Page 8
The Behrend Beacon
Hail to the Chief
Chris Rock as Presidential hopef
Review by Daniel J. Stasiewski
The rift between politicians and the average American is a
phenomenon that most people in this country have come to ac
cept as part of life. Despite the aristocratic appearance of fed
eral government, there is still a need to remind elected officials
they have constituents who could boot their ass in the time it
takes to pull a lever.
In Chris Rock's directorial debut, "Head of State," the old
game of politics does sometimes look like a Fat Joe video, but
there is more to the silly satire than just a bunch of stuffed-shirts
throwing their hands in the air. This electoral farce is laced with
enough of Rock's political humor to make the masses smile and
politicians a little nervous.
After Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock), a D.C. alderman, loses his
job for his outspoken support for the Ward 9 residents, his politi
cal career seems finished. Luckily, the candidates for president
and vice-president die in a plane crash, leaving a spot open for
anyone to take. The party heads, who already expect the dead
contender to lose the election, decide to pick Gilliam as the new
candidate, making them look sympathetic to minorities and a
little hipper at the same time.
Durint the first part of the campaign, Gilliam follows orders,
reads the same boring speeches, and doesn't make any major
gains in the polls. In Chicago, however, Gilliam's brother Mitch
(Bernie Mac) tells the presidential candidate to speak from the
heart, so Gilliam goes back to the speeches that got him fired
from his job as alderman. As the candidate confronts the issues
that matter with straightforward answers, his poll numbers sky
rocket and America prepares to put the people back in charge of
politics.
At the end of "Head of State" the first thing that came to my
mind was, "Wow! This is like a modern-day 'Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington.'" The second thing was, "I can't believe I put a
Chris Rock movie on the same level as Frank Capra film?"
Comparing "Head of State" with "Mr. Smith" may seem like
trying to weigh "Newsies" against "Citizen Kane." The occa-
UPN' s new series 'Platinum'
spins a rap tale
by Donna Petrozzello
New York Daily News
It's an early scene in the first episode of
UPN's new series "Platinum," but produc
ers have set the story of two brothers'
struggle for hip-hop supremacy against the
oversized backdrop of the billboards in
Times Square.
Filming last month during a cold snap,
rapper and series star Sticky Fingaz strolled
along Broadway tucked in a thick red parka
with fur lining.
"I think this show hits the rap world right
on the head," said Fingaz. "But it goes
deeper than that. Everybody thinks of some
rappers as supermen, when in reality, we've
all got our emotional moments."
Launching April 14 at 9 p.m. EST, "Plati
num" is the first network drama to weave
a family tale into the often sensationalized
rap recording business.
"This is like 'Dallas' meets (Sean
Combs') Bad Boy Entertainment," said the
series' director and producer, Kevin Bray.
"We see the gritty side of the business, but
we also see a family trying to be a family
within this structure."
Likewise, it's a show that UPN program
mers are banking on as a midseason re
placement to refresh its schedule and get
attention from young adults.
After its Monday night premiere this
month, "Platinum" will move to Tuesdays
at 9 p.m. for five weeks, filling a slot where
a mix of sitcoms and dramas have drawn
an average 2.1 million viewers this season,
according to Nielsen data.
"This show was one that worked for us
because it's ethnically diverse, its stories
are universal and I think there's a fascina
tion with the hip-hop world in general,"
am in "Head of State
a&e editor
said UPN Entertainment President Dawn
Ostroff.
Series co-creator John Ridley, who
hatched the idea for the show with Sofia
Coppola more than a year ago, said the
series will build upon headline-grabbing
stories from the rap community and mov
ies such as Eminem's "8 Mile," an Oscar
winner for best song, without merely re
hashing them.
"It's incumbent on us to bring something
else to the story," said Ridley, a former pro
ducer of NBC's "Third Watch." "We don't
want to chase anything that's been out
there, because people may look at it and
think, 'l've seen that before."
"Platinum" stars Jason George ("Barber
shop") as Jackson Rhames, a father, hus
band and level-headed businessman.
sionally intelligent, but mostly screwball humor sits no where
close to the dramatic filibuster in Capra's classic. And the politi
cians aren't as much evil as they are asinine. Still, there is an
everyman quality in Rock's character that makes the rise of a
black man from inner city D.C. to the office of President of the
United States as uplifting as it is funny.
The film has a bizarre combination of weighty political jokes
and campy, almost sitcoin-esque humor. When a senator (played
by James Rebhom) makes a remake about the Gilliam presiden
tial run "making minorities happy" there is an obvious dig into
real-life politics, but the comment is immediately followed up
with a ridiculous pan over a line of minority Americans with big,
stupid grins. The joke only hits the mark because the juxtaposing
recreates the absurd reality where some politicians live.
This kind of humor keeps the film from becoming annoyingly
ridiculous or overly satirical. Rock's breaking into stand-up and
a running gag involving Gilliam's power-hungry ex-girlfriend
sometimes diverge from the formula, but the jokes are still funny.
The biggest laughs, however, come from Bernie Mac. As
Gilliam's boorish older brother and running mate, Mac has the
only laugh-out-loud moments in the film. His Sunday morning
talk show interviews are brutal, not for Mac, but for the inter
viewer. And when Mac starts to mingle with the campaign crowd,
his uninhibited personality makes the idea of his vice-presidency
seem a little scary.
However, it's foolish to think the words Vice-President Bernie
Mac could make any impact on American politics. Even Senator
Jimmy Stewart couldn't do that. Still, Rock's shamefully accu
rate view of the take-and-take nature of politicians is vital to the
laughter. The idea of Rock as president alone is hilarious, though,
right now, I wouldn't be against it.
"Head of State" directed by and
starring Chris Rock, with Bernie
Mac, Dylan Baker, and Lynn
Whitfield is now showing at
Tinsletown.
Friday, April 4, 2003
out of
4 stars
Fingaz ("Reality Check") plays George's
hard-living brother, Grady. Together they
manage their New York-based rap record
label, Sweetback Entertainment, whose
main star is white rapper, Versis, played by
hip-hop artist Vishiss.
George said viewers don't need intimate
knowledge of the music to enjoy "Plati
num," despite its setting in the world of hip
hop. "Even if you don't listen to hip hop,
the show is interesting on a human level,"
he added. "Just like you don't have to know
about the mob to like 'The Godfather' or
'The Sopranos."'
"Platinum" created by John Ridley and
Sophia Coppola will premiere Apr 14 at 9
p.m. on UPN.
No White
Review by Kevin Fallon
editor-in-chief
The new White Stripes album comes
in like its title, an "Elephant." It's big,
loud, and strong; yet gentle at heart. It
is innocent and dangerous. It is also one
of the best records you will hear in
2003.
Jack and Meg White, the Bonnie and
Clyde of the grunge rock movement,
follow up 2001's breakthrough "White
Blood Cells" with a classic record. The
duo, in the process, has redefined rock
by making it fun again, breaking it to
its bare bones, and bringing it back to
its roots.
"Elephant" was recorded live on
eight-track reel to reel with equipment
that predates 1963 on a budget that
would not cover most other modern
rock star's limousine and bottled water
expenses. Oh, yeah, and it was re
corded in two weeks.
The result is a playful band that
laughs in the face of overly produced
choreographed radio rock by playing
mostly with one guitar and a drummer.
The White Stripes take their version
of blues influenced punk (or punk in
fluenced blues) to a new plane on "El-
ephant."
The first song "Seven Nation Army"
features the first low end with an ever
catchy bass line on a White Stripes al
bum and pounds itself into a battle cry
on an album that is "dedicated to the
death of a sweet heart."
Jack White breaks out raw Nirvana
like riffs and in the next heartbeat he
strums like a shy 9-year-old girl, all
_ o
II ll ' 1 II I 1 ii
I s I I I
4
"Idol" contestants "Frenchie" Davis, Corey Clark, and Trenyce all have pasts that came back
to haunt them.
The show that mimics the British "Pop Idol" show has walked into a lot of "Ameri
cas Most Wanted" controversy.
Corey Clark
The most recent addition to the "American Idol's" most wanted list involves
Clark, one of the nine finalists. Clark faces a trial for multiple misdemeanors, in
volving an alleged assault of his sister and resisting arrest.
If convicted, Clark will serve a maximum of one-year prison for the assault charges
and another six months for resisting arrest.
This is not Clark's only criminal mischief. Wal-Mart sued Clark for $6OO in
bounced checks in April 2002. Later, he was sued over a $5O false check at a To-
peka grocery store.
Clark was not believed to have a criminal background because the producers'
initial background check used a misspelled first name and did not find his lengthy
Jaered Andrews
This 24-year-old's singing career was cut short when he was involved in a bar
fight, resulting in a Pennsylvania man's death. Andrews was appointed as "Ameri
can Idols" top 32 when FOX disqualified him from any future appearances on the
show.
At the Blue Ribbon Grille, Andrews and some friends reportedly argued with the
victim. The death occurred as the "result of blunt force trauma to the head." Andrews
has since been charged with aggravated assault.
"Frenchie" Franchelle Davis
The woman rose to the likes of Aretha Franklin, but was forced off the show
because of an incident that she did not disclose to network officials.
The now 23-year-old appeared topless on an adult website. She does claim to be
of adult age when she posed for the site.
The removal did not stop Frenchie's dream. She has signed a managing deal with
the producers of the show and also held a position as a Grammy c'rrespondent.
"Trenyce" Lashundra Cobbins
She is the only contestant who actually had the honesty and the bravery to go up
to the "American Idol" producers about her criminal background.
Cobbins served one-year in a pre-trial diversion program for a felony theft charge
that occurred during October 1999. Her "rap sheet" is now clean free and the
producers will allow her to remain on the show.
Many Behrend students watch the show. When asked, "What do you think about
the "American Idol" contestants that were kicked off?" students do understand the
decision.
Senior Megan McNamara said, "I agree with it because they were supposed to
disclose that information in the beginning but they didn't."
The show requires all contestants to tell the producers about any criminal past or
any defamation but the producers got their "Americas Most Wanted" tips from
19
Daniel J. Stasiewski, A&E Editor
'Elephant'
before jumping into a raging solo.
Meg's drumming is simple, yet power
ful. She makes you want to get up and
dance like early 60s rock bands like the
Kinks once did.
The songs are childishly quirky such
as "Little Acorns," where Jack advises
"Re like the squirrel. give it a whirl,
girl." Or "I Want to be the Boy to Warm
Your Mother's Heart" about wanting to
win the love of a girl's mom.
"Elephant" adds a Zeppelin rock fla
vor to the band's already folksy-punk
sound. It also establishes the White
Stripes as one of the most relevant and
important bands in music today. The
White Stripes have proven that it is still
possible to make music that is creative,
original, real, and most importantly,
fun.
* * * I*
out
out of
4 stars
by Olivia Page
staff writer
behrcolls@aol.com
"Elephant"
by the White
Stripes is on
sale now