I wish I may...

For the past 12 months the entertainment world has been tossed up with a sugercoating in music and wit in movies, only to be trampled with the rest of the United States after Sept. 11. We lost Aaliyah and George Harrison. Movies were held back for violence or to remove clips of the World Trade Center from their backgrounds. Who knows what next year holds. Here's my list of wishes I can't wait to see happen. \n"Lord of the Rings" comes out on DVD\nWhen I was in elementary or middle school I tried to read "The Hobbit," but lost patience about half way through. I saw the movie because my little brother and dad wanted to. \nDespite my low expectations, "Lord of the Rings" encapsulated three of the most enjoyable hours I have ever spent sitting still. By the time the movie was over I felt like I had made new friends and had a deep seeded desire to visit New Zealand. "LOTR"'s acting, costumes, scenery and graphics were so believable I went right home and dusted off that old book from the shelf. Now I can't wait to see it stored with special features on a DVD we can watch time and again. The sound and picture are likely to be so downright cool that we won't mind sitting through that extra 30 minutes of film. I've also heard this one's heading to disc in August.\nBloomington Independent comes back to life\nThe economic recession has struck businesses across the nation, but I never thought it could seriously hurt the one B-town publication that seems to carry an anti-capitalist tone. Bloomington is missing a unique voice with the temporary hiatus of the Independent that really seems to show the liberal side of Bloomington -- a side you don't find in many other Indiana towns. Not to mention, every week the writers toss out a complex schedule of stuff to do and detailed stories on the local music scene. Good luck. \nPop music loses its throne\nBanish the Backstreet Boys. Bury Britney Spears. Knock down 'N Sync. With this sort of music carrying the top positions on U.S. entertainment charts, no wonder our kids score lower on standardized tests. Or perhaps, no wonder 70 percent of people ages 14 to 25 dress exactly the same. Our ears are in sore need of some worthwhile variety -- something we won't get with the same voice processors and sampled beats in every widely selling album. Sure, I loved New Kids on the Block in my day, but in retrospect, I'm glad that trend ended. New styles and intelligent lyrics make you think -- reproducing pop is stagnet. It's time for super pop to step aside and make way for something new. And I'm not talking about another Creed album. \nPeople start to think local original music is cool \nAfter the closing of Cellar Lounge and Secret Sailor, and the disbanding or movement of more than one local music group, it almost seems as if the local music scene is on a downward slope. If music supporters don't put their money where there ears are, there might be nothing good left to listen to. Not only do local original artists do cool new stuff with music every weekend, but they do it in Bloomington where we can actually afford to go see shows. The bands and the venues need support, or they will most likely go under or leave. And hey -- what better way is there to get rid of that pop problem than to support the local musicians who are trying something new or passionate? \nSept. 11 doesn't breed censors\nMost importantly, my biggest wish for 2002's entertainment is that this one thing doesn't happen. I hope that Sept. 11 doesn't breed censors. People are understandably queasy about releasing movies and other products with over-the-top violence, but hiding one view doesn't justify the next. We need to be very careful about watching the media and government and their reactions to new entertainment projects. Just quelling a movie's action scenes isn't going to bring world peace, and creators shouldn't have to be afraid of offending people.