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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1995)
Arts ©Entertainment * Wednesday, Octo/^4, 1995 Page 12 :- --A ^ Mark Baldridge ‘X-Files’ a letdown after hype Sure “The X-Files” is anice enough show. Oh, I know, I know: It’s a block buster series with a huge and vocifer ous following. Ho hum. I mean, I couldn’t care less, really. Sure I used to like the show and— like a lot of people—got caught up in the mega-three-part-cl i ff-hanger- and season-premier. OK, OK. So I taped them all and pored over every word try ing to f gure out exactly what Moldy and Skeleton had gotten themselves into this time. This time it was a fine kettle of alien conspiracy theory on the sur face, but beneath? Hints of human experimentation sponsored by a shadow government—opposed only by our heroes and a wise old Ameri can Indian medicine man. Three episodes of this—each one thickening the already opaque plot to the point where, in the last half hour of the final segment, I was still trying to figure out what it all meant. But 1 may never know. Because “The X-Files” is a series and I had forgotten the cardinal rule of all successful TV series: Never tamper with the formula. Until you are no longer a success ful, but a slipping, series, that is. Then you do nothing but change the for mula: Marry off characters, set the whole thing 20 years in the future — or in Australia. But the “Files” is still a going con cern, so it must not be touched. These last three episodes promised to spring a whole new level of con spiracy on us — the agents were sus pended from the Bureau and operat ing outside the law. We were even promised a glimpse of the after life, and got it — or something like. But by the end of the mega-three part etc.etc. all the controls had to be reset to zero. Fox and the fox had to be back on the job, hunting vampires and God knows what. The show will not achieve escape velocity, will not break into a whole new orbit, will not crack the con spiracy code and change forever the lives of its characters. And in the process, the television series. It’s not going to happen. But whenever its darie masters sense the need'to boost ratings, they’ll in vent another piece of the puzzle, haul out the same old dusty corpse and give it a good, scary shake. But I won’t be watching. I’m fed up with this show that was supposed to be so different. OK. I’m lying. I’ll be there with bells on. , But this time I won’t tape it. The Glassy Eye is a weekly column deconstructing television for entertain ment purposes. Send ideas or sugges tions to Mark Baldridge, c/o the Daily I Nebraskan. Media madness National television seethes with O.J. frenzy By Brian Priesman and Cliff Hicks Staff Reporters In case you didn’t hear, O.J. is innocent. How you couldn’t have heard would be amaz ing. A quick surf through Lincoln’s cable TV offerings Tuesday revealed that at least 15 differ ent networks carried the 1 ive event that captivated America. The promotions started Monday, with news of Tuesday’s planned verdict announcement. “Catch the pre-verdict discussion, starting with Good Morning America,” was the message of an ABC commercial. CNBC Monday night repeated Geraldo Rivera’s semi-live call-in show over and over again. The subject, of course: O.J. Simpson. Tuesday, network morning shows never ended, as coverage later merged into mid-day news anchored by Tom, Peter and Dan and other as sorted bigshots. Coverage ran mostly commer cial-free all afternoon, as networks possibly lost millions of dollars in advertising revenue, but— as a whole — likely garnered ratings unheard of in modern television history. The event captivated America’s television consciousness like none other since... well, that fateful evening last year when the nation watched Simpson ’ s white Bronco being pursued down the California freeway. Simpson’s trial in connection with the mur ders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson over the last year became a media, and even an entertainment, spectacle across the country. And the announcement of the jury’s verdict, See TV on 14 Local stations deliver what viewers demand at Simpson trial’s end By Gerry Beltz and Jeff Randall Senior Reporters O.J. Simpson may have never played in the Super Bowl, but Tuesday’s announce ment of the verdict in his double-murder trial probably earned him more television coverage. Programmingnationwide Tuesday con centrated heavily on the verdict, as many networks—including ESPN, FX and CNN — pre-empted programming to bring live coverage of the trial’s final proceedings. KETV, Channel 7, decided to devote much of the day’s programming to the conclusion of the Simpson trial, said Betti See COVERAGE on 14 Blues performers bring style with fiery appeal to local fans § ter tans. I Ricker is known for his ex I perimentations with Texas/ I Delta-styled blues and, as his both on stage and in the studio. Nelson is the bassist, employing both standard and fretless bass guitars to create both a strong background and counter for Ricker’s lead. On drums, Robinson solidifies that backdrop with her hard-hitting and steady technique. “Drivin’ Me Blue,” Ricker’s latest release, is an exceptional demonstration of this trio in ac tion. Containing ten original tunes, all penned by Ricker, this record tears through a multitude of rock and blues styles. Although his guitar style usually avoids any solid comparison, on songs such as “Snake Me,” “Don’t Go Down There,” and “Into the Light,” Ricker reveals influences as diverse as Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. The limitations of a trio are felt in some of the songs, with the intricacies of larger bands lost by See BLUES on 14 Courtesy of Red Hot Records Bluesartist Fast Johnny Ricker plays at the Zoo Bar Thursday night.