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(04/26/10 4:00am)
Bill Maher, the 100th distinguished speaker in the 23-year series, covered a variety of topics Saturday night in Alumni Arena. From calling Sarah Palin a MILF to President Barack Obama a good special education teacher, no subject was left untouched.
(04/20/10 4:00am)
Grade: A+
Wholesome entertainment is hard to come by these days. If you are looking for some, you really shouldn't watch The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!
Necrophilia, gratuitous cartoon nudity and enough vulgar language to make The Osbournes blush all make this direct-to-DVD movie the comedic masterpiece that it is.
The series was taken off of the air in 2007, but once it started doing well on Hulu and in DVD sales, Comedy Central approached creators Matthew Silverstein and Dave Jesser (who currently work on The Cleveland Show) about doing a movie.
"At first we were scared, we didn't trust them, and then we decided if we come up with the right idea, then let's do this," Silverstein said. "We sat around and we used real life as an example, [so] we did the movie about being canceled and about people criticizing the show for not having a point."
Using the story of how Silverstein found out the show was canceled as its inspiration, the film certainly draws on many real life events.
"I put it in my TiVo and it said ‘no results found.' And that is how I kind of found out," Silverstein said. "That was a real sobering moment there."
The rest of the movie follows the characters' magical trip to "Make-A-Point-Land" to get back on the air.
"That was always the most annoying thing. A lot of our episodes actually had a point – not all the time, sometimes we just wanted to be funny. We just didn't have a character look into the lens of the camera and spoon-feed [the point] to the audience, and then we were always criticized for not having a point," Silverstein said. "So … that is kind of the point of the show, we decided in the movie, but ultimately we do what we think is funny and that is the only thing that interests us."
On the cast's journey to get its much-needed point, there are plenty of offensive jokes (like a robot named I.S.R.A.E.L.), jabs at other cartoons and action to keep the audience entertained for the entire film. If not, then the 3D cartoon sex scene will at least help.
The series premiered in 2004, but the creators had been developing the idea for a while before it actually hit the small screen.
"We did love reality TV shows and we do love animation, [so we thought], ‘You know what would be cool? If we actually did an animated reality TV show with eight different cartoon characters from all over the animated universe and just put them in a house together like the Real World and we had their lives taped,'" Silverstein said. "Then we called our agent, who immediately told us it was a terrible idea and that we could never sell it, and we put it aside for like a year and a half."
It wasn't until Silverstein and Jesser met an animator from The Simpsons that was looking to become a writer. They took on the upcoming talent to draw up some examples of the show and spoke to networks. Soon after that, the duo's agent called them to say they had been picked up.
Throughout its four seasons on the air, the show had moderate success, and the creators feel that the show never became a part of the pantheon of adult-cartoons for a number of reasons. One of the biggest problems was reaching a good audience, despite having 90 percent of South Park's audience when it first aired.
"The problem is, we haven't figured a way to reach out to … people that will turn on the show, and enjoy it," Silverstein said.
Not caring about offending an audience could be one of the reasons the duo faced this problem.
"On other shows we have worked on, there were a lot of discussions in the room about not upsetting the fans. We never had those discussions, which made that a problem. I don't think we ever really tried to do anything to get fans," Jesser said.
Silverstein agrees, and is not afraid to disclose the secret that they hope will bring the movie success.
"We were just trying to get each other to laugh. What we did with the movie, though, is put Seth MacFarlane in it," Silverstein said. "Hopefully that will get people to watch it, because everything that guy touches … is awesome."
Although several networks offered to pick up Drawn Together when the show was first pitched, the pair picked Comedy Central, the lowest paying network, because of the freedom they could get. The creators are incredibly happy with the network they chose. Hindsight on having all that freedom is 20/20, though.
"Apparently, sponsors pulled out and we pissed off some people, so if we weren't allowed to do everything that we did, maybe that would have helped everybody," Jesser said.
Hardcore fans and newcomers alike will all find The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! hilarious. The creators just plead that people don't download it, as they hope sales will help the show get picked back up.
"Even if you hate the movie, don't steal it. I mean, that is not helping anybody," Silverstein said. "Unless the show gets picked up or we do another [movie], then start doing it."
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
(04/06/10 4:00am)
With its loud licks and extravagant style, there is no doubt that Foxy Shazam is one of the best up-and-coming bands out there.
The band brings an unmatchable energy to its performances, but the group is rather reserved and incredibly polite off of the stage. From joking about hoping to find Bigfoot, to analyzing the movie The Goonies, to the bassist, Daisy, explaining that all good keyboardists have weird fetishes, they are a very laidback bunch. Foxy Shazam isn't too afraid to touch on the most obscure conversation topics.
The group has already put out two full-length albums, and the third is on the way, hitting the shelves and iTunes on April 13. Foxy's sound has evolved with each song, and it keeps getting better.
"We never want to make the same record twice, so this is just the next Foxy Shazam record. It is just the next step, we always take it step by step, we never go backwards and we never stay still," said lead singer Eric Nally.
A self-titled big label debut is the next step for the band.
"We just got better, as musicians and writers," said guitarist Loren Turner. "When you are playing with the same group of people for five years, you just feed off of one another and you know what they are going to do and they know what you are going to do."
Drawing on influences ranging from Michael Jordan and Marty McFly, to Miles Davis and Pantera's Dimebag Darrell, Foxy has an interesting sound. However, the group doesn't like to be placed in one category. According to Nally, listeners just need "an open mind," adding, "it is just about sitting back and watching or listening to it."
And although Nally's slender figure, finely trimmed moustache and impeccable dance moves may be reminiscent of the late and great Freddy Mercury, Nally was never impacted by the Queen front man.
"I think me and Freddy Mercury were inspired by the same things. I don't think we really inspired each other or whatever you want to say," Nally said. "We were inspired by the same things. He liked theater a lot and they were a very theatrical band and all that stuff. We probably have similar influences, which is why you can draw comparisons. Plus, I have a moustache."
Sound and incredible live performances are not the only things that make Foxy stand apart from other bands. Both keyboardist Sky White and Alex Nauth, who plays the horns, are classically trained.
Many classically trained musicians choose to stay in that genre or play jazz, but growing up, White knew his only choice was rock n' roll. The same did not go for Nauth, though.
"I grew up classically trained and when I got to a certain age, probably the middle of high school, I just knew that I didn't want to do classical work," Nauth said. "I just didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't think that being in a band was an option, but as I got older it became the choice."
The group members are also unique in their ability to mix their families with their music. Nally is only 24 years old but is the father of two young boys, which he believes inspires him differently than other musicians.
"My kids play a big part in just being inspired to write certain lyrics or whatever, it is interesting living two opposite ends of the spectrum. You don't normally combine the two," Nally said. "Every person I have ever met that has kids and is in a band normally just has to do the whole kid thing the whole time, but my family is really supportive of my career, so it makes it [possible] for me to keep pursuing it … It really helps with inspiration."
White has the same high hopes of success for the group.
"I want us to do something big, important and beautiful. Something that when we are old, we can look back [on] and be proud of what we did with our lives," White said.
Fans can also catch the band playing on the ground this summer; they will even be playing Lollapalooza. And seeing as their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio is not too far away, there is a good chance that Daisy, Nally, Nauth, Mcveigh, Turner and White will be back in Buffalo soon.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
(12/07/09 5:00am)
Through the ups and the downs, the hardships, the heartaches and all the happiness she has been there with me. Whether it was in celebration or in sorrow, she kept me company.
(11/18/09 5:00am)
The world of comedy is bursting at the seams with Latinos and fat people, most of whom are not funny. However, there is one comedian who has managed to mix the two trends and actually produce something humorous.
(11/09/09 5:00am)
I will never forget how big of a deal it was when it was found out that the mother of a girl on my sister's cheerleading was a stripper. Parents were appalled, but why? Did they think she was going to bring the team along for 'take your daughter to work day'?
(10/19/09 4:00am)
I spent an afternoon listening to candidates that are running to be the next Student Association president. Most of the candidates spoke of experiences that make them qualified and their participation in clubs on campus.
(10/14/09 4:00am)
Virginia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and soon California.
(10/05/09 4:00am)
(10/02/09 4:00am)
Matt loves Kim. They love music.
(09/21/09 4:00am)
I like to party and I see no shame in admitting that I like to have a good time. However, a concert is neither the time nor the place for getting uncontrollably drunk.
(04/29/09 4:00am)
A highly regarded employee overturning a decision because it is an inconvenience to him sounds like something that would happen in a large corporation, not a university. However, that is what Tom Cosgro believes happened to plans to build a rock wall in a squash court on South Campus.
(04/27/09 4:00am)
Students that attended Spring Fest were prepared to hear bands with national recognition. However, few may have known before the show that a Buffalo-based band would entertain while the big bands were setting up.
(04/22/09 4:00am)
The downward spiral that the environment is currently heading in did not happen overnight. However, once the American public became more aware of it and decided something needed to be done, a plethora of environmentally friendly products hit the market.
(04/10/09 4:00am)
Almost all UB students have witnessed the segregated tables filled with students of different races in the Student Union, racial groups and ethnic-based cliques on campus.
(04/08/09 4:00am)
???When Pete Howard, a former adjunct professor in UB's Department of English, made claims of unfair treatment by his employers, he was one of hundreds of adjunct professors across the country asserting inequity in the university setting.
(03/18/09 4:00am)
With Student Association (SA) elections just around the corner, the various student councils are getting to know the candidates, deciding on who will be endorsed by the six entities.
(03/06/09 5:00am)
Jonah Dreskin, a 19-year-old freshman from Westchester County, was pronounced dead Wednesday night shortly after being discovered on Core Road near the Ellicott Complex sometime between 11:30 p.m. and midnight.
(03/04/09 5:00am)
???Working at multiple colleges with a workload involving looking after nearly 140 students and playing with a band as many nights a week as possible just to get by are just a few of the hardships Peter Howard has faced as an adjunct professor.
(03/02/09 5:00am)
Stephen Walsh, a 1966 UB alumnus and University at Buffalo Foundation, Inc. board member, was arrested Wednesday in New York City and charged with being part of an investment-fraud scandal totaling $554 million, authorities said.