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(04/03/03 5:00am)
Everyone remembers the familiar "next time won't you sing with me" rhythm of the ABCs song they learned as a child. It was the sing-song tune that drilled the 26 letters into your head and you probably still find yourself reciting it from time to time. Listening to soft music lulls young children to sleep and often soft tunes are played during massages or in other relaxing environments. More upbeat tunes are used as components to work-out sessions and for motivation. Music is a universal language used not only for enjoyment but also as a therapeutic tool. \nMusic therapy is defined by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), founded in 1998, as "the prescribed use of music by a qualified person to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals with health or educational problems." Music therapy is a growing practice that incorporates the pleasure of music into a wide range of therapy sessions.\nDebra Burns, a music therapist at the IU Cancer Center, says music has the potential to benefit humans in many ways. Anything from Alzheimers disease to children's education to cancer can be affected by music therapy. \n"Music can be used to improve moods or for depression and anxiety," Burns says. "Deep breathing with the tune and beats and the enjoyment of listening is a therapeutic goal itself. People derive pleasure from music."\nMary Ellen Wylie, director of the music therapy department at the University of Evansville, says a lot of clients turn to music therapy because of the non-invasive quality of the treatment. \n"There are no shots or medicines; no pain," she says. "We provide a very different source of therapy that incorporates the familiar element of music." \nBut the therapy is about more than just listening to music. Writing the lyrics, talking about lyrics, performance and imagery are all incorporated into music therapy programs depending on the patient's needs. Healthy individuals can also benefit from music as an alleviation from stress or as part of an exercise program. Music can also stregthen relationships between therapists and patients.\nBurns became involved in music therapy after getting a bachelor's in music education. She decided she wanted to help kids in the school system and went on to receive her equivalence degree and complete the necessary work hours with a practicum to become certified. AMTA is responsible for setting the training standards for therapists.\nUsually music therapists work alongside another type of therapist such as a physical therapist. A physical therapy program like this would be much more enjoyable for a patient who may not like exercise, but who loves music. The music provides the motivation to get moving. An example Burns gives is a patient with Parkinson's disease. \n"The patient may be working on walking with a steady gait," she says, "and they can use the beat of the music and are less likely to fall."\nThe biggest misconception about music therapy, according to AMTA's Web site, is that the patient needs to have some form of musical ability for it to be beneficial. The truth is, music therapy encompasses all different styles of music and programs are designed specifically for each client's individual needs.\nMusic therapy serves a variety of purposes. Hospitals, nursing homes, schools and psychiatric facilities are just a few of the places where music therapy may be available. Hospitals utilize music therapists for help in easing pain, improving moods or physical movement of patients, and for calming and relaxation. It is also often incorporated when a woman is in labor. Elderly nursing-home residents benefit from the stimulation, and children's communication and physical coordination skills can be positively affected.\nThere are approximately 70 music therapists practicing in the state of Indiana right now, with three undergraduate programs available at the University of Evansville, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and St. Mary's of the Woods. The first music therapy degree program was started at Michigan State University in 1944.\nThe University of Evansville's program has been around for 28 years. Director Mary Ellen Wylie says there are a good portion of music students involved in the program -- approximately one third of music students are in the music therapy program. \nWylie says interest in music therapy has increased in the past couple years with an increase in the number of agencies practicing. She says the program has seen a constant flow of interest from high school students seeking programs. \nDespite this increased interest, IU's School of Music does not currently have an undergraduate program for music therapy. IU had a program back in the 70s, but the professor who ran the program, relocated to the University of Kansas and no one took over. Burns says she would like to see a program on campus -- and she isn't alone. Interest in music therapy exists on campus and around Bloomington. T.J. Calanta, a freshman, had planned on majoring in music therapy after initially learning about it from a news report, but was unable to do so because the lack of a program. \n"Music therapy was my first choice for a major," he says, "but I decided to come to IU so I'm not going to be able to major in it, so I'm just going to be a music major."\nWylie says one of the reasons many schools don't have a music therapy program is because of the considerable expense involved in starting any kind of music program. \n"Not every campus can invest in that kind of new program," Wylie says. "Right now we see a steady demand for the program, but not until we have about 75 percent of those programs unable to handle the demand will there probably be a huge growth." \nWylie, who started out as a music education major became interested in music therapy through a friend because she was interested in how it helped people with disabilities. In more recent years she has spent a lot of time working with the elderly.\nWylie says she sees the therapy benefiting her elderly clients in a number of ways.\n"It is very stimulating, which is good for people in nursing homes because a lot of times their days seem to blend together," she says.\nBy helping client's re-learn songs from 30 or 40 years ago and talking about the songs, they can reminisce and compare life from then and now. The group setting also allows them to share with each other. Physically, the therapy is also beneficial, Wylie says, because the deep breaths they take when singing helps their lung capacity. A lot of times hand-held percussion instruments will also be used to create a group effort with wood blocks or drums and this helps not only socially but also with attention and perception.\nBurns says she has found there are very few people who aren't at least willing to talk and learn more about the way music therapy works. \n"There's a good background in research available," she says. "I would just tell them, let's design a study and see if it does work, but I'm not saying it's for everyone. It's a matter of finding out who it is best for"
(04/02/03 2:50pm)
Everyone remembers the familiar "next time won't you sing with me" rhythm of the ABCs song they learned as a child. It was the sing-song tune that drilled the 26 letters into your head and you probably still find yourself reciting it from time to time. Listening to soft music lulls young children to sleep and often soft tunes are played during massages or in other relaxing environments. More upbeat tunes are used as components to work-out sessions and for motivation. Music is a universal language used not only for enjoyment but also as a therapeutic tool. \nMusic therapy is defined by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), founded in 1998, as "the prescribed use of music by a qualified person to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals with health or educational problems." Music therapy is a growing practice that incorporates the pleasure of music into a wide range of therapy sessions.\nDebra Burns, a music therapist at the IU Cancer Center, says music has the potential to benefit humans in many ways. Anything from Alzheimers disease to children's education to cancer can be affected by music therapy. \n"Music can be used to improve moods or for depression and anxiety," Burns says. "Deep breathing with the tune and beats and the enjoyment of listening is a therapeutic goal itself. People derive pleasure from music."\nMary Ellen Wylie, director of the music therapy department at the University of Evansville, says a lot of clients turn to music therapy because of the non-invasive quality of the treatment. \n"There are no shots or medicines; no pain," she says. "We provide a very different source of therapy that incorporates the familiar element of music." \nBut the therapy is about more than just listening to music. Writing the lyrics, talking about lyrics, performance and imagery are all incorporated into music therapy programs depending on the patient's needs. Healthy individuals can also benefit from music as an alleviation from stress or as part of an exercise program. Music can also stregthen relationships between therapists and patients.\nBurns became involved in music therapy after getting a bachelor's in music education. She decided she wanted to help kids in the school system and went on to receive her equivalence degree and complete the necessary work hours with a practicum to become certified. AMTA is responsible for setting the training standards for therapists.\nUsually music therapists work alongside another type of therapist such as a physical therapist. A physical therapy program like this would be much more enjoyable for a patient who may not like exercise, but who loves music. The music provides the motivation to get moving. An example Burns gives is a patient with Parkinson's disease. \n"The patient may be working on walking with a steady gait," she says, "and they can use the beat of the music and are less likely to fall."\nThe biggest misconception about music therapy, according to AMTA's Web site, is that the patient needs to have some form of musical ability for it to be beneficial. The truth is, music therapy encompasses all different styles of music and programs are designed specifically for each client's individual needs.\nMusic therapy serves a variety of purposes. Hospitals, nursing homes, schools and psychiatric facilities are just a few of the places where music therapy may be available. Hospitals utilize music therapists for help in easing pain, improving moods or physical movement of patients, and for calming and relaxation. It is also often incorporated when a woman is in labor. Elderly nursing-home residents benefit from the stimulation, and children's communication and physical coordination skills can be positively affected.\nThere are approximately 70 music therapists practicing in the state of Indiana right now, with three undergraduate programs available at the University of Evansville, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and St. Mary's of the Woods. The first music therapy degree program was started at Michigan State University in 1944.\nThe University of Evansville's program has been around for 28 years. Director Mary Ellen Wylie says there are a good portion of music students involved in the program -- approximately one third of music students are in the music therapy program. \nWylie says interest in music therapy has increased in the past couple years with an increase in the number of agencies practicing. She says the program has seen a constant flow of interest from high school students seeking programs. \nDespite this increased interest, IU's School of Music does not currently have an undergraduate program for music therapy. IU had a program back in the 70s, but the professor who ran the program, relocated to the University of Kansas and no one took over. Burns says she would like to see a program on campus -- and she isn't alone. Interest in music therapy exists on campus and around Bloomington. T.J. Calanta, a freshman, had planned on majoring in music therapy after initially learning about it from a news report, but was unable to do so because the lack of a program. \n"Music therapy was my first choice for a major," he says, "but I decided to come to IU so I'm not going to be able to major in it, so I'm just going to be a music major."\nWylie says one of the reasons many schools don't have a music therapy program is because of the considerable expense involved in starting any kind of music program. \n"Not every campus can invest in that kind of new program," Wylie says. "Right now we see a steady demand for the program, but not until we have about 75 percent of those programs unable to handle the demand will there probably be a huge growth." \nWylie, who started out as a music education major became interested in music therapy through a friend because she was interested in how it helped people with disabilities. In more recent years she has spent a lot of time working with the elderly.\nWylie says she sees the therapy benefiting her elderly clients in a number of ways.\n"It is very stimulating, which is good for people in nursing homes because a lot of times their days seem to blend together," she says.\nBy helping client's re-learn songs from 30 or 40 years ago and talking about the songs, they can reminisce and compare life from then and now. The group setting also allows them to share with each other. Physically, the therapy is also beneficial, Wylie says, because the deep breaths they take when singing helps their lung capacity. A lot of times hand-held percussion instruments will also be used to create a group effort with wood blocks or drums and this helps not only socially but also with attention and perception.\nBurns says she has found there are very few people who aren't at least willing to talk and learn more about the way music therapy works. \n"There's a good background in research available," she says. "I would just tell them, let's design a study and see if it does work, but I'm not saying it's for everyone. It's a matter of finding out who it is best for"
(03/06/03 5:00am)
Saturday night is always 'live' in Bloomington. In fact, so is Friday night. There is a popular comedy scene developing in Bloomington and there are always enough laughs to fill both weekend nights. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, Full Frontal Comedy and Slow Children at Play are all here to make us laugh, but they also offer slightly different forms of comedy, spicing up Bloomington's comedy world for anyone looking for a good laugh. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble performs out of the Bloomington Playwrights Project and focuses on sketch comedy, which means the material is written out prior to the actual show. The group was founded by three students about four years ago and has a show about every two weeks that consists of an hour of original sketch comedy. Students write all of their material during writing sessions and on their own.\nFull Frontal Comedy performs more improvisational material -- meaning everything is 'off the cuff,' but they also script a few skits. You can catch them at the IMU, Roly Poly and some fraternity parties. Formed in 1994, the group started with a bunch of guys who liked to improv and now the cast is in their 15th troupe. They usually perform a style of long form improv called the Herald. You also may have caught them around campus entertaining students between classes.\nSlow Children at Play is a class that meets on Monday nights for five hours and gives students the chance to be involved in all aspects of a comedy show. \n"It's a fun class that gives studio and real experience," says Leah Nelson, a senior telecommunications major. \nProducing, directing, writing, acting and camera operation are all student run and result in short comedy skits resembling those from"Saturday Night Live." At the end of the semester a show is filmed for a live audience and the show also airs on WTIU.\nEven though there aren't a large number of groups on campus, the groups that do perform don't really compete with each other. Full Frontal Comedy and All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble have actually discussed working together before but schedules conflicted.\nSo one has to wonder, if these students can keep Bloomington laughing week after week, what is it that sparks the ideas? \n"Inspiration comes from completely random sources," says Gene Westbrook, a junior of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble. "We have writing sessions and a lot of skits come about in rehearsal or after rehearsal. Sometimes what we've said just shows up in a skit from regular conversations. "It's interesting; something that's happened a lot of times. We'll have a skit and a couple weeks later there's an SNL skit just like it. It's completely by coincidence." \nThis is the third sketch comedy group Westbrook has been involved with. He started groups in his middle and high schools before coming to IU to perform.\nHaving just joined Full Frontal Comedy in December, Tenaya Hurst, a sophomore, is the only girl in the troupe and the newest member. \n"When we're on stage and things just fit together, connecting with your fellow group members, that's a phenomenal thing," she says. "We all know what we're working towards." \nShe says there are two things that Full Frontal Comedy generally focuses on: relationships and being real. \n"If you have a good relationship in a scene you're almost always gold," she says.\nA native of California, Hurst has been doing improv since she was in fifth grade and is really excited about her work with Full Frontal Comedy and her experiences with the members. \n"Here I'm in a troupe. We're a set group of people doing improv together," Hurst says. "In California I'd be either taking classes or an employee of some place and we'd have teams per night but I wouldn't be with the same people." \nJane Rouse, a freshman, has gone to every Full Frontal Comedy show this semester and never fails to be entertained. \n"It's unpredictable, they include the audience a lot," Rouse says. "I mean obviously, what the audience says is what they do. They might say 'OK, this is the game now you give us an item.' They always vary their stuff, it's sort of a 'draw from a bag' kind of thing, although not literally."\nRouse, who says these comedy groups have created a comedy scene here in Bloomington, found out about Full Frontal Comedy through a friend, which led to her discovery of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble as well. \n"You see a lot of the same people every week, so I would definitely say there is a following," she says.\nBut even though Westbrook says they have a solid, devoted fan base, the trick is getting the word out to people who have never seen a show. Hurst says Full Frontal Comedy is also lucky to have a devoted crowd and she feels the comedy scene in Bloomington is growing. \n"We try to focus on being 'hip,'" Hurst says. "That's our word that we use all the time."\nAs for future plans, though we may see some of their faces on "Saturday Night Live" one day replacing the comedians they currently admire, the primary focus is to have a good time. \n"Some of us have greater aspirations for the future but we're there to have fun," Westbrook says. "Ultimately it's just really fun to do. You can see the energy of the audience, be with your friends (and) joke around with everybody."\nTheater student Jeff Clawson, a senior, also of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, is one who's reaching for even higher aspirations. \n"I've done this since I've been in college," Clawson says. "I grew up in (Indianapolis) and did some comedy sports and amateur stand up. I've kind of always been around it."\nComedy sports are improv competitions that pit two teams against each other in a "Who's Line is it Anyway?" style. \nClawson says if the opportunity were to arise, he would be happy to continue doing comedy professionally.\n"I definitely want to pursue it in whatever professional means are in my reach," he says. "I'm having a lot of fun and I'd love to make money doing it someday."\nHurst says the thrill of performance is also a source of motivation. \n"I love to watch the audience when I'm not on stage," she says. "Making people smile and laugh, that's a powerful thing."\nAnd even though making people laugh can be hard work that "eats up homework time," as Westbrook says, the fun in the experience makes it all worth it. \nClawson agrees.\n"The best part about it is when we get done," he says, "and realize we just put together about an hour's worth of comedy and it didn't feel like work at all." \nFor information on how you can get involved in any of the groups visit www.fullfrontalcomedy.com to contact Full Frontal Comedy or e-mail Gene Westbrook at ewestbro@indiana.edu for more info on All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble.
(03/06/03 5:00am)
Saturday night is always 'live' in Bloomington. In fact, so is Friday night. There is a popular comedy scene developing in Bloomington and there are always enough laughs to fill both weekend nights. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, Full Frontal Comedy and Slow Children at Play are all here to make us laugh, but they also offer slightly different forms of comedy, spicing up Bloomington's comedy world for anyone looking for a good laugh. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble performs out of the Bloomington Playwrights Project and focuses on sketch comedy, which means the material is written out prior to the actual show. The group was founded by three students about four years ago and has a show about every two weeks that consists of an hour of original sketch comedy. Students write all of their material during writing sessions and on their own.\nFull Frontal Comedy performs more improvisational material -- meaning everything is 'off the cuff,' but they also script a few skits. You can catch them at the IMU, Roly Poly and some fraternity parties. Formed in 1994, the group started with a bunch of guys who liked to improv and now the cast is in their 15th troupe. They usually perform a style of long form improv called the Herald. You also may have caught them around campus entertaining students between classes.\nSlow Children at Play is a class that meets on Monday nights for five hours and gives students the chance to be involved in all aspects of a comedy show. \n"It's a fun class that gives studio and real experience," says Leah Nelson, a senior telecommunications major. \nProducing, directing, writing, acting and camera operation are all student run and result in short comedy skits resembling those from"Saturday Night Live." At the end of the semester a show is filmed for a live audience and the show also airs on WTIU.\nEven though there aren't a large number of groups on campus, the groups that do perform don't really compete with each other. Full Frontal Comedy and All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble have actually discussed working together before but schedules conflicted.\nSo one has to wonder, if these students can keep Bloomington laughing week after week, what is it that sparks the ideas? \n"Inspiration comes from completely random sources," says Gene Westbrook, a junior of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble. "We have writing sessions and a lot of skits come about in rehearsal or after rehearsal. Sometimes what we've said just shows up in a skit from regular conversations. "It's interesting; something that's happened a lot of times. We'll have a skit and a couple weeks later there's an SNL skit just like it. It's completely by coincidence." \nThis is the third sketch comedy group Westbrook has been involved with. He started groups in his middle and high schools before coming to IU to perform.\nHaving just joined Full Frontal Comedy in December, Tenaya Hurst, a sophomore, is the only girl in the troupe and the newest member. \n"When we're on stage and things just fit together, connecting with your fellow group members, that's a phenomenal thing," she says. "We all know what we're working towards." \nShe says there are two things that Full Frontal Comedy generally focuses on: relationships and being real. \n"If you have a good relationship in a scene you're almost always gold," she says.\nA native of California, Hurst has been doing improv since she was in fifth grade and is really excited about her work with Full Frontal Comedy and her experiences with the members. \n"Here I'm in a troupe. We're a set group of people doing improv together," Hurst says. "In California I'd be either taking classes or an employee of some place and we'd have teams per night but I wouldn't be with the same people." \nJane Rouse, a freshman, has gone to every Full Frontal Comedy show this semester and never fails to be entertained. \n"It's unpredictable, they include the audience a lot," Rouse says. "I mean obviously, what the audience says is what they do. They might say 'OK, this is the game now you give us an item.' They always vary their stuff, it's sort of a 'draw from a bag' kind of thing, although not literally."\nRouse, who says these comedy groups have created a comedy scene here in Bloomington, found out about Full Frontal Comedy through a friend, which led to her discovery of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble as well. \n"You see a lot of the same people every week, so I would definitely say there is a following," she says.\nBut even though Westbrook says they have a solid, devoted fan base, the trick is getting the word out to people who have never seen a show. Hurst says Full Frontal Comedy is also lucky to have a devoted crowd and she feels the comedy scene in Bloomington is growing. \n"We try to focus on being 'hip,'" Hurst says. "That's our word that we use all the time."\nAs for future plans, though we may see some of their faces on "Saturday Night Live" one day replacing the comedians they currently admire, the primary focus is to have a good time. \n"Some of us have greater aspirations for the future but we're there to have fun," Westbrook says. "Ultimately it's just really fun to do. You can see the energy of the audience, be with your friends (and) joke around with everybody."\nTheater student Jeff Clawson, a senior, also of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, is one who's reaching for even higher aspirations. \n"I've done this since I've been in college," Clawson says. "I grew up in (Indianapolis) and did some comedy sports and amateur stand up. I've kind of always been around it."\nComedy sports are improv competitions that pit two teams against each other in a "Who's Line is it Anyway?" style. \nClawson says if the opportunity were to arise, he would be happy to continue doing comedy professionally.\n"I definitely want to pursue it in whatever professional means are in my reach," he says. "I'm having a lot of fun and I'd love to make money doing it someday."\nHurst says the thrill of performance is also a source of motivation. \n"I love to watch the audience when I'm not on stage," she says. "Making people smile and laugh, that's a powerful thing."\nAnd even though making people laugh can be hard work that "eats up homework time," as Westbrook says, the fun in the experience makes it all worth it. \nClawson agrees.\n"The best part about it is when we get done," he says, "and realize we just put together about an hour's worth of comedy and it didn't feel like work at all." \nFor information on how you can get involved in any of the groups visit www.fullfrontalcomedy.com to contact Full Frontal Comedy or e-mail Gene Westbrook at ewestbro@indiana.edu for more info on All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble.
(03/05/03 7:47pm)
Saturday night is always 'live' in Bloomington. In fact, so is Friday night. There is a popular comedy scene developing in Bloomington and there are always enough laughs to fill both weekend nights. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, Full Frontal Comedy and Slow Children at Play are all here to make us laugh, but they also offer slightly different forms of comedy, spicing up Bloomington's comedy world for anyone looking for a good laugh. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble performs out of the Bloomington Playwrights Project and focuses on sketch comedy, which means the material is written out prior to the actual show. The group was founded by three students about four years ago and has a show about every two weeks that consists of an hour of original sketch comedy. Students write all of their material during writing sessions and on their own.\nFull Frontal Comedy performs more improvisational material -- meaning everything is 'off the cuff,' but they also script a few skits. You can catch them at the IMU, Roly Poly and some fraternity parties. Formed in 1994, the group started with a bunch of guys who liked to improv and now the cast is in their 15th troupe. They usually perform a style of long form improv called the Herald. You also may have caught them around campus entertaining students between classes.\nSlow Children at Play is a class that meets on Monday nights for five hours and gives students the chance to be involved in all aspects of a comedy show. \n"It's a fun class that gives studio and real experience," says Leah Nelson, a senior telecommunications major. \nProducing, directing, writing, acting and camera operation are all student run and result in short comedy skits resembling those from"Saturday Night Live." At the end of the semester a show is filmed for a live audience and the show also airs on WTIU.\nEven though there aren't a large number of groups on campus, the groups that do perform don't really compete with each other. Full Frontal Comedy and All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble have actually discussed working together before but schedules conflicted.\nSo one has to wonder, if these students can keep Bloomington laughing week after week, what is it that sparks the ideas? \n"Inspiration comes from completely random sources," says Gene Westbrook, a junior of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble. "We have writing sessions and a lot of skits come about in rehearsal or after rehearsal. Sometimes what we've said just shows up in a skit from regular conversations. "It's interesting; something that's happened a lot of times. We'll have a skit and a couple weeks later there's an SNL skit just like it. It's completely by coincidence." \nThis is the third sketch comedy group Westbrook has been involved with. He started groups in his middle and high schools before coming to IU to perform.\nHaving just joined Full Frontal Comedy in December, Tenaya Hurst, a sophomore, is the only girl in the troupe and the newest member. \n"When we're on stage and things just fit together, connecting with your fellow group members, that's a phenomenal thing," she says. "We all know what we're working towards." \nShe says there are two things that Full Frontal Comedy generally focuses on: relationships and being real. \n"If you have a good relationship in a scene you're almost always gold," she says.\nA native of California, Hurst has been doing improv since she was in fifth grade and is really excited about her work with Full Frontal Comedy and her experiences with the members. \n"Here I'm in a troupe. We're a set group of people doing improv together," Hurst says. "In California I'd be either taking classes or an employee of some place and we'd have teams per night but I wouldn't be with the same people." \nJane Rouse, a freshman, has gone to every Full Frontal Comedy show this semester and never fails to be entertained. \n"It's unpredictable, they include the audience a lot," Rouse says. "I mean obviously, what the audience says is what they do. They might say 'OK, this is the game now you give us an item.' They always vary their stuff, it's sort of a 'draw from a bag' kind of thing, although not literally."\nRouse, who says these comedy groups have created a comedy scene here in Bloomington, found out about Full Frontal Comedy through a friend, which led to her discovery of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble as well. \n"You see a lot of the same people every week, so I would definitely say there is a following," she says.\nBut even though Westbrook says they have a solid, devoted fan base, the trick is getting the word out to people who have never seen a show. Hurst says Full Frontal Comedy is also lucky to have a devoted crowd and she feels the comedy scene in Bloomington is growing. \n"We try to focus on being 'hip,'" Hurst says. "That's our word that we use all the time."\nAs for future plans, though we may see some of their faces on "Saturday Night Live" one day replacing the comedians they currently admire, the primary focus is to have a good time. \n"Some of us have greater aspirations for the future but we're there to have fun," Westbrook says. "Ultimately it's just really fun to do. You can see the energy of the audience, be with your friends (and) joke around with everybody."\nTheater student Jeff Clawson, a senior, also of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, is one who's reaching for even higher aspirations. \n"I've done this since I've been in college," Clawson says. "I grew up in (Indianapolis) and did some comedy sports and amateur stand up. I've kind of always been around it."\nComedy sports are improv competitions that pit two teams against each other in a "Who's Line is it Anyway?" style. \nClawson says if the opportunity were to arise, he would be happy to continue doing comedy professionally.\n"I definitely want to pursue it in whatever professional means are in my reach," he says. "I'm having a lot of fun and I'd love to make money doing it someday."\nHurst says the thrill of performance is also a source of motivation. \n"I love to watch the audience when I'm not on stage," she says. "Making people smile and laugh, that's a powerful thing."\nAnd even though making people laugh can be hard work that "eats up homework time," as Westbrook says, the fun in the experience makes it all worth it. \nClawson agrees.\n"The best part about it is when we get done," he says, "and realize we just put together about an hour's worth of comedy and it didn't feel like work at all." \nFor information on how you can get involved in any of the groups visit www.fullfrontalcomedy.com to contact Full Frontal Comedy or e-mail Gene Westbrook at ewestbro@indiana.edu for more info on All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble.
(03/05/03 6:19pm)
Saturday night is always 'live' in Bloomington. In fact, so is Friday night. There is a popular comedy scene developing in Bloomington and there are always enough laughs to fill both weekend nights. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, Full Frontal Comedy and Slow Children at Play are all here to make us laugh, but they also offer slightly different forms of comedy, spicing up Bloomington's comedy world for anyone looking for a good laugh. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble performs out of the Bloomington Playwrights Project and focuses on sketch comedy, which means the material is written out prior to the actual show. The group was founded by three students about four years ago and has a show about every two weeks that consists of an hour of original sketch comedy. Students write all of their material during writing sessions and on their own.\nFull Frontal Comedy performs more improvisational material -- meaning everything is 'off the cuff,' but they also script a few skits. You can catch them at the IMU, Roly Poly and some fraternity parties. Formed in 1994, the group started with a bunch of guys who liked to improv and now the cast is in their 15th troupe. They usually perform a style of long form improv called the Herald. You also may have caught them around campus entertaining students between classes.\nSlow Children at Play is a class that meets on Monday nights for five hours and gives students the chance to be involved in all aspects of a comedy show. \n"It's a fun class that gives studio and real experience," says Leah Nelson, a senior telecommunications major. \nProducing, directing, writing, acting and camera operation are all student run and result in short comedy skits resembling those from"Saturday Night Live." At the end of the semester a show is filmed for a live audience and the show also airs on WTIU.\nEven though there aren't a large number of groups on campus, the groups that do perform don't really compete with each other. Full Frontal Comedy and All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble have actually discussed working together before but schedules conflicted.\nSo one has to wonder, if these students can keep Bloomington laughing week after week, what is it that sparks the ideas? \n"Inspiration comes from completely random sources," says Gene Westbrook, a junior of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble. "We have writing sessions and a lot of skits come about in rehearsal or after rehearsal. Sometimes what we've said just shows up in a skit from regular conversations. "It's interesting; something that's happened a lot of times. We'll have a skit and a couple weeks later there's an SNL skit just like it. It's completely by coincidence." \nThis is the third sketch comedy group Westbrook has been involved with. He started groups in his middle and high schools before coming to IU to perform.\nHaving just joined Full Frontal Comedy in December, Tenaya Hurst, a sophomore, is the only girl in the troupe and the newest member. \n"When we're on stage and things just fit together, connecting with your fellow group members, that's a phenomenal thing," she says. "We all know what we're working towards." \nShe says there are two things that Full Frontal Comedy generally focuses on: relationships and being real. \n"If you have a good relationship in a scene you're almost always gold," she says.\nA native of California, Hurst has been doing improv since she was in fifth grade and is really excited about her work with Full Frontal Comedy and her experiences with the members. \n"Here I'm in a troupe. We're a set group of people doing improv together," Hurst says. "In California I'd be either taking classes or an employee of some place and we'd have teams per night but I wouldn't be with the same people." \nJane Rouse, a freshman, has gone to every Full Frontal Comedy show this semester and never fails to be entertained. \n"It's unpredictable, they include the audience a lot," Rouse says. "I mean obviously, what the audience says is what they do. They might say 'OK, this is the game now you give us an item.' They always vary their stuff, it's sort of a 'draw from a bag' kind of thing, although not literally."\nRouse, who says these comedy groups have created a comedy scene here in Bloomington, found out about Full Frontal Comedy through a friend, which led to her discovery of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble as well. \n"You see a lot of the same people every week, so I would definitely say there is a following," she says.\nBut even though Westbrook says they have a solid, devoted fan base, the trick is getting the word out to people who have never seen a show. Hurst says Full Frontal Comedy is also lucky to have a devoted crowd and she feels the comedy scene in Bloomington is growing. \n"We try to focus on being 'hip,'" Hurst says. "That's our word that we use all the time."\nAs for future plans, though we may see some of their faces on "Saturday Night Live" one day replacing the comedians they currently admire, the primary focus is to have a good time. \n"Some of us have greater aspirations for the future but we're there to have fun," Westbrook says. "Ultimately it's just really fun to do. You can see the energy of the audience, be with your friends (and) joke around with everybody."\nTheater student Jeff Clawson, a senior, also of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, is one who's reaching for even higher aspirations. \n"I've done this since I've been in college," Clawson says. "I grew up in (Indianapolis) and did some comedy sports and amateur stand up. I've kind of always been around it."\nComedy sports are improv competitions that pit two teams against each other in a "Who's Line is it Anyway?" style. \nClawson says if the opportunity were to arise, he would be happy to continue doing comedy professionally.\n"I definitely want to pursue it in whatever professional means are in my reach," he says. "I'm having a lot of fun and I'd love to make money doing it someday."\nHurst says the thrill of performance is also a source of motivation. \n"I love to watch the audience when I'm not on stage," she says. "Making people smile and laugh, that's a powerful thing."\nAnd even though making people laugh can be hard work that "eats up homework time," as Westbrook says, the fun in the experience makes it all worth it. \nClawson agrees.\n"The best part about it is when we get done," he says, "and realize we just put together about an hour's worth of comedy and it didn't feel like work at all." \nFor information on how you can get involved in any of the groups visit www.fullfrontalcomedy.com to contact Full Frontal Comedy or e-mail Gene Westbrook at ewestbro@indiana.edu for more info on All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble.
(01/23/03 5:00am)
Forget passports, hour long security checks and delayed flights; there's another way to explore the cultural treasures of the world. International "travel" can be done from the comfort of your home. Just rent a foreign film and you can bring Parisian cafes, Spanish bull fights and German pubs right to your living room. The popularity of foreign films is rising as more people discover the entertainment and cultural insight the films provide. \nPeter LoPilato, programming director for the Ryder Film Series, which has been active in promoting foreign cinema locally, says foreign films offer people a window into another culture, even if they do not have the means to travel. \n"It's a way to travel all over Europe and Asia without the plane fare," he says. \nLoPilato says some of the films shown by the Ryder Film Series are very popular in Bloomington though it's hard to tell when a film is going to appeal to the entire American public. \n"No sure things in the movie business," he says. "Otherwise we'd all be rich."\nScott Haney, a freshman communication and culture major, says China, India, Egypt, France and Germany all have strong film markets, with China and India producing more films per year than Hollywood. Even though the technology available may not be as advanced at times, a lot of films are made on 8 and 16mm film as opposed to the American standard of 35mm. This doesn't affect the overall quality of the films. \n"Most American movies are star driven and most foreign films are director driven," LoPilato says. "Most American movies are products and collaborative. A group sits down and tries to figure out what people want to see. Most foreign films are one person's vision." \nSoe Aung, a junior, says he would like to see foreign film gain more popularity in the states. Born in Burma, Aung lived in India until coming to America three years ago and would like to see more of the Indian films he came to know. \n"Indian movies are more drama, and the movies are based on love and family matters," he says. "It is just a different culture." \nHe says singing and dancing is a cornerstone of Indian film, something that is very important to Indian culture. \nSometimes the mood of the viewer may influence which film nationality they want to watch. Haney says moods vary drastically across the film spectrum.\n"Each culture has its own style," he says. "India cranks out more than we do in Hollywood -- almost all musicals. Popular films of the place will reflect the culture, though I'm not saying everyone fits into a stereotype."\nBryan Donaldson, a foreign film enthusiast, student and instructor in the French department, says the cultural differences between countries makes for a diverse viewing experience. \n"If (I'm) looking for a thriller, I'd probably rent something in the 'Hollywood' genre," he says, "but for a reflective film on society or values, perhaps a French film."\nForeign films are usually perceived by Americans as less flashy and action packed than their Hollywood counterparts. Haney says he thinks this is mainly due to the difference in the relative production budgets.\n"They have lower budgets for the most part," he says. "With Hollywood, we have a lot more money so there's usually more action with the higher budget. European films do more with less, which a lot of times is great." \nHaney says these smaller budgets often lead to innovations in the art of filmmaking that will eventually influence both American filmmakers and film industry trends.\n"The German film 'Run Lola Run' has a lot of influence from the American market but sets itself aside because it's very non-linear," Haney says. This set the stage for future films like "Memento," which follows this same non-linear formula.\nSome foreign films have gained great acclaim here in the US and are familiar titles even to those who wouldn't consider themselves foreign film enthusiasts. Movies such as "Life is Beautiful," "The Full Monty" and "Amelie" are some of the more popular titles. If you're going to watch a foreign film for the first time, LoPilato recommends anything from early Fellini or Truffaut.\nFor a student studying a foreign language, Donaldson says watching a film from the native country enhances the learning experience. \n"The value for a student is multiple," Donaldson says. "First, students can listen to the language and watch the people as they speak it. They are also exposed to the culture, at least passively. I appreciate seeing a glimpse of a foreign culture, seeing how people interact in another language or culture or simply seeing some scenery from another country."\nThere are many resources for foreign films available here in Bloomington and even right on campus. The main library has a collection of foreign films that can be viewed for free and City Lights, a group that meets in Ballantine Hall, also screens films for free. The Ryder Film Series and language-based campus groups Table Francaise and Circolo Italiano also frequently show films. \nThough the words "foreign film" may seem intimidating at first, it's really just about entertainment. Haney says that, to him, movies of any origin should be entertaining first and foremost.\n"I just love movies, any movies," Haney says. "It doesn't matter to me what kind it is. If anything, I'd say the fact that it's from another country just makes it even more interesting because you get a whole different take on something." \nDonaldson says he sees a deeper use for foreign cinema. He says foreign films can provide an excellent supplement to any student's educational experience.\n"Give foreign films a chance," he says. "They're an excellent way to travel somewhere and experience another culture without leaving Bloomington. If you've traveled abroad, you may even end up seeing something you recognize"
(01/22/03 8:38pm)
Forget passports, hour long security checks and delayed flights; there's another way to explore the cultural treasures of the world. International "travel" can be done from the comfort of your home. Just rent a foreign film and you can bring Parisian cafes, Spanish bull fights and German pubs right to your living room. The popularity of foreign films is rising as more people discover the entertainment and cultural insight the films provide. \nPeter LoPilato, programming director for the Ryder Film Series, which has been active in promoting foreign cinema locally, says foreign films offer people a window into another culture, even if they do not have the means to travel. \n"It's a way to travel all over Europe and Asia without the plane fare," he says. \nLoPilato says some of the films shown by the Ryder Film Series are very popular in Bloomington though it's hard to tell when a film is going to appeal to the entire American public. \n"No sure things in the movie business," he says. "Otherwise we'd all be rich."\nScott Haney, a freshman communication and culture major, says China, India, Egypt, France and Germany all have strong film markets, with China and India producing more films per year than Hollywood. Even though the technology available may not be as advanced at times, a lot of films are made on 8 and 16mm film as opposed to the American standard of 35mm. This doesn't affect the overall quality of the films. \n"Most American movies are star driven and most foreign films are director driven," LoPilato says. "Most American movies are products and collaborative. A group sits down and tries to figure out what people want to see. Most foreign films are one person's vision." \nSoe Aung, a junior, says he would like to see foreign film gain more popularity in the states. Born in Burma, Aung lived in India until coming to America three years ago and would like to see more of the Indian films he came to know. \n"Indian movies are more drama, and the movies are based on love and family matters," he says. "It is just a different culture." \nHe says singing and dancing is a cornerstone of Indian film, something that is very important to Indian culture. \nSometimes the mood of the viewer may influence which film nationality they want to watch. Haney says moods vary drastically across the film spectrum.\n"Each culture has its own style," he says. "India cranks out more than we do in Hollywood -- almost all musicals. Popular films of the place will reflect the culture, though I'm not saying everyone fits into a stereotype."\nBryan Donaldson, a foreign film enthusiast, student and instructor in the French department, says the cultural differences between countries makes for a diverse viewing experience. \n"If (I'm) looking for a thriller, I'd probably rent something in the 'Hollywood' genre," he says, "but for a reflective film on society or values, perhaps a French film."\nForeign films are usually perceived by Americans as less flashy and action packed than their Hollywood counterparts. Haney says he thinks this is mainly due to the difference in the relative production budgets.\n"They have lower budgets for the most part," he says. "With Hollywood, we have a lot more money so there's usually more action with the higher budget. European films do more with less, which a lot of times is great." \nHaney says these smaller budgets often lead to innovations in the art of filmmaking that will eventually influence both American filmmakers and film industry trends.\n"The German film 'Run Lola Run' has a lot of influence from the American market but sets itself aside because it's very non-linear," Haney says. This set the stage for future films like "Memento," which follows this same non-linear formula.\nSome foreign films have gained great acclaim here in the US and are familiar titles even to those who wouldn't consider themselves foreign film enthusiasts. Movies such as "Life is Beautiful," "The Full Monty" and "Amelie" are some of the more popular titles. If you're going to watch a foreign film for the first time, LoPilato recommends anything from early Fellini or Truffaut.\nFor a student studying a foreign language, Donaldson says watching a film from the native country enhances the learning experience. \n"The value for a student is multiple," Donaldson says. "First, students can listen to the language and watch the people as they speak it. They are also exposed to the culture, at least passively. I appreciate seeing a glimpse of a foreign culture, seeing how people interact in another language or culture or simply seeing some scenery from another country."\nThere are many resources for foreign films available here in Bloomington and even right on campus. The main library has a collection of foreign films that can be viewed for free and City Lights, a group that meets in Ballantine Hall, also screens films for free. The Ryder Film Series and language-based campus groups Table Francaise and Circolo Italiano also frequently show films. \nThough the words "foreign film" may seem intimidating at first, it's really just about entertainment. Haney says that, to him, movies of any origin should be entertaining first and foremost.\n"I just love movies, any movies," Haney says. "It doesn't matter to me what kind it is. If anything, I'd say the fact that it's from another country just makes it even more interesting because you get a whole different take on something." \nDonaldson says he sees a deeper use for foreign cinema. He says foreign films can provide an excellent supplement to any student's educational experience.\n"Give foreign films a chance," he says. "They're an excellent way to travel somewhere and experience another culture without leaving Bloomington. If you've traveled abroad, you may even end up seeing something you recognize"
(11/21/02 5:20am)
Since 1956, the Monroe County Humane Association, a nonprofit and volunteer-driven animal-welfare organization, has been working and advocating for the well being of companion and farm animals and wildlife in Monroe County.\nTonight, Encore Café, 316 W. Sixth St., will play host to the release party for the association's new benefit CD. Michael White, Carrie Newcomer and 02R Blue Band will perform, and Rich Anton, a longtime radio personality, will emcee the event.\nThe MCHA provides financial assistance to shelter programs in addition to education and outreach programs. Funds from the benefit CD will go toward Campaign Humane, a $2.9 million fund-raising project started in March 2002.\nCampaign Director Maria Heslin says the album will hopefully generate awareness of Campaign Humane.\n"The CD is also designed to celebrate our love of animals through some terrific music," Heslin says.\nThe album was conceptualized by Bonnie Gordon-Lucas, a volunteer with the MCHA and local artist and illustrator whose artwork will appear on the cover of the CD. \n"The CD is incredibly good, because I think animals and music are a winning combination," Heslin says. "From rap and rock to folk and Irish music, the songs give homage to almost every member of the animal kingdom."\nThe CD features 12 musicians, including Michael White, Newcomer, Kid Kazooey and The Ballroom Roustabouts, Laura Lane Powell, Tom Roznowski and No Net. \n"The fact that these musicians are donating their time for a good cause makes it all that much better," says Mark Kruzan, honorary chair for Project ASAP (Aggressive Spay/Neuter Program)!. "People buying the CD will get some great music and be helping their animal friends at the same time."\nThe cost of the CD is $15 or two for $25. Heslin says Gordon-Lucas' cover design is wonderful, whimsical and colorful. It features monkeys, dogs, cats, birds and rabbits playing music in the Courthouse Square in downtown Bloomington.\nWhite has been involved with the MCHA for the past 15 years. He has also run the radio show "Pets Without Partners" since 1985. His track on the album, "Pieces of Bob," is a folk/rock number, inspired by the death of his dog. He said he was sitting on his couch one day and found some dog fur behind it. \n"The song starts out with guy singing about this Bob person," White says. "Guy about a guy -- doesn't happen very often." White says that as the song progresses, it becomes more apparent that Bob is a dog.\nWhite adopted Bob from the shelter a number of years ago despite the fact that everyone told him he was supposed to be the meanest dog in the shelter. He says he saw a loving companion beneath that. \n"It all comes down to people having a greater awareness animals share our planet with us and deserve the same respect we give other people," White says.\nHeslin says that a lot of heart and compassion for animals went into the making of the CD.\n"It's obvious in every tune that all the artists who contributed to this effort have a true, touching appreciation and fondness for animals," Heslin says. \nOn the agenda for the campaign are the building of a new Bloomington/ Monroe County Animal Shelter, a new MCHA Humane Education Center, and launching Project ASAP!. \n"When you consider that more than 3,200 unwanted pets have to be euthanized in Monroe County every year, raising awareness and money for a new animal shelter is something everyone should be a part of," says Kruzan.\nTo date, the shelter has raised $1.2 million toward its goal. \nIn addition to live music, there will also be door prizes, refreshments and more information about Campaign Humane from special guests. All are welcome.\nHeslin says the response to the event has been terrific, and they expect all different kinds of community members, students and MCHA supporters to be present because music and animals are so well-loved by such a large cross section of people. \n"My family got our dog through a humane society at home," says Abigail Manship, a freshman. "This sort of event is one that I definitely think IU students should go to, to give back some of the love our pets give us"
(11/21/02 5:00am)
Since 1956, the Monroe County Humane Association, a nonprofit and volunteer-driven animal-welfare organization, has been working and advocating for the well being of companion and farm animals and wildlife in Monroe County.\nTonight, Encore Café, 316 W. Sixth St., will play host to the release party for the association's new benefit CD. Michael White, Carrie Newcomer and 02R Blue Band will perform, and Rich Anton, a longtime radio personality, will emcee the event.\nThe MCHA provides financial assistance to shelter programs in addition to education and outreach programs. Funds from the benefit CD will go toward Campaign Humane, a $2.9 million fund-raising project started in March 2002.\nCampaign Director Maria Heslin says the album will hopefully generate awareness of Campaign Humane.\n"The CD is also designed to celebrate our love of animals through some terrific music," Heslin says.\nThe album was conceptualized by Bonnie Gordon-Lucas, a volunteer with the MCHA and local artist and illustrator whose artwork will appear on the cover of the CD. \n"The CD is incredibly good, because I think animals and music are a winning combination," Heslin says. "From rap and rock to folk and Irish music, the songs give homage to almost every member of the animal kingdom."\nThe CD features 12 musicians, including Michael White, Newcomer, Kid Kazooey and The Ballroom Roustabouts, Laura Lane Powell, Tom Roznowski and No Net. \n"The fact that these musicians are donating their time for a good cause makes it all that much better," says Mark Kruzan, honorary chair for Project ASAP (Aggressive Spay/Neuter Program)!. "People buying the CD will get some great music and be helping their animal friends at the same time."\nThe cost of the CD is $15 or two for $25. Heslin says Gordon-Lucas' cover design is wonderful, whimsical and colorful. It features monkeys, dogs, cats, birds and rabbits playing music in the Courthouse Square in downtown Bloomington.\nWhite has been involved with the MCHA for the past 15 years. He has also run the radio show "Pets Without Partners" since 1985. His track on the album, "Pieces of Bob," is a folk/rock number, inspired by the death of his dog. He said he was sitting on his couch one day and found some dog fur behind it. \n"The song starts out with guy singing about this Bob person," White says. "Guy about a guy -- doesn't happen very often." White says that as the song progresses, it becomes more apparent that Bob is a dog.\nWhite adopted Bob from the shelter a number of years ago despite the fact that everyone told him he was supposed to be the meanest dog in the shelter. He says he saw a loving companion beneath that. \n"It all comes down to people having a greater awareness animals share our planet with us and deserve the same respect we give other people," White says.\nHeslin says that a lot of heart and compassion for animals went into the making of the CD.\n"It's obvious in every tune that all the artists who contributed to this effort have a true, touching appreciation and fondness for animals," Heslin says. \nOn the agenda for the campaign are the building of a new Bloomington/ Monroe County Animal Shelter, a new MCHA Humane Education Center, and launching Project ASAP!. \n"When you consider that more than 3,200 unwanted pets have to be euthanized in Monroe County every year, raising awareness and money for a new animal shelter is something everyone should be a part of," says Kruzan.\nTo date, the shelter has raised $1.2 million toward its goal. \nIn addition to live music, there will also be door prizes, refreshments and more information about Campaign Humane from special guests. All are welcome.\nHeslin says the response to the event has been terrific, and they expect all different kinds of community members, students and MCHA supporters to be present because music and animals are so well-loved by such a large cross section of people. \n"My family got our dog through a humane society at home," says Abigail Manship, a freshman. "This sort of event is one that I definitely think IU students should go to, to give back some of the love our pets give us"
(11/14/02 5:00am)
"Think Bangkok, eat Bloomington," says Gary Cushinberry, CEO of Siam House on East Fourth Street. The small, yellow restaurant is a world of curry, Pad Thai and Tom Yum. Home to true Thai cuisine, Siam House has been voted Bloomington's Best Restaurant for Ethnic Cuisine.\n"It is a great feeling to be recognized in the IU community as being the best ethnic restaurant," Cushinberry says. "We look forward to serving our customers."\nWim Pok, owner of the restaurant, says she tries to maintain authenticity in the preparation of Thai food.\n"We cook for the customer the way we eat," Pok says. "I don't cook for Americans. I maintain the Thai." \nPok says Siam House's family feel is what sets it apart from other restaurants. \n"The important part is the owner cooking," Pok says. "We have original Thai food. The cooks have to be real Thai." \nPok's dedication to authenticity is paying off; the restaurant has developed a loyal following of Thai-eating customers. One customer told Pok he went to Florida and was taken to a Thai restaurant he was told was the best. He returned to Siam House, Pok says, only to tell her, "You are better. It is not the best. You are the best."\nFreshness and quality are also important at Siam House, and some of the restaurant's spices are actually grown right there in one of the pink, green or yellow dining rooms. Food isn't the only thing that's authentically Thai in the restaurant. Thai music plays continuously throughout the dollhouse-like rooms, and all of the decorations were imported from Thailand. Statues and mirrors baring "Handcrafted in Thailand" stickers fill the pastel walls and random shelves lining the restaurant. \n"Besides the food, you can see our culture, what we have back home," Pok says. \nThe most popular dishes are the Pad Thai and the Thai iced tea. Pok says she is always surprised by how spicy customers like their food. \n"People here eat so spicy," she says. "We underestimate customers. They say it's not spicy enough."\nAnnie Russell, a freshman, tried Thai food for the first time at Siam House and thoroughly enjoyed it.\n"I had never had Thai food before, so my boyfriend took me there," she says. "He had had it before, so he knew what he was talking about, and I was really impressed with it."\nRussell tried the Pad Thai, wonton soup and Thai iced tea. Her favorite was the tea, which she says isn't like regular iced tea.\nArpit Doshi, a junior, isn't a big fan of Thai food, but she tried Siam House and enjoyed the hot tea.\n"It's a good thing to try every once in a while," he says. "It gives students more diverse opportunities near the campus, and that's good. It also gives them a good perspective for knowing about other cultures." \nSiam House stands out in its individuality. Pok says she opened the restaurant because she loves cooking and eating.\n"I like to cook myself," she says. "It keeps the customer happy."\nPeople of all ethnic backgrounds have tried Thai food. Customer diversity has been one of the best parts of Cushinberry's experience with Siam House. \n"(I enjoy) meeting all of the different university people," Cushinberry says. "We have a variety of people from all over the world who like to try Thai food."\nIf you're up to try some of this Thai cuisine, Siam House is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner, on Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.
(11/14/02 3:50am)
"Think Bangkok, eat Bloomington," says Gary Cushinberry, CEO of Siam House on East Fourth Street. The small, yellow restaurant is a world of curry, Pad Thai and Tom Yum. Home to true Thai cuisine, Siam House has been voted Bloomington's Best Restaurant for Ethnic Cuisine.\n"It is a great feeling to be recognized in the IU community as being the best ethnic restaurant," Cushinberry says. "We look forward to serving our customers."\nWim Pok, owner of the restaurant, says she tries to maintain authenticity in the preparation of Thai food.\n"We cook for the customer the way we eat," Pok says. "I don't cook for Americans. I maintain the Thai." \nPok says Siam House's family feel is what sets it apart from other restaurants. \n"The important part is the owner cooking," Pok says. "We have original Thai food. The cooks have to be real Thai." \nPok's dedication to authenticity is paying off; the restaurant has developed a loyal following of Thai-eating customers. One customer told Pok he went to Florida and was taken to a Thai restaurant he was told was the best. He returned to Siam House, Pok says, only to tell her, "You are better. It is not the best. You are the best."\nFreshness and quality are also important at Siam House, and some of the restaurant's spices are actually grown right there in one of the pink, green or yellow dining rooms. Food isn't the only thing that's authentically Thai in the restaurant. Thai music plays continuously throughout the dollhouse-like rooms, and all of the decorations were imported from Thailand. Statues and mirrors baring "Handcrafted in Thailand" stickers fill the pastel walls and random shelves lining the restaurant. \n"Besides the food, you can see our culture, what we have back home," Pok says. \nThe most popular dishes are the Pad Thai and the Thai iced tea. Pok says she is always surprised by how spicy customers like their food. \n"People here eat so spicy," she says. "We underestimate customers. They say it's not spicy enough."\nAnnie Russell, a freshman, tried Thai food for the first time at Siam House and thoroughly enjoyed it.\n"I had never had Thai food before, so my boyfriend took me there," she says. "He had had it before, so he knew what he was talking about, and I was really impressed with it."\nRussell tried the Pad Thai, wonton soup and Thai iced tea. Her favorite was the tea, which she says isn't like regular iced tea.\nArpit Doshi, a junior, isn't a big fan of Thai food, but she tried Siam House and enjoyed the hot tea.\n"It's a good thing to try every once in a while," he says. "It gives students more diverse opportunities near the campus, and that's good. It also gives them a good perspective for knowing about other cultures." \nSiam House stands out in its individuality. Pok says she opened the restaurant because she loves cooking and eating.\n"I like to cook myself," she says. "It keeps the customer happy."\nPeople of all ethnic backgrounds have tried Thai food. Customer diversity has been one of the best parts of Cushinberry's experience with Siam House. \n"(I enjoy) meeting all of the different university people," Cushinberry says. "We have a variety of people from all over the world who like to try Thai food."\nIf you're up to try some of this Thai cuisine, Siam House is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner, on Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.
(10/31/02 4:48am)
"We will keep on singing 'till we're heard," reads the closing piece, "One Voice."\nAnd they will be heard. \nAt 7 p.m. on Sunday evening at the IU Auditorium Singing Hoosiers -- under the direction of Michael Schwartzkopf, Bloomington Instrumentalists and Singers, and IU alumnus and two time Grammy award winner Sylvia McNair -- will hit the stage for the highly anticipated Sing for the Cure event to raise awareness about and funding for breast cancer research.\n"I think that the concert has come along really well. Everyone has captured the spirit of it and I think is really totally committed to this cause which makes this an extra special event," Schwartzkopf said. "It's the most emotional piece I've ever been involved with."\nDuring the concert, a trio of Singing Hoosiers will also perform a song whose lyrics were written from the perspective of a mother with breast cancer as a part of the piece entitled "Who Will Curl my Daughter's Hair." Junior Hannah Willman said the lyrics are particularly poignant: "Let me see another year, give one more hug, dry one more tear, mark one more inch upon the wall, live to see them standing tall." \nWillman is more than familiar with the disease. Her mother, who will be in the front row Sunday night, is a breast cancer survivor. She also lost her aunt three years ago to the disease.\n"I went home and read the lyrics and it just meant so much, everything hits home," Willman said. "I feel I was really blessed to even be given the chance to be a part of this."\n"Who Will Curl my Daughter's Hair" is one of the many high emotional points in the work as a whole, which consists of 10 movements, or pieces, all from different family member's eyes -- including the partner's and child's -- in addition to the mother battling the disease. Each piece is also based on a true story.\nThe pieces are performed not only from different perspectives, but also in different styles, Schwartzkopf said the concert will include a gospel piece sung by everyone, a piece sung only by women, a jazz piece sung only by men and straightforward choral pieces. \n"It's a combination of setting -- to music, to narration," Schwartzkopf said. "Sylvia McNair will set the mood, her narration is extremely, extremely emotional."\nMcNair will arrive Saturday for the dress rehearsal.\nThe Hoosiers have now rehearsed with the community choir, said design team member Jennifer Naab, and the orchestra has also begun rehearsals, all of which have gone smoothly. \n"I'm really looking forward to Saturday because it's the first time everyone involved will come together," Naab said. "What's also so great are the different age groups involved. It's very inter-generational and it's cool to see everyone come together."\nThe ensemble includes a 57-piece orchestra from the IU School of Music, 50 community singers who are donating their time and a chorus of 115 Singing Hoosiers.\n"What really started off great was Sunday," senior Lauren Orenga said. "We worked with the older choir and I talked to some of the women and they're really excited about it; it will be really fun."\nSchwartzkopf said it was a "great collaboration" and a "community spirit kind of effort." \nThe performance will be different for the Singing Hoosiers in that most of their past shows involved a lot of choreography and repertoire consisting of Broadway and contemporary music. \n"Most of our performances are just that -- they're performances," Willman said. "This concert is benefiting a cause and it's a cause that the Singing Hoosiers truly supports."\nBenefits from the show go to Bloomington Hospital's Olcott Center for Breast Health, the G.I.R.L. Friend Fund, and the local Wabash Valley Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. \nIt is likely the show will strike a soft point among audience members at some point or another. \n"One of these songs, if not all, is going to hit everybody at some point," said Orenga, whose mother also has breast cancer. "'Come to me Mother, the child's voice,' hits me because of my mom. For me, it's going to be a little more powerful because I've been there." \nOrenga said almost everyone has cried at least once at practice because one piece or another has struck them.\n"It spans the whole gamut of what a person goes through with breast cancer and that's what people will take home," said Barbara Light, event chair. "People who haven't been affected are going to see how this affects a patient."\nSo what it comes down to is three more days. Three more days until Barbara Light can see her dream of the Sing for the Cure performance coming alive here in Bloomington and hitting the IU Auditorium stage for a night of truly touching musical storytelling. After two years of planning and preparation the event has finally come together.\n"It's going to be great," Light said. "Things are going very well. I'm very excited and glad that I did it. I'm scared to death, but it's great! It's been well, well worth it."\nThe community support that Light and her team have received has been outstanding. \nBloomington Hospital Foundation has provided administrative support, the Bloomington Hospital and Healthcare System provided the printing, and Hirons and Company Advertising Inc. has done all of the posters and programs.\nNaab said they're expecting a large turnout; she encourages people to pick up their tickets in advance.\n"The word has gotten out and it's a really great way to get the word out about breast cancer awareness," Light said. "I think one of the best things about it is that it's different. I feel music touches people in a whole different way."\nTickets, which cost $12 for IU students and $22 general admission, are still available at the IU Auditorium Box Office; by phone through Ticketmaster (812-333-9955); and on the internet by visiting www.iuauditorium.com.
(10/24/02 4:00am)
Imagine this: You're in a pitch-black wine cellar with dirt walls, below the basement of an old mansion. You and your four counterparts are holding hands and prompting some sort of paranormal, or ghostly, activity. All of a sudden, three blue lights appear behind you and, as you're watching, gradually disappear. It couldn't be the other people in the room, and there is nothing on the ground when you turn the lights back on.\nHaunted houses are always a source of intrigue and bone-chilling excitement, especially around Halloween. Images of bloody masks, missing human limbs, monsters with chainsaws and the notes of eerie musical interludes are commonly associated with the term "haunted house." But in reality, the scene in the wine cellar is a much more accurate account of a real haunted house. \n"People like haunted houses because of Hollywood," says Dr. Dave Oester of the International Ghost Hunters Society. Oester has been traveling the country studying paranormal activitiy. "They've distorted what ghosts and haunted houses are. It isn't reality at all. Because of Hollywood, we want to see the worst we can find, something out of the ordinary."\nAny experience in a truly haunted house is bound to be out of the ordinary. Footsteps, banging doors, faucets and lights turning on and off, ghostly voices and missing objects that turn up later in a different spot are common paranormal occurrences. These strange activities are what lead people to bring in a ghost hunter, who will then determine whether their house is haunted. \nGhost hunter Kimberly Hall-Moore, an Indiana representative for the American Ghost Society, receives one to two emails each month about suspected paranormal activity in Indiana alone. Once the cases are investigated more closely, however, a lot of them lead to dead ends. \n"I usually do an interview process before actually going out to a site, just to make sure that it isn't going to be a waste of time for the person or for myself," Hall-Moore says.\nThe interview consists of questions concerning the nature of the event, the weather at the time of the event, how often the event occurs and the people in the house when it happens. \n"It's very important that we know the ages of the people in the house because -- and this might sound really weird -- a lot of times if there's a girl just entering puberty, that can be one of the reasons the events start happening. They can be unsettled and start unknowingly moving things with their minds."\nThere are three kinds of hauntings, according to Hall-Moore: a poltergeist, a residual haunting and an intelligent haunting. The poltergeist happens as a result of a human agent, an example being the teenage girls going through puberty. Residual hauntings are events that occur over and over; the site of a man in a black cloak walking across a bridge once every month would be residual. But it's the intelligent haunting that everybody wants to hear about. The ghost will try to interact with a person or thing and is most commonly a person who died tragically and doesn't realize it. \n"A lot of spirits don't know they're dead," Oester says. "Many cases, when you see something like a young, transparent boy walking and he sees you and screams and runs away, it means that he doesn't know he's dead. He is seeing you in his house."\nOester says a house doesn't have to be old to be haunted, either. A new home may be haunted because the ghost feels attached to the land. Or an older home may be built by an owner who lived in the house all his or her life and didn't want to leave when they died.\n"At their dimension, they still live there and they may not even know you're there," Oester says. \nPhysical and spiritual dimensions and the line between them plays a large part in the study of hauntings. \n"With haunting," Oester says, "you have a question of parallel dimensions. Are we seeing a ghost or are we seeing people from another dimension? We really don't know."\nCommonly haunted places include houses, businesses that have been the site of tragedies, and hotels. Cemeteries, which are usually at the top of the list for creepy places, are also recurring haunted sites. \n"One story is that Abraham Lincoln haunts his grave because he isn't actually buried there and he tries to tell this to visitors of his gravesite," Hall-Moore says. "It could be that a ghost haunts his or her grave because there is something wrong with either their body or their grave."\nBloomington's Step Cemetery, which isn't used anymore, has a tale of its own. \n"There's a tree stump in the shape of a chair," Hall-Moore says. "A woman's ghost has been spotted there grieving for a child who was hit by a car."\nHall-Moore also says that schools are popular haunted places. \n"Every state in the U.S. has at least one haunted school," Hall-Moore says. "Indiana has four or five, and they're usually universities."\nIU has its own collection of haunted tales, including a story about Read Hall involving a medical student who murdered his girlfriend. \n"I think Read Hall being haunted creates a fun legend about IU and IU's history that's kind of cool," says Maria Fragnoli, a freshman.\nWhile most won't be venturing into any real haunted houses this Halloween, there are some Hollywood-style haunted attractions in the area. College Mall has the Creep Factory, with two separate walks: one for the brave and one for the less courageous. The cost is $4. There's also the Bakers Junction Haunted Train on South Fairfax Road, open from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The train ride costs $5.\nSo if you find yourself in a room with no windows this Halloween, or anytime, and the temperature abruptly drops about 20 degrees or the pictures start falling off the walls, you may have found the real thing without even looking for it. \n"Ghosts are everywhere," Oester says. "Suddenly you're in their home and they're in yours"
(10/23/02 5:04am)
Imagine this: You're in a pitch-black wine cellar with dirt walls, below the basement of an old mansion. You and your four counterparts are holding hands and prompting some sort of paranormal, or ghostly, activity. All of a sudden, three blue lights appear behind you and, as you're watching, gradually disappear. It couldn't be the other people in the room, and there is nothing on the ground when you turn the lights back on.\nHaunted houses are always a source of intrigue and bone-chilling excitement, especially around Halloween. Images of bloody masks, missing human limbs, monsters with chainsaws and the notes of eerie musical interludes are commonly associated with the term "haunted house." But in reality, the scene in the wine cellar is a much more accurate account of a real haunted house. \n"People like haunted houses because of Hollywood," says Dr. Dave Oester of the International Ghost Hunters Society. Oester has been traveling the country studying paranormal activitiy. "They've distorted what ghosts and haunted houses are. It isn't reality at all. Because of Hollywood, we want to see the worst we can find, something out of the ordinary."\nAny experience in a truly haunted house is bound to be out of the ordinary. Footsteps, banging doors, faucets and lights turning on and off, ghostly voices and missing objects that turn up later in a different spot are common paranormal occurrences. These strange activities are what lead people to bring in a ghost hunter, who will then determine whether their house is haunted. \nGhost hunter Kimberly Hall-Moore, an Indiana representative for the American Ghost Society, receives one to two emails each month about suspected paranormal activity in Indiana alone. Once the cases are investigated more closely, however, a lot of them lead to dead ends. \n"I usually do an interview process before actually going out to a site, just to make sure that it isn't going to be a waste of time for the person or for myself," Hall-Moore says.\nThe interview consists of questions concerning the nature of the event, the weather at the time of the event, how often the event occurs and the people in the house when it happens. \n"It's very important that we know the ages of the people in the house because -- and this might sound really weird -- a lot of times if there's a girl just entering puberty, that can be one of the reasons the events start happening. They can be unsettled and start unknowingly moving things with their minds."\nThere are three kinds of hauntings, according to Hall-Moore: a poltergeist, a residual haunting and an intelligent haunting. The poltergeist happens as a result of a human agent, an example being the teenage girls going through puberty. Residual hauntings are events that occur over and over; the site of a man in a black cloak walking across a bridge once every month would be residual. But it's the intelligent haunting that everybody wants to hear about. The ghost will try to interact with a person or thing and is most commonly a person who died tragically and doesn't realize it. \n"A lot of spirits don't know they're dead," Oester says. "Many cases, when you see something like a young, transparent boy walking and he sees you and screams and runs away, it means that he doesn't know he's dead. He is seeing you in his house."\nOester says a house doesn't have to be old to be haunted, either. A new home may be haunted because the ghost feels attached to the land. Or an older home may be built by an owner who lived in the house all his or her life and didn't want to leave when they died.\n"At their dimension, they still live there and they may not even know you're there," Oester says. \nPhysical and spiritual dimensions and the line between them plays a large part in the study of hauntings. \n"With haunting," Oester says, "you have a question of parallel dimensions. Are we seeing a ghost or are we seeing people from another dimension? We really don't know."\nCommonly haunted places include houses, businesses that have been the site of tragedies, and hotels. Cemeteries, which are usually at the top of the list for creepy places, are also recurring haunted sites. \n"One story is that Abraham Lincoln haunts his grave because he isn't actually buried there and he tries to tell this to visitors of his gravesite," Hall-Moore says. "It could be that a ghost haunts his or her grave because there is something wrong with either their body or their grave."\nBloomington's Step Cemetery, which isn't used anymore, has a tale of its own. \n"There's a tree stump in the shape of a chair," Hall-Moore says. "A woman's ghost has been spotted there grieving for a child who was hit by a car."\nHall-Moore also says that schools are popular haunted places. \n"Every state in the U.S. has at least one haunted school," Hall-Moore says. "Indiana has four or five, and they're usually universities."\nIU has its own collection of haunted tales, including a story about Read Hall involving a medical student who murdered his girlfriend. \n"I think Read Hall being haunted creates a fun legend about IU and IU's history that's kind of cool," says Maria Fragnoli, a freshman.\nWhile most won't be venturing into any real haunted houses this Halloween, there are some Hollywood-style haunted attractions in the area. College Mall has the Creep Factory, with two separate walks: one for the brave and one for the less courageous. The cost is $4. There's also the Bakers Junction Haunted Train on South Fairfax Road, open from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The train ride costs $5.\nSo if you find yourself in a room with no windows this Halloween, or anytime, and the temperature abruptly drops about 20 degrees or the pictures start falling off the walls, you may have found the real thing without even looking for it. \n"Ghosts are everywhere," Oester says. "Suddenly you're in their home and they're in yours"
(10/22/02 6:38am)
Sing for the Cure, a musical benefit designed to support breast cancer research and recovery, will bring the voices of breast cancer victims and their families and friends to the IU Auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 7:00 p.m.\nTickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster and the IU Auditorium.\nThe idea belongs to Barbara Light, event chair, who decided to bring the performance to Bloomington after hearing a CD that was given to her as a gift, "I heard the music and was really taken. Then I felt it could be done in Bloomington." \nShe had also seen the performance done by the Turtle Creek Chorale two years ago. A core group was soon developed and planning began.\nUnder the direction of Michael Schwartzkopf, director and conductor of the IU Singing Hoosiers and chair of the Music Education Department, the Singing Hoosiers and a community choir will combine their talents for an evening of touching musical storytelling. \nThe event is a collaboration, designed to bring together the IU community and the local Bloomington community. "It's a unique event," Jennifer Naab, a member of the design team and friend of Light said, "because it combines IU and the community; the singing Hoosiers and the community choir together. I think it's going to be really exciting."\nThe performance will tell the personal stories of women dealing with breast cancer not only from the victims' point of view but also from the eyes of their friends and families, "It tells the story of breast cancer through a lot of different eyes, making the whole thing really unique," Naab said.\nThe songs are very moving including pieces from a child's voice, "Come to Me, Mother;" a spouse's voice, "The Promise Lives On" and a mother's voice, "Who Will Curl My Daughter's Hair?" \nIn addition to the Singing Hoosiers, the event will also feature world renowned soprano Sylvia McNair as narrator. \n"We were looking for somebody else who could draw people, it's a fundraiser and we wanted to get others involved," Light said. "That was our number one choice, to have her come sing. We were very fortunate."\nAn IU School of Music alumna and two-time Grammy Award winner, McNair currently serves as the IU School of Music executive advisor for outreach.\nProceeds from the performance will be benefiting the Bloomington Hospital's Olcott Center for Breast Health, The G.I.R.L. Friend Fund, and Bloomington's local Wabash Valley affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Center Foundation. Light said the performance is also a tribute to Kenda Webb, who was co-honorary chair of the event before losing her battle with cancer in December 2001.\nThe hope is that the event will draw a lot of people not only from the Bloomington community but also from the IU student population. "This is a cause I think young people should get involved in too. Somebody had said you know, the Singing Hoosiers, that's a young group, and to me that's a good group, they need to be aware of this," Light said.\nFreshman Makena Coscarelli, whose mother is Director of the Ted Mann Family Resource Center for Women of Cancer at UCLA, plans on attending. \n"I will definitely go to this because I've participated in the Revlon Run/ Walk for breast cancer for many years and I think this is another way to provide fundraising for research. I've seen how breast cancer affects women of all ages as well as their families and anything that provides awareness of the disease is worth attending," she said.
(10/04/02 5:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Good music for a good cause is the underlying theme of Saturday's IU Battle of the Bands from 2:30 to 8 p.m. in Dunn Meadow. The free event is in collaboration with and will follow the "Jill Behrman Run for the Endzone" with donations gladly accepted. All donations will go towards supporting Jill's House, a cancer recovery center that provides a place for cancer patients to receive therapy and rest after their treatments.
Forest Outdoor Adventure and floor 4B will be co-chairing the event. Junior David Hosei, Forest resident advisor in charge of the event, conceptualized the battle based on the success of a similar event that took place last year in Willkie for one of its residents with breast cancer.
"The reason we're so dedicated to the event is that we continue to support the Behrman family in their situation and continuing to raise awareness about safety on campus and also in continued support of Jill's House and their mission," Hosei said.
He said the event promises to provide a fun, relaxing time with great entertainment with Laborius Clef, Three Minute Mile, Run of the Mill, Blue Moon Revue and Johnzo West.
"(These are) the best bands in Bloomington; I guarantee that," Hosei said.
(10/03/02 4:00am)
Sometimes Chris Hardwick does voice-overs with no pants on. \n"Just for fun," he says, "I wonder what people are thinking when they watch, like if they're thinking, 'I wonder if he has pants on?'" \nThe former "Singled Out" host practices voice-overs at home in preparation for each episode of Sony Pictures' "Shipmates," then sends his commentaries on the experiences of each couple aboard the Carnival cruise ship over the Internet to New York, where the show is produced. The show uses only his voice-overs; he doesn't interact with the participants.\nThe show features couples who spend three days and two nights on the sea as blind dates -- with no escape. That experience is what sets "Shipmates" apart from other dating shows such as "ElimiDate," "Blind Date" and "Dismissed." \n"It's awesome," Hardwick says. "The other shows, they go on one date and are together for a few hours. Our show, they're stuck for, like, three days. You can't really fake your way through it; they're right there poking you in the face." \nIn addition to watching all of the big moments that occur throughout the couple's date, viewers also get to hear the contestants' individual thoughts, good or bad, in small clips.\nHardwick has appeared on talk shows and got his start in front of cameras on the "Mike Douglas Show." Commercials, various MTV series and radio shows followed. Film work appears on his résumé as well, including recent work with Rob Zombie. \n"It was great," Hardwick says of working with Zombie. "I've known him for years, and he came to see me two and half years ago and he said, 'I'm doing this, do you want to do it?' He was great to work with, an amazing guy -- really funny."\nMost people know Hardwick by his work on "Singled Out," another date show that aired for five seasons on MTV. He hosted in front of live crowds on the "Singled Out" set for each episode, which is different from his current work with "Shipmates," for which he doesn't even need to leave the house. \n"I like either way, although I tend to like crowds more," he says. "This is basically me and the studio. I have to write everything before. 'Singled Out' was like a freak circus -- nothing I said was scripted, and it was more of an off-the-cuff thing." \nHis work has led him to spend time with many interesting and sometimes crazy people.\n"I've learned people will do just about anything to get on camera," he says. "It's insane what they're willing to do to get on for just five or 10 minutes, but I guess you're supposed to do stupid things when you're young." \nAnyone who has seen the show knows that some pretty crazy things can happen when two strangers are stuck on a boat together for three days. The drama between the couples is what keeps people watching. Freshman Loren Rayburn, who tunes into "Shipmates" regularly, thinks it's hilarious.\n"It's addictive," she says. "I don't really want them to stay together. I just like to watch them fight." \nThere are times when it appears one contestant may wish he or she could just push the other off the boat, and even Hardwick has felt the same way watching some of the clips. \n"Yeah, that's happened before," he admits, laughing. \nOne thing is for sure: if Hardwick weren't the host, he probably wouldn't ever appear on the set of a dating show.\n"Oh God no, absolutely not, but that's me," he says. "I don't like blind dates or being followed by cameras all the time, but if you're in college, you're 21 and you want a free cruise, I'm sure it would be fun."\nOn the other hand, Eric Krauter, a freshman, would like to participate.\n"I've always wanted to go on a blind date," Krauter says. "It's a good way to meet a new person, and it's a free cruise." \nThe "Shipmates" cruise has already sailed its way into Bloomington at least once. Former IU students and twin brothers Andy and Chad Baker were contestants on the show last year. They were paired with a set of twin sisters. \n"It was a lot of fun," Andy says. "It was definitely weird being followed by cameras for 24 hours, but it was alright. My brother's twin was cool, mine kind of sucked, but that was the whole premise of the show, how mine sucked." \nGiven the chance, he says he would do it again. Absolutely.\n"They give you a really cool room, and everyone is really nice," he says. \nInterested IU students can log onto the "Shipmates" Web site for an application to appear on the show. The show airs at midnight on Mondays on UPN.\n"I would say to watch the show, like, it has some sort of a serum to cure the poison you just drank," Hardwick. "Then you might watch it a lot. Or, if that sounds stupid, please watch my show -- or just don't." \nNow you can watch and wonder if Hardwick is wearing pants.
(10/03/02 12:07am)
Sometimes Chris Hardwick does voice-overs with no pants on. \n"Just for fun," he says, "I wonder what people are thinking when they watch, like if they're thinking, 'I wonder if he has pants on?'" \nThe former "Singled Out" host practices voice-overs at home in preparation for each episode of Sony Pictures' "Shipmates," then sends his commentaries on the experiences of each couple aboard the Carnival cruise ship over the Internet to New York, where the show is produced. The show uses only his voice-overs; he doesn't interact with the participants.\nThe show features couples who spend three days and two nights on the sea as blind dates -- with no escape. That experience is what sets "Shipmates" apart from other dating shows such as "ElimiDate," "Blind Date" and "Dismissed." \n"It's awesome," Hardwick says. "The other shows, they go on one date and are together for a few hours. Our show, they're stuck for, like, three days. You can't really fake your way through it; they're right there poking you in the face." \nIn addition to watching all of the big moments that occur throughout the couple's date, viewers also get to hear the contestants' individual thoughts, good or bad, in small clips.\nHardwick has appeared on talk shows and got his start in front of cameras on the "Mike Douglas Show." Commercials, various MTV series and radio shows followed. Film work appears on his résumé as well, including recent work with Rob Zombie. \n"It was great," Hardwick says of working with Zombie. "I've known him for years, and he came to see me two and half years ago and he said, 'I'm doing this, do you want to do it?' He was great to work with, an amazing guy -- really funny."\nMost people know Hardwick by his work on "Singled Out," another date show that aired for five seasons on MTV. He hosted in front of live crowds on the "Singled Out" set for each episode, which is different from his current work with "Shipmates," for which he doesn't even need to leave the house. \n"I like either way, although I tend to like crowds more," he says. "This is basically me and the studio. I have to write everything before. 'Singled Out' was like a freak circus -- nothing I said was scripted, and it was more of an off-the-cuff thing." \nHis work has led him to spend time with many interesting and sometimes crazy people.\n"I've learned people will do just about anything to get on camera," he says. "It's insane what they're willing to do to get on for just five or 10 minutes, but I guess you're supposed to do stupid things when you're young." \nAnyone who has seen the show knows that some pretty crazy things can happen when two strangers are stuck on a boat together for three days. The drama between the couples is what keeps people watching. Freshman Loren Rayburn, who tunes into "Shipmates" regularly, thinks it's hilarious.\n"It's addictive," she says. "I don't really want them to stay together. I just like to watch them fight." \nThere are times when it appears one contestant may wish he or she could just push the other off the boat, and even Hardwick has felt the same way watching some of the clips. \n"Yeah, that's happened before," he admits, laughing. \nOne thing is for sure: if Hardwick weren't the host, he probably wouldn't ever appear on the set of a dating show.\n"Oh God no, absolutely not, but that's me," he says. "I don't like blind dates or being followed by cameras all the time, but if you're in college, you're 21 and you want a free cruise, I'm sure it would be fun."\nOn the other hand, Eric Krauter, a freshman, would like to participate.\n"I've always wanted to go on a blind date," Krauter says. "It's a good way to meet a new person, and it's a free cruise." \nThe "Shipmates" cruise has already sailed its way into Bloomington at least once. Former IU students and twin brothers Andy and Chad Baker were contestants on the show last year. They were paired with a set of twin sisters. \n"It was a lot of fun," Andy says. "It was definitely weird being followed by cameras for 24 hours, but it was alright. My brother's twin was cool, mine kind of sucked, but that was the whole premise of the show, how mine sucked." \nGiven the chance, he says he would do it again. Absolutely.\n"They give you a really cool room, and everyone is really nice," he says. \nInterested IU students can log onto the "Shipmates" Web site for an application to appear on the show. The show airs at midnight on Mondays on UPN.\n"I would say to watch the show, like, it has some sort of a serum to cure the poison you just drank," Hardwick. "Then you might watch it a lot. Or, if that sounds stupid, please watch my show -- or just don't." \nNow you can watch and wonder if Hardwick is wearing pants.
(09/30/02 4:42am)
Trapeze artists, middle school choir groups, cotton candy, a chair massage and a lollipop tree all in the same place.\nThe annual Third and High Festival of the Arts celebrated its 20th anniversary Saturday and Sunday at St. Charles Church. The event is a fundraiser for both the parish and the school. It usually brings in about $20,000 and is split equally between the two. \n"I've called it a 'feastival,'" Ken Jones, head of the festival committee said, "because that's what it really is. It's a feast for the senses."\nThe event was founded in 1983 by the Parent Teacher Organization and has "grown in size and types of activities ever since," Jones said. Underneath blue, green and white tents that dotted the church and school property was a diverse array of local vendors and food selections. \n"The biggest hit and biggest seller for us is the food," said Pat Winter, who has been involved with the event since the beginning. "We don't bring in any outside food. All of the food is done in-house." One of the exhibitions, the bakeshop, even featured cooking demonstrations.\nIn addition to the food, visitors were wowed from above by the High Flyers, a local trapeze group that performs every year. \n"I would think the High Flyers is a big draw for people," Winter said. \nIU class of '93 alumnus David Weber is a member of the group. He got involved while he was at IU and has recently returned to live in Bloomington. \n"For me, the best part of performing is just doing it," he said. "You know a lot of people enjoy watching it."\nAbout 450 volunteers, drawn from parish and school families, showed up to work sometime during the course of the festival.\n"It's fun setting up because you get to ride in back of the big trucks and stuff," said 13-year-old St. Charles student Craig Thomas. \nAside from the trucks, he said he also enjoyed listening to the jazz band. A stage was set up for the large number of musical acts the festival featured. The eclectic sounds of Tyron Cooper, the IU a capella group Ladies First and the Ron Plecher Band's original rock are just a few of the artists who performed. \nBarbara Fuqua, a local artist, was one of the vendors displaying and selling her own work. Fuqua had original pottery and oil paintings on display.\n"It's my first year exhibit, and it's been a lot of fun," Fuqua said.\nBetween 4,500 and 5,000 people attended the festival sometime during the weekend and that number is increasing each year. \n"One thing to note, especially for IU students themselves, is that this is an event for the entire community, including IU students," Jones said. "Next year they should come out because it's a great time, great food"