Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, March 1, 2004 5 V . - . “fcghnological progress has merely provided us with a more efficient means for going back ContacUJs wards.” Story ideas? Questions? Comments? ALDOUS HUXLEY . E-mail us at gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu dmrToTpeTceptio™ W0RLD AN E PHONING IT IN Ring tones cross line from function to fad BY EMILY LINSTROM THE GAMECOCK Some people still remember when cell phones were an ex clusive trend. Nowadays, a per son can, along with sending and receiving calls and messages, use his phone to access the Internet, download music, read e-mails and take pho tographs. We’ve all experienced the weird sensa tion of sitting in a classroom or restau rant and suddenly being treated to a phone tones rendition of OutKast or the James Bond theme. The ringtone trend is catching on as fast as the cell phone itself, and many USC students aren’t finding it that attractive. “I think it’s kind of cocky,” second-year English student Amanda Rose said. “It’s • like they’re saying, ‘Hey, I have a cell phone.’ It’s pretty supercilious.” Ring tones are a means of defining one’s identity, according to Venus Zine’s Katie Hasty. “Cell phone customization has slowly crept into the American obsession with personal identity, with some, flying-fin gered folks paying as much attention to phone aesthetics as they do the food that they put in their bodies,” she wrote. According to the Edinburgh Evening News, 65 million British pounds—rough ly $120 million — worth of music singles were sold in the UK, but 75 million pounds were spent on ring tones for mobile phones. From movie themes to rap, classical and rock tunes, special ring tones can be downloaded in place of the standard and vibrate options. The most laughable ring tones are the hip-hop excerpts, along the lines of 50 Cent and Ludacris, said second-year bi ology student Lauren Wishman. “People do it to show off,” she said. “Maybe they assume it will make them ghetto-fabu lous.” * Online sources such as RingtoneMarket.com feature composers who claim to be able to write any ringtone song from scratch. So is the ringtone fad an expression of one’s personality or just an annoying al ternative to the norm? Second-year criminal justice student Blake Alexander said things are being blown out of proportion. “It used to be creative and fun; now it’s just silly,” he said. “Phones are a tool, not a fashion statement.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu Movie.Review 4Eurotrip * succeeds in bringing » rauchy slapstick it promises EUROTRIP ★★★out of *■&☆☆☆ BY LESLIE DENNIS THE (iAMECOCK The producers of “Old School” and “Road Trip” bring audiences another sophomoric comedy full of slapstick and sexual humor with “Eurotrip.” Playing on stereotypical jokes about Europeans, the film plays out exactly as it is advertised: it contains no moral lesson or any deep meaning. From the opening credits, the audience knows “Eurotrip” promises crude humor and juvenile antics. I| At his high school graduation, w Scotty (played by the intriguing Scott Mechlowicz) is heartbroken when Fiona, his girlfriend (played by “Smallville’s” Kristen Kreuk), ends their relationship, citing her infidelity and his “predictability.” To cheer Scotty up, his best friend, Cooper (played by Jacob Pitts, an actor strangely reminis cent of a young David Spade), con vinces Scotty to go on a trip to Europe to visit his German pen pal, Mieke. S While Scotty and Cooper are supposed to be spending the sum mer working to build impressive resumes, they end up on a wild ad venture involving wild sex clubs and crazed British soccer fans. Although Scotty’s reason for go ing to Europe is to see his pen pal, Cooper plans to have the time of his life by engaging in wild European sex. When the friends arrive in Europe, they decide to meet up with twins Jenny, a girl whom Scotty and Cooper have known since kindergarten, and Jamie, the geek with a travel guide and infi nite knowledge of historical places (played by Michelle Trachtenberg and Travis Wester, respectively). As the lone female of the group, Jenny endures wisecracks about the lack of sex appeal she provides the boys. Comedy and mishaps en sue as the foursome travel around Europe trying to find Mieke. The cameo by a pierced, skin headed Matt Damon as the lead singer of a rock band who has an affair with Fiona provides viewers with a whole new look at the Oscar winning star. Lucy Lawless, better known as Xena the Warrior Princess, also has a brief appear ance as an Amsterdam dominatrix. “Eurotrip” is a great movie for what it is supposed to be — a teen comedy about sex and friendship in the tradition of “American Pie.” Viewers should not expect a grand meaning to be revealed or a well acted, sophisticated comedy. But for a simple release from the monotony of everyday life, “Eurotrip” affords the audience with a temporary suspension of politically correct society. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK “Eurctrip” delivers the crude humor expected from the producers of “Old School” and “Road Trip.”