The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 30, 2000, Page 5, Image 5
This Week in USC History
Oct. 29, 1986 - A judge ordered USC to release
records of Jehan Sadat’s salary and all amounts paid to
her by USC. She was paid $314,000 for three semes
ters of teaching.
‘Bedazzled’ fun,
not terribly deep
by Jennifer Bowen
The Gamecock
Ever wonder what you would wish
for if you found a genie? With those three
wishes, the genie could give you fame,
grant fortune and perhaps take away those
extra pounds you’ve been dying to lose.
Sounds easy, right? Of course, you would
always hear in the background, “be care
fill what you wish for, you just might get
it.”
“Bedazzled,” the new movie about
a nerdy computer guy named Elliot
Richardson (Brendan Fraser) who makes
deal with the devil (Elizabeth Hur
ley), proves this saying as true as ever.
Elliot (Fraser) is hopelessly in love
with Allison, (Frances O’Connor) who,
as you might expect, hardly knows he’s
alive.
In order to earn her love, he makes
a deal with the devil for not the pitiful
three wishes of old, but seven wishes.
Throughout the movie, however,
every wish goes a little haywire, and in
trying to fix all his previous mistakes, El
liot makes all new ones. The audience
will be waiting and guessing, “How will
this wish be tainted by the devil?”
The movie itself is wonderful. It com
bines good acting and some funny lines
that leave the audience laughing.
Elizabeth Hurley does a brilliant job
in making everyone think she’s on El
liot’s side trying to make him happy,
but manages to screw up his wishes in an
original way each and every time.
Brendan Fraser shows once again
he’s one of the most diverse actors to
come through Hollywood. Every char
acter he plays, whether a basketball play
er or a Colombian drug dealer, he does
with style and a kind of absurdity that
draws people into the movie’s light side.
“Bedazzled” won’t win any Oscars
or be remembered for its powerful
message, however, it’s a wonderful movie
that you can relax during and laugh about
for two hours. After all, who wants to
ponder symbolic messages and have his
soul tom out of him every time he watch
es a movie? (No pun intended.)
The spotlight desk can be reached at
gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com.
Special to The Gamecock
Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser star in “Bedazzled.”
Angie Aparo soars
with acoustic set
by Patra Sinner
Floyd
The Gamecock
Last time
the talented
'Angie Aparo
performed in
Columbia at
New Brookland
Tavern, I had
the opportunity to sit and chat with him.
The sitting and chatting came after his
sound check.
Having done this enough to know,
interviews almost never start until at
least a minimum of one hour after they
are scheduled — on a good day. During
the sound check I worked on a class as
signment, and it was like being encap
sulated in my own little soothing co
coon of music. I wish he could play for
me every day I study.
naving seen mis taientea musician
.“Several times, I’ve had ample time to
analyze just what makes his music so
appealing. There is an incredible unique
ness about his voice, and a novelty about
his writing that distinguishes him
from other singer/songwriters. Appar
ently, I am not the only one of this opin
ion.
Angie recalled a meeting with some
one unfamiliar with his music who com
mented that it was “original” after catch
ing a show in Charlotte. These are things
he remembers for motivation.
Using his voice as an instrument,
jie likes to work with each song un
til he has the exact sound of voice most
appropriate for that particular piece.
This is a fairly simple concept for some
one who has such a broad vocal range
and a means of transforming his writ
ten thoughts into an audible feeling for
the rest of us to enjoy.
There is a notable calmness about
Angie’s character, which he attributes
to lengthy spans of solitude. Most of
this “alone” time is spent driving, but
usually not listening to music, although
he mentioned he did like listening to
Neil Young on occasion. The reasoning
behind avoiding other musician’s work
is that they come from the same place
h| does, making their influence neutral.
He feels it necessary to experience
and fe^l other things to ach/eve inspi- ■
ration for his work. We talked briefly
about his frequent referral to “the place”
people are in their lives. It relates to his
philosophy that the answers you seek
are within yourself. When you can find
them there, you need search no further.
Exuding that sort of mysterious wis
dom, it is no wonder legendary stories
circulate of his playing from his recliner
surrounded by candles on the back deck
of the now-defunct Rockafellas. Ang
ie was also a big influence on the At
lanta music scene, bringing a well
known acoustic night to Smith’s Olde
Bar. These jam sessions would include
a random assortment of other musicians
from G. Love to Butch Whlker and any
one touring in between.
The rule was that it had to be
acoustic, no matter what genre the mu
sicians came from. It was a breaking
down of the process to the simplest
X*_• a* • a a i_
ivsiiu. lmuviuuoi aiiu aviig.
Good songwriters are analogous with
good storytellers, and Angie is no ex
ception. He peppers his performances
with an entertaining tale or two between
songs. One involved an unexpected en
counter with a cast member of the HBO
series “The Sopranos.” The actor loved
Angie’s album, reportedly unable to re
move it from his player, but his com- ,
pliments were marred by an onslaught
of swear words in the style of his TV
series.
In addition to the profound philoso
phies, storytelling and musicianship,
Angie is also available for medical ad
vice. Upon learning I was experiencing
a scratchy throat during our exchange,
he diagnosed me with nasal drip and in
sisted I drink plenty of water. There you
have it: The miracle cure is out.
“The American,” Angie’s current
release on Arista, is available at most
musical outlets to cure any other ail
ments you might be suffering from.
It is a transitional work in that there
is a song there for every mood you’re
in. Check it out, and work on your jour
ney toward finding that comfortable
place in your life. As Angie sings, “It’s
all right, it’s all right. We are landing
this ship soon.”
The spotlight desk can be reached at
game«;ockspotiight@hotmail.com.
imibiidci rvunquuiu int
Weekend Excursion took home more than $8,500 in prizes at the Band-to-Band Finals at Charlotte’s Neighborhood Theater.
Weekend Excursion wins
Band-to-Band competition
by Erin O’Neal
The Gamecock
Even before the announcer walked
on stage, the audience knew who had
won the competition. They began cliant
ing, nearly drowning out the announc
er’s voice as she said, “The winner of
tonight’s Lucky Strike Band-to-Band
finals is — drum roll please ... Week
end Excursion!”
Lucky Strike hosted their fourth
annual Band-to-Band competition this
past Friday night at Charlotte’s
Neighborhood Theater.
Tesser, The Doubting Thomas Band,
and Weekend Excursion competed for
a $2,500 prize plus $6,000 in traveling
money to perform in Miami and the
chance to perform in Atlanta as well.
Audience members were given bal
lots at the door and were able to vote
electronically at any time during the
night. The winner was determined by
70 percemt of audience votes and three
music industry judges who each had a
10 percent vote. The preliminary rounds
were decided by audience votes alone.
Though the first two performances
made by Tesser and The Doubting
Thomas Band received a positive re
sponse from those gathered, Weekend
Excursion’s audience was much more
animated and excited. As soon as the
equipment had been set up, the crowd
was on their feet, cheering and ap
plauding as Weekend’s six members
took the stage.
Weekend’s 45-minute set consist
ed mostly of songs from the band’s lat
est album “Radioactive,” which includes
the tracks “Better Man,” “Radio” and
“Reunion.” They also performed two
unrecorded songs, “So Beautiful” and
“Best Friend,” as well as “Moving On”
from their second album, “Five From
Six.” Weekend ended the evening, of
course, with a cover of the Charlie
Daniels Band’s “The Devil Wfent Down
to Georgia.”
Weekend’s rabid energy was soon
to catch on, sending the already singing
audience into a swaying, jumping, danc
ing frenzy. Despite the technical diffi
culties experienced during the opening
verse of “Moving On,” and the mo
mentary power outage, the crowd’s ex
citement didn’t dwindle.
Weekend Excursion’s manager,
Mark Zenow, said a previous Lucky
Strikes Band-to-Band competition win
ner has been signed to a recording la
bel.
Surprisingly enough, because com
petitions like Lucky Strike’s Band-to
Band can be very cutthroat, the mem
bers of Weekend needed persuading
before agreeing to play.
“I had to talk the band into doing
this event. They didn’t want to do it
originally, but I stressed the potential
up-side over the potential negative as
pects, and they agreed with me,” Zenow
'I’m tickled stupid.’
Sam Fisher
Weekend Excursion’s
lead singer
said.
“I’m tickled stupid,” lead singer,
Sam Fisher, said after Weekend was an
nounced the winner.
A few Weekend fans were almost
forced to miss the show. Some were un
derage, and others foigot their IDs. “I
didn’t drive an hour and 35 minutes
to beat somebody’s ass,” one Weekend
Excursion fan said after finally being
admitted into the theater.
Before their appearance in Miami,
Weekend Excursion will be perform
ing Friday, Nov. 3 at Sundance Grill.
The spotlight desk can be reached at
gamecockspotJight@hotmaiLcom.
Isaac Curry releases ‘Fear and Desire’
by Adam McGullfter
The Gamecock
☆ ☆ OUT OF
☆
In the follow-up to Isaac Curry’s
debut CD, “Lavender Bull,” the band is
back with similar sounds and recog
nizable flavor. Their most recent release,
“Fear and Desire,” is a familiar but much
more comfortable place for their sopho
more rock effort. Singer Walter Houk’s
lyrics act as an open door, dropping
I
social commentary and everyday rev
elry that has been lacking in the mod
em soap opera of music. These lyrics
serve as a solid complement to Mike
Hartnett’s lead guitar, which provides
excellent life in combination to Marcus
Williams’ percussion.
The disk is highlighted with up
beat, modern singles like “Wake Up”
and “Ego the Giant” but also showcas
es the instrumental “Fear & Desire.”
What does fall short are the eclec
tic sounds that kept us on our toes
through their first disc. The rock has
fallen the way of status quo without the
kickbacks to other genres. No longer
can we find the mixed drum beats and
strong base lines, nor the diverse dia
logue that could make it outside of rock
V roll.
Despite these facts, the boys have
come through with an often poetic
and mainly up-tempo second stab.
The spotlight desk can be reached at
gamecockspotlight@hotman.com.
Special to The Gamecock
-1
I Movie Times I
Carmike Wynnsong 10
5320 Forest Drive,
782-8100
Bring It On (PG-13) 2:00, 7:30
The Cell (R) 4:30,9:30
The Contender (PG-13) 1:30,4:15, 7:00,9:45
Dr. T & the Women (R) 1:30,4:00, 7:00,9:45
The Exorcist (R) 1:15,4:15, 7:00,9:45
Get Carter (R) 2:00,4:30, 7:00,9:15,11:30
Ladies Man (R) 2:00,4:30,7:00,9:15,11:30
Legend of Drunken (R) 2:00,4:30, 7:15, 9:30,11:45
Lost Souls (R) 1:00,4:00,7:00,9:30, 11:45
Nurse Betty (R) 2:00, 7:00
Scary Movie (R) 4:30,9:15,11:30
What Lies Beneath (PG-13) 1:30,4:00,7:30, 10:15
Columbiana Grande
Stadium Cinemas
1250 Bower Parkway, 407-9898
Almost Famous (R) 2:05,4:50,7:25,10:00
Bedazzled (PG-13) 1:15,2:10,3:30,5:00,5:40,7:15,
8:00,9:20,10:15,11:30
Best in Show (PG-13) 1:00, 3:10,5:20, 7:15, 9:20
Book of Shadows (R) 1:55,4:30, 7:25, 9:30, 11:45
Bring It On (PG-13) 1:05, 3:20, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00
Digimon (PG) 1:00, 3:15,5:35, 7:45,10:05
The Exorcist (R) 1:00, 3:45,6:30,9:10,11:50
Legend of Drunken (R) 1:05,3:25,5:45,7:50,10:00
Lost Souls (R) 1:40,4:00, 7:30,9:55,12:05
Lucky Numbers (R) 1:20, 4:35, 7:10, 9:40, 12:00
Pay it Forward (PG-13) 1:25, 2:00,4:10,4:45, 6:55
Space Cowboys (PG-13) 1:10,3:50,6:50,9:30
Dutch Square 14
800 Bush River Road, 750-3576
Beautiful (PG-13) 1:00,3:15
Bedazzled (PG-13) 1:50,4:50, 7:45, 10:10, 12:10
Blair Witch Project (R) 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:40,
10:00,12:00
The Contender (R) 1:30,4:20,7:10,9:50
Dr. T and the Women (R) 1:10,4:40,7:15,9:55
The Exorcist (R) 1:30,4:15,7:00,9:45
Ladies Man (R) 2:30,5:00,7:00,9:30,11:30
Little \hmpire (PG) 1:10,3:15,5:20,7:25,9:40,11:45
Legend of Drunken (R) 2:00,4:00, 7:00,9:20,11:40
Lost Souls (R) 2:20,5:10,7:30,9:40,11:50
Lucky Numbers (R) 1:40,4:10, 7:30,10:00
Meet the Parents (PG-13) 1:50,4:30,7:20,9:45,12:10
Pay it Forward (PG-13) 1:15, 4:00, 7:10,9:50
Remember the Titans (PG) 1:40, 4:00, 7:00, 9:30,
11:50
Urban Legends 2 (R)5:30, 7:50,10:10
Regal Cinema 7
Richland Mall Rooftop, 748-9044
Bedazzled (PG-13) 2:10,4:35,7:30,9:55
Book of Shadows (R) 2:30,4:35,7:30,9:55
Little Vampire (PG) 2:15,4:50, 7:40,10:10
Lucky Numbers (R) 1:40,4:20,7:10,10:00
Meet the Parents (PG-13) 2:00,4:25, 7:20,9:50
Pay it Forward (PG-13) 1:30,4:15, 7:05,9:45
Remember the Titans (PG) 1:50,4:30, 7:00, 9:40