27 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(03/04/04 5:00am)
On Ash Wednesday, Mel Gibson released what may be the most controversial film in decades, "The Passion of the Christ," a blockbuster recounting the final 12 hours of Jesus' life and his ultimate death on the cross. Gibson, who directed and co-wrote the film, based the script largely on the Gospels of the New Testament.\nTheaters were crowded throughout the week with church groups and interested movie-goers alike. Many churches bought large blocks of tickets, often making up a majority of the audience. Kerasotes Theatres spokesman Scott Cottingham says "The Passion" was by far the biggest seller in Bloomington during its release week, noting that pastors would buy advance tickets and then pass them along to their congregations.\n"The picture was sold primarily through grassroots support through the churches," he says. "So far, the majority of the tickets sold were from church groups."\nJeff Chudy, a campus director for the Campus Crusade for Christ, was among those who saw the film on Ash Wednesday. He and his wife usually lead a Bible study Wednesday night, but last week they decided to invite their students to the film instead of the regular meeting. Chudy says seeing the movie rekindled his curiosity as a Christian.\n"It caused me to want to look more into the biblical records of how Christ died," he says.\nReactions to "The Passion" have been mixed. Audible sobbing in theaters was not uncommon and some people have even found the film so violent they either had to look at the floor or leave the theater to gather themselves. Others say it was the most moving and inspiring film they have ever seen and the gore only strengthened the film's message for them.\nSeveral groups are even accusing Gibson of promoting anti-Semitism through his portrayal of Jews in the film. Others say it is simply a historically-accurate account of Jesus' death and shows no bias against any specific religious faith. \nSue Shifron, rabbi and executive director at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, says she could see several instances of anti-Semitism in the film. She says the Jews in the movie are portrayed in a stereotypical fashion, most with large noses and dark hair. Also, she remembers a scene in which Jewish children morph into the character of Satan. Shifron says she is afraid the movie will cause a rise in anti-Semitic sentiment.\n"When passion plays like this are released, they are generally followed by a rise in anti-Semitism," she says. \nFreshman Daniel Birenbaum shares this fear.\n"The Jews in the movie were portrayed as a big, angry mob just demanding Jesus' death," he says. "It made it seem that, 'If it weren't for those damn Jews, then everything would have been fine.' I'm afraid that somebody's going to see it and say, 'Oh, it's because of the Jews that all of this horrible stuff that we see in the movie happened to Jesus, and I want to go out and do something about it.'"\nJunior John Waddell, a parishioner at St. Paul's Catholic church, says while a few people may walk away with anti-Semitic feelings, most viewers won't.\n"I really don't think it's anti-Semitic, I think it's historical," he says. "I think that, overall, most people certainly are both intelligent enough and emotionally stable enough to see it and not draw false conclusions or jump to the idea that they should go out and harm Jewish people because this is what so and so did 2,000 years ago."\nGroups are also divided on the historical accuracy of the film. Some feel Gibson, a traditionalist Catholic, shows too much of his personal bias in his portrayal of Jesus' death. Others, like Waddell, feel the film is as close to the Gospel accounts as possible.\n"I was just hoping that it would be as historically accurate as possible and that it would stay true to the Gospel accounts as far as what Mel Gibson would have seen," Waddell says. "Him also being Roman Catholic, although he's part of a group that doesn't recognize Vatican II, he would be reading the same translation that I would be reading. So I would hope it would follow that very closely and I thought that it did."\nShifron says there were several inaccuracies in Gibson's portrayal of Jewish people, noting that the Jewish high priests would never have had much pull with the Roman government, and even if they had, they would never have called for crucifixion, as it was never used by the Jews.\n"It really made a mockery of the Jewish priesthood of that time," she says.\nAnother contradiction pointed out by both Christians and Jews alike is the portrayal of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of the region in which Jesus was killed. In the movie, Gibson portrays him as an enlightened overseer who is reluctant to put Jesus to death. Both Waddell, a history major, and Birenbaum agree that Pilate's position as governor of Judea would not have been a high position, but more of a punishment or low-level job. He probably would have been more brutal and less caring of Jesus' plight.\nAnd then there's the violence. It's hard to argue that "The Passion" is not an intensely violent movie. Instead, the discussion is whether or not the violence is warranted. Chudy felt the level of violence was necessary to get the message across, though he will not take his two youngest sons to see it.\n"I have never seen a movie that depicts the death in that fashion," he says. "I think it was healthy for me to see, as much as I hated to see it."\nShifron says the violence was unnecessary and made her uncomfortable, as well as the two Christian clergy she viewed the film with.\n"I think it was absolutely overly violent," she says. "It was above and beyond what the Gospels tell from what I've read. I think the movie could have made its point very well without quite as much violence and brutality."\nWaddell says he felt the level of violence was crucial to maintaining historical accuracy.\n"We worry about the violence in the movie, but the bottom line is the ancient world was not particularly friendly towards most people," he says. "That's probably exactly how it would have been. It would have been that messy, it would have been that horrific. To say it would have been any other way I think is diluting ourselves about the way humanity has always been."\nShifron says the majority of the Jewish students she works with don't plan on seeing the film. Birenbaum, who did see the film, says he tried to keep an open mind going into it. Christians, on the other hand, seem to be flocking to theaters en-mass to see this movie. He wonders if there isn't pressure for Christians to it.\n"There's pressure for Jews to see "Schindler's List," so there's probably pressure for Christians to see this movie, especially because there's so much hype about it and bishops and priests are coming out and saying 'This is how it was,'" he says.\nWaddell says no matter what people take in with them, he hopes they don't leave with the wrong message. He says the movie is not about what the Jews did or didn't do to Jesus -- the message is much bigger.\n"I hope that people will take it as it is meant to be taken and not use it as a springboard for hating Jews, because ultimately it is not the Jewish faith that killed Jesus, it is humanity," he says. "And I think that to look at it any other way would be delusional."
(03/04/04 3:35am)
On Ash Wednesday, Mel Gibson released what may be the most controversial film in decades, "The Passion of the Christ," a blockbuster recounting the final 12 hours of Jesus' life and his ultimate death on the cross. Gibson, who directed and co-wrote the film, based the script largely on the Gospels of the New Testament.\nTheaters were crowded throughout the week with church groups and interested movie-goers alike. Many churches bought large blocks of tickets, often making up a majority of the audience. Kerasotes Theatres spokesman Scott Cottingham says "The Passion" was by far the biggest seller in Bloomington during its release week, noting that pastors would buy advance tickets and then pass them along to their congregations.\n"The picture was sold primarily through grassroots support through the churches," he says. "So far, the majority of the tickets sold were from church groups."\nJeff Chudy, a campus director for the Campus Crusade for Christ, was among those who saw the film on Ash Wednesday. He and his wife usually lead a Bible study Wednesday night, but last week they decided to invite their students to the film instead of the regular meeting. Chudy says seeing the movie rekindled his curiosity as a Christian.\n"It caused me to want to look more into the biblical records of how Christ died," he says.\nReactions to "The Passion" have been mixed. Audible sobbing in theaters was not uncommon and some people have even found the film so violent they either had to look at the floor or leave the theater to gather themselves. Others say it was the most moving and inspiring film they have ever seen and the gore only strengthened the film's message for them.\nSeveral groups are even accusing Gibson of promoting anti-Semitism through his portrayal of Jews in the film. Others say it is simply a historically-accurate account of Jesus' death and shows no bias against any specific religious faith. \nSue Shifron, rabbi and executive director at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, says she could see several instances of anti-Semitism in the film. She says the Jews in the movie are portrayed in a stereotypical fashion, most with large noses and dark hair. Also, she remembers a scene in which Jewish children morph into the character of Satan. Shifron says she is afraid the movie will cause a rise in anti-Semitic sentiment.\n"When passion plays like this are released, they are generally followed by a rise in anti-Semitism," she says. \nFreshman Daniel Birenbaum shares this fear.\n"The Jews in the movie were portrayed as a big, angry mob just demanding Jesus' death," he says. "It made it seem that, 'If it weren't for those damn Jews, then everything would have been fine.' I'm afraid that somebody's going to see it and say, 'Oh, it's because of the Jews that all of this horrible stuff that we see in the movie happened to Jesus, and I want to go out and do something about it.'"\nJunior John Waddell, a parishioner at St. Paul's Catholic church, says while a few people may walk away with anti-Semitic feelings, most viewers won't.\n"I really don't think it's anti-Semitic, I think it's historical," he says. "I think that, overall, most people certainly are both intelligent enough and emotionally stable enough to see it and not draw false conclusions or jump to the idea that they should go out and harm Jewish people because this is what so and so did 2,000 years ago."\nGroups are also divided on the historical accuracy of the film. Some feel Gibson, a traditionalist Catholic, shows too much of his personal bias in his portrayal of Jesus' death. Others, like Waddell, feel the film is as close to the Gospel accounts as possible.\n"I was just hoping that it would be as historically accurate as possible and that it would stay true to the Gospel accounts as far as what Mel Gibson would have seen," Waddell says. "Him also being Roman Catholic, although he's part of a group that doesn't recognize Vatican II, he would be reading the same translation that I would be reading. So I would hope it would follow that very closely and I thought that it did."\nShifron says there were several inaccuracies in Gibson's portrayal of Jewish people, noting that the Jewish high priests would never have had much pull with the Roman government, and even if they had, they would never have called for crucifixion, as it was never used by the Jews.\n"It really made a mockery of the Jewish priesthood of that time," she says.\nAnother contradiction pointed out by both Christians and Jews alike is the portrayal of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of the region in which Jesus was killed. In the movie, Gibson portrays him as an enlightened overseer who is reluctant to put Jesus to death. Both Waddell, a history major, and Birenbaum agree that Pilate's position as governor of Judea would not have been a high position, but more of a punishment or low-level job. He probably would have been more brutal and less caring of Jesus' plight.\nAnd then there's the violence. It's hard to argue that "The Passion" is not an intensely violent movie. Instead, the discussion is whether or not the violence is warranted. Chudy felt the level of violence was necessary to get the message across, though he will not take his two youngest sons to see it.\n"I have never seen a movie that depicts the death in that fashion," he says. "I think it was healthy for me to see, as much as I hated to see it."\nShifron says the violence was unnecessary and made her uncomfortable, as well as the two Christian clergy she viewed the film with.\n"I think it was absolutely overly violent," she says. "It was above and beyond what the Gospels tell from what I've read. I think the movie could have made its point very well without quite as much violence and brutality."\nWaddell says he felt the level of violence was crucial to maintaining historical accuracy.\n"We worry about the violence in the movie, but the bottom line is the ancient world was not particularly friendly towards most people," he says. "That's probably exactly how it would have been. It would have been that messy, it would have been that horrific. To say it would have been any other way I think is diluting ourselves about the way humanity has always been."\nShifron says the majority of the Jewish students she works with don't plan on seeing the film. Birenbaum, who did see the film, says he tried to keep an open mind going into it. Christians, on the other hand, seem to be flocking to theaters en-mass to see this movie. He wonders if there isn't pressure for Christians to it.\n"There's pressure for Jews to see "Schindler's List," so there's probably pressure for Christians to see this movie, especially because there's so much hype about it and bishops and priests are coming out and saying 'This is how it was,'" he says.\nWaddell says no matter what people take in with them, he hopes they don't leave with the wrong message. He says the movie is not about what the Jews did or didn't do to Jesus -- the message is much bigger.\n"I hope that people will take it as it is meant to be taken and not use it as a springboard for hating Jews, because ultimately it is not the Jewish faith that killed Jesus, it is humanity," he says. "And I think that to look at it any other way would be delusional."
(02/05/04 5:35pm)
Out the car window, I can't see much more than moonlight as it flashes between the treetops. The crescent moon is veiled in clouds, creating an eerie, silver glow around it that does little to illuminate the pitch-dark night. We have been driving through the woods for the past 15 minutes, and the road in front of us seems to snake endlessly onward into the dark. It is a storybook night for a ghost hunt.
(02/05/04 5:00am)
Out the car window, I can't see much more than moonlight as it flashes between the treetops. The crescent moon is veiled in clouds, creating an eerie, silver glow around it that does little to illuminate the pitch-dark night. We have been driving through the woods for the past 15 minutes, and the road in front of us seems to snake endlessly onward into the dark. It is a storybook night for a ghost hunt.
(01/15/04 5:00am)
They're small, they're light-weight - some even call them sexy. No matter how you look at it, these tiny electronic wonders have grabbed a huge share of the portable audio market and are invading the homes of millions of Americans. The biggest thing in music these days is actually about the size of a match box. This holiday season showed us that MP3 is here to stay, and we will never listen to music the same way again.\nThis season people hit electronics stores looking for portable devices that would fit their active lifestyles and provide hours of listening pleasure for their digital music collections. Circuit City manager William Ellis says people have a more clear idea of what products are available and which ones will meet their needs than in years past.\n"There seemed to be more people who were already very knowledgeable about MP3 players, where in years past we were doing a lot of the education as to what's out there and, 'this is how you use this,'" Ellis says. "This year we had a lot of people coming in saying, 'I want this particular one. I've already done my research.'" \nIn the electronics industry, size definitely matters, but not in the way you would think. Just like cell phones, these days, the smaller the device, the better. Because of their compact size, MP3 players are ideal for working out or walking to class.\n"I'm used to having big ol' clunky CD players," says Best Buy team member Josh Partridge. "I like the fact that it can fit right in my coat pocket."\nEllis says the selling point for many MP3 players is that they are perfect for athletic activities.\n"One of the things that customers always ask for is something that's skip-free when they're working out, jogging, or whatever. Even with all the protection that CD players have, they're not going to be able to match MP3 players in terms of that," he says.\niRivers and Samsung's Yep players - both of which were among the most popular this holiday season - are also both among the smallest players on the market. But the current trend setter in portable audio is Apple's iPod, even though it's slightly larger than its competition. Shown off by those who have and envied by those who don't, this sleek little player is becoming something of a pop icon itself. Available with laser engraving and now, with the iPod mini, in multiple colors, they are becoming fashion accessories.\n"It's a little unfortunate to me because I love music so much, but people do come in sometimes just for the cliché of having that fashion statement," Partridge says. "Just to say, 'Hey, I have the newest, best-looking MP3 player,' even if they don't use it a lot."\nBut iPods aren't the only fashion-conscious players out there. Ellis says his 14-year-old daughter likes her Yep player because it's "cute." He says he often sees customers taking fashion into account when deciding which player to buy.\n"I've seen a lot of people who will make the comment, 'Boy, this will match really well with what I usually wear to work out,'" Ellis says. \nFor those who do actually care about the music, storage capacity is a big selling point of MP3 players. For the size (MP3 players are usually about 2-3 ounces compared to a 1-pound CD player), there is much more space available on an MP3 player (about 300 songs on the lower-end models). And they're convenient. Once you get your music loaded onto the player, your entire music library is right at your fingertips and can be transported anywhere. \nSenior Tony Hansen now carries his entire music library on his Creative Nomad Jukebox 3. He says he made the CD to MP3 jump by "ripping" all of his 60-some CDs into MP3 format and downloading them to his Nomad.\n"I listen to more of the music that I own than I did before, because before I was constrained to carrying CDs with me," says Hansen. "So if I was going to go on vacation or something, I would take all of my CDs with me that I could because I would carry them in a big book. But now, I don't have to do anything. It's all right there on the MP3 player."\nMP3 provides the best in storage and portability, and can even spruce up your favorite outfit, but you've got to know how to use them to get all the benefits. Partridge says that most players on the market today are very user-friendly.\n"iRivers and iPods are very nice and very customer-friendly," he says. "They are very easy to use. As a consumer, you really have to know how to use the MP3 player, but most of the time they come with booklets that show you how."\nSophomore Beth Rosh didn't find her new iRiver to be that simple - definitely not as easy as throwing a CD in a player and hitting play.\n"I can't use it. I don't understand what's wrong," she says. "I loaded the software and I followed the directions in the book, and I'm not computer-illiterate, even though it may seem like I am, but I tried to download the music, and I can't."\nHansen also had problems with the packaged software for his Nomad when he first started using it. He said he had to use another program from Red Chair Software, Inc. called "Notmad" to get his player to work properly.\nMP3 players are affecting the music industry in other ways aside from increasing storage and portability. The file sharing and music downloading landscape is also being affected by the newfound popularity of this medium. You've got the hottest new player, no doubt you're going to be looking for hot new tunes to store on it. The question is, where are you going to look for this music?\nHansen claims that buying an MP3 player has gotten him more interested in downloading music and that he downloads more now than he ever has.\n"It's rekindled this urge to go get music," he says. "Before, even when the crazy MP3 downloading insanity was going on in the IU network, I wasn't doing that. I didn't download music like everybody else. I was still just buying CDs. Now, I wish I had done that so I would have all these songs."\nHansen says he now uses Apple's iTunes program to buy his MP3s online. iTunes is a program that allows users to buy individual songs for $.99 and entire albums for around $10. \n"I have to pay for it, but it's legal and I'm not going to get in trouble for it and I'm contributing to the music industry," he says.\nRosh has different plans.\n"I'll be downloading more," she says. "More illegalness. It's free. I can get it for free, as long as I'm careful."\nWithout a doubt, MP3 is going places. It seems that digital files stored on tiny hard drives will eventually take the place of the tried-and-true CD. Right now, fans of MP3 are finding less utility for their old CDs, mostly just for use in their cars until MP3 players become standard. And some, like Hansen, won't even miss the old CD.\n"Some people will argue that there's an intrinsic value to owning a CD. For me, though, I don't care as long as I can get (the album)," Hansen says. "I think people are reluctant. I think a lot of people are stuck on, 'I have all these CDs. It's going to take me a lot of time to put them into an MP3.'"\nAs someone who works around MP3 products all the time, Partridge, despite his love of his soon-to-be old-fashioned collection of 600 CDs, understands that resistance to the change is futile.\n"They're becoming a fashion statement, they're becoming more versatile to people who actually listen to music and they're becoming easier to use for people of all ages," he says. "The market for this particular type of media is expanding and unfortunately will probably take over the market for CDs"
(01/15/04 3:33am)
They're small, they're light-weight - some even call them sexy. No matter how you look at it, these tiny electronic wonders have grabbed a huge share of the portable audio market and are invading the homes of millions of Americans. The biggest thing in music these days is actually about the size of a match box. This holiday season showed us that MP3 is here to stay, and we will never listen to music the same way again.\nThis season people hit electronics stores looking for portable devices that would fit their active lifestyles and provide hours of listening pleasure for their digital music collections. Circuit City manager William Ellis says people have a more clear idea of what products are available and which ones will meet their needs than in years past.\n"There seemed to be more people who were already very knowledgeable about MP3 players, where in years past we were doing a lot of the education as to what's out there and, 'this is how you use this,'" Ellis says. "This year we had a lot of people coming in saying, 'I want this particular one. I've already done my research.'" \nIn the electronics industry, size definitely matters, but not in the way you would think. Just like cell phones, these days, the smaller the device, the better. Because of their compact size, MP3 players are ideal for working out or walking to class.\n"I'm used to having big ol' clunky CD players," says Best Buy team member Josh Partridge. "I like the fact that it can fit right in my coat pocket."\nEllis says the selling point for many MP3 players is that they are perfect for athletic activities.\n"One of the things that customers always ask for is something that's skip-free when they're working out, jogging, or whatever. Even with all the protection that CD players have, they're not going to be able to match MP3 players in terms of that," he says.\niRivers and Samsung's Yep players - both of which were among the most popular this holiday season - are also both among the smallest players on the market. But the current trend setter in portable audio is Apple's iPod, even though it's slightly larger than its competition. Shown off by those who have and envied by those who don't, this sleek little player is becoming something of a pop icon itself. Available with laser engraving and now, with the iPod mini, in multiple colors, they are becoming fashion accessories.\n"It's a little unfortunate to me because I love music so much, but people do come in sometimes just for the cliché of having that fashion statement," Partridge says. "Just to say, 'Hey, I have the newest, best-looking MP3 player,' even if they don't use it a lot."\nBut iPods aren't the only fashion-conscious players out there. Ellis says his 14-year-old daughter likes her Yep player because it's "cute." He says he often sees customers taking fashion into account when deciding which player to buy.\n"I've seen a lot of people who will make the comment, 'Boy, this will match really well with what I usually wear to work out,'" Ellis says. \nFor those who do actually care about the music, storage capacity is a big selling point of MP3 players. For the size (MP3 players are usually about 2-3 ounces compared to a 1-pound CD player), there is much more space available on an MP3 player (about 300 songs on the lower-end models). And they're convenient. Once you get your music loaded onto the player, your entire music library is right at your fingertips and can be transported anywhere. \nSenior Tony Hansen now carries his entire music library on his Creative Nomad Jukebox 3. He says he made the CD to MP3 jump by "ripping" all of his 60-some CDs into MP3 format and downloading them to his Nomad.\n"I listen to more of the music that I own than I did before, because before I was constrained to carrying CDs with me," says Hansen. "So if I was going to go on vacation or something, I would take all of my CDs with me that I could because I would carry them in a big book. But now, I don't have to do anything. It's all right there on the MP3 player."\nMP3 provides the best in storage and portability, and can even spruce up your favorite outfit, but you've got to know how to use them to get all the benefits. Partridge says that most players on the market today are very user-friendly.\n"iRivers and iPods are very nice and very customer-friendly," he says. "They are very easy to use. As a consumer, you really have to know how to use the MP3 player, but most of the time they come with booklets that show you how."\nSophomore Beth Rosh didn't find her new iRiver to be that simple - definitely not as easy as throwing a CD in a player and hitting play.\n"I can't use it. I don't understand what's wrong," she says. "I loaded the software and I followed the directions in the book, and I'm not computer-illiterate, even though it may seem like I am, but I tried to download the music, and I can't."\nHansen also had problems with the packaged software for his Nomad when he first started using it. He said he had to use another program from Red Chair Software, Inc. called "Notmad" to get his player to work properly.\nMP3 players are affecting the music industry in other ways aside from increasing storage and portability. The file sharing and music downloading landscape is also being affected by the newfound popularity of this medium. You've got the hottest new player, no doubt you're going to be looking for hot new tunes to store on it. The question is, where are you going to look for this music?\nHansen claims that buying an MP3 player has gotten him more interested in downloading music and that he downloads more now than he ever has.\n"It's rekindled this urge to go get music," he says. "Before, even when the crazy MP3 downloading insanity was going on in the IU network, I wasn't doing that. I didn't download music like everybody else. I was still just buying CDs. Now, I wish I had done that so I would have all these songs."\nHansen says he now uses Apple's iTunes program to buy his MP3s online. iTunes is a program that allows users to buy individual songs for $.99 and entire albums for around $10. \n"I have to pay for it, but it's legal and I'm not going to get in trouble for it and I'm contributing to the music industry," he says.\nRosh has different plans.\n"I'll be downloading more," she says. "More illegalness. It's free. I can get it for free, as long as I'm careful."\nWithout a doubt, MP3 is going places. It seems that digital files stored on tiny hard drives will eventually take the place of the tried-and-true CD. Right now, fans of MP3 are finding less utility for their old CDs, mostly just for use in their cars until MP3 players become standard. And some, like Hansen, won't even miss the old CD.\n"Some people will argue that there's an intrinsic value to owning a CD. For me, though, I don't care as long as I can get (the album)," Hansen says. "I think people are reluctant. I think a lot of people are stuck on, 'I have all these CDs. It's going to take me a lot of time to put them into an MP3.'"\nAs someone who works around MP3 products all the time, Partridge, despite his love of his soon-to-be old-fashioned collection of 600 CDs, understands that resistance to the change is futile.\n"They're becoming a fashion statement, they're becoming more versatile to people who actually listen to music and they're becoming easier to use for people of all ages," he says. "The market for this particular type of media is expanding and unfortunately will probably take over the market for CDs"
(12/05/02 5:00am)
It's Saturday night and you've decided to accompany a few of your friends to a party. The shindig is being held at a friend's house, and by the time you arrive the place is hoppin' with drunken revelry. After muscling your way through a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd and nearly falling on your face after tripping over a piece of furniture, you finally make your way to that permanent party staple: the keg. But after downing several cups of the golden brew, you find yourself waiting in a bathroom line so long that you begin to worry about either seriously damaging your bladder or finding the nearest potted plant that needs watering.\nWe're all familiar with this typical party scenario, but what if we could throw our own parties in the nightclubs of Bloomington where there's room for everyone to really let loose? James Feeley, an IU junior who has experience in promoting big-time parties, proves it is possible for anyone with the right ideas, who knows the right people and has enough money, to create his or her own night of crazy partying that will have people talking for weeks.\nFeeley, the self-proclaimed "Van Wilder" of IU, says he has thrown more than 2,000 parties in his hometown of Chicago, Bloomington and at many other Big Ten campuses. He got his start in high school and has continued through his college career, finding his party niche in Bloomington after transferring from DePauw University two years ago, throwing parties at Vertigo, Kilroy's Sports, Axis and the Bluebird.\n"I would never have expected it to get to this level," he says. "You just take it one step at a time and it keeps getting bigger and bigger." \nOn Dec. 7, Feeley, working under the name of Obsession 5, will bring his talents to Axis. He says he hopes to transform the club into a trendy lounge atmosphere where students can dance, but also have places to sit and get to know people. \n"Axis is a great venue, but no one's really using the space properly," Feeley says. "I'm excited to give everybody something different on this campus. I want to give them something that they're going to be in complete awe about."\nKen Nickos, general manager at Axis, says he thinks this party will be a winning situation for both his club and for Feeley. Nickos says Axis hasn't had a very good reputation with students and hopes Feeley can bring something fresh to his club.\n"He knows a lot of people on campus and has a lot of connections with the greek population," Nickos says. "He's got a really good idea of what it takes to make the night run smoothly and draw people in."\nSo maybe you've got the ambition, but you'll need money to back it. Feeley says it can cost up to $10,000 to rent a club for a night, so just like any business, there is a fair amount of risk involved. Feeley fronts the money for the rentals from his personal savings, but says that every party he's thrown has been profitable.\nAs one might imagine, the clubs are going to be pretty scrupulous with who they let take control of their venue for an evening. After all, their reputation is at stake. Knowing this, when Feeley moved to Bloomington, he met with the managers of all the major clubs in town and formally introduced himself to help get his foot in the door. The next step was to convince them that he was the man they were looking for to bring great parties to their clubs.\nNickos says he is willing to work with people who can bring new elements to his club, but he needs to have reason to believe the collaboration will be good for business.\n"You have to have people that have connections, know the right people and have good ideas," he says.\nGetting the word out about a party is key, and Feeley says this is the most important part of his job. Since he is a member of the student body, Feeley says that he has a good idea of what the students are looking for when they want to party. To promote his upcoming party, he met with social chairs from many of the greek houses and spread hundreds of flyers throughout campus. He also says that having a good reputation for throwing great parties is essential to getting people at your event.\nNickos says he has seen parties bomb because the promoters didn't do their job properly.\n"I've seen people spend $10,000 on a DJ before and 100 people show up because word just didn't get out," he says.\nMusic is another crucial piece to the party puzzle. After all, what is a party without good music? Feeley, who has five years experience under his belt, will be manning the turntables at his party along with longtime partner, Eddie Silverman. Silverman has been with Feeley from the start, but has since graduated and moved to Chicago as a financial advisor. He says he is thrilled to be returning to the scene with Feeley.\n"It's like we're one DJ with four hands," Silverman says. "We just know how to read each other's thoughts. I love nothing more than getting behind the turntables with him and doing what we do best. We just flow."\nFeeley had it easy when selecting his DJ, since he'd worked with him for years. For those of us who don't have DJ friends, there are certain things to look for in selecting the right DJ for the job. Feeley says that when interviewing prospective DJs, he asks them what three songs they would play to really get the crowd pumped. If they convince him that they have extensive knowledge of the current club scene, they've got themselves a gig.\nSo why does he do it? With all the time and effort that goes into promoting his own party coupled with his schoolwork, Feeley has a lot on his plate. But when he talks about his parties, there is an unmistakable fire in his eyes. Feeley says that the thrill of giving people the chance to really let loose and have a good time is worth the effort, even if there were no profit to gain. He says that the success of the party is rewarding enough for him.\n"When people leave, I just want then to be like, 'Wow! That was incredible. I had a great time,'" he says. "I want them to walk out thinking that they had a great time and eager to know when the next one is"
(12/04/02 4:38am)
It's Saturday night and you've decided to accompany a few of your friends to a party. The shindig is being held at a friend's house, and by the time you arrive the place is hoppin' with drunken revelry. After muscling your way through a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd and nearly falling on your face after tripping over a piece of furniture, you finally make your way to that permanent party staple: the keg. But after downing several cups of the golden brew, you find yourself waiting in a bathroom line so long that you begin to worry about either seriously damaging your bladder or finding the nearest potted plant that needs watering.\nWe're all familiar with this typical party scenario, but what if we could throw our own parties in the nightclubs of Bloomington where there's room for everyone to really let loose? James Feeley, an IU junior who has experience in promoting big-time parties, proves it is possible for anyone with the right ideas, who knows the right people and has enough money, to create his or her own night of crazy partying that will have people talking for weeks.\nFeeley, the self-proclaimed "Van Wilder" of IU, says he has thrown more than 2,000 parties in his hometown of Chicago, Bloomington and at many other Big Ten campuses. He got his start in high school and has continued through his college career, finding his party niche in Bloomington after transferring from DePauw University two years ago, throwing parties at Vertigo, Kilroy's Sports, Axis and the Bluebird.\n"I would never have expected it to get to this level," he says. "You just take it one step at a time and it keeps getting bigger and bigger." \nOn Dec. 7, Feeley, working under the name of Obsession 5, will bring his talents to Axis. He says he hopes to transform the club into a trendy lounge atmosphere where students can dance, but also have places to sit and get to know people. \n"Axis is a great venue, but no one's really using the space properly," Feeley says. "I'm excited to give everybody something different on this campus. I want to give them something that they're going to be in complete awe about."\nKen Nickos, general manager at Axis, says he thinks this party will be a winning situation for both his club and for Feeley. Nickos says Axis hasn't had a very good reputation with students and hopes Feeley can bring something fresh to his club.\n"He knows a lot of people on campus and has a lot of connections with the greek population," Nickos says. "He's got a really good idea of what it takes to make the night run smoothly and draw people in."\nSo maybe you've got the ambition, but you'll need money to back it. Feeley says it can cost up to $10,000 to rent a club for a night, so just like any business, there is a fair amount of risk involved. Feeley fronts the money for the rentals from his personal savings, but says that every party he's thrown has been profitable.\nAs one might imagine, the clubs are going to be pretty scrupulous with who they let take control of their venue for an evening. After all, their reputation is at stake. Knowing this, when Feeley moved to Bloomington, he met with the managers of all the major clubs in town and formally introduced himself to help get his foot in the door. The next step was to convince them that he was the man they were looking for to bring great parties to their clubs.\nNickos says he is willing to work with people who can bring new elements to his club, but he needs to have reason to believe the collaboration will be good for business.\n"You have to have people that have connections, know the right people and have good ideas," he says.\nGetting the word out about a party is key, and Feeley says this is the most important part of his job. Since he is a member of the student body, Feeley says that he has a good idea of what the students are looking for when they want to party. To promote his upcoming party, he met with social chairs from many of the greek houses and spread hundreds of flyers throughout campus. He also says that having a good reputation for throwing great parties is essential to getting people at your event.\nNickos says he has seen parties bomb because the promoters didn't do their job properly.\n"I've seen people spend $10,000 on a DJ before and 100 people show up because word just didn't get out," he says.\nMusic is another crucial piece to the party puzzle. After all, what is a party without good music? Feeley, who has five years experience under his belt, will be manning the turntables at his party along with longtime partner, Eddie Silverman. Silverman has been with Feeley from the start, but has since graduated and moved to Chicago as a financial advisor. He says he is thrilled to be returning to the scene with Feeley.\n"It's like we're one DJ with four hands," Silverman says. "We just know how to read each other's thoughts. I love nothing more than getting behind the turntables with him and doing what we do best. We just flow."\nFeeley had it easy when selecting his DJ, since he'd worked with him for years. For those of us who don't have DJ friends, there are certain things to look for in selecting the right DJ for the job. Feeley says that when interviewing prospective DJs, he asks them what three songs they would play to really get the crowd pumped. If they convince him that they have extensive knowledge of the current club scene, they've got themselves a gig.\nSo why does he do it? With all the time and effort that goes into promoting his own party coupled with his schoolwork, Feeley has a lot on his plate. But when he talks about his parties, there is an unmistakable fire in his eyes. Feeley says that the thrill of giving people the chance to really let loose and have a good time is worth the effort, even if there were no profit to gain. He says that the success of the party is rewarding enough for him.\n"When people leave, I just want then to be like, 'Wow! That was incredible. I had a great time,'" he says. "I want them to walk out thinking that they had a great time and eager to know when the next one is"
(09/26/02 4:58am)
Picture it: Game day at IU. You've decided to make the trip out to Memorial Stadium even though the Hoosiers' record over the past few weeks has been less than stellar. You're looking forward to a day of tailgating, drinking beer, talking about tonight's big party and just taking in that unmistakable game-day atmosphere.\nAfter you've caught up with your friends and downed a few cold ones, you file into your seats to join the other 500 or 600 fans.\nAs you sit in the crisp September air, you hear a faint cry turn into a roar as the famed Marching Hundred takes the field. Then, even for the most jaded Hoosier fan, you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as the band hits the first notes of the IU Fanfare. It's during this moment, if the only one, that you're proud to be a Hoosier.\nAs a member of the Marching Hundred, I can say from experience that there's nothing quite like running onto the field before kick-off and seeing the fans on their feet clapping and singing along with "Indiana, Our Indiana" (even if there are only a few hundred of them.) \nSo what would game day be like without the Marching Hundred? Well, judging by the recent "performances" of our football team, my guess would be pretty dull. \nFor years the band has been there, rain or shine, giving their unconditional support to the team. We put in hours of daily rehearsal to make sure we provide the best entertainment for the fans. Whether you've thought about it or not, marching bands are a huge part of what makes college football so special. Unfortunately, our athletic department seems to be overlooking the importance of these traditions.\nOver the past few weeks, Athletic Director Michael McNeely has made changes to our traditions that have made it clear that he no longer cares about what the band does.\nThe first change was moving the band and student section to the end zone. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't consider these the cream-of-the-crop seats, not to mention that our lack of field goal nets has us in the kicker's direct line of fire. One would think the endless support the band and students have given this team would warrant the best seats in the house, but in McNeely's mind, we're not quite worth it. He'd rather take the seats formerly held by students and give them to indifferent fans who merely want points toward basketball tickets. Give students the respect we deserve. It's not like space is tight in Memorial Stadium. \nAlso, the band will no longer be able to run onto the field from the tunnels as we have done previously. The "run-on," as we fondly refer to it, is a tradition that dates back almost 20 years. \n Unfortunately, this year we'll see its demise due to "security concerns." Some must think if the band goes down into the tunnels beneath Memorial Stadium, other people will follow. This concern leads me to believe we hire colorblind security guards, because I don't think it's difficult to differentiate between someone in a crimson-wool band uniform and an overzealous fan. \nI know this year's one of change for athletics. I'm a big fan of the new cream and crimson uniforms and I'm glad we did away with the other logo. I just don't think certain things should be tampered with, especially if there's no logical reasoning behind it. \nIn the Marching Hundred, we are proud to carry the title, "A Tradition of Excellence," and will stop at nothing to preserve it. The athletic department can make any changes it wants and we're still going to put our all into our performance. That's just the way we work. McNeely can take our traditions, but he'll never touch our excellence.
(09/26/02 4:00am)
Fushed with success, Lee Williams hurries into a small office on north College Avenue. The office is cluttered with several miscellaneous items. There's a shelf and desktop with a stack of demo CDs and informational leaflets. Williams, executive director of the Lotus Festival, is a tall and slender man with plenty of energy to spare. He proudly wears on his T-shirt a lotus blossom, the logo for the organization he helped start nine years ago.\n"We won!" Williams says with more than a hint of surprise in his voice, as he holds up the Community Enhancement Award that Lotus, a not-for-profit organization that promotes appreciation of world cultures through music and art, has just received from the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. \nTwo other people share the small office. One is LuAnne Holladay, the only other official Lotus employee. The other is Tom Hargis, a volunteer production assistant. Both toil over their keyboards, but take notice when Williams makes his announcement. \n"You're a treasure!" Holladay responds playfully.\nThe award couldn't have come at a better time. It is a testament to Williams' hard work and dedication. He has spent the past nine years organizing the annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. This year's five-day event hit downtown Bloomington Wednesday and will have patrons dancing in the streets through Sunday.\nTwenty-seven artists from around the world will represent their nations and cultures with performances in nine venues, including the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, the John Waldron Arts Center and two tents downtown.\n"It gives a chance for people to walk down the streets of Bloomington that they love, go into places that they love, see their friends on the street and talk about all the music that they've seen in the Bloomington environment," Williams says. "It's a really joyous occasion."\nPlanting the seed\nPlanning and producing Lotus Fest is a process that finds both Lotus employees and volunteers busy from the end of one year's festival through the finale of the next year's. A volunteer team, along with a group of sponsors, raised about $80,000 for this year's festival. A crew of around 300 volunteers will play key roles in ensuring that the event goes off without a hitch.\nLorain Addison, one of two volunteer coordinators for Lotus, says much of what Lotus does is based on the support of the community. Addison and her counterpart, Sarah Noggle, put in endless hours recruiting and training community members who have a desire to be part of this event.\n"All the parts are essential to the success of the Lotus Festival," Addison says. "If we didn't have volunteer support, the festival wouldn't exist." \nAs always, Williams is excited about this year's events. He says that while the artists change from year to year, the schedule format will remain mostly the same as in years past. \nThe festivities include a Wednesday kick-off concert, a Thursday concert, Saturday and Sunday showcase concerts and a Sunday World Spirit concert.\nA new addition to this year's schedule will be a Thursday night concert dubbed Lotus Late-Night. The concert will feature Yerba Buena, an Afro-Cuban group laced with U.S. hip-hop style, performing at Second Story Nightclub.\n"It's an opportunity to work with one of our weekend artists, to put them in a day early at a night club and have a different environment for their music," Williams says.\nWilliams stresses that while the late-night club show is for a 21+ audience only, all artists will hold all-ages concerts at some point over the course of the festival.\n"That's a big concern for us," he says. "We know that there are high school and college kids who come to the festival. We don't want to discriminate against them because they're not 21."\nWhat is world music?\nWilliams says he wouldn't try to define and categorize the kinds of music that people will hear at Lotus Fest.\nHe says "world music" is a marketing term that originated in the '80s when the record industry was forced to label a new wave of trans-continental collaborations resulting in new sounds and fusions of genres. He says the label doesn't accurately portray what the artists of Lotus Fest are all about.\n"I think the best way to describe what we do is sort of roots music from America and other countries, music that is not really mainstream commercial pop music that is here today, gone tomorrow," he says. \nWilliams says he strives to book artists who aren't making music to make money or become popular, but rather to reflect their culture.\nWilliams attributes this trend in genre-mixing to an increase in global communications and easier exposure to music from other cultures.\n"The world seems to be getting smaller, and more and more musicians are hearing other peoples' music," he says. "It isn't short-wave radio from New York to Africa anymore. You can pick up music from other cultures almost anywhere. Any time musicians hear new music, they get exposed to it, and somehow it works its way into their music."\nBringing a world of music to Bloomington\nGetting all of the artists here and coordinating the event is no picnic. \nWilliams says that even if the artists he wants are in the United States, they may not be in the Midwest during the week of Lotus Fest. \n"It all has to be timed perfectly with the last week or two of September," he says. "It's really kind of a little miracle that all these groups do wind up coming at this time."\nOne of the bigger hurdles for Williams in the current post-Sept. 11 environment is getting visas approved for all of the artists. Last year, several artists were forced to cancel appearances in the festival due to security issues.\nThis year, Williams says, the situation is looking much better. He says Lotus has been working with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as well as with Senator Richard Lugar's office in Indianapolis, to get all the artists cleared for this week's event. \n"We've been working very hard as an organization and as a world music community," he says. "We know that post-9/11 visas are going to be scrupulously examined by our government. We understand issues of safety and security, and we don't want to make light of that."\nOne ensemble faces a unique situation when it comes to traveling to the United States for Lotus Fest. Väsen, a Swedish quartet from Uppsala that will be performing as a trio this week, will be without percussionist Andre Ferrari, who won't travel in an airplane after the horrific events of Sept. 11. Olav Johansson, who plays the traditional Swedish nykelharpa (a type of guitar) for Väsen, says it just didn't work for Ferarri to come with them this year.\nJohansson says that while he, violist Mikael Marin and guitarist Roger Tallrot had little problem getting their visas approved, they did have a long wait throughout the process.\n"We were taken by surprise by how much information was asked for and the amount of time the agency wanted to handle everything," Johansson says. \nDespite these hang-ups, Väsen started its U.S. tour on Sept. 19 at the Minneapolis Nordic Roots Festival and will end it at Lotus Fest. \n"I look forward to some great gigs and a nice audience," Johansson says. "The last time we played the Lotus Festival we got to hear some great music from other bands."\nSpreading the word\nAfter Williams gets the artists booked, he faces his next big challenge: promoting the event and building an audience. While he says the event is always popular, student attendance is usually less than stellar. He says Lotus Fest typically attracts students with more of a liberal and adventurous mindset.\nWilliams says there are some students who have supported Lotus since year one, but he adds that it's a challenge to interest the general student body.\n"There are a variety of targeted students who we know are interested in Lotus," he says. "But your average student there at Indiana University, even though we're a huge, huge popular community event, doesn't have a clue about us."\nWhen most students buy tickets to a show, they know the artists on the bill. Since many students have not heard of the musicians at Lotus Fest, Williams says it's this lack of artist recognition that tends to deter potential fans. Instead, Williams hopes students will attend Lotus Fest out of pure curiosity. He thinks the artists are talented enough in their own right to merit student attention.\n"If anyone goes one time," he says, "they really love it and tell their friends, but getting them to come the first time is difficult." \nWilliams believes there is much knowledge to be gained from attending an event such as Lotus Fest.\n"I think that (the biggest benefit) would be the joy that comes from celebrating our cultural differences through the experience of live music," he says.\nWilliams hopes the cultural atmosphere provided through Lotus Fest will help expand the minds of Bloomington residents.\n"We're bringing something that you may never see the rest of your life into a small little venue in the town that you're living in," Williams says. "It's a way you can feel good, in stark contrast to what the terrorists were trying to intend."\nWilliams wants people to feel good, and his vision shows in the dedication of those around him, not only his coworkers, but the community in which he lives and works. His vision is to bring a little piece of world culture to a small midwestern college town and hoping people walk away with a new appreciation for the world community.\n"We're not solving world problems here," Williams says. "We're just doing the best that we can"
(09/26/02 2:53am)
Fushed with success, Lee Williams hurries into a small office on north College Avenue. The office is cluttered with several miscellaneous items. There's a shelf and desktop with a stack of demo CDs and informational leaflets. Williams, executive director of the Lotus Festival, is a tall and slender man with plenty of energy to spare. He proudly wears on his T-shirt a lotus blossom, the logo for the organization he helped start nine years ago.\n"We won!" Williams says with more than a hint of surprise in his voice, as he holds up the Community Enhancement Award that Lotus, a not-for-profit organization that promotes appreciation of world cultures through music and art, has just received from the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. \nTwo other people share the small office. One is LuAnne Holladay, the only other official Lotus employee. The other is Tom Hargis, a volunteer production assistant. Both toil over their keyboards, but take notice when Williams makes his announcement. \n"You're a treasure!" Holladay responds playfully.\nThe award couldn't have come at a better time. It is a testament to Williams' hard work and dedication. He has spent the past nine years organizing the annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. This year's five-day event hit downtown Bloomington Wednesday and will have patrons dancing in the streets through Sunday.\nTwenty-seven artists from around the world will represent their nations and cultures with performances in nine venues, including the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, the John Waldron Arts Center and two tents downtown.\n"It gives a chance for people to walk down the streets of Bloomington that they love, go into places that they love, see their friends on the street and talk about all the music that they've seen in the Bloomington environment," Williams says. "It's a really joyous occasion."\nPlanting the seed\nPlanning and producing Lotus Fest is a process that finds both Lotus employees and volunteers busy from the end of one year's festival through the finale of the next year's. A volunteer team, along with a group of sponsors, raised about $80,000 for this year's festival. A crew of around 300 volunteers will play key roles in ensuring that the event goes off without a hitch.\nLorain Addison, one of two volunteer coordinators for Lotus, says much of what Lotus does is based on the support of the community. Addison and her counterpart, Sarah Noggle, put in endless hours recruiting and training community members who have a desire to be part of this event.\n"All the parts are essential to the success of the Lotus Festival," Addison says. "If we didn't have volunteer support, the festival wouldn't exist." \nAs always, Williams is excited about this year's events. He says that while the artists change from year to year, the schedule format will remain mostly the same as in years past. \nThe festivities include a Wednesday kick-off concert, a Thursday concert, Saturday and Sunday showcase concerts and a Sunday World Spirit concert.\nA new addition to this year's schedule will be a Thursday night concert dubbed Lotus Late-Night. The concert will feature Yerba Buena, an Afro-Cuban group laced with U.S. hip-hop style, performing at Second Story Nightclub.\n"It's an opportunity to work with one of our weekend artists, to put them in a day early at a night club and have a different environment for their music," Williams says.\nWilliams stresses that while the late-night club show is for a 21+ audience only, all artists will hold all-ages concerts at some point over the course of the festival.\n"That's a big concern for us," he says. "We know that there are high school and college kids who come to the festival. We don't want to discriminate against them because they're not 21."\nWhat is world music?\nWilliams says he wouldn't try to define and categorize the kinds of music that people will hear at Lotus Fest.\nHe says "world music" is a marketing term that originated in the '80s when the record industry was forced to label a new wave of trans-continental collaborations resulting in new sounds and fusions of genres. He says the label doesn't accurately portray what the artists of Lotus Fest are all about.\n"I think the best way to describe what we do is sort of roots music from America and other countries, music that is not really mainstream commercial pop music that is here today, gone tomorrow," he says. \nWilliams says he strives to book artists who aren't making music to make money or become popular, but rather to reflect their culture.\nWilliams attributes this trend in genre-mixing to an increase in global communications and easier exposure to music from other cultures.\n"The world seems to be getting smaller, and more and more musicians are hearing other peoples' music," he says. "It isn't short-wave radio from New York to Africa anymore. You can pick up music from other cultures almost anywhere. Any time musicians hear new music, they get exposed to it, and somehow it works its way into their music."\nBringing a world of music to Bloomington\nGetting all of the artists here and coordinating the event is no picnic. \nWilliams says that even if the artists he wants are in the United States, they may not be in the Midwest during the week of Lotus Fest. \n"It all has to be timed perfectly with the last week or two of September," he says. "It's really kind of a little miracle that all these groups do wind up coming at this time."\nOne of the bigger hurdles for Williams in the current post-Sept. 11 environment is getting visas approved for all of the artists. Last year, several artists were forced to cancel appearances in the festival due to security issues.\nThis year, Williams says, the situation is looking much better. He says Lotus has been working with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as well as with Senator Richard Lugar's office in Indianapolis, to get all the artists cleared for this week's event. \n"We've been working very hard as an organization and as a world music community," he says. "We know that post-9/11 visas are going to be scrupulously examined by our government. We understand issues of safety and security, and we don't want to make light of that."\nOne ensemble faces a unique situation when it comes to traveling to the United States for Lotus Fest. Väsen, a Swedish quartet from Uppsala that will be performing as a trio this week, will be without percussionist Andre Ferrari, who won't travel in an airplane after the horrific events of Sept. 11. Olav Johansson, who plays the traditional Swedish nykelharpa (a type of guitar) for Väsen, says it just didn't work for Ferarri to come with them this year.\nJohansson says that while he, violist Mikael Marin and guitarist Roger Tallrot had little problem getting their visas approved, they did have a long wait throughout the process.\n"We were taken by surprise by how much information was asked for and the amount of time the agency wanted to handle everything," Johansson says. \nDespite these hang-ups, Väsen started its U.S. tour on Sept. 19 at the Minneapolis Nordic Roots Festival and will end it at Lotus Fest. \n"I look forward to some great gigs and a nice audience," Johansson says. "The last time we played the Lotus Festival we got to hear some great music from other bands."\nSpreading the word\nAfter Williams gets the artists booked, he faces his next big challenge: promoting the event and building an audience. While he says the event is always popular, student attendance is usually less than stellar. He says Lotus Fest typically attracts students with more of a liberal and adventurous mindset.\nWilliams says there are some students who have supported Lotus since year one, but he adds that it's a challenge to interest the general student body.\n"There are a variety of targeted students who we know are interested in Lotus," he says. "But your average student there at Indiana University, even though we're a huge, huge popular community event, doesn't have a clue about us."\nWhen most students buy tickets to a show, they know the artists on the bill. Since many students have not heard of the musicians at Lotus Fest, Williams says it's this lack of artist recognition that tends to deter potential fans. Instead, Williams hopes students will attend Lotus Fest out of pure curiosity. He thinks the artists are talented enough in their own right to merit student attention.\n"If anyone goes one time," he says, "they really love it and tell their friends, but getting them to come the first time is difficult." \nWilliams believes there is much knowledge to be gained from attending an event such as Lotus Fest.\n"I think that (the biggest benefit) would be the joy that comes from celebrating our cultural differences through the experience of live music," he says.\nWilliams hopes the cultural atmosphere provided through Lotus Fest will help expand the minds of Bloomington residents.\n"We're bringing something that you may never see the rest of your life into a small little venue in the town that you're living in," Williams says. "It's a way you can feel good, in stark contrast to what the terrorists were trying to intend."\nWilliams wants people to feel good, and his vision shows in the dedication of those around him, not only his coworkers, but the community in which he lives and works. His vision is to bring a little piece of world culture to a small midwestern college town and hoping people walk away with a new appreciation for the world community.\n"We're not solving world problems here," Williams says. "We're just doing the best that we can"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
It is inevitable. That CD you've had in your player for weeks is going to get old, and you are going to be in the market for some new music. But where will you go to purchase that new CD? \nYour decision might not be an easy one, as Bloomington has an abundance of music stores. From large corporate stores like Barnes and Noble and Sam Goody to smaller local or regional shops such as Tracks and The Den, there is a record store to suit everyone's tastes. Though the corporately owned stores are well known for falling prices on their sale racks, some of the smaller stores in town find it difficult to compete with those sales.\nTom Donohue, owner of TD's CDs and LPs, says his store cannot offer those kinds of deals to customers. \n"The thing sometimes with some of the other stores is that they'll have something, especially a new \nrelease, that they'll sell at a lot lower price than what I can afford to sell it for," Donohue says.\nCustomers seem to understand this and are willing to shop at the smaller local stores anyway. They also know they can get non-mainstream music cheaper if they shop at local stores because larger dealers often mark up prices on local or independent music. \nAlison Farley, a graduate student, says she often buys music from the local shops on Kirkwood Avenue.\n"I prefer to go downtown because you'll find CDs that aren't in the mainstream, and you won't be paying $20 for it, either," she says.\nDonohue notes that many people are willing to shop at local stores out of respect and support for the business.\n"That's kind of a nice feeling to have; that people are interested enough seeing a store like this survive that they're willing to invest a little more in themselves," he says.\nTD's also supports more music by local and independent artists, which many of the larger stores do not carry. Donohue says customers are not the only people who take advantage of the more obscure artists he carries.\n"I have employees in the other stores who actually call here if they don't have something, because a lot of times, I'll have it in stock," Donohue says. \nTD's also has a large collection of LPs, something that sets it apart from most music sellers. Tracks will soon be competing for part of the LP market as well. They have a small collection in the works.\nAndy Walter, Tracks owner, says that despite its local nature, they don't sell much local music. \n"We were really surprised with how little local sells," Walter says.\nDonohue, who considers himself to not only be a seller of music, but also a collector, prides himself on his musical knowledge.\n"I could tell someone about a band from the 1960s and also about some band that's popular now," he says.\nMany customers appreciate the personal and friendly atmosphere that they get when shopping at independent record stores. \nThe Den, a regional chain, competes with these stores by offering a wide variety of products other than music. Customers can buy things like snack food and condoms as well as CDs.\nStore manager Jim Cushing says he believes that his store offers customers "the perfect combination of price and selection."\nGreg Cohen stops into The Den everyday, but not for music. He goes to buy fountain drinks.\nCohen says he feels that the local stores really appreciate his business.\n"It feels like they care about the customers here," Cohen says. \nDonohue agrees that local stores have the opportunity to be a little more personable.\n"I think it's maybe a little more comfortable environment," he says.\nThough Donohue and Cohen are more comfortable in the smaller, local store environment, others prefer the comfort of the combination coffee shop and music section, which Barnes and Noble and Borders both offer. Many people, not intending to buy music, will wander into the music departments of these stores anyway.\n"I always go back to the music section," says Farley, who came to Barnes and Noble to buy a book for a class.\nWill Allen, music manager for Barnes and Noble, considers Borders to be their biggest competitor in terms of music sales.\nAnd if you are looking to buy the latest pop sensation, you will most likely find it for a low price at one of the larger stores such as Sam Goody. \nLito Velasco, store manager for Sam Goody, thinks that peoples' taste in music plays a large part in where they chose to shop.\n"It just depends on what you're looking for," he says.\nBut despite sharing the market with large corporate outlets, local record stores are not concerned with their survival. \n"There's a lot of competition for people's dollars, period," Walter says.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
A dorm room, a camera and two naked college students. If this seems like your typical Saturday night, that's because it's supposed to.\nStudent filmmakers and seniors Scott Schirmer and Dan Dixon use the art of film to explore human sexuality and gender relations in "Three Animals, One Stuffed."\nThe 32-minute film, which will be shown at 7 p.m today in Ballantine Hall Room 228, follows a one-night-stand gone away. \n"I hope that it (will) make (the audience) think about gender roles and ask themselves whether these differences come from biology or whether it's intrinsic or if it's because of sociology," Schirmer said.\nSchirmer, who wrote and directed the film, is a homosexual: He said it was his amazement at heterosexual relationships that inspired him to write this film.\n"Being gay, I look at heterosexual people and I am always marveled at the fact that they can ever get along," he said. \nSchirmer said he wrote the entire script in one night.\n"This movie was really fast to put together," he said. \nDixon, who served as producer, photographer and editor for the film, said "Three Animals, One Stuffed" was shot over a weekend in March in a vacant room in Collins Living-Learning Center. He said total production cost was about $500. \n"We already had all the equipment," Dixon said.\nSchirmer said the budget included about $20-$30 on condoms that were used as props.\n"The colored ones broke really easy," said Schirmer, "I can't believe people would actually use them."\nSenior Jayson Wickencamp, who plays one of the two characters in the film, remembers the weekend of filming as rewarding.\n"It was a very long weekend, but it was good," he said.\nWickencamp said the characters written by Schirmer are realistic and that people can relate to them.\n"I think there's a little bit of (my) character in everyone," he said.\nWickencamp said Schirmer and Dixon were easy to work with, and that they bought dinner for the cast.\n"It was like working with very professional people," he said.\nSchirmer and Dixon said they were very lucky in finding the right actors for the roles. They said they auditioned six talented actors before finally choosing Wickencamp and junior Lesley Dial.\n"The two that we picked were ready to do these roles without much rehearsal," Schirmer said.\nSchirmer and Dixon, both seniors, met in 1997 and began collaborating on film projects soon after.\nSchirmer said he has wanted to make movies since a very early age. He said "The Empire Strikes Back" was the film that inspired him the most.\nHe remembers going to see it 20 times even though the nearest theater was 45 minutes away. Observing that many people enjoyed the film inspired him to be a filmmaker, he said.\n"I've always told people that around the 18th or 19th time, it became just as interesting to watch other people's reactions," Schirmer said.\nDixon said he did not get seriously interested in filmmaking until he met Schirmer.\n"I didn't realize that making movies was cool until around four years ago," he said.\nDixon said that he has always had an interest in special effects, and that if he were to make a career out of filmmaking, it would be in that area.\nWhile Dixon said he is not very serious about making a living from film, Schirmer has big plans for his hobby. He said if he were to make a living in the film business, it would be somewhere in Indiana.\n"We've got a lot of talented people and we've got a lot of nice venues," Schirmer said.\nHe said the film industry in Los Angeles is too vicious and cutthroat, and that he would be happier where he is.\nFuture endeavors for this filmmaking duo include the upcoming premiere of their tentatively titled "Boy in the Making," which is scheduled to show Dec. 1 in the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium. They are also in the early stages of production for a horror film tentatively titled "House of Hope"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Everyone's heard the phrase, "These are the best years of your life." The validity of this statement is brought into harsh light by first-time author Rachel Solar-Tuttle in her book "Number 6 Fumbles."\n"Number 6 Fumbles" tells the story of Rebecca (Beck) Lowe, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, and her quest to find herself in her hectic college routine. Beck is a typical college student who spends her days with her art history books and her nights with vodka and grapefruit juice.\nBeck has always been the "fun" friend. She's always got the plans, and she seems very happy-go-lucky.\nBut her life is turned upside down when she sees No. 6 on the football team fumble the ball and sees how the fans react. She begins to wonder what would happen if she "fumbled the ball" in her own life.\nShe feels she has nowhere to go and no one to talk to. Her parents are very overbearing and are constantly pressuring her to succeed. She feels her roommates only care about her as a party companion. And she has no man in her life.\nThis becomes a huge issue for Beck, as she struggles to find "the one" through a series of hurtful lies and blurred one-night stands.\n"Number 6 Fumbles" does a nice job of showing the reality of college life. University students will be able to draw parallels to their own lives, and sympathize with the characters.\nThis book touches on several issues facing Beck and her peers, including self-respect and the need for stability. The importance of sex is questioned after she loses her virginity to a freshman. She begins to feel that it's nothing she should care about and becomes less protective of herself.\nShe wonders about being a woman and if life is meant to be painful for her after she meets Kate, a girl whose boyfriend abuses her. Even in this petty world that Solar-Tuttle creates, there are momentsof true friendship, especially in Beck's friend Phoebe. When these issues become too much, Phoebe is usually there to try to make sense of it all.\nAnyone who's ever questioned his place in this world or felt that one fumble could ruin his life forever will appreciate this book. It is a nicely-written account of how college can be both the best and most hellish years of our lives all at the same time.\nBut you don't have to take my word for it…
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
At about 10:29 a.m. Saturday, Greetings, a popular gift shop on Kirkwood Avenue, went up in flames after an overheated light fixture ignited flammable materials in the back room.\nEmployees and customers ran from the building as smoke billowed beneath the red awning overhanging the store.\nNo one was injured in the fire although the entire interior of the shop was destroyed.\nWithin minutes, the Bloomington Fire Department arrived with four trucks to fight the flames shooting from the open door. The firemen axed down doors and broke out display windows so they could blast water into the store. More black smoke began to escape, creating a huge cloud that engulfed the entire corner of Kirkwood Avenue and Dunn Street. The struggle continued for approximately 30 minutes, while alarmed citizens watched from across the street.\nRuss Clancy, who was living in and running a hair salon above Greetings, said he woke up to the realization that his building was on fire and escaped from the roof of a neighboring building. He is thankful to have avoided injury.\n"God always watches over us," he said.\nDana Banister, a senior, was the Greetings employee who called 911. Banister and Lisa Simmons, a junior, were working at the store when the fire started. They said items began falling from shelves as flames worked their way across the ceiling.\n"There were just shards of tissue paper flying across the room," Banister said.\nSimmons said no alarm sounded.\n"We didn't hear anything per se," she said.\nBloomington fire investigator Steve Cottingham said the fire was electrical. He said a light fixture ballast overheated and was the most likely cause of the fire.\n"It started above the ceiling in the back room," he said.\nCottingham said there were no smoke detectors in the building, but also said small businesses are not required to install them.\nThe store's owners, Robert and Rosemary Jacobs, were vacationing in Florida Saturday. Their daughter Sarah Sater and son-in-law Matt Sater are also owners and have run the business for the past five years.\nMatt Sater, who was at the scene of the fire, said all the store's merchandise was destroyed.\nThe family operates another Greetings store at 907 S. College Mall Road, but hopes to re-open on Kirkwood in the future.\n"We definitely intend to be on Kirkwood again," Sater said.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Friday evening, the School of Fine Arts Gallery opened its doors to a new exhibit.\nThe crowd that had gathered outside moved past the wine and fruit tables and into the gallery. A low rumble began and soon grew into audible laughter.\nAn elderly lady chuckled as she looked through the display glass at a multi-colored condom with the caricature of a fiddler on its tip.\nThe condom collection, along with many other sexually humorous pieces, are the centerpiece of the new exhibit "Sex and Humor: Selections from the Kinsey Institute."\nThe new exhibit features many drawings, figurines, and photographs from the Kinsey Institute that show how people have treated sex as a humorous act throughout the years.\nJohn Bancroft, director of the Kinsey Institute, said that much of the humor in sex is derived from our feelings of superiority over other species.\n"The absurdity is mainly because it conflicts with us being dignified and in control," he said. "It's not how we like to see ourselves."\nBancroft said he hopes the exhibit will get people to think about the relationship between sex and humor. \n"(I hope) that we are all able to laugh at ourselves in this respect and adopt a more humble view of ourselves because this is a part of out human nature," he said.\nCatherine Johnson, curator for the Kinsey Institute, said that many of the pieces in the exhibit center around the penis.\nSuch pieces include "Wind-up Whackin' Willy" -- a figurine that masturbates, and a set of "Weenie Babies" -- plush toys with very exaggerated phalluses.\n"Several cultures have made a big deal about the male genitalia," Johnson said.\nAccording to one display, some ancient cultures would keep phallic symbols in their homes in belief that it would ward off evil spirits.\nBancroft's favorite piece, a drawing titled "Racing his snails" by Cyril Satorsky, depicts a bearded man with two snails crawling along his extremely large penis. When asked why this was his favorite, Bancroft replied, "I just like it. Don't ask me to get that analytical."\nBancroft feels that society has put too much emphasis on the male genitals.\n"(The penis) of course has become the focal point of a man's masculinity to an unfortunate degree," he said.\nAlthough most of the pieces highlight the male aspect of sex, women are also highlighted in a few displays.\nOne drawing depicts a woman in a sailor's uniform using a urinal next to another sailor while she asks, "Well, what the hell are you staring at?" This piece, along with others in the display, comments on the way society reacted when women first started serving in the military.\nThe Kinsey Institute has held two exhibits at the SoFA gallery in the past; "The Art of Desire: Erotic Treasures from the Kinsey Institute" in 1997 and "The Kiss" in 1998.\nBetsy Stirratt, director of the SoFA gallery, said the Kinsey exhibits usually draw larger crowds than other exhibits.\n"People are curious," she said. "It's always interesting to work with them because they have this material that very few people have seen. I think the exhibit is a very positive one."\nAlthough Bancroft said that he hopes this exhibit will be more light-hearted and more accessible than previous Kinsey exhibits, he hasn't forgotten the controversy that surrounded their first exhibit in 1997.\nBancroft said that the Concerned Women for America protested "The Art of Desire" exhibit and accused the institute of promoting rape. However, he said that he is still confident that "Sex and Humor" will be well received.\n"I think people that would be likely to be offended by (the exhibit) wouldn't go," he said.\nStirratt said she is aware of the nature of this exhibit and said there will be signs and greeters at the gallery to tell people what they are about to see.\n"You have to be very sensitive and aware when you present an exhibit like this," she said.\n"Sex and Humor" will continue through March 9, and Catherine Johnson will present a gallery talk about the exhibit Wednesday at noon.\nAlso available at the exhibit is a book by the same name, featuring essays by John Bancroft and Dr. Leonore Tiefer, professor of psychiatry at the New York School of Medicine.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
The time has come. The fateful night the Hollywood year revolves around. The evening that could make or break an upcoming filmmaker or actor. The Super Bowl of the film industry.\nYes, the Oscars are upon us, and Tuesday morning, the starting lineup was officially announced.\nNo more heated debates with your friends about whether "Moulin Rouge" or "A Beautiful Mind" will receive more nominations. No longer will you have to wonder if the Academy will recognize a fantasy epic like "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." \nThose inquiries can now be put to rest.\nLeading the pack with 13 nominations was Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings." However, most of these nominations were in technical categories, with only one acting nomination (Ian McKellen for supporting actor).\nTying for second place are "A Beautiful Mind" and "Moulin Rouge" with eight nominations each.\nThe fight for the coveted award of best picture will be between "Lord of the Rings", "A Beautiful Mind," "Gosford Park," "In the Bedroom," and "Moulin Rouge." \nWere "Moulin Rouge" to take this category, it would be the first time since "Oliver!" in 1968 that a live-action musical won for best picture.\nDuking it out for best actor are Russell Crowe for his role as a schizophrenic mathematician in "A Beautiful Mind," Sean Penn for his portrayal of a mentally disabled father fighting for custody of his daughter in "I Am Sam," Will Smith for the title role in "Ali," Denzel Washington for playing an evil cop in "Training Day" and Tom Wilkinson for his performance as the vigilante father in "In the Bedroom."\nBecause Crowe took home this award last year for "Gladiator," if he wins for this category, he will achieve the rare honor of winning back-to-back years.\nAlso of notable mention is the fact that three black actors (Smith, Washington, and Halle Berry) are up for lead categories for the first time since 1972.\nAlong with Berry for "Monster's Ball," the honor of best actress will be sought by Nicole Kidman for her role in "Moulin Rouge," Judi Dench for her portrayal of British writer Iris Murdoch in "Iris," Sissy Spacek for playing a grieving mother in "In the Bedroom" and Renee Zellweger as a love-sick Londoner in "Bridget Jones's Diary."\nThe supporting actor category includes Jim Broadbent for his role as the husband of Murdoch in "Iris," Ethan Hawke for playing a rookie narcotics detective in "Training Day," Ben Kingsley for his portrayal of a mobster in "Sexy Beast," Ian McKellen for the role of the wizard Gandalf in "Lord of the Rings" and Jon Voight for portraying sportscaster Howard Cosell in "Ali".\nWith two nominees from the film "Gosford Park," the category for best supporting actress includes Helen Mirren for the role of a housekeeper in "Gosford Park," Maggie Smith for her role in the same film, Jennifer Connelly for the role of Crowe's wife in "A Beautiful Mind," Marisa Tomei for playing a single mom involved with a younger man in "In the Bedroom" and Kate Winslet for her portrayal of writer Murdoch in her early years in "Iris."\nThe high honor of best director will be debated between Peter Jackson for "Lord of the Rings," Robert Altman for "Gosford Park," Ron Howard for "A Beautiful Mind," David Lynch for "Mulholland Drive" and Ridley Scott for "Black Hawk Down."\nIn addition to these familiar categories, this year's Oscars will include a new category for animated feature films. Apparently, the Academy has taken notice of the high ticket sales for these films and has decided that they should be a part of Oscar glory, as well. Nominees for the first award include "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius," "Monsters Inc." and "Shrek."\nAnother category or high regard is the best musicall score. This year's nominees include "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence", "A Beautiful Mind", "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone", "Lord of the Rings", and "Monsters Inc."\nAs most people know, the Golden Globes serve as a fairly accurate predictor of how the Oscar slate will look. But it is not uncommon for films that are successful at the Globes to be missing among the Oscar nominees.\nSome of the more notable snubs this year include "The Royal Tenenbaums" and its lead actor Gene Hackman, who took home a Golden Globe for his role of an estranged patriarch working his way back into his family's lives. Also missing from the Oscar nominations is Billy Bob Thornton, who was nominated twice for "The Man Who Wasn't There" and "Bandits" and who received notable mention for "Monster's Ball" at the Globes.\nAnother film with a conspicuously few number of nominations is "Harry Potter," the year's top grossing film. It received only three nominations: art direction, costume design and original score. Then again, the Academy has never been keen on big-budget movies.\nNow you know the contenders for this year's Oscar brawl. With this information, you might be able to hold your own in a conversation with movie buff friends. These actors and directors will be the talk of the industry until (and most likely months after) the awards March 24. \nWhat do you think? Who do you think deserves the top Hollywood honors? We here at the IDS want to know what you, the readers, think. We've decided not to let the critics have the only say! Within the next week, we will post a ballot for you to cast your votes for the Oscar categories on our Web Site (www.idsnews.com). We believe Bloomington's voice should be heard, because after all, we are the ones who spend our hard earned money to see these movies! Votes will be counted March 20, and the IDS will report on who the community has chosen as the champions of film. I encourage all of you to go online and vote for your favorites and let the public know what Bloomington's Oscars would be like.
(04/24/02 6:11am)
The IU Auditorium, which has consistently brought well-known acts to campus, has announced its 2002-2003 lineup. With Broadway hits such as "CATS" and high-energy shows such as "Bring In Da' Noise, Bring In Da' Funk," the IU Auditorium hopes to provide entertainment for everyone.\nAmong the shows to come to IU in the fall, patrons will have the chance to groove to popular Bee Gees hits in "Saturday Night Fever" and revisit their childhood dreams with "Cinderella."\nDoug Booher, Interim General Manager for the IU Auditorium, said they've been working on compiling the season since September. \nHe said the Auditorium consults with agencies in New York that handle the acts and derives a list of all feasible shows. \nThis list is then sent to all ticket buyers from the past few years, and they have the opportunity to vote on which acts they would like to see.\nBooher said the Auditorium management then looks at the votes and tries to round out the season.\n"(We) try to make it so there's a show for everyone," he said.\nCheryl Crouch, Executive Director of Marketing and Administrative Affairs for the Auditorium, said this is a result of the attention paid to patrons.\n"We've done a lot of research with our customers and what they want us to bring," she said. "We have a show for just about everybody's interest and everybody's age."\nBooher said the Auditorium hopes the coming season offers more variety to customers. He said there will be plenty of shows incorporating dance -- such as "Bring In Da' Noise, Bring In Da' Funk" -- that will be attractive to student audiences.\n"I think that it will be easy for students to find five shows that they would like to see," Booher said. "There are a lot of things that I think will meet the needs of students."\nBooher said he is excited about the coming season.\n"For me, the most exciting show that we were able to bring to campus is 'Bring In Da' Noise, Bring In Da' Funk,'" he said. "It's a really high-energy show."\nThe coming performance of "Bring In Da' Noise, Bring In Da' Funk" will feature its original creator, Savion Glover. This has created a buzz among both students and Auditorium personnel alike.\nBooher predicts "CATS" will be among the most successful shows, as people who have seen it will see it again and those who haven't will see it based on its reputation on Broadway. He also said he thinks "Saturday Night Fever" will do well.\n"There are a lot of people that are enjoying the revival that disco has been having," he said.\nTwo other highly requested acts that are predicted to do well in the box office are Kenny Rogers and the first act of the season, The Temptations.\nCrouch said last season's presentation of Willy Nelson tapped into a new market, in which she said Rogers will be able to attract.\nAlso noteworthy, Crouch said, is the classical arts the Auditorium will bring. Among others, these include "Tango Buenos Aires," a show highlighting the art and culture of the tango, as well as Susan Graham, a classical vocalist.\nPilobolus, an innovative dance ensemble, and "Fosse," a Tony Award-winning musical highlighting the life of dancer and choreographer Bob Fosse, are at the top of Bridget Krull's list of favorites. Krull, a box office clerk at the Auditorium, said she is glad patrons can pick and chose which shows to attend.\n"I think all the Auditorium seasons are great because you can customize your subscription," she said.\nBooher said ticket prices will remain the same as this year, with students receiving half off each ticket purchase.\n"We're very proud of the fact that a student can come in and get a substantially discounted ticket," he said.\nCrouch is confident students and community members will be satisfied with the upcoming season.\n"There's something for everyone and we've done our homework," she said. "And that's what I think sets the season apart."\nFor information on performance dates and ticket prices, visit www.iuauditorium.com .
(03/22/02 4:49am)
The votes are in! \nWith the Oscars quickly approaching, I'm sure many of you have been anxious to see who the Academy will crown as the kings of Hollywood. Well, you'll have to hold on a few more days until Sunday evening's Oscar ceremony to find out who will get the "real" votes.\nBut today you can see who you, the readers, have chosen as the best of the best. Over the past several weeks, we have been allowing readers to vote in an online ballot for their favorite Hollywood stars. The votes have been counted, the results are in and I promise there will be no mud-slinging or court battles a la IUSA.\nThe big winner was "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," which won 10 of the 13 categories it was up for, including best picture, best supporting actor and best director. \n"Lord of the Rings" took the award for best picture with 40 percent of your votes. In a close second, "A Beautiful Mind" grabbed 34 percent of your votes but could not match the epic fantasy.\nYou showed your support of Russell Crowe by giving him the award for best actor with 36 percent of your votes. Apparently the recent controversy as to the historical accuracy of "A Beautiful Mind" was not enough to rob Crowe of this award. I guess we'll see if the Academy feels the same.\nIn another big win, Nicole Kidman grabbed the highly sought-after award for best actress with 38 percent of your votes. She easily beat out runner-up Renee Zellweger's 18 percent. Many said Kidman can't sing, but your votes show that Bloomington thinks she can can-can.\nShowing the acting muscle behind "A Beautiful Mind," Jennifer Connelly joined Crowe winning your choice for best supporting actress with an amazing 70 percent of your votes. Though it did not win many awards, you did show that you loved the acting in this film.\nHelping "Lord of the Rings" take one of its many awards, Ian McKellen won best supporting actor in a landslide vote, earning 66 percent of your votes for the category.\nAnother big win for "Lord of the Rings" was Peter Jackson taking best director with 47 percent of your votes. \nA few other films that won by large margins were "Amelie," which won best foreign language film with 80 percent of your votes, and "Shrek," which took the inaugural award for best feature-length animated feature with 69 percent of your votes.\nThe ever-crucial award for best musical score was another notch in the belt for "Lord of the Rings," with Howard Shore's epic compositions taking 40 percent of your votes. Coming in second in this category was John Williams' score for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which earned 26 percent of your votes in this category.\nSo there you have it. These are the stars and filmmakers that you have chosen as this year's masters of the silver screen. To see winners in other categories, log on to www.idsnews.com/arts and check out the "Oscars" link. \nWill the Academy make the same picks as Bloomington? You'll just have to join host Whoopi Goldberg for the Oscars Sunday night to find out.
(03/07/02 12:01am)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - R\nStarring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck\nDirected by: Kevin Smith\n\"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" delivers one of the most fun and elaborate dick-and-fart jokes ever to grace DVD. Director Kevin Smith, known for his "View Askewniverse" films including "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy," has brought back the popular stoner duo for one last romp on DVD. \nThe film takes Jay and Silent Bob from their home base in New Jersey to the sunny hills of Hollywood in a quest to stop production of a movie based on the comic book "Bluntman and Chronic," which is based on them. On their quest, these "hetero lifemates" find themselves harboring a fugitive orangutan named Susanne and battling Mark Hamill in a bong-saber battle, among other adventures. \nConfused? If so, you probably haven't seen Smith's previous films. "JSBSB" is chock full of celebrity cameos and jokes reminiscent of past Smith films, and much of the humor will be lost on those not familiar with his work. But for any Smith fan, this DVD is loaded with enough extras to keep you lauging well after the movie is over.\nThe most entertaining extra is the extensive collection of deleted scenes. Because of problems with the MPAA and GLAAD, Smith was forced to cut many of the more offensive scenes so the film could have an R rating instead of an NC-17 rating. With the magic of DVD, these scenes are now available in their full digital glory. \nAny Smith special-edition DVD would not be complete without a feature length commentary. Smith, whose commentary tracks always provide extra laughs, once again brings this feature to "JSBSB." Jason Mewes (Jay) and producer Scott Mosier join Smith for the commentary, but co-stars such as Will Ferrell, Chris Rock and Ben Affleck are unfortunately missing. Though not on the same level as his previous commentaries, Smith delivers a track that is more entertaining than most others on the market.\nAs if the outtakes and the commentary were not enough to warrant owning this DVD, it also includes the full length Comedy Central feature "Reel Comedy: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and a behind-the-scenes featurette. Both offer hilarious looks into how Smith works with his cast and crew and the relationships forged while on set.\nHighlighting the film's soundtrack, the DVD includes music videos for Stroke 9's "Kick Some Ass" and Afroman's "I Got High." Both videos are hilarious and feature Jay and Bob themselves, leaving this reviewer to wonder why they haven't appeared more on MTV. \nThis film provides a nice close to the "View Askewniverse" by bringing together characters from past Smith outings for one last look at comics, sex and drugs. And the DVD adds a ton to an already great film. No, it's not going to win any Academy Awards this spring, but I'm willing to bet you'll have a better time watching it than any film up for the ol' golden boys. Granted, if you don't have some understanding of the "ViewAskiewniverse," you might not want to run out and buy this DVD, but if you are a Smith fan, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" is a necessary addition to your DVD collection. \n