Griping V groaning: It’s time for GRAMMYs
■ Despite a few decent
nominations, the GRAMMYs
continue to reflect a
degrading music industry
By Rebecca Wilson
Oregon Daily Emerald
On Feb. 21, millions of
viewers in 15 countries
will plop down in their
living rooms for an
evening of bitching and moaning
over the results of the 43rd Annu
al GRAMMY Awards. Oh sure,
there will undoubtedly be a few
geeks/music professors/Midwest
ern farmers who are really inter
ested in the category for Best New
Age Album or Best Traditional
Polka Album. They are in the mi
nority, however. The rest of us
will watch to complain.
I haven’t watched the GRAM
MY Awards for several years be
cause I have grown disenchanted
with a music industry that values
Floridian heartthrobs and anorex
ic little girls over grownups who
can write their own songs and
play their own instruments. I
started questioning the value of a
“prestigious” award that seemed
to reflect album sales rather than
critical acclaim and musical in
tegrity. The GRAMMYs perpetu
ate an industry that consistently
recognizes the lowest common
denominator of musicians instead
of supporting the innovative
craftsmen who challenge their lis
teners.
Rant aside, I decided to serious
ly peruse this year’s nominations,
which were released on Jan. 3. My
efforts paid off when I encoun
tered several surprises amid the
ranks of ‘N Sync and Destiny’s
Child. The nominations included
albums released between Oct. 1,
1999, and Sept. 30, 2000, and
songs that were released or be
came popular within that same
time period.
1. Album of the Year. Latin
beats and hyper teens? Nope. The
white men dominate the category
for this year: Beck, Eminem, Ra
diohead, Steely Dan and Paul Si
mon comprise the eclectic mix.
Love him or hate him, Eminem
will probably win this coveted
category with his “Marshall Math
ers LP.” Just remember, good rap
pers aren’t necessarily good peo
ple. It’s nice to see that Radiohead
didn’t make as many enemies as
expected with their spaced-out,
college-rock album “Kid A,” and I
love the fact that Paul Simon con
tinues to turn out great tunes. As
for Steely Dan ... I’m not sure
what “Two Against Nature” is do
ing here, but good for them. How
ever, my personal favorite for Al
bum of the Year is Beck’s
“Midnite Vultures,” which was
probably the most sexed-out al
bum of 1999. Conspicuous by his
absence in this category is D’An
gelo with “Voodoo.”
Commentary
Rebecca
Wilson
2. Boy bands. The Backstreet
Boys really are on the way out.
They received just a single nomi
nation for “Show Me the Mean
ing of Being Lonely” in the cate
gory of Best Pop Performance by
a Duo or Group with Vocals. Evi
dently, their hard-core persona
hasn’t endeared them to critics
any more than it has to the tee
ny-bopper crowd. On the other
hand, ‘N Sync, with three nomi
nations, is here to stay. But at
least they feel content with their
pretty-boy image and don’t suffer
delusions of being ghetto super
stars.
3. Old people. Maybe I’m be
traying my generation, but seeing
aging rockers rubbing shoulders
with the youngsters renews my
faith in the Recording Academy
and music consumers in general.
In the category of Female Pop,
Joni Mitchell and Madonna hold
their own against the likes of
Christina Aguilera and Britney
Spears. Paul McCartney actually
holds a nomination in the Alter
native Music category with his
album “Liverpool Sound Col
lage.” Other veterans showing
their faces are Don Henley, Patti
Smith, Bob Dylan, Melissa
Etheridge, U2, Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Aimee Mann and The
Cure. In a society that seems to
value physical appearance and
youth above all else, it’s refresh
ing that people older than 40 can
still make the Top 40.
But even with all these inter
esting and well-deserved nomi
nations, most people will feel
disappointed with most of the
awards that will be handed out
next month at the Staples Center
in Los Angeles. Even if your fa
vorite band wins a GRAMMY, a
band you despise will undoubt
edly win one as well. After all,
Oregon and the
GRAMMY Awards
Helmuth Rilling and the Oregon
Bach Festival Chorus and Orchestra
have been nominated for a
GRAMMY in the field of Best Choral
Performance for the world premiere
recordingof Krzyszof Penderecki’s
Credo. The album has already
received the AFIM Indie award for
best classical orchestral recording
on an independent label, and the
Cannes Classical Award as best
album of music by a living
composer.
Soloists on the album include
University faculty member Milagro
Vargas.
Rilling also received a nomination in
the category of Choral Performance
for his recording of the Bach
Christmas Oratorio with the
Gachinger Kantorei and the Bach
Collegium Stuttgart.
history shows that high record
sales really do dictate the results
of the award ceremony. So sit
back, relax and be prepared for a
good old-fashioned gripe session
when ‘N Sync brings home the
booty.
Entertainment briefs
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — “The Sopra
nos” star James Gandolfini re
ceived a $5 million offer he could
n’t refuse to appear in the new
prison film “The Castle.”
The tough-guy actor has signed
with DreamWorks SKG to play the
warden of a military prison in the
drama, his manager, Mark Arm
strong, said Monday.
Gandolfini's character will fight
for control of the prison against an
CALL TO ARTISTS
The Aperture and Buzz Art Galleries are now
accepting submissions .for future
exhibits through 2001. Community and
student artists are encouraged to
apply. Contact the Visual Arts
Coordinator at the UO Cultural
Forum at 346-0007, or email
gallery@darkwing.uoregon.edu
for more information.
School of MUSIC
JANUARY CONCERTS
Clip and Save this Calendar!
For more information on School of Music events, call 346-5678,
or call Guardline at 485-2000, ext. 2533 for a taped message.
Fri. EAST EUROPEAN FOLK ENSEMBLE
1/12 Participatory folk dancing to music of the Balkans.
$3 General Admission 8 p.m., Agate Hall
Sat. BOB MINTZER, Jazz Saxophone
1/20 & OREGON JAZZ ENSEMBLE
Guest Artist & UO Ensemble 7:30 p.m., Beall Hall
$10 General Admission, $7 students & senior citizens
Tue. LUCY SHELTON, Soprano
1/23 MILAGRO VARGAS, Mezzo-soprano
Chamber Music Series 8 p.m., Beall Hall
Reserved seats $10, $20, $25, available at the
Hult Center (682-5000) or EMU (346-4363)
For our complete calendar, check: music1.uoregon.edu
inmate who was once his five-star
general.
Robert Redford has signed to
play the general, and former film
critic Rod Lurie will direct.
After playing meaty side-charac
ter roles for much of his career,
Gandolfini’s fame has skyrocketed
with his Emmy-winning role as
Tony Soprano, the leader of a dys
functional mob family, on the HBO
crime series.
Shooting on “The Castle” is
scheduled to begin in March after
Gandolfini finishes his third sea
son of “The Sopranos.”
PASADENA, Calif. — The annu
al vigil has begun for fans of “The
X-Files.” Will the series return for
a ninth season?
Call the forecast partly sunny.
“It’s the same as it’s always
been,” creator Chris Carter told TV
critics over the weekend. “If we
can find a reason to keep doing the
show creatively, we’ll keep doing
it.”
Later, he said there are “great
plans” for a ninth season, “but
we’re not quite there yet.”
It’s been a transitional year for
the Fox series. Actor Robert
Patrick joined the cast and gave the
show some new creative juice,
Carter said. David Duchovny has
become a part-timer; he’ll return
for several episodes starting Feb.
25.
Carter also is working on “The
Lone Gunmen,” a comedy spinoff
of “The X-Files” that’s expected to
get a tryout from Fox in March.
NEW YORK — Even though he’s
had two failed marriages, Michael
Jackson believes he can offer a
word or two about balancing love
and family.
The King of Pop will host a
celebrity panel about balancing
“romantic love, familial love and
professional dedication” at a bene
fit for his charity, Heal the Kids, on
Valentine’s Day. Tickets will sell
for $45-$65.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author
of the book “Kosher Sex” and a
friend of Jackson’s, will moderate
the Feb. 14 event at Carnegie Hall.
Other participants include Johnnie
Cochran, Chuck Woolery and Dr.
Drew Pinsky, Jackson’s publicist
said Monday.
Jackson, 42, is the chairman and
Boteach is the president of Heal
the Kids, which aims to make chil
dren a greater priority in adults’
lives. Jackson has two young chil
dren of his own by Deborah Rowe,
who filed for divorce in 1999. He
was also married to Lisa Marie
Presley.
Jackson was accused of child
molestation in 1993, but charges
were never filed and he reached an
out-of-court settlement with his ac
cuser.
He is working on a new album,
expected to be released this year.
He also will take part in a Jackson
Five reunion album with his broth
ers, according to his publicist,
Cheri Fein.
“Michael will be recording two
to three songs for the new Jackson
Five album,” she said Monday.
“He has not gone into the studio
yet to do this, and he has not yet
committed to touring.”
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. —
Erika Christensen says she didn’t
draw from her own life for the
gripping drug-war drama “Traffic.”
“Honestly, I hadn’t had a ciga
rette when I got the role,” she told
reporters recently.
Christensen was 17 when the R
rated movie was shot. Her parents
were at her side on the set at vari
ous times.
In “Traffic,” she plays the 16
year-old daughter of Michael Dou
glas’ character, an Ohio Supreme
Court justice who is appointed
America’s drug czar. He doesn’t re
alize his daughter has a serious
habit of her own.
Christensen prepared for the
role by visiting a rehabilitation
center and talking to people being
treated there.
She said there’s one thing her
character should have known:
“How hard is it to figure out that if
you do crack and heroin, your life
is not going to go very well?”
PASADENA, Calif. — What do
you do if you’re a 17-year-old boy,
lie about your age to get on “The
Dating Game” and win a trip to
Acapulco with a 25-year-old
woman?
Not much, apparently.
The potential dream experience
turned into a nightmare for Judd
Apatow, who grew up to be a Hol
lywood producer and writer of
“The Larry Sanders Show” and
“Freaks and Geeks.” He’s explor
ing awkward adolescence again in
a new Fox comedy about college
freshmen, “Undeclared.”
As for his own awkward adoles
cence, Apatow skipped school to
take his winning trip — and
learned a few lessons from his
date.
“Every bus boy in the place hit
on her in a way that I had never
seen at the time,” Apatow recalled.
He wound up with a bad case of
sunburn that left him confined to
his room for two days.
LOS ANGELES — The son of
the late Abbie Hoffman has settled
a lawsuit that claimed he was por
trayed as “wimpy” in the film
“Steal This Movie!”
America Hoffman dropped his
lawsuit against Lions Gate Films,
Abbie! Productions and producer
director Robert Greenwald. In a
statement released Monday, Hoff
man and the defendants an
nounced they have “amicably” re
solved the dispute.
Terms and conditions of the set
tlement were not disclosed.
The suit alleged invasion of pri
vacy and use of america Hoffman’s
name and likeness without con
sent. It sought unspecified dam
ages.
“Steal This Movie!” which
opened last fall, starred Vincent
D’Onofrio as Abbie Hoffman. It
traced the Yippie prankster’s 1960s
activism.
The lawsuit, filed in Superior
Court in August, claimed the
movie falsely portrayed Hoff
man’s son as “a wimpy, quiet,
sulking and effeminate ’mama’s
boy’” and implied he might be
gay
The movie inaccurately por
trayed the relationship between
father and son, according to the
suit.
“I understand that the filmmak
er’s characterization of me and my
relationship to my father was
made in good faith and with hon
orable intentions,” america Hoff
man said in a statement after drop
ping the suit.
Abbie Hoffman was a member of
the Chicago Seven, who staged a
protest during the 1968 Democrat
ic National Convention which led
to violence and arrests. He over
dosed on alcohol and pills in 1989
at age 52.