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

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the drowned world tour Lfter an eight year absence, Madonna made her re- turn to the stage over the summer. Seats for the Drowned World Tour sold out nationwide as dedicated fans found the high ticket cost a small price to pay to see the singer perform live. Like her previous tours, the concert series included an elaborate stage show with extensive choreographic sequences and multiple costume changes to accompany the vocals. Missing from the performance, however, were many of the older songs which originally made her famous. As promised, she focused on her more recent material, which she considered to be a more accu- rate expression of herself. Through the course of the concert, she transitioned through five different roles, beginning as a punk rocker and closing as a pimp, with stints as a geisha, a cowgirl and a Latin diva in between. While in costume, Madonna performed songs which were appropriate for the character she personified and even provided guitar for a few numbers. The highly anticipated tour proved that Madonna still had the ability to draw crowds and entertain the public like virtually no other performer. For those unable to attend the show, HBO broadcast the concert from the tour ' s second night in Detroit. by elizabeth sprang Madonna performs a high engery num- ber on stage in Philadelphia. The Drowned World Tour was her first con- cert series in eight years, photo amnesy of The Associated Press clash of the consoles hen the Sony PlayStation 2 made its American debut in late fall 2000, it was the most sought after gaming product on the market. A year later, it still reigned atop the video game throne, but it had some competition to contend with. Microsoft introduced its company ' sfirst video game console, the Xbox, on November 15, 2001 and Nintendo released its latest creation, the GameCube, three days later. With three options available, consumers faced the dilemma of deciding which con- sole to purchase and brought on the new era of video game wars. The concept was nothing new; companies had been battling for dominance in the industry since the glory days of Atari. While Nintendo and Sega took control of the 1 980s, it was Sony who ruled the 1 990s and at the dawn of the new millennium. Once a power holder in the industry, Sega suddenly found itself unable to compete with the PlayStation 2 and ultimately decided to discontinue production of its own console, the DreamCast. Microsoft quickly seized the opportunity to fill the void left by Sega and enter the industry with a console of its own. While the three products were similar, there were enough differences for each to distinguish itself from its competitors. The PlayStation 2 offered the ability to play its predecessor ' s games as well as provided its own impressive list of game titles. With an established fan base and the added bonus of a DVD player built into the console, Sony appeared to be in control of the market, at least for the short term. After conquering the home computer market, Microsoft hoped to have similar success in the video game industry by granting the Xbox the ability to go online. With this feature and a DVD player of its own, Microsoft planned to establish itself as a serious competitor. Nintendo ' s GameCube entered the market with a significantly lower price tag than either of the other consoles and hoped that the company ' s experience and reputation in the industry would win over new members to its already substantial fan base. Entering the holiday season, each company was prepared to fight for a share of the market in the latest battle of video game wars. by elizabeth sprang Retrospect | 143

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o o o FDR YDITR amusement much ado about movies Lfter casting a spell on the literary world, Harry Potter brought his magic to the big screen with the November release of the much anticipated film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer ' s Stone. Hitting the box office just in time for Thanksgiving, the movie adaptation received some criticism for staying too true to the book. Apparently undeterred by this, adults and children alike lined up to see the two and a half hour film starring their young wizard hero. While Harry Potter proved to be a hit, not all highly promoted films were so lucky. Pearl Harbor earned back its studio price tag in ticket sales, but was still considered a disappointment at the box office. Planet of the Apes experienced a similar fate and while Haley Joel Osment ' s love may have been real, the profits for Al: Artificial Intelligence were not. In contrast, the surprise hit came in the form of a green ogre named Shrek. Anticipation over the release of films was common to the industry. Producers contributed to the frenzy by generating as much buzz as possible or by staying silent and provoking mys- tery. George Lucas released select footage from Star Wars Epi- sode II: Attack of the Clones prior to its theatrical debut, but was hesitant to reveal much more beyond that. Leaving an audience excited about a film was often enough to guarantee that they turned out to see it. by elizabeth sprang 142 | Entertainment George Harrison heads into a London court to recover rights to an early Beatles recording in this 1998 photo. Harrison died in late November 2001 after a battle With throat Cancer, photo courtesy ofThr Asso- ciated Press former beatle succumbs to cancer I-T-I . r hank you George, it was grand knowing you, rema rked Yoko Ono as she spoke to The Associated Press follow- ing the death of former Beatle George Harrison. Fifty-eight-year- old Harrison had been battling throat cancer for several years and he lost the fight on November, 29. With his wife and son by his side, he died at a friend ' s home in Los Angeles. Harrison was theyoungestmemberof the Beatles and was commonly referred to as the quiet one. While John Lennon and Paul McCartney often collaborated on songwriting, Harrison preferred to write alone. Following the break-up of the band, he continued to experiment and grow musically. Harrison ' s death left fansaround the world saddened by the loss, but grateful for all he gave. by elizabeth sprang liter i pious tours, ' atone chang jaformance, h we recent ma jeapression Through the different ro jimp, with stif ! weappropri; prayed that Mi tntertainthep MS second r it in late P ' oductonthf Pe throne, irosoftintrc konNovi nation, the i Theconcep dominant, nd Bft

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SPORTS BY ANDREA GOFF ERIC RAJALA We camped out on the Diag with textbooks, Stucchi ' s ice cream, and cell phones when the weather was beautiful; we illuminated the Diag with the light from 1 0,000 candles on the evening of September 1 1 . We were outraged when the much-anticipated Naked Mile was thwarted by authorities and exploited by the media. With friends we celebrated milestone birth- days, making the rounds from Good Time Charley ' s to Mitch ' s and Conor O ' Neill ' s. As leaves fell from the trees we played frisbee in the Arboretum and drank apple cider at the local orchards. Streets flooded with maize and blue on home game days as we made our way to the Big House with 1 1 0,000 of our closest friends. As always, ghouls and goblins of the craziest kind appeared to celebrate Halloween Michi- gan Style To break up the monotony of classes, we donned boots and hats and paja- mas for theme parties that were thrown throughout the year. We came together to muddle through the lows of the year, and we came together to celebrate the highs of the year. We came together to support our friends. 144 | Sports