Arts ©Entertainment
Thursday, April 25, 1996 Page 12
Brian Priesman
Tabloids
can be put
to good use
I’ll come clean and admit that I am
a regular reader of “The Weekly World
News.”
Where else can I get a regular dose
of weirdness and fun masquerading as
real journalism?
I can’t get enough of everyone’s
favorite Bat-boy, that poor misguided
lad who looks as if he stepped out of a
bad B-movie.
And those pesky, politically savvy
aliens! Just think, in 1988 they visited
Bush and secured him the victory. But
they changed sides and supported both
Clinton and Perot in ’92.1 can’t wait to
see who they’ll support this year.
Heck, I plan to base my entire po
litical future on who they back! (Al
though I’d be real ly happy i f they would
decide to back James Brown because
then I wouldn’t have to change a thing
about my political affiliation!)
But in all seriousness, people com
plain about the tabloids being cheap,
- petty and trashy. But then how come
they sell more copies in a week than
the New York Times sells in a month?
People read the tabloids, hopefully,
to laugh. No one I know takes them
seriously. Well, I guess I do know a
couple of people who view them as
truth, but these are the same people
who think “Saturday Night Live” is
still funny.
For me, “The Weekly World News”
provides a cheap escapist form of en
tertainment that’s only found in my
local supermarket. They’re fun!
Tltey’re laughable! And they’re cheap!
The cheap part is my favorite. I can
buy my copy of “The Weekly World
News” for the price of a Burger King
Kids Meal. And believe me, the tab
loid is worth more than the meal.
In a recent issue, it claimed that
Christ had appeared, yet again, over
the United Nations. Boy, if this were
true you’d think the Pope would have
said something!
And there was this miracle cure for
almost everything that relied upon a
person eating fresh avocado about 20
times a day. And even though I may be
sick to death of avocados, I feel like a
million bucks!
But I still can’t just waltz into the
store and buy a copy. I still have to buy
it and act as if it’s not mine.
I’ll make this big fuss about “Why,
that’s not mine! I wouldn’t read that!
Oh, don’t worry, it’s pretty cheap, I’ll
take it, I guess.”
And then I walk off in a huff with
the paper folded under my arm as if I
hadn’t planned on buying it myself.
As crazy as it sounds, it actually
works at some stores. Yep, I can fool
them all into thinking that I would
never read that wonderful drivel.
Maybe some day I can proudly
waltz into my local Hy-Vee and pro
claim that “Yes, that Weekly World
News is mine! And I intend to read it,
cover to cover!”
But until that day comes, I will
sneak with the rest of the devoted
“WWN” readers, searching for Bat
boy and his friends to offer me some
whimsical diversions from the world
- of serious journalism.
Priesman Is a freshman news-editorial,
aad theater major and a Dally Nebraskan,
staff reporter.
Warrior returns to the ring
By Gerry Beltz
Senior Reporter
During his three-year respite from
the hectic schedule of the World
Wrestling Federation, the Ultimate
Warrior has been minding his own
business.
Well, businesses, actually.
That’s right, one of wrestling’s
most popular figures has been play
ing the role of the Ultimate Entre
preneur in his hometown of
Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Warrior will make his return
to the squared circle Sunday night as
one of the featured wrestlers in the
WWF’s “In Your House” Pay-Per
View event, which will be broadcast
from Omaha’s Civic Auditorium.
“I have my own business, called
‘Ultimate Creations,”’ he said.
“There’s Warrior’s World and War
rior University, an institution of
higher learning for young athletes to
train and learn to believe in them
selves.”
Other parts of these businesses
include the publishing of the “War
rior” comic book series and the train
ing of fledgling professional wres
tlers, he said.
ine cnaracter ot tne Ultimate
Warrior is something that j ust comes
naturally, he said.
“I’m highly motivated in my per
sonal life and business,” he said.
“I’m very energetic and in your face,
and the Ultimate Warrior is just an
outward expression of that.”
It’s not just the character of the
Ultimate Warrior that is like that
either, he said.
“I think anybody who comes to
know any professional wrestlers
knows that their characters are j ust a
natural extension of what they are
like outside of the ring,” he said.
The frequent mention of the Ulti
mate Warrior by wrestling enthusi
asts over the last few years shows
the natural power of this character,
he said.
“For the last three years, the Ul
timate Warrior has been on the tips
of everybody’s tongues,” he said,
“and people were actually creating
poor imitations of him in other
ieagues.
“Nobody else can do that charac
ter. No one else can be you.”
The Ultimate Warrior—a previ
ous WWF world and intercontinen
tal champion—will face the flam
boyant Golddust for the WWF in
tercontinental title in Sunday’s
match.
The Warrior isn’t sweatin’ it.
“I’m really looking forward to
the match,” he said. “I’ve had a
couple of appearances and TV
Photo courtesy of the World Wrestling Federation
The Ultimate Warrior, now mounting a comeback after a
three-year hiatus, stretches out in all of his glory.
Tm highly motivated in my personal life and
business. I’m very energetic and in your face, and
the Ultimate Warrior is just an outward expression
of that. ”
THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR
tapings, but this is my first match
back on the road.”
All of the gold will be up for
grabs Sunday night, as WWF world
champion Shawn “The Heartbreak
Kid” Michaels and Diesel meet in a
“No Holds Barred” match, and the
WWF tag team titles will be on the
line as the champion Bodydonnas
meet the challenge of the Godwinns.
Other matches include Razor
Ramon going up against Vader, and
Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts will lock
up with the British Bulldog.
Tickets are still available for the
event for $ 11.50 (general admission
seating). The event also will be avail
able on pay-per-view and can be
ordered through CableVision for
$19.95.
4-manband
dazzles
audience
By Cliff Hicks
Music Critic
Too Much Joy. TOO MUCH
JOY. TOO MUCH JOY!!!
Too Much Joy played at Mudslide
Slim’s, 1418 O
- St., Tuesday
_ night and for
_^ anyone who
| wasn’t there,
■ you may have
I missed one of
the most cner
getic perfor
Concert rnances ever to
Review hit the Midwest.
Ivcwicw Take four
pieces of ball
lightning, 300 pounds of Vivarin
and a couple of Heinekens, blend it
1 all together and it will form into Too
Much Joy.
The four-man power-pop-punk
band was viciously alive as it pro
ceeded to blow the minds of 70 or so
Lincoln listeners.
Opening the show with “That ’ s A
Lie,” I remember thinking to my sel f
that at some point they were going to
run out of energy. They didn’t.
TMJ always pauses and throws
in a lie of the day into the song. I
have to admit, it even had me fooled.
i mougni me song was over.
Then Tim Quirk, the vocalist,
said, “You know, we usually invite
the girls to come back to the hotel
after the show and (expletive) us,
but we’re kinda hung over, so if
you’ re going to offer, we ’ 11 dec line.”
Along with everyone in the place,
I screamed “That’s a lie!” as the
band came crashing back into the
song.
It’s a good thing that Jay
Blumenfield, the guitarist, was
cordless, because he was everywhere
— scooting, sliding, jumping and
flying wherever he could.
During the third song in the set,
“Mrs. Now,” a fire truck pulled up in
front of Slim’s, lights a-flashing.
Apparently there was a fire next
door (I never did really find out
where), but it was the best light show
anyone could have asked for. And
best of all, it was free.
Jay saw the lights (his head swiv
eled as if he was in “The Exorcist,”
I swear it) and for a moment, I thought
I saw a grin.
See JOY on 13
Former ‘Superman’ actress taken to ward
By Jeff Meyer
Associated Press Writer
GLENDALE, Calif. — “Super
man” actress Margot Kidder was in
a psychiatric ward Wednesday after
being found dirty, dazed and fearful
in a stranger’s back yard, claiming
she had been stalked and assaulted.
Police said they found no evi
dence of foul play, and took the 47
year-old actress to Olive View Medi
cal Center in Sylmar for observa
tion.
Tests showed no sign of drugs or
alcohol in her system.
Only last May, Kidder’s “Super
man” co-star, Christopher Reeve,
was paralyzed from the neck down
in a horse-riding accident.
The whiskey-voiced actress, who
played Lois Lane in four “Super
man” movies and battled health and
financial problems in recent years,
had been missing for three day s until
she was found crouching in the
bushes by homeowners in a quiet
neighborhood of neatly tended
homes.
Kidder appeared “frightened and
paranoid” and seemed to have cut
her hair to alter her appearance, Sgt.
Rick Young said. When asked who
was following her, she would not
say. Young said.
“We do not feel there has been a
crimeatthistime,”Youngsaid.“She
claimed that she was followed and
assaulted, but we found no evidence
of that.”
Kidder lost a dental plate during
her three-day disappearance, lead
ing to initial reports that her front
teeth had been knocked out. She was
scratched and bruised, but police
said that was apparently from hiding
in the bushes.
Kidder had been living in
Livingston, Mont., and was in Los
Angeles on business, Young said.
Kidder was last seen at the Los
Angeles airport Saturday night, wait
ing for a flight to Phoenix, Ariz.,
police said. But she never arrived
there, and a business associate re
ported her missing Monday.
The Theatre Guild, a producer of
plays, said Kidder was supposed to
teach an acting class in Thatcher,
Ariz., on Monday. In a statement,
the guild said she was hospitalized
with “extreme exhaustion.”
A representative for Kidder .did
not immediately return a call for
comment.
Kidder’s career peaked in the
1970s and ’80s with the “Super
man” series. She also appeared in
the movies “The Great Waldo Pep
per” and “The Amityville Horror.”
She said a 1990 auto accident
while filming a TV series based on
the Nancy Drew books caused a
neck injury that gave her persistent
pain. She occasionally needed a
wheelchair.
She told People magazine in 1992
that she took pills to ward off the
pain, but the pi Us left her mind “mud
died.”
Surgery eventually corrected
Kidder’s physical ailment, but she
went into bankruptcy when her in
surance company refused to pay her
bills, according to the magazine. It
said she was broke and living in a
one-bedroom apartment near Hol
lywood.
Kidder rented an office at a small
Hollywood complex for about two
years to work on her autobiography.
Judie Phillips-Smith, who works in
the building, said she believed Kid
der moved out last fall.
Kidder also took up political
causes, working on Jesse Jackson’s
1988 presidential campaign, de
nouncing capital punishment and
fighting for abortion rights.
She appeared with Stacy Keach
in Baltimore last year in the play
“Stieglitz Loves O’Keeffe: Flowers
and Photos” and made the low-bud
get movie “Never Met Picasso” last
fall. In 1994, she appeared in a CD
ROM thriller titled “Under the Kill
ing Moon.”
