V
The Battalion
LIFESTYLES
Thursday, October 19,1989
Lifestyles Editor Dean Sueltenfuss 845-33
Hamburgers, french fries not just ‘junk’ food
Illustration by Tim Pope
‘ Look Who ’ s Talking ’ trite but fun
By Todd Stone
Of The Battalion Staff
“Look Who’s Talking” gets great mileage. Not
gas mileage, laughs mileage. Instead of getting so
many miles to the gallon, this film gets two-hours
worth of laughs from one premise: What are ba
bies thinking about?
Kirstie Alley (TV sitcom “Cheers”) stars as
Mollie, an accountant in her mid 30s who is in
volved with a married man, Albert (George Se-
gal)
Albert is a swine, a louse, a scum-sucking
prima donna. First, he cheats on his wife, and
then he promises Mollie he will leave his wife but
never does. As if he wasn’t busy enough, Albert
also cheats on Mollie. Then Mollie becomes preg
nant, and of course, busy Albert is the father.
By now the pivotal character, the baby, has
been “bred” into the plot. We get to see Mollie’s
baby, Mikey, being conceived, with sperm charg
ing to the ovum. No, this isn’t a health class.
However, director and screenwriter Amy
Heckerling created an amusing scene by giving
the sperm a “yee hah, let’s go get ’em” attitude. (I
never thought I would be writing about gung-ho
sperm.)
Before the baby is born, Albert and Mollie
break up. When Mollie goes into labor while win
dow shopping, she hails a cab. The cab driver,
James, played by John Travolta, is recruited to
help in the delivery room.
James has a grandfather (Abe Vigoda) who
needs to live in a nursing home, but his grandfa
ther doesn’t live in the right section of town to
qualify for residency. James trades baby sitting
time with Mollie to use her address.
There is a chemistry between Mollie and
James, but Mollie needs to find the perfect father
for Mikey. James isn’t successful enough. He’s an
easygoing guy and immediately hits it off with
Mikey. You know he would be a great father, but
it will be an hour and a half before Mollie figures
it out.
Mikey is a character from “the beginning.”
The audience hears his thoughts while he is still
developing in the womb. The voice of Mikey is
provided by Bruce Willis (“Die Hard,” “Blind Da
te”), who is the perfect man for the job. He is sar
castic when needed, but more importantly, he is
gentle and adds an innocent touch to many of
Mikey’s questions and observations.
Travolta is great as the laid-back James. He
needed a hit movie just as much as Jim Bakker
needed a good lawyer, and it appears Travolta
has his hit. He was funny and appealing as the
free-spirited cab driver.
Alley was equally charming. She displayed a
sweet sincerity portraying a mother who is des
perately trying to do what’s right for her child.
Olympia Dukakis makes her first film appear
ance since her Oscar-winning performance in
“Moonstruck,” as Mollie’s mother. She was good
for a few witty remarks. Segal was effective as the
insensitive Albert. You wanted to see Albert
hung by his toes.
The only obvious flaw is the climax. In an ef
fort to create a happy ending, it’s terribly con
trived. I don’t want to give the ending away (not
that anything in the movie will surprise you), but
what would get an estranged couple back to
gether in three miniutes of film time? Maybe put
ting a certain baby in danger.
The plot is mostly fluff, not much substance.
However, strong performances and a clever
script makes “Look Who’s Talking” an entertain
ing, light-hearted comedy.
Aggie Players open 6 Waiting For Godot’
Photo by Jay Janner
John Flores, Al Alford, Oliver Tull and Clin- duction of “Waiting for Godot,” which will
ton Sam perform In the Aggie Players’ pro- begin Friday night in 144 Blocker Building.
The Aggie Players will present
Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting
For Godot” on Thursday, Oct.
20, in 144 Blocker Building at 8
p.m.
The play premieres at the
newly designed Fallout Theater
in Blocker that was established to
present an intimate atmosphere
for select Aggie Players produc
tions.
Beckett’s “Waiting For Godot”
is an unconventional drama that
presents two tramps, Vladimir
and Estragon, waiting on an
empty plain for someone to come
or for something to happen.
Their existence is barren and
laced with unfulfilled expectation
and serves as a comment by the
playwright about the state of
mankind in modern civilization.
Vladimir is portrayed by Oliver
Tull, and Clinton Sam is Estra-
f on. Al Alford plays Pozzo; John
lores plays Lucky. Sean Dun
ham appears as The Boy.
The play is directed by Roger
Schultz, the director of theater at
A&M, with costumes by professor
Susan Kelly. The set design is by
Rick Boultinghouse.
“Waiting For Godot” will be
performed at 8 p.m. on Oct. 20-
21, Oct. 26-28 and Nov. 2-4.
Tickets are available at Rudder
Box Office. Seats are $2 for sea
son ticket holders and $4 for the
general public. For further infor
mation contact Rudder Box Of
fice at 845-1234.
By Don Kopf
Of The Battalion Staff
One of my favorite things about
college is being able to stuff my face
with whatever “junk” food I choose
to eat without mom nagging me. My
favorite meal is a big, juicy, double
bacon-cheeseburger, french fries
drenched in ketchup, a fried apple
pie and an extra-gargantuan-sized
chocolate milkshake to wash it all
down. Yum, yum!
And I’m not alone. Countless
other students also love junk food.
Jermaine Thompson, a freshman
aerospace engineering major, said
he loves junk food, but his mom
g ives him a hard time about it at
ome.
“Mom doesn’t know what I eat up
here, ” Thompson said. “I prefer a
hamburger over a steak any day.”
Bryce Brown, a senior civil engi
neering major, said he also eats
more fast food at. school than at
home in Kerrville. Fast food is more
convenient and mom’s cooking is too
far away, he said.
However, even though mom isn’t
around to bug students about their
diets, she has since been replaced by
government-issued reports concern
ing the nutritional value of junk
food. And of course there are always
the “health nuts” run around telling
everyone how bad all fast food is.
But those of you who consider
yourselves to be junk food junkies
might be in luck. Dr. Robert Chap-
kin, assistant professor and food re
searcher in the A&M department of
animal science, said fast food is not
necessarily worse for you than
home-cooked meals. A lot dept
on how the food is cooked. Alioj
cooked meal full of oil and salt is:
better than a fast-food hamburg:
said.
Fast food contains all the nutng
a person needs to stay bet
Chapkin said, adding thatsomej
perts consider the Big Mactobeii
of the most healthy foods evere-
The problem with fast fa
Chapkin said, is that it genea
contains higher levels of salt,®
and fat than home-cooked meals
person could, however, eat not!]
but fast food and probably Ifa
healthy life. The key is to not eats
much of any one thing, he said.
“Anything in moderation is prott
bly fine,” Chapkin said, adding
unless a person is eating nothing
three bowls of Captain Crundi
day, he is probably safe..
An article in the Sept. 14,1
edition of “The New England fa
nal of Medicine” lends credenti.
Chapkin’s statements that fast fa
is not lacking in any of thenecesa
vitamins, proteins and nutrients,
need to stay healthy.
Most fast-food meals a»
more than enough quality prater
fill the U.S. recommendeddailti
lowance. In fact, the averager.!
dle-age man consumes 60 pets
more protein than recommended'
the average middle-age women;:
sumes 25 percent more.
The article also stated that i
fast foods contain high levels ofsa
grease and sugar and that these:
See food/Page 8
Duke Jupiter, Ten Hands
scheduled to perform in
B-CS this weekend
Ten Hands will perform tonight at the Parthenon.
By John Righter
Of The Battalion Staff
This weekend brings to Col
lege Station the distinct sounds of
Dallas’ Ten Hands and Austin’s
Duke Jupiter. The high-flying
Ten Hands will invade the Par
thenon tonight with their original
brand of fusion-funk. And Friday
night, former CBS artists Duke
Jupiter will showcase their heavy
blues style at the Texas Star Tav
ern.
Tonight’s performance by Ten
Hands could be the most exciting
show of the whole semester, in
cluding R.E.M. Ten Hands is the
rave of Dallas and is the hottest
independent band in Texas.
The three-year-old group will
be making its first appearance in
College Station, supporting its re
cently released album, Kung Fu
. . . That’s What I like. When
asked to describe themselves, the
band labeled their sound as “Tito
Puentes meets Peter Gabriel,” but
from all indications, only the
word “indescribable” could be ac-
only Texas act that consistent!)
utilizes the Stick, which provide;
the punch behind their psyche
delic funk.
With the critical acclaim given
to both Kung Fu and the group;
high energy sets, Ten Hands ap
pears to be on the verge of a ma
jor breakthrough. The band com
bines solid fusion groove, a
thundering rhythm section, an!
some insanely witty lyrics all ina
five-piece package. They’re guar
an teed to get you grooving.
If tonight with Ten Handsisn
enough, then Friday night’s per
formance by Duke Jupiter at the
Texas Star Tavern may bethean
swer. The hard-rocking blue-
band, which recently relocated! 1
Austin, is touring in support off
The Line of Your Fire album, on
on Motown Records, and its sow
to-be-released follow up.
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curate.
The Dallas Observer, naming
Ten Hands the band to watch for
in ’88, listed the five-piece outfit
as “ ... a musicians’ musicians
group, solid on complex, melodic
song structures and bottom-
heavy on percussive thunder.
Sorta fusion meets rumba.”
Ten Hands is Paul Slavens
(keyboards and vocals), Steve
Brand (guitar and vocals), Earl
Havin (drums), Mike Dillon (Per
cussion), and Gary Muller (Chap
man Stick).
Of special interest is Muller’s
Chapman Stick, a long, upright
10-stringed instrument tuned like
a piano but featuring a low bass
tone.Ten Hands is currently the
Duke Jupiter was formed in
by vocalist and keyboardist M
shall James Styler. The band!
released seven LPs on Mercur
Coast to Coast (CBS) and Moto*
Records. From those albufi
Duke Jupiter has scored hit;
gles with “I’ll Drink To You
“This Is Japan,” and “Litdefa
dy.”
Styler has been the band’s co:
slant force through its many -
carnations. He currently is join;
by drummer Kevin Conway, g»
tarist Bradley Kopp, and ba;;
Ted Sweeney. In working thf
way back, the band has addedf-
tra energy to its material, strive
for a mix between Styler's soulf-
lyrics, Kopp’s strong-armed Ik'
and Conway and Sweene
bluesy rhythm section.
Whether it be Ten Hand:
night, or Duke Jupiter Frii
night, the weekend looks to be
good one for live music.