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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2003)
\Hj THE BATTALIOl ige led from page 1 inie-to-vehicle tripinsj and I do not have to pii botball parking ' ay,” Cook said, with giving studaij parking option, is also made more vis js available on Mi nberof the permit holi garage used the the University Centj st year, so the compli : West Campus Gars ed usage on c; , “This is good forvr now have spaces aval most times in I Center Garage.” the future of the We Uarage, Weis said It ; rates will increasedut h cost of adding aid the facility, but IS is Aggielife The Battalion Page 3 • Friday, October 3, 2003 Few individuals can boast a rising cinematic i"a proposal'that would :areer ’ a famous rock band and a first and last department to operate s more elficiently. nnot continue tooper n of this size and have overfilled whileothet 50 percent occupancy Weis said. “The ents made over the ar will provide erm benefits to the Smith contributed i i from page 1 •arring felons front is, and mandatory ods and firearm rec one of the studies by the federal gov- case, a CDC task “insufficient evi- etermine effective- the studies were by the CDC. Gun- vocates quickly le government It) research, have not to d surveys to kn» se laws wo/i and ’ sad and troubling Peter Ham ill, for the Brady to Prevent Gun National Rifle said it needed more w the CDC report enting on it. injuries were the ig cause of injury l 28,663 people >st recent year for as available. About f the deaths were accidents claimed :s that year. only conclusion Id draw from that mandatory Is reduced gun ale over 55. iction was not big gnificantly £ ar the overall complained e studies were too narrow, or e say we don’t ot of a law, we lias no effect. We t know,” said Dr, ing. Back in Black ‘School of Rock’ throws comedian Jack Black into a musical, family-oriented film By James Hissong THE BATTALION a In the beginning I was kind of a big loser, just living at my mom’s.” —jack Black musician and comedian name that rhyme. Jack Black is one of those few individuals. Black’s latest film, “School of Rock,” direct- by Richard Linklater, comes to theaters nationwide today and offers fans of the funny a new angle of humor. The movie ows Black to exploit both his medic and ousical abilities. He stars as Dewey Finn, a raising gui- t with delu- tof grandeur, ed out of his and desper- for work, Dewey imperson ates a substitute teacher and turns a fifth-grade class of high achievers into high-voltage rockers. To portray his class, several kids were cast as ack’s costars as well as his back-up musicians. As a result, this movie has been deemed more of afamilyfilm and required Black to approach his responsibilities as an actor in a new manner. “I couldn't drop any f-bombs, but 1 had a ad time,” Black said. "We rocked the hard :k,” Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly teled “School of Rock” “the most unlikely great movie of the year.” In his review, Gleiberman said past images of Black fall by the wayside alter watching his latest performance. “Hereaches deep inside his riffing, struffing head-banging self to give the single most joyful performance I’ve seen all year,” he said. Jack Black’s roots are grounded in onstage productions, but as time passed he found himself making appearances on the small screen in Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures Jack Black, in a scene from "School of Rock," teaches his class the roots of rock V roll. The movie, featuring Black in a family-friendly manner, releases nationwide in theaters today. shows such as “The X-files” and “Touched by an Angel.” While he did not comment on whether his recent popularity and growing cult followings are the direct responses of being fingered by a holy being, he did say that his rise to success was not immediate. “In the beginning I was kind of a big loser, just living at my mom’s,” Black said. “Then I started getting music and acting gigs. I did a lit tle telemarketing and was awful at it.” The variety of Jack's talents have led his career to grow into an odd merging of movies and music. Promotions for his latest cinema releases have his face plastered on billboards and Web sites, but screaming fans also fill packed auditoriums to witness Black as one of two front men for the self-proclaimed “greatest band in the world” — Tenacious D. For Black, starring in a family film was a step away from his usual screwball comedy genre. He questioned Mike White’s script but ultimately decided it was something he needed to do. He was skeptical about making a family movie but when he thought back on family films like “The Bad News Bears” and “Willy Wonka,” he sought to make an equally immortal film in the family genre. “It's like Mike (White) wrote this script and if the script was a car, he pulled up in a Ferrari that was built for me,” Black said. “So, I got in it and I was like, ‘I know how to drive this thing. I know what to do. I’m gonna take it over some bunny hops and I’m gonna Boor it and push the nitro button you didn’t even know about under the dash.” Living in College Station is slightly out of the Hollywood loop, but if ‘bunny hop' means improvisational comedy routines and ‘nitro but ton’ is slang for a super-rocking soundtrack, then Black says he and the crew are up to par. While “School of Rock” features a soundtrack with a number of established rockers including AC/DC, Cream, Led Zepplin, The Doors and The Ramones, the title track is an original song per formed by Black and his backup mini-musicians. The group has already played together several times attempting to promote the film, and Black claims that the musical talent these kids express often steals the show. “I played everything you see me play except the guitar solos,” he said. “Well, I played the crappy ones, but I'm not a good soloist. We hired kids that were kind of prodigies. If you’re 10 years old and you can play, you’re pretty much a prodigy as far as I’m concerned.” The film and its soundtrack are enjoying suc cess now, but Black explained that capturing rocking material with kids was nearly a scientif ic process. “We made sure that parents weren’t on the set,” said Black. “They had to be in a room far away where they could watch what was going on, through a camera. I’ve discovered you can't rock in front of your parents. You can rock but you can’t rock hard. I wanted to rock hard with them, but when you’ve got your mom right there, how can you rock?” The future for this movie musician and his famous eyebrows — which he says he works out everyday — is far from certain. Currently, he and Kyle Glas are working on bringing the story and sound of their band, Tenacious D, to the big screen. “Tenacious D: In the Pick of Destiny” is set for release in the win ter of 2004. Beyond that. Black’s career is wide open. “I try not to dwell on what the future holds,” Black said. “I just follow my nose, like the Fruit Loops’ toucan.” [ON Editor s Editor i|Tech Editor py Chief iphics Editor ditor .adio Producer Webmaster •ough Friday dur- ring the summer A&M University. R: Send address lege Station, TC at Texas A&M it of Journalism. 845-3313; Fax: aattalion.net endorsement by I 845-2696. For !eed McDonald, 5-2678. A&M student to ; 254. Mail sub- , $17.50 for the er, or American Grammy winning Jazz singer takes on the fight against illiteracy LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Jazz singer Al Jarreau says a recent encounter with a man who couldn’t read increased his motivation to help to stamp out illiteracy. The five-time Grammy winner was selling a car to the man, who asked him till out the paperwork because he couldn’t read. 1 was shocked,” Jarreau said Tuesday after reading to children at tie Long Beach Main Library. There are people who can’t read a map, can’t read a job appli- ation, can’t read a sign to get where they need to go.... It’s just sin- il, especially in a nation where education is free.” Jarreau, 63, read Chris Raschka’s “Charlie Parker Played Be op" to a group of third graders. He brought the story of a saxo phone-playing boy to life by singing the sounds of different types of saxophones. The reading was part of a literacy program sponsored by the erizon Foundation, and Jarreau volunteers as the group’s Literacy Champion.” PEOPLE IN THE NEWS The singer also donates a portion of proceeds from his latest album, “All I Got,” to the program. “I have been supporting the fight for better literacy skills since the 1960s when I was in college,” Jarreau said. Motely Crue bassist sues Vans, skateboarding magazine over image use LOS ANGELES (AP) — Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx has sued a skateboarding magazine and the Vans shoe company for alleged ly using his image in an ad without his permission. Sixx, whose real name is Franklin C. Feranna, said in the lawsuit filed Tuesday that the defendants used photographs of him with pro skater Tony Trujillo at a San Francisco ceremony, which Thrasher magazine organized and Vans sponsored. Sixx said he agreed to present Trujillo with a “Skater of the Year” award at the December 2002 ceremony because he knew Trujillo was a Motley Crue fan. The 44-year-old musician said he was surprised to see photos taken at the ceremony in an ad for Trujillo’s signature Vans shoes. The photo also showed a marquee with the words i “Thrasher Magazine’s Skater of the Year Tony Trujillo.” The lawsuit said the ad appeared in Revolver, Maxim, Stuff, FHM, Blender, and Alternative Press. Hercules, Xena sue Universal Studios to recover money from syndication LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hercules and Xena are joining forces in a lawsuit against Universal Studios over pay. “Xena: Warrior Princess” star Lucy Lawless and “Hercules” star Kevin Sorbo filed separate breach-of-contract lawsuits Tuesday accusing the company of denying them money from the adjusted gross receipts of their syndicated shows. Sorbo and Lawless said they had agreements with Universal enti tling them to a percentage of the receipts, but that Universal has improperly reduced the receipts and increased distribution expens es and production costs to deny them the money. Lawless said she was entitled to 5 percent, and Sorbo said he was entitled to 8 percent. Universal spokesman Jim Benson said the company hadn’t seen the lawsuits and doesn’t comment on pending litigation. Better Ingredients • Better Pizza Friday Special PickYour Size LARGE 2-Topping &lside SIDES: Breadsticks • Cheesesticks Chicken Strips • Cinnapie Monday Tuesday Wednesday! Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday LARGE topping 99 pu/only 5. 2 LARGE [-TOPPING $I2" ® ^ IB ® pu/delivery I EX-LARGE 2-TOPPING $ I0. 50 9 pu/delivery iLARGE 2-TOPPING & 2 liter drink $|| 99 I I • pu/delivery PICKYOUR SIDE LARGE 2 TOPPING AND I SIDE 78 pu/delivery 12. FAMILY SPECIAL I LARGE SPECIALTY I LARGE 2 TOPPING $ 16. 99 ANY LARGE SPECIALTY 99 $ II. Northgate Post Oak Square Center 601 University Dr. 100 Harvey Rd., Suite D 979-846-3600 979-764-7272 Rock Prairie 1700 Rock Prairie 979-680-0508 f MSC Film Society presents rwo films Fri. Oct. 3 irnauu Sunday: 11 a.nra. - midnight Monday - Wednesday: 11 a.m. - 1 £ Thursday: 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. - 3 a.i