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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 1994)
Malcolm man becomes Santa during the Christmas season By Paula Lavl^nt Senior Reporter With a wooly white beard, wire-rimmed spectacles, red felt coat and black rubber boots, Delbert Bice gets ready for work. Bice works as a Hy-Vee baker for most of the year, but during the Christmas season, Bice becomes a Christmas legend. Bice is one of five people who are repre senting the North Pole’s favorite resident at Gateway Mall this year. This is Bice’s first year as St. Nick. “I love doing this for the kids,” he said. “So many kids in this world will not be hav ing a good Christmas.” Bice is a native of Malcolm, not the North Pole. He will marry his “Mrs. Claus” next September, and said he might still be play ing Santa by the time he and his wife have children. “I’ll make sure Santa is well known to my children,” he said. To this day, Bice said, his brother swears he saw Santa Claus when they were chil dren. As a young boy, Bice said this made him believe in the Christmas legend. A little girl came up to Bice last week and argued that he was not real. “Santa is real,” he said, seriously. “Hey, he’s a spirit, isn’t he?” Children of all ages including infants, teenagers, college students and a 93-year old woman have sat on Bice’s lap. “Some kids, when they get on my lap, will just freeze,” he said. The biggest challenge, he said, was try ing to calm the children who were afraid of Santa. One boy, because he was scared, sat crying in Bice’s lap. The boy learned to like Santa and then cried again — when he had to leave. The ones who still believe, Bice said, give See SANTA on 10 1 Travis Hsying/DN Travis Hsying/DN Abov« left: Delbert Bice carefully puts on Ms Santa beard before heading out Into a busy Qateway mall to listen to the wishes of young cMIdren. This Is the first year Bice has portrayed Santa Claus. Above right: Two-year-old AsMey Loo per waits In line for her turn to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas at Qateway Mall. Little does Ashely knew, Santa Is actually Lincoln resident Delbert Bice. Dorm residents decorate rooms By Paula Uvjgg Senior Reporter Stars, Christinas trees and colorful flashing N’s light up the windows of University of Nebraska-Lincoln resi dence halls as students add a bit of Christmas spirit to their rooms. Two leftover Halloween pumpkins wish a Merry Christmas to visitors in Alyson Goodall and Ingrid Jordan’s room in Abel Residence Hall. Goodall, a freshman communication studies major, said she and Jordan cel ebrated all the holidays, but Christmas was a special occasion. They put up more than three strands of colored lights, two stockings, a See DECORATE on 9 Trio’s comedic potential ambushed in pathetic “Trapped In Paradise” By Joi Btraucti Senior Reporter Although this movie was about three bumbling brothers who are trapped in a small town called Paradise, for an hour and a half, I felt trapped in Hell. Writer/director George Gallo doesn’t have a clue about tapping the humor potential of “Saturday Night Live” funnymen Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey. The show starts out bad and only gets worse. Bill Firpo (Nicolas Cage) picks up his jailbird brothers, Dave (Lovitz) and Alvin (Carvey), after they receive an early release. Alvin and Dave quickly pull Bill, who is trying to keep his nose clean, back into a life of crime. The three brothers rob a bank in a small town called Paradise that ends up being their Quik Facts Movie: “Trapped in Paradise” Rating: PG-13 Stars: Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz, Dana Carvey Director: George Gallo Grade: F+ Five Words: Movie wastes effort and time purgatory when they are unable to escape. The plot is infantile, both in its storyline as well as its continuity. The tale jumps around so much that it quickly becomes ri diculous. This would be forgivable if the movie was funny, but the simplistic attempts at humor couldn’t earn a chuckle from a laughing hyena. The cast would be very well attuned to making a hilarious movie. Cage was a riot in “Raising Arizona,” and both Lovitz and Carvey have displayed their immense come dic talents on the big screen.. But the mundane roles that they are given stifle any opportunity for humor. The movie has one funny scene that will not be discussed in order that the poor souls who are forced to endure this big-screen trauma will have at least one respite for their suffering. “Trapped in Paradise” is the worst movie to hit the theaters since “Lethal Weapon 3.” If for some masochistic reason you have to see this show, don’t.