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lie Ganaca r.l*lA.. Im.II a 4AAA rriuay, mini c, iaaa 'Ed' not mt 'Truman' by Kenley Young Gamecock Critic 1/2 out of four '^8 if * ; In Ron Howard's "EDtv," a young M video store clerk named Ed (Matthew McConaughey) is chosen to "star" in a I 24-hour television show chronicling his &. life. Sounds a lot like "The Truman Show," right? Well, not exactly. While "The Truman Show" examines the futility of a manufactured existence and ultimately extolls the virtues of the visceral, imperfect real world, "EDtv" explores the boob tube's shameless pandering to society's morbid fascination ||fl with famous figures. The problem? Woody Allen did it better in "Celebrity." Nevertheless, "EDtv" has a few things going for it that "The Truman Show" lacks. Elizabeth Hurley is the first thing that comes to mind, not only because she plays a supermodel named Jill and is taped in a provocative sexual encounter with Ed, but... well... so maybe that is the only reason. Matthew McCor And as chauvinistic as it sounds, niVftrsal p cture sexuality and romance are what "The the throats of eve Truman Show" is missing. Truman has audience membei only a vague semblance of sentiment But "EDtv's" for a woman he once loved, but any mo- true redemption, ments of actual tenderness and electric fightful as Shari, chemistry must have ended up on Pe- good-hearted lovi ter Weir's cutting room floor. the audience is "EDtv" also has Ronnie Howard in Wondv Harrelsor its corner, who is the consummate artist as Ed's promiscu< when it comes to evoking tenderness nancially and mon and chemistry. Howard has an uncan- who thinks he can ny knack for wringing the sap from the found fame. Ell most contrived and rehashed scripts, creative force bel catching the runoff and pouring it down the performance i -m ? * * a /^( after last Co. by Marcus Amaker Albert Hill will rock Columbia for the last time this weekend. The Spartanburg band is breaking up after a prolific career that produced several tapes and CDs, an extremely loyal following and a reputation as one of the best bands in the state. A live Albert Hill show has a little bit of everything. Lead singer Aaron Whisnant, bassist Chris Francisco, drummer Kenny Hogan and keyboardist Robbie Bowen will have a lot of material to choose from when they perform Saturday night Their latest CD, The AU-for-Me Theology, contains fen favorites like "Realigning" and "Commander Nude," which are brought to new heights in a live setting. They'll also do songs from their earlier albums, Fistunderfinger and Machine Called Company. These two CDs displayed Albert Hill's more aggressive and energetic side, with songs such as "Impressed," "So the Row," "U.V." and "Rotten" staples of their live set. mEuL ^jS0SBHT^4 91 ? Albert HIR, left to right: Aaron Whlsnant (guitar, voc (drums) and Chris Francisco (bass, backing vocals). People's Poe by Beth J. Harpaz Assoriatfrl New York ? Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" will be read in a cemetery, rappers will hold a war of words and cowboy poets will sing their songs. There will be an open mike for poets seeking fame, and readings by those who've found it: Pulitzer Prize winner Galway Kinnell, "Iron John" author Robert Bly and U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. All the above will unfold at the People's Poetry Gathering, April 9 to 11, in cafes, parks and auditoriums around Manhattan. The festival will celebrate poetry from sonnets to hip-hop, from Montana to Brazil, from the verse of 18th enc ck Weekend All flboari BK^m^I SK wMk f lw^ m^ML k^^H^hI 9 Special to The Gamecock laughey (left) and Woody Harrelson star as brothers in is' "EDtv." ;n the most stalwart though with projects like "Mr. "s. Wrong" under her belt, I'm not sure ensemble cast is its how much that really says. Jenna Elftnan is de- But "EDtv's" true scene-stealer is Ed's compassionate, Martin Landau, who plays Ed's wheele interest, for whom chair-bound stepfather and who never supposed to cheer, fails to deliver a powerhouse perfor1 is an absolute gem mance. Landau's character serves as )us brother Ray, a fi- the film's emotional locus, and as the illy bankrupt moocher skeletons in Ed's family closet graduprofit from Ed's new- ally are resurrected and paraded in en DeGeneres, the front of 200 million Americans, Landnd "EDtv," pulls off dau's is the one character with whom 3f her film career, al- the audience is at pains to find fault. __________ Each of their three full-length CDs showcase Albert Hill's knack for creating songs that have a universal appeal. Their music is an indescribable hybrid of rock and pop music, highlighted by Whisnant's exceptional songwriting talent. The Elbow Room Music Hall has always been one of Albert Hill's most frequently visited venues because of the enthusiastic crowds that show up. Saturday's show should be no different The opening band will be Angry Salad. In the past, this five-member band has opened up for popular acts such as Live, Goo Goo Dolls and Barenaked Ladies. They will be releasing their self-titled major-label debut soon, which features songs from their earlier independent albums, Bizarre Gardening Accident and The Guinea Pig EP. The Guinea Pig EP received a fair amount of atten< . . tion trom the press and was nominated tor Outstanding Debut Rock Album at the Boston Music Awards. The show should start around 11 p.m. Special to The Gamecock als), Robbie Bowen (keyboards, voclas}, Kenny Hogan try in the Pa century Scotsman Robert Burns to publication on the Internet. The festival is being organized by City Lore, a group that preserves folk culture, and Poets House, which sponsors readings and maintains a large poetry library. "We're trying to create a festival that involves and includes literary poets, but also includes new inner city poets and ethnic and folk traditions," City Lore's director, Steve Zeitlin said. Kinnell is one of the most prominent poets attending. "The whole flowering of poetry is a wonderful thing, and there are many more petals than there used to be," Kinnell said. "Having every bod y involved like this is kind of exhilarating." ore! & e ii i o r i a i ii i I For Fun Time falls short by Rob Lindsey Gamecock Critic 1/2 out of four "Mod Squad" is a sad, wasted effort of a film. Such a good cast, such a talented director and such a solid idea for a movie should have produced a formidable action thriller. As it stands, however, the plot is flimsier than a twice-used tissue, and all these excel- 9?|9 lent elements fall short as soon as cam- 9 eras roll. The movie is based on the '60s H and '70s television show of the same jfl name. But the plot is the same as every other good cop / bad cop movie ever made: A small contingent of good cops fights against an overwhelming infestation of bad cops at the local precinct. The only twist, which isn't really a twist at all, is that the good cops are delinquent kids. Don't worry about why these kids were chosen or why they've suddenly decided to leave their lives of He crime behind. Apparently none of this matters to the screenwriters. You would only need this information to get an Omar EPPS (,eft) idea of the character's motivations and delinquent C0')S personality. But, the writers aren't Mod Squad who interested in developing characters, ei- quality police wo: ther. Claire Danes The three misfits are played by stars as Julie, a extremely talented young actors. Omar convicted ofassai Epps ("Scream II") plays Line, who, supposed to have as the voice-over during the opening seems benign em credits says, has a penchant for arson film. Again, the ? a useless plot point, for the audience during the openi never sees him use this skill. Despite like that which E such flimsy characterization, Epps man- in this horrendou ages to give Line a smoldering loner to nothing to wor quality. He is the one member of the tress who has pn by Valerie Byrd ^ ,nm*m el situations. Te , , , Deprivation, Ele( http://wwW.pcola.gulf.net/ and Flame Toler ~irving/bunnies/ what happens tc Bunny Survival Tests ^crowavelChea Homepagemdudcdforyoul "To determine specific weaknesses and/or strengths possessed by emory.l 'Marshmallow Bunnies'" is the mot- Marshmc to of this home page. Those little Educa marslimallowbiinniesarenotastough as they appear to be! This guy has test- *t . | ed their endurance in a variety of era- Tests Homepage? Benigni's ~ indie gem by Chris Richter Richter Scale One of the most joyous moments I Benigni, John Lur have seen on television was during last tells the story of Ji week's Academy Awards ceremony, to, three men who Roberto Benigni restored my faith in er in a jail cell. Ja the movie industry for a couple of hours. w^0 ge^s caught p I first saw Benigni about one- d gir, Zach , and-a-half years ago although I had no M {n sto]cn idea who he was. After reading about .. , , . "Life Is Beautiful" and seeing him on !"> ?' ca*d feat>k the "Charlie Rose Show" on televi- , s during a sion, I became interested in his films during a spirited and tried to find a few. you scream, we all i The video pick for the week is Jim It sounds odd, bul Jarmusch's "Down by Law," starring that you expect frc rlc nn foe n 7i i /f **/} U/fl/l Kewulay Kamara, who will be at the festival, is a Sierra Leone poet who comes from a long line of West African oral historians. "Their role in society is quite different from the role of artists in Western society," Kamara said. "These were ... the ambassadors, the masters of ceremonies, the people who orchestrated coronations. The word is what brings people together ? not money." Kamara's work is performed to music and partly improvised ? not unlike the rap lyrics to be featured at the festival's hip-hop slam, a spoken-word contest in which participants try to out-rhyme each other. Other slams at the festival include "Head -to-head Haiku" ? usi'ig the Japanese verse form ? and a Puerto Rican decima contest, in which a sentence is literally pulled out of a hat and a 10-line poem is composed endi ng in that line. ? eat Soctlan Page 5 ^ i hi ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ y^ . . "j^jjL 'ti^B Wm&^MKKF BBFi^ tlJ||MMf iKSpi ; v ^JHSBn ' > ^^nK*'.!'/ k * f aPj Bi^?fe*'<fc JjBBHB|y<iM?-^B^yf . ~f.m * J V i^V'C:-^," " ?!PP**' * HnSfe . I-] WWW ^BBMr | y^jtMHiiB^ ?^s - ^ ^HEBr * *' - fl^Bf -A-,5*- $P?m sL^^li^ByiPf8- hK j*&31... >5^? m?y?^5i^ 1 *& "x^ 1 ?|1|| H '" P, I: I "'V> " " ' umfaz* lyfrffjin >i 'y ywc.v^'v* ^ t 'x> ^ ^\.,>wS''!" ^ ?^RH?t05?^ P'" *C ? J&?V. ' "??.%- ,..^^^K %p||r ^jKgp * Special to The Gamecocl , Claire Danes and Giovanni Ribisi star as three juvenille in MGM's "Mod Squad." actually does some al high-profile roles, she should be abl< rk. to do more than she does. Is she a ba< i ("Romeo & Juliet") girl? Or a shy wallflower? Or a sexy su recovering alcoholic per cop? The answer is a little of eacl lit. Apparently, she is yet none of the above, a bad temper, but she Finally, Giovanni Ribisi ("Savin] Dugh throughout the Private Ryan," "The Other Sister") play character described Pete, a totally ineffectual robber. Hi ng credits is nothing character is mainly the comic rebel lanes portrays. True, Again, a paper-thin character, with i s script, she has next paper-thin role, functioning as a mer k with, but as an ac- variable in the most cliche of all actioi wed herself in sever- formulas. , , bunnies, this one examines Peeps. Lots 1' ^ of the same teste are performed, but 2^fc one thing different about this site is jy the step-by-step operation guide. AH I , Peeps are torn connected, and here 1 j you learn how to surgically separate g-Ji them. I always thought just ripping g^?"! them apart was fine, but I was wrong! ?o n 'A Vtfl & must be done carefully with love w-J and caution. There are also pictures "Hip- at this site. sts include Ovvpen I ? UVlJiJ/UiClHUCi i3.aUi.VUUI/ irocutaTotamce peepsshow/ ance. It s fun to see n cT the bunnies in the pSnOW k it out! Pictures are enjoyment. This site is also dedicated to the marshmallow Peep as opposed to the tv.learnlink. marshmallow bunny. Includes peepy i'dii/pccp/ &cts (only 32 calories and 0 fat in 1 11 peep!) mid lots of peep art. You can get UlOW reeps wallpaper for your computer or print Hon Site the pictures out and create a magnet for your fridge (suggestion of site ) the Bunny Survival creator). Oh, the fun you can have with but instead of using Peeps. They escape from the prison through " underground tunnels and find themselves in the backwoods of Louisiana. /\ >CO Eventually, thejailbreakers find a road, F'idc which they follow until they get to an Pold store. Zach and Jack send Roberto in to investigate, but he doesn't come back. They venture into the store to find Roberto eating dinner with the proprietress, Nicoletta, played by the real-life ie and Tom Waits. It Mrs- Beni^ni' Nicoletta Braschi. ick, Zach and Rober- ^ Bfn^[ 1Jas ^en spared wit! > are thrown toeeth- Charhe ChaPhn' However'don t exPec . T . . . this over-the-top comedic style in "Dowi c une is a pimp ^ LaW." Jarmusch's films are alway roposi lonmg ^un studies in understatement, so Benif Waits), an ex-DJ, is n- doesn't climb chairs or jump stair car. Roberto (Benig- although he does stumble with his Ep jiiea a man wnn un- lish. Other Benigni films available c i fight. The men bond video are "Night on Earth," another Ja chant of I scream, musch film, and two Italian films, "Joh scream for ice cream." ny Stecchino" and "Monster." Benig t it's things like this might not be a comic genius, but h< im Jarmusch's films, certainly a joy to watch. 1 graveyard Several events feature cowboy poets, including Wally McRae, 63, a Montana rancher. "Everybody is supposed to write about where they come from," he said. "That's what it's about ? it's who we are and what we do." The festival also offers sessions on the blues, Asian writers and Yiddish female poets, along with workshops on how to memorize a poem and on writing renga, a Japanese popm mmnnspH whilp rlrinkinp' salrp 'To have a festival where you can taste poetries from around the world, and find the music in poetry that you can sing to and dance to ? as opposed to something you have to have explained to you ? is a milestone in the renaissance of poetry," said slam impresario Bob Holman, co-producer of the PBS series The United States of Poetry."