THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, November 12, 2001
5
’ THEY SAID IT
WILLIAM FEATHER: “Success seems
to be largely a matter of hanging on
after others have let go.”
Actor/musician Jack Black
proves himself a Wonder boy’
in two forms of entertainment
At left: Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black star as
Rosemary and Hal, respectively. Below: Black
(center) with the directors of the his most
recent release, Shallow Hal, Bobby and Peter
Farrely. photos special to the gamecock
Local artists to show work
to boost art appreciation
BY LAUREN VAUGHN
THE GAMECOCK
“What is art but a way of
seeing?”
These words from Thomas
Berger intimate that today, and
for many years to come, art will
be questioned, scrutinized,
expressed, shared and used as
inspiration.
Tonight, starting at 8 p.m. at
the Hunter-Gatherer, 12 local
artists will join to celebrate arts
on a local level. The artists will
bring their works, including art,
music and spoken-word
performances, to share with the
public. Emily Ruiz, senior fine
arts student at USC, planned the
event.
“A better awareness of the art
world is always needed, and this
art community, especially that of
the art students at USC, can
stand to be more active,” Ruiz
said. “There is so much potential
around here that just needs to be
promoted and brought out to the
public.”
Ruiz has worked to support
the arts for many years.She
began planning this year’s event
during the last year’s show.
Each of the artists involved
with the show spent a lot of time
promoting it. In the show, “Art: A
Gathering,” participants will
mingle with guests, sharing then
love for art. There is no particular
thematic element, nor is there an
artist or work in the spotlight. It
will be a congregation of artists
and their work assembled to
enrich and include the public. All
of the artists will portray then
own concepts.
“The artists chosen are just ‘a
gathering’ of friends with the
same hope of getting to the
public,” Ruiz said. “I think the
work chosen is more
contemporary than what is
normally shown in the galleries
of Columbia and should be fresh
and exciting to the public.”
Funding for the event comes
directly from the people
involved, as do the resources for
the reception. Other shows have
been held at the Hunter
Gatherer, and the venue serves
the purpose well. The restaurant
is closed on Monday evenings for
regular patrons, but opens up, on
occasions such as this to serve
the artists and the community.
“The arts are often seen as
expendable when, in truth, they
are the heartbeat and the soul of
our society. These forms of
expression are what keeps us
human,” Ruiz said.
She said her dream job would
be to own and operate her own
art gallery/music venue.
The event is free and open to
all ages. Free food will be
provided, but donations will be
accepted. The spoken-word
performances will begin around
9 p.m.
BY JUSTIN BAJAN
THE GAMECOCK
Jack Black is a definitive
symbol of a subculture that
doesn’t ready care about the
glamour of Hollywood. But with
Black’s recent emergence as a
leading actor, Hodywood might
start caring more about him.
From his less-than-noticeable
beginnings as a typecast
oddball, Black has been in the
business for more than a
decade. Black’s role in Shallow
Hal further proves his staying
power. He’s getting even more
attention as lead singer of
Tenacious D, which he
describes as “a Smothers
Brothers for the Dungeons and
Dragons misfits set.”
Before he got into movies,
Black played many entry-level
roles. In 1989, at age 20, he
played a skinhead in My So
Called Life, and from then on
continued to appear in a myriad
of television shows, including
Picket Fences, Touched by an
Angel, The X-Files and Mr.
Show. But Black’s list of movie
credits outdoes his small-screen
contributions.
Black has enjoyed a
consistent but unsuccessful
film career that can be blamed
on the lackluster movies, and
not his acting skills. His first
Hollywood role was in the 1992
Tim Robbins production, Bob
Roberts. Other forgettable
movies include Waterworld,
Bio-Dome and The Never
Ending Story III. But in 1996,
Black advanced a little higher
in the food chain when he took
on roles in the Jim Carrey
black comedy, The Cable Guy,
and the Tim Burton sci-fi satire,
Mars Attacks!
Black’s subtle progress led
him to be selected for a role
that best captured his
personality and gave him
sufficient screen time to
convey it. That role was Barry,
the record store employee at
Championship Vinyl, in the
notable Gen-X staple High
Fidelity. In the movie, the
audience gets to see Black
unveil his playful demeanor as
he moans and croons as a
singer of a cover band. Until
this point, Black had never
gotten the chance to expose
onscreen his versatility as an
entertainer, but after his
comedic antics in this movie, a
famous set of brothers took
notice.
Architects of a brand of
humor that jolted movie fans in
1994 with the hilarious comedy
that celebrated ignorance,
Dumb and Dumber, the Farrelly
brothers recruited Black to play
Hal Larsen in Shallow Hal. In
order to assume the role, Black
shorn his defining
unconditioned locks and shaved
his grisly facial hair. For the
first time, Black plays a
dynamic character who evokes
sympathy, not just laughs.
Jack Black is a complex
person who has established
himself as a reputable
entertainer. His newest foray is
a musical collaboration with
Kyle Gass, called Tenacious D.
The duo released an album
earlier in the year, and the first
single, “Wonder Boy,” can be
heard and seen daily.
THEATER PREVIEW
Aquila brings unique take on play
BY KRISTEN THOMAS
THE GAMECOCK
On Monday, Nov. 12, the
world-renowned Aquilia
Theatre Company will perform
Shakespeare’s The Tempest at
the Roger Center. The show
begins at 7:30 p.m.
One of the last and most
intricate works of Shakespeare,
The Tempest examines human
behavior as it strives for utopia.
In a beguiling, metaphoric
world, the magician Prospero
skillfully manipulates three
groups of lost travelers as they
plot for supremacy of the island.
Covering the universal themes of
love, enslavement, murder and
greed, Shakespeare weaves a
dramatic web linking the strands
of what defines us as human.
Heralded by the New York
Times as “an extraordinarily
inventive and disciplined
outfit,” the Aquila Theatre
Company will bring its
ensemble acting techniques,
imaginative staging, original
music and Shakespearean
expertise as it retells the
compelling story of Prospero,
Miranda, Caliban and Ariel.
Founded by Peter Meineck
in 1991, The Aquila Theatre
Company is known
internationally as one of the
foremost producers of touring
classical theater.
Company members have
experience in all facets of the
contemporary New York
Broadway and British theater
scenes. Aquila’s previous North
American tours have included
The Odyssey /The Comedy of
Errors, 1998-99; King Lear/The
Iliad/Oedipus Tyrannus, 1999 -00;
Much Ado About Nothing/Cyrano
De Bergerac, 200001.
Aquila’s highly original and
imaginative production of The
Tempest will unify superb
theatrical skill with the
poignancy, verve and grace of
Shakespeare’s beautiful
language to delight audiences
with one of Shakespeare’s truly
great plays.
THE
CHARTS
Top 10 Movies
Figures are for the weekend of Nov.
9-11.
MOVIE BOX OFFICE
1. Monsters, Inc. $46.2 million
2. Shallow Hal $23.3 million
3. The One $9.1 million
4. Domestic$8.5 million
5. Heist $8.0 million
6. K-PAX _$6.2 million
7. 13 Ghosts_$4.2 million
8. Life as a House $3.7 million
9. Riding in Cars... $2.1 million
ia Training Day~ $1.9 million
Top 10 Albums
Figures are for the week of Oct. 30
Nov. 5.
TITLE ARTIST
1. Invincible_Michael Jackson
2. Escape _Enrique Iglesjas^
3. TheGreatDepression dmx
4.77ie Hits ~Chapter One BSB
5. A Day Without Rain Enya
6. Silver Side Up Nickelback
7. God Bless America Various
8. Pain is LoveJa Rule
9. [Hybrid Theory] Linkin Park
10. Morning View Incubus
Music Play stimulates toddlers’ creativity
BY KAMILLE BOSTICK
THE GAMECOCK
Still in diapers, some more
fascinated by the outlet covers
than the drums and the brightly
colored pieces of cloth, they
seemed to enjoy the staccato
rhythms and flowing
movements their moms were
making.
Not even three years old yet,
the 10 toddlers in Music Play
are already developing an
appreciation for music and
increasing their musical
abilities, whether they know it
or not. Based on Dr. Edwin
Gordon’s 56 years of research,
Music Play gives young
children exposure to music of
all kinds. From birth until age
Two Infants have fun In Music Play, photo by michelle dosson
five, it’s believed that children
have a natural inclination
toward music. Meeting this
desire through informal music
guidance as early as possible
can help young children in all
stages of their development.
Sounds echo through the
childproofed room. Simple
melodies, basic harmonies and
the always-appropriate lullaby
keep the roaming children
happily bobbing and
occasionally singing along.
The sessions last only half an
hour, but the music becomes
very familiar to them over time.
Every week for nine weeks,
they’re exposed to tonal and
rhythm patterns that they’ll be
able to recognize later. These
classes will stay with them.
Hardly any words are spoken.
The beats and music made from
body and instruments are often
the only sounds in the'room.
Instructor Ming Tu, a
graduate student, said Music
Play teaches “pure music,”
which allows the children to
learn one thing at a time.
It’s a lesson in introduction
and reinforcement. The group of
teachers and caregivers repeats
every sound a child makes and
then makes another sound to
encourage repetition and
innovation. “By singing songs
and chants with different tonal
patterns, we teach the very basic
elements of music,” Tu said.
The children seem to enjoy
these lessons. Music Play gives
them a chance to be curious and
experimental. They’re
stimulated at every moment by
sight, sound or movement.
It takes a few weeks to begin
to see effects of the sessions. The
children are “building a
vocabulary,” Tu said.
The parents are just as excited
as their sons and daughters.
Though their reasons for
enrolling their children va> y,
the chance to bond was evident.
Laughter and hugs caused by
moms’ singing and dancing with
their children were common
throughout the room.
In the program, there’s
something for everyone.
“Even the parents learn
musicianship, and the children
learn from the adults. They see
their mom singing and
chanting, and it makes music
making acceptable,” Tu said.
Tu said the goal of Music Play
isn’t necessarily to create future
musicians, though that wouldn’t
be discouraged, but rather to
enrich the children’s lives and
give them skills for growth.
“Once they get in elementary
school, we want them to be
prepared on a musical level like a
child would on a speaking level.”
Tu said. “Exercises like Music
Play are a very important step
between listening and singing.”
USC’s Children’s Music
Development Center presents
Music Play sessions three times
a year. The fall and spring
sessions last nine weeks, the
summer session seven weeks.