ENTERTAINMENTpage 9 Technique • Friday, June 3, 2005 • 9

JUST IMAGINE OH-SO SWEET A pair of CS grad students entered Women’s tennis has reached the ENTERTAINMENT the regional competion of Microsoft’s NCAA Sweet 16 tournament after Page 7 Page 16 Technique • Friday, June 3, 2005 Imagine Cup and won. winning the ACC tourney.

Chastain gets Guide stays faithful to spirit of Adams some Latin flavor By Andrew Guyton It turns out that Arthur’s friend Contributing Writer Ford is not from Guildford after all Guitar legend Carlos Santana and (which would explain the accent), Latin music’s it-group Los Lonely The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the but from a planet somewhere in Boys will be playing two shows at Galaxy is everywhere. Google will the vicinity of Betelgeuse. Ford is Chastain Park Amphitheatre this tell you The Answer To Life, The also a writer for the Guide, giving weekend. The first show is tonight at Universe, and Everything; you might it prominence in the series. This 7 p.m. and the second is tomorrow even see someone celebrating Towel launches an adventure that is very night at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range Day (May 25). The whimsical yet random, or perhaps simply very from $39.18 to $98.58. amazing world improbable. and comedic H o w e v e r , w i z a rd r y of “Imagine for a the screenplay Douglas Ad- second that dolphins (co-written by Masq hosts ams has finally Adams) manages come to the sil- are more intelligent to take many Dishwalla, others ver screen, after than humans and interesting and a lengthy wait funny elements No, it’s not a new way to clean and a lot of hard have been trying and combine your plates and forks. Rock band work. to warn us of them into an Dishwalla, who gave us songs The Hitch- enjoyable work. like “Counting Blue Cars” and hiker’s Guide to Earth’s impending D i e - h a r d “Somewhere in the Middle” will the Galaxy tells destruction... fans will find be hitting up the Heaven portion a story of an many elements of the Masquerade with “special ordinary man, now turn it into a that satisfy, and guests” on Wednesday, June 8 at 8 Arthur Dent, musical.” newcomers to p.m. Tickets cost $10. (Martin Free- Adams’ style ma n) whose won’t be left in house is about to be demolished to the cold. Similarly, the visual effects make way for a bypass. Not only that, team creates stunning environments Laughter to ring it so happens that Earth is also about (think Earth II) without letting the to be demolished, much for a similar visual effects become the story, as at Symphony Hall reason. Arthur is rescued by his good in some big-budget movies we can friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def) just probably think of. Thursday, June 9, everyone’s Photo courtesy Buena Vista Pictures before Earth is destroyed—and soon The “aliens” are also masterfully favorite “all-American” stand-up Arthur Dent (Freeman) and Ford Prefect (Mos Def) hitch a ride on finds himself on a ship in a Vogon comic Margaret Cho will be per- an alien ship just prior to the destruction of Earth. constructor fleet. See Hike, page 11 forming at Symphony Hall Atlanta. Cho’s unique brand of comedy has garnered her much acclaim. The Dave Matthews Band takes show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost Episode III puts $29.50 for the cheap seats or $45 for new stance in familiar territory a spot a little closer to the front. By Matt Dulin with the uninspired electric riffs The Daily Cougar (U. Houston) of “I Did It,” they are redeemed Vader in his place Atlanta has new by DMB’s latest jams. The album takes the strongest music festival (U-WIRE) —Once you hit parts of their last two efforts and the title track of Dave Matthews makes the next logical leap. The Just when you thought there Band’s Stand Up, you know it’s band doesn’t sound like it did wasn’t room for another summer going to be one good album. 10 years ago, for sure, and never concert festival, along comes VIBE Shortly after you hear Dave will. If anything, it sounds bet- Musicfest. The inaugural festival will wax romantic over a “Dreamgirl” ter—more finely tuned, more feature nighttime performances by and then recollect the good old cohesive, more collaborative. Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris, days in “Old Dirt Hill,” it hits Fans who take Stand Up to be 112 and many others. By day, VIBE you, and one more Musicfest is a sort of expo weekend, here’s the faltering including celebrity panelists, fashion kicker: it step are shows and seminars held by the Photo courtesy Lucasfilm only gets g r a v e l y likes of Magic Johnson and Rev. Al better. m i s t a k- By Sam Tanzer three more Star Wars movies, the Sharpton. The festival takes place E v e n en. The Stanford Daily (Stanford) world quivered collectively in an- during the weekend of June 10-12, “A m e r i - I n ticipation. with expo events taking place at the can Baby,” produc- (U-WIRE)—For anyone who’s Unfortunately, there was a slight Georgia World Congress Center and the single ing Stand spent the last 10 years in a sensory problem with the prequels—they concerts at the Georgia Dome. re le a s e d Up, Mark deprivation chamber, we’ll will pro- weren’t very good. From the impos- for radio, B a t s o n vide a little background. sibly hard-to-follow plot of Attack of improves (who has 28 years ago, George Lucas re- Clones to the tired dialogue and car- with the w o r k e d leased a movie called Star Wars. The toonish action, the first two movies Don’t worry, you “American with 50 movie was filled with unforgettable were nothing if not a letdown. Baby In- Cent and symbols—the lightsaber, the Jedi Fortunately, Episode III: Revenge didn’t miss it tro,” laying Eminem) and the rasping Darth Vader quickly of the Sith is better than the first the song in e n c o u r- became part of a brand-new cultural two. Unfortunately, it’s nowhere Everyone’s favorite summer a wartime context. aged each band member to iconography. near the level of The Empire Strikes concert festival, Music Midtown, Yes, the band ventures into explore his own strengths, even The franchise gave Mark Ham- Back, which, incidentally, Lucas did experienced a date change from familiar territory, dabbling in if it meant picking up a different mill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher not direct. years past. Instead of taking place politics, spirituality and sex, instrument. You’ll hear piano and Alec Guinness career-defining The film opens by zooming in during what is usually the weekend among other themes, but Mat- pieces from Matthews or elec- roles. It provided an utterly seductive from an idyllic ship and planet- after spring finals, the festival is now thews manages to keep a fresh tric guitar from bassist Stefan opposition between good and evil. scape to a fast-paced battle scene scheduled for the weekend of June perspective to match the band’s Lessard. It collapsed the distinction between that features Anakin (Hayden 10-12. Some performers of note fresh sound. In a one-on-one session with nerd and anti-nerd by creating a sci- Christensen) and Obi-Wan (Ewan include Coheed and Cambria, the While Everyday and Busted Batson, violinist Boyd Tinsley ence fiction world so irresistible that McGregor) taking on the wheezing Black-Eyed Peas, Interpol and the Stuff were shaky and inconsistent plucked the notes that would it’s impossible not to buy into it. robotic General Grievous. White Stripes, but $75 will get you in a quest for a different sound, John Williams’ score is irrevo- And then comes about 45 minutes admission for the whole weekend Stand Up is confident, even bois- cably imprinted on the minds of a of ass-bad dialogue that saps the and a choice of over 100 performers terous. If fans’ faith was shaken See DMB, page 11 generation. So when George Lucas of almost every imaginable popular announced that he was making See Vader, page 11 genre. ENTERTAINMENT Technique • Friday, June 3, 2005 • 11

the movie. Anakin and Obi-Wan. Hike from page 9 The film’s ending left the story DMB from page 9 Vader from page 9 But even at its best, the action open for the adaptation of the other is too heavily reliant on glittering costumed, thanks to the Jim Hen- books in Adams’ five-book trilogy, become “American Baby.” momentum right out of the movie special effects—taking down AT- son creature shop. We can thank but given the difficulties that occured Batson’s approach was likely a like some sort of momentum-suck- AT’s with tow cables in The Empire them for the Vogons being what with making just this one, I don’t see big part of Stand Up’s success. The ing insect. Strikes Back is more compelling they are today. The music is also it happening. However, if a sequel result is a fresh, engaging sound When we finally do get moving than anything the prequels have well-done and compliments the were to be made, I would be more that will lure listeners deeper into again, the payoff is well worth it. to offer. lovable quirkiness of the film; they than delighted. the album. Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) makes But what holds Episode III back even remastered the theme from the Don’t panic when you read a Many songs lean heavily on a visually stunning transformation from greatness is the script. The original BBC series. flurry of negative reviews about percussion, which Carter Beauford from Chancellor to Emperor, the Jedi dialogue is rife with trite love vows, The opener was a bit of a surprise The Hitchhiker’s Guide the Galaxy, delivers expertly, eradicating any temple faces an imperial onslaught, absurd absolutes and too-explicit for me, but it was well-made; it also and see it for yourself. It’s more shred of doubt in the band’s ability and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jack- ideological extremities. demonstrates how random the movie popular and informative than the to jam. Leroi Moore’s saxophone is a son) gets his biggest role yet. All in all, Revenge of the Sith is is. Imagine for a second that dolphins Encyclopedia Galactica. It’s got more bit understated, but he gets his own Look for some spectacular action pretty mediocre, but that doesn’t are more intelligent than humans practical advice than your parents solo to close up “American Baby.” scenes with Yoda. There’s nothing mean I didn’t enjoy the hell out and have been trying to warn us of ever gave you. Stand Up is full of the hallmarks cooler than a little green guy with a of it. And it doesn’t mean I don’t Earth’s impending destruction. If somebody makes a plush Mar- of a genuine DMB product: longer lightsaber. The film’s final sequences welcome the excuse to re-watch the Okay, now turn it into a musical. vin, the maniac-depressed robot, one songs, head-boppin’ jams, lyrical are as pulse-raising as any in the original trilogy. It doesn’t get much more random will reside on my desk. He’ll find it blending and good music. series, given that Lucas intersplices But as the Star Wars saga comes than that, kids. That serves as an absolutely horrible there. Be sure Verdict: Just in case you were Yoda’s climactic battle that takes to end, the most lasting effect of excellent starting point into what is a to get a copy of the DVD when it worrying, Stand Up is evidence the place in the Senate chamber itself Episode III may be merely to con- very complex series. I was laughing, comes out, and always know where Dave Matthews Band still knows (symbolism, anyone?) with the firm the status of the originals as grinning and happy throughout your towel is. how to rock. obligatory showdown between cinematically untouchable.

CHIMP SHRIMP AND FRIENDS Original Comic Strip

By Mark Parsons: [email protected]