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Pulse Reviews Franken’s book pokes fun at right-wing politics Saturday Night Live alumnus Al Franken takes a hard look at conservative politicians and the media By Steven Neuman Freelance Reporter If there is any author who can get away with beginning a book by saying, "God chose ine to write this..it is Al Franken. To call Franken's peculiar brand of sophisticated satire an ac quired taste is not far-fetched, but it would be a disservice to call the author, Saturday Night live alumnus and polit ical pundit "just" a comedian. "lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Ihem — A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" was released among a wave of similar books lampooning current political events, but Franken's book blows these other bestsellers away. "Lies" is a masterful orchestration of cynical political commentary and hard journalistic research. The overall narrative of the book fol lows Franken and his attempts to prove the claim that the conservative media openly lie, twist the truth and paint the mainstream media as liberal conspiracy. Certainly, "Lies" is going to afford quite a bit more satisfaction to the bleeding-heart liberal than the FOX News conservative, yet Franken's wit shines not in his bullying of right-wing media figureheads, but in his empirical, systematic destruction of their credibili ty. I le takes on political pundit Ann Coulter in chapters one and two — ti ded "Ann Coulter Nutcase," and "You Know Who I Don't Like? Ann Coulter" — as well as the folks over at FOX News, including Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes. When Colmes is mentioned in the book, his name always appears in a smaller font. Still, "Lies" is hardly just a frivo lous diatribe on character. Franken is meticulous (his use of Lexis-Nex is, a comprehensive Web search, seems to verge on obsessive) and his attention to detail makes the book not only powerful, but extremely funny. As you read on, you realize that Franken has done his research. 1 le gives concrete examples of when the right-wing media — television shows, authors, and Web sites — fal sify quotes, use poor sources, fake endnotes and change contexts to twist information. Franken's personal experiences with the media also tend to come into the picture quite often. And while the first person perspective is amusing — one incident describes his confrontation with Bill O'Reilly at a book trade show — it comes across as a bit dogmatic. Franken does not shy away from the current Washington administration ei ther, skewering President Bush's tax plans for pandering to the rich and crit icizing what he deems the "chicken hawk" movement, or those who now willingly push for war but who them selves found ways to avoid the draft in previous wars. His fictional short story entitled "Operation Chicken Hawk" reads like a politico's pulp comic book. Franken repeatedly acknowledges that he could not have written this book without the aid of 'Team Franken," his Harvard-based research team. Franken enlisted 141 larvard stu dents from the john F. Kennedy School of Government, and some of the book's best anecdotes are mined from his experiences working with a young research staff. In one scenario, Franken and a student go visit Bob Jones Uni versity under the pretense of looking at the school; his experiences on the cam pus are hilariously funny without being malicious or snide. "lies'’ consistently walks the line be tween information and entertainment, but Franken manages to keep every thing remarkably neat. Unlike his last book, "Why Not Me?," which dealt with a fictional Franken presidential campaign and subsequent administra tion, "Lies" doesn't get old. The chap ters are concise, the book never loses momentum and it's solid wit from page one to the endnotes. Steven Neuman is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. Desdemona raises questions about classic performance Paula Vogel’s play, which re-examines the women of Othello, is a departure from more ‘typical’ plays By Helen Schumacher Pulse Columnist A small round spodight shines on the front center of the stage. All diat's revealed to the audience is a white handkerchief, crumpled on the floor. A woman rushes to the doth, picks it up and stuffs it into her bosom. The spotlight disappears, and this is how "Desdemona: A Play About a Hand kerchier begins. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, the play's title is mislead ing. Desdemona is about more than a handkerchief; it examines what the women of Shakespeare's Othello might have been like, had the charac ters been written with more depth. So Desdemona is not just a doomed wife, she is a mischievous woman who desperately needs inde pendence. Emilia, Desdemona's scullery maid, is no longer just a tool for her conniving husband, Lago. In stead, she's a devoted but occasionally disgruntled servant. Lieutenant Cas sio's lover Bianca serves as a good friend and inspiration to Desdemona. Although all these women care for and rely on one another, they are trapped by the male-dominated so ciety in which they live. This causes jealousy and fighting between the characters, making their relation ships constant battles for control and honesty. The University Theatre's produc tion of Desdemona is directed by Stephen Rupsch with Parisse Boothe playing the role of the title character. The play is comprised from their short scenes, which last anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. Des demona will show on Nov. 6, 7 and 8 at the University's Arena Theatre in 104 Villard Hall. All shows begin at 8 p.m. with no late seating. Tickets are $4 for University students, $5 for seniors, University staff and faculty, and $6 for the general public. They can be purchased at the EMU Ticket Office or the University Theatre box office, located in the lobby of the Robinson Theatre. Contact the Pulse columnist at helenschumacher@dailyemerald.com. Her opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald. North Campus 579 E. Broadway 686-1166 South Campus 2870 E. 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Grab a bite to an^ a CUP COfftt | CentralSite Slrotfwiy,iweWictfrwE*f6ae$titiM»4S4-Wtt Oregon Daily Emerald P.0 Box 3159, Eugene OR 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald is pub lished daily Monday through Friday during the school year by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.The Emerald operates inde pendently of the University with of fices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private prop erty. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. NEWSROOM — (541)346-5511 Editor in chief: Brad Schmidt Managing editor: Jan Tobias Montry Freelance editor: Aimee Rudin News editors: Jennifer Marie Bear, Ayisha Yahya Senior news re porters: A. Sho Ikeda, Ali Shaughnessy News reporters: Caron Alarab, Chelsea Duncan, Jared Paben, Chuck Slothower Pulse editor: Aaron Shakra Senior Pulse reporter: Ryan Nyburg Pulse reporter: Natasha Chilingerian Pulse columnists: Helen Schumacher, Carl Sundberg Sports editor: Hank Hager Senior sports reporter: Mindi Rice Sports reporters: Jon Roetman, Jesse Thomas Editorial editor: Travis Willse Columnists: Joseph Bechard, Jes sica Cole-Hodgkinson, Peter Hockaday, David Jagernauth Illustrators: Steve Baggs, Eric Layton Design editor: Adelle Lennox Senior designer: Sean Hanson Designers: Kimberly Premore, Kari Pinkerton Photo editor: Adam Amato Senior photographer: Danielle Hick ey Photographer: Lauren Wimer Part-time photographers: Tim Bobosky, Mark McCambridge Copy chiefs: Kim Chapman, Jennifer Sudick Copy editors: Gabri elle Barber, Rebekah Hearn, Ben Pepper, Brandi Smith, MacKen sey Thompson Online editor: Erik Bishoff Webmaster: Eric Layton BUSINESS — 346-5512 General manager: JudyRiedl Business manager: Kathy Carbone Receptionist: Sarah Go racke Distribution: Mike Chen, John Long, Matt O’Brien, Michael Sarnoff-Wood, Ben Swagerty ADVERTISING — DISPLAY 346-3712 CLASSIFIED 346-4343 Director: Melissa Gust Sales manager: Michelle Chan Special publications and classified manager: Hilary Mosher Sales representatives: Tim Bott, Army Feth, Patrick Gilligan, Megan Hamlin, Kim Humphries, Alex Huriiman, Tyler Mack, Shannon Rogers, Dan Sawaya, Katherine Vague Assistants: Liz Carson, Katy Cooney, Sabrina Gowette, Thomas Redditt, Keri Spangler, Kate Workman PRODUCTION — 346-4381 Manager: Michele Ross Production coordinator: Tara Sloan Designers: Jen Cramlett, Kristen Dicharry, Matt Graff, Andy Holland, Marissa Jones, Jonah Schrogin
