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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1984)
Tuesday, March 20, 1984 Daily Nebraskan Page 1 1 F P C -a. J Ilu . i- i . ft. 3 E i J ff I 5 i mm ri . a a h J uu su. 72 c . ? Oil J r fJ .t -4- By UiivC Frcct The media is the message. OK, that's not an origi nal thought, but neither is Suzanne Pleshette is Maggie Briggs, the latest CBS sitcom offering. The message is original concepts don't amount to a hill of beans in the crazy world (admittedly, not a new notion, either). Suzanne Plcshctte is Maggie' Briggs (no kidding, that is the show's correct name) is a hybrid of every successful sitcom that has ever aired on television. Maggie Briggs i3 sort of a news paper version of Mary Richards, and Walter, her compadre, is a lovable old gruff, who eerily resem bles Lou Grant. The office is a lot like those we saw in both Mary Tyler Moore and WKRP: There are a lot of people scurrying around, claiming to be journalists, yet they rarely do anything as off the wall as, say, work. They sit around a lot, and talk about each other's personal lives, always caring, always funny. The show's humor resembles that of Pleshette's last series, The Bob Newhart Stuno. And from watch ing the love-hate relationship Briggs has with her boss, you'd swear it was Cheers. If they've got to copy sitcoms, at least they're using enjoyable prototypes. MaggieBriggs, however, never New Dolby album . . . Continued from Page 10 Dolby is more than a songwriter; he is a composer. Although Simple Minds has been around the music scene about as long as Thomas Dolby, it has not received much recognition in the United States. Sparkle in the Rain (A&M) just may be their break through album even more so than the mildly successful 1 982 LP New Gold Dream. The current album is in the tradition of New Gold Dream. It's a lot classier than most of the newer music out today. Somehow, they make their elec tronic gadgetry sound like an orchestra, especially in the instrumental "Shake Off the Ghosts." av $20D1 on a 1983 SUPER SPORT 12 Speed Road OTange Champion double butted tubing OAraya 700C x 20 rims CSunToar ARX derailleurs Water bottle, rack and shifter braze-ons Toe clips SALE 349.95 REG. 549.95 SCIIWINN NO TIME LIMIT WARRANTY Schwinn will replace any defective part. No time limit. No charge except for dealer labor aft er 30 days, or after a year in case of defective frames. See your Authorized Schwinn Dealer. i quite manages to become enjoyable. It's more than the show's perpetual state of deja vu that keeps it from taking off. The cast is remarka bly weak. Pleshette was an excellent foil to Newhart, but on M aggie Briggs she really doesn't have anyone to play off oL Perhaps this is just because the show has only been on the air a couple of weeks. However, it does seem many of the characters here are dead ends in terms of plot potential. The show also suffers from a distinct air of upwardly-mobile snottiness. This week's episode involved Walter's reluctance to give lizzie a loan to take a trip to Italy. Oh, if only I had a nickel for each time IVe asked friends for a few measley thou to take a trans-Atlantic sojourn. The show's premiere concerned Maggie being transfered from news to feature reporting. With unemployment hovering around 8 percent, you somehow get the impression her complaints are relatively minor. , Maggie Briggs could Vise above its own triviality. The remedies aren't easy, the writers will have to quit rushing to the sitcom entry in the Encyclopedia Brittanica every time a plot complication i3 needed. And a dominant character - be it Pleshette or one of her cronies needs to be developed. There's really nothing terrible about this series. Unfortunately, there is nothing wonderful, either. Not only do they write their own songs, they also borrow from a most unusual source: Lou Reed. "Street Hassle" combines their British sophistication with a jazz background. They have successfully adapted the song to their style. "Waterfront," the new single, is representative of the songs on the LP. It has an underlying driving rock force with a soft edge. Steve Lillywhite, one of the top producers of 1983, produced the Simple Minds album effectively and efficiently, squeezing the most he could out of their potential as a major force in the future music scene. Sparkle in the Rain is a calming, carefree album. Just lay back, relax and let the music take over. if! 5.5 Appreciation Night Wednesday 9-11:30 pm nnnn u n n u M X i i i in oTCioo. I P-nnrpn P-n Li U J u Z3 3 n m -. J9 t :o: S3 WW . ! X x "! JUL iV A f Both Bands Playing Tonite Thru Saturday 27th G Csrnhurlicr ' jL UG J L.. J L vJ WEDKESOflY MEN'S Free Drinlis For flen Thursday N:$t THE DATTLE OF THE SDCES 1st Place Prize Man vs. Woman s Who will win? i - I s " I'll 7 I I ' v --..I i j A j . FEIDfiY MITE FREE DRINKS FOR LADIES 7-9 P.M. MONDAY 8 P.M. ffiOYLESQUE MALE REVUE( DANCE TO STOOGE'S NEW VIDEO MUSIC SYSTEM STOOGES 9th &. P St. WE ROCK LINCOLN 2 LOCATIONS AH SQUTii-3321 Pioneers 488-2101 UORTH-1517 tlo. Cotner-464-6952