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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS |MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2017
Josh Jackson selected No.4 overall by Phoenix Suns
ARTS & CULTURE
KANSAN.COM
TV Stock: 'Snowfall,' 'Tour de Pharmacy' and 'Castlevania'
Associated Press
This image released by FX shows Malcolm Mays as Kevin, from left, Damson Idris as Franklin Saint and Isalah John as Leon on FX's new series "Snowfall." The first season premieres Wednesday, July 5.
GUS HUNNINGHAKE
@gushunninghake
Time for a weird group of oddball TV shows to watch and (hopefully) enjoy. But before we get there, let's look at what the good folks on social media have been gossiping about lately:
"Snowfall:" Trending UP
For those who have trouble following crime dramas, just move on to the next show. For those who enjoy getting interwoven narratives introduced into one, tightly constructed premiere, then look no further. "Snowfall" is just the show.
"Pilot" sets up major players involved in the introduction of cocaine into the Southern California drug ring in the 1980s. Damson Idris plays Franklin Saint, a small-time marijuana dealer who gets caught up with a cocaine dealer who floats him a key of cocaine but requires him to sell it all in one day CIA operative Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson) covers up the overdose of a fellow operative after finding out he was selling cocaine to fund foreign insurgents.
Shows that set up multiple characters in a single
episode tend to check many viewers out due to the intense nature of learning about so many new people in just one hour. But for those who stick around, wonderful cinematography, great acting from Idris and others and a sense of visceral storytelling make "Snowfall" interesting enough to keep up with in the coming weeks.
"Tour de Pharmacy:" Trending UP
Coming off of his last mockumentary attempt "Seven Days in Hell," Andy Samberg has returned to HBO with an ensemble cast that tells an alternate story of the 1982 Tour de France and all the doping and illegal money dealings involved with it.
Samberg plays Marty Hass, a Nigerian cyclist who's hoping to be the first African to ever win the competition. He's challenged by Austrian cyclist Gustav Ditters (John Cena), Adrian Baton (Freddie Highmore) and many others.
Trying to name every person that appears on this show would take up an entire article, but people in Hollywood from JJ Abrams to ex-cyclists like Lance Armstrong make the list. And while people may be turned off by the
show's excessive silliness, it's how on-the-nose the show is in its entirety that sets it apart from the many documentaries that have come before.
Samberg is sharp as ever, his supporting cast and co-creators are well-cast and fit perfectly in the mess of the story being told and the small aesthetic details make the special feel straight out of 1982, despite all the contemporary faces.
"Castlevania:" Trending UP
Get ready for an actual enjoyable adaptation of a video game, folks. When films fail to deliver, look to the small screen for the answers. Netflix has once again delivered an odd, yet unique, show based on well-worn fantasy tales that still seem to be rife with intriguing storylines.
"Castlevania" is based on the Konami video games
of the same name, and this season specifically focuses on Dracula's revenge on a town of people who burned his wife at the stake after believing her to be a witch. The townsfolk face death, and Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), a witch hunter disowned by the church and its surrounding lands, is forced to face the evil and prove his worth in the town of Wallachia.
The show is brutal, gory,
and the sometimes dry humor comes as a surprise in the first episodes. The premiere, however, is captivating and makes for some enjoyable grown-up animation. The season is short — only four episodes — but another season has already been picked up, and the show's short overall runtime (about 100 minutes) makes it worth a watch for fantasy and horror fans.
FROM EMMY'S PAGE 2
Technology Boy, etc.) who were brought into existence by modern America's obsession with technology and globalization. It errs a little close to the "technology is bad fire is scary
and Thomas Edison was a witch" sentiment, but the outstanding performances and stunning production design more than makes up for its faults.
I've been talking up Gillian Anderson's prospective Emmy nomination to
my friends for WEEKS. They can expect me to complain about her snub for just as long. Anderson's lack of a nomination is probably the only true snub on this list, as she's a previous Emmy winner (1997 Outstanding Actress
for season four of "The X-Files"), and her performance as the goddess Media is easily one of the show's biggest highlights. It's one thing to mimic famous figures like David Bowie and Marilyn Monroe. It's another to embody
them - which Anderson does.
Browning as Laura, the wife of main character Shadow Moon, captures the bored, selfish housewife persona, but she also manages to make Laura sympathetic. Frequent
Coen brothers collaborator Peter Stormare's single-episode appearance as Czernobog, the Slavic god of darkness is greasy and rich. He undergoes the kind of makeover usually eaten up by the Academy. Not this time, though.
Kansas Athletics announced that a $300 million renovation will be coming to Memorial Stadium, which will include an indoor practice facility and infrastructure upgrades.
tertiouls have been spent cheering for the Jayhawks through thick and, unfortunately, a lot of thin moments. But, it's impossible to argue that the stadium doesn't need improvements.
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN proactice facility and
It's the seventh-oldest stadium still used by an FBS team. It shows signs of wear across its exterior. It's severely outdated by contemporary standards.
uring ease at the University.
It's undoubtedly time for an upgrade.
This is a great move for all interested parties. For the fans, it's going to enhance the game-day experience for the die hards who trek down the hill to see the Jayhawks play. For the players, specifically future recruits, it becomes a more inviting and
Discussing college athletics finances is a great way to find out that someone has absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Kansas football isn't going to use $300 million that otherwise would have gone to improving the School of Education or updating equipment in the School of Journalism or whichever department you feel is underfunded.
Things like the Williams Fund and private donors are main sources of income for supporting Kansas Athletics projects. It's understandable that seeing a huge sum of money being spent on football facilities could cause a stir, considering the financial straits the University might be facing in some areas. The reality, though, is that this money will be completely disconnected from the rest of the University.
Football is a massive tool for recruiting (both athletically and for general students), alumni relations and income, and if you don't see that then you simply aren't paying attention.
Alabama is a perfect case study for this. A gold standard for college football, the Crimson Tide's on-field success has generated an unconscionable amount of money
and publicity for that school. It's unrealistic for Kansas, or really any program, to think it can reach Alabama's level of success, but it's clear that improving football will improve the University in other areas.
Again, you need to spend money in order to make it. Putting money into the program now, or at least in the near future, will show dedication to the program and is going to help bring in more high-level recruits over time. The football team needs to get better, and this move will
help in that pursuit.
And if your argument is based around asking why you would spend $300 million to help a football team that won two games in the last two seasons combined, take a moment and think critically.
Most of the arguments against the spending come up baseless and sound unintelligent. The money isn't being stolen from other University programs. Memorial Stadium is nearly 100 years old — it needs to be repaired and updated.
Why wouldn't you spend money to try to improve the program? What else would you do, just ignore the disaster and let the team fall into irreparable ruin? That notion is ridiculous and poorly thought out at best.
The cost of this project is a small price to pay for improving the team, and subsequently the University, over time. Don't get caught up in the price tag or the view from your ivory tower. Trying to better the football team is better for all of us who support the University.
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