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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1996)
, . IT.'if ■ V; Jeff Randall ! “Stupiddogs” take humor to new level Let’s face it, Hanna Barbera’s car toons never have been very good. Sure, they had Scooby Doo; and Huckleberry Hound, in his prime, was one of the greats. But in the face of their competition, those cartoons never stood up. Tom and Jerry blew them out of the water. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and even Sylvester the Cat were playing on another level altogether. In the ongoing wars of the cartoon world, Hanna Barbera proved to be the equivalent of the French in the two World Wars—in other words, itnever had a chance. Hut tnat era may nave ended. Hanna Barbera now has “Two Stupid Dogs.” At first, the dogs may seem a bit too mundane — too stupid — to be real contenders. But these dogs are much more than that. Part of the newly developed and highly plentiful school of “Ren and Stimpy”-inspired toons, “Two Stupid Dogs” (which shows on the Cartoon Network, Saturdays at 10 p.m.) is a rarity in that it is actually as funny as the show that inspired it. And in many ways, it is better. Whereas “Ren and Stimpy” was often little more than a hyperkinetic sleaze fest, relying on gross-me-out jokes and extraordinarily disgusting sound effects to generate laughs, “Two Stupid Dogs” takes the tasteful high road more often than not. The show revolves around two un named dogs—one big dog, one small dog — that spend almost every epi sode in search of something to eat. This premise may be as old as anima tion itself, but every episode breaks new ground in cartoon humor. Much like “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show” and “Ren and Stimpy,” the real key to the hilarity in “Two Stupid Dogs” is jokes that ap peal to both young and old. “Vegas Buffet,” one of the newer episodes, centers on the dogs’ trip to Las Vegas for the Super Duper Eco nomical All-You-Can-Eat One Pound Hot Dog Buffet (or some variation thereof). But the buffet is closed upon the dogs’ arrival, and they spend the whole time gambling, at the casino owner’s forceful request. For some reason, it’s hard to imag ine Pixie and Dixie in a casino. But for these dogs, nearly any place can be home. And, although life lessons often are found in older cartoons, not many characters have shown audiences how to “beat the house.” And the humor appeals to older audiences not only because of its sub ject matter. Sometimes the humor is so blatantly stupid that its mere existence warrants laughter. wne cpisuuc rcvuives entirely around the dogs’ argument over who gets a toilet seat they found in the garbage. After about nine minutes of pointless debate (consisting mostly of back-and-forth refrains of “I want the toilet seat”), the senselessness of the entire show becomes the basis for its humor. You’re watchingthis,and that’s the joke. This show may be juvenile, point less and really stupid, but so is every thing else on television. At least “Two Stupid Dogs” admits it. Randall Is a sophomore news-editorial major and the Daily Nebraskan arts and entertainment editor. ■ House of styles Matt Miller/DN . * '• . . Owner Jen Johnson poses with two mannequins at her store, Ruby Begonias. Johnson specializes in selling vintage clothing. Store offers ever-popular vintage clothing By Lane Hickenbottom_ Staff Reporter As clothing trends change, down town Lincoln’snewest vintage cloth ing store fills the gap most malls leave out. The gap is vintage clothing, clothes that celebrate the styles that were popular yesteryear that con tinue to break the surface of popu larity today. Ruby Begonia’s, located at 1321 P St., offers a wide variety of vin tage and street wear. Jenifer Johnson, the owner of Ruby Begonia’s, has been collect ing vintage clothing since she was 10. She said her sister, Heidi, got her started by taking Johnson out to thri ft stores. “It was an older sister that in spired me,” Johnson said. “My sis ter would take me to thrift stores. I would pull things off the racks and laugh at them. She would then say, ‘Give me that.’” Johnson said her love for vintage clothing had taught her a great deal of history. She said a lot could be learned by studying fashions. “During wartime in the 1940s, they were rationingmaterials so you couldn’t buy a dress that takes 15 yards of fabric,” Johnson said. All ages and types of people wear vintage clothing, Johnson said. “I don’t really have a typical cus tomer,” she said, “I get high school, junior high, all the way up to older men and women. I really have a broad range of clientele.” Along with the different types of customers Johnson deals with, there are equally as many various reasons to wear vintage clothing. “I think college students like to dress that way,” Johnson said, “It is cheaper than buying new. Vintage clothing also retains its value if cared for. “I think this is a really good time for me to have a vintage and street wear clothing store. People are re ally wearing what they want these days.” Ruby Begonia’s might not look like much to a window shopper. But the window shopper should be in formed that the store, decorated with old movie posters, includes a base ment. This is where Johnson fea tures the majority of Ruby Begonia’s merchandise. “I try to add articles of clothing every day,” Johnson said. Ruby Begonia’s is a great place to shop for costume or disco parties. Johnson said she was starting to rent outfits to people who only want to wear them once. Ruby Begonia’s is open Monday through Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursday through Sat urday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Instalments complement voices in opera By Emily Wray Staff Reporter Victorian romantic comedy will take center stage at Kimball Recital Hall when “A Room with a View” makes its Midwest debut Thursday and Saturday nights. The 8 p.m. performances of the opera are directed by professor Wil liam Shomos. Professor Tyler White will conduct the University Opera Orchestra. The score, written by UNL music alum Robert Nelson with libretto by Buck Ross, is based on E.M. Forster’s novel of the same name. The opera was attractive to Shomos for a variety of reasons. “The librettist was a director of mine, and Nelson is a UNL alum. We like topromote new opera works, too,” Shomos said. “The music is colorful, and the motives for different characters fit together to help tell the story. The way the instruments are used with the voices are attractive writing.” He said the opera revolved around Lucy Honeychurch, played by Karen Kness, and George Emerson, played by Kenneth Floyd. The first act is an exposition of how their relationship develops in Italy. But Lucy is in denial because George’s social standing is below hers. The second act takes place a few months later in England. It finds Lucy betrothed to another, still de nying her feelings for George. For tunately, after many trials and tribu lations, the two lovers reunite. Other principal players include Charlotte Bartlett, played by Rebecca Kouma Shane, and Mr. Emerson, played by Brett Hyberger. “The message is that we need to be able to see through conventions and societal standards in life that prevent us from reaching certain truths within us,” Shomos said. “It’s about accepting your own true feelings and nature as opposed to letting outside voices do it. Lucy loses sight of what she is and wants.” Shomos said this opera had a more contemporary musical style than others staged in his twoyears at UNL. “Musically, there are parallels to ‘The Tender Land.’ The music is essentially tonal but there is fre quent dissonance,” he said. Having the writer and librettist at UNL this week is an advantage for the cast, Shomos said. “It’s a wonderful thing for all of us to have them here. If we have questions, they are here for us,” he said. A lot of preparation went into the performances, he said. There was an extensive process employed in selecting each semester’s opera, Shomos said. “The way I choose opera is to look at the people available at the open audition and look for an opera that suits their voices,” he said. “I usually have certain people in mind, and I use students that are here in stead of hiring out.” Learning scores and staging took about six weeks to put together, he said. Pre-performance talks for “A Room with a View” by Ross and Nelson will be given at 7:15 p.m. in room 119 at Westbrook Music Building. Tickets are $10 and $5 for stu dents. They can be obtained at die Lied Center Box Office, 12th and R streets, or by calling 472-4747.