By LYNN ELBER The Associated Press BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - A writers’ strike that could have lasting effects on the entertainment industry appears likely, said Viacom President Mel Karmazin, whose company owns television networks and a movie studio. “I worry about it a lot now.
It’s a typical rainy March afternoon in East Lansing - but that doesn’t bother Jim Tyler at all.An East Lansing resident, Tyler smiles broadly as he bends down to pick up a penny from a muddy puddle of rainwater.“Find a penny, pick it up, and all the day you’ll have good luck,” he said as he went off on his way to work.Almost everybody has a superstition of one kind or another, said Robert McKinley, an MSU professor of religious studies.“Superstitions may be irrational sometimes, but they are very attractive and comforting to people,” he said.
Actor/dental hygiene model Jerry O’Connell crosses my mind a lot. I think of him twice as much as any other young actor, usually because I mistake his name for Chris O’Donnell’s in conversations. Take “Tomcats,” starring Joe of “Joe’s Apartment.” It’s about a few plucky fellas who are scared of commitment and their comedic falls into it.
Love, jealousy and deceit - not to mention a woman dressed as an adolescent boy who then dresses as a woman - will come to the stage of the Auditorium’s Fairchild Theatre tonight in Mozart’s operatic comedy, “The Marriage of Figaro.” The opera will be performed in English by MSU students who have been rehearsing since January. Set in Seville, Spain, in the late 18th century, the opera revolves around the relationships between servants Susanna and Figaro, and the Count and Countess Almaviva, who they serve. “Susanna is quick and smart, and her goal in this opera is to get married to Figaro,” said music performance graduate student Lara Troyer, who plays Susanna.
LOS ANGELES - Think you can survive “Big Brother 2?” CBS is looking for contestants to take part this summer in the second season of its reality television show, in which a group of strangers are confined to a house, surrounded by cameras and microphones. But this season of “Big Brother” will be different for a couple of reasons, the network said Tuesday. Instead of viewers deciding who leaves each week, the housemates will vote each other out, similar to the elimination process on CBS’ reality TV juggernaut, “Survivor.” When three players are left, the audience will choose which one walks out with the grand prize. The show also has a new producer.
Jennifer Lopez is just a simple girl. She tries to deal with the demands and stresses of a full-time career in the best manner she knows how, all the while trying to maintain close ties with her fans - however, I’m not one of them.
PRINCETON, N.J. - First Russell Crowe won a best-actor Oscar for “Gladiator.” Now, he’s won the support of Ron Howard after making an obscene gesture. The director defended Crowe, who stuck out his middle finger at a 21-year-old Princeton student who snapped his picture on campus as he prepared to shoot a movie scene on Tuesday. “He’s not a bad guy,” Howard told The Trentonian on Wednesday on the set of the film, “A Beautiful Mind,” which co-stars Jennifer Connelly and is due in theaters in December. “It was out of character for him.
“The Diary of Anne Frank” will explore the lives of seven people trapped in a small attic for two years, fighting stir-crazy tensions and discovery, while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II and the Holocaust. MSU students have been rehearsing since February for the show, which debuts tonight in the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre. Megan Milota, a theater freshman, plays Anne. “The most important thing about Anne is her intelligence,” Milota said of Anne’s portrayal.
The crackle of a record needle emanated purposefully from Wharton Center’s main stage speakers, and several audience members turned to each other and murmured versions of the phrase “It’s just like a record” - a record no one had heard in years, judging from the head bopping, clapping and stomping that was soon to follow.The spotlight hit Jewel Tomkins, draped in a floor-length, flashy pink sequin number, who belted out, “I Can Hear Music.”This song, by Ellie Greenwich, was one of roughly 30 numbers performed by the 13-member cast of “Leader of the Pack” at Wharton Center on Tuesday.
A trendy way of legitimizing teen pop nowadays is by considering Britney Spears a young Madonna. Looking at their promotional deals alone is enough to prove the theory.
Being able to transform a thought into a work of art is a challenge - a challenge Freshteh Parvizi thrives upon. On Sunday, Parvizi will unveil her art exhibit, “bones & flutes at 5 in the afternoon,” from 1 p.m.
Semisonic All About Chemistry (MCA Records) Sometimes when a band puts emphasis on the production of their record, it is a clever idea.
Powderfinger Odyssey Number Five (Universal Records) Australia never sounded so good. The outback natives, Powderfinger, who have had their last two albums “Double Allergic” and “Internationalist” reach triple-platinum and quadruple platinum status in their homeland respectively, are coming to America. Its most recent album is a mesmerizing piece of work blanketed with soft vocals and whiny guitars.
What did the drummer get on his final exam? Drool. How do you know a drummer is at your front door?
2PAC Until the End of Time (Interscope Records) Tupac Shakur wasn’t lying when he said “When I die, I’ll come back.” Shakur surged back into the rap game with his fifth posthumous release, “Until the End of Time,” a set of 29 songs recorded in the final year of the slain rapper’s life. In an era where rappers are often found boasting on material success, Shakur continues to set the record straight on his most recent release.
Though they claim the name Animosity, members of the MSU Anime/Manga Club seem to be full of anything but, at least for the anime world. “That name dates from before I was really in the club,” Paul Corrigan said.
“Da Doo Ron Ron,” “And Then He Kissed Me” and “Chapel of Love” mark the feel-good, doo-wop era of times gone by, and are just a few examples of hits to bee-bop their way into Wharton Center this week in “Leader of the Pack.” The musical will highlight these and other songs by Ellie Greenwich, the composing powerhouse behind much of successful 1960s pop, and arranger of this musical. “Her success has not only to do with the way she wrote the songs, but the way they’re performed, and the way other artists selected her songs to be performed,” said Bill Schurk, a sound recordings archivist at Bowling Green State University, whose license plate reads “Doowop.” “It’s a litany of top performers, many of whom recorded some bombs, but when they picked up one of her songs, there was always a wonderful performance, a successful hit.” Joe Machota is one of the vocalists in “Leader of the Pack” and said the musical offers a 1960s sound with a 1990s look. “It’s more of a celebration of the time period, set currently.
The 4th annual East Lansing Film Festival ended Sunday in the same home-grown way it began - by celebrating Michigan. “It was just kind of great to see real people working in film - non-celebrity status teasing dreams to be the next Spielberg” said Morgan Howard, a senior at Okemos High School. Howard, whose “2 1/2 Shorts” won first place in the high school division of last week’s East Lansing Children’s Film Festival, attended a morning panel discussion on making and financing films in Michigan. “It’s kind of a wake-up call,” he said.
There aren’t many movies that capture the true meaning of love, but Gary Hardwick’s new film’s attempt may be the best yet.