Up & Coming Weekly

FEBRUARY 10-16, 2010 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM In Past Life (Thursday, 8 p.m., Fox), a blond beau- ty (Kelli Giddish) and a beefy hunk (Nicholas Bishop) run a past-life detective agency. Murder victims from the past, you see, have been reincarnated as modern-day people. The detectives solve long-ago crimes by leading the modern- day people through past-life therapy, in which they make contact with their previous selves. You'd be surprised at how many relevant clues can be gathered in this fashion. You may be laughing, but the filmmakers aren't. They take this premise seriously, as you can tell from the tearful reunions between parents and their dead children, now reincarnated in the bodies of bad actors. Myself, I hate this mix of extrasensory hokum and sentimentality. Maybe I was traumatized by an episode of Ghost Whisperer in a past life. How to Make It in America Sunday, 10 pm (HBO) HBO is the home of the hip half-hour series, and it takes a failure to make you appreciate how difficult it is to get the tone just right. How to Make It in America has all the signifiers: a young urban underachiever (Bryan Greenberg), his on-the-make pal (Victor Rasuk), brimming with ideas for a big score; luxu- ry-loft and art-gallery settings; and a passing parade of hustlers and hotties. But the pilot lacks energy and focus. The two buddies stumble from one mess to another without much sense of purpose. One of them whines, "I just wanted us to ctually do something for once!" Yeah, that would have been nice. Facing Ali Monday, 9 pm (Spike) Just when you think you never need to see another Muhammad Ali docu- mentary, here comes one with a fresh angle: profiling Ali's opponents. Just as Othello isn't Othello without Iago, Ali wouldn't have been Ali without Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, George Chuvalo, Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Leon Spinks and the other boxers who challenged him in the ring. Ali is now essentially silenced by his Parkinson's disease, so he's not inter- viewed here. Instead, his opponents discuss the fights from their perspective while also describing their often troubled lives before and after. The thumbnail portraits are fascinating, as are each boxer's perceptions of Ali as a man and a fighter. Yes, there's grumbling (the refs were unfair, Ali sometimes played dirty), but for the most part these brutal heavyweights have a soft spot for their onetime nemesis. Norton is grateful that Ali generously granted him matches at a time when he struggled to feed and clothe his son. Ron Lyle speaks to Ali's political sig- nificance: "The representation that he gave the black community will never be forgotten." Foreman offers some of the keenest insights into Ali's convictions and current disability: "Heroes, it doesn't matter if they've lost an arm or a leg. They're still beautiful because of what they've done." It's hard not to be moved when the boxers express protectiveness toward the man who once dominated them. "He can't speak for himself," Lyle says, "but we can speak for him." Mind-Body Problems Past Life solves crimes through reincarnation TV by DEAN ROBBINS If you're in the mood for Mexican, try El Cazador. — which means "The Hunter" — located at the intersection of Skibo Road and Morganton Road. This restaurant of- fers a wide selection of Mexican food, including steak, seafood, chicken, vegetarian options, and even soups and salads. The menu states that diners can ask their server "about any substitution." If you don't see exactly what you want on the menu, chanc- es are that your specific request will be honored. Recently, I was able to visit El Cazador for lunch. It took a long time for me to choose from all the options, but I eventually decided on a dinner combination dish. It was choice number 14 of 16 combinations and included a taco, chile relleno and a chalupa. Complimentary chips and three varieties of salsa are included with every meal, which is wonderful if you sit down and need to curb your hunger before your meal arrives. One item in my meal was spicier than I had anticipated so if you have a low tolerance for spicy food, be sure to ask your server about spici- ness before ordering. For dessert I ordered the fried ice cream and a Mexican soft drink called Agua de Horchata, made with rice-water, which I especially enjoyed. I recom- mend the Agua de Horchata if you like sweet beverages and want to try an au- thentic Mexican drink. The restaurant also has a selection of wines, domestic and imported beers, and margaritas, with varying drink specials throughout the week. Hunt Up Some Flavor at El Cazador by SHANNEN DILL Shannen Dill, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com 910.868.ROCK (7625) &2%% --! AND #ROSS&IT CLASSES FOR FIRST TIME GUESTS #OME IN TODAY SFEQPJOU Climbing CrossFit 5213 Raeford Rd MMA .OT YOUR !VERAGE GYM 2ED0OINT #HECK 9OUR %GO !T THE $OOR SMALL GROUP CLASSES PRIVATE LESSONS WWWCLIMBREDPOINTCOM BUDOKON MUAY THAI "RAZILIAN *UI *ITSU .EKO RYU GOSHIN JITSU *UDO FIELD TRIPS BIRTHDAY PARTIES OFFICE PARTIES YOUTH TEAMS Besides the large menu selection, El Cazador offers a few other things for diners. If you want to celebrate your birthday, the wait staff will come to your table with a sombrero for you to wear while they sing Happy Birthday to you in Spanish. Every second Thursday of the month, there is a live Mariachi band at the restaurant. Also, be sure to enjoy looking at the many colorful decora- tions and bright paintings that decorate the interior of the restaurant while waiting for your meal. The owner, Agustin Alvarez, explained that the paintings are scenes from Mexico and are designed to highlight Mexican cul- ture. El Cazador is a casual, family res- taurant with reasonable family-friendly prices. There are many dishes well under ten dollars. Take note that din- ers take their bill to the register to pay. They offer their full menu for takeout which is available anytime the restau- rant is open. In business for eight years, El Cazador is still constantly updating and changing the menu. Said Alvarez, "We are always bringing new items from Mexico to the menu to give an authentic Mexican experience to the customer." For more information visit www.elcazadormexi- can.com

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