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(11/12/08 10:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU basketball season began Friday, Nov. 7, but even well before the game, Coach Tom Crean was anything but an unknown face. Far from it – students and fans think he is the best coach IU has had since Bob Knight.His work on the court is impressive, but his efforts off it are making him famous among students. David Burkart, a junior in the telecommunications department, said Crean has made it a point to build up and mobilize the student fanbase. In doing so, people have begun to peg Crean as an enthusiastic, exciting coach with a great personality.Holly Koski, a freshman majoring in sports marketing, said Crean will renew faith in the basketball program and bring it out of “the depths of college basketball.”Jeremy Blaylock, a freshman majoring in elementary education, echoed Koski’s sentiments, adding that Crean brings with him years of experience coaching, which will help a team that has fallen from its glory days.“The alumni have faith in him,” said Josh Warren, a freshman majoring in English, who gave Crean’s time at Marquette University as an example of how the coach will bring IU basketball back to “old times.” And Crean is expected to do this primarily through discipline. Burkart said that unlike coaches in the past, Crean will not put up with behavioral problems from his players. “He’s going to deal with kids that aren’t bringing their A-game,” Burkart said.“If they weren’t getting the glory, they weren’t caring during practice,” Warren added. “Coach Crean is going to change that.”“He’s just got a lot of charisma for both basketball and IU,” Koski said.Crean is also “unscripted and outspoken,” Burkart said, an attitude he finds refreshing. “He’s like a politician in the way he’s getting his name out. There’s no BS with him.”With Crean’s credentials and experience, the question that comes to mind is how well the team will really perform. Thanks to Crean, most students are still optimistic. Warren said he doesn’t think the team will be as bad this year and actually doesn’t expect the team to have the losing record everyone is worrying about. Due to Crean’s influence, Warren said in a few years he expects IU will again be a serious contender in the Big Ten. The fact that fans have more faith than the pundits is reassuring to Koski, who agreed that IU basketball has a lot more prestige left in it than the “experts” give credit for. In light of all the praise, Crean had something to say. “I am honored and humbled by this accolade. Every day, I feel how privileged I am to serve this great University as its men’s basketball coach.”
(11/12/08 8:37pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Heath Ledger isn't the only posthumous actor to deliver a strong performance this year. On Aug. 9, Bernie Mac passed away, but not before completing work on his latest film “Soul Men.”The movie stars Mac and Samuel L. Jackson as retired R&B musicians from the ’70s. Their band was known as The Real Deal featuring Floyd Henderson (Mac), Louis Hinds (Jackson) and front man Marcus Hooks (John Legend). Now with Hooks’ death, Henderson hopes to get Hinds together for a comeback tour after performing a benefit gig at the Apollo Theatre in Hooks’ memory.Yes, this is one of those movies that could be full of possible cliches at very turn. The pair is on a road trip and anything could go wrong. The characters are old, and isn’t it funny to watch them try to do young things. The characters are black and are required to swear as often as possible. But “Soul Men” never goes too far with any of that material. About the worst thing that happens on the road is that Henderson accidentally shoots a hole in a tire that Hinds just changed. Henderson also has an AARP card, but the card says enough by itself. Even their manager says, “They say motherfucker a lot, but they’re really nice guys.”And it’s true. They are really nice, funny guys that the audience can relate to and like. Jackson carries some deeply witty, intelligent and profound dialogue. Mac too can make audiences laugh solely because of his patented, bulging eyeballs. Mac was one of those comedians you thought would always be around. He was never an A-list comic, but it’s movies like this that make us want to remember him. Mac and Jackson contribute quite a bit to their roles, but much of this material falls flat. What makes “Soul Men” good is the almost sentimental moments where the duo performs. This film thankfully takes its music seriously, and viewers should have a good time simply watching without “trying” to be entertained. Mac started some other projects before his untimely death, but perhaps audiences will remember him best for this “soulful” performance, and rightfully so.
(11/10/08 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The third annual Hogwarts Week kicked off Sunday at the Collins Center with a wand-making seminar and a screening of the first Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”Throughout the week, residents and nonresidents will participate in Harry Potter-themed events, including movie screenings of each of the five Harry Potter movies, lectures by guest professors on magic, magical history and ancient runes and a Quidditch Tournament on Sunday.“We’re hoping to create a sense of community in Collins,” said junior Lisa Runion, the coordinator of the event. “It allows people to get together and meet people they wouldn’t usually meet while bonding with a common interest.”The six houses of Collins are all eligible to compete for the House Cup, which serves as an incentive for students to attend events and gain points for their house. In fact, history has shown that the event gets quite competitive. “People have moved to this dorm specifically because they want to be a part of this event,” said senior Tomas Feher.An event that is anticipated to be equally competitive is this year’s new Quidditch Tournament. “It’s a combination of ultimate frisbee, dodgeball and hide and go seek,” Runion said. “It’s Muggle Quidditch, really.”The night included a wand-making seminar. Students rolled up paper to create decorative wands with glue, glitter and paint. Among all the activities, Collins is likewise promoting education with lectures by guest professors. For instance, the ancient runes class will feature discussions about the Tolkien language found in the “Lord of the Rings” series.“We’ve got some great presenters this week,” Runion said. “I’m also looking forward to our Deathly Hallows campout, where there will be a bonfire and book discussions.”
(11/05/08 8:07pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The British gangsters in “RocknRolla” are no different than American gangsters or the Italian mafia, but there’s never been a definitive name for them. The title doesn’t have much to do with the movie, but it’s about time the thugs across the pond have their own moniker.Lenny (Tom Wilkinson) is the big mob boss around London. He controls all the property around town and makes it multiply in value. He gets the building rights the city won’t give to anyone else, and that’s why Lenny owns the town. All the other primary characters go through him in one way or the other. First, there’s One Two (Gerard Butler), who owes Lenny money. Then there’s Uri (Karel Roden), the Russian who wants to do business. He is prepared to pay Lenny 7 million Euros, but One Two plans to steal them. Uri also gives Lenny his “lucky painting,” which draws a lot of attention when Lenny’s stepson Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell) steals it from Lenny.Guy Ritchie directs the film, whose previous works about British gangsters (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” “Snatch”) are likewise laden with plot and characters whose motives couldn’t seem more different but that all tie together by the end of the film. In hybrid dramadies like this one, the director must rely on dialogue and not suspense to keep the audience interested. Ritchie capitalizes on a heavy, fast-paced British dialect that manages to keep attentiveness but lacks the witty flair that made his previous films standouts. It’s not that this film isn’t good. It’s entertaining, with an ending that does turn out to be remarkable and stylistic. It’s just that it could be so much more. With the same old story, there isn’t much that particularly stands out, nor is there much more to recommend. Yet until the next one, “RocknRolla” will satisfy fans of this genre that Ritchie has dominated for so long.
(11/03/08 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite the previous evening’s Halloween festivities, roughly 30 athletes participated in the first Teter Meter 5K on Saturday.The run, organized by the Teter Quad student government, was an “opportunity to run a competitive race for fun and for free,” said junior Amber Taylor, head of the Teter Meter group.To participate, students donated a can of food to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.“The Food Bank makes packages for families, homeless shelters and any other non-profit organizations that need food,” Taylor said.As a charity event, the run gave participants the opportunity to exercise in a race-like setting without a large entry fee. “It’s all about being healthy,” Taylor said. “I did sports in high school, but when I got to college, I found it hard to exercise. It wasn’t until I started training competitively that I noticed improvement, and this is an opportunity for others to do the same.”Unfortunately, due to some routing problems, what was intended to be a 5K turned into nearly a five-mile run, some of the athletes said. The Teter Meter 5K is intended to be an annual event, and Taylor hopes to improve many aspects of the event next year.“Next year, I hope to train the volunteers to send runners in the right direction and put up bigger signs,” Taylor said.Taylor also said she felt the turnout was low because the event was the morning after Halloween, and she said it will be more successful in the future.The course was intended to circumnavigate much of campus before ending back at Teter Quad.“It was a really nice course with a nice range of scenery,” first place finisher Joey Slaughterbeck said. Slaughterbeck, a junior, also complimented the strategic variance in hills and straightaways.The additional distance did not affect some of the runners’ moods.“I ended up running at a faster pace for a longer course, and I feel everyone did really well,” Slaughterbeck said.Likewise, first place female finisher and freshman Caitlin Engel, a member of the IU cross country team, felt she ran well for such an early-morning event.“It was a fun, hilly course, especially for 10 a.m., and it was fun to compete as well,” Engel said.
(10/21/08 2:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Forget the ultimate gaming experience.GameZombie is “a prime way to get hands on learning experience,” said adjunct professor Spencer Striker, creative director and executive producer at GZ.Beginning no more than 18 months ago as a graduate level project, GameZombie.tv was born as a Web site dedicated to video games.“GZ is a high quality, online video series that focuses on interviews and reviews all related to video games,” said senior Charles Pearce, the production manager at GameZombie.Since then, GZ has developed first into an internship program and now into an IU class for telecommunications majors looking to pursue careers in the industry. Modeled as an actual business, “(Video) editors get to flex their muscles more than in any other class,” said producer Adrienne Thiery, a senior majoring in telecommunications.“What we do for students is fairly unique,” Striker said.The students spend their time creating professional-looking videos to be published online. However, the class goes above and beyond by using advanced multimedia and viral marketing to allow students to promote their work.“We get our editors used to talking to production companies,” Pearce said. “It’s basically like a first job. By forcing students to get their work out there, the big companies already have their names, and the students see the results from their work return in the form of jobs.”Evidence of GZ’s impact is already noticeable.“When I start talking about GameZombie (to production companies), they listen, and they love it,” Thiery said.Past students have already received jobs at places such as G4. One student received a job doing the video production for one of the top soccer teams in the country.With more than 180 videos online, GameZombie.tv is growing quickly and establishing a name for itself. GZ has coordinated with bebo.com – a site similar to YouTube – GameTrailers.com and Dailymotion.com to promote their work.In 2008, Striker and the GameZombie team won the Webbie Award as one of the strongest video Web sites on the Internet. Originally a site exclusively for reviews, GameZombie.tv has evolved into incorporating high profile interviews, gaming news, as well as fictional comedy programming.“We are developing shows that are very relaxed, with conversational banter,” Pearce said. “People will come back to get news, but also because of the relationship factor.”The GameZombie.tv team is looking to expand yet again with their new class due out this spring. T436: Web Video & The Game Industry is an extension to the current class being offered this semester.Just like this semester, the curriculum will include making and editing videos to be published online.“We’re looking for very motivated students,” Striker said. “It’s a great opportunity because the telecom department places heavy emphasis on collaboration. It’s a very collective college.”Those interested in enrolling in the class this spring should contact GZ at GameZombie.tv to explain what it is they would like to accomplish in the class.Other students interested in finding out more about GameZombie can see their work at GameZombie.tv or even watch 30-minute episodes on IUSTV. “GameZombie can help editors find their own voice,” Pearce said.
(10/15/08 9:29pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If you’ve seen a coming-of-age sports movie or a racial integration film, you’ve seen them all. “The Express” attempts to combine both genres, and although it’s all familiar, it's also fairly convincing. Running back Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) was the first black man to win the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award. When he earned it in 1961 as a member of the Syracuse Orangemen, he was still being persecuted in his own town during the civil rights era. The bulk of “The Express” follows Davis’ sophomore year when Coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) bumps him up to the varsity team. Racial issues in this movie serve as side notes to the action. The coach is concerned with little aside from winning, let alone race, and that makes “The Express” nothing more than a sports film.When Davis refuses to leave the field, he’s not making a stand for African-Americans; he just wants to play. The coach isn’t scared about West Virginia fans harming the black kids on his team; he’s scared they’ll harm his teammates who happen to be black. This makes “The Express” a frustrating cliche. But it is well-acted and well-directed, and it is especially grin-worthy watching Davis dominate during every game.Quaid specifically delivers a strong, believable performance. He has always struck me as a Harrison Ford wannabe, acting less and frowning and grunting more as he ages, but what better role for him than a surly college football coach? Of course, we’ve seen it all before. But lack of originality and inability to directly tackle the issues aside, “The Express” is an enjoyable, exciting sports film.