Spike Lee casually spells it out

What an impression.\n"Indiana, my favorite state," Spike Lee razzed a nearly full crowd at the IU Auditorium Wednesday night. His remark was returned with hooting, hollering and clapping.\n"I was rooting for Maryland," he said waiving his microphone. \nSpike Lee is all about the controversy.\nThe award-winning filmmaker who has upset many, including President Bush, didn't hold back to the audience. He called Bush a crook, his Iraq war policies a sham and his friends money-grubbing CEOs.\n"This guy shouldn't be in office. The election was rigged," he bolted. "That was worse than Don King, come on."\nHe also talked about former basketball coach Bob Knight.\n"Ten years ago you all had a different basketball coach," Lee said. "And if you recall, Calbert Cheany bent over and allowed Coach Knight to 'playfully' whip him.\n"Everyone thought it was all 'ha ha, chee chee.' But I didn't think it was funny," he said. "There's something about whips that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. There were people enslaved for 400 years -- that just wasn't a laughing matter."\nLee, wearing an orange and brown-striped sweater, khaki pants and tan suede shoes, talked and answered students' questions for 90 minutes on a quick trip to Bloomington.\nSports dominated the first half of Lee's remarks.\n"You look at NBA players -- they don't have to go to class, and they get paid," Lee said. "Schools say they pay tuition and board, but that's nothing. I think every student that plays D-I ball deserves a stipend or something. Schools sell T-shirts and posters with the likeness of the players, and those players aren't able to get one thin dime from that."\nSwaying from sports and his predicted comments about his love for the New York Knicks, Lee delved into his early years and what enticed him to the world of filmmaking.\n"Growing up in Brooklyn, I had no idea that I wanted to be a filmmaker," he said. "I had no idea people made films; we just went to the theater and knew they were there. I had a dream of being the second baseman for the New York Mets; I was delusional. Genetics played a cruel trick on me. I had the heart and desire to do it, but not the physical tools."\nWhen it came time for Lee to pack his bags for Morehouse College, a predominantly black college in Atlanta, he still didn't know what he wanted to do. It wasn't until his sophomore year was complete that he knew a life in film was what he wanted to pursue.\nAfter he graduated from Morehouse, he said he had to further his education. Becoming a film producer and director was his dream, but he knew he wouldn't succeed until he polished his skills. He was then accepted to New York University, where he participated in a three-year film program.\n"No matter what major you are, there's no such thing as overnight success," said Lee, who now teaches classes to grad students at NYU. "It's important to find out what you love. I say my prayers and thank God every night I've been blessed that I've been able to do what I do."\nLee noted his upcoming productions including a documentary, "Jim Brown: All American," about the NFL star who was used in the film to encourage community activism. Also on Lee's docket: 25th Hour, a movie set in post-Sept. 11 New York. Both works are due for release in December.\nAfter his presentation, the floor was open for a question and answer session in which Lee addressed issues ranging from his views on Nike "guerrilla" marketing, thoughts on Ebonics and what he wants to be remembered for in his posthumous years.\n"I'm not a fan of Ebonics," said Lee, who was given an award by the IU Black Film Center/Archives and the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies before his talk. "I understand that African Americans have this duality to operate in both worlds, but Ebonics shouldn't be taught in school. I grew up in the mid-60s. In Brooklyn we looked up to the guy athletes, the guys who knew how to talk to the girls and the guys who were smart.\n"Among African American youth, there's this peer pressure to belong," he said. "To speak common English and get good grades -- somehow in this twisted mentality -- you're equated as a white boy or girl. Unless you're sitting on the corner smoking a joint, drinking a 40 and scratching your nuts, you're not down."\nWhen asked what he wants to be remembered for when he dies, Lee said his work will speak for itself.\n"I think as an artist. I want the body of my work to speak for you," he said. "Simple as that"