“Dark Mirror”
Diane Duane
Pocket Star Books
Grade: B
The book “Dark Mirror,” just
released in paperback, is an inter
esting story about the darker side
of people.
The setting is in the “Star Trek:
The Next Generation” universe.
The alternate universe from the
original Star Trek’s “Mirror, Mir
ror” episode has decided that it
would like to cross over and con
Iquer our universe. And it is start
ing with this universe’s Enterprise.
Picard and his crew must deal
with a much nastier version of
themselves and the Enterprise in
this universe. Most of the book is
from the view of Capt. Picard, Lt.
Cmdr. LaForge and Counselor Troi
as they board the other Enterprise
in an attempt to gather more infor
mation and conduct a little sabo
tage.
This is the most interesting part
of the book. The characters have to
deal with a Star fleet that has assas
sination as the usual method of
advancement in rank.
They also have to deal with
people who are twisted versions of
their friends. The Troi of this uni
verse is a telepath who has no
problem with reading people’s
most private thoughts. The Riker
is an egotistical bully who has
more brawn than brains.
The rest of the book concerns
the normal Enterprise as its crew
tries to find its way back home to
stop the invasion.
The only problem withthisbook
is that the writing is haphazard.
During action scenes or dialogue,
there is no problem, but the book’s
narration is written in a past-tense
tone that is very heavy in descrip*
tion.
Thankfully, the narration scenes
don’t constitute a majority of the
book. The worst part is in the be
ginning of the book, where the
reader has to get through a page
and a half of descriptions before
the Enterprise shows up and the
story can get started.
Despite some rough spots, this
book is very enjoyable to Star Trek
fans. To those that are not familiar
with the characters, the book will
lose a lot of its appeal. The joy in
reading it is seeing how different
each character is compared to his
or her counterpart in the other uni
verse.
— Chris DeKalb
Three chorus groups
to merge their voices
in song extravaganza
By S—n McCarthy
staff Reporter
Three of Lincoln's finest chorus
groups will perform tonight at the
Lied Center.
The groups are the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Oratorio Chorus,
the Lincoln Civic Choir and the Ne
braska Wesleyan University Choir.
They will join the Lincoln Orchestra
Association Symphony for a perfor
mance emitted "Stars From The Met.”
The concert will include the cho
rus of the Hebrew slaves from
“Nabucco” and the drinking song
from “La Traviata,” both by Verdi.
Also being performed are the chorus
of the cigarette girls from Bizet’s
“Carmen" and the finale from Gil
bert and Sullivan’s "The Gondoliers."
LOA conductor Yong Yan Hu will
direct the three choirs.
The selection of the music and
preparation of the choirs were under
the joint charges of William Wyman,
director of choral activity at
Wesleyan, and James Hejduk, an as
sociate professor of music at UNL
and director of the Oratorio Chorus.
Hejduk had no problems fitting
three separate choirs into (me perfor
mance, he said. Because the chorus
groups have performed together in
the past, they retain good relation
ships with one another, he said.
A total of250 singers will perform
in the concert tonight. Hejduk esti
mated that nearly two-thirds of the
singers would be students. Hejduk
said getting the UNL Oratorio Cho
rus to perfect the Italian, English and
French accents in each of the pieces
was the hardest task to complete.
“I try to get every person to visu
alize themselves on stage asa charac
i
Show: “Stars From the Met"
concert
At: Lied Center for Performing
Arts
Time: 8 p.m.
Tickets: $27, $22 and $18,
available at Lied box office;
student tickets are half-price
ter in a play, instead of a black blob
among 250 performers” Heiduk said.
The only other drawback the
groups encountered was rehearsing
with the LOA Symphony, Hejduk
said. Because of financial constraints,
the symphony could only hold one
rehearsal before tonight's perfor
mance. Working with the symphony
was well worth it though, he said.
“I’m privileged to have the oppor
tunity to work with a professional
orchestra,” Hejduk said.
The privilege to perform in the
Lied Center was something that
Hejduk was also thankful for. Al
though the Oratorio Chorus is a part
of the UNL School of Music, they do
not get many opportunities to per
form at the Lied.
Hejduk said that the UNL Orato
rio Chorus invited non-student mem
bers to join with students. No audi
tion or fees are required.
“If they can put fog on a mirror,
we'll take them,” Hejduk said.
“Stars From the Met” begins at 8
p.m . tonight at the Lied Center. Tick
ets are available at the box office for
$27, $22 and $ 18. Student tickets are
half-price.
■ ■■■- 1 i
Newvid
Continued from Page 12
Starring Roy Scheider and
Malcolm McDowell, “Blue Thun
der” centers around a helicopter
covered in plate armor. Itcarriesa
forward-mounted machine sun and
sports such nifty features as ultra
sensitive microphones, turbo
boosts, computer networks and a
whisper mode (silent running).
McDowell is the bad guy who
knows why the chopper was built,
and Scheider is a police helicopter
pilot caught in a conspiracy in
volving this metallic beast.
The helicopter itself is great,
and the airborne chases towards
the end of the flick are downright
incredible. Chalk up two terrific
performances for both McDowell
and Scheider.
Check it out, even if you don’t
like flying.
Courtesy of Twontiotfi Cootery Fox
125’ *£?* *° conv,nc# Oliabeth RwUnt’ Dorey Walker that he la Krlea
KHngle In "Miracle on 34th Street”
‘Miracle’ still brings cheer
By S—n McCarthy
Staff Reporter
Before the original movie begins
its continuous broadcast on televi
sion, you may want to check out this
'90s remake of the holiday classic
“Miracle on 34th Street.”
The plot remains faithful to the
original version: A strange old man
who insists that he is Kriss Kringle
(Richard Attenborough) makes nis
case to a city filled with both believ
ers and cynics. He especially tries to
convince Dorey Walker (Elizabeth
Perkins), abumed-out single mother,
and her daughter (Mara Wilson) of
his authenticity.
After spotting him in a crowd,
Dorey hires Kringle on the spot to be
the official Santa Claus at her depart
ment store. Cole. While playing
Santa, he wins the affection of thou
sands of kids.
Cole department store is headed
for bankruptcy. While competing with
another department store across the
street, Cole employees may soon face
the unemployment line. Only the
power of the kind, old Santa can save
this company. Will they be saved?
It’s a John Hughes production, so
what do you think?
Hughes has become the man when
it comes to producing and directing
children’s movies. He directed both
hugely successful “Home Alone’’
movies and has produced such films
as “Baby’s Day Out” and “Dennis the
Menace.” All of these movies come
with sometimes unbearably happy
endings.
- Some stereotypical elements of
’90s cynicism have been put into the
new “Miracle” version. Dorey Walker
is single, overworked and depressed.
Everything that she believes in has
been proven false. To protect little
Susan, she tells her in advance that
there is no Kriss Kringle.
While Dorey Walker is doubting
Kringle’s authenticity, she also is
warding off the advances of Bryan
Bedford (Dylan McDermott), an ear
nest lawyer who defends Kringle in
court.
Perkins and McDermott give good
performances, but it is Attenborough
who makes this “Miracle” worth see
ing.
An experienced actor,
Attenborough plays the perfect Kriss
(Cringle. He nails Kringle’s laugh,
physical movements and his belief in
the genuine goodness of humankind.
When he is not in a scene, the movie
begins to stall and break down.
All of the main problems in
“Miracle” are resolved in the final
courtroom scene. While lawyers,
judges and altogether grumpy people
try to prove that Kringle is a fake, the
people ofNew York come together to
rally behind him. Streets are filled
Movie: “Miracle on 34th
Street”
Rating: PG
Stars: Richard Attenborough,
Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan
McDermott, J.T. Walsh
Director Les Mayfield
Grade: 13
Five Words: Hollywood
remake better than average
l-Q
with singing people, and little Susan
places her faith in (Cringle—yes, this
scene is overdone.
The biggest problem with Les
Mayfield’s direction is that he tries
too hard to make both children and
adults enjoy this remake. While try
ing to satisfy kids with ICriss (Cringle's
humor, he tries to make adults happy
by spending too much time on a
romantic subplot. The minutes spent
on the developing relationship be
tween Dorey and Bryan no doubt will
send kids to sleep.
“Miracle” hits more than it misses,
though. In a Christmas filled with
Star Trekkers, expecting fathers, drop
zones and blood-lusting vampires, it
is refreshing to have a classic come
back to the theaters.
“John Henry**
They Might Be Giants
Elektra
Grade: B
“John Henry,” the Brooklyn
duo's newest release, is a weary
joke.
They Might Be Giants has been
reexploring the same old themes
of quirky life and whimsical death
ever since the group’s self-titled
release, and the guvs know it.
A concept bana with no new
concept, the pair seem as resigned
to their fate as the fabled rail man,
hammering away at the same old
joke until they die.
The band’s former trademark
of intellectual hilarity collapses
into twitchy self-contempt on
nearly every new song. New song
titles attest to this dour transfor
mation: “Why Must I Be Sad,” “A
Self Called Nowhere,” “The End
of the Tour.”
Despite a paper-thin glaze of
gallows humor, these songs are a
confessional ofartistic self-disgust.
No song sums up this post-mod
em Cobainism like the short tune
“Window.” Easily the most pow
erful and honest song on ‘Oohn
r
Henry,” a grinding bass voice com
plains while backed by destroy
ing, thundering instrumentation:
“I’m checking out the people in
the window, I was uncomfortable,
now I'm uncomfortable... I drought
it was window; It was a catalog of
many women, men, the window.
Window. Window.”
Perhaps John Flansburgh and
John Lined need a rest. Everything
about ‘‘John Henry” makes them
seem tired: tired of searching and
researching the human dilemma;
tired of trying to bridge the broken
tracks of modem philosophy with
idiotic optimism; tired of think
ing.
They Might Be Giants is a great
band that’s getting worse. Unwill
ing to formally resort to the old
rock standby ofnihilism, they have
nothing to declare. Nothing be
sides their willingness to find a
simple ‘‘end of the tour,” if not a
happy ending.
The fabled Henry's fight ended
when his heart gave out. Hope
fully, something oetter will come
along for our modem Johns.
— Patrick Hambrecht
People
Crosby receives
liver transplant
LOS ANGELES (AP) — David
Crosby remained in critical condi
tion Monday after a transplant to
replace his drug-ravaged liver.
“The transplanted liver is func
tioning very well right now. Mr.
Crosby is off the ventilator and talk
ing," said Dr. Ronald W. Busuttil,
leader of the transplant team.
The 53-year-old member of the
rock group Crosby, Stills and Nash
received die new organ Sunday at
University of California at Los An
geles Medical Center.
Crosby was hospitalized Nov. 2.
His liver had hardened and deterio
rated because of decades of alcohol
and drug abuse.
He had been on a national waiting
list for the transplant for 39 days.
“That’s about normal in our cen
ter,” Busuttil said. “He wasn’t treated
special at all.... His time came and he
got the liver.”
If there are no complications,
Crosby could be out of the hospital in
two to three weeks, Busuttil said.