FEATURES
THE BEHREND BEACON JANUARY 14,2000
PAGE 7
G • h • t
Any Sunday hard
by Douglas Smith their primary concerns differ be- with her issues that highly upset victual characters are the best parts that take everything into account,
features co-editor tween an emphasis on winning and Pacino. The storyline develops of the movie. Oliver Stone does get even the meaningless elements of a
loyalty and that of marketing and story. The football scenes are par-
Football movies have come and publicity tially played out like a soap opera
gone in the past years Varsur Blues Dennis Quaid plays Jack "Cap" as Stone employs flashbacks and
may be the last such movie many of Rooney, the 39 year-old experienced cut-aways to enlarge the importance
you have watched, but the last re- quarterback that suffers an injury ANY tr, 4 ,t, e
Ag,*,, .d to more than just a game on the field.
The slogan of Any Given Sunday
lease from Oliver Stone outlasts early in the movie to start even more c
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many sports movies released prior controversy around which the story explains this dramatic feel wonder
to it. Any Given Sunday packs a expands. Jamie Foxx plays Willie fully. It reminds us "Life is a con
powerful punch with an amazing Beamen, who is actually the third 4 .. i:: tact sport."
cast, but lacks some action on the string quarterback that gets a shot
.. A piece of advice for watching this
field. However, the storyline is mag- with the Sharks and relishes the lime- movie is to expect a rapid change in
nificent light for all it is worth. When Rooney scenery and topic. Also, do not leave
Al Pacino leads the all-star cast as heals and Beamen becomes arrogant the theater when the credits start to
the head coach of the Sharks, a pe- from his newfound popularity, many roll because the story is not over.
rennial powerhouse in the imaginary new problems arise between Pacino Let's just say that Oliver Stone left
league created by Stone, The team and Beamen, the rest of the team and a lot of room for a sequel, but that is
is taken over by the daughter of the Beamen, and Beamen and himself. not his way of course
previous owner after his untimely There are a few moments in the One problem viewers may face
death. Cameron Diaz plays Chris- movie that require special attention while watching the movie is accept
tina Pagniacci, an owner that likes Pay close attention to the one-on-one around a few large problem and a a little out of control as he tries to ing Jamie Foxx in a serious role. He
to appeal to her fans and the media confrontation between Foxx and few subtle ones that come to a head make the football scenes a very dra- pulls it off rather well surprisingly.
The turmoil begins between Tony Pacino. Also many times through- at only one time in the movie matic element of his movie. Stone The character does not really carry
D' Amato (Pacino) and Pagniacci as out the movie Diaz confronts Pacino The interactions hetween indi- is known for very dramatic stories a "serious" tone until three-quarters
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by Jason Snyder name of "Ruth."
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can remember is the man we can tell t ' 4 A' ' '''' to—
It's not a difficult task or an
incredible feat to rummage through
the history of sports and pick out
athletes or events that are
unforgettable. It's not even a
challenge to sit with your friends and
have an hour-long discussion on the
history of sports and argue as to who
the greatest athlete is and what event
is considered the most memorable.
Chances are, you'll have five
different people that can rightly
justify that five different athletes are
the greatest to ever walk this earth.
So it would seem relatively difficult
for one group of people to rightly
justify to the world that any one
athlete is greater than any other.
As I sat at home on Christmas
Break awaiting ESPN to name their
top four greatest athletes. I knew that
their decision would be highly
respected by the millions of people
that have followed their countdown
of the 50 Greatest North American
athletes this century. After all, there
were nearly 50 ESPN employees of
different ages, races, genders and
varying sports expertise that all had
their say in the countdown. So,
whether or not we agreed, we had to
find some validity to the choice of
their order.
When I got home from my
Christmas Eve activities, I anxiously
awaited the ESPN coverage of the
number 4 and 3 greatest athletes of
our century. I had my opinion of who
should be the two named that night
and who should be left over. My
ultimate hope was that I wouldn't
hear Michael Jordan's name
mentioned that night; hoping he
would last to the final show to be held
Dear Jane,
I am 19 years old, and I have
known forever that I am a lesbian. I
have kissed girls before, but that's
it. Recently I met this girl who I
really like and we have been seeing
quite a lot of each other. I am
considering getting more sexually
involved with her, but here's the
thing: she has been with quite a lot
of people (I don't have exact
numbers) and I'm wondering how
safe that is. I asked her to get tested,
but she says that the only people she
has ever been with were lesbian
women and so she could not have
any STD's. Should I insist that she
get tested anyway?
Wondering
the day after Christmas.
So when ESPN's Dan Patrick began
the show with Jim Brown's biography
as the fourth greatest athlete of the
century, I breathed a sigh of relief.
When I heard Jim Thorpe and Jesse
Owens named previously, I wondered
who else was deserving of the top five.
I asked myself, "why is Jim Brown so
high on this list?" After a 30-minute
biography of Brown and his life, I was
quickly convinced. The man might not
be considered the greatest football
player of all time, or even the greatest
running back. But many people
consider him the greatest lacrosse
player they have ever seen.
When the countdown got to the top
3, I felt they could get away with
naming anyone of the three athletes
left as their top pick, and make it a
respectable choice. So when I heard
them say Muhammed Ali, again a shot
of relief ran through me. They talked
about what Ali meant to blacks in
America and captured his worldwide
fame and respect.
That left two athletes. Bob Costas
once said, if you look at this century,
you can say that Babe Ruth dominated
athletics in the first 50 years, and
Jordan exemplified the past 50.
ESPN's countdown ended with a 30-
minute biography on both athletes,
followed by the results of the internet
roll and then the official naming of
this century's greatest athlete.
Ruth's biography showed, for the
first time, actual footage of the Babe
"calling his shot." They talked about
how he was the first to accomplish
feats never before touched. But what
amazes me about Babe Ruth is the fact
that his legend still lives strongly
today. When people think of baseball
as America's Pastime, they can rightly
justify that statement with the simple
DICK
and
JAN E
Dear Wondering,
YES. No sex is safe sex if your part
ner has had prior partners!. Even if
her partners were all lesbians, some
where along the line one of her part
ners' partners may have been bi
sexual or straight (it happens). The
whole sexual community is related,
and the chances of contracting a won
derful little STD bug are greater than
ever. Even if she IS tested, it does not
guarantee that she is safe. The HIV
virus might not show up for 6 months
after contracting it, syphilis is not
our grandchildren is the greatest
athlete this century, as chosen by
ESPN. The biography captured
Jordan's goal to be a role model and
his fear of making a mistake that
people could use to take him off his
pedestal. The show talked about his
sometimes
competitiveness: - and how an
"unsuccessful" (depending on your
definition of success) baseball career
changed his attitude towards the
game of basketball.
The countdown alone was enough
to make any sports fan proud to have
witnessed the incredible history of
sports through the accomplishments
of its athletes. But ESPN took their
century celebration one step further,
publishing a book that dissected the
lives and accomplishments of
athletes that exemplified their
decade. On www.espn.go.com, they
listed the top ten teams, dynasties,
rivalries and games of the century.
Overall, the suspense of the
countdown and the way ESPN
presented the tradition and
memorable events of athletics in the
21st century captured the attention of
sports fans all over the country.
ESPN ended their 20th anniversary
with coverage of events that took
place even before their time, to give
a sense of what sports meant before
our time, giving us more of a respect
of the roots of sports and who made
today's successes possible.
tested for unless symptoms are
present and there is no sure-fire test
for HPV (the virus that causes geni
tal warts). If those are risks you
don't mind taking, here are a few
thing to consider. She's been with "a
lot" of people? How many? Talk to
her about her sexual history, and get
her tested. If she won't talk to you
about her past or won't get tested,
she does not respect you or care
about your safety. In that case, I
would say take your virginity else-
where.
Jane
Write letters to Jane at
leave letters in the Beacon mailbox
(downstairs in Reed).
dangerous
by
Bongo the three legged
monkey
Aries (March 21-April 19). Keep on track
with your studies so you don't fall behind
this semester.
Taurus (April 20-May 20). Watch out for
falling rocks.
Gemini (May 21-June 21). Do the world a
favor. Drown a politician.
Cancer (June 22-July 22). Get 'ahead' in
life, be an intern.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). Be a role model
Join Jenny Craig.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Attend an SGA
meeting.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Do the world a
favor. Hit a Mac with a hammer.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Plantains.
They're not just for breakfast anymore
(nudge, nudge, wink, wink).
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Hug a
Police and Safety Officer today.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Get a life
Quit reading horoscopes.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb 18). Beware three
legged monkeys bearing strange gifts.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20). Expand your
mind. The Rock Says read a book by a
professional wrestler.
of the way through the movie.
Foxx's supporting cast helps him in
a role that many may feel isn't for
him. In addition to Pacino and Diaz,
James Woods provides movie expe
rience around Foxx, playing Dr.
Harvey Mandrake. Another actor
who has been proving his worth is
LL Cool J as high paid running hack
Julian Washington. To make the
football scenes real Stone recruited
former NFL linebacker Lawrence
Taylor as Luther "Shark" Lavay.
Another important role in the movie
is offensive coordinator Nick Cro
zier played by Aaron Eckhart.
Analyzing this movie after watch
ing it will make you appreciate it just
that much more. Pacino carries the
movie on his back at times, but any
fan of Pacino would say that is noth
ing new. If you like to see the prob
lems that arise from competition on
the field, then Any Given Sunday
will fuel your fire.
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