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Features

FEATURES

Love, deceit take center stage in Mozarts opera

Juliana Keeping
March 30, 2001

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.

FEATURES

TV network looks to find new cast for reality show sequel

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.

FEATURES

Crowe gets flack for obscene gesture

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.

FEATURES

Story of Anne Frank hits Wharton

Juliana Keeping
March 29, 2001

“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.

FEATURES

Leader of the Pack brings 1960s hits to U

Juliana Keeping
March 29, 2001

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.

FEATURES

Spanish poet inspires artist

Karalee Miller
March 29, 2001

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.

FEATURES

Origami

Aaron M. Miller
March 29, 2001

As a child growing up in a Tokyo suburb, Minako Hata would spend her after-school hours making origami figures with girlfriends. Folding and creasing, folding and creasing, Hata’s little fingers would transform square slips of paper into shapely creations.

FEATURES

Aussie band proves staying power

Dan Julian
March 28, 2001

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.

FEATURES

Tupacs music here until the end

Steve Eder
March 28, 2001

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.

FEATURES

U explores Japanese culture

Aaron M. Miller
March 27, 2001

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.

FEATURES

Musical combines new look with classic 1960s pop favorites at Wharton

Juliana Keeping
March 27, 2001

“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.

FEATURES

Film festival highlights work of Michigans own

Vince Estes
March 26, 2001

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.

FEATURES

Its time for Oscar

It’s a good thing statuettes can’t have egos. On Sunday, the red carpet will be unfurled, the media will swarm and Hollywood’s stars will arrive in limousines and gaudy clothes - all for the sake of a 13-and-a-half-inch tall, 8-pound man named Oscar. And when the 73rd Annual Academy Awards are televised live from the 6,000-seat Shrine Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, much of the world will be watching and betting on which film director, actor or producer will take home the next award. Up for the coveted Best Picture award are “Chocolat,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Gladiator” and “Traffic.” “I think best film is tough,” said Bill Vincent, an English professor and co-director of the Film Studies Program.

FEATURES

Weekend Guide

FRIDAY: David Mallett will perform at 8 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 855 Grove St., for the Ten Pound Fiddle concert series.