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(02/14/08 5:00am)
There is no question that Lenny Kravitz is a really cool dude -- one of the coolest, in fact. The thing is that the man hasn't had a big single since 2000's "Again." Since then, he's released two albums that have been moderately successful, but his star has definitely faded a bit. But now, Lenny's back with It Is Time for a Love Revolution.\nThe best words that would be used to describe Love Revolution are probably the exact words that have been used to describe all of Lenny Kravitz's albums for years: good guitar work, a few interesting arrangements and a handful of sappy ballads. It seems Kravitz assumed that the easiest way to recapture some of his past success would be to write and produce similar-sounding tracks. By doing so, he has created an album full of songs that run together and in the end, bore. \nLove Revolution opens with two typical Kravitz tracks, "Love Revolution" and "Bring It On," both of which feature his classic funk-rock type of sound. They're not bad songs, but when you listen, they sound so much like his past songs that you easily get caught up picturing him doing an "Are You Gonna Go My Way"-esque video for them. \nUnfortunately, it only gets worse. "Love Love Love" is nothing more than Kravitz listing off all the things he "don't need," which include: television sets, politicians, trains and shiny golden chains, among many others. And why? Because he's got love.\nEven the slower tracks, including the first single "I'll Be Waiting" and "A Long And Sad Goodbye," just aren't that interesting. The latter includes lyrics about a fractured relationship with his father: "Papa you meant the world to me / Why did you abandon me?" that just seem too sappy and elementary coming from a man of Kravitz's age.\nOn Love Revolution, Lenny fails to offer anything remotely new. Most of the songs here are too long and too boring to get into. Diehard Kravitz disciples will probably enjoy it, but it's safe to say the revolution attempt failed.
(09/27/07 4:00am)
his will be forever known as the year of Judd Apatow.\nApatow and his crew are responsible for 2007's two best comedies and summer smashes: "Knocked Up" and "Superbad." The first of the two to be released, "Knocked Up" is memorable not only for its side-splitting hilarity but also for its heart. The movie is centered around two characters, lazy stoner Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and successful and gorgeous Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl), who meet at a club one night. They hook up in a drunken one-night stand, only to find out eight weeks later that Alison is pregnant. The result is a movie that is the year's best comedy thus far. \nApatow's brand of comedy is an equal blend of pop-culture references and obligatory raunchy humor. The blend makes the movie feel real; the dialogue mimics banter you and your roommates have on a daily basis. Ben and his roommates' discussion of what made "Munich" so awesome or Ben and Pete's De Niro impressions are clever and spot-on. \nThe movie serves as a launching point for Rogen, who not only starred in Apatow's feature film directorial debut "40 Year Old Virgin," but also co-wrote "Superbad." Rogen is perfect as the lovable loser, and "Grey's Anatomy" star Heigl is also perfect as the successful young blonde. Even with the great lead roles, the movie is loaded with a bevy of great supporting roles. Whether it's Ben's hilariously pathetic roommates or Alison's sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd) or the slew of gynecologists, every new character introduced in "Knocked Up" serves more laughs. \nThe extras are nothing short of spectacular, serving up more than three hours of bonus features and the Apatow-brand of hilarity. "Being Ben Stone" is a fake documentary about all the other actors who were "in line" to play the lead. Michael Cera didn't get the part because he was "too young and birdlike," and Orlando Bloom wasn't quite "American" enough. "Directing the director" is entertaining and features "Capote" director Bennett Miller hounding Apatow to make "Knocked Up" more artsy. And in case you didn't get enough beard quips from the feature film, "The Beard-O-Rama" is filled with snappy one-liners from the cast ripping on Martin's face shag.\nWith the brilliant movie and the uniquely engaging special features, "Knocked Up" is a must-have for your DVD collection.
(09/27/07 4:00am)
1. Union Board World DJs \nWhen: 7 p.m. Friday \nWhere: Mallor Clendening Grodner & Bohrer Tent DJ Neville C from Washington, D.C., The Hook UP from Memphis, Tenn., and locals The Counts of Bounce will be spinning for the free event sponsored by Union Board and WIUX Media. \nead of IU Hip Hop Congress Tim Zawada booked all three acts. He said he chose these specific DJs because "Lotus Fest is all about turning people on to music that they normally wouldn't hear, so I wanted to bring in DJs that would play a full set of the most eclectic blends from all corners of the world."\nBefore the DJs take the stage, The Hip Hop Congress will host a turntable workshop to familiarize the crowd with the art form.
(08/02/07 12:56am)
I can still remember my first baseball game. It was at Tiger Stadium. Not Comerica Park, but the old stadium on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Detroit. That day, the Tigers where facing the Texas Rangers and a future Hall of Fame pitcher by the name of Nolan Ryan.\nI was only 5 years old back then and didn’t understand why my dad was so excited to see this guy play.\nWhen I went to Indianapolis on July 20 this year to watch a game between the Indianapolis Indians and the Durham Bulls however, I knew a little more about the players on the teams I was about to watch than I did before that first game back in the early 1990s. But not much.\nThere were not 756 career home runs or 300 career wins on the line. The players in the AAA are playing in hopes of getting called up to the big leagues. These are players whose names you probably do not recognize yet unless you follow farm systems religiously. But that doesn’t mean you never will.\nThe list of former Indianapolis Indians includes names such as Randy Johnson, Roger Maris and Moisés Alou. The list of former Durham Bulls is just as impressive with Johnny Pesky, Joe Morgan, Chipper and Andruw Jones and of course Lawrence “Crash” Davis, who Kevin Costner portrayed in the 1988 movie “Bull Durham.”\nA game between teams in the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Devil Rays farm systems might not seem like something that would draw crowds, but 13,635 people came out to Victory Field that day. That’s only about 750 fewer than the Florida Marlins, a major league team, averaged in home attendance during the 2006 season. \nAnd while both teams’ parent club sits in the basement of their major league divisions, the same cannot be said for the Indians or the Bulls. At the time of the game, both sat in second place of the International League’s West and South divisions, respectively.\nWith the backdrop of downtown Indianapolis, fans were already filling up the stadium with more than an hour to go before the first pitch of the game. They filled not only the stands in the infield, but many also sat on blankets in the grass to enjoy the game from the outfield.\nThose who came enjoyed a tight game in which neither team held a lead of more than one run. The game ended in the bottom of the ninth, when the Indians’ right fielder Adam Boeve led off the inning with a walk-off home run to give Indianapolis a 5-4 win. \nFor many, going to a baseball game means a game at Wrigley Field, U.S. Cellular Field, Great American Ballpark or any one of the MLB’s other 27 ballparks. But we have minor league ballparks all over the country. Forty-five out of 48 states in the continental U.S. have minor league teams, and in Indiana, we have teams in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and South Bend. In addition to the minor league teams, we have independent teams in Evansville and Gary. \nSo almost anywhere you go, you can count on a baseball park being nearby.
(07/30/07 4:26am)
If you've been keeping up with this blog, or if you checked out the story in Monday's IDS, you would already know that DJ White stood out for the U.S. Pan American Basketball Team.
(07/15/07 6:00pm)
The following is an article from Monday's Indiana Daily Student:
(07/09/07 4:57pm)
It's been nearly four months since this has been updated and we here at the Indiana Daily Student have noticed that the blog was receiving a lot of traffic. So that means many of you have been coming here looking for updates, only to leave disappointed. Well never fear, because we are back and here to report to you on the state of IU basketball.
(06/25/07 1:20pm)
For IU football coach Terry Hoeppner, the time to shine was on Saturdays.\nSo when planning his Celebration of Life, there was only one day his wife Jane said it should happen. It needed to be a Saturday.\n“It’s game day,” Jane Hoeppner told friends, family and IU fans who had come to Assembly Hall Saturday to remember her husband, who died Tuesday due to complications from a brain tumor.\nAfter the ceremony, the celebration was taken to the west side of Assembly Hall where the funeral precession passed through the team, which was lined up with each player raising a helmet, while the Marching Hundred played the IU fight song. \n“When I think of Coach Hep, I think of tremendous courage,” said former IU running back Anthony Thompson, who had served as Hoeppner’s pastor for the last 18 months. “As far as I know, he never complained about his illness or about his sickness.”\nThompson went on to say that he still sees Hoeppner even after death.\n“Yes he’s still doing the walk,” Thompson said. “He’s walking in heaven, where the streets are paved with gold. Yes there is still the rock, that rock is Jesus Christ. ... That rock can never be moved.”\nThompson then put a red IU hat on his head and pointed to the players who were seated together.\n“And my final comments I will say that Hep still wants you to follow him as he followed Christ,” he said. “And I can say to the team that Hep still wants 13 (games).”\nPlay 13 – a motto of Hoeppner’s, referring to IU playing in a bowl game – was a prevailing message throughout the ceremony.\n“This is a beginning for you today,” Jane Hoeppner told the team. “Don’t you dare let it become anything except the start of something huge for you. You have put so much into this and this season is going to be so awesome. You are going to play 13, we are going to be in a bowl game. And Coach Hep is going to be there with us.”\nOutgoing IU president Adam Herbert said while Hoeppner is gone, the impact he left on the University will still be felt.\n“His impact can be felt each time our team takes the walk, each time we look at the rock and each time we tap into the never quit attitude he lived by and inspired others to follow,” Herbert said. “Hep truly does leave a legacy, not only set in a three-ton chunk of limestone, but one that is also inscribed in our hearts.”\nHoeppner not only left a legacy, but he did it the right way said Brad Bates, the director of athletics at Miami University in Ohio, where Hoeppner coached before coming to IU. Bates’ words in the ceremony came in the form of a spoken letter to Northwestern coach Randy Walker and former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, both former Miami coaches who have died in the last year.\n“He was clearly not motivated by money or ego, but by a noble and honorable passion,” Bates said. “Sure Terry used his coaching methodology to develop better athletes to win games … But what distinguishes Terry is that he would never let any of us be satisfied in only one aspect of our life. He demanded that we excel in all of our endeavors.”\nThe ceremony included two videos, one family video comprised of pictures of Hoeppner with his family and one football video with highlights from Hoeppner’s career.\nJunior wide receiver James Hardy called Hoeppner a father figure and made one promise about the future.\n“We will dedicate this season and each and every season on to Coach Hep and his family,” Hardy said. “Thank you for being so strong for us.”
(06/21/07 1:13am)
College athletics was rocked Tuesday morning by the passing of IU football coach Terry Hoeppner.\nHoeppner had only been IU’s head coach for two years, but he left a lasting impression on those who coached against him in the Big Ten.\n“The Big Ten Conference, along with our institutions, coaches and student-athletes, are greatly saddened by the passing of Terry Hoeppner,” Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany said in a statement. “In his time in Bloomington, we came to know Terry as a great leader of young men and an important member of the Big Ten coaching community.”\nBefore coming to IU, Hoeppner was the head coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. During his six seasons at Miami, the Redhawks had a 48-25 record with two bowl appearances. \n“Terry was a mentor,” Miami coach Shane Montgomery said in a statement. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him being a mentor to me. Everybody knew what a great coach he was, but he was a great person. He was a great person to be around. He was a coach’s coach and a player’s coach and had a great attitude about everything. I know he was fighting until the last day, and that’s just the type of person he was.”\nIn 2003, Hoeppner’s most successful year as a head coach, Miami finished with a 13-1 record and was ranked 10th in the Associated Press poll. That season the Redhawks were led by Ben Roethlisberger, now an NFL quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.\n“Coach Hoeppner has inspired me to be who I am today,” Roethlisberger said in a statement. “He has been a second father, a teacher and a friend. He believed in me and I owe everything to him for where I am in life. I hold the deepest love and respect for him, his wife Jane and their family. He has been a role model for so many young men. I aspire to be as honorable and touch as many lives as Coach Hep. I will miss him more than words can describe.”\nNorthwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald remembers Hoeppner’s words after the death of then-Wildcats coach Randy Walker. Hoeppner was an assistant coach under Walker and preceded him as head coach at Miami. Walker died on June 29, 2006 of an apparent heart attack.\n“Northwestern is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Terry Hoeppner,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his family, the Indiana University community and everyone who was touched by this great man. Terry was a coach with outstanding character, a great love for the game and his players, a tremendous motivator and an ideal family man. We all remember the moving reflection he gave at Coach Walker’s memorial service just less than a year ago. Like Coach Walk, he was one of the great role models in our coaching profession. This is a truly sad day for college football.”\nPenn State coach Joe Paterno never faced Hoeppner, as the Nittany Lions had been off the Hoosiers’ schedule for the past two seasons. Hoeppner was still able to impress Paterno in his interaction with him, however.\n“I admired him as a person and a football coach,” Paterno said in a statement. “I wasn’t around him a whole lot since we haven’t played Indiana (the past two years), but during the time I spent with him at Big Ten meetings, you could see that he was a very honest and courageous person.”\nPurdue coach Joe Tiller remembers Hoeppner as a competitor both on and off the field.\n“As a staff and as a program, we are deeply saddened to hear of Coach Hoeppner’s passing (Tuesday) morning,” Tiller said in a statement. “I know Hep was a fierce competitor, and he battled an unforgiving disease. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Jane and their family and the Indiana University community. We hope they find comfort in knowing that he is no longer in pain and is in a much better place.”
(06/19/07 2:54pm)
Nearly three months after IU head football coach Terry Hoeppner took a leave of absence, the IU Athletics Department announced Friday he will not return to the Hoosiers for the 2007 season. Assistant head coach Bill Lynch, who took over Hoeppner’s day-to-day duties when Hoeppner took the leave of absence in March, will lead the Hoosiers this fall.\n“I’ve been in regular communication with the Hoeppner family for the duration of this medical leave,” IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan said in a press conference Friday. “As we got closer to the season, we were monitoring, trying to get an assessment of Terry’s capabilities health wise to come back. Terry said a while ago ‘I want to do what’s right for Indiana University.’ I think those that know him know that he doesn’t say that without significant thought or concern.”\nGreenspan said he will re-evaluate the head coaching situation at the conclusion of the season.\nJunior wide receiver James Hardy said in an Athletics Department press release that the team is keeping Hoeppner in its thoughts, and is focused on the upcoming season.\n“As a group, our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Coach Hep and his family,” Hardy said in the release. “I think our coaches have brought this team along and made it even closer. We are focused on having the best season we can possibly have, and Coach Lynch will continue to bring out the best in us.”\nHardy and the rest of the players were informed of the change Friday morning in a team meeting. In addition to Lynch and Greenspan, Hoeppner’s wife, Jane, also spoke with the team during the meeting.\n“Our kids have been a very resilient group through this,” Lynch said “They really are a great group and I think they’ve grown together through this. We believe in them and they’re starting to believe in one another.”\nThe leave is Hoeppner’s third since he had surgery to remove a brain tumor in December 2005. Hoeppner returned in time for the start of spring practice in 2006 and coached for the beginning of the season before having to take another leave in September to remove some scar tissue. \nHe sat out for two games, at which time Lynch took over head coaching duties, losing two games to Southern Illinois and Connecticut. Hoeppner returned for the Hoosiers’ Big Ten opener against Wisconsin.\n“We hoped this most recent medical leave of absence would follow a similar pattern (of a quick recovery), and he would return invigorated, rested and healthy,” Greenspan said. “Hep has shown great determination, passion for his position and pride in Indiana University. Unfortunately Terry has been out for longer then we had hoped and we need to move forward and make appropriate leadership decisions with the start of our fall camp only weeks away.”\nGreenspan said Hoeppner had spent the past several days in the hospital and he expected him to be released Friday. In the release, Jane Hoeppner said her husband has been receiving chemotherapy and radiation for the past several months.\nGreenspan would not give an exact diagnosis, but did indicate Hoeppner’s recent leave of absence and medical treatment are related to the brain tumor Hoeppner had removed in December of 2005.\n“I won’t say that, but I think it’s apparent by definition,” Greenspan said.\nLynch now assumes the task of leading a team built by Hoeppner, who from his first day at IU had high expectations for the team, envisioning the Hoosiers playing in a bowl game within his first few years, and eventually playing in the Rose Bowl.\n“The thing that Terry did for this football program is getting the kids in the program and the fans to believe that Indiana football can win,” Lynch said. “I think our kids have bought into that and believe in that. The one mission we have is to carry on the vision that Terry brought.” \nAnother challenge Lynch will face is recruiting high school players to the football program in the face of adversity. \n“We’re going full steam ahead,” Lynch said. “We’ve had a lot of good kids on campus and we have a lot more lined up. They come to campus somewhat knowing the situation. This is an ongoing thing, but it’s been very easy to sell the University and the football program.”\nLynch also said no one from IU ever heard of other teams using Hoeppner’s health as a recruiting tool against IU. \nLynch will have to prepare the Hoosiers to play football through Hoeppner’s most recent setback.\n“It’s tough, but as Terry would want, you’re going to move forward,” Lynch said “The last message (through e-mail) that he sent was ended with ‘Defend the rock and play 13.’ That’s our challenge, and that’s what we’re going to do. I felt good when they left the room today. It was a tough day for them, but I think a bunch of them headed right for the weight room.”\nGreenspan said he was thankful to Lynch for leading the Hoosiers in 2007 and pointed to his experience as an indicator of his head coaching qualifications. He said Lynch’s contract would be adjusted for bonuses and compensation packages. \n“I’m very appreciative for Bill stepping in,” Greenspan said. “It’s not his first rodeo.”\n-Editor-in-Chief Zachary Osterman contributed to this report
(06/18/07 5:10am)
The IU Athletics Department announced Friday that IU head football coach Terry Hoeppner will not return to the Hoosiers for the 2007 season nearly three months after he took a leave of absence for medical reasons. Assistant head coach Bill Lynch, who took over Hoeppner’s day-to-day duties when Hoeppner took the leave of absence in March, will lead the Hoosiers this fall.\n“I’ve been in regular communication with the Hoeppner family for the duration of this medical leave,” IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan said in a press conference Friday. “As we got closer to the season, we were monitoring, trying to get an assessment of Terry’s capabilities health wise to come back. Terry said a while ago ‘I want to do what’s right for Indiana University.’ I think those that know him know that he doesn’t say that without significant thought or concern.”\nGreenspan said he will re-evaluate the head coaching situation at the conclusion of the season.\nJunior wide receiver James Hardy said in an Athletics Department press release that the team is keeping Hoeppner in its thoughts, and is focused on the upcoming season.\n“As a group, our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Coach Hep and his family,” Hardy said in the release. “I think our coaches have brought this team along and made it even closer. We are focused on having the best season we can possibly have, and Coach Lynch will continue to bring out the best in us.”\nHardy and the rest of the players were informed of the change Friday morning in a team meeting. In addition to Lynch and Greenspan, Hoeppner’s wife, Jane, also spoke with the team during the meeting.\n“Our kids have been a very resilient group through this,” Lynch said “They really are a great group and I think they’ve grown together through this. We believe in them and they’re starting to believe in one another.”\nThe leave is Hoeppner’s third since he had surgery to remove a brain tumor in December 2005. Hoeppner returned in time for the start of spring practice in 2006 and coached for the beginning of the season before having to take another leave in September to remove some scar tissue. \nHe sat out for two games, at which time Lynch took over head coaching duties, losing two games to Southern Illinois and Connecticut. Hoeppner returned for the Hoosiers’ Big Ten opener against Wisconsin.\n“We hoped this most recent medical leave of absence would follow a similar pattern (of a quick recovery), and he would return invigorated, rested and healthy,” Greenspan said. “Hep has shown great determination, passion for his position and pride in Indiana University. Unfortunately Terry has been out for longer then we had hoped and we need to move forward and make appropriate leadership decisions with the start of our fall camp only weeks away.”\nGreenspan said Hoeppner had spent the past several days in the hospital and he expected him to be released Friday. In the release, Jane Hoeppner said her husband has been receiving chemotherapy and radiation for the past several months.\nGreenspan would not give an exact diagnosis, but did indicate Hoeppner’s recent leave of absence and medical treatment are related to the brain tumor Hoeppner had removed in December of 2005.\n“I won’t say that, but I think it’s apparent by definition,” Greenspan said.\nLynch now assumes the task of leading a team built by Hoeppner, who from his first day at IU had high expectations for the team, envisioning the Hoosiers playing in a bowl game within his first few years, and eventually playing in the Rose Bowl.\n“The thing that Terry did for this football program is getting the kids in the program and the fans to believe that Indiana football can win,” Lynch said. “I think our kids have bought into that and believe in that. The one mission we have is to carry on the vision that Terry brought.” \nAnother challenge Lynch will face is recruiting high school players to the football program in the face of adversity. \n“We’re going full steam ahead,” Lynch said. “We’ve had a lot of good kids on campus and we have a lot more lined up. They come to campus somewhat knowing the situation. This is an ongoing thing, but it’s been very easy to sell the University and the football program.”\nLynch also said no one from IU ever heard of other teams using Hoeppner’s health as a recruiting tool against IU. \nLynch will have to prepare the Hoosiers to play football through Hoeppner’s most recent setback.\n“It’s tough, but as Terry would want, you’re going to move forward,” Lynch said “The last message (through e-mail) that he sent was ended with ‘Defend the rock and play 13.’ That’s our challenge, and that’s what we’re going to do. I felt good when they left the room today. It was a tough day for them, but I think a bunch of them headed right for the weight room.”\nGreenspan said he was thankful to Lynch for leading the Hoosiers in 2007 and pointed to his experience as an indicator of his head coaching qualifications. He said Lynch’s contract would be adjusted for bonuses and compensation packages. \n“I’m very appreciative for Bill stepping in,” Greenspan said. “It’s not his first rodeo.”\n-Editor-in-Chief Zachary Osterman contributed to this report
(05/31/07 12:26am)
INDIANAPOLIS – Mother Nature would only allow for 415 miles to be completed in the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. But the fans who stayed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway through a nearly three-hour rain delay saw a total of 11 caution flags and 23 lead changes.\nAnd after 166 laps, it was Scotland’s Dario Franchitti who was in the right place at the right time, taking home the checkered flag under caution in the rain-shortened race. Franchitti held the lead on the 163rd lap when an accident along the backstretch brought out the yellow flags. Not long after that, the skies opened up for the second time since the race had started, ending the 500 and sending Franchitti’s No. 27 car into the victory lane.\n“The one comment that sticks in my mind was (crew chief) John Anderson saying on the radio, ‘The rain is eight blocks away,’” Franchitti said. “I’m like, ‘Come on.’”\nAfter 113 laps, the rain came for the first time, and officials stopped the race with a red flag. At that time, three of Franchitti’s Andretti Green Racing teammates, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick were in first, second and third place respectively, while Franchitti sat in fifth.\n“All day we had race cars in strong positions,” said Kim Green, part-owner of AGR. “We were doing a big rain dance at lap 113, hoping it would rain out at that point. In the end, the rain probably got to us earlier than we thought it was going to. But everybody at AGR and all five drivers did an awesome job.”\nFranchitti called the stoppage after 113 laps a bittersweet moment, as he thought he could have enough of a lead to win the race, but his team had four of the top five positions at the time.\n“The selfish side of me was thinking, ‘I hope we go back racing because I think we can do something,’” Franchitti said. “But at the same point, if the results had stayed after the red flag, I wouldn’t have been as happy as I am now, but it would have been the second-best result of the day.”\nWhen the race started back up, Kanaan held the lead for much of the remaining time. With Franchitti sitting in third, Marty Roth crashed on lap 151 and the yellow flags came out again. During the caution, the leader Kanaan and second-place Sam Hornish Jr. went in for a pit stop. Franchitti, who had pitted just 10 laps earlier to change a tire after running over some debris, took the lead. \nRight after the racers got the green flag again, Jaques Lazier spun out, hitting Kanaan’s car and forcing him to make yet another pit stop. The accident effectively ended Kanaan’s hopes of winning the race, and the Brazilian driver ended in 12th place.\nAfter the wreckage of Lazier’s car was cleared, Andretti’s car flipped in a four-car wreck that included former Indy 500 champions Buddy Rice and Dan Wheldon. Patrick, who was in third after the first rain delay, finished in eighth.\n“It’s all about winning, isn’t it?” said Michael Andretti, part-owner of AGR and 13th-place finisher in the race. “That’s why we have five cars out there. Hopefully one of them is going to be in the right position, and that’s what happened. After the first part of the race we had three in a good position, and in the end we had one. Lucky that it was Dario. That’s the way it worked out for us.”
(05/10/07 4:00am)
Five months after its theatrical release, what's there left to say about "Dreamgirls" that hasn't already been said? By now we all know Jennifer Hudson is awesome, Eddie Murphy was robbed of his Oscar, and everyone was shocked when the movie was snubbed from the big category. Back in February, I agreed it didn't deserve to be a contender for the top race. With a second viewing, I have to ask myself, what the hell was I thinking?\nBased on the hit Broadway musical, "Dreamgirls" is a "Behind the Music"-style telling of the rise of a '60s girl group. Starting out as back-up singers, the women eventually get their own group due to their manager's desire to cross-over into the world of white pop music (this should all be review for anyone who took History of Rock 'n' Roll). When the group makes it big, it faces a Supremes-like situation as the lead singer Deena (Beyoncé) rises to the front, pushing back attitude-heavy diva Effie (Hudson).\nThere are two main problems with the film. It packs so much story line (spreading more than 13 years into two hours) that each plot point can't really be examined before it's time for the next problem. And, because the majority of the musical numbers take place during concerts, those that are spontaneous outburst of song feel a bit awkward at first. On second viewing, when you know these are to be expected, they're no longer an issue. \nDespite all the talent on screen, the real attraction is the music (forgive me J Hud). It's perfectly structured showstopper belter after showstopper belter (the transition from "It's All Over" to "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" is 10 minutes of pure cinematic bliss). Oh, and there's the insanely detailed costumes (sequins, sequins everywhere), hair and makeup design (sequins, sequins everywhere), lighting and set design (seq … you get the point). It's hard to appreciate the meticulous design just from a regular viewing. That's why you need to get the two-disc "Showstopper" addition and watch the two-hour "Building the Dream" making-of feature that faithfully pays tribute to all the behind-the-scenes aspects. \nThere are scenes showing the sound recording process (although it's depressing to know that Jennifer wasn't actually belting out each time a scene is filmed), the choreography by Fatima Johnson (although no tutorial, aww shucks), set design and more. Plus, there's extended versions of many of the musical numbers (viewer fatigue my ass, these should've been included), actor's screen tests, storyboards, music videos and still more.\nIt's OK, nobody's looking, you can go grab that hairbrush and tear into "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" now.
(05/10/07 12:03am)
Eight conference games left. Eight games left to rebuild a season.\nFor the IU baseball team, the charge up the Big Ten standings starts this weekend. With eight Big Ten games left, the Hoosiers sit in 10th place with a 6-17 conference record, 4.5 games behind Illinois, who sits in sixth place – the cutoff for qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament – with a 10-12 Big Ten record. The Hoosiers look to cut into the Fighting Illini’s lead with four games against them this weekend in Champaign, Ill. \n“Our destiny is in our own hands,” said freshman Evan Crawford. “We have to win every game that we can. The only way we can do that is to play solid every game – nobody’s going to give it to us.”\nThe Hoosiers are coming off a home and home non-conference series against Louisville during the week. On Tuesday, the Hoosiers fell 16-3 to the Cardinals at home. Wednesday’s game in Louisville had not finished by press time. \nIn Tuesday’s game at Sembower Field, the Hoosiers allowed 16 runs on 20 hits. IU coach Tracy Smith said his pitchers need to improve at finishing off batters.\n“We get guys on two-strike counts and we don’t put them away,” Smith said. “That has to get better either through performance or the quality of what we’re throwing out there. I don’t know what to say; you get ahead of hitters, you got to put them away.”\nSophomore Chris Hervey said the team can’t linger on its failures from Tuesday’s game.\n“You have to wipe it away and act like it never happened,” Hervey said. “You have to see what you can improve on, but tomorrow’s a new day, and we can come out and we can throw the ball real well tomorrow and hold them to a few runs and a few hits.”\nDespite his team’s numbers, Hervey was able to make a couple of spectacular plays in right field, making sliding catches to get out Cardinal hitters out.\n“He’s a competitive kid and he’s going to give you what he has,” Smith said about Hervey. “With this team, the biggest challenge is making sure guys don’t give up. (Tuesday) that didn’t happen on the mound; I saw some slumped shoulders.”\nAnother bright moment for the Hoosiers was Crawford recording his first career home run. In the first inning, the freshman took a pitch from Louisville’s Skylar Meade over the left field wall.\n“My approach was to just stay back because the pitcher wasn’t throwing fastballs – he was throwing all off speed,” Crawford said. “Our whole plan today was to stay back on the ball.”\nThe game was the second in a row that Crawford, who is listed as a second baseman, started at shortstop.\n“We’re going to try him the rest of the year at short, just to see what he can do out there,” Smith said. “Evan’s having a decent year, but from our end none of it means anything if the team doesn’t have a good one.”\nSmith hopes his team can start moving in the right direction this weekend with a critical series against Illinois.\n“We’ll keep working these guys, and hopefully the confidence stays alive, because anything can happen,” Smith said. “Just take something positive and get the positive feel going with these guys. Winning eight conference games is not undoable. Anytime you put the uniform on you have the chance to do that, and that’s what we need to understand.”
(05/07/07 4:00am)
It was a weekend that the Hoosiers had hoped to use to climb back into contention for the Big Ten Tournament, but by the time it was over, IU was even further away from its goal.\nThe Hoosiers lost three games over the weekend to Iowa, with the fourth game in Iowa City being rained out on Sunday.\nThe Hoosiers and Hawkeyes started out their series Friday night with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss for IU. The Hoosiers took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning after sophomore Andrew Means scored on a passed ball. The lead would not last long, as Justin Brauer would score for Iowa from second base, with one out in the bottom of the inning on an IU throwing error.\nIn the bottom of the ninth inning with the game still tied, the Hoosiers were able to get the first two Iowa batters out. But after the next two batters hit singles into the outfield, Matt Wooldrik hit a walk-off single to score pinch runner Kody McManis.\n“It’s tough,” IU coach Tracy Smith said about the game. “We’re still trying to get over the hump of winning those games and closing games out and you got a team that hasn’t done that yet. It adds to the self doubt. But we got to overcome that.”\nIU didn’t fare much better in Saturday’s doubleheader as the Hoosiers resorted to the bullpen after getting two innings out of their starters in both games.\n“It is a big setback,” Smith said. “Our rotation was messed up a little bit anyways, but these are teachable moments – as you’re building a program – about how to react and how we control our emotions, and that had more to do with the starters not continuing on.” \nIn the first game, sophomore Tyler Tufts allowed four runs on seven hits in the first two innings during a 10-2 loss. The second game was more of the same for IU, as freshman Jarrett Casey allowed 5 runs in two innings plus some change in a 9-0 Hoosier loss.\nIn the three losses the Hoosiers scored a total of four runs, but in the first two games it wasn’t a result of the lack of hits. In Friday’s game, IU produced eight hits and in the first game Saturday, they were able to get nine hits. But despite the combined 17 hits, the Hoosiers only scored two runs in each of the games.\n“We’ve been struggling all year scoring runs,” Smith said. “It just hasn’t happened. Anytime you have that guys try harder, they press more and want to hit five-run home runs. When you do that you struggle more. That’s the crazy part about this game.”\nThe game Sunday was rained out in the middle of the first inning. The two teams will try to finish up the series Monday.\nWith the three weekend losses, the Hoosiers dropped to 6-17 on the Big Ten season and remain in 10th place in the conference. They are 4.5 games behind sixth place Illinois who has a 10-12 Big Ten record. To make the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers will need to finish sixth or better.\n“You can’t let that affect you,” Smith said. “As an athlete and a competitor, everytime you have the privilege to wear an Indiana uniform, you got to go out and compete until that last out is made.”
(04/16/07 4:00am)
If Saturday’s Cream and Crimson game is any indication, the IU football team will be throwing the ball a lot this fall. \nBoth sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis and freshman quarterback Ben Chappell threw for more than 250 yards in a 27-26 Cream squad victory.\n“A lot of trash talking had been going on the last couple of weeks between the defense and the offence,” Lewis said. “And (quarterbacks) coach (Matt) Canada said enough is enough, so we aired the ball out quite a bit today.”\nThe air attack resulted in four Hoosiers with more than 100 yards receiving between both teams.\n“We got some guys that can make some plays and they made them,” IU assistant head coach Bill Lynch said. “If you get the ball in the hands of some of those guys enough, they’re pretty good football players.”\nThe Crimson had a shot to take the lead in the last minute of the game when the coaching staff decided to go for a two-point conversion following a 34-yard touchdown pass from Chappell to sophomore wide receiver Nick Polk.\nOn the conversion Chappell once again found Polk. But the wet weather conditions made it difficult to catch the ball, and Polk was unable to hold on.\n“We called the play and he threw it up there,” Polk said. “I went up to make the play. I should of made it, but it just didn’t happen.”\nLewis, who called the signals for the Cream, and Chappell, the signal caller for the Crimson, weren’t the only ones tossing the ball. \nIn the second quarter, two trick plays resulted in touchdowns.\nOn the first play of the second quarter, the Crimson took a 14-13 lead when Chappell handed the ball off to Polk and the wide out found freshman wide receiver Terrance Turner in the end zone and connected for a 29-yard touchdown pass.\n“We kind of saw that coming, talking to a couple guys that gave up a little bit of information they probably shouldn’t have,” Lewis said. “We knew it was coming, but we forgot to warn the defense.”\nThe Cream turned the tables late in the quarter when senior running back Josiah Sears took a handoff from Lewis and found junior wide receiver James Hardy in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass to extend the Cream’s lead to 27-14.\n“Every time you’re going into a game like that you have a trick play you throw in,” Sears said. “Yesterday, coach Canada was like, ‘If we get down by the end zone, you’re going to through a pass.’”\nSears’ touchdown pass came two plays after a scuffle on the field. \nOn a first-down play from the Crimson 14-yard line, Lewis kept the ball for a five-yard gain before junior linebacker Geno Johnson ran him down and the play was called dead. Johnson gave Lewis a little shove. Lewis responded by tossing the football back at Johnson, and players from both sides rushed to the corner of the field where the altercation was taking place.\n“That’s part of guys practicing against each other for 15 practices,” Lynch said. “One of the things about this football team: It’s a competitive football team. I think it’s a football team that really likes each other; they get along. But when you compete 15 times in 26 days that’s all part of it.”\nLewis said he threw the football at Johnson after losing his cool because during the last scrimmage the defense kept shoving him despite his black jersey. Despite the incident, Lewis said team unity was displayed by the players.\n“As bad as it may seem, at least each (respective) side stuck together and stuck their nose in there and stood up for their other teammates,” he said. “I’m not encouraging the fight, but at least it shows you push one Hoosier, you push all of them.”
(04/16/07 4:00am)
When members of the IU football team checked their e-mail Friday, there was a message from coach Terry Hoeppner, who has not been present for spring practice due to health reasons.\n“He e-mailed us and talked about how he enjoyed the spring because he watched the tape, and how he thought we improved,” senior running back Josiah Sears said. “He was looking forward to the fall and getting back with us.”\nEven though he was not able to attend practice, Hoeppner has still been able to follow his team by getting practice films from assistant head coach Bill Lynch, who took over Hoeppner’s day-to-day duties during the spring session. Lynch said he plans to visit Hoeppner on Monday to deliver film from Saturday’s Cream and Crimson game.\n“As you go through the spring, there are a lot of mental notes you write down,” Lynch said. “I know he’s done the same thing as he’s watched practice tape. So we want to sit down and talk and share what we as a staff feel, basically personal stuff.”\nThe IU Athletics Department announced in March that Hoeppner would not be present at spring practice so he could rest to take care of personal health matters. The leave of absence is the third taken by Hoeppner since he had surgery in December 2005 to remove a tumor from his brain.\n“It’s been hard not having your leader,” Sears said. “But coach Lynch has done an excellent job making us focus on football and playing every day.”\nThe e-mail came on the eve of the Cream and Crimson game and was encouraging to the players.\n“It’s one of those things where he leaves a message like that, and with the type of guy he is, you’re not sure if he’s going to be in the press box or not,” sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis said. “Coach Hep and all the other guys are the type of guys that try to get you fired up.”\nLewis said he was worried that the intensity would be down during Hoeppner’s \nabsence.\n“I thought maybe we’d start off a little bit slower,” Lewis said. “But a middle-of-the-game brawl kind of pepped it back up. I like the enthusiasm we had. I feel it’s a reflection of him because that’s always what he had.”
(04/13/07 4:00am)
The IU football team has seen it all since it started spring practice four weeks ago. The first day of practices saw spring-like warm weather and clear skies. Last Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage saw snow as the temperatures dipped below freezing.\n“Any weather’s football weather for me,” said senior cornerback Leslie Majors. “We play in it all. It’s hot in the summer, then it gets cold in the winter. It’s the whole season combined in three little short weeks; we got the heat and the cold.”\nNot all IU players are as impartial to the temperature as Majors is. Junior wide receiver James Hardy said he prefers the warm weather.\n“In the cold it’s harder to catch the ball,” Hardy said. “I’d rather play in 90 degree weather than 25.”\nUnfortunately for Hardy, the temperature during Saturday’s intrasquad Cream and Crimson football game is forecasted to be chilly. The high is predicted at 42 degrees with a 70 percent chance of precipitation, according to www.weather.com.\n“It can’t (snow),” IU assistant head coach Bill Lynch said. “Where was that – Cleveland – where we saw the snow swirling for (baseball’s) Opening Day? It’s got to get better.”\nBut Lynch stressed the point that in order for the Hoosiers to be successful in the fall they will need to be able to adapt to any weather conditions, as the regular season runs from early September through mid-November.\n“We’ve seen the whole season in two weeks, which is unique, and that’s why we talked to the team about it,” Lynch said. “A day like (last Saturday) you would win a football game differently than you would on a day where it’s 70 degrees out. That’s what a good football team does: They can play well and win in all different situations and adapt (to) weather or being on the road. All of those things enter into being a good football team.”\nThe Cream and Crimson game will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Admission is free. It will be split into four 12-minute quarters.\n“The spring game is exciting,” Majors said. “It’s the end of spring ball and a chance for the fans and prospects to come down and see how we play.”\nIn Saturday’s scrimmage, the Hoosiers hope to showcase their running game, which Lynch said they have been working on a lot. \n“Sometimes when you’re trying to find yourself and who you are, you start searching for things in the spring,” Lynch said. “You think it’s time to experiment, and that’s true to a point. But I think right now just doing it over and over again, there’s nothing like reps, particularly for the younger guys up front.”\nBut Saturday will be the last time the coaches have to hold practice with their players until the summer, giving the players one last chance to impress their coaches.\n“In my experience you never know what’s going to happen in spring games,” Lynch said. “That’s kind of a day where they have fun. There will be somebody that will have a big day that you least expect. It’s a good way to finish (spring practices) off.”
(04/13/07 4:00am)
During Saturday’s Cream and Crimson football game, action will not be limited to the turf of Memorial Stadium. The IU Athletics Department plans to set up ticket booths in hopes of raising season ticket sales.\nIU Assistant Director of Athletics for External Operations Frank Cuervo said the department hopes to increase student season ticket sales by at least 2,000 compared to last year. Their first step, Cuervo said, is bringing the market to the students. \nThe IU ticket office has been setting up kiosks around campus this week, and Cuervo said that, despite the weather hurting their efforts, the reception from students has been generally positive.\n“It’s great we could bring the ticket office to them,” he said. “Unfortunately, due to the geography, the ticket office we have set up at Assembly Hall is a little remote from where the dorms and the main campus are. So this helps bring our operation to them, and makes it more convenient.”\nStudent season tickets cost $64 for next year and will include all seven home games. Though the tickets cost $10 less than last year, the package does not include a T-shirt, which was included for student season ticket holders the past two years. \nLast season nearly 7,000 student season tickets were sold and Cuervo said he hopes to have at least 9,000 to 10,000 student tickets sold for this upcoming season. \nBoth students and the general public attending Saturday’s Cream and Crimson game will be able to purchase tickets for the 2007 season at a kiosk on the west concourse of the stadium.\nSelling more football tickets is the crux of the department’s five-year budget, which it hopes will end a nine-year string of deficits.\nIn the 2005 season, the department exceeded its football revenue expectations, earning nearly $1 million more than anticipated. Attendance in 2005 was driven by home games against powerhouse Ohio State and \nrival Purdue.\nBut, with neither of those teams on the home schedule in 2006 and one rainy game, attendance plummeted in 2006. The football team drew 6,000 less fans than it did in 2005 despite playing one more home game. On average, attendance decreased by more than 6,000 fans per game. Still, the 2006 mark ranks third in the past five years.\nThe department hopes that by selling more tickets early, they will be able to boost their attendance marks.\n“We are nearing right now the deadline for general public renewals which is on April 20,” Cuervo said. “The nice thing is if you renew your seats for the general public before that date, you save about $30.”
(04/09/07 4:00am)
For some offensive-line coaches, losing three starters to graduation might be a cause for concern. But for IU line coach Bobby Johnson this does not appear to be the case.\nLast fall, Chris Mangiero, Justin Frye and Scott Anderson all finished their careers with the Hoosiers, but IU will still be returning five different players who started at least five games on the front line.\n“It’s going to help a lot,” said junior John Sandberg, who started 11 games last season at guard. “We had a lot of guys rotating in last year, and a lot of guys get a lot of playing time. That always helps having a little advantage going into the season with guys with experience.”\nIn addition to the starting experience, the Hoosiers also return Frye, who comes back to help Johnson coach the front five.\n“It’s phenomenal,” Johnson said. “He was like a coach last year. Now I got a guy who’s an extra set of eyes and knows exactly what I’m trying to get out of the line. It’s like having a carbon copy of me out there.”\nAfter starting in all 12 Hoosier contests last season, including the last eight at center, Frye comes back to the team as a graduate assistant coach.\n“Last year as players, we had that camaraderie on the field,” Frye said. “Now just getting to help them, it’s not about me anymore. It’s about those guys. I enjoy helping them as much as I can.”\nThe Hoosier linemen had already started looking toward Frye as a coach, even as he was still playing.\n“To tell you the truth, it’s not much different, other than the fact that he’s not playing right next to me,” freshman Pete Saxon said. “Senior year he was already a coach. I think that’s why they hired him. He did such a good job coaching as a player, now he’s doing an even better job because he can focus on just coaching.”\nSaxon was one of two true freshmen to start on the line last season, along with Rodger Saffold. The two were part of a group of seven linemen in last year’s recruiting class dubbed by IU coach Terry Hoeppner as the “seven blocks of limestone.”\n“They’re just getting better with time,” Frye said. “They got to keep getting stronger in the weight room and keep playing now like they’re doing just getting reps. They’re all going to be great players.”\nThe younger guys will have the help of three seniors on next year’s squad in Sandberg, Charlie Emerson and Ben Wyss. Emerson and Sandberg each saw extensive playing time last season. Wyss, who comes into spring practice as the starting center, played in four games last season.\n“They’ve been great,” Johnson said. “I think it’s a natural progression that, when you go into your senior year, all of a sudden the light goes off in your head and you go, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m a senior. This is my last go-around.’ So they crank it up. They crank up effort level, they crank up their study habits for the game of football, and they start holding their teammates to a higher standard.”\nThe leadership ability of the seniors as well as the talent of the younger players have helped strengthen the depth of a line that helped IU gain an average of nearly 130 rushing yards per game during the 2006 Big Ten season. Johnson said the depth is the strongest aspect of his squad.\n“I don’t think we have any guys that are so far out ahead of the other guys,” he said. “I feel like I got some quality depth. If someone goes down I feel like I got a quality guy to go in and replace him. So every time you have quality depth you can just keep running in fresh bodies.”
