Comedy rises on fall TV
Emily hoferer
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Monday
Ah, Monday, the start of a fresh week. Usually the word Monday is followed by groans and sometimes tears, but not when it comes to brand new fall TV. On this night, four of the five major networks have a new comedy. NBC starts with “Chuck,” a regular guy whose life changes with one computer mistake that downloads government information to his brain.
CBS is home to “The Big Bang Theory,” a show about two physics geeks that get a change of pace in their heavily academic lives when they befriend a hot female neighbor.
ABC’s new TV show with Christina Applegate is called “Samantha Who?” Samantha is a completely horrible woman who gets amnesia after she’s hit by a car. She realizes what her old life was and is ashamed of her former, dreadful self, so she works to right all of her wrongs. Lastly the CW presents “Aliens in America” about a family who plays host to a Pakistani exchange student where cultural differences are only the beginning.
But, if you like to start your week with some drama check our the time traveling show “Journeyman” or the formulaic cop show “K-Ville” on NBC and FOX respectively.
Newswire’s pick: “Aliens in America” because if a show looks like it could even be slightly politically incorrect, we’ll love it.
Tuesday
nymag.com
TV—So easy a caveman can have a sitcom.
Things are about to get devilishly fun with the CW’s new show “Reaper.” The devil himself forces an unmotivated and lazy mortal to help him catch souls and put them back into the underworld. This show is deliciously dark, and deserves points for bravery, especially for having one of the most evil characters ever as a lead.
The famous caveman from the Gieco commercials is finally getting some love from America with his own show, “Caveman” on ABC.
Switch your dial to CBS if your interest lies more along the lines of a family drama and watch “Cane.” The show is about a Cuban family that tries to retain control over a family dynasty littered with wealth and emotional relationships.
Lastly, if you want your funny bone tickled, check out “Carpoolers” on ABC, starring the very attractive Jerry O’Connel.
Newswire’s pick: “Reaper” will be a show that you either love or hate, but check it out either way.
Wednesday
tv.yahoo.com
Will “Back to You” put Grammer and Heaton back on the map?
Wednesday has more variety of new shows than any other night of the week. The most anticipated show is “Back to You” on FOX starring former sitcom heavyweights Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, as well as the always hilarious Fred Willard. Grammer and Heaton play two news anchors in a crazy newsroom. FOX is also serving up some reality TV with “Kitchen Nightmares.”
ABC has three new shows on Wednesdays. “Dirty Sexy Money” may have a somewhat lame title, but the show promises to be a soap opera full of twists and turns with a plot that involves the main character as a lawyer for a wealthy family ironically named “The Darlings.” The other new show, “Pushing Daisies,” is about a man who can raise people from the dead and send them back if he chooses to do so.
411mania.com
Holding a vote on “Kid Nation” a show that has already generated postive and negative buzz.
The new show with the most buzz is a tie between CBS’s reality show “Kid Nation” and the “Grey’s” spinoff “Private Practice.” “Kid Nation” takes 40 kids and sets them loose in a town with no adults to set up a government and run the place. “Lord of the Flies” anyone?
“Private Practice” stars Kate Walsh in her famous role as Addison Montgomery. The show is set in sunny Santa Monica with an all all-star TV cast that includes Taye Diggs and Amy Brenneman.
Wednesday night can also be dubbed as Ladies’ Night because two female-centered shows are airing on CW and NBC. NBC plays host to “Bionic Woman,” a modern remake of an older show about a woman who, after a horrific accident, discovers that she has super powers. The hotties from “Gossip Girl” take over on the CW.
Lastly, on NBC the cop drama “Life” shows what happens to an escaped prisoner as he tries to help out law enforcement. I feel like this show has been done before…
Newswire’s Pick: “Kid Nation” is going to either restore your faith in humanity or completely demolish it. If the buzz around this show dies a sudden death, keep your eye on “Bionic Woman.”
Thursday
There is only one new show on TV tonight. It’s the most competitive night of the week and this year, the networks seem to want to let all of their heavy hitters rule on this night. The new show belongs to ABC. “Big Shots” is another one of those male versions of “Sex and the City.”
The biggest change is the shuffle on NBC which is going to be a two-hour comedy block of “My Name is Earl,” “30 Rock,” “The Office” and “Scrubs” followed by an hour of“ER.” “Survivor” goes on its millionth season in China and “Grey’s Anatomy” is back to break more hearts, sans Isaiah Washington and Kate Welsh.
Newswire’s pick: We’re big fans of the comedy block on NBC, especially since this is the last season of “Scrubs.”
Friday
Really, why are you watching TV on a Friday night? No, it’s OK, really. I understand that after a long week you may just want to kick back on Friday with a nice beverage. If that sounds like paradise to you, then check out FOX’s two new reality shows “Next Great American Band” which is “American Idol” for bands and “Nashville” which is “American Idol” for country singers.
If you’d rather step away from reality TV and see some good ol’ fantasy, then head over to CBS for “Moonlight,” a show about a vampire who is a private detective. ABC has another female centered show called “Women’s Murder Club” which is basically “Sex and the City: Private Investigators.”
Newswire’s pick: Ignore the new shows and stick the Friday night veterans.
Sunday
The most original show of the season is happening over on CBS. “Viva Laughlin” is based on a British musical drama about a guy who solves crimes. “Life is Wild” is the new teen drama on CW about a spoiled teenager whose life does a complete 180 when her family moves to South Africa.
Newswire’s pick: Isn’t football on?
Ends justify the means
Brandy Williams
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Jagged Edge, Keith Sweat, Angie Stone, Jon B and Loose Ends rocked the house at the End of Summer Blast held at Cintas Center on Saturday, Sept. 15. The show demonstrated the artists’ individual vocal talents as they each plugged their new CDs that will be hitting shelves soon.
Although the show rocked, it certainly had its problems. The crowd sat waiting fairly patiently as the show began 45 minutes late due to difficulties with the sound.
Several performers were close to calling off their acts mid-performance due to ghastly sound effects and echoes that Jon B demanded these be removed and proceeded to play his piano and sing into one of the few working microphones.
Jagged Edge was the first to hit the stage. The four member group once again hypnotized the crowd with their sensual voices and sang the ladies some of their past hits including “Let’s Get Married”, “Remedy,” “Promise” and one of their new hits “Put a Little Umph In It.”
If their performance is any indication, I have no doubt that the boy group, which is one of the few still surviving male R&B groups, will sell numerous copies of their upcoming CD entitled “Baby Makin’ Project” which debuts on Sept.25.
Jon B tried to follow their act with his personal band and melted the ladies’ hearts with his smooth crooning voice as he sang past hits “They Don’t Know What This Is” and “Are You Still There For Me” with a recording of the late Tupac Shakur. He also graced the audience with some new tracks from his upcoming fifth album entitled “Back to Love.”
Angie Stone and Keith Sweat were by far the best performances of the night. It was really hard to give any one performer that title since they were all exceptional.
Angie Stone’s new album entitled “The Art of Love and War” is set for release Oct.16 and Keith Sweat’s new album entitled “Sweat Hotel” was released June 12.
The most embarrassing part of the night was the ending when Loose Ends took the stage. It was after 12 a.m., five hours after the concert was set to start, and most of the weary audience had never heard of the hip-hop group.
The sudden change from slow passionate vocals to the upbeat tempo of the hip hop artists clearly wasn’t a welcome change. The masses began to file out of the arena as the group begged them to stay and support them; it was a pathetic and horrifying scene to behold.
Overall, the five hour concert was certainly worth the $15 student pricing for tickets. Minus the late start, sound problems, long stage changing time and the group 112 not showing up—it was awesome!
So good, it melts
Emily Hoferer
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Newswire Official Rating:
Despite the title of this play, there are no arctic regions, ice or cold temperatures involved in the Xavier Players first play of the year, “Frozen.” Even though England, where the play takes play, may not be the most hospitable of climates, “Frozen” is really a metaphor for the three characters in the play. All three of them begin with hard hearts and as their emotions spill out, they begin to thaw.
The play opens with monologues from the three leads. Xavier alumnus Molly Brown plays the only American in the play, Agnetha. She is a doctor from NYU who we learn had an affair with her colleague, but puts her emotions aside in the name of research.
The next character we meet is Nancy, a woman who openly complains about her family life, played by Dale Hodges, a professional actor. We learn later that Nancy’s daughter Rhona went missing some time ago. Nancy still holds on to the hope that Rhona will be found alive one day.
Ralph is the last character the audience meets, portrayed by professional actor Michael Shooner. We get the impression right away that something is off about this bloke. We come to find out that Ralph kidnaps young girls, as well as molests and then murders them. It doesn’t take a detective to piece together that Ralph is the man who kidnapped and murdered Rhona.
Hodges does an amazing job of taking the audience through all of Nancy’s emotions starting with the news of the death of her daughter, to forgiving Ralph, to finding closure on for whole situation. Every scene Ralph appears in is slightly uncomfortable, which only goes to show that Shooner did an excellent job. His scenes with Brown, who visits Ralph as part of her research on the criminal mind, put me on the edge of my seat. Even though Brown’s character hides behind her scientific research, we learn about her weaknesses and emotions and she becomes sympathetic towards Ralph.
As the play unfolds and the characters begin to interact with one another, we watch their hard shells melt away to reveal their emotions, desires and secrets. I especially enjoyed the final scene with the two women. It made the play for me.
The play was very serious and moving, with odd bits of humor throughout. At times it was incredibly graphic, including one scene was a little over the top. But the acting and set design suited the small theatre well and incorporated the frozen metaphor.
If you missed the play this past weekend, you can see it again this weekend. Shows are at 7:30 Thursday-Sunday in the GSC Studio Theatre.
Stephanie Metz
Diversions Editor
Auditions
So you think you can act? Auditions for the play “Lion in the Winter” by James Goldman will take place on Sept. 19 in the GSC Studio and Sept. 20 in GSC room 214 at 7 p.m. Contact the XU Players for more information.
Frozen
The Xavier Theatre Arts department is presenting the play “Frozen” by Bryon Lavery on Sept. 20-23 at 7:30 p.m. in the GSC Studio Theater. The play will star Dale Hodges and Michael Shooner. Tickets are $3 for students and falculty and $5 for general admission. Come support the Xavier actors!
Riverboat ride
Enjoy the Ohio River while cruising on a river boat and meeting other XU students. The boat ride will take place on Thursday, Sept.20 from 5:30p.m.-12 a.m. Dinner will be served and an RSVP is required – contact Hillel at heather@hillelcincinnati.org or call (513) 221-6728 for more information. The event is free.
Late Night Snack
Love free food? GSC late Night Snack for September is BW3’s. Come to the GSC Atrium at 10 p.m. on Thursday, Sept.20 for declicious wings and rings. As always, it is free to XU students with their ALL Cards.
Open Mic Night
Come to the GSC Atrium at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25 to showcase your musical talents at SAC’s Freestyle Open Mic Night. The event will go on until 10 p.m. and will showcase U.C. breakdance team “Ocean 7.” If you don’t have talent then you can come and watch. The event is free!
