Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 57

THE WAY WE LIVE 3S DETROIT FR1JB I'UKSS WWW.FKKKP.rOM SCHULLER String quartet to debut Coronary flick has a heart ol'ils own flr7FC3 IV? .1 It ti OJCIR1ITCISELL SUCAR Parents all wrong about (laughter, sex JOHN fit I'll i -1 I 'A I I I Dear Annie's Mailbox: I am a Ki-ycar-old girl, and my boyfriend, "Jon," is 17. We are both good students and have Sure, you've seen it before: overworked, middle-aged guy has a heart attack, then ham! realizes that his priorities have lung been out of whack. What makes the Argentinean "Sou of the Bride" so different from Hollywood is p. -i ncen uatmg lor a 'Son of the Bride' out ot 4 sfiirs ftoti.d R. Iwiguiqe Imuis.

4 ininiiti'S In Spanish with triglish suhtitles 7 8.9111pm Fri 5.i. 4 7 Sun Detioit film Theatre at the DIA 5200 Uetnat $6 S5 semois. students. DlA mpmhes 313 the long path that Rafael (Riear-du Darin) takes to figure out who he is. The first significant import from director and counter Juan Jose Campanella is schmaltzy but grounded in real life.

As Rafael, 42, wakes in the hospital, his first thought is to chuck his responsibility as manager of the Italian restaurant, his parents founded decades ago. He figures he'll lake the money from selling the place and head to year. We go out about, three times a week. Usually we go to the ice cream store and then for a drive most of the time to a parking lot. We've never had sex.

lie's not ready for that, and I'm not going to risk it. Recently, we got some ice cream and then went to the mall's parking garage. We talked for a while and then started making out. Suddenly, my dad was next to truck yelling at me to get out. We explained what was going on, but both of my parents are convinced that Jon and I have been having sex.

How can I get them to believe me? Sign me Trustworthy and Exasperated Dear Exasperated: You may be perfectly innocent, but it doesn't appear that way. Try talking to your parents again, and, if necessary, enlist the help of a family friend or close relative. When your parents see how much you value their respect and trust, they may reconsider. Dear Annie's Mailbox: This is for "Wet in Boston," whose husband and four suns leave the toilet seat up and are sloppy in the bathroom. Not only should she have them clean the toilet, she should also short-sheet their beds and pull her husband's car seat forward every clay.

1 guarantee within a week, they'll be putting the toilet seat down and taking better aim. Tired of It in Georgia Dear Georgia: Your method is rather extreme and requires a lot of effort, but apparently, it worked for you. ANNIE'S MAILBOX written by longtime Aim Landers associates Kuthy Mitchell and Many Sugar, Write them and other columnists at P.O. BoxH2H, Detroit -4S231. feCreatws syndicate generally in the camp of either Stravinsky or Schuenberg.

Schuller says he tried to learn from both. Today, however, the scene has splintered into at least a dozen competing styles, among them neo-romanticism, serialism, aton-alism, minimalism, post-minimalism, electronic music, interfaces with jazz and rock and so on. Many critics and composers see this eclecticism as a virtue, but it makes a staunch modernist like Schuller uneasy. "Whether that's good in the long run, I don't know," he says. "I'm doubtful because I'm also a historian, and I know that until the 20th Century the previous 500 years were eventually characterized by a single leader, whether it's a Beethoven or a Bach or someone else.

These were the prime movers. "And it was recognized. There was hardly a composer in the 19th Century who didn't recognize that Beethoven was the greatest composer of their recent past, and everybody was feeding on his innovations. "We have no such thing today. All we have is a whole bunch of different directions going, all vying for primacy." Many would argue that modernism has simply played itself out.

Isn't it possible that the elements of music can't be stretched anymore and that what's left is endless and potentially original ways of recombining the past? "Well, that's the question of the century," Schuller says. "That is a possibility, but I think we're in a holding pattern where we're sorting out all this stuff we invented between 1910 and 1970. "Having studied musical culture from the 12th Century up to yesterday, those first 800 years are characterized by a continuous, almost inevitable progress, in the music becoming more complex, detailed and richer. "So the idea that somewhere around 1950 or 1970 this process is going to stop is hard for me to digest intellectually." From Page IE 1 week from lijs home in Newton Centre, Mass.1, outside Boston. There is a relaxed but professorial tone to Schuller's opinions, which befits a man who in most gatherings of musicians is the smartest, best-informed of the bunch, Schuller's ego matches his intellect, but hardly anyone begrudges him a vainglorious streak: After all, his wisdom is hard-earned, his accomplishments undeniable, and he has a sense of humor.

Take, for example, this tale from the early '90s, after Schuller had won a MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as a genius grant. He was attending a MacArthur reception at the Hotel Nikko in Chicago and wandered upstairs to listen to an exceptionally fine jazz trio performing in the lobby. Upon being introduced to bassist Kelly Sill after the set, he said, "Hi, I'm Gunther Schuller. I'm a genius." SCHULLER'S BEST music is defined by a richly chromatic and surprising harmonic language, expressive instrumental color and a flexible rhythmic pulse ranging from cool stasis to witty syncopation. His music is dense with ideas and intellect but rarely comes out sounding academic.

He writes for the ear and not the mind. Still, Schuller is a modernist and has remained committed to atonality his entire career. Atonal music also known as 12-tone music avoids traditional key relationships. It is a language that grew out of such early 20th-century innovators as Debussy, Scria-bin and especially Arnold Schoen-berg and his Second Viennese School proteges Alban Berg and Anton Webern. The public, however, has always had an icy relationship with atonal music.

"Most people assume that 12-tone music is the greatest sin in the 20th Century, and they automatically equate it with ugly, dissonant, harsh music," Schuller says. "But I don't know how many times somebody has come up to me raving about a wonderful piece of mine and said, 'I read in the program that this is a 12-tone piece, but that can't be, because it was so And I'll say, 'Well, 12-tone is not some system that automatically produces such and such a thing. It depends on the Schuller's primary model was Berg, the most overtly melodic of the Second Viennese composers, who was never afraid to make reference to traditional harmony. When the first LP of Berg's complex but astoundingly lyrical Violin Concerto was issued in 1943, Schuller became obsessed with the piece. But the score wasn't for sale in America, so he transcribed the final eight minutes from the record by ear.

"You know, that piece changed my life," he says. Schuller's Quartet No. 4 fits snugly into his aesthetic. Ronald Copes, second violinist in the Juil-liard Quartet, called the three-movement piece a "wildly imaginative foray." The music, says Copes, includes tonal allusions, subtle references to Beethoven and Bartok and a mercurial playfulness in its rhythms. "There is a real element of fun in it, which is not to imply that it's not serious," says Copes.

Schuller says that his greatest concern in composing is to avoid repeating himself, especially in small-scale details and gestures. As an example, he points to a passage in the new quartet in which the cello holds a long bass note a pedal point while the viola and second violin play an avalanche of shifting harmonies on top. Pedal points are a dime a dozen, but Schuller is positively giddy that he has found a fresh way of connecting the bass note to the harmonies. schuller says he can spot signs of struggle in his early work that disappeared as he gained experience. But after some 60 years of composing, he says, his basic language has not changed since he was a teenager.

The world of classical composition, however, is vastly different from the way it was when Schuller first entered the fray. Back in the '40s, he says, composers lined up Mexico. Conspicuously missing from this dream is Nati (Natalia Verbeke), the lovely, loyal girlfriend who has been patiently waiting by his bedside, lie treats his young daughter with similar disregard. In a subplot, Rafael's father, Nino (Hector Al-terio), is determined to give his wife, Norma (Norma Aleandro), the church wedding she always wanted. The problem: She suffers from Alzheimer's, and the church refuses to hold the ceremony because of her condition.

A conversation follows between Rafael and a parish priest that is poignant and funny. Rafael points out that the church has long given its blessings to potentially disastrous marriages, including his own, when his father only wants to solidify an already solid pact. "He should be your poster child for marriage," Rafael screams in frustration. Oscar-nominated for best foreign-language film last year, "Son of the Bride" isn't a great film, but it sparkles through moments like this. And in a quiet way, it has its own power to transform, convincing the mos viewers that true love does exist.

JOYCE JILLSOM I HOROSCOPE TODAY'S BIRTHDAY: In this powerful year, surge ahead with new energy. Learn all you can to move ahead Adam West, 72 careerwise over the next GEMINI (May 21-June 21): Social obligations are consuming. Take a raincheck on at least one invitation. CANCER (June 22-July 22): You've got mass appeal if that's what you really want. LEO (July 23-Aug.

22): Your personal life will balance out in time, so try not to rush things. VIRCO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Skip a boring meeting; you work best on your own. LIBRA (Sept.

23-Oct. 23): Embrace new things before denouncing them. SCORPIO (Oct. 2-l-Nov. 21): Reexamine a friend's motives before you decide to join up.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Recent events help you move forward with a clear conscience. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.

19): Your self-esteem is more important than vour budget. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Higher-ups see your point, but don't push it. PISCES (Feb.

19-March 20): An overload of tasks makes you doubt your job all together. For more Mum a.siroyy, cull 900-00-2787 at si a minute: a live ntrol'Wr at or a psychic at 900-7 ioAOtjO. both at i2.9i a minute. For Say lirnmplon's horosenpe, call 900-773-1112 at 99 cents a nimuu: Contact MARK STRYKER at 313-222-6459 or strykerififreepress.com. Joan Lunden, 52 i no Splurge on Jimmy Fallon, 28 ci'1SiSes seminars and image-enhancing.

Meet love while pursuing intellectual interests. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Move ahead when you look to the future. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Acceptance of circumstances makes relationships better. TV I Channels 62 and 50 may lose news KJSTCJIY CT LOCAL t.ZXVS AT CSS'S 62 September 1999: Viacom, primary owner of UPN, buys CBS. Local UPN affiliate Channel 50 already has a nightly newscast.

September 2000: 62 and 50 begin consolidating news operations. February 2001: Channel 62 launches first daily newscast at 11 p.m., using the Channel 50 news staff. September 2002: Viacom brass cast aspersions on long-term local news commitment in Detroit at 50 and 62. Bv John Smvntek Dec. 11, 1994: The CBS network switches its programming in Detroit from WJBK-TV (Channel 2) after it was purchased by a Fox corporate ally, to then WC PR-TV (Channel 62), now WWJ-TV.

October 1995: Steve Sabato is appointed WWJ news director with word that a news operation will start in 1996. January 1996: Sabato leaves without producing a newscast. Launch plans pushed back indefinitely. October 199G: Channel 62 starts a weekly news magazine show on Sunday nights. From Page IE rate commitments.

In reply, Viacom spokesman Dana McClintock said: "Let's go with Linda's statement." Ann Arbor-based media consultant Lou Kasman said: "Although it would be a shame if the two stations in Detroit dropped local news, to some extent it makes a lot of sense. The multi-branded news of WWJ-TV and WKBD-TV hasn't built an audience or created a significant broadcast personality." Earlier this year, the Channel 50 10 p.m. newscast jettisoned veteran anchor Rich Fisher in favor of two female anchors, Donna Terrell and Pallas Hupe. But in most of the latest ratings, Channel 50's 10 p.m. newscast badly trailed Channel 2's 10 p.m.

newscast; ditto for the 62 News at 11 p.m., trailing Channels 4 and 7. "If you aren't in a leadership position," Kasman said, "advertising revenue is small, at bargain prices. Erasing the board and costs and starting over at a time when the right pieces come together makes for sound business logic." But media attorney and veteran talent handler Henry Baskin enue for David Letterman's "The Late Show," Dan Rather's "CBS Evening News" and the perennially poor performing "Early Show." But in Detroit, Kasman said, "without much to build on, Detroit is not a good candidate for revamping but starting from scratch." differed, holding out for some local news surviving on 62. "Storm clouds are on the horizon," he said. "But Channel 62, they've got to have a news presence both early and late.

I can see no news on Channel 50. But how can you not have a local news presence in the post-cable era on CBS?" Indeed, the Wall Street Journal recently reported Swanson and Hair have been shaking things up elsewhere to try to improve local support, ratings and national rev- 4 i JOHN SMYNTEK can be contacted at 313-222-5169 and smyntehayrecprcss.com. -4 oaian sn.inxr and taknaii i eziibge (om (cysidit Did) hi hnnftzic li Do you know about Sept. 19 in history? 1. In 1777, Americans wo si the first Battle of Long Island Monmouth Saratoga Yorktown 2.

In 1955, Juan Feron was ousted as president of Argentina Brazil Chile Haiti Mexico Panama 3. In 1957, the U.S. conducted its first underground nuclear test, in Alaska Arizona Rniwetok Manchuria Nevada Sahara 4. In 19G0, who angrily checked out of the Sliel-burne Hotel in a dispute with the management? Castro Khrushchev Sinatra 1. Saratoga.

2. Argentina. 3. The Nevada desert. 4.

Castro, visiting tfx UN. Neither vulnerable. South deals. NORTH 10 5 872 A54 AK654 WEST EAST KQ986 J72 TQJ3 109 K87 J1096 3 2 4QJ10 9 SOUTH A43 VAK654 Q32 87 The bidding: SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST IV 14 2 Pass If Pass 4V Pass Pass Pass Opening lead: King of The auction was routine. Souths heart rebid on the second round does not promise a six-card suit, but with spades stopped and a balanced hand, a rebid of two no-trump would have been more descriptive.

Anyway, North had an easy raise to four hearts. West led the king of spades, declarer winning with the ace and returning a spade. East won with the jack and shifted to the jack of diamonds, covered by the queen and king and taken with the ace. Declarer cashed the ace and king of trumps and the ace and king of clubs, then ruffed a club, but the contract foundered when that suit failed to break evenly. Did you spot the error in timing that cost South the contract? As the cards lie, declarer cannot fail to make 10 tricks by simply allowing the king of spades to win the first trick! Suppose Wrest continues spades.

Declarer wins, cashes the ace and king of trumps and the ace and king of clubs, then ruffs a club in hand. Whether or not West overruffs, declarer will be able to get back to dummy with a spade ruff for another club ruff, then cross to the ace of diamonds to take a diamond discard on the long club. Declarer loses only one trick in each suit except clubs. I i' litt; i 1 1 I.