‘Breakfast Time’ more interesting with fX
By Jeff Randall
Staff Reporter
A smiling Todd Duncan stepped
away from an fX television cam
era Monday morning. Moments
earlier, he had been the subject of
a “Breakfast Time” interview, and
now he was reflecting on the manic
proceedings that continued behind
him.
“This is a morning show on
speed,” said Duncan, whose fam
ily owns Duncan Aviation. With a
wave toward the still-scrambling
crew members, he laughed. “Those
guys are downing coffee like it’s
water.”
“Breakfast Time” field host
John Davis described the show in a
slightly different way. He com
pared the program to a hybrid of
“Good Morning America,” “Late
Night with David Letterman” and
an early morning radio show.
The show is set in the fX studio/
apartment in New York City, but
three individual “Breakfast Time”
teams travel across the country
every week, capturing everyday
people and giving them a chance at
brief stardom.
Davis interviews those people
on a daily basis. After spending 10
years interviewing celebrities in
his previous jobs (which included
a stint at The Nashville Network),
Davis said meeting ordinary people
is a thrill.
“Interviewing back then, it was
like I had to spend two hours wait
ing to get 10 minutes with the
person,” he said.
“But these people are genuinely
excited about being on television
and showing off what they do. And
that makes it exciting for me.”
Duncan Aviation earned the
spotlight because of its role as a
Scott Bruhn/DN
Breakfast Time” field host John Davis interviews Jeannine Falter of Duncan Aviation during a walk-through session
before the live broadcast. The “Breakfast Time” crew will visit various sites throughout Lincoln this week.
private airplane maintenance ser
vice for the rich and famous, in
cluding talk-show host Oprah
Winfrey and pop icons John
Travolta and Frank Sinatra.
Davis, coffee cup in hand,
agreed with Duncan’s assessment
that the use of legal stimulants
favored heavily into the show’s
workings. He said that the use was
a result of a daily work schedule
that can begin as early as 4 a.m.
“You’ve heard of the informa
tion highway,” Davis said. “This
is the caffeine highway.”
Larry Hochberg, a segment pro
ducer foL^Breakfest Time,” coor
dinates tne location shots and is
responsible for making the seg
ments run smoothly, a task he said
couldn’t always be easily accom
plished.
On-air errors are an occupa
tional hazard in live television,
Hochberg said. He and Davis listed
equipment breakdowns and inter
view subjects with cold feet as the
most frequent disasters.
“I was interviewing this girl
who was a future Olympic diver,”
Davis said, “and as soon as the
cameras started rolling, she just
froze up.
“It was a nightmare.”
Other incidents included hav
ing a monster truck snap a satellite
cable and discovering an equip
ment malfunction five minutes
before going on the air with hang
gliding enthusiasts.
But, Hochberg said, the stress
and uncertainty of his job are what
make it so appealing.
“Preparation is the most impor
tant thing,” Hochberg said. “When
I prepare well, things usually run
smoothly. Not always, but usu
ally.”
“Breakfast Time” will be in
Lincoln for the rest of this week. It
is aired on Cablevision channel 38
from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Multimedia show fuses
many African influences
By Jeff Randall
Staff Reporter
Fusion isn’t just a concert or a show.
The group, produced by Speech of Ar
rested Development, is a nationally tour
ing, multicultural and multimedia event.
Fusion will bring its layered brand of
entertainment and education to the Ne
braska Union’s Centennial Ballroom to
night at 7:30.
The group uses traditional dancers, sto
rytellers, drummers and disc jockeys to
explore cross-cultural influences, particu
larly those of African origin, said Bob
Fitzgerald, managing partner for Vaga
bond Productions, Speech’s production
company.
“What audiences see is a series of mu
sical, dance and theatrical vignettes which
describe the impact of African culture here
in the United States,” Fitzgerald said.
A selection of slides and videos will
also accompany the live action, Fitzgerald
said, in order to highlight the performance.
Examining African culture’s changing
face throughout history — from the inven
tion of the first drum to modem hip-hop
artists — is a primary theme of the produc
tion, he said.
“Fusion takes a look at how African
culture has evolved both in America and at
its source,” Fitzgerald said.
That process of evolution begins sim
ply, with the presence of only a drummer
and a solo dancer. The performance then
progresses into multiple dancers and a
disc-jockey accompaniment. Philosopher*
“Fusion takes a look at how
African culture has evolved
both in America and at its
source. ”
m
BOB FITZGERALD
managing partner, Vagabond
Productions
drummer, sculptor and professor Atu tells
the tale of the evolution alongside the
physical action.
Audience involvement comes into play
later in the performance, Fitzgerald said,
as members of the crowd are pulled onstage
to dance with the professional dancers in a
1970s disco atmosphere, literally becom
ing part of the performance.
This examination of culture is just a part
of a necessary educational experience for
audience members, no matter what culture
they believe themselves to be in, he said.
“The whole performance is taking in the
essence of multiculturalism and putting it
forth to the audience,” Fitzgerald said.
“Understanding your own culture is just
the first step in helping you to understand
and accept other cultures. It’s about devel
oping that understanding through a better
sense of self.”
Tickets for tonight’s performance are
$3 for students with identification and $5
for the general public.
Director breaks norm
in realistic first-date flick
By Charles Russell
film Critic
For anyone who has ever been on a first
date, “What Happened Was...” is a film to
make you feel just a little better about
yourself. No matter how weird your date
was, it can’t begin to compare with the one
described in this film.
Directed, written by and starring Tom
Noonan, who is better known for playing
the villain in movies such as “Manhunter,”
“F/X” and “Last Action Hero,” this film is
an intensely intimate view of modem mat
ing rituals.
Jackie (Karen Sillas), an executive as
sistant, and Michael (Noonan), a parale
gal, both work in the same law firm. The
two have decided to meet socially for the
first time. Other than their workplace, the
two seem to have nothing in common until
the subject of writing comes up.
Michael admits he is working on a book
about the firm, and Jackie discloses that
she writes children’s stories. These appar
ently innocent remarks lead to an amaz
ingly unusual and often frightening baring
of their souls. We leam of the secret night
mares and aspirations the two keep hidden
from the outside world.
Noonan has taken a topic that has been
around the block in Hollywood and turned
it into a richly fulfilling journey. Gone are
the cheap sitcom gags and easy laughs that
would normally fill up a first-date flick.
Instead, we get a realistic depiction of people
trying to connect full of nuance and subtle
humor.
The film limits itself to a single location,
Jackie’s New York City apartment, and to
The Facts
FHm: “What Happened Was ...”
Director: Tom Noonan
Stars: Tom Noonan, Karen Sillas
Rating: R
Grade: A
Five Words: First date gone
bizarrely awry.
only two characters. This removes all dis
tractions and the audience is given the
chance to view their relationship as it oc
curs. The story also unfolds in real time;
there are no jump cuts or fade-outs to sig
nify time lapse. If there is an awkward
pause in the movie, the audience sits through
it.
Gone also is a soundtrack. Rather than
using music to tell the audience how to feel,
Noonan allows the characters to speak for
themselves. The audience is forced to draw
its own conclusions.
These kinds of decisions may seemslight,
but in an industry addicted to speed and
action, Noonan shows he has real guts. He
has created a brilliant film that is at once
comical, touching and downright scary.
“What Happened Was ...” is showing
April 13-16 at the Mary Riepma Ross Film
Theater in the Sheldon Memorial Art Gal
lery.
As long as you show up late and miss the
heavy-handed short feature “Equal Oppor
tunity,” you’re in for a treat.