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(04/30/04 4:31am)
Let's talk about sex for a minute, shall we?\nI've never written about sex, and it won't be easy. Educated in a Catholic school in conservative Fort Wayne, I have always considered myself to be fairly sheltered in "the ways of the flesh." Heck, I refer to it as "the ways of the flesh," scandalizing it instead of seeing it for what it is: sex.\nI hold no judgments against sex. At the risk of sounding like my mother, the only advice I think I have the right to give, and anyone has the right to give to others is "be smart, be safe." Whether it is between married men and women, unmarried men and women, men and men or women and women, it is their right to have sex. The government, the church and their families should not dictate what to do. \n"The Guide to Getting It On!" a book edited by Paul Joannides, is for people like me. It simplifies the processes, procedures, etiquettes and the emotions behind not only the act of sex, but other sexual parts of a relationship, such as cuddling, "petting," even peacefully coexisting.\nAt 782 pages, this fourth edition book is thick. Within its covers, it addresses about everything from the history of the Barbie doll to the bra-burning movement of the 1960s to blow jobs.\nAnd it does it all without reverting to overtly scientific language to mask any embarrassment and biases or strange diagrams that look nothing like a male or female sexual organ. There are diagrams, yes (see Chapter 12 -- What's Inside a Girl?). But most of the illustrations in the book are of real-looking people in realistic situations. Most are, ahem, very graphic but milder than anything you'd see, for example, in a Penthouse or Hustler. Plus, the porn doesn't teach you anything.\nThe nice thing about the guide is that it takes no sides. The only definition of "morality" that it gives is this: "Morality, from this guide's perspective, is your ability to respect and care for your fellow human beings. It has little to do with your sexuality, unless what you do breaks a special trust or violates the rights of others."\nBasically, it takes the stance that sex can be enjoyed if you only want to get laid or if you want to have a meaningful relationship with someone. The closest it came to judging anyone is when it explained many people find sex to be empty if they are exclusively having one-night stands. But this was based on statistical studies. For the most part, it presented sex as fun. Don't take it too lightly, and don't take it too seriously: sage advice.\nThe advice encompasses the whole spectrum -- from conservative, procreational missionary-style intercourse to a threesome with two women (or two men). \nHeterosexual people may be curious as to how homosexual people have sex. Physically healthy people may wonder how handicapped people confined to wheelchairs do it. This guide reveals all. It talks about how to approach the subject of oral or anal sex with a partner in the relationship. It talks about the health benefits of masturbation and about how contraceptives work.\nFinally, the guide manages to insert some humor, as well. Chapter titles like "Men's Underwear: the Fruit of Your Loom" and "Sunsets, Orgasms and Hand Grenades" are typical of the book.\nIf you have a lingering question about sex and are too embarrassed to ask anyone, or just want to improve your technique (or just want to learn where to put it), buy this book. The only awkwardness you may experience is at the check-out counter.\nI know I feel more educated about the issue. Of course, there wasn't much that I knew in the first place. And the fact that I'm not a biology major doesn't hinder me in reading the text.\nThe fourth edition of "The Guide to Getting It On!" edited by Paul Joannides and illustrated by Daerick Gross Sr., is available at most book retails for $19.95. Visit the book's publisher at www.gooftfootpress.com for more information.
(04/29/04 5:55am)
As the lull of "dead week" slowly culminates into the frenzy of finals week, students are beginning to take drastic measures to absorb large quantities of information. Through unhealthy study habits, students run the danger of weakening their immune system, said Hugh Jessop, director of the IU Health Center.\n"When you take lots of stimulants, coffee or medications to stay awake, you deplete your energy for lack of sleep," Jessop said. "You'd be bordering on exhaustion. The likelihood is that it would suppress the immune system, and any little bug that's going around, you could catch."\nJessop said this semester, within the week of midterms, the number of people at the clinic increased 5 to 10 percent. Jessop said he expects the number to rise for finals week as well.\nHe said healthy studying for a final is similar to preparing for a game.\n"It's the same as for an athletics event," he said. "You need adequate sleep beforehand. If the person is someone who usually exercises, don't change your pattern. If you don't exercise, now is the not the time to start a program. The big thing is getting enough sleep."\nJessop said recognizing stress when experiencing it also helps, and any method of relieving that stress helps.\n"If a person gets stressed to the point where they are impaired or experience a difficulty in concentrating, the counseling center is available," he said. "They have a walk-in clinic, and they are never too busy not to help anyone in need."\nJournalism professor Michael Evans has been teaching fulltime at IU for five years. He recommends going over old notes and readings from the beginning of the semester if the final is cumulative and said this is vital to a good performance on the test.\n"If a certain subject is distant in the student's mind, go over it," Evans said. "The main thing is to look for terms, ideas, concepts that they don't feel confident they can describe."\nEvans said there is a strong correlation between going to class, doing homework and getting good grades on a test.\n"Students who do the reading intelligently (and) students who show up for classes seem to care -- they almost always get good final grades in the class."\nKari Prideaux, a senior majoring in elementary education, said she often takes advantage of study sessions offered by professors.\n"Sometimes, I study with people," she said. "For example, on Thursday, I am studying with a friend from my biology class."\nPrideaux said the best way to prepare for an early final is to make sure students have a plan for waking up. \n"My sophomore year I accidentally slept all the way through my final," she said. "That wasn't a good experience."\nPrideaux advised setting one alarm is often not enough, and students must have a backup plan for waking up.\nFor help in coping with stress-related problems, the IU Counseling and Psychological Services Center is available by calling 855-1711.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(04/26/04 6:33am)
It was an idea that shouldn't have worked, but it did.\nThe third annual Performathon fund-raiser at the Bloomington Playwrights Project continued from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday. Advertised as "24 hours of non-stop Entertainment," it is an idea that Richard Perez, artistic director of the BPP, picked up in New York, where he lived as an actor.\n"In my mind, it was a good idea, but it never got off the ground. They couldn't do it there," Perez said.\nBut what clashed with the New York state of mind operated flawlessly in Bloomington. Perez and the BPP work to recruit talent that has previously worked with the organization or new talent and give them a timeslot within the 24 hours. Audiences pay $5 to see one act or an hour of performances, whichever is longer, or $10 to come and go as they please for the entire duration of the Performathon.\nBPP Development Director Sonja Johnson said that two years ago, the company was in dire need of money, and Perez, then a volunteer, stepped up with his idea.\n"We were in a financial crisis," Johnson said. "Rich (Perez) had this idea that he picked up in New York, and we decided to bring it onstage. We raised over $2,500."\nJohnson said it first featured only small acts, guitarists, poets and one-man acts. Now, word of the Performathon has spread, and it is starting to feature plays and staged readings.\n"It's gradually becoming more of a theatrical affair. This year, we had a staged reading of 'The Accident of a Civilized Man' and a play called 'Cloud 9,' for example," Johnson said. "Playwrights are beginning to see the opportunity this offers in letting them try out their stuff, and audiences can see something that they might not be able to see anywhere else."\nThe sketch comedy troupe Boy in the Bubble performed for a full house from 10 to 11p.m. The group likes to approach subject matter that may be considered taboo or risqué. So far, it has had a good reception for its brand of comedy.\n"That's why people come to see us," said John McClain, a performer with Boy in a Bubble. "We've never really had a problem with people being offended because (people who would be offended) really wouldn't come see us in the first place."\nTheir act, "All Sorts of Trouble with the Boy in the Bubble," features skits with themes ranging from a boy who uses a cat litter box (and is caught by his parents) to abortion clinics.\nLater in the evening, guitarist Bob Risher performed. He played original songs like "I'm Gonna Kick Matt Kirkum's Ass" and a song he wrote about an intern at his own place of employment, "A Certain Girl." Through opportunities at the BPP, Risher has learned to perform, express emotion and expose his thoughts through music and performance.\n"For this event, I was sitting around and thinking about 'what could I do that I haven't done before,'" Risher said. "Suddenly, I had it. I called up Rich and asked, 'Would you have a problem if I was naked by the end of my segment?'"\nAnd naked he was. He stripped his clothing off before performing "A Certain Girl," a song about longing for the attention of the voluptuous intern. Right before launching into the song, he looked embarrassed and said, "I can't ... believe I am doing this."\nRisher came back two hours later to perform a one-man show.\nThrough innovative ideas like the Performathon, the BPP has won the 2004 Bloomington Area Arts Council Arts Leadership award in the Arts and Cultural Organization category.\n"The BPP is beneficial to writers, to actors and to audiences ... actors have an opportunity to act in fresh, original plays, and audiences can see shows that they probably couldn't see anywhere else," Johnson said. \n"It's a wonderful opportunity," Perez said. "Performances under one roof, for one day. We have fun. All the money goes to a good cause."\nThe BPP's next sponsored event will be the Bloomin' PuppetFest 2004, in a collaboration with the John Waldron Arts Center, the Monroe County Public Library as well as other performance venues. Performances will range in times April 30 and May 1. For more information, visit the BPP's Web site at www.newplays.org or call the Sunrise Box Office at 323-3020 for tickets.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(04/22/04 5:51am)
If you were an avid theater-goer in the middle of the 20th century, you probably wanted a formulaic, feel-good plot to entertain you from the stage. Girl and guy meet, they sing about it for a while, something happens and they split up. They sing about that some more, and then they realize they were meant for each other and they get back together. Then they sing about it.\nPractically everything Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote together followed that plot with little variation. Frank Loesser did the same. One of the few playwrights audiences could count on to give them something different was Neil Simon. His bittersweet works were often unpredictable and didn't necessarily have an "everybody gets married" ending. "The Odd Couple" and his New York Trilogies are proof of this.\n"Sweet Charity" seems to be an exception to the rule as far as those sorts of musicals go, however. Neil Simon, Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields wrote the book, music and lyrics, respectively, as an adaptation of "Nights of Cabiria," a film by Federico Fellini. First opening January 29, 1966, at the Palace Theatre in New York, it is a Gershwin-esque musical about a girl named Charity Heart Valentine who is -- get this -- a taxi dancer with a heart of gold. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and because of that, she is dumped on by every guy with whom she has a relationship. Finally, she meets Oscar, a claustrophobic accountant. They hit it off, and, well, more singing.\nIU's own Department of Theatre and Drama is performing "Sweet Charity" at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center starting April 16 and running through April 24.\nHannah Catherine Willman was in the role of Charity, an eternal optimist stuck in a rut at her place of employment, the Fan-Dango Club. Willman looks and smiles remarkably like a younger, thinner Bette Midler. Her singing voice isn't bad, either.\nVittorio Vidal, an Italian movie star, was one of the three roles played by Colin Donnell. He also played Charity's ex-boyfriend, Charlie, and Daddy, the jazz-singing leader of Oscar's church. Vittorio was the best out of three, however, a suave rich actor whose famous line, "Without love, life has no purpose!" melts Charity. Donnell pulled this role off with skill and managed to hit his high notes well.\nFinally, Tom Hershner played the male lead, Oscar Lindquist, with a Woody Allen-like approach. His neurotic quirkiness, yet great ability for sweetness, made the audience develop an affection for him.\nTwo great songs spawned from this show, and they were both in the first Act. "Hey Big Spender" is sung near the top of the show at the Fan-Dango Club. A fascinating hydraulic system set up under the stage lifted several poles through the floor for the women's chorus to dance with seductively. (Technical Director Robert Bovard and his crew are to be commended for the silent and unobtrusive lift.)\nAnother wonderful song was a music and dance number called "The Rich Man's Frug" and was sort of a cross between the dance number at the beginning of "Austin Powers" and a Bob Fosse number, which indeed it was -- Fosse conceived the staging and choreography for the original Broadway show and 1969 movie starring Shirley MacLaine.\nSo what is wrong with the show? The only time it didn't seem to flow smoothly was during scene changes. It is true these things can vary from performance to performance, but in one night, there were three successive times when the lights came up and the scene change wasn't finished.\nThe ending would have made Richard Rodgers shake his head and say "tsk tsk tsk," but in 1966, it was a step in the right direction for a break in the formulaic musicals. \nCheck out the play yourself. For ticket information, call 855-1103.\nBe prepared to not take it seriously, but remember -- Neil Simon won't let you down.
(04/20/04 6:26am)
Men are all assholes. At least according to women, Kevin Burke said in his performance of "Defending the Caveman," the longest-running solo show in Broadway history, written by Rob Becker.\nPersonally, I have never had a woman say to me, "Andy, you know, all men are assholes." But Burke hit the nail on the head in one respect -- I've been compelled to defend my gender before.\n"Defending the Caveman" was an hour and 50 minutes of Burke, clad in a sports shirt and jeans, prancing around the large IU Auditorium stage. The props consisted of a "Flinstone's"-esque barcalounger and television set, two "cave paintings" of a woman, a man and buffalo, a spear and a laundry hamper. It was when Burke threw around some underwear from the hamper and sat in the easy chair that "the Caveman" came to him in a vision.\nSure, the comedy is cliché. Men are Neanderthals, able to concentrate on one thing at once: watching television, reading the newspaper, driving a car or having sex. But Burke's theory did make some sort of sense of it, that man's tendencies and woman's tendencies go back to caveman times.\n"Men are hunters, and women are gatherers," Burke said. "That's why when we were kids, boys had games like 'kill the guy with the ball,' and girls played things like 'house.' They also play with a jump rope, and they never tie anybody up!"\nThe audience ate it up. It was amusing to look around the house and see what sort of people were in attendance. It explained "Caveman's" longevity. There were elderly couples, middle-aged couples and college-aged couples. The only thing in common I noticed between them all is they were there in couples. Burke said it was a great date show, and boy was he right.\nThe show was excellently produced. The dramatic light cues were right on target with his mode of speech. When he talked about the Caveman appearing to him, he sat in his chair with a red spot flood bathing him and the chair on an otherwise dark stage. The pieces of furniture were realistic as well. (As realistic as a stone-carved chair and television could look.)\nLike the light cues, Burke's comedic timing was impeccable. He knew when to pause for the audience laughter and never once stumbled over a set up or a punchline. The man is a great physical comedian, and his domed-cranium impression of a bewildered caveman was priceless. It had audience members rolling in their seats.\nThe only real issue I had with it was the subject matter. Everyone knows there are fundamental differences between men and women. Sometimes I don't appreciate being likened to an early stage of male evolutionary history. I like to think I am a little more savvy around women than "Defending the Caveman" would tell me. The rest of the audience members obviously didn't agree with me. They were eating out of Burke's hand and then rolling out of their seats.\nIt must be timeless -- observations about leaving the toilet seat up are about as old as why the chicken crossed the road, but infinitely funnier. As long as there is a clear cultural difference between men and women, people like Burke will stay in business.
(04/16/04 4:21am)
What does Kevin Burke know about relationships? The answer would be shorter if one asked, 'What doesn't Kevin Burke know about relationships?'\nKevin Burke, an IU alumnus, is the star and entire cast of the one-man show "Defending the Caveman." It takes an anti-John Gray approach to relationships. The commercial that has been airing all over Bloomington TV sums up the content of the show. \n"When women say they'll call, they mean in a few hours," the commercial shows Burke saying. "When men say they'll call, they mean before they die!"\n"It's a show about men and women and relationships, and how and why we're different," Burke said.\nHe explained from where the title of the production came. \n"It all goes back to the cave times. … In order to ensure survival, women and men had different jobs," he said. "Men are hunters and require total concentration until their prey is dead. That is why we turn down the car radio when we get lost. And the TV -- I concentrate totally on what I am watching, and when my wife tries to talk to me, all I hear is a buzzing noise that gets louder and angrier."\nBurke then explained the ways of the "fairer sex."\n"Women are gatherers. They would go out in groups and would wander and explore. They don't lock onto just one thing, like men. They can talk and watch TV at the same time," Burke said.\nBurke graduated from IU in 1984 with a degree in theater. He starred as Pseudolus (Zero Mostel's character) in the IU production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." After college, Burke performed as a clown with the Ringling Bothers and Barnum & Bailey circus.\n"After that, I worked for the last 16 years as a comic. A lot of it was pro-family, pro-relationship," he said. "Like ('Defending the Caveman'), it was comedy that brings together as opposed to tearing things down."\nWritten by and originally starring Rob Becker, "Defending the Caveman" first appeared on Broadway March 26, 1995. Its 399th performance was in July of 1996, where, according to www.cavemania.com, it beat Lily Tomlin's "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" and Jackie Mason's "The World According To Me" for the title of the longest-running solo play in Broadway's history.\nThe show is currently managed by a national touring company that has three different men performing at separate venues. Becker is still performing in the show; he is currently in Seattle, Wa. Chris Sullivan is currently in Bismark, N.D., and will be heading to Canada soon. Burke will be heading to Alabama after his gig at the IU Auditorium.\nThe set is something from "The Flintstones." There is a television made out of stone, rocky-looking furniture and a wall-hanging straight from the Fred and Wilma's house.\n"The caveman is a literary device," Burke explained. "He appears in a couple of visions."\n"It's a great date show, especially for the guys," he said.\nBurke will also be involved in an acting workshop Friday for the department of theatre and drama. "It's a comedy acting workshop which will include improvisation and physical comedy," said Marilyn Norris, the administrative director for the department. "Acting students are invited to come and wear work clothes."\nThe room only holds 30 students, so the workshop will operate on a first-come, first-serve basis, Norris said. The workshop will be held at the at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center Room A207.\n"Defending the Caveman" will take the stage at 6 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $13 to $27 for students and $27 to $44 for the general public. Seats are still available. For more information, call 855-1103.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(04/14/04 5:33am)
Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., spoke in depth about his plans to make college affordable in a difficult economy Tuesday in a teleconference for college media venues around the nation. \nHis proposals included billions in tax breaks for college students and tuition assistance in exchange for military service. \n"Over the last three years, college tuitions have increased about 28 percent. And that's even after you take inflation into account," Kerry said. "That has meant that, remarkably, 220,000 young people have been priced out of college this year. That means 220,000 people would have gone to a four-year public university, but they didn't because of the rising tuition."\nMore than 100 college media outlets participated in the teleconference. Kerry took only six questions during the 30-minute discussion. \nThe teleconference was held to kick off Kerry's new "Change Starts with 'U'" campaign, which started Monday. The tour is targeting universities and college students.\nKerry's first port of call for the tour came Monday at the University of New Hampshire. He spoke Tuesday at the University of Rhode Island Providence and will speak at the City College of New York today.\nNo plans have been announced as of yet for a stop at IU.\nKerry attributed the rise in tuition to the Bush administration. Because of the tax cuts for the wealthy, the administration has been cutting funds to universities, student loans, Pell grants and Perkins loans, Kerry said. The schools have had no choice but to raise tuition, he said.\n"In effect, George Bush's tax cut for the wealthy is a tuition tax increase for students. And I think it is unconscionable," Kerry said.\nKerry proposes what he calls the State Tax Relief and Education Fund -- a $25 billion, one-year, paid-to-the-states program to start counteracting the $200 billion shortfall in education funds available. \nHe also proposes $50 billion in tax credits available to students to help pay for college. This means, he said, to $4,000 per student.\n"There's a direct choice in this race, and that's a choice between common sense and a failed economic policy that's seen us lose three million jobs. … I think it's a pretty stark choice," Kerry said.\nThe senator also talked about his "Service for College" campaign, which, similar to the GI Bill, will supplement college tuition for students who serve two or more years in the armed services. It would also benefit those serving for two years in a community service profession, paying for four years of their college education.\n"That's a program we may have to scale back as to how many people we can allow to do it, but we will keep the program to a certain degree because I think it is very important to encourage that kind of service," Kerry said, adding he will keep benefits already in place to benefit military service and college education.\nKerry spoke about other issues that would interest students as well, including Social Security and health care.\n"I have a health care plan for all Americans that will make health care more affordable and accessible," Kerry said. "I'm also going to create jobs for when people come out of college. They want a high-paying, decent job."\nKerry ended the conference with saying, if elected, he plans to create 10 million new jobs over the course of the next four years. \n"They're going to be … the kind of high-technology and high-paying jobs people need on graduating from college," Kerry said.\nHe is optimistic that, as science uncovers more alternative and renewable energy sources, these jobs will be open.\n"We're going to start down the road of energy independence, and that should create some 500,000 jobs in and of itself," Kerry said.\nTo learn more about Kerry's campaign, visit his Web site at www.johnkerry.com.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu
(04/13/04 4:53am)
IU is partnering up with Bookshare.org to allow students with reading and vision disabilities access to more than 15,000 textbooks whose texts have been digitized. \nThe Adaptive Technology Center is in the process of submitting its collection of about 2,000 computerized textbooks to the Web site, said Margaret Londergan, director of the ATC.\n"In return, those students who qualify will receive full access to Bookshare.org's database of around 15,000 texts," Londergan said. "It is great for students with blindness, low vision, dyslexia or other impairments that would hinder then from reading text from a book."\nIU students can qualify for access by submitting a certification of their disability to the Web site. Because of the University's partnership with Bookshare.org, a fee of $50 per year, plus a $25 sign-up fee for the first year, is waived. \nIU is one of the country's leading alternative text production facilities, according to a news release submitted by the University Information Technology Services.\n"We've spent several years developing a book-scanning operation that can effectively meet the alternative text needs of our students with disabilities," Londergan said.\nBookshare.org is a project created by Benetech Initiative, a not-for-profit organization that develops technology projects relating to social issues such as disability, promotion of literacy and human rights. It is a collaboration of individuals and organizations that specialize in text scanning for the benefit of the blind. So far, the site features not only textbooks, but bestsellers and informational books as well. \n"(Our) online library of accessible materials has always had great promise for use by students," said Alison Lingane, senior product manager of Bookshare.org, "We expect this partnership with Indiana University will help further with that promise."\nOther Benetech projects include the Landmine Detector projects, to aid in the removal of hidden landmines, and ReadingCam, a piece of hardware that can magnify books or other text for the vision-impaired. But the text is protected against unauthorized use by digital rights management plans, such as file encryption, watermarks and a security watchdog program instituted by the American Publisher's Association.\nBookshare.org and the ATC are protected against copyright infringement under HR 3754, popularly known as "the Chaffee Amendment." This protects the copying of audio, text or video from copyright infringement when done as a service for the disabled. \nThe ATC, which is a division of UITS, was created in 1999, and uses technology for alternative methods of learning for disabled students. They employ methods such as Braille, MP3 audio format, electronic text and audio transcriptions. The ATC also has laptop and software loan programs.\nLondergan said although the partnership has benefited IU students already, the program is still new, and she has not yet received feedback about its functionality.\n"Students are still exploring www.bookshare.org's features, and seeing what they have to offer. With time we'll hear what students think," Londergan said.\nTo inquire about eligibility for access to www.bookshare.org, contact the Adaptive Technology Center at 856-4112 or visit Bookshare.org at www.bookshare.org.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(04/08/04 5:47am)
A martini -- it is the millionaire's beer. The potent drink is crystal clear in color, often with a plump green olive lying at the bottom of the wide-brim stemmed glass.\nChristine Baranski's wealthy character Maryann Thorpe from the 1995 sitcom "Cybill" was never seen without one. Megan Mullally's character of Karen Walker on "Will and Grace" slurps them down like water.\nBut what is a martini? With all of the specialty 'martinis' out in the world today, the definition of a martini is lost, said Alex Tachtiris, a bar manager at Scholars Inn. Scholars Inn offers a wide range of martinis -- specialty and traditional alike.\n"These days, over the last few years, that name has become something of a misnomer," Tachtiris said. "Originally, it was just made with gin and vermouth."\nAccording to a July 4, 2003, Associated Press article written by Michelle Locke, the first incarnation of a martini occurred in 1896 when a customer to the Occidental Cigar Club in Martinez, Calif., threw a gold nugget on the bar and asked the bartender to "shake up something special." What he got was totally different from what is known as a martini today -- a dash of bitters, maraschino, a wineglass of vermouth, two lumps of ice and one part Old Tom gin, shaken well and served with a lemon wedge. This recipe was found in a bartender's guide from 1887 under the heading of "Martinez." Some believe this is the predecessor to the martini, Locke said.\nYet others believe the martini draws its name from one of the oldest distilleries in existence today, Martini & Rossi, whose dry vermouth might have first been mixed with gin to create this drink. According to the historical archives of Martini & Rossi, the company was founded in 1847 as the Distilleria Nazionale da Spirito di Vino. Later in 1879, when Alessandro Martini and Luigi Rossi bought the company, the name was changed to "Martini e Rossi." It is thought that the drink called for Martini & Rossi vermouth and gin, and soon the brand name became generic, shortened to merely "martini."\nAs vodka's poplarity gre in the 1960s, vodka martinis were invented. The trend was pushed into the limelight when Ian Fleming's cultural symbol, James Bond, ordered his drink of choice, a vodka martini, and coined a phrase one must adopt a Scottish brogue to say: "shaken, not stirred."\nThe gin and the vodka martinis sat side by side for another 20 or 30 years, until companies like Stolichnaya and Absolut began creating flavored vodkas and other novelty liquors. This led to more creative flavored drinks, called "novelty martinis."\n"Every year, there are new vodkas, flavors, brands and other high-end alcohols," Tachtiris said.\nEventually, the vermouth was replaced by other flavors: rum, sweet and sour mix, bitters, grenadine and countless other "accessory" liquors. \nBut why are these still called martinis, after having deviated so far from the original?\n"People love it. (A martini) is a romanticized drink," Tachtiris said. "People love the idea of drinking out of a martini glass."\nAs a college town with a large consumer base of twenty-somethings who are new to the alcohol scene and want to experiment, Bloomington has many venues available that serve novelty martinis.\nPuccini's La Dolce Vita, at 420 E. Fourth St., has a martini menu with a dozen novelty martinis, some with names like "Crantini" and "Purple Haze". \nKiros Yohannes is a bartender at Puccini's and is also a junior majoring in biology. Chemistry plays a large amount in his work, both at school and at the bar.\n"Chemistry plays a large part in mixing these drinks," Yohannes said. "You have to know how much of what will taste good with how much of something else."\nTwo such drinks Puccini's offers include the Raspberry Truffle martini, which is comprised of Absolut vodka, Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlúa, Chambord and dry vermouth; and "Harry's Velvet Room," made from Absolut Citron, Grand Marnier, Amaretto and dry vermouth.\nEach drink is a work of art in a glass -- The opaque Raspberry Truffle martini has a spiral of chocolate syrup floating on top, while the fruit-garnished Velvet Room is a brilliant orange, the color of a fire opal.\nScholars Inn Dessert Café and Wine Bar, at 717 College Ave., has a speciality martini list, too. Sporting such names as the Drunken Monkey, the All-Nighter (made with expresso) and the Amethyst Sky, it is definitely in competition with Puccini's. \nTwo unique martinis on its menu are the Emerald City, made from Absolut Citron, Midori, sour mix and grenadine; and a Bloomington hit, the Indiana Universitini -- Stolichnaya vodka and Chambord, with triple sec and strawberry pureé, topped with a strawberry and whipped cream.\nThe Indiana Universitini celebrates the Hoosier spirit with its bright red base and a puff of white whipped cream to complete the "cream and crimson" colors of IU. The Emerald City is served unstirred. The syrupy cherry-colored grenadine lies at the bottom of the glass with the emerald vodka mix on top. Before drinking, one is supposed to stir the mixture.\nNovelty martinis, at least good ones, are by no means inexpensive. Both Puccini's and Scholars Inn charge $8 per drink, all of which are made from top-shelf quality liquors. \nBut both businesses offer half price nights. Mondays Puccini's reduces the price to $4, and Thursdays Scholars Inn reduces it to the same price.\n"That is a popular night," Tachtiris said. He said his bar can sell upwards of 300 martinis on a Thursday during the school year.\nDespite the popularity of traditional "college town bars" such as Kilroy's on Kirkwood or Bear's Place, the upscale venues that sell expensive novelty martinis do not hurt for business. Many college-aged men and women enjoy these drinks.\n"We get a lot of the Greek crowd, and a lot of the Greek women prefer sweeter drinks -- drinks like novelty martinis," Tachtiris said. \nAnother appeal of the novelty martinis is the bright colors and the traditional martini glass, which is actually called a "cocktail glass."\nWhatever the definition, martinis only grow in popularity. From banana-flavored rum to espresso, the only thing martinis have in common across the spectrum is the alcohol content. There is a martini for any taste -- from spy to sorority girl.\nYohannes said he treats each martini he makes carefully, "I am a poet, so I love art. The beauty of the drink is, in part, in the way you design it."\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(04/07/04 4:11am)
The mark of a great comedy troupe is the oddity in its brand of humor. Sure, the latest scandals in Washington, D.C., and Hollywood make great material to get audiences to yuk it up, but to truly make an impression on the average Joe's mind, one must not be afraid to be odd.\nIn its second performance, the up-and-coming comedy group ODDITYS remained true to its name. It was indeed odd. From using non-sequitur haikus as transitions between skits to musical interludes with Polish Jesus Whistle singing songs seemed appropriate exclusively to this comedy group.\nYet despite the truly strange humor, ODDITYS produced a great comedy. Bloomington Playwrights Project's tiny theater was packed to bursting with audience members, and at 11:30 p.m. that is tough to accomplish. \nPolish Jesus Whistle's first song required some explanation. Grant Fore, the guitarist, lead vocalist and sole member of Polish Jesus Whistle, walked onstage with a guitar slung over his back and told of a car that plunges into a river that has a magic wizard's cloak shoved in its tailpipe. The cloak enchants two fish swimming in the river, and the subsequently magical fish then rescue the occupants of the car. After explaining his story, Polish Jesus Whistle launched into song. \nHis singing style lies somewhere between Steve Page of Barenaked Ladies and a slightly tone-deaf Alanis Morrisette. But this did not detract from his song, which was made only that much more quirky by being slightly out of tune. He strummed his guitar like there was no tomorrow and sang about how the fish unbuckled his seat belt.\nAnother great skit featured Mike Mauloff playing Dracula and Greg O'Neill as a convenience store clerk. O'Neill required ID for Dracula's purchase of a beer, and the 4,000 year old undead Dracula didn't have it. Hilarity ensued.\nDespite their low-budget fledgling status in the Bloomington comedy community, the cast members of ODDITYS all possess excellent comedic timing and the writers -- Mauloff, O'Neill, and Ambur Lowenthal -- are quite talented, original and, indeed, odd.\nTrying to explain the comedy to someone who wasn't there is not easy. Much of it is spontaneity, including comments muttered by the actors. The humor is often lost in recollections of the specifics. \nThe ODDITYS player who definitely made an impression was O'Neill. His performance in the skit, "Skip to the Punch Line" was hilarious. Starting off, he began berating the audience over not laughing at a joke that was made immediately preceding his monologue, saying, "You think this joke isn't high-brow enough for you?"\nHe launched into a ranting of "I have The Man on my back!" to "You can't keep me down!" Finally, another cast member entered the stage and announced, "Greg, that joke just didn't go over as planned. Skip to the punch line."\nThe punch line apparently involved an audience member throwing pasta at him while his pants were down, exclaiming loudly, "Law School?"\nMaybe you had to be there.\nNext time, see that you are.
(04/02/04 6:30am)
The newest comedy troupe to hit Bloomington is, by their own definition, an oddity. ODDITYS is a band of IU student comedians who have recently come together at the Bloomington Playwrights Project to bring IU students and Bloomington residents their unique brand of humor. ODDITYS' second performance will be at 11:30 p.m. today at the BPP's Black Box Theatre.\n"The group's humor runs the gamut from dry, witty word play to cruel and obscene low-brow," IU senior and ODDITYS writer and cast member Ambur Lowenthal said. "ODDITYS is nothing if not versatile."\nIt abandons the usual "current events variety show," a la "Saturday Night Live," for a culmination of other inspirations. \n"(We are) walking a sarcastic tongue-in-cheek line between 'Mr. Show,' 'The State' and 'Kids in the Hall.' The ODDITYS deals in long-form sketch comedy with several short 'interjections' to break up the show," Lowenthal said. "Some skits are plot-and situation-driven. Others deal with idiosyncratic and wacky characters."\nThe group's first foray into the performing arts world occurred March 5 at the BPP. \nODDITYS employs three "head writers," -- Lowenthal, Kenny Dellinger and Greg O'Neill. Lowenthal said the three of them usually spend an evening chilling out in the living room writing and laughing together.\n"The process doesn't feel like work. It feels more like hanging out with your friends to create a product together," Lowenthal said. "It should be known that anyone in the group is able to submit scripts and ideas for their shows. Then, through a rehearsal process, the performers add their own individual touches to the final product."\nThe group's style is to present a cohesive theme -- such as "war and politics," as used for its first performance -- and bring its skits together within that general theme. According to a March 9 review of the first ODDITYS performance in the Indiana Daily Student, the theme served as more of a suggestion than as a set-in-stone rule. \n"The theme for the ODDITYS' work this week is 'Kafka-esque' -- a trip into the tragically hilarious and hilariously tragic," Lowenthal said.\nIndeed, one of the sketches involves a take on Franz Kafka's 1915 novella, "The Metamorphosis," in which Gregor Samsa, a salesman, wakes up one day to find he's turned into a large insect.\n"It's one of my favorites," said senior Mike Mauloff, a cast member. "It is sort of a sequel to 'Metamorphosis' where I play the bug's boss at an office building. It is pretty hilarious."\nAnother skit in the show, according to Mauloff, features Dracula buying beer and being carded by the store clerk.\nAnd to delight the audience, the cast is bringing in a special musical guest, Polish Jesus Whistle, to perform. According to www.clearchannelnewmusicnetwork.com, Polish Jesus Whistle consists of "two dudes pumpin' out folk ballads from their ranch-style house" in Indianapolis.\nODDITYS' cast consists of IU grad student Matt Isler, seniors Gregg O'Neill, Kenny Dellinger and Ambur Lowenthal, juniors David Mickler and Amy Backes, sophomore Jeremy Weston, and freshman Aaron Henze.\nThe show, with a running time of approximately 45 minutes, will be held at the Black Box Theatre at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, located at the corner of Washington and Third Streets. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door. Call the BPP at 334-1188 for more information.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(04/01/04 6:17am)
This afternoon, the cast and crew of "The Laramie Project" are gearing up for the performance. But at the same time, theater staff, the IU Police Department and anti-gay activists are also preparing for reactionary protests surrounding the controversial play. \n"The Laramie Project," a docu-drama, written by Moises Kaufman, details the 1998 fatal beating of openly-gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo.\n"We will have people at the theater," said IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger. "We have officers at every performance to maintain traffic flow and assist pedestrians in and out of the theater. We are aware of the issues surrounding the project."\nBut IUPD won't be devoting more officers than usual to the protest.\n"We're not having more people there," Minger said. "All officers that will be attending regularly will be appraised of the situation. Both factions have also been appraised of how the situation will be handled."\nIf protesters or anti-protesters break the law by impeding traffic or by disrupting a performance they would be in violation of state law, and would be removed or arrested, Minger said.\nIU Theatre Director Dale McFadden said the play should raise some issues.\n"People have the legal right to protest whatever they want, provided they stay within the law," he said. "My concern is to make sure audiences have a safe experience. This is a play that should stir people up, raise issues and make people think about what happened in Wyoming."\nTen or 15 protesters are expected to be in attendance, including Pastor Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. Phelps is being portrayed in "The Laramie Project" as a character because he protested at Shepard's funeral.\n"Our group travels in groups of 10 to 15," said Shirley Phelps-Roper, Fred Phelps' daughter and attorney for Westboro Church. "I'm expecting counter-protesters."\nAlong with members of the congregation, Phelps travels around the country attending anti-gay protests. The church protests every production of "The Laramie Project," Phelps-Roper said, as well as attends hundreds of anti-gay rallies a year. \n"The street ministry, on average, has people out there every day," Phelps-Roper said. "On average, we take long trips two times a week. We'll be in North Carolina later in April, and we've been all over Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado."\nPhelps-Roper said the protests are a warning to the country.\n"This nation calls itself a Christian nation," she said. "That means they use the Bible as a proof text. We can pretend times change, but here's the verse -- 'I am the Lord, I change not.' (Malachi 3:6) … Here's where the nation is today: we're sitting postured exactly like ancient Judah. They've flipped off God all these years, and it's too late."\n"We've been there every time they play 'The Laramie Project.' Let each person who (buys a ticket) hear those words stand in judgment before God and explain why they didn't heed the warnings."\nMcFadden said he anticipates Phelps will try to make his side apparent at the protests. \n"He's a character in the play," McFadden said of Phelps. "I can only assume he feels that his side needs to be heard as much as the play. He feels he must present another side -- to what, I'm not sure."\nThe performances will take place April 1 through April 3, and the protests are scheduled to run concurrent with the performance dates.\nThe Westboro Baptist Church will protest the Laramie Project outside the Wells-Metz Theater April 1 through 3.
(03/24/04 5:36am)
No students turned out for the tuition teleconference Tuesday, which officials thought would spark dialogue among the student body.\nEleven individuals attended the event in Bloomington, including IU-Bloomington Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Lois, Vice Chancellor for Budgeting and Administration Neil Theobald, Dean of Students Richard McKaig and other campus administrators.\nWhile Tony Kingsolver, IU-South Bend's student body president, was outspoken in presenting his issues with the tuition cap, IU's flagship campus outlined no objections to the proposed increase at the teleconference.\n"Student apathy hurts," said IU Student Association President Casey Cox, who attended the forum in person at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. "It always does. The student leaders are trying our hardest to speak out and let trustees know the concerns of students in Bloomington. I absolutely challenge the student body to become engaged and involved. Because, in the end, students have to take it upon themselves to become interested."\nOne reason for the poor turnout may be the time of the conference, Cox said. Many students have classes from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, the time the teleconference was scheduled.\n"I myself missed two classes, and even then, I was 45 minutes late because I went to a class I had to go to," Cox said. "But I don't think that there were any malicious intentions on the administration's part to avoid student input. This was the first inaugural forum of its kind, and there are still mistakes to be worked out. I'll definitely bring it up with the administration next time I talk to them."\nTheobald said he believed the topic of this forum wasn't a hot issue for students and, therefore, they didn't feel the need to voice concerns. The proposed 4 percent increase in tuition and mandatory fees was not excessive, he said. The tuition increase includes a proposed $30 increase in mandatory student fees, including a $15 athletic fee. \n"When you look at how much more money people with a college education make, many students and their parents don't seem to mind the high cost of tuition. It is necessary," Theobald said.\nMcKaig said he anticipates mounting interest as the issue becomes more widespread.\n"I believe students will have a greater interest once they learn these facts that are proposed," he said. "It should spark some great conversation among the students, and they can let the trustees know in April."\nOverall, reactions to the forum's availability for participation were positively received. Representatives from all eight of the IU campuses were in attendance, including IU-Purdue University in Fort Wayne, whose administration is run by Purdue. Bill Stephan, IU's vice president for public affairs and government relation, fielded questions via live video feed and electronic questions via the Internet.\n"(The) interactive video feed is a great tool for University meetings, conferences and classes," said Steve Schunk, associate director of system administration for the School of Education. "The University has literally dozens of these conferences a day, connecting anywhere from two to 10 sites."\nCox had other concerns about the tuition increase that were not broached in the forum. Much of them include the costs in the rising rate of pay for faculty and concern that IU is hiring more faculty than necessary.\n"If adjustments are made that will compromise the quality of education (to bring down or raise costs), then the adjustments are futile," Cox said. "The education of the students is key."\nOther issues to be discussed include the proposed newspaper readership program fee, as well as a proposed rise in transportation costs.\n"These are definitely some things I will talk to the trustees about soon," Cox said. "We need to have a discussion about priorities."\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(03/23/04 4:29am)
It is a storyline growing rapidly in popularity -- woman A is young, single and sophisticated but an inexperienced woman who lands a prime job -- as an assistant to the older Woman B, who is the top dog at her craft: a magazine editor, multi-millionaire businesswoman, world-renowned artist and so on. If Woman A does a competent job as assistant to Woman B, her lofty career goals may be realized.\nAs the book progresses, however, Woman A finds Woman B is incredibly hard to please, and she is being asked to do things that go above and beyond her job description. Finally, Woman A reaches a breaking point and tells Woman B to screw herself. The story broaches the question, "What is more important, self-dignity or career advancement opportunities?"\n"Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z" by Debra Weinstein uses this basic plot. The protagonist, Annabelle, is going to school in the 1980s to study poetry. Her university is never named, but anyone familiar with the modern poetry world soon realizes upon reading the novel that it is based at NYU. She soon lands a job as a research assistant to the famous (or infamous) poet named, simply, "Z." Z's claim to fame is a series of poetry about flowers, (for example, "O buried ovary in the body of the flower … O buried flower!"), and she entrusts Annabelle to gather research for her new book of flower poetry.\nIt is a well-known fact that the literary world is fiercely competitive, and its forerunners are perfectionistic and very hard to please. Z is no exception. She presses Annabelle to a breaking point, asking her to research more and more obscure topics ("Annabelle, research all women poets names 'Jane.'") and assigning her to do more things not in Annabelle's job description, such as advising her daughter, Claire.\nSave for the characters and setting, this plot is virtually identical to Lauren Wiesburger's 2002 book, "The Devil Wears Prada," where Annabelle's character was named Andrea, and Z was the editor of a glamorous fashion magazine, Miranda. In fact, Publishers Weekly did a review of "Flower Poet Z," telling the reader "the devil wears tweed" in this novel.\nDespite a possible lack of originality, Weinstein's novel was indeed funny. Anyone who is familiar with the literary community can appreciate the backstabbing and conniving that go on in the English department of so many universities. And any reader of James Joyce will love Annabelle's neurotic boyfriend, Harry, who in order to gain inspiration for his novel, wants her to reenact kinky love letters Joyce wrote to his wife, Nora.\nAt one point, he bought her a pair of gloves and asked her to walk around wearing nothing but the gloves and heels, saying over and over, "Dear Mr. Joyce, how can I thank you for your kindness the box of gloves which you sent me are lovely and a splendid fit." This, coincidentally, is the text of the letter Nora Joyce wrote back to her husband. \nThe most redeeming factor of "Flower Poet Z" is the cast of characters. The reader learns much about the poetry world, and the characters are interesting studies in academic egotism and are often extremely eccentric. They are writers, after all. Every character in the novel is fascinating. From Z's husband who is trying to upstage her by writing an epic poem to Annabelle's therapist who believes poetry is Annabelle's way to hide her emotions, not release them, Weinstein makes them all come to life. \nOne flaw of the novel lies in the setup of villianizing Z. Throughout the first three-fourths of the novel, Annabelle and Z get along great, in a mother/daughterlike relationship. Z is constantly complimenting Annabelle on her floral descriptions, and Annabelle's efficiency in being Z's assistant earns her a higher standing in the English department. It is not until more than halfway through the novel their relationship starts to deterioriate, and by that time, the reader has grown attached to Z. Instead of being sympathetic to Annabelle, the reader is sympathetic to Z, as well. Perhaps this is the way Weinstein intended it to be, but it doesn't flow right.\nOverall, the novel provides good entertainment, if only for light reading. It is feasible to finish this 256-page novel in a couple of sittings. And at the $23.95 cover price, it would be more economically responsible to wait until the paperback is released.\n"Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z: a Novel" by Debra Weinstein is available in hardback at Border's, Barnes and Noble and Book Corner for $23.95. www.Amazon.com sells it for 30 percent off the cover price at $16.77.
(02/27/04 4:52am)
Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg are grand writers indeed. They wrote the first French rock opera to hit the stage, "La Revolution Francais." Their musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Miserables opened in 1980 in Palais des Sports in Paris, making it to Broadway only seven years later. \nTheir third collaboration, "Miss Saigon," although not at the same level of valorous grandeur as Les Miserable, stirs up the same sort of emotions in the audience.\nThe curtain opens to a lone Vietnamese girl with a tight spotlight on her. All of a sudden, the stage lights fade up and the hustle and bustle of Saigon, the capital city, comes into view. The girl, Kim, is a scared 17-year-old whose family has perished in the destruction of her village. She has no other choice but to come to the capital to "turn tricks."\nJennifer Paz plays the role of Kim in the premiere performance Tuesday. She returns to this tour after having played Kim in the first national touring production, where she worked with the legendary Cameron Mackintosh. She captures the character well, going from the scared demure girl to the fiercely protective mother.\nHer voice, emitting a crystal-clear timbre, take on the extremely challenging melodies of Schönberg, which seemed to not quite accommodate Richard Maltby Jr.'s English adaptation of Boublil's French lyrics.\nAlan Gillespie plays the American soldier Chris, who becomes Kim's lover. He was certainly American, and his tenor singing has a certain captivation in svelty songs like "The Last Night of the World." \nJohn, played by Wallace Smith, is Chris's buddy, sort of a B.J. Hunnicutt to Chris's Hawkeye Piece from M*A*S*H. He originally buys the services of Kim for Chris, and in the second act, he works for a humanitarian organization aiding the outcast half-American children born to Vietnamese women during the war. His song "Bui-Doi" allows him to utilize his rich gospel baritone that tugs at the heart as photos of Vietnamese orphans and underprivileged children flashed on a screen at the back of the stage.\nThe only issue with Gillespie is in the broad range of emotions his character is supposed to show. Gillespie's chiseled facial features seem to have hindered him from his character's desperation, intense anger and loving infatuation. He has those middle emotions down pat but comes up a bit mild with the extremes.\nA character who had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand was the Engineer. Portrayed by Jon Jon Briones, the Engineer is a jack of all trades: pimp, con man, barkeep and schmoozer. The Filipino-born Briones was in Mackintosh's original London cast and later played the Engineer in the German tour and the Asian tour. He gives this slimy character, who acts as an uncle-figure to Kim's child while she waits for Chris to return for her, an almost-noble aroma. His song "The American Dream" makes him shine, a projector showing images from American pop culture behind him and several Marilyn Monroe look-alikes dance with him on stage. This brought many audience members to double over with laughter.\n"Miss Saigon" is one of the most technically expensive and difficult shows to produce. During Act II, the script calls for a helicopter to land behind the gate of the American Embassy and take off shortly thereafter. Once, while touring in Hungary at an open-air auditorium, an actual helicopter landed on the stage.\nBecause of the limited airspace of the IU Auditorium (and most other performance venues), an amazingly life-like holographic projection is used. The image of the helicopter landing, the music and the chopping sound effects are perfectly synchronized. \nAnother prop that is extremely effective in the show is the large golden image of Ho Chi Minh in the second scene, after Saigon falls to the communist North Vietnamese. "The Morning of the Dragon" is sung by the VietCong soldiers, and Jodi Moccia's choreography is a brilliant combination of Nazi-like goose stepping and exotic Taiwanese swaying. Although the cultures clashed in Vietnam during the war and the communist regime, they are meshed beautifully in the dancing.\n"Les Miserables" brought a more personal insight into the terribly bloody French Revolution. Following its example, "Miss Saigon" brings to light the blunders and political injustices of the Vietnam War and the impact it had on the life of the Vietnamese citizens and the American soldier as well. Anyone going through the war could have been Kim or Chris. The issue is controversial still today, although the fighting ceased decades ago. It's all over but the singing.
(02/26/04 5:04am)
The movie begins. A monotone, cheesy theme with too many violins and not enough tempo plays, while an archaic cursive title fades onto the screen. The movie is called something like "In a Lonely Place" or "Strangers on a Train." \nBecause the credits are at the beginning of the movie, it takes too long for the action to start. And when it does, the characters talk unnaturally and nasally -- primitive recording equipment and years of deterioration and copying take their toll. Plus, there is no color! \nThis is the argument many college students give as an excuse not to see an old film: the plot is archaic and unnatural. People don't act like Humphrey Bogart in real life, nor do they burst out into song and dance at random intervals like Fred Astaire might. This may account for the poor turnout at the Union Board's showing of "Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times," Jan. 30 and 31.\n"To be honest, 'Modern Times' was a bit of a failure," said UB Films Director Hashim Hathaway. "Something that shows that the tastes of IU students tend to lean to more current fare."\nThe bust of the Chaplin film won't necessarily mean the end of old films shown at IU. \n"This doesn't completely rule out showing older classics in the future," Hathaway said. "But that is something that would fall to the demands and interests of the students."\nAlthough today's younger crowd may see this as a downfall to vintage films, not all share this negative outlook.\nHarvey Cocks, a former Broadway and screen actor (under the name Harvey Collins) and now the Managing Director of the Fort Wayne Youtheatre in Fort Wayne went to see those kind of movies when they were shown on the silver screen. He reminisced, saying "They don't make them like that anymore."\nHe said because of America's society at that time, close to two major world wars, the majority of the film industry's audiences didn't want to see realistic films. The real world was full of hatred, persecution and bloodshed. The people of America were tired, and wanted an escape, he said. They found that escape in the movies, Cocks said.\nBut not all movie companies followed this social thinking.\n"'Reefer Madness' (1938) was about marijuana use, and 'The Man with the Golden Arm' (1955) starred Frank Sinatra as a cocaine addict," Cocks said. "There were many movies with drugs, violence and sex in them, they just weren't as blatant as they are today."\n"I think films were simpler, and what made them so good is that they had to sort of bob and weave around the standards of the day in terms of sex and violence," Hathaway said. "So it forced writers and directors of that day to be far more creative in the stories they told."\nFor example, in the 1941 John Huston noir film, "The Maltese Falcon," Peter Lorre played Joel Cairo, a homosexual man. Because homosexuality was more taboo than it is today, Lorre's character never said that he that was gay, nor did he express any attraction to the men in the film. On more than one occasion, Humphrey Bogart's character, Sam Spade, noticed that Cairo was wearing the scent of gardenias. Cairo also wore a pinky ring -- a dead giveaway in the culture of the times -- and at one point while under duress, was curled up effeminately on a sofa. By the early-century standards, he was flaming.\n"It was a big thing to have a gay character in a movie," Cocks said. "It was great because, typically, the people who would be offended didn't catch the references."\nAs the film industry progressed into the 1950s and 60s, films split into two main groups. The fear and paranoia of Cold War-era America was reflected in many films of the time. Alfred Hitchcock picked up on this feeling, and gave Hollywood movies like "Vertigo" (1958), and "Rear Window" (1954), with James Stewart playing a man in a wheelchair spying on his neighbor.\n"That was very symbolic," Cocks said, referring to the "catch them before they catch us" attitude of the Cold War. \nLater on, films like "Dr. Strangelove" (1964) approached the Cold War more blatantly. Stanley Kubrick's black-humor farce of what it would be like if the president pushed the "Big Red Button" and annihilated civilization was the fear prevalent of that era.\nThe other group was exactly the opposite. Romantic comedies began to flourish, making Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Carey Grant and many other good-looking actors and actresses internationally-recognized stars. "April in Paris" (1952), "Pillow Talk" (1959) and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961) are a few examples.\n"The music was amazing, with big, extravagant musical scores. The hero always got the heroine in the end, and everyone was just so happy," Cocks said. "The way people wanted to feel when they went to the movies."\nBoth Cocks and Hathaway have a "must-see" list of old movies. \n"It's hard to come up with just a few," Cocks said. He thought for a moment, and said, "First, would be 'Gone with the Wind.' 'Citizen Kane,' 'The Maltese Falcon,' and one obscure one, called 'The Oxbow Incident,' (a western with Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews).\nHathaway mentioned three works anyone considering themselves a fan of film would see: Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing," "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "The Best Years of Our Lives.'"\nCoincidentally, the City Lights Film Series will be screening a noir genre double feature at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 in Ballantine Hall, Room 013. Admission is free.\nThe first film shown, on 16mm film, is "Kiss Me Deadly" (1955). \n"This movie is a later noir piece, formed by the Cold War mentality," said Matt Yockey, a graduate student in the department of communication and culture, and a board member for City Lights. "It is an adaptation of a Mickey Spillane novel. It's a really strange film." \nThe film uses a device copied almost 40 years later in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" (1994).
(02/25/04 4:48am)
The sixth longest-running show in Broadway history, "Miss Saigon," will be playing at the IU Auditorium throughout this week. Written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, who composed "Les Miserables," "Miss Saigon" is one of the few theatrical musicals that tells a story in a modern setting -- in this case, the Vietnam War. It gives a perspective of the war and the life of the soldiers not often seen in America.\n"We're really excited to have this show here," said Doug Booher, director of the IU Auditorium. \nCynthia Tomm, who plays Fifi in the chorus and an understudy, said the musical gives a different perspective of Vietnamese life. \n"It is sympathetic to the Vietnamese, depending on the way it was directed," said Tomm. "It shows the brutality of the Viet Kong and the Americans on the natives."\nTomm is a 2001 graduate of the IU School of Music, with a bachelor's degree in voice and theater, Booher said. \n"It is definitely a viewpoint that is under told," Booher said. "One of the things that was compelling about ("Miss Saigon") is that it combines the political aspects, the reaction of the folks at home to our servicemen, and it has a love story."\nAccording to www.miss-- saigon.com, the story was inspired by Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" and a photograph of a young Vietnamese girl leaving her mother to go live with her American father. \nBesides the political statements it makes, "Miss Saigon" , is about an American soldier, Chris, who is stationed in Saigon, the capital of Vietnam, in April of 1975. While at a bar, he meets Kim, a young Vietnamese prostitute, and soon falls in love with her. They move in together, despite Kim's looming pre-arranged marriage to her cousin. \nChris fathers a child with Kim, but before the child is born, he is ordered out of the country when North Vietnam takes over. When he leaves, he marries someone else because he believes Kim to be dead. He later learns Kim is still alive, and has given birth to his child. \n"It is a love story on many different levels, with every definition of love that you can think of -- love between man and woman, love of a child, love of a country and even love of fellow man," Tomm said.\n"Miss Saigon" is a highly technical show. Featuring helicopters, military vehicles and numerous settings, not all performance venues can accommodate a show of this technical magnitude. However, Booher said he is up to it.\n"It is one of the strongest and biggest shows to come to the Auditorium. I'm definitely looking forward to a challenge," Booher said. \nBooher said the Auditorium was under renovation and reopened again in 1999 for the purpose of being able to show such technical shows. \n"Folks in this town have high expectations in the entertainment they see, so we had to make alterations," he said. \n"Miss Saigon" is a modern show, approaching modern issues, with modern music, Booher said. Booher also said, although it isn't as socially relevant as a show like "RENT," which came to IU last month, "Miss Saigon" transitions the gap between the modern musicals and the more traditional musicals in the style of Rodgers and Hammerstein.\nBooher said the music and storyline appeal to younger audiences because of the controversial era in which it takes place. He said it appeals to them because they have heard so much about it. \n"The music is something that could be heard on the radio today. 'RENT' couldn't be possible without shows like 'Miss Saigon,'" said Booher. "This show and its peers bridged the gap. It transitioned the music, featuring a powerful driving beat with rock instrumentation. Not to the extent of 'RENT,' but it has the same kind of appeal."\nTomm said she has enjoyed working on the show and being surrounded by all of the other actors and actresses. \n"It is a fun show to do because it is a yobesides the political statements it makesung show," Tomm said. "It is the kind of show that college performers would look into doing. There is no one old in the show -- we are all around 30 or younger. It also holds younger appeal because it is racy." \nBooher said tickets are still available, but he encourages students to buy tickets early. Prices range from $17 to $39, depending on the location and performance date. The show began at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the IU Auditorium and plays through Sunday, with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. \nCall the box office at 855-1103 for more information.\n-- Contact staff writer Andy Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(02/16/04 4:13am)
Hello. My name is Andy, and I am a metrosexual.\nInstead of the wide range of people you may see at an AA meeting, Metrosexuals Anonymous is filled with 20 and 30-something men -- all well-dressed. We sit up straight in the chair, and our coats are either tucked neatly underneath our chairs or hung in the closet by the door.\nThe guy at the front with highlighted hair (stylishly messy), wearing whiskered jeans and a fitted T-shirt motions to me.\n"Welcome, Andy! I'm glad you decided to join us," says the group leader. "Would you like to tell us when you first knew you were a metrosexual?"\nSlightly nervous, I launch right into my story.\nEver since I was a child, I always took my time in the bathroom in the morning. Brushing my teeth, styling my hair and making sure every inch of me is clean and well groomed, I spend an average of 30 minutes from shower to shave.\nI first suspected it when I would walk by an Express for Men or a Banana Republic and my head would turn to see what the mannequins were wearing. I would take trips to Chicago with my girlfriend and marvel at the haute-couture French-cuff shirts at Neiman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. It wasn't until I decided to get highlights in my hair and I was sitting in the salon chair with a pink cloth around me and tin foil covering my scalp that I stared at myself in the mirror and realized, "Oh my God" I'm a metrosexual."\nDuring the next few weeks, I was in denial. I went for days without shaving and actually didn't brush my teeth for 24 hours. Finally, after the fourth meal, my mouth felt so dirty that I broke down and scrubbed my teeth for the better part of 20 minutes. I tried to tell myself that I was just a regular guy. Gimme a Bud Light and the Colts over a merlot and a ballet any day- that was my attitude.\nIt didn't last long. I went to see "Showboat" at the local theatre and fell off the wagon. I decided to embrace who I was.\nWho cares if people talk? And boy, do they talk. I walk into a room wearing a mock-neck sweater, Kenneth Cole jeans, my brown hair dusted with blond, and I can practically smell the air ripe with assumptions. Does it bother me? No. My best friend is gay. So what if my favorite movie is "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or if my book bag looks more like a "man bag" than most others? If it means having to perform the "smell test" to see if my clothes are clean or giving away all but one of my 14 colorful dress shirts to prove my sexuality, let 'em assume away.\nIt has often been conjectured that Neil Simon's play, "The Odd Couple" was really about closet homosexuals. I don't buy it. I think that Felix Unger was an early evolution of a metrosexual -- fastidiously clean, well-dressed and well-acquainted with his emotional side. He was ahead of his time, and I consider him to be to the metrosexual community what Oscar Wilde and Ellen DeGeneres were to the homosexual population.\nAs I stand at the front of the room, I see several men nodding, able to relate, or even crying. I wind down my tirade, glad to get that off my chest.\n"Thank you," I say, and I step down. Applause fills the room.\nNo longer are we in hiding. No longer can it be claimed that metrosexuals do not exist. Metrosexuality is rapidly becoming a bigger and bigger part of American culture, and soon the men's rooms in bars, restaurants and shops will be piping in showtunes instead of country music.\nMy sponsor beams at me proudly as I sit back down, careful to smooth out my trousers so they don't wrinkle the carefully-pressed. crease.
(02/13/04 4:55am)
There is an old proverb that says, "Variety is the spice of life." And it is true -- someone who enjoys a wide variety of literature is usually better-read than someone who only reads Victorian novels or sports magazines. Many believe someone who loves Italian, Mexican and French food usually fares better than one who eats exclusively at McDonald's. \nIf this saying is true, that variety is indeed the spice of life, then the music world has been "kicked up a notch," Emeril-style, by the emergence of Les Yeux Noirs onto the music scene.\nThe Lotus Education and Arts Foundation is opening its 2004 Lotus Concert Series with a performance by Les Yeux Noirs at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater 8 p.m., Saturday.\nLes Yeux Noirs, which means "The Black Eyes" in French (and taken from a song by jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt), is a band playing tunes whose genre is hard to classify. \nLee Williams, director of the Lotus Foundation, explains the music as being "a fusion of Jewish klezmer and Gypsy music." Klezmer music is a traditional Jewish music form with a strong jazz aspect. \n"A lot of the Klesmer players died during World War II, and their music suffered greatly. It was kept alive by a small number of musicians, however, and it is still around today," says Williams.\nMike Hicks, a publicist for Rock Paper Scissors, a nationally-recognized Bloomington publicist firm of which Les Yeux Noirs is a client, believes Les Yeux Noirs features more Yiddish music than Klezmer.\n"They get the 'Klezmer' tag because some of the melodies hint at it. The band wants to think of themselves more as Yiddish because of the vocals in some of their songs are sung in that language."\nWhatever the influence, the band brings together many different traditional styles of music, and adapts them for audiences today.\n"They modernize the music, introducing a full drum kit and electric bass," said Hicks. "Their songs are just pure energy."\nThe band's music broaches the question, "What is the relationship between Jews and Gypsies?" The answer is simple: both were persecuted by the Nazis in WWII, and although there is no definable geographical base for the nomadic gypsies, they mainly lived in Western Europe and the Middle East, where Jewish communities were, and still are, prevalent. As a statement released by Rock Paper Scissors succinctly says, "A life of exile created a special relationship with music for Gypsies and Jews."\nFrench brothers Éric and Olivier Slabiak, classically-trained violinists, founded Les Yeux Noirs ten years ago. Driven by the desire to introduce new audiences to these very old forms of music, they recruited six more people who shared their passion with the band: a cellist, an accordion player, a guitarist, bassist and a percussionist. They also found a player of the cimbalom, a traditional Jewish instrument that is struck with a hammer, much like a dulcimer or vibes.\n"The difference between them and traditional gypsy and Jewish musicians is that the traditional artists would never have a full drum kit or electric guitar or bass," Williams said. "(Les Yeux Noirs) employs all of these."\nThe band's music has a very lively, upbeat melody, often with a repetitious, dominating beat. The violin is prevalent in much of its repertoire, which features both vocal and instrumental songs. \nLes Yeux Noirs's 2002 album, "Balamouk," features a song entitled "Tchaye," which sounds very much in the style of a Spanish flamenco, with quick drumming and rapidly-fluctuating accordion notes. "Rozinkhes," a song on the same album, features softly-bowing violins and a Yiddish tenor. With a distinctly Russian influence, it sounds like something one might hear in "Fiddler on the Roof." "Guen Roma" has a Greek beat with a simple refrain any listener can sing without knowing an ounce of the language. "Trionica" makes the listener feel he or she is sitting in a smoky café in France in the 1930s, listening to existentialist poetry and watching interpretive dancers perform.\nThis seeming mish-mash of cultural influences makes sense within the context of the group. Gypsy music would be nothing if not for the music of the regions through which gypsies pass. Because of its "wandering ways," gypsy music examines and brings to light the best qualities of music from dozens of European cultures and adds its own, somewhat optimistic, philosophies to it.\nWilliams advises audience members of the performance at the Buskirk this weekend.\n"It will be loud and very lively. Be prepared to dance," he said. "We had Les Yeux Noirs here in 2002 for the Lotus Festival. People were dancing in the front by the stage. It was a fun time. Gypsy music has an intrinsic party element to it."\nTickets for Les Yeux Noirs are $15 in advance and $17 at the door. To order tickets, call Sunrise box office at (812) 339-6741, or visit www.lotusfest.org for more information.\nHicks believes anyone would enjoy Les Yeux Noirs, even if they weren't interested in world music. \n"They do a little improv and stage acrobatics … it is a very exciting show," Hicks said. "The virtuosity would appeal to students."\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.
(02/02/04 4:17am)
Upon hearing the phrase "great American musical," it used to be that one's mind immediately went to Rodgers and Hammerstein shows, such as "South Pacific," or Frank Loesser's works, like "Guys and Dolls." These plays celebrated the happy-go-lucky idealisms of 1950s America. Guy meets girl, guy loses girl and of course, guy gets girl in the end. The audience wouldn't have it any other way.\nIn these modern times, however, the typical 20- and 30-something audiences are not satisfied with that. "My Fair Lady" may be fine for their parents and grandparents, but they cannot relate to the characters and the conflicts of the plot.\nThe late Jonathan Larson had a solution.\nIn a hand-written note from 1985 owned by the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation, Larson explicates his mission:\n"Although I am a sentimental romantic who loves old-fashioned musicals, I am a member of a very unsentimental unromantic generation, who basically thinks musicals are too corny ... But if I want to try to cultivate a new audience for musicals, I must write shows with a score that MTV ears will accept. If you were me, which audience would you write for?"\nAnd voila -- 11 years later, audiences in America, and around the globe, had a new theatrical sensation. "RENT."\nThe national off-Broadway tour of "RENT" visited the IU Auditorium Jan. 30 and 31.\nThe acting was superb. Brian Gligor, who played filmmaker Mark Cohen, said that his character was the unofficial narrator of the show.\n"Mark is a narrator," Gligor said. "The show is a documentary of the life of his friends. He has a tendency to detach himself as a defense mechanism from their problems."\nGligor can relate to his character. "I love my character because I know what it's like to be detached. [Like Mark], I learned to give into my emotions. It is a much better way of dealing with things."\nIn fact, that is the main theme of the show. Through songs like "Seasons of Love," "Another Day" and "What you Own," Gligor realizes the show's message. "There is no day like today. Spend your moments loving and living it as if it were your last. I believe in it. It is hard not to when you are out touring the country all the time."\nGligor's character lives in the loft with Roger Davis, an HIV-positive, brooding musician. Their close friend and former roommate Tom Collins is a brilliant ex-Massachusetts Institute of Technology student who can hotwire ATMs to dispense free cash to anyone who can type in a specific password.\nMarcus Paul James, the actor who portrays Collins, probably had the most impressive vocal range in the show. His booming baritone and crystal-clear enunciation seemed comfortable singing anything, be it "I'll Cover You" from the show or "Old Man River" from "Showboat." He could certainly belt it out at one moment and sing as gently as a bard underneath a willow tree the next.\nUnfortunately, the music was not smooth all the way through. Jaime Lee Kirchner, who played Roger's girlfriend, the cocaine-addicted Mimi, sang her songs with a forced, raucous alto. Perhaps it was an interpretation of her character, a fun-loving dancer who just wants to have a good time and live in the moment. Kirchner is a wonderful actress, and beautiful, but when she sang her song "Out Tonight," her voice sounded strained and unable to hit some of the high notes the song demanded.\nGligor expressed -- and this reporter agrees -- that the direction the show was given was expert. \n"We have the original Broadway director (Michael Greif) who worked with Jonathan Larson, and members of Jonathan's family helped our production be true to his original message," he said. "It could easily turn into a rock concert and be all about the music."\nThe set was, succinctly described, an urban jungle. The story took place in an industrial loft, and the set -- with its high cement staircases, metal folding chairs and tables and smoky lighting -- gave off a cold, uncomfortable feel. The thought that went through the mind of Johnny Audience-member was, "People are supposed to live there?"\nAs an industrial loft may be utilitarian in its ability to serve many functions, the set was multi-purpose as well. The live band had an alcove upstage right (that's back-left to the audience), and the stage served as the inside of the loft and the alley out back where a "tent city" of homeless people has congregated.\nBecause of the utilitarian feel of the set, there were three metal tables that were used for many different things: a long banquet table, beds and the kitchen table of the loft. Although the thin metal tables looked rickety and tipsy on the thin metal legs, that's the magic of the stage. Characters were dancing and jumping around on the tabletops, and they didn't wobble at all.\nThe most impressive technical aspect of the show was the lighting. The spotlight operator must be commended: he or she, on numerous occasions, was able to aim a very narrowly-focused follow spot on an actor's face or on a telephone as it was ringing. This is a very difficult thing to accomplish without being able to take time to aim first.\nLarson's original message of the show was clear. Jim Nicola, the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop (where Larson developed the original production of "RENT"), asked Larson to write a one-sentence plot summary. After painstaking revisions of complex sentences, he summed it up into this: "RENT is about a community celebrating life, in the face of death and AIDS, at the turn of the century."\nLarson's "live for the moment" mantra suited his life and death well. Because of an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm, Larson collapsed on his kitchen floor on the night of his preview performance and died instantly.\nAlthough not necessarily rhyming all the time, the rhythm of Larson's lyrics rung out through the auditorium. He brought the very real threat of AIDS, cocaine and homelessness into a mass of comparatively privileged theatergoers. Yet the same time he took all of this awfulness, wrapped it up into a bittersweet story of hope and made it sound poetic at the same time.\nFew people can do that. Were Larson alive today, he would have finished paying his rent long ago.