Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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■ THE MIX_ NUTTY BUDDIES Special to THE GAMECOCK ‘Buddy Cop Show’ premieres Saturday at Nickelodeon Theatre. The comedy, directed and produced by USC students, consists of four episodes. Students pair Orville Redenbacher\ Carson Daly for offbeat‘Buddy Cop Show* Kristen Truesdale FOR THE GAMECOCK “Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do, what you gonna do when ... Orville Redenbacher and Carson Daly come for you?” The theme song from “Cops” sounds familiar, as do the names, but never before have they mixed. The result: an original, laugh-out loud comedy, written and produced here in Columbia. Pretty Penny Productions, a film company comprised of USC students, will premiere its most recent work, “Buddy Cop Show,” Saturday at Nickelodeon Theatre. Directed and produced by Aaron Johnson, a fourth-year media arts student, who co-wrote it with Bobby Frankenberger, a fourth-year psychology student; Ryan Reynolds, a fourth-year sociology student; and Grant Robertson, a fourth-year classics student, “Buddy Cop Show” follows the misadventures of two police officers, Orville Redenbacher and Carson Daly, through four 30 minute episodes. The episodes are labeled “The Case of the People Weiners,” “The Case of the Orphan-Eating Robots,” The Case of the HaxOred BOxOrz,” and “The Case of the Turd Burglar.” “I’ve got kind of an ADD personality, and that comes out in the movie,” Johnson said. “If you don’t think the concept of Orville and Carson being cops together is the least bit funny, then this probably isn’t for you.” Johnson, who calls himself a “mustache connoisseur,” is devoted to three-piece suits and a medley of hats. Founder and president of Pretty Penny Productions, he combines his love for comedy and history into movies with “their own flavor,” kind of like his personality. The company’s first film, “The Last Days of Abraham Lincoln," includes an assortment of well known figures such as the Kaiser, Abe Lincoln, Matthew McConaughey, Orville Redenbacher, and even Lord Byron and Percy Shelly, who are trying to retrieve the Zimmerman Note from the Aztecs. “Orville was Abe’s right-hand man. I wanted to do a spin-off on that, so his character got translated to the ‘Buddy Cop Show.’” According to the company’s Web site, www.prettypennyproductions.com, “‘Buddy Cop Show’ is the in-your face action drama of the ’70s and the laugh-out-loud comedy event of the summer of the ’80s with a smathering of edgy oties attitude!” Bobby Frankenberger plays Orville, a veteran cop who has a heart of gold under his bad-to-the bone image. “Most of the time I didn’t feel like I was acting,” he said. “(Orville) is very blunt and dry. The difference is that Orville is doing it because he’s stupid, and I’m that way because I think it’s funny to be so blunt.” Johnson, Frankenberger and Reynolds have been friends since middle school and started making movies in high school. They agreed Reynolds should play Carson Daly, a rookie cop from Hollywood who does things by the book. Frankenberger and Reynolds slipped into their roles with ease. “We (Bobby and I) get along and things are cool but we bicker and banter about various things from time to time,” Reynolds’ said, “which translates almost perfecdy to the battle-ready Orville versus more timid Carson.” Filmed for two straight weeks, on a tight budget of $400, “Buddy Cop Show” was mostly funded by Wal Mart. Johnson’s advice to student film-makers: “Buy all your props from Wal-Mart and then return them.” Energy ran high throughout the 12-member cast, who mosdy camped out at Johnson’s apartment during filming. “It’s not every day that you get to put on a leather jacket, an eye patch and walk into K-Mart with a cigar in your mouth,” Frankenberger said. “I mean, I got to act like a big kid. That’s what Orville really is, after all, a big kid who wants to put bad guys in jail.” College students can always use a good, light-hearted laugh, which this movie seeks to provide. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu CD REVIEW ‘Three Cheers’ for My Chemical Romance “Three Cheers | for Sweet Revenge” My Chemical Romance ★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ fHonique Cunin fob the gamecock New Jersey punk-pop rockers My Chemical Romance’s second album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge,” released in June 2004, is a guitar-anchored album with lyrics that go beyond average pop fare. A slow-burner, the band’s i! Reprise/Warner Bros, effort gave the five Jersey-natives slow coming mainstream recognition, beginning when “Helena” debuted on MTV, followed by pop-radio airplay in spring 2005 The band’s popularity exploded. In August, they performed “Helena” during the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami for screaming fans. The record opens with a soft guitar backing lead singer Gerard Way’s voice. When drums are added, the song progresses into the fast-paced hit “Helena. While the instruments might add an upbeat dimension to the song, the somber lyrics add an extra element, keeping it as full of energy as the rest of the album. “Give ‘Em Hell Kid” begins with a fast-paced guitar riff that gives the song a high-energy jolt. The third song, “To the End,” is a poetic and morbid look at marriage. The band opens the song with, “he calls his mansion not a house, but a tomb,” referring to a bad . h marriage that poisons spouses with “cyanide.” Although the album is lyrically morbid, it reinforces the points the band wanted to make. During a 2004 interview with Life in Bungalow reporter George Karoneos, the band members said their major goal was to make a difference, which they believed they were beginning to achieve. The song that deviates most from depressing content is the catchy pop of “The Ghost of You,” a dreary song about what people feel during moments of despair and hopelessness. While ending on a somber note, it has a smooth transition into an upbeat tempo, setting the pace for — and anchoring — the rest of the album. The transition is gradual. The next song, while picking up the tempo, still has a semi-melancholy sound. The album transitions smoothly between songs through minor tempo variations and the common theme of despair within the lyrics. This album offers fans i www. dailyt something different from mainstream pop, while at the same time having some of the same appeal. Like pop, it a high-powered sound filled with drums and guitars, but My Chemical Romance presents the dark side of love and life. Overall, the album is amazing. However, its dark lyrics masked by happy tempos prove to be a drawback. Since releasing “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge,” the band has resumed touring and is on its first headlining jaunt around the eastern United States. The band began in 2000 with vocalist Gerard Way and drummer Matt Pelisser. Later bassist Mikey Way (Gerards brother) and guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero joined the lineup. In 2002 the band released its first full-length album, “I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love,” on indie-record label Eyeball. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm. sc. edu iamecock.com Special to THE GAMECOCK The Autumn Overcast brings its heartfelt delivery to New Brookland Tavern on Sept. 25, followed by a slot on USC’s Battle of the Bands. The Autumn Overcast pushes post-hardcore Jaclyn Bull FOR THE GAMECOCK Newcomers The Autumn Overcast are making their way to the top with ' poppy, post hardcore music and emotional, heartfelt lyrics. After playing for two years and going through a number of lineups and name changes, The Autumn Overcast persevered to find a consistent home in Columbia. The band will play at New Brookland Tavern on Sept. 25 with doors opening at 4 p.m. This group of goofy guys can also be seen at USC’s Battle of the Bands on Sept. 28, on the bill with Charlie Duncan, Mind Your Head, Kill Cloy, and the Astro Projection. The Autumn Overcast’s Jordan Spanske, a first-year student at Midlands Technical College, plays bass, while William Hollins, a first-year political science student, rocks the guitar. The two began playing together, and from there, Hollins and Spanske searched for a drummer and another guitar player. They stumbled upon Brandon Thantham and OUCRCHST • 6 ■ /1