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MOVIE REVIEW Favorite villain returns in ‘Red Dragon’ “RED DRAGON” Starring Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton ★ ★★★ OUtof • BY TUG BAKER THE GAMECOCK In all of current popular cul ture, one would be hard-pressed to find a villain more beloved by moviegoing audiences than Dr. Hannibal Lecter. After all, his el egant demeanor and dry wit add to his brutal deeds a sense of hu mor that anyone can appreciate. To watch the conniving cannibal on screen is so enthralling that it has even warranted a prequel of sorts. “Red Dragon” is actually a re make of the first (and largely un seen) Hannibal film, "Manhunter,” a 1986 movie that starred veteran Brian Cox, not Anthony Hopkins, as Lecter. After the success of “Silence of the Lambs” and “Hannibal,” however, Hollywood deemed it appropriate to remake the older film with the man who made the role so popular; The immediate question that comes to mind is whether this re make is warranted. “Manhunter” was a great film and stills stands quite well on its own outside the current franchise. While “Red Dragon” might be seen as a ploy to capitalize on said franchise, most audiences will forgive Hollywood for its wily ways 45 seconds into the movie, when the camera focuses on Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal in a time when he was a free man. Later, teeter gets a visit from FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton), whom he is helping solve a bizarre serial-murder case. As they talk, Graham real izes exactly who the killer with an appetite might be. The only problem is that Lecter knows that Graham knows. Fast-forward several years, and Lecter is behind bars while Graham has retired from the FBI and lives a quiet life with his wife and child. His true calling cannot be denied, though, and when his old boss Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel) comes to ask for his help on the case of the “Tooth Fairy” murders, he grudgingly obliges. Not suprisingly, Graham and Crawford realize they are going to need some help on this one, and who do you go to v/hen you want to discover what’s in the mind of a lunatic killer? Straight to a lunatic killer who happens to be a brilliant forensic psycholo gist, of course. ♦ RED DRAGON, SEE PAGE 9 Anthony Hopkins stars as the perennially popular villain Hannibal Lecter In “Red Dragon,” the prequel to “Silence of the Lambs" and “Hannibal.” PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Education Majors Have you thought - «• about the incentives in California? California has more financial and professional development incentives k than any other state to assist the starting teacher in a new career. -. You chose to become a teacher to make a difference in the lives of children. But when you choose your first teaching position, shouldn t it be one that can make the difference of a lifetime for you? California has just signed into law the largest education budget in the nation s history, and many of the dollars are earmarked for financial incentives to make it easier for you to get here - and stay here. A variety of grants, bonuses, income tax credits and home loan assistance programs are offered by districts looking for the best and brightest teachers. And inside the classroom, you II receive outstanding support from state-funded professional development programs. Bring your teaching degree to California Our commitment to education translates into real benefits for teachers: Starting salaries of $34,000 to $44,000 for first year teachers; up to $19,000 in grants for education loans; no-money-down mortgages with low interest rates; and other incentives for teachers in areas of high need. We need you in California. Its easy to get here. For more information, visit our ^ I |<% website at www.calteach.com or call | 11 1-888-CaiTeach(888-225-8322). le|, Rj|h| j0|,» CD REVIEW Elvis ’greatest hits show lasting talent T’ .WK • - I rr " ' “30 #1 HITS" Elvis Presley ★★★ out of ☆☆☆■&* BY CHARLES TOMLINSON THE GAMECOCK It couldn’t have been an easy task to pick the best of Elvis’ hit songs, but RCA has done a com mendable job. This newest Elvis album features 30 of his No. 1 U.S. and U.K. hits on an 80-minute disc commemorating the 25th an niversary of his death. And he sounds better than ever. The album was released on Sept. 24 and, as a testament to Elvis’ unending popularity, sold a half-million copies worldwide in its first week on sale. Though Elvis is a star whose popularity has never waned, this album takes the right step by fo cusing on his ‘50s and ‘60s hits. The album proceeds in chrono logical order, but it does not chronicle the King’s devolution from a rebellious teenage heart throb in the ‘50s to an over weight Las Vegas lounge singer in the ‘70s. It focuses on his strongest contributions to popu lar music in the 20th century, and most of Elvis’ best work came from his energetic youth ful days. In fact, only three songs from the album come from the ‘70s. Every song on the album has been remixed and remastered, and the resulting clarity is as tounding. Songs nearly half a century old sound pristine, with each instrument clearly heard ir. the mix. The King’s voice reigns on this album — as it should. His voice is one of the most recognizable in the lexicon of rock ‘n’ roll, as well as in country and rhythm and blues. His voice took command of the music he sang, no matter what genre it was. Throughout the album, Elvis’ more powerful rock songs are mixed with ballads, showing his ability to growl and wail and croon. The upbeat “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hard Headed Woman” surround the mellow “Don’t.” The album keeps a bal anced sound, which is impressive considering the songs are placed in chronological order. There ^ aren’t too many back-to-back slow songs that could hinder the album’s forward motion. And the liner notes are full of interesting background insights into each song. For example, it’s intriguing that Elvis and his band took 31 takes to nail “Hound Dog,” after which Elvis finally elicited the desired rapid-fire snare-drum effect from his drum 111C1 . On some songs, however, the remixing and remastering could have improved the sound quali ty more. The recording technique on “Heartbreak Hotel” sounds odd because of an echoing effect on Elvis’ voice. On “All Shook Up,” Elvis keeps the beat by slap- e. ping the back of his guitar, but the volume of the effect overtakes the other instruments. The album contains one big travesty, however — the “A Little Less Conversation” remix. It reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom in June and was part of a Nike World Cup advertising campaign. But this remix prob ably has Elvis tossing in his grave more violently than when his daughter married Michael Jackson. The drum loops bog the song down, and the production obscures Elvis’ vocals. The song also features the constant beat of a cowbell, which has been a running joke in popular music since a Saturday Night Live spoof of Blue Oyster Cult poked L fun at the percussion instru ment. Still, the sales have been strong and half a million Elvis fans can’t be wrong. This is a definitive collection of the King’s greatest songs, and they sound louder and clearer than ever. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Karo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 also wanted the bookstores to give it good placement—on the counter, on displays — and if it was that gratuitous, they prob ably wouldn’t do that. It was a mutual decision, and I don’t think it took anything away from it by the end of the day.” The idea of creating a book came during Karo’s senior year, when fie asked his readers to let him know if they had connec tions in the publishing industry. After getting hundreds of re sponses, Karo heard from A.B. Fischer — a literary manager and Penn grad, himself — and the two pushed the idea to nu merous publishing houses be fore finding interest from Simon & Schuster. The book is in its second printing, after the original 15,000 copies sold out quickly. Karo is also adapting his stories into a screenplay and spent last week in Los Angeles trying to sell his idea for a television show - as he describes it, “ ‘Seinfeld’ meets ‘Sex in the City.’ “ But that doesn’t mean the ru minations have stopped. Karo continues to produce a monthly e-zine based upon living in New York City, and says a sequel to his original book might be in the , • works sometime in the future. “Certainly, I’d love to do an other book based on my column. The response to the new column is even bigger than the response to the old column ever was,” he said. For now, though, Karo re mains busy with his pursuits to develop a television show, as well as to expand on his ven tures into stand-up comedy. Dubbed the Jewish Chris Rock, he says Rock and Jerry Seinfeld have been his role models for his comic routines. “Ruminations on College Life” is available at major book stores nationwide for $10. It is a great, quick read and worth a look for anyone related to a col lege student. Who knows? You just might be able to relate to Karo or find that you have plen ty of ruminations of your own. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Ring Ceremony is Tuesday, Dec. 3,2002 on the Horseshoe. Oct Oct 7-11 7-11 Mon - Fri Mon - Fri 10am-3pm 10am-3pm