Arts@Entertainment
Nebraskan
Thursday, Juno 30,1994
Counting Crows song
adopted by Omaha
By Paula Lavigne
Staff Reporter
When the San Francisco-based
band Counting Crows released
“August and Everything After,”
the album touched residents in
America’s heartland.
The band’s song “Omaha” dc
1 ighted that city’s residents^ much
it remained the city’s most popular
song for weeks.
Like any rock and
roll song, some of
the lyrics can be
confusing to
laymen. _Terry
Omaha City
Councilmember
-tf
And, with the help of two local
radio personalities and a member
of Omaha’s City Council, it soon
became an official song of the city
for 1994.
Councilmember Lee Terry
worked with members of ICEZOi
FM’s Todd and Tyler morning
show to write up an official resolu
tion.
“I’m into rock and roll. I’ve had
the CD weeks before they started
playing it on the air,” Terry said. “I
bought it because I heard Mr. Jones
on MTV.”
Hp said there was an official
“ragtime-type” song written spe
cifically for the city of Omaha say
ing “Omaha’s a great place, etc.,”
but it was written in the 1930s.
After he wrote up the resolution
to make “Omaha” an official song
instead of the city’s official song
for just 1994, Terry presented it to
his colleagues who received it with
a fairly positive response.
“Like any rock and roll song,
some of the lyrics can be confusing
to laymen,” he said. “We had a few
of the cduncilmcmbers balk at the
lyrics they didn’t understand.”
Terry said the resolution passed
in part because of a younger city
council who “just wanted to do
something fun... really!”
Terry sent the resolution to the
band’s label and Jam Productions.
CharlieGillingham, keyboardist
for Counting Crows said the reso
lution was tacked to a wall in the
bus.
“It’s charming,” he laughed. “I
have been to Omaha three or four
times. It’s a nice place to have becn
through.”
Unlike many of their other
songs, “Omaha” is not a story
song, he said, rather it is a scries of
images that have to do with the
heart and the “middle of America.”
Omaha is a very musical name,
Gillingham said.
“Isn’t it a wonderful set of sylla
bles?” he said. “All these great
American names from all these
states, Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio—:
all of them are Indian-oriented.”
The Counting Crows will be
performing “Omaha” and other
songs off their recent release “Au
gust and Everything After” at 7:30
tonight to a crowd at Omaha’s
Mancuso Convention Center. Spe
cial guests Sam Phillips and Frcntc!
will open the show. Tickets arc still
available.
Costner solid in Earp role
“Wyatt Earp”
By Joel Strauch
Staff Reporter
An epic talc of the 1 ife of the legendary W yatt Earp, the
film does justice to the lawman, but strains the eyes a bit
as the filmmakers found it difficult to quit.
Wyatt (Kevin Costner) is raised by a lawyer father
(Gene Hackman) who believes that blood is much thicker
than water. Wyatt grows up with strong sense of justice
and even stronger ties to his brothers.
The first segment of the film deals with Wyatt’s first
marriage. Ending in tragedy, it plunges him to the depths
of alcoholism. Saved from a possible hanging by his
father, Wyatt escapes to a part of the country that he has
already fallen in love with — the West.
In the untamed cattle town of Dodge City, Wyatt finds
his niche — as a lawman. Joined by his brothers Virgil
(Michael Madsen) and Morgan (Linden Ashby), he quickly
cleans up the town. Unfortunately, Wyatt is replaced by
the more political and less violent Ed Mastcrson (Bill
Pullman).
Wyatt serves a stint as a Texas lawman and crosses
paths with a gambler suffering from tuberculosis, Doc
Holliday (Dennis Quaid).
Tired of being the law, Wyatt and his brothers move to
the mining town of Tombstone to start a business. But the
Earps’ strong sense of justice prevails and they find
themselves wearing silver stars again. Clashing with a
bandofruffianslcdby Ike Clanton (Jeff Fahey), the Earps,
along with Doc Holliday, are sucked into the infamous
shootout at the OK Corral.
Venturing past this possible climax, the film looks at
the effect that a brother’s death has on Wyatt, as well as
his troubling decision to leave his second wife Mattie
Blaylock (Marc Winningham) for his new romantic
interest Josie Marcus (Joanna Going).
Over three hours long, the film tries to get at everything
and, as a result, loses something. Mesmerizing and
exciting in some scenes, it drags on incredibly slowly in
others. Kevin Costner hasa thing for epic sagas. It worked
in “Dances with Wolves,” but it doesn’t work that well
here.
Courtesy of Warner Bros
Kevin Costner stars in “Wyatt Earp.”
The film also lacks a significant anti-hero. The heroes
arc abundant, but the villains arc lacking. In Wyatt Earp’s
life, he faced many resourceful and conniving law-break
ers. But in this film, the threat of Ike Clanton is almost
trivial. Johnny Behan (Mark Harmon), the corrupt sheriff
of Tombstone, hits closer to the mark, but even he poses
no real danger to Wyatt.
The acting is quite sound. Kevin Costner captures the
character development of Wyatt very well. He makes the
peaks and valleys of Wyatt’s life and his reactions to them
believable.
Gene Hackman, as Wyatt’s father, has a small but very
strong part in the film. As always, Hackman makes his
presence known.
It is Dennis Quaid who deserves the highest honors.
Losing 45 pounds to fit into the role of the “lunger”
Holliday, Quaid captures the accent and attitude impec
cably. (Although those that have seen “Tombstone” might
argue that it would be impossible to top Val Kilmer’s
phenomenal performance.)
Not exactly a short and powerful work, “Wyatt Earp"
still deserves to be watched (with a little patience and a
comfortable seat).
Disnev’s ‘Lion King’ deserves praise
“The Lion King”
By Gerry Beltz
Staff Reporter
Walt Disney’s ‘The Lion King” is
sure to be one of the “mane” box office
draws this summer, and deservedly
so.
“The Lion King” is Disney’s first
all-original screenplay, and features
some of the best animation that Disney
haseverdone, including an incredible
wildebeest stampede and a breathtak
ing opening sequence.
The incredible African landscape
is the setting of Disney’s latest film, as
the audience sees the beginning of 1 ife
for Simba, a lion cub destined to one
day be the leader for his people, cur
rently led by Simba’s father, Mufasa
(voice provided by James Earl Jones).
However, Mufasa’s brother Scar
(Jeremy Irons) has other plans. He
wants to get rid of both Simba and
Mufasa so he can take over the Pride
Lands, along with his hyena cohorts
(Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and
Jim Cummings).
Scar does manage to kill Mufasa.
He then convinces Simba that the cub
has killed his own father, and that
Simba must run away and never re
turn.
Naturally, the film has loads of
lovable characters, ranging from
Pumbaa the warthog (Ernie Sabclla)
to a Zen baboon (Robert Guillaume)
named Rafiki that lets Simba know
who he is and what he must do.
The vocal talents in “The Lion
King” are no less than incredible,
with the exception of Matthew
Broderick as the adult Simba. It is a
strange combination to say the least,
but alter all, Disney was the company
that put Robby Benson in as the voice
of the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast.”
However, James Earl Jones more
than makes up for any problems that
Broderick may cause; Jones is the only
person that could even be considered
for the role of a lion king.
The music is great too, courtesy of
rock legend Elton John and lyricist
Tim Rice. The soundtrack isn’t nearly
as incredible when compared to the
last three Disney animated films, but
©The Walt Disney Company. AN Rights Reserved
Disney released its latest animated movie, “The Lion Kina"
lest weekend to a large turnout. The movie features the
voices of James Earl Jones and Matthew Broderick.
it is still well worth a listen.
Also, in typical Disney fashion, the
film is hilarious. Although it doesn’t
reach the barbarically funny peaks
that “Aladdin” achieved with the help
of Robin Williams, “The Lion King'’
does have laugh after laugh for young
and old. Fair warning should be given
that the screenwritera must have stayed
up nights thinking up some of the
puns that bounce around throughout
the film.
“The Lion King" is a film with
pride.
Highly praised
films released
on videotape
From Stott fyportt
"Philadelphia” — Tom
Hanks won an Oscar for Best
Actor for Ins work in this film as
a lawyer infected with the AIDS