A9 | Monday, April 11, 2005 The Bristol Press TTHHEE TTAATTTTOOOO BRISTOL PRESS MAKING A PERMANENT IMPRESSION SINCE 1994 VOLUME 11 No. 11 ‘Hollow Men’ fill Iraq War protesters feel lucky By STEVEN DUREL University senior involved with the world, many calling for a and food from various organi- The Tattoo the Progressive Student timetable for the removal of zations. The Tent People even a TV humor void Alliance. American troops from Iraq, a entertained local religious lead- Amidst the ocean of green Marching in front of the nation which now possesses its ers who stopped by to let the By STEFAN KOSKI hats and balloons of St. Capitol at noon, the demon- own multi-ethnic government protesters know that their The Tattoo Patrick’s Day in Hartford last strators chanted and carried and military. Many Coalition efforts were much appreciated. month, there were also banners signs condemning the invasion. countries, most notably Spain, Despite the overall sense of Ever since “Saturday Night Live” premiered on NBC in 1975, a and cries of discontent. Rallying together an hour have removed their forces from solidarity among the anniver- host of other sketch comedy shows have been launched with Gathering around the state later, the protesters denounced Iraq and others, like Italy and sary demonstrations, the pro- mixed success. The most notable of these include Fox’s “Mad TV” Capitol, dozens of dissatisfied the war, making reference to the Ukraine, have recently testers themselves seemed less and Canada’s “The Kids in the Hall.” protesters marked the second the more than 100,000 lives lost made requests to leave the area than optimistic about how the Comedy Central has introduced many of these sketch comedy anniversary of the invasion of in the past two years. They also within the next year. American invasion of Iraq will rivals, including the short-lived “Ben Stiller Show” and the now Iraq in the middle of cited the fact that Iraq pos- On the campus of the be remembered by history. very popular “Chappelle’s Show.” But Comedy Central is seeking Connecticut’s St. Patrick’s rev- sessed no weapons of mass University of Connecticut in “I think that people won’t to take the center stage of sketch comedy elry. destruction and criticized the Storrs, protesters decided to really remember the specifics again, this time with its new series “The “They deserve to say their Bush Administration’s foreign spend the entire week outside, of the Iraq War in the long Hollow Men,” which premiered last month. piece, too,” said the green-clad policy, calling it paranoid and sleeping in tents and rallying run,” Barnicle said. “People will “The Hollow Men” themselves consist of Derek MacDonald, age 41. delusional. together around a large “Peace probably forget that we went David Armand, Nick Tanner, Rupert Russell, “We were warmly welcomed The Hartford rallies were in Iraq” banner. about bringing democracy to and Sam Spedding. by the people of Hartford,” said not the only ones held that Like the Hartford protesters, Iraq in the absolute worst pos- OnOn All four are English born and, despite protester Tom Barnicle, 23, a weekend. There were anti-war the Tent People, as they became sible and [most] undemocratic what might be inferred by the occasional Central Connecticut State protests in major cities around known, were given free clothing way.” lowbrow humor of the show, are all profes- thethe sional actors and college grads of Cambridge, the University of London, and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. They are accomplished playwrights and tubetube occasional writers for such British newspa- Paying respects to Arthur Miller pers as The Guardian and The Observer. ture. The Great Gatsby, Animal was taking me longer then spoke to me. That was until I They’ve also worked as writers and By ZACH BROKENROPE The Tattoo Farm, 1984, and The Lord of usual to find the book that walked down the M aisle. actors on a number of different British TV the Flies had all been the fairy- Halfway through I felt it, that and radio shows. It is only now that they are Dear Mr. Miller, tales that tucked me into bed at sensation of adventure waiting starting to have a major American audience with their own I once read that the written night. I absorbed the written for me between the pages of a American television show. word can surpass all bound- word with enthusiasm, eager book. The show’s setup echoes that of “Kids in the Hall” – some of aries. Now, I don’t know if and wanting to understand the I pulled the book blindly the only obvious differences are the nationalities and the fact that that’s exactly true, but it is with world through the experiences from the shelf and glanced at there are only four of them, not five. Comedy Central’s website this frame of mind that I begin of others. the cover. “Death Of a (www.comedycentral.com) itself bills “The Hollow Men” as being this letter. I hope you’re able to The library had become my Salesman,” it read in large, gold “In the tradition of ‘Monty Python’ and ‘The Kids in the Hall’” and read this, Mr. Miller; wherever escape, my passageway into the letters. The book itself was as, “four guys who revel in the inappropriate, occasionally wear you are; whether it be the gold- real world; no matter how small and thin, yellowed by dresses and are redefining absurdity with their rapid-fire bits.” en gates of heaven or the fiery cliché that sounds, it’s true. years of sitting on the shelf. After having seen the show, this seems to be a fairly accurate pit of hell; or anything in One Saturday I wandered I had the rest of the after- description. Every skit in the show – each lasting several minutes between. the aisles of the library, my noon free, so I sat down right at most, 12 in all – involves lightening wit and completely unex- hands grazing the spines of the there and began the story. pected circumstances. books, some old and dusty, Within five minutes I was The four may be at their high school reunion, reminiscing about their covers brown with gold entranced, and finished the the good old days. Problem is that no one seems to remember any- lettering and yellowed pages; play during the next hour. one’s name from such days (with the exception of the guy who had Curtain call others new with pages crisp In that short time I was the reputation of being able to pee over 10 feet). Or they might be and unread. changed. The play taught me at a scientific convention where one of the esteemed colleagues My tradition was to walk more about real people and giving a presentation has taken all of his grant money and spent Arthur Miller through the aisles, touching the real life than any other work of it on a lavish vacation. The dialogue clips along at a brisk space, books until I had the feeling in Tattoo photo fiction could do. and wastes no time getting to the punchlines. 1915-2005 my heart that the book I was Playwright Arthur Miller In a way I believed the story While the material is occasionally risqué in a truly unapologetic touching was right; and was signs copies of his play was real and the characters fashion, it does not, like “Mad TV” before it, go over the line in perfect for me at that time. This “Broken Glass” at Atticus lived and breathed like I did. resorting to shock tactics to get a laugh. The humor is genuinely method had never proven Bookstore in New Haven in So for that I say thank you, clever and most often takes the viewer completely by surprise. I was not your average kid wrong and had taken me on March 1994. Miller, who Mr. Miller; thank you for show- “The Hollow Men” are also masters of irony and the twist end- growing up, Mr. Miller. By the numerous journeys of the imag- ing me reality, for showing me ing. None of the jokes or punchlines are predictable, and the mate- lived in Roxbury, Conn., died fifth grade I had read most of ination. Feb. 10 at the age of 89. life. rial is fresh in a way that keeps the audience’s attention. the classics of American litera- That particular Saturday it Zach Brokenrope A perfect example of this was a recent skit where three of the Hollow Men are in a space capsule revolving around the moon. By radio communication to Mission Control they manage to fake their own moon landing so that they can stay in their shuttle to drink beer and eat pizza. All is going well until one of them slips and mentions that A new view on Van Gogh’s life aliens have taken hold of their shuttle. NASA, not wanting to take any risks, aborts the mission and pushes a button that causes the By JULIA COCCA lum. capsule to self-destruct. An assistant then approaches the director The Tattoo As Theo vented his emotions, he looked back on the letters of of Mission Control (the fourth Hollow Man) and asks, “What are his brother and read what Vincent had written. we going to tell the media?” We’ve all heard the stories of Van Gogh, especially the famous But he did not play the role of Theo reading Vincent’s letters. Very calmly and nonchalantly, the director replies, “We’ll just ear tale. Instead, he became Van Gogh himself, as he wrote these letters to tell them they got lost. What the hell do I care?” At this point the We’ve seen the paintings time and time again. For most of us, his brother, showing all the joy and all the pain that went with his camera zooms out to reveal that the 20 or so people at Mission I would imagine, his most famous painting, “Starry Night,” is per- words. Control are doing nothing more than drinking beer and eating manently etched into our minds. In this way, the audience witnesses Vincent’s beginnings, the pizza. The gag hits hard and fast, and the amused audience bare- And now the Thomaston Opera House has given us another ly knows what’s hit them. chance to experience the life of Vincent Van Gogh, with its one- “The Hollow Men” shows a lot of promise. With quick banter man show “Vincent,” written by Leonard Nimoy (or Mr. Spock, if and uncertain conclusions, the sketches manage to entertain on you wish.) Theater review: Vincent every level, even though the nature of the jokes can sometimes be The cast consists of Paul Revaz, playing the role of Vincent’s crude and unsettling. If they can keep their material fresh and con- younger brother, Theo. way we never see him depicted, as a young man in love with life sistently funny, they’ll certainly have a one-up over more recent It took some coaxing to get me to go to see it on its final day who hopes to spread his joy among others through his good episodes of sketch comedy superstar “Saturday Night Live.” at the opera house. Although I do love Van Gogh, sitting through works. Fans of “The Kids In The Hall” and Monty Python (not to men- an hour and 45 minutes of one man standing on a stage talking As Theo reads on, we see Vincent’s life grow dimmer and drea- tion the likes of Dave Chappelle) are in for a treat in the form of did not sound compelling. rier, until finally we reach the asylum days. “The Hollow Men.” Comedy Central’s website concludes by saying, The fact that I was, by far, the youngest person there did not And we all know how the play will end. “Tune in for nudist-powered car engines, chronic Marlon Brando make the situation any more promising. I had seen the paintings; I had heard the stories; but until I saw impersonators, vag badgers and much, much more!” The modest set consisted of two screens at the back of the this play, I never knew Vincent. For the record, you do not want to know what a “vag badger” stage, a desk, an easel and a bureau. Director John Long adapted this play to the small stage with is. As the play begins, we see Theo enter the room, just after the magnificent skill, making the audience feel like family and making burial of his brother Vincent. Theo our own brother. Throughout the play, Theo finds comfort in the audience, using The play was forceful, morose and even humorous at times, as it as friends to whom he can vent the feelings he was not able to Theo read through the letters and told us the tales. show at the funeral. It was compelling, something that I never thought a one-man Using the real letters of Vincent Van Gogh to Theo, and a slide- show could ever be. Remember to see by-slide timeline of Vincent’s work, the audience is exposed to the When the lights turned on, and the single actor exited, I want- art of Van Gogh on a personal level: a way to see him as a lover, ed to find my new friend Theo, and cry with him for the loss of this film thriller and not just the man who cut off his ear and was put in the asy- our brother, because now, I know Vincent. By MONICA GLEBERMAN The Tattoo Tattoo writers and cartoonist nab awards I promise I won’t forget how amazing this movie was. SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — Seven writers Melvin Williams Award given to an out- fall. When I first saw the trailers for “The Forgotten,” I was pretty for The Tattoo captured awards last month standing high school writer. Jordan impressed with the storyline. in the annual Scholastic Press Forum con- Honorable mentions winners included also nabbed A grieving mother, Telly Paretta, test at American International College. students from Ireland, Canada and a first place played by Julianne Moore, is constantly All of the first place winners were Minnesota as well as Eric Simmons, a sen- win in the New DVD struggling to cope with the loss of her 8- Bristol Eastern High School students: sen- ior at Eastern who recently moved to sports fea- year-old son. She is stunned when her iors Katie Jordan and Joe Keo, along with Florida. ture catego- release: psychiatrist tells her that she has creat- junior Kate Haire. Teague Neal, a 17-year-old from Oakville, ry for a story ‘The ed eight years of memories of a son she Jordan also won the first-ever Professor Ontario, won an honorable mention for his she did never had. news story about the Second about an Forgotten’ She begins to think she has gone Harvest food program in Toronto. Afghan girls crazy until, she meets a fellow patient Tattoo writer Marese Heffernan, soccer team Kate Haire who has a similar experience. Moore 13, of Ireland captured an honor- that had then makes it her life goal to prove that not only is she not crazy, able mention in the columns cate- come to Simsbury. An accompanying per- but she will find her son. gory for a piece she wrote called, sonal account of what it meant to her got Within the first 10 minutes, I think Telly is crazy, but a few min- “Teachers make or break us.” an honorable mention in the first-person utes later I change my mind. This constant back and forth as to Minha Lee of Minnesota took an essays competition. what’s going on, who I think is behind it, and what I think is com- honorable mention in the first-per- All of the winning stories, as well as ing up was plaguing me throughout this movie. I felt like I was on son category for a piece called, “My more than 100 full issues of The Tattoo dat- a roller coaster that never ended. freshman love affair with The Wall” ing back to 1994, are available on its popu- This movie has you constantly guessing and wondering. You that ran in The Tattoo’s annual lar web site at www.readthetattoo.com. think you have it all figured out and then something like a man Insider’s Guide to High School last The Tattoo is always looking for talent- being sucked into space happens and everything changes. “The fall. ed teens anywhere in the world with an Forgotten” is full of twists and turns, with unexpected car acci- Keo won a first place in the car- interest in journalism, photography or car- dents, unusual people, constant lies, and many people forgetting toons category for a “Daily Sketch” tooning. The Tattoo is all-volunteer and it information. It’s a movie that keeps you on your toes. he drew about airport insecurity. is free to join. If you’re looking for a film that will at times make you jump, Tattoo photo Jordan and Haire shared a first- Bristol Press reporters Steve Collins but isn’t too scary, this is one for you. This movie, recently Katie Jordan and Joe Keo contemplate life at the place award in the opinion catego- and Jackie Majerus donate their time to released on DVD, was one of the best thrillers I have seen in a long Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme last ry for a humorous piece about serve as advisors of the organization. Its time. November. high-school gym class that ran last local staff meets weekly at the Press.

WWW.READTHETATTOO.COM The best teen journalism in the world. For questions, comments or to join, contact advisors Steve Collins and Jackie Majerus at 523-9632.