University of Tampa - Moroccan Yearbook (Tampa, FL)

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r The Ultimate Killing Machine “The Boss” and other American performers were impressive on their world tours. At the 1985 Grammy Awards. Tina Turner racked up an incredible three gol- den gramophones. Later in the year, she co-starred with Mel Gibson in the box office smash Mad Max Beyond Thunderdomc. The devout Buddhist and mother of four went on to set the stage on fire when she began her Private Dancer tour by sell- ing out Madison Square Garden for three nights straight. With three straight victo- ries, including an 11-0 blowout in the final game, the Kansas City Royals overcame a flighty St. Louis Cardinals team to win the World Series. Royal’s third baseman George Brett was selected as the series’ most valuable player and Royal’s pitcher Bret Saberhagen went on to receive the 1985 Ameri- can League Cy Young Award. The jungle. Central America or Southeast Asia. They all look alike to me. I am suspended in a pool of mud, leeches clinging to my pectorals and deltoids. Above me stands (I was going to say looms, but I am the only one allowed to loom in this movie) the maniacal Rus- sian, Podovsky. His Russian accent is actually German, but that is OK since this movie will be seen by Americans who won’t know the difference. “Rainbo,” says Podovsky with sa- distic civility, “Do not make it hard on yourself. Tell me, vat is it about zis movie zat has made it so big.?” “How many times in our lives,” 1 reply, “have we wanted to go back to a certain situation and strive to rectify all the wrongs, to go back to a war that was lost and perhaps win a little peace of mind by doing it our way this time?” “But surely your fans over twenty know that history isn’t as easy to edit as a movie? Zat Vietnam may have been unvinnable, zat in real vars (mit real bullets and real blood) even people like you come out vounded, paraplegic, or even dead!” “I stand for ordinary Americans, losers, a lot of them. They don’t under- stand international politics. 1 could make a film that is hard-edged, insight- ful, realistic. But I would rather do something that is meaningful to the masses.” “But Rambo, it is precisely the masses you are misleading. Do you know zat teen-agers are valking into your private he-man cartoon and tinking it is the real ting?” “I don’t work these things out intellectually. I’m not political. But I love my family. I love my country. Where’s my nautilus machine?” Podovsky sinks to his knees. He gives a feeble cry and dies of frustration on the spot. Once more they have underestimated me. I am the perfect killing machine. The Koyals celebrate victory. The over-55 set flexed its wrinkles on prime time with new hit television series like “Murder She Wrote,” “The Equalizer,” “Crazy Like A Fox,” and “The Golden Girls.” Elderly viewers began to find themselves portrayed as intelligent, attractive, vital — even sexy — as silver-thatched suavity and geriatric ribaldry spread from network to network. Even movie legends Charl- ton Heston and Barbara Stanwyck jumped on the bandwagon, costarring in the spinoff “Dynasty II: The Col- bys.” FEATURES 25

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ENTERTAINMENT § SPORTS Rioting left 38 dead and 437 injured after English hooligans attacked panic-stricken Italian fans at the European Cup soccer championship game in Brussels. The events of what came to be called “Black Wednesday’’ led to angry recrimina- tions and deep expressions of shame by Britons. Already strong measures against hooliganism were re-examined by FIFA, the international ruling body of soccer, and several British teams were banned from play in other European countries. Interna- tionally, soccer became the most closely scrutinized sport since several deaths put professional boxing in the spotlight. Well over a year after their collision in the Los Angeles Olympics, Mary Decker Slaney settled her score with South African track star Zola Budd, by winning a 3000 meter race at London’s Crystal Palace. During the first 2000 meters, Budd was close on the heels (ouch!) of Slaney, but the American left Budd far behind during the final kilometer. When a reporter asked Budd what it felt like to he “thwarted” by an “arch- enemy like Slaney,” Budd replied the only time I ever feel thwarted is when reporters give more attention to an unfortu- nate accident than to my, and {Slaney’s}, ability on the track.” As for her feelings toward Slaney, Budd said. “She’s a nice woman, but clumsy.” MTV Cops MTV met Hawaii Five-0 in an explosion of NBC pride as the Miami Vice wave of enthusiasm spread to fashion, advertising, and popular music, not to mention other networks. The second year drama gave NBC great visibility in addition to solidifying its position as the new number one network. The show’s concept was born when an NBC executive scribbled a memo reading “MTV cops” to his writers. The format called for popular tunes to be employed as incidental music through- out the one-hour segments. Don Johnson was cast as the hard-boiled, ex-Gator Sonny Crockett, and Phillip Michael Thomas became Rico Rubbs, Crockett’s partner, a man cool under pressure and well versed in Jamaican dialects. These two hotdogs answer to the silent Castillo, their captain. For Johnson the role came as a boost to a once-promising, but lately faltering, career. After appearing in the cult classic A Boy And His Dog, he was largely invisible until the offer came from Miami Vice. Seventeen - year- old Boris Becker of West Germany be- came the youngest Wimbledon champ ever by defeating Kevin Curren. Ear- lier, Curren had eliminated the top two men’s seeds in the tournament, Jimmy Conners and John McEnroe. Becker was heard to comment, “Mit.” Martina Navrati- lova won the Wom- en’sSingles champi- onship. Of course. Phyllis George: Truly Tasteless Tastelessness reached new heights during a televised interview with Cathleen Cromwell Webb and Gary Dotson. Earlier Webb had come forward saying she had lied to a judge and jury members in 1975, telling them that Dotson had raped her. The lie resulted in Dotson’s ten-year impris- onment. During the interview (which did not answer the central question — Who was really lying about the rape case?) CBS’s Phyllis George chirped brightly, “How about you two shaking hands at the end of a long day?” Webb and Dotson awkwardly but politely complied. George continued, “How about a hug?” Mercifully the two de- clined — suggesting that bad taste does have its limits. For everyone but Phyllis, that is. Just a couple of months later, in an interview with Billy Crystal, famous for his “Mah-ve-lous” imitation of the de- ceased Fernando Lamas, George blun- dered again. She asked Crystal if he had ever discussed the imitation with Lamas. The embarassed Crystal had to tell George, and the 30 million Americans that were watching, that Lamas was dead. CBS asked George to resign later that week. 24 FEATURES

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STATE % LOCAL City councilwoman and restaurant owner Helen Chavez (of brick-saving fame) made waves when she became the swing vote on a proposal that would allow liquor to be sold off-prem- ises at her new downtown restaurant. “I’ve never vot- ed for anything I didn’t think was right, and whether it’s a conflict of interest or not, I’m voting for it,” she stated. By taking that posi- tion, Chavez risked possible suspension, impeachment, or fining. Tampa witnessed the gradual and messy owner- ship transfer of the Tampa Bay Bandits. The United States Football League fran- chise had fallen on hard times as had its owner, John Bassett. Bassett’s health problems and the instability of the USFL resulted in his sale of the team to a group of local investors headed by Lee Scarfone. Governor Bob Graham, Grand Marshal at the Gasparilla Parade, greets the public. Governor Bob Graham announced that he would seek election to the United States Senate, hoping to unseat Republican Sena- tor Paula Hawkins. Flor- ida law does not permit Graham to be elected to a third term as governor. Hawkins, active on Capital Hill in her crusade for missing children and in the Parent’s Music Re- source Center, should not prove easy to remove from office. Drinking Age Hiked Being a teenager in Florida became a different kind of experience on July 1, when the legal drinking age jumped to 21 years old. Florida had considered such a move before, but was one of several states to be strongarmed into making the change. Earlier, the federal government had proposed to withhold highway repair funds from any state not instituting a drinking age of 21. The confirmation of the change set off a mild hysteria among the state’s 19- year-olds. It had been only four years since the last increase, when the age was raised from 18 to 19. Many feared that their new privilege would be stripped from them after years of gleeful anticipa- tion. College began to lose its luster, and many thought that if it was to be an out- of-body experience, it would have to be an out-of-state experience as well. Eventually, those 19-year-olds born on or before July 1, 1966 retained their right to drink. This was less than popular on most college campuses, where new care had to be taken with parties and on- campus taverns. Deadly Crud Stalks Florida Citrus Florida fought another losing round with citrus canker. The deadly crud made its grand entrance in November 1983, after being almost completely eradicated in the 1930’s. It has been popping up steadily ever since. The growth ruins citrus plants by destroying their ability to bear fruit. The trees do not actually die, but are useless for agriculture. It can be transmitted by touch, wind motion, or simply over- ground. The outbreak in 1985 came as little surprise to officials in the Florida De- partment of Agriculture and Depart- ment of Plant Industry. The disease has been chased all over the state from several, original, known infected nurser- ies, and can lie dormant in plants for up to 18 months without showing visible lesions. Over 9 million trees (and everything within a 50 yard radius of them) have had to be destroyed in the last three years, and another 2 million will likely be destroyed before the end of 1985. The Florida citrus industry may not be back on its feet for ten years. There was goo news and ba news for the Flor ida Gators. A1 though posting second straight 9 1-1 season, thei late season driv for a nations champion ship (the only hono that their three year NCAA pre bation would al low them) wa ruined by th Georgia Bulldog! 24-3. 26 FEATURES