Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 8

Section A Page 8 wwwstar-telegramcom Sunday September 13 1998 The latest in entertainment news and reviews PeopleWatch English group ft'' Morcheeba i 'hops to it at Trees By Dave Ferman Star-Telegram Pop MusicCritic DALLAS While it seems ridiculous to call Morcheeba an opening act that's exactly what thfcy were Friday night at Trees: The Eng i fi I 1 Jl'i If 1 i i ft'': SA i lish band played belore so-so loaai group Sub Oslo UP IN SMOKE Sorry Seinfeld the American Lung Association says you still stink For the third year in a row the NBC comedy was given the association's "Phlemmy" award handed out to TV shows that glamorize smoking The dubious honor was announced Friday two days before the Emmy awards Seinfeld was chosen by a panel of more than 50 teens who logged 126 hours of prime-time viewing in April and May The judges found that 28 percent of 179 reviewed episodes showed tobacco use and that NBC showed the most smoking of all the networks followed by Fox CBS and ABC NBC declined immediate comment Association officials said Seinfeld characters Elaine and Kramer helped to glorify cigar smoking and that Jerry's self-named character also lit up MO' MONEY MO' PROBLEMS A biographer of Beat Generation writer Jack Ker-ouac lost a court fight that could decide who controls the multimillion-dollar Kerouac estate and literary archives The New Mexico Court of Appeals in a 2-1 ruling said Friday that writer Gerald Nicosia had no legal authority to make decisions about a lawsuit contesting the will of Kerouac's mother who inherited her son's property when he died in 1969 Nicosia was acting on behalf of the estate of Jack Kerouac's daughter Jan Kerouac who died in Albuquerque in 1996 She had been contesting the will of Kerouac's mother Gabrielle Kerouac who died and left the Kerouac property to the author's third wife The wife also died leaving the property in the hands of her relatives If we were those relatives we'd be scared Nicosia said he plans to appeal the latest court decision to the New Mexico Supreme Court PRESIDENTIAL PAL There seems to be no shortage of people willing to offer their 2 cents on the Clinton-Lewinsky scan Special to the Star-TelegramKKS GniioMR Sporting a new hairstyle Shania Twain rocks the Reunion Arena in Dallas last night mi itiM Biota mi Shania Twain shows she can sing live before packed Reunion Arena This is so wrong but there was one big advantage the band was on stage by 10:30 pm a nice charge of pace from the usual Trees shijw where the band you really want to see usually goes jrin after midnight And Morcheeba is a band ytu really want to see Whether you know it or not As evidenced on the baml's two CDs '97's Who Can You and this year's superior Big Cattn the band's take on trip-hop rubbery with plenty of turntable scratches deep bass and sultry vocals via the gorgeous ever-calm Skye Edwards is often wonderful But it gains an extra dimensioi in concert in no small part because Edwards is such a presence real calm and yet friendly she leadsf us (band and crowd) through thljse songs with the easy assurance of Jhe jazz chanteuse who lives next d(or finding their emotional center ut never overplaying or overdramaiz-ingthem 1 The other big plus here is pacing: The set was naturally built on iBig Calm material but it begaawtth some of the more laid-back stff such as the gentle funk of The $ea (which feels like a long afterntfon strolling a beach alone on a misty day) and the sweet pop of Part of the Process If It wasn't until after a luminous take on the folkish quick Over hnd Over that the tempo accelerated The reggae-tinged Friction got Edwards dancing gently but the band nd the set really hit its stride nvo songs later on Let Me See This was Morcheeba at its very best wjth Edwards working the crowd and singing a memorable chorus ovej- a track that fused trip-hop with light funkjazz (in the gently insistent electric piano solo) with more than a fiint of lounge and what sounded likelthe theme to a half-remembered '60s TV-show theme song And their besjj is very good indeed dal That includes uh Willie Nelson The country star voiced words of support for Clinton in the Sept 18 Entertainment Weekly "I think any male on the planet will have sympathies for where he's at" Nelson said "Most of us can withstand everything but temptation" Nelson may get a chance to give Clinton some encouraging words personally Nelson By Shirley Jinkins Star-Telegram Staff Writer DALLAS Yes! She can sing and yes she can really perform live with considerable stylish energy Shania Twain's long long-awaited concert at Reunion Arena yesterday answered a lot of questions about the young Canadian whose past two album sales have been stratospheric but who had not been seen live in concert around here since before her weak debut album was issued in 1993 What a concert! It was attended by a packed house (Reunion holds almost 20000 people) and broadcast to millions of pay-per-viewers via Directv Shania was beautiful and cheery the music was loud and rocky the band was ferociously smiley and there were pyrotechnics sexy clothes and little kids invited onstage There were a couple of socially conscious songs one of which was accompanied by the Woodrow Wilson High School choir of Dallas There was a clip of a young Shania lads with sultry shadings were done medley style Home Ain't Where His Heart Is (Anymore) TJte Woman In Me and You've Got A Way She sometimes played a 12-string guitar Naturally having recently posed for a cover of Rolling Stone magazine it's important to note what she wore: tight black pants and a lime green sleeveless tank top with a sliver of midriff showing Her one costume change to black patent pants and a leopard-skin jacket Sexy but tasteful Shania began winding up the show with her first breakthrough hit Any Man of Mine the uninhibited tune that gelled her attitude and image with the public The ultimate effect was warm (and aerobic) but bloodless Other man excitement it wasn't emotionally gratifying Was it a country show? No but that isn't a surprise nor was it necessary Was it entertaining? Yes Was it memorable? No Not that there's anything wrong with that Shirley Jenkins (S17) 548-5565 about 10 years old singing To Daddy and an 8-year-old Dallas girl getting on stage to sing Shania's hit What Made You Say That? Shania used phrases like "totally cool" and "party on" There were smoke jets turntables and treadmills built into the stage Live feeds from clubs in Chicago and New Jersey made it seem like the whole world was united in Twain Shania deftly pushed all the buttons with poise and precision and was rewarded with the desired effect: the tumult of excited fans First impression was how deep her voice is on her opener Man! I Feel Like A Woman and especially Honey I'm Home There were a couple of songs that tended toward country the radio hits Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under and No One Needs to Know But most of the rest were the definitely pop: Come On Over You Win My Love and Love Gets Me Every Time Her best vocal efforts smoky bal The 65-year-old singer who just released a new album called Teafro is to be honored in December by Clinton at the Kennedy Center Honors 'CREEK' SPEAK Get ready for some waves to hit Dawson's Creek this season The world of the cool foursome on the hit WB show will be disrupted by the character of Abby Morgan played by 1 9-year-old Monica Keena who had a role in that Al Pacino-Keanu Reeves stinker The Devil's Advocate The character began sowing the seeds of discontent on a couple of episodes last season "Abby just totally tried to bring out the skele- tons in their closets and turn them all against each other" Keena told React magazine "She loves that She enjoys just making trouble" LOVE VERSACE STYLE Courtney Love's rock credibility took a hit after Dave Ferman (817) 3W-7839 dSeri6slur-teknmmcom Country veteran Ray Price soars at Billy Bob's shov her transformation from grunge to glam While Love defends her designer duds even she has mixed feelings about her recent ads for Versace "I wanted to do them They seduced me plain and simple They sent me so many clothes they took me places in limos They took like great pictures with world-class pho By Shirley Jinkins Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH Ray Price fiddles country-music standards what else could you need on an intimate and misty Friday night at Billy Bob's Texas? Love V1 ft For The Good Times was the appropriate closer Price didn't bother toreally leave the stage fojr the "encore" a generous helping of Danny Boy Hank Williams Sr's Mansion On The Hill and the wistful Wish I Wfis 18 Again By then a long lint' had formed back by the concessions table and Price of fered autographs and converjation with fans most of whom he seemed to know on sight Though his longtime supporters turned out for the show in good numbers It was disappointing that'Jthere weren't many younger country fans present Price the finesse Jitylist and best survivor of tre Jim Reeves-Eddy Arnold generation is undiminished He deserves the same type of appreciation from very young that those two 'icons have received tographers" she said in the October issue of Spin "I feel a little funny about it but I did it anyway I love the weirdness of their clothes I'm sorry I'm not really sorry" DONATION WATCH Boyhood memories led Johnny Carson to donate $150000 for a community center in the Iowa town where his grandparents lived Bill Gates upped him though donating $20 mil to Duke University his wife's alma mater The dough will be used to set up the University Scholars program providing financial aid and fellowships to dozens of undergraduate graduate and professional students BIRTHDAYS Blues singer Charles Brown is 76 Singer Mel Torme is 73 Actress Eileen Fulton (As the World Turns) is 65 TV producer Fred Silverman is 61 Actor Richard Kiel is 59 Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood Sweat Tears) is 57 Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 54 Singer Peter Cetera is 54 Actress Nell Carter is 50 Singer Randy Jones (The Village People) is 46 Actress Jean Smart is 39 Rocker Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 37 Rocker Steve Perkins (Porno For Pyros Jane's Addiction) is 31 Actor Scott Vickaryous is 23 Singer Fiona Apple is 21 Actor Ben Savage is 18 COMPILED BY MALCOLM MAYHEW FROM WIRE REPORTS ii iim'-i' "VV "'h It was one of the best shows this year at Billy Bob's Price got a standing ovation just for coming onstage and it was uphill from there There were nine fiddles (nine fiddles!) among The Cherokee Cowboys Price's legendary band that boasts Willie Nelson among its alumni Actually though six or seven of the fiddles were auxiliary players from Austin Price mentioned Their chairs snaked around the left side of the stage to the soundboard San Antonio Rose got everything started on an upbeat note but Crazy Arms really set the tone for the evening A building cheer accompanied the exaltation of fiddles and by Heartaches By the Number it was clear that Price was in top form "I'm really glad you like old country songs" Price drawled in his understated way "because I know a lot of old country songs" Wow does he He sang a soaring version of Release Me and his favorite Bob Wills song Faded Love was even more of a showstopper than usual with twin fiddles times four plu one I Special to the Star-TelesrarnjKNNiKhR Country singer Ray Price was cool to his fans at Billy Bob's Friday night He even si gned autographs after his show After 50 years in the! business Price's voice is still mellow and fluid rippling like a quiet porjd disturbed by a fallen feather Hismini-malist delivery is completelyunaf-fected he never winces orleven opens his mouth wider than necessary I By current over-the-top showmanship standards that's radical I cally incorrect quips with Price and performed My Rancho Grande during a break the kind of rapport that only comes with 31 years on the road together Price performed one new song from his soon-to-be-completed Body Soul album on Houston's Justice Records The Only Bridge a kiss-off song in the same vein as his vintage hits The enraptured crowd would glance at each other and sigh "awwwww!" with each successive standard: Blue Spanish Eyes I Won't Mention It Again The Other Woman People sang along with Crazy Make The World Go Away Night Life and Burning Memories all familiar goosebump stuff Longtime music director and pianist Moses Calderon traded polfti- i inlrlejr Jlnklm (817) 5485.