Afewdues
on what to do
this weekend
What to do this weekend seems
to be the question on everyone’s
mind. So, other than watch the
game, here are sane possibilities fa
weekend entertainment.
The theaters are filled with new
movies for viewer’s pleasure, with
something fa older audiences, and
something fa younger ones.
For action fans, Steven Seagal
and Keenan Ivory Wayans
(Damon’s brother) team up to offer
“The Glimmer Man.” Seagal plays
an ex-U.S. assassin turned cop, who
gets teamed up with another homi
cide detective, played by Wayans.
In “Feeling Minnesota,” Keanu
Reeves falls in love with his
brother’s wife, played by Cameron
Diaz. She leaves the brother at the
altar and goes with Reeves.
Tom Hanks makes his directo
rial debut with “That Thing You
Do,” a surrealistic lode at the world
of pop music in the sixties. Hanks
himself plays the part of a corpo
rate agent who “discovers” the band
known as The Wonders. With two
Oscars under his belt, Hanks can
afford to write and direct a film him
self — the only question is how
good it will be.
And for the younger audiences,
Emilo Estivez returns for “Mighty
Ducks 3,” the third film following
* the exploits of the little hockey team
that could.
Tonight at the Culture Center,
the Students For Choice offer an all
ages show, with Sideshow, the Third
Sex and Christopher Becerra. The
show starts at 9 p.m.; admission is
•|$4.
§ Knickerbockers will feature live
1 music from Blind Fly and Wide to
night, with two Minneapolis bands,
' Six Day Lane and Push On Junior,
Ob Saturday night. Both shows start
> af 10 p.m., and the cover for each is
$4. .
The James Solberg Band
(Luther Allison’s back-up band)
will gorm the Zoo Bar tonight. The
show is $5. Saturday, reggae band
, Ashanti bring their house blend to
' Zoo’s stage. Both shows start at 9
pjn. The cover is $3.
“Wallace & Gromit: The Best
Of Aantman Animation” continues
to play at the Mary Riepma Ross
Theatre. Showtimes are tonight at
7 and 9 p.m.; Saturday at 1,3,7 and
9 p.m.; and Sunday at 3,5, and 7,
with the final show at 9 p.m.
The MueUer Plantarium’s Laser
foe music of
^li^^flH^W^^eekend, with
shows tonight and Saturday at 8,
9:30 and It pjn. Sunday will be
Laser jazz, with a show at 3:30 pjn.
And of course, Melissa Ethridge
will play at the Civic Auditorium in
Omaha in “An Evening With Mel
issa” on Saturday. Show starts at 8.
m
Newsboys wing hits,
message to Pershing
By Ann Stack
Senior Reporter
When Peter Furler founded the
popular Christian band Newsboys ten
years ago, spreading the word was not
the idea*>ehind it.
The idea was to pick up girls.
“We weren’t really Christians
then,” Furler said. “We were just play
ing for food, free drinks and meeting
girls.
“Obviously, it turned into some
thing completely different.”
Apparently so. The band’s sixth al
bum, “Take Me To Your Leader,” de
buted at No. 35 on the Billboard’s Top
200 chart in March, and has been sell
ing well in Christian bookstores around
Lincoln.
Susan Lamb, music buyer at
Maranatha Christian Resource Center,
said the album’s success is overwhelm
ing.
“It’s gotten great response,” she
said. “It’s always in our top 10.”
In fact, ‘Take Me To Your Leader”
has become Virgin Records’ second
biggest rock act of the year, right be
hind the Smashing Pumpkins, the Oct.
3 edition of Rolling Stone magazine
reported. The title track has gotten ex
tensive air play on pop and alternative
radio stations over the summer.
Furler, the band’s drummer, prin
ciple songwriter and co-producer,
founded the group in 1986 with lead
singer John James while the two lived
in Australia.
After several lineup changes over
the years, the band comprises Furler,
James, New Zealand bassist Phil Joel,
Australian keyboard player Duncan
Phillips, percussionist Jeff Franken
stein from Michigan and guitarist Jody
Davis from Indiana.
Furler said he never planned to be
come a Christian rock band — he
didn’t even know there was such a cat
egory—but when he came to America
seven years ago, that’s what happened.
“We never decided — it was de
cided for us,” he said. “In Australia,
there isn’t a Christian scene. We played
pubs and were on mainstream radio.
We just had Christian music.”
They were “discovered” (and sub
sequently pigeonholed in American
culture), when they opened for the
American Christian hard-rock group
Whiteheart in Australia^ Furler said
they hadn’t planned on touring
America, but found themselves on a
plane to New York six days later, on
their way to making their first album,
“Read All About It.”
Since then, the Newsboys’ sound
hasdefinitely matured. . “They’re
young records,” Furlersaidofthefirst
three albums. “Some bands make their
best albums first; we made most of our
mistakes early on.”
On their latest effort, they had the
presence of Tran Lord-Alge, the mix
ing mastermind behind Live, the Goo
NEWSBOYSare, from left: Jeff Frankenstein, Peter Furies JodyDaviT
Duncan Phillips, Phil Joel and John James (standing).
LL
*w
Some bands make their best albums first;
we made most of our mistakes early on”
Peter Furler
drummer for The Newsboys
Goo Dolls and the Dave Matthews
Band. The songs show the growth in
herent from contact with star perform
ers: they’re longer, more mature and
show increased levels of musical abil
ity as compared to previous efforts.
But the album is nothing compared
to the live show, Furler said.
“We’re 10 times better live than on
records,” he said. “If I could get what
happens live and put it on a record, it’d
be amazing.”
Furler said one thing that hasn’t
changed—be it live or on vinyl — is
die fact that the Newsboys are still fol
lowing their hearts and minds and not
the everyone else in the business.
“We don’t follow trends,” he said.
“We’ve never been the flavor of the
month. When grunge was huge and
flannel was everywhere, we had a lead
singer in a silver suit.”
That same philosophy applies to
their music as well.
“We’re not a Christian version of
something,” he said. “We’ve got our
own sound—no secular band sounds
the same.” '
Please see NEWS on 10
Comedy features talented friends
Play explores progress through growth of friendship, love
By Liza Holtmeier
Staff Reporter
If your new next-door neighbor
forces hercelf into your life and begins
to share all her problems, it might be
difficult to decide exactly how to
handle yourself.
But die John Ford Noonan comedy
“A Coupla White Chicks Sitting
Aroimd Talking,” which will be ..per
formed in the Temple Building this
weekend, attempts to address this is
sue. The play deals with die lives of
Maude and Hannah Mae and
progresses through the growth of their
love and friendship.
While mainly a comedic piece, di
rector Amy Rohr and cast members
explained that there are some serious
undertones to the play.
-4 .i(d "(aurtifl aril' icrt
■‘Thffmbresv/diwnrkad enrtbffipfay,
the more we realized ... it’s not all
funny. There are some serious subtexts
to it,” Rohr said.
Rohr, a senior theater major, read
the play this summer and immediately
thought of the two women she would
eventually cast, Kathy Dudley and
Becca Babbitt.
^Both Babbitt and Dudley^ have
ater history, and Dudl^^working
u -
Everything in my world can be used to
ward my craft. (Theater) is like a big
candy store just waiting for me to come
and pick what I want. ”
Kathy Dudley
actress
towards her doctorate in theater.
Rohr, who just finished working on
“The Sunshine Boys” at the Dinner
Theatre, has directed four shows prior
to this one.
“Amy and I were working for Ne
braska Repertory Theatre this summer
and she said she saw Becca and 1 in
the roles,” Dudley said. “What was
ironic is that I had worked on a mono
logue for this show before.”
Rohr said that because the three
were friends and because of the small
size of the cast and crew, dealing with
rehearsal time constraints was easy.
The crew began rehearsing the show
only 21/2 weeks ago.
The women were also brought to
gether by their love of theater.
“Everything in my world can be
used toward my craft,” Dudley said,”
(Theater) is like a big candy store just
waiting for me to come and pick what
I want.”
Dudley alsoadded that theatre was
unique because it incorporated so many
different fields, like music, history, and
psychology.
Babbitt said she loved the sponta
neity of the production.
“It’s live and anything can happen,”
she said. “It’s just me at that instant, so
if 1 want do something different each
night, I have that choice.”
The play, a Theatrix production,
will be performed in Room 301 of the
Ifemple Building on today at 8 p.m.,
Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 pm.andSun
day at 2 pjn. Admission is $3.00.
Make note
of weekend
music shows
ByEmujWbat
. Staff Reporter
: >' - . £ f.
UNL’s School of Music brings
the butcher, the baker and the
candlestick maker to this weekend's
concert schedule.
In other words, the School of
Music will bring Cello-bration
1996, The Wind Ensemble concert
and pianist Guy Wuellner this week
end.
Karen Becker, professor of
cello, directs tonight's and
Saturday’s musical event, Cello
bration.
Participants in the cello work
shop include high school students,
cello teachers and university stu
dents. Throughout the workshop,
25 to 30 musicians from Nebraska
and Kansas explore a variety of
cello ensembte»ila«»ij.
In the laJHHHMHHft
number of ceiro’ensembles’has
steadily increased, Becker said.
One reason for the popularity of
cello ensembles is the instrument's
range, she said. The cello’s lowest
register includes part of the base
range, while it’s highest register
reaches violin range.
Some music played by cello en
sembles is commissioned while
other music includes pieces tran