Page 4
The Battalion
Tuesd
Tuesday, March 10,1992
Up With People brings cultural
production to Texas A&M
By Tracy McCarren
The Battalion
Rudder Auditorium will sway
to the "Rhythm of the World" as
Up with People brings their inter
national musical extravaganza to
College Station on March 29 at
7:30 p.m.
Up with People, an interna
tional educational organization,
was formed at a summer youth
conference in 1965 by J. Blanton
Belk to provide focus on the ener
gy and idealism of youth move
ments around the globe.
The organization aims to en
courage understanding among na
tions and equip participants with
leadership qualities. For 11
months the cast travels to different
countries, entertaining audiences
with their show, providing com
munity service and participating
in career development activities.
The cast members stay with host
families at each city in which they
perform.
"It is an excellent experience.
The year on tour is worth four
years of college," said Jeff John
son, 1990 cast member and stu
dent at Texas A&M.
Johnson first became interest
ed in Up with People when he was
in high school. Through his in
volvement with Fellowship of
Christian Athletes, he hosted a
cast member at his home.
The cast of 140, representing
countries such as Sweden,
Czechoslovakia and Bermuda,
takes the audience on a journey
around the world with their ener
getic performance of current inter
national music.
"The show is two hours of in
credible music and dancing from
many different countries," said
Aimee Greenspan, member of the
advance team for Up with People.
She says a popular part of the
show is the '70s medley that in
cludes music from Star Wars,
Rocky and the Beatles. The audi
ence finds themselves getting in
volved in the show.
Trude Antonsen, member of
the advance team, adds, "Even
men in suits are standing up and
dancing!"
Following the show, the cast
members will hold interviews for
those interested in joining Up with
People. "Cast members must be
between the ages of 17 and 25,
high school graduates, in good
health and single," said Antonsen.
No performance skills are neces
sary. Before going on tour, cast
members go through intense stage
and musical training.
Sponsored by the Interfratemi-
ty and Panhellenic Councils and
KORA, proceeds from "Rhythm
of the World" will benefit the Ar-
rowmoon District of the Boy
Scouts in Brazos county.
Hosts are needed for the 140
cast members from March 27-29.
For information about interview
ing for a spot on the cast or host-
Aimee Greenspan of Connecticut! (top), Trude Antonsen of Norway (left), and
Glynis Bergsma of Canada promote the Up with People production “Rhythm of the
World” in Post Oak Mall on Sunday.
ing a cast member, call 845-0112. outlets and Foley's. Prices are $5
Tickets for the show are avail- for students and $10 for non-stu-
able at Rudder lobby, all Ticketron dents.
Darkside's latest
draws from ^Os
By Chris Eklof
The Battalion
The Darkside
"Melomania"
Beggars Banquet / RCA
The title of the Darkside's
second album might mislead
the listener. "Melomania" is not
mellow, but it is highly
psychedelic, returning to the
'60s for its musical stylings. The
Darkside blends together key
boards and guitars in a style
that fit in years ago.
The Darkside's debut al
bum, "All That Noise" was re
leased in 1991 and made it to
the top 10 of American alterna
tive charts. The success of this
album gave the Darkside a foot
in the door of the American mu
sic scene.
The music on "All That
Noise" was labeled as coming
straight out of the '60s. The
band feels that they have moved
further into modem music with
"Melomania," but it still dis
plays a heavy dose of
psychedelic influence.
The best example of these in
fluences is the album's last
song, "Rise." This 10-minute
monster of a song is dominated
by Doors-like organ music. The
first three minutes of the song
consists of some quick lyrics
and simple music. The song
continues with the musical in
terweaving of organ and guitars
for a six-minute instrumental
jam. The lack of vocals on
"Rise" is what makes it the
strongest song on the album.
Singer Pete Bassman vocal
talent is non-existent. He can
hit one musical note with his
voice and he continues to hit
that note over and over, never
changing the tone of his voice.
His picture belongs next to the
word "monotone" in the dictio
nary. He could not sing to save
his life.
On "Tornado", Bassman re
peatedly chants "tornado, tor
nado, tornado" without putting
any life or spirit into the song.
Throughout the album, the vo
cals continue to let down the
spirit of the music.
Some people might feel that
Bassman's vocal style fits in
with the '60s style of music that
"Melomania" tries to recreate.
However there are enough ex
amples of psychedelic groups
with quality lead singers to
prove those people wrong. The
Darkside could be a lot better if
they were to invest in a singer.
Make sure your road trip proceeds without a hitch.
CttUngCani
oitn bum I'iir
. .j'ftir
8 ...
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' SO* A »»
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©1992 AT&T
ATsT
'Crime' should
be convicted
By Timm Doolen
The Battalion
"Once Upon A Crime"
Starring John Candy, George
Hamilton, Sean Young
Directed by Eugene Levy
Rated PG
Showing at Post Oak 3
Once upon a time, "Once Upon
a Crime" might have been funny
But in modern days, comedies
must not only be silly and have;
few gags, tfWy also have to hav.
reasonable pjpt and some sense J
coherence.
And while "Once'Upon a
Crime" comes close, it doesn't
quite make it.
"Crime" is a humorous who
dunit set in Monte Carlo, involv
ing four Americans, two French
men, some police investigators
and a Dachshund named
Napoleon.
Two American travelers,
Phoebe (Sean Young) and Julian
Peters (Richard Lewis), find a dog
and try to return it to its rich own
er. When they get to the mansion
they find a dead body in thf
garage, and decide to run rather
than explain their situation.
Meanwhile, an American
tourist (Jim Belushi) tries to breal
the bank at Monte Carlo and ends
up broke, while his wife (Cybil
Shepherd) gets lucky and wins
half a million dollars.
In desperation, Belushi walks
around Monte Carlo and steals a
suitcase outside the mansion-
which now contains the dead
body. The couple is found with the
dead body while the other Ameri
cans are arrested at the scene of the
crime.
The dead body is identified as
that of the rich lady who owned
the dog. John Candy is thought to
be the mastermind of the murder,
while George Hamilton is found
out to be the rich lady's secret
lover, and another suspect.
The police ask all the partici-
pants questions, and all of them lie
unabashedly. At the end, they are
all brought to the scene of the
crime to reveal the true murderer.
This is a spoof on the Agatha
Christie whodunits, similar to the
highly funny "Murder By Death'
(1976), but not with as tight a plot
or as many laughs.
There are some fairly good per
formances, especially by Candy,
who's at his best in pure eccentric
comedy, and also Hamilton, who
plays a small part that's perfectly
matched for him. Shepherd and
Young are not as suited to their
roles.
Novice director Eugene Levy,
who is a Second City Television
veteran, does a capable job of han
dling the scenes (he can be caught
as the cashier in the Monte Carlo
casino). But the weak script and
some uneven performances dis
tract from the good parts of the
film.
This movie doesn't purport to
be of the caliber of "Murder on the
Orient Express," and it definitely
doesn't achieve it. The unstruc
tured silliness of the plot makes
"Once Upon a Crime" not worth
your time.
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