those guys with the ham radio license plates.

Yeah, your equipment may be smaller, but you’re still a big tool, especially if you have one of those godforsaken walkie talkie phones that broadcast your conversation like the PA system at Soldier Field.

It’s really just a point of manners. It’s like saying, “Hey, listen, I’m in a big hurry and I’m doing other things, but I can do them and talk to you at the same time because I’m not really paying attention to anything I’m doing. I’m not at a point in my life where I can sit in a room and concentrate and care about our conversation, so I’m combining it with the other mindless things I have to do today.”

Look around today and see how many folks are needlessly on cell phones. Try talking to one of these people. They’ll hold up a finger and say “Just a second, I’m on my cell phone.” You’ll be polite and wait for them to finish because they’re more important than you. They are the Cell Phone Talkers. They deserve our respect, even if they never give it back. buzz

Michael Coulter is a videographer at Parkland College. He writes a weekly e-mail column, “This Sporting Life” and has hosted several local comedy shows.

DirtyTalk

MC - It's me.......BETH!!!! Yes, you know that I would definetely beat, mmmmmmk???

Hey barbie, you can look but you can't touch the new "car".

To My Sweetheart,Dudley

Bring Mike back!!!

I LOVE THUNDERGOD!! YOU ROCK MY WORLD BABY!!

Exorcism and clothes needed. stat.

Hey teeni, where's the channel switcher?!?!?

Excuse me Pilar? Good luck this weekend hockey player #15. Iím so happy I can be here to help you celebrate the victories!

Dairy Dave-- You are so udderly wonderful. You are the cream of the crop. You and I are like BUTTER. You know what I mean... Peter Sexy Dean-- Crop science doesn't deserve you. I've seen you play volleyball and I want to see more. Call me... Shy Gal Illini Edge - Good Luck in the exhibition. We'll never QUIDDITCH. SAN DIEGO AND PEWTER MEDAL here we come.

I can't wait to share a bed with you Mary. Dallas is the most romantic place in the world.

ECE 280 SouthSidarz girl, you must be an angel cuz everytime I see you Im in heaven.

BETH- I would totally beat.mmmk,love MC

Leslie Anne, everytime I see you in Anthro 105 I wanna excavate your bones!

In the past I only acted with pencil, But with you I only use permanent ink!!! I love you with all of my heart!!!!sdg--can't wait till thanksgiving...will you stuff my turkey?--anm Steph-You said it got bigger, well so did your heart. 2 years of painting lines on each others backs. I'll be there soon and can you let me in the backdoor?Reverend E. Mason- Do you pop up as handsomely as your Boys?

Ifso, Holla.

Kaiser- The sky is falling.

Carol- Sorry for making out with you, the way your beard brushed against me kept me up last night.

Krissy- Happy belated birthday. If you want I’ll jump out of a cake for you.

Tom-You spin me right round baby right round.

Future husband- Stand up to the man.

Mundar- I’d change my sexuality for you any day of the week. grrowl.

SWEET “DIRTY” TALKS ARE FREE. To submit your message go to www.readbuzz.com and click on the Sweet Talk link.

Leave out last names and phone numbers because we (and probably you!) could get in big fat trouble for printing them.

We reserve the right to edit your messages.

1113buzz0128

11/12/03

5:06 PM

Page 1

z buz 1 28

st ever

I LIKE MOVIES | NOVEMBER 13-NOVEMBER 19, 2003 buzz

Film Festival at The Virginia Theatre

Nov. 17

The Graduate (1967) 9 p.m. The Last Picture Show (1971) 11:15 p.m. A Clockwork Orange (1971) 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 18

Raging Bull (1980) 9:30 p.m. Easy Rider (1969) 7 p.m.

The Films of New Hollywood

z buz Nov. 13-Nov.19, 2003 Arts | Entertainment | Community

FREE!

COMMUNIT Y

Q&A with Rocks’ owner

Bonus Movie

(page 5) ARTS

Dance hits high-tech (page 7) MUSIC

The Graduate (1967) 105 minutes Directed by Mike Nichols Starring Anne Bancroft Dustin Hoffman Katharine Ross William Daniels

TICKETS

The Last Picture Show (1971)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

118 minutes Directed by Peter Bogdanovich Starring Timothy Bottoms Jeff Bridges Cybill Shepherd Ellen Burstyn

137 minutes Directed by Stanley Kubrick Starring Malcolm McDowell Patrick Magee Michael Bates Warren Clarke

Raging Bull (1980)

Easy Rider (1969)

129 minutes Directed by Martin Scorsese Starring Robert De Niro Cathy Moriarty Joe Pesci Frank Vincent

94 minutes Directed by Dennis Hopper Starring Dennis Hopper Peter Fonda Jack Nicholson Phil Spector

On sale now at The Virginia Theatre 203 W. Park Avenue in Champaign 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or call The Virginia Theatre at 356-9063.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

$5 per movie $20 for all five movies

Jazz fusion trio lights up Canopy (page 10) CALENDAR

Fest mixes rock with good cause (page 14) FILM & TV

The Matrix: 5 reviews (page 21)

A PROTESTER’S PATH