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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1994)
• m:l,,..«,{.... . n, JamM MMhliiue/DN TV’s Batman to come to Lincoln to autograph his book, help zoo ly Josl traucti Senior Reporter Holy Barracuda! Batman is com ing to town! Adam West, who was television’s Batman from 1966 to 1968, is com ing to Lincoln this weekend to sup port the Folsom’s Children’s Zoo and to autograph his new bode at the Ne braska Bookstore. Entitled “Back to the Batcave,” West’s book takes a lode behind the scenes of the “Batman” series. “It’s everything you ever wanted to know about ’Batman,’” West said. “And a voujprobablv “It answers a lot of the questions that I’ve been asked over the years.” West said writing this autobio graphical book had been a good ex perience. “I’ve written a lot of screenplays, but this is my first book,” he said. “It’s tough to write about yourself, but as the wine ages, it’s more drinkable.” “Batman,” the most popular TV series of the 1960s, remains syndi cated worldwide today. “’Batman’ is in its third genera tion,” West said. “Half a billion people watch us every day.” West grew up admiring the DC Comics character that he eventually would portray. “My main heroes were cowboys and jazz musicians, but I always en joyed Batman,” he said. “He was the best of the comic book characters.” "They are two completely different views. Ours is lighthearted, family-friendly and hopefully funny. Theirs is sinister, dark and violent. ” m ADAM WEST actor who played TV’s Batman West contrasted the differences between his series and the recent “Batman” movies. “They are iw>fomklStluMfr ent views, he said, ‘xtors is iight hcarted, family-friendly and hope fully funny. Theirs is sinister, dark and violent. “Batman kills more innocent by standers driving to the rescue in the Batmobile than the criminals do. That’s just one way to look at it.” West said he approved of the cast ing of Val Kilmer as the new Batman in next summer’s third installment in the “Batman” movie series, “Batman Forever.” “He’s probably as good a choice as anyone for a new, young Batman,” he said. West continues to pursue an ac tive acting career. He has a new TV series called “The Clinic” and will star in an episode of’Tales From the Crypt.” He also will be in three up coming movies, including the new Oliver Stone-Michael Tolkin movie “The New Age.” West even appeared on “The Simpsons.' Look at who they’ve ani mated. “I plan to just keep plugging on. I’ve got 30 years of this. I ’ll just keep reading stuff and do what seems best.” Tonight from 6 to 9 p.m.. West will be at the Masters of the Night bat exhibit at the zoo for “Kids Night Out with Batman.” Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for kids, and kids who dress up in a Batman costume get a 50-cent discount. Tomorrow, West will be autographing his new book from 10 a m. to 1 p.m. at the Nebraska Book store. Tomorrow night will be the “Bat Bash” at the Masters of the Night bat exhibit from 8 to 11 p.m. There will be a cash bar, and West will speak about his experiences as Batman. Contemporary artist Pratt not your normal pianist From Staff Report* With a full head of dreadlocks and a style all his own, pianist Awadagin Pratt admits he is “A Long Way From Normal.” Pratt grew up in Normal, 111., and released his first recital album: “A Long Way From Normal,” last spring. The virtuoso pianist will per form this weekend in Lincoln. Pratt, who physically resembles reggae king Bob Marley, plays from a much older side of the musical spec trum. His specialty lies in using clas sical piano music from Beethoven, Brahms, Stravinsky, Bach and oth ers and adding his own contemporary flare. Pratt started his piano studies at age 6. And at the age of 16, he brought his talent to the University of Illinois. He moved on in 1986 to receive three diplomas in piano, vio lin and conducting from the Peabody Conservatory. He won the 1992 Naumburg In ternational Piano Competition, and has appeared on the “Today Show” and “CBS Sunday Morning.” Fanfare Magazine referred to Pratt as “a rarity among the steely pianists of his generation: a truly tender vir tuoso. ... Yet for all its gentle beauty, the playing never declines into the merely pretty; because of Pratt’s su perb control of inner voices ... the surface of the music is always shim mering ...” Pratt performs tonight at 8 in Kimball Hall. General admission tickets are SI4, and $7 for students. _ PeopleWatch _ Aerosmith glad Kennedy won NEW YORK (AP) — Aero smith sympathized with Ted Kennedy s re-election bid. The rock band from Boston sent the senator from Massachusetts a telegram after he defeated Repub lican Mitt Romney on Tuesday. “Congratulations to the George Foreman of Massachusetts poli tics,” said the telegram released by the band Thursday. “We always like to see a hometown boy make good. ... We were always behind you. We, more than anyone, know what it’s like to be counted out and then to come out on top.” Romney was given a good chance of toppling Kennedy after 32 years in the Senate, but Kennedy wound up taking 58 per cent of the vote. Aerosmith, whose current hit album is uBig Ones,” backed Kennedy throughout the cam paign. Bassist Brad Whitford was nost of a fund-raiser earlier this year. Ted Koppel in the slammer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Ted Koppel is going to prison for a night The host of “Nightline” will do r -&PS nextwpekat the maximum BWVHMlin. His expe riences under lock and key will form part of a series of shows on the question “Do Prisons Work?” Tne series, which is to begin Tuesday, also will include a town meeting broadcast from the prison featuring correction officers, poli ticians, police and crime victims as well as inmates. ABC News chose Raleigh be cause Correction Department offi cials were cooperative, and the city has several prisons. Hanks recognized for roles LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Hollywood Women’s Press Club honored Tom Hanks for taking so cially conscious roles. The star of “Forrest Gump” and last year’s “Philadelphia” received the Louelia O. Parsons Award, given to a person who “represents the best image of the entertainment industry to the world,” a club state ment said Wednesday. “The social consciousness of his films distinguish Mr. Hanks among stars; his work is proof that responsible filmmaking can also win at the box office,” said the club's president, Janet Tighe. Previous winners include Bette Davis, Cary Grant and James Stewart. Hanks won an Academy Award for his portrayal of an AIDS stricken lawyer in “Philadelphia.” He played a mildly retarded man who finds love and happiness in “Forrest Gump.” “Wildflowers" Tbm Petty Warner Bros. Grade: A The Mad Hatter has gone sane. Tom Petty, a true American boy, waxes nostalgic on “Wildflowers," his latest solo release (but with a lot of help from a few Heartbreak ers). Always calm, cool ami col lected, Petty mellows out on “Wild flowers” as he reaches into adult hood. With his long, ashen blond hair and eyes hidden behind his trade mark sunglasses. Petty lodes out at the America he has captured in his songs... and he smiles. The majority of the 15 sonps are relaxing and drowsy, illicihng a hynotic slump into a surreal real ity. The title sons of the albun is a wonderful tale of freedom and love for someone by letting her be “among the wildflowers. “You belong among the wild flowers/ You belong in a boat out at sea/ Sail away, kill off the hours/ You belong somewhere you feel free.” It would take a musical genius like Petty to capture this longing and respect in a light, harmonious song or perfect love. Petty sums up all he has learned, as many of his past songs have, and offers them as musical advice. He’s a rebelious soothsayer in jeans and sneakers. “You Don’t Know How it Feels” sways back and forth with a dark tinged guitar. “People come, people go/ Some grow young, some grow cold/1 woke up in between/ A memory and a dream.” “Wildflowers” isn’t planted in optimism or pessimism, it’s planted in reality and retrospect. The touching, heartbreaking (no pun intended) and yielding songs unify the album into an intricate web of greatness. Petty’s Bob Dylan-esque voice, paired with acoustic guitar, screams for honesty and bare bones lyrics, which Petty provides with a soft, yet intense style. He bares a lot of pain and loss. He shows a lot of hope and lets his cynical wit peek out. But, most of all, he lets his fans in on possibly one of the last chapters in the shrouded mystery of the Mad Hat ter and encourages them to follow their dreams and to be, like Petty, a rebel. Petty offers up a sliver of opti mism in “Wake Up Time.” “Well, if he gets lucky, a boy finds a girl/ To help him shoulder the pain in this world/ And if you follow your feelings/ Ami you fol low vour dreams/ You might Find the forest there in the trees." — Paula Lavigne “INXS: The Greatest Hits** INXS Atlantic Records Grade: B+ The band from Australia (when INXS formed in 1977, that actu ally meant something) is back with a spectacular compilation album, “INXS: The Greatest Hits ” Part of what made the ’80s such a great decade for music was INXS. The band's 1988 album “Kick" sold 9 million copies and contained four Top 10 singles that stick in your head like Republican incumbents stuck to their congres sional scats this year. The great thing about INXS is that you don’t have to be a crazed fan to enjoy their music. Their songs, especially off “Kick" and “X, are so catchy you can’t help but love them. And if you still donH like INXS, you’ll still rec ognize their music because they helped to define late-’80s and early-’90s rock. And this album has it all: their most popular songs from every al bum they’ve put out. In chrono logical order, no less. Mhts are “What You “Shine Like It Docs" off 1985’s “Listen Like Thieves.” The guitars on “Shine” are soulful and hypnotic; Michael Hutchcncc s wonderfully accented slow swing through the chorus isn’t half-bad, either. Of course, all the Top 10 hits from “Kick” are here: “Need You Tonight," “Devil Inside," “New Sensation" and “Never Tear Us Apart .” If you were alive in 1988, you heard these songs and prob ably loved them. “Suicide Blonde" and “Disap pear” are here from “X," and three more tracks from the band’s last three albums round out this com pilation. And lest you think that INXS has stopped writing songs and slipped into greatest-hits pur gatory, the album offers two new songs: “The Strangest Party” and “Denver Me." “Strangest” is not impressive. The uninteresting chorus repeats over and over again. The music just doesn’t match INXS’s usual quality, either. “Deliver Me" has a funky pop beat, heavy on synthesizer with a catchy guitar pluck. But again, it falls short or INXS’s previous work. So is the album worth buying? Definitely. Just get it on CD so you can program your player to skip tracks 15 and 16. —John Fuiwlebr