University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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ARTS. piano man photo courtesy of The Associated Press Singer Billy Joel is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joel sold the second most records ever in his career, trailing country artist Garth Brooks. Billy Joel, the most famed piano man, started 1998 with a Face-to-Face international concert tour, believed by many to be his last. Joel made history after he sold the second most records ever, behind only Garth Brooks. His talent and work was celebrated earlier this year with his introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15 at New York ' s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The Long Island native had a series of hit records, including seven consecutive top ten albums in the 1970 ' s and 80 ' s. Eligibility for induction into the Hall came for an artist 25 years after the release of his or her first record. Criteria considered also included the influence and sig- nificance of the artist ' s contribution to the devel- opment and continuance of rock and roll. After rising to fame with international pop hits includ- ing Piano Man, Just the Way You Are, and We Didn ' t Start the Fire, Joel decided he would try a different musical venue, classical music composition. ,as the year ol .iced, at to taralia, bui ices with he instantly rose fas with ;h by Gretchen Deo Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg, became battle zone one of the most highly acclaimed movies of the year i theaters even released it to the public, Steven Spielberg ' s World War II battle drama Saving Private Ryan was already a virtual given as one of the five candidates for the Oscar ' s best-picture race. Leading actor Tom Hanks teamed up with an award win- ning cast, including Matt Damon, to recreate this script about a troop of soldiers who were ordered to go behind en- emy lines to save Private Ryan, the last surviving member of a family of four brothers all killed in the war. The movie, which was released on July 24, captivated audiences from the very start with a controversial and impres- sively graphic recreation of the battle of Normandy. Movie- goers were inundated with gun- fire and death as they watched Hanks, as Captain John Miller, survive the gruesome attack which lasted through the first half hour of the movie ' s three- hour screen-time. Controversy sur- rounded Spielberg ' s war epic as both sides of the war were por- trayed in a negative light and emotions ran high over the re- kindling of memories of the real events of D-Day in 1944. Terri- fyingly realistic scenes of war deeply affected many of the audience members as one of the Paramount executives was ru- mored to quip, This is the feel bad movie of the year. However, many were glad that Spielberg chose to at- tempt this recreation of World War II, sharing with the public the true horrors that surrounded the battles and the soldiers in- volved. The superior acting a bil- ity of an impressive cast and a wonderful script, coupled with the traditionally exceptional directing of Spielberg, led to one of the most memorable and talked-about movies of the year. by Virginia Hiltz 142 Arts

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SPORTS going going tovj. | c gone Forthe Cubs and the Cardinals, 1998 was an historical year in baseball, not because of record seasons or World Series wins, but because of their two shining stars, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. As America began following the Na- tional League, all eyes turned towards Sosa and McGwire who quickly leapt into a record break- ing homerun race that lasted until the very end of the season when McGwire finally took the title with a season total of 70 homeruns over Sosa ' s 66. Fans watched as McGwire, with a season average of .299 and a total of 147 RBIs, slammed ball after ball out of the park in almost every game the Cardinals played. Yet, it was Sosa who led the Cubs to win the wild-card race against the Giants with his overall team performance. Despite McGwire ' s impressive record, it was Sosa, with a batting average of .308 and a major-league lead- ing 158 RBIs and 132 runs with 414 total bases, who took the title of the National League ' s Most Valuable Player. Known by his fans as ' Big Mac ' , McGwire walked away with homerun number 70 ' at home at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in the seventh inning against the Montreal Expos on September 27. The friendly interaction between ,Sosa and McGwire in the attempt to break Roger Maris ' long standing homerun record helped to bring back the spirit of America ' s national pas- time. photo courtesy of The Associated Press Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Car- dinals finishes the season with a career high of 70 home runs. McGwire set a new record for home runs in a single season, breaking Roger Maris ' s record of 61. by Virginia Hiltz game time For thefirsttime ever, college football fans were guar- anteed a championship game for the national title. The game pitted 1 Tennessee against 2 Florida State. Using big plays from their outstanding wide re- ceiver Peerless Price, Tennes- see was able to put 23 points on the board, which was enough to beat Florida State 23-16. How- ever, the Bowl Championship Series did not go as smoothly as planned. Florida State was given the chance to play for the na- tional title over Kansas State, UCLA, and Ohio State, even though all four teams had only one loss. Ohio State ' s schedule was considered weak because it played in the Big Ten, which was considered a weak confer- ence by most football insiders. However, the Big Ten went 5-0 in bowl games, showing that it was not as weak as some thought. Many believed the only way to truly crown a na- tional champion was to play a tournament like the one held in college basketball. The Detroi t Red Wings won their second straight Stanley Cup in June. The Red Wings, using their strong de- fensive style, were able to sweep the Washington Capitals four games to none. This was also the second year in a row the Red Wings swept their Stanley Cup opponents. The Red Wings de- feated Phoenix, St. Louis, and Dallas to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Red Wings were led by captain Steve Yzerman, who was named the Conn Smyth Trophy winner as the most outstanding player in the playoffs. The finals victory also gave Scotty Bowman his eighth Stanley Cup as a coach, tying him with Toe Blake for the most Stanley Cups won by a coach. by Todd Bonney Stanley sweep wrestle mania fmell what The Rock is cooking? That was the question numerous people tried to figure out on Monday nights as millions tuned into the world of professional wrestling. The World Wrestling Federation ' s (WWF) War Zone and World Championship Wrestling ' s (WCW) Monday Nitro were the most watched shows on cable during the year. These increased ratings led to the in- vestment of millions of dollars into advertising during these wrestling shows. By year ' s end, former two-time WWF champion Stone Cold Steve Austin had become one of the most recog- nizable faces in sports by selling the most T-shirts of any athlete during the calendar year, includ- ing Mark McGwire and Michael Jordan. Many celebrities were jumping on the pro-wrestling band-wagon by making appearances at events. The biggest name to appear was former boxing champion Iron Mike Tyson, who was a special guest referee and the WWF ' s WrestleMania XIV. by Todd Bonney by Kevin Gembel Retrospect ' 141

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ARTS singing sensations ed many of ik bersasoneofa ecutiveswsrt ' This is tk Id the . ; ver, many Iberg chose tot ration of W 1 d the soldiers jerioractin ssivecasu netSBHHnety-eight was the year of the young artist. Bands like U2 and the Rolling Stones were quickly being re- placed, at least temporarily, by more youthful artists like Natalie Imbruglia and the Backstreet Boys. Imbruglia, who came from Australia, burst onto the pop scene with her single Torn. The Backstreet Boys, the all-male singing and dancing quintet, instantly rose to the top of the charts with their light-hearted music and appeal to young fe- males. Their quick success paved the way for other young artists, such as N Sync and 98 Degrees, two different all male groups with similar youthful charm. Lauryn Hill, former lead singer of the Fugees, went solo with her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Her unique sounds captured the attention of numerous critics and she was nominated for 11 Grammy Awards. But perhaps the most publicized change in recent pop music was the loss of Ginger Spice, the fiery red- headed Spice Girl. The Spice Girls, the infamous British trend-setting musicians, were forced to restructure; however, they managed to keep their au- dience entertained when they released their latest song this fall. With new style and care- free attitudes, new artists sprung up at an unbelievable rate. Names such as Natalie Imbruglia and 98 Degrees climbed the charts as others, such as Ginger Spice, departed the industry by Cathy Schulze W every emmy left the airways last mm m 3 mS m m spring, it left a huge void in the nine o ' clock heart of NBC ' s Must See TV Thursday night line-up. The network filled the vacancy with Frasier, a series that was both famous and critically ac- claimed in its own right. In only its sixth season, Frasier had consistently ranked in the top 15 among adults 18-49 and had just won its record fourth consecutive Emmy Award for Outstand- ing Comedy Series. The show had garnered a total of 1 6 Emmys, including two for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Kelsey Grammer), the renowned Peabody Award and several People ' s Choice Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Frasier centered around the trials and travails of the insecure and pompous Seattle radio advice show psychiatrist, Dr. Frasier Crane (Grammer). Crane ' s weekly exploits always in- cluded his snobbish psychiatrist brother Niles, his irritable ex-cop father Martin, his cynical producer Roz and Martin ' s eccentric caretaker Daphne. by Colby Brin Cast members of F raiser hug after the 50th Annual Emmy Awards. Frasterreceived the award for Out- standing Comedy Series, bringing its total to 16 Emmys. photo courtesy of The Associated Press Retrospect 143