FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2000
yes, the Florida voting sys
tem has confused many.
However, voting for the
VH I "My VH I Music Awards" did
not. All you had to do was log on to
www.vh I .com and vote. It really
was that simple, and this time the
winners are certain, there is no re
count needed.
The awards, hosted by John
Leguizamo, were held on Thursday,
November 30 at the Shrine Audito
rium in Los Angeles. They were
broadcast live on VHI at nine
o'clock. More than four million fans
logged online to vote for their fa
vorites in categories such as "Your
Song Kicked Ass but Was Played
Too Damn Much," "Most Entertain
ing Public Feud," "You Want Fries
With That Album'?," "Double Threat
(Musician/Actors)," "Must-Have
Album," and "Welcome to the Big
Time!" The nominees consisted of
such artists as Creed, Destiny's
Child, Vertical Horizon, Christina
Aguilera, 3 Doors Down, Faith Hill,
'N Sync, Britney Spears and The
Red Hot Chili Peppers. Artists such
as No Doubt, Bon Jovi, Creed, U 2
and Christina Aguilera all pre
formed their hits for a crowd of fans.
And now time for the awards!
Despite her absence at the awards,
country singer Faith Hill cleaned up
in three categories, "You Want Fries
With That Album?" for her Pepsi
endorsements. She also picked up
"Sexxxiest Video," and "Woman of
the Year." "EVI-111 fans there have
been really supportive of my ca
reer.'' Hill told Launch.com. - I'm a
new face to that network, so hope
fully they'll go to VH I, then dial
over to CMT and see all the other
cool artists that we have."
Holiday Movie Preview
Semester break offers a few moments of much-needed relaxation, but
also some of the year's best films as Oscar hopefuls try to sneak in under
the wire. Here's a list of the new releases slated for the end of 2000.
December 15 December 2r
1. Chocolat 1. Before' Night Falls
2. Dude, Where's 2. Cast Away
My Car? 3. Dracula 2000
3. Family Man 4. House of Mirth
4. Pollock 5. Miss Congeniality
5. The Emperor's 6. 0 Brother, Where
New Groove Art Thou?
6. The Gift 7. State and Main
7. What Women Want 8. Traffic
December 20
Finding Forrester
December 25
All the Pretty Horses
December 29
Shadow of the Vampire
Movies
Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon
Proof of Life
Vertical Limit
Dec. 8
* release date 12/12
the band (Top Left). Gwen Stefan' finishes a performance with No Doubt
(Top Right). Scott Weiland poses with The Corrs (Bottom Left) and the
Dave Matthews Band celebrates backstage (Bottom Right) .
Another big winner of the evening
was Creed, in the "2 For 2," "Wel
come to the Big Time," "Group of
the Year," "Song of the Year (for
'Highen" categories. "The fans
voting for this award, that gives us
the ultimate sense of accomplish-
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Video*
*N Sync: Making
of the Tour
Batman Beyond:
Return of the Joker
The Cider House Rules,
(Bonus Edition)
Reindeer Games
(Director's Cut)
Sopranos: The Com
plete First Season
Road to El Dorado
ar lc
ds
mem," Scott Stapp told the press
backstage. We love our fans so
much and they're so good to us. We
feel like we give so much and they
give us hack tenfold. We feel like
we couldn't ask for anything more."
Rock legend Carlos Santana went
'Felicity' cuts in to real life
by Katie Galley
editorial page editor
When the show
Felicity premiered on the
WB in 1998 it got lost in
thtf oT atter t een
anded shows such as
Datr.simis Creek. By the
end of the first season, the
show had taken on a life
of this own and everyone
wanted to know, "would
it he Ben or Noel"?
Why is the show so
popular? Maybe because
the college students on
the show seem to have
endless money, and the discussion with a co-star.
nicest dorms in the world.
Whatever the reason, the show's
ratings have continued to climb,
despite the loss in length of Kerri
Russell's hair. Does the show
adequately represent college life
though? After all there are no dorms
like that at Behrend.
Some of the issues that the show
has tackled are date rape, unplanned
pregnancy, the morning after pill,
testicular cancer and habitual drug
and alcohol use-- all subjects that are
familiar to college students
worldwide. And along with tackling
the issues, the show manages to do it
with some humor thrown in.
When one of the lead characters
thought there might have been with a
problem with his testicle, he asked his
friend for help stating, "Dude, feel my
Music *
Cypress Hill Live
The Full Monty
Etta James:
Matriarch of the
Blues
* Special Thanks
to Media Play for
all of your help!
home with the "Man of the Year"
award and the "Your Song Kicked
Ass but Was Played Too Damn
Much" for his "Smooth" collabora
tion with Rob Thomas of Matchbox
Twenty. The "Most Entertaining
Public Feud" award went to
Eminem vs. Everyone, beating out
Napster vs. Metallica. The "Coolest
Fan Web Site" went to nancies.org,
a site dedicated to the Dave
Matthews Band. DMB also went
home with the "Best Live Act"
award, which Leguizamo presented
to them at their seats. Dave
Matthews Band did not get the "Best
Stage Spectacle," however, as that
went to Metallica and the San Fran-
cisco Symphony.
Teen heartthrob Ricky Martin left
with an award ("Booty Shake"),
which was accepted by a giant pair
of buttocks, but other teen
heartthrobs such as Britney Spears
and *N Sync left empty handed.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
grabbed the "Must-Have Album"
award for "Californication," as well
as the "Pushing the Envelope
Video" award for the single's video.
"Beating Creed once or twice is
good enough for us," Kiedis stated.
Flea told reporters backstage that the
band will begin work on a new al
bum with longtime producer Rick
Rubin in February. However, he
said that the band is reluctant to plan
anything because they worry it
won't he as good as their spontane
ous efforts.
Thursday night appeared to go to
the big name stars like Sting, Bon
Jovi and Santana intertwined with
Creed and Faith Hill. All in all, it
was a star studded Los Angeles
night for fans from all over.
nut." Moments like that, mixed with
the day to day things in life make the
show appealing to college students,
relating on a level that they can
identify with.
What about the central theme that
runs through the show? The theme
was presented in the very first episode
when Felicity left her cushy
scholarship paid for education to
follow a boy on a whim to New York
City. Independence and following
your heart--this is the theme that
threads all college students together,
the tie that binds.
We are all struggling to learn what
we want out of life, who we want to
be, what we stand for, and through the
characters on the show we can see a
little bit of ourselves in all of them.
*N Sync: Making
of the Tour
Batman Beyond:
Return of the Joker
Road to El Dorado
Scary Movie
Shaft
Sopranos: The Complete
First Season
DVD*
FSic' Em e 4 t ,
IDO
by Deanna Symoski
Strike
Down(ey)
and out in
Beverly Hills
His November 3 interview with Entertainment Viieek/y spoke of
things that weren't good for him--fried zucchini sticks and ranch
dressing. Those were the days for Robert Downey, Jr., whose
face--watery-eyed and disheveled-- appeared on the cover of the magazine
only a month later. This time it wasn't to celebrate his new-found success
on Ally !ticßeal, but to once again report an incident concerning drugs and
the law.
Downey was arrested November 25 in Palm Springs, California, after a
secluded weekend in a room at the Mery Griffin Resort. An anonymous
caller tipped off police to Downey's room, saying there was a man inside
with an ounce of cocaine and weapons, according to the 91 I tape. Though
no weapons were found, Downey was charged with possession of cocaine
and methamphetamine, being under the influence of a controlled sub
stance, and committing a felony while on bail. This was his third arrest.
All the reports hint at a tone of tragedy, perhaps because recovery
finally seemed possible, even probable, for the talented young actor. By
all accounts, he had helped save Ally, and All looked like it might have
finally saved him. Movie offers were pouring in, and Downey was
optimistic about finally returning to work and a bit of normalcy.
But the conflicting EW covers tell a different story. They speak of the
instability of lives hooked on the Hollywood Habit, and the instantaneous
plunge they can take. But whether Downey returns to prison or rehab or
some combination of both, the attempts to salvage his image and place (or
misplace) blame are moot. The truth might be best.
Robert Downey, Jr. is a drug addict; his movie star status does not make
him less so--obviously. No longer is he an actor who does drugs. He has
officially become a drug addict who occasionally does some acting.
Tragic? Yes, but only as tragic as anyone else who cannot, despite a
cavalcade of second chances, clean themselves up. Forget the accounts
that will claim Downey was framed. Ignore the stories about him that tug
on your heart strings. This is strike three, and at this point—after rehab
and a year in prison—that's a decision.
The court system, for once, has not failed. It has not failed the public
by letting a famous criminal (and yes, by law, drug addicts are criminals)
go unpunished, and it has not failed Downey by letting a movie star slide.
He was sentenced, he did his time, and he was released--clean. But that,
apparently, is not enough.
Now a repeat offender, Downey deserves the punishment that any
"civilian" in his position would receive. Harsh? Yes, but only as harsh as
the combination of help and redress to which anyone else might be
sentenced. The idea is to take a serious problem seriously, and address it
with the delicate balance of compassion and castigation that this country's
judicial system, as imperfect as it is, deems appropriate.
"For whatever reason, I felt I had to have something more... And I chose
to believe that I found that something in drugs," Downey told Entertain
ment Weekly in that November 3 interview. "But this is the buzz. We're
sitting out here, the sun is hot, and I've created zero wreckage
today--and I intend to create no more."
If publicists and friends really want to help Downey they will realize the
things about him that I have here, and they will sacrifice status for a dose
of reality. Optimism and good intentions will not solve his problems, no
matter who wishes him luck, how much he works or how talented the
industry says he is. Acting is not his anti-drug, as the commercials might
suggest. Downey's only anti-drug is sobriety and this time, with the stern
fist of the law and the absence of excuses, he deserves the time to achieve