Wild Bill Ketelhut provides the "blog" to this anti-blog
He has a radio program on WXOU out of Oakland University
Wild At Heart
Hope everyone had a safe Memorial Day Weekend. The DEMF festival started off with a bang with an exciting performance at the Fillmore by Prodigy who put on an awesome set with lots of fan favorites like "Firestarter" and "Voodoo People". I missed saturday to see Los Straitjackets and Southern Culture On The Skids who put on a great show at the Crofoot (a Los Straitjacket interview will also be on my show next Sat morning 8-10AM on 88.3FM or www.WXOU.org). Sunday saw some cooler weather but you still had a lot of skimpy costumes and glow sticks to make the night go well. Most music of this type gets repetitive for me after about 15 minutes but sets by Osunlade, Loco Dice vs Luciano, Anthony Rother, RJD2, Z-Trip and Wighnomy Bros really kept my attention. I am looking
forward to a few artists today including Los Hermanos, Tiga, Audion and Flying Lotus so we'll see who stands out. I also promised the gang at Metrotimes to give them a shout out in thanks for hooking me up with a Terminator shot glass. They will be giving out more swag today so get their early (they have passes for the movies Up and Drag Me To Hell along with Terminator hats and shirts). I also got to try the new Red Bull cola thanks to the guys in their VIP area and must say I'm not overly impressed by it (though I'm sure they will have a lot at the Red Bull Air Races coming up) but if you remember RC Cola and enjoyed it, you will like their new cola which tastes very similar.
Techno fans might also want to keep in mind May 30th when Creme premieres at Grace's Underground in Ferdale and they will be having techno artist Juan Atkins in the house which should be a rocking night.
There are a couple of movies which opened this weekend that are trying to bring some laughs during this trying times, though with mixed results. First, I would suggest ignoring this first film unless you just can't miss any Wayans brothers film. The movie “Dance Flick” is a parody of a genre which has very few stand out examples as it is, and those were years ago with the trio of Footloose, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing which are almost ignored here for such films as Step Up, You Got Served and Stomp The Yard which are almost the same film as it is. The problem with this film is the same with other recent parody films of recent years (like Epic Movie or Meet The Spartans) that try to throw too much at the audience and feel the number of jokes makes up for lack of telling an actual story that engages you between the spoofs. A spoof film usually only works when the lead is serious and lets the spoofs take place in front of (or behind)him.
Great examples of this are “Monty Python & The Holy Grail”, “Airplane” and “Blazing Saddles”. Most spoof films today star young actors who don't yet have the acting chops to pull this off. Shoshana Bush is the only actor in this movie that really seems to be up to the challenge because let's face it, Chelsea Makela and Brennan Hillard are not Robert Hayes and Julie Hagerty (Airplane). Basically, this movie gave me one laugh for every member of the Wayans household that is in this movie. That comes out to 7 laughs in this film and while I'm not expecting a masterpiece, I at least want to be entertained for my hour and a half. And tell me why you have a actor dressed as the character Tracy from Hairspray but you never really go for a good gag about that film? This film disappoints on so many levels that I suggest spending your money on the next film for laughs instead of this clunker. My grade is a D- which is the best grade you
can get for 7 laughs.
Next is a sequel to a fun movie which I think exceeds the charm of the first film. That film is “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” where our man Lawrence (Ben Stiller) has left the museum security staff to pursue a career making inventions like the glow-in-the-dark flashlight but it seems that despite him finding his fortune, he isn't happy. He visits the museum only to find that all the old displays are being stored at the Smithsonian in Washington DC to make way for new, more modern exhibits. Unable to stop this from happening, a dejected Lawrence is at home when he gets a call from Jedediah (Owen Wilson) that the monkey stole the tablet which brings them to life and that they are in trouble as the evil Kah Mun Rah (a hilarious role for Hank Azaria) wants the tablet to unleash the evils of the undead and take over the world. Lawrence can't let this happen and regains his lost moxie as he helps his friends with the help of the
lovely and spunky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams). Together, they, along with a giant Abraham Lincoln and General Custer, must stop Kah Mun Rah and his companions Al Capone, Ivan The Terrible and Napoleon. I am a bit disappointed that most of the characters from the first film take second fiddle to the Azaria and Adams, but their excellent performances and the fun romps through the Smithsonian make up for it. I esp liked a couple of small moments such as Superbad's Jonah Hill as a Smithsonian security guard and cameos by Darth Vader and Oscar The Grouch. For those who enjoy things making sense, there are some inconsistencies with the magic and the way it seems to work, but I think the spirit of the film makes up for it as Lawrence saves his friends and refinds his place in life. A very delightful film for the times and great family entertainment. My grade is a A- and I think Amy Adams should be in every film that comes out this summer. I also
hope like the last film, that museums will once again see an upswing in attendance by kids or parents inspired by the film to engage in real history. I recommend the following museums – Cranbrook Institute of Science for their “Hatching The Past” exhibit, Stones And Bones Museum (Sarnia, Ontario) for their wonderful natural history collection, University of Michigan's Natural History Museum for their wonderful dinosaur collection, Detroit Science Center for their “Star Trek: The Exhibition”, The National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen at Historic Fort Wayne, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village (what can you say about this wonderful attraction), Motown Museum for the musical heritage, the Holocaust Memorial Center (Farmington Hills) so we don't forget the past, the DIA for a wonderful art collection along with Egyptian mummies and suits of medieval armor, and the Toledo Museum of Art as well as their glass museum which are incredible.
You have other choices but these are some of my favorites in the area. Don't forget you can get free admission to some museums if you look into the Detroit Adventure passes at your local library.
Also, if you want a laugh, Go Comedy Improv Theatre in Ferndale will have a night of pay what you can comedy starting at 8PM on May 31st including Rock-o-Matic (an improved rock opera) and the improv duo of PJ Jacokes and Chris Diangelo.
For music lovers, it will be a good week with some choice shows starting Wednesday night (5/27) with a double header in Pontiac as Jessica Lea Mayfield returns to the Pike Room fresh off her tour with Ray LaMontaigne with her alt country/indie rock style and the rocking Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be at Clutch Cargos. Thursday (5/28) see us going to Canada to see R&B superstar Kenny "babyface" Edmunds @ Caesar's Windsor. Things pick back up on Friday (5/29) as we see CCR frontman John Fogerty rock Pine Knob (his show last year was a highlight of my concert season), the Tragically Hip (they took their name from a skit in the Michael Nesmith movie "Elephant Parts") will start the first of their 2 night stay at the Fillmore and the power trio of Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean will bring the music of Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind to the Fox Theatre. Saturday (5/30) will have the alt rock darlings The Doves (they used to be known as Sub Sub
in the 80's before changing their name) will be @ the Majestic while dirty old man, John Valby, will be singing songs that your mother will be embarassed by at the Emerald Theatre. Sunday (5/31) also sees to interesting shows as the flashy electroclash troupe Fisherspooner will delight audiences suffering from Movement withdrawal at the Majestic and alternative rocks fans will be going wild over the pairing of Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction at Pine Knob (or DTE if you prefer).
Have a safe Memorial Day and I'll see you all next week.
"MCB IS DETROIT"
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