Arts & Entertainment
Academy to judge films
By Trevor McArthur
Staff Reporter
For most people, the Academy
Awards are over. But for some stu
dents. they arc just starting.
Four Midwestern films will move
on to Beverly Hills, Calif., to be
judged in the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences student
film awards competition. The films
were chosen at the Region Five
semifinals at the Film Center Theater
at the School of the Art Institutes of
Chicago last Saturday
The films are
• “Cat £ Rat.” b\ James
Richardson from Columbia College
of Chicago, for animation
• “The Geometry of love," by
Rafael ang and r»a\ id Allison from
the School of the Art Institutes of
Chicago, for dramatic
• “Norma Jean." by John Bchnkc
I
from Southern Illinois University in
Carbondalc, for documentary.
• “Special Feelings,” a videotape
by Dirk Eitzen from the University of
Iowa at low a City, tied with “Norma
Jean” for documentary.
No experimental films from Ne
braska will go on to the finals because
none made it to second-round screen
ings at the Sheldon Film Theater
April 2.
“Whose Kids Are These?,” a film
produced by the 1987 University of
Nebraska-Lincoln 16mm filmmak
ing class, was sent to the semifinals
but didn 't advance.
This was the first year videotape
entries could be submitted with films.
Barbara Scharres, coordinator of the
event in Chicago, said videotapes had
a disadvantage because they lacked
film quality.
“Even the most inept film would
look better than video,” Scharres said.
-1
Courtesy of Swanson Russsfl Associates
The Kneisleys
Shrine Circus thrills,
amazes young and old
By Micki Haller
Senior Editor
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and
girls: it will amaze and astound you,
thrill you and fill you with that spe
cial joy only a circus can bring; yes
folks, it’s the 43rd Annual Shrine
Circus.
At the State Fair Grounds Coli
seum, this circus certainly filled the
bill. It dazzled, excited and awed,
Sec CIRCUS on 9
Mark uavia/uaily Nebraskan
Franken and Davis
Franken and Davis successful
By Tom Lauder
Senior Editor
About 700 people made their way
to the Centennial Ballroom Monday
night to witness the Franken and
Davis Show — Nebraska Edition.
“Saturday Night Li vc” senior writ
ers A1 Franken and Tom Davis are
pros when it comes to working a
college crowd. The comedy team has
played at colleges for more than a
decade and has developed an excel
lent sense for the college mindset.
The show opened with a talk-show
sketch on what to do if you’re really
drunk and you absolutely have to
drive.
“First, get a big American-made
car ... No riceburners — put some
thing really solid between you and
whatever you’re going to hit.”
Through sheer outrageousness
they pointed out the stupidity of one
of our country’s common social ills.
And the audience responded enthusi
astically from this first sketch on
through the entire show.
“The drunk-driver piece was
probably the oldest piece in there,”
Davis said after the show. “You see
why we use it.”
Subsequent sketches touched on
subjects from bulimia to anti-crack
commercials (‘Take half a toke”). ,
In a Central American version of !
Bonus Password, the host (Franken) i
prompted a member of the secret i
police (Davis) with a clue, such as i
‘wire.” Davis promptly replied with ;
“testicle.” The clue “piano” triggered I
“wire,” “toenail” triggered “pliers” i
and so on.
Some sketches were regionalized
for the Lincoln audience. A Lincoln
man opens a not-so-fancy French
restaurant in town or a down-and-out
farmer resorts to male prostitution in
“the gay areas of Wahoo” to feed his
family.
The duo also performed some of
their classic skits like “An Human
Echo” or “Placenta Helper.” Franken
demonstrated his ability to draw the
continental United States in “around
two minutes,” a bit he has done on
“Late Night with David Letterman.”
The show had a few technical
glitches, most noticeably with the
microphones. Peggy Peterson, chair
person of the University Programs
Council Talks and Topics Commit
tee, said the usual ceiling sound sys
tem wasn’t used, leading to a few
audio problems.
But we’re talking about Franken
and Davis, who have done their act for
more than 15 years and w ho work on
“Saturday Night Live,”a show whose
origins are in improvisation. The
microphone problem just added more
material for their show.
And it was their improvisation and
ad-lib that provided the show with
some of its funniest moments.
Franken and Davis aren’t afraid to
throw themselves into situations that
most stand-up comics would fear,
rhey did one sketch in which audi
ence members could ask President
Reagan (Franken) questions over the
clephone. Pure improvisation, and
heir “lecture” segment consisted of
he duo fielding questions from the
ludicncc about Saturday Night Live,
he Grateful Dead, Monty Python and
(urt Vonnccut.
The show closed with a scathing
parody of television evangelists.
Franken, impersonating Pat
Robertson, was the host of PTLTGIF
(Praise the Lord, Thank God It’s Fri
day). With guest Davis, as a fellow
evangelist, the two compared notes
on various sexual escapades with
teen-age girls and boys.
Both comics complimented the
audience at the show.
“It can’t get any better than that,”
Davis said after the show. “They got
everything.”
Shortly after the show, Franken
and Davis relumed to the stage to
pack up their gear. They loaded their
few props (a cowboy hat, telephones,
a scarf, etc.) into a black trunk. A UPC
worker told Franken some fans were
waiting outside the ballroom for auto
graphs. She wanted to know if he
would like to go out and meet them or
if, Lord forbid, he would like them to
come in.
"Let it be chaotic,” he said indif
ferently.
So a dozen or so fans wandered in
to have Franken and Davis sign post
ers, “Saturday Night Live” memora
bilia, a raquetball, even a Gideon
Bible. All the while, the pair chatted
and joked with the hangers-on as the
twosome got all their gear packed
away. Someone gave them their
check. (“I think you’re supposed to
send it”— Davis. “If someone gives
you a check, keep it.” — Franken.)
Davis put on a dark overcoat and a
scarf, Franken pul on his faded purple
Minnesota Vikings jacket, some UPC
guy picked up the trunk, arid they
wereoff, back to New York, to vote in
Tuesday’s primaries and wait out the
Reunion food court has a large selection
By Trevor McArthur
Siaff Reporter___
The food court has come to the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The new Reunion alternative stu
dent center at 16th and W streets,
roughly between Nebraska Hall and
the Harper-Schramm-Smith resi
dence halls, has opened its doors for
business, and while many of the
spaces for businesses are still vacant
or under construction, six fast food
stands arc open to provide students
with a wider variety of eating choices.
The court might be said to have a
theme — something like “Lincoln
entrepreneurship on display.” Most
of the businesses were begun in Lin
coln, and several are chains or aspir
ing chains moving out to the rest of the
world. The food ranges from Ameri
canized Mexican and Italian to a
seemingly more authentic, but fast,
Ch inese to good old pure-bred Ameri
can. Desserts are in good availability
as are a few breakfast items.
Cinnamon Sam’s offers cinnamon
rolls sold individually or in packs,
mull ins, sandwiches (Sam-wiches),
cookies, raisin bread and drinks.
Hand ‘em a buck and they’ll hand you
a darn good roll and a penny. Sam’s is
the only stand representing a national
chain not from Lincoln.
Yogurt Sensations, continuing
clockwise in ihe food court, is owned
by the same partners who took out the
franchise for the neighboring Sam’s,
but is of local origin. The stand offers
But the best item is the cookie
dough. I’m told they are not the first to
offer this, but they arc one of the few.
many desserts made with yogurt in
stead of ice cream: shakes, “Smooth
ies” (like shakes but with fruit),
waffle cones, root-beer floats and
“specialties” like yogurt pies and hot
fudge sundaes. Take-out quantities
are available as well as plain and
flavored popcorn. New York Seltzer
and other sodas, punch and drinks are
available to wash it all down.
Hamburger Patty’s is the good,
American burger joint of the place.
It s a nice place oflcring hamburgers
cheeseburgers, hoi dogs, french fries
and a few other things. Soda and other
drinks arc available, as well as a few
breakfast items until 11 a.m.
If you’ve baked cookies before with a
group of people nearby or remember
your mother baking them when you
were tiny, you know the dough needs
to be protected jealously from hungry
fingers or you won’t be left with
enough to cook. For 4 cents less than
the price of a cookie (they pass on the
savings of riot heating the oven to
their customers) you can buy a small
amount of dough to eat there, share in
class or cook back in your illegal
dorm toaster-oven. It’s just an experi
ment, according to an employee of
Patty’s, but I hope it won’t be
dropped. I tried chocolate with white
chocolate chunks and a Toll House
type dough with M&Ms. Both were
good, but remember what eating too
much of such sweet stuff can do to the
stomach.
This is Patty’s first location, but
the owners hope to become big play
ers in the franchise game.
Amigos, the fast-expanding, semi
fast Mexican food chain with local
roots, has yet another Lincoln loca
tion. This one has the same basic
SeeREUNiON on 9