Features Editor:
Lisa Toth
lisatoth@dailyemerald.com
Thursday January 17,2002
I
Pulse Calendar Picks
Slick Rick on Thursday, Rubberneck
on Friday, Maria Schneider on Saturday
Seethe full calendar at
www,dailyemerald.com
Luna offers
dancers and
musicians a
place to
showcase
their talents,
and it fills
a gap in
Eugene
nightlife
l
By Lisa Toth
Oregon Daily Emerald
As some listeners crowded in the doorway of the jazz
nightclub Luna, others resorted to sitting on the floor.
People packed every table — keeping waitresses scurry
ing to take drink orders and holding trays high above
their heads.
Customers perched on bar stools or relaxed on comfy
couches amid intimate, candlelit tables covered with cock
tail glasses. On Saturday night at Luna, couples kicked their
saddle shoes in the air to the captivating music of the West
Coast Rhythm Kings, a local “jump swing” band.
Adam Bernstein, owner of Adam’s Place, a fine-dining bar
and grill located at 30 E. Broadway St. on the downtown mall
in Eugene, expanded the restaurant Dec. 2 with the opening
of Luna next door.
“We have been pleased with the community support,”
Bernstein said. “People seem to really enjoy the space and ap
preciate the difference.”
Bernstein said he’s wanted to open a jazz club for the past
five years, with the intent of creating a warm, romantic
Turn to Luna, page 8
ISolein,
Wednesday’s
featured band at
Luna, plays its
version of ’50s
and ’60s
infiuenced
original jazz.
Bartender Chris
Murphy keeps
Luna’s patrons
happy by
scurrying to
and fro making
martinis, a
specialty of
Adam’s Place, the
bar abutting Luna.
Photos by Thomas Patterson Emerald
‘The Chamber’ makes you laugh in horror, flip the channel
Fox’s newest
reality program
may make you
cringe, but it’s
tame in terms
of American
viewers ’
twisted
palates
By Michael J. Kleckner
Oregon Daily Emerald
Unyielding 130-degree heat surrounds
your body. Hurricane-force winds exfo
liate your skin. Your muscles are subject
ed to earthquake-level vibrations. Your
body is turned upside down.
Now, answer quickly: What company
makes the Xbox?
If you answered “Microsoft,” you’re
correct, but you’re cheating. You're just
reading a newspaper.
“The Chamber,” in which players are
actually subjected to these conditions,
debuts Friday night on Fox, and the
“sneak preview” Sunday was almost
sickening. Almost, but not quite, be
cause it was sort of freaking cool.
In broadcast TV’s latest reality pro
gram cum torture extravaganza cum
quiz show (think “Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire?” meets “American Gladia
tors”), the assaults on players’ bodies in
the chamber are just for fun; they must
answer relatively easy trivia questions
in order to win money.
One thing detracts from the whole
concept: The top prize is approximately
$100,000 (the total varies depending on
the number of questions answered cor
rectly). The game would be more enter
taining if there was real money — maybe
a couple of million dollars — on the line.
Fox’s new shock-TV gamble could pay
off, if people find the near-torture com
pelling. For my part, it was fun in a grue
some sort of way, akin to watching the
classic indie film, “Man Bites Dog,”
where viewers are forced by the filmmak
ers to laugh out loud at serial murder. It’s
a disconcerting feeling, like laughing
while being punched in the stomach.
More likely, though, is that “The
Chamber” won’t be able to stand the
pressure. It’s over the top and overdra
matic in a classic Fox way. Think, for
instance, of all the raging success that
accompanied “Who Wants to Marry a
Millionaire?” My guess is “The Cham
ber” will shortly be forgotten. But it’s
still freaking cool — for a minute.
Watching “The Chamber” reminded
me of an ignored movie, “Series 7,”
which was released last year in silence
and came out on video recently to even
more silence.
“Series 7” is a fictional depiction of a
reality game show where contestants
must murder each other to survive.
Players are forced to participate, and all
they win is their freedom — if they
make enough kills.
Turn to ‘The Chamber’, page 8