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(01/31/01 5:28am)
Wednesday night's IU Auditorium audience will see the closest thing to Barbra Streisand they're liable to get in a long while. \nDebbie Reynolds, legendary star of stage and screen, will bring her variety show, which includes impressions of Streisand and other well-known performers, to Bloomington for one night only. The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $15-20 for students or $30-40 for the public.\n"I do singing and dancing, and I do impressions of Barbra Streisand and Katherine Hepburn and Bette Davis and Cher and people like that, you know, comedy for the show," Reynolds said. "And we do songs, Stephen Sondheim and I do a tribute to Judy Garland, a medley of her favorite songs. And I do a country section just because people enjoy it. I try to do a variety of things, because that's the kind of show people mostly enjoy."\nReynolds, who has starred in 67 films during her 68 years, is perhaps best known for the 1952 film "Singin' in the Rain," in which she starred with Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor. That film is scheduled as part of the City Lights Film Series Feb. 16.\n"It wasn't intentional because we planned the series months ago. It was really sort of a happy coincidence for us, too," Eric Beckstrom, City Lights cofounder and board member, said. "But we'll use it as a selling point nonetheless. I think we're going to draw a big crowd for that film."\nMany of Reynolds' songs will sound familiar to her fans, as she will perform numbers from shows of which she has been a part.\n"I do movie clips, and then I sing the songs from 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'Tammy' and '(The Unsinkable) Molly Brown' and 'The Tender Trap' and 'The Singing Nun,'" Reynolds said. "I sing some songs from 'Annie Get Your Gun,' which was a play I did."\nBrian Rives, general manager of the Auditorium, said Reynolds was chosen by Auditorium subscribers as a performer they would like to see. \n"She's also having a new spurt in her career, with being on 'Will & Grace,' and we thought she'd be a wonderful addition to the season," Rives said. "We also look at availability -- obviously Barbra Streisand is out of the question."\nReynolds, who spends about 42 weeks of the year on tour, said she prefers live entertaining to film or TV.\n"I like the stage. I like live performing, and I don't really want to do a flat, booked show (where) you go to Broadway and do eight shows a week, and you sign on for two years," she said. "That's what I don't really want to do. I have done that. Done that, been there. I'm more like George Burns; I like live variety, and so that's what I do."\nRives said he expected Reynolds' performance to be a worthwhile diversion.\n"I've seen clips of it. I think it's going to be a fun time," Rives said. "This is a lady who knows how to entertain a crowd"
(01/26/01 6:43pm)
Disney's done it again. \nIt has taken an ethnic people it doesn't understand and mocked its traditions. But unlike "Pocahontas" and "Mulan," "The Emperor's New Groove" is supposed to be funny. \nSelfish, egotistical Emperor Kuzco (voice of David Spade) fires his witch-like adviser, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), and she swears revenge. Yzma plots to kill Emperor Kuzco, but because of a wacky mix-up, Kuzco is turned into a llama, and a really lousy llama at that. Yzma's bumbling but good-natured servant Kronk refrains from throwing Kuzco off a cliff at the last minute, and a peasant named Pacha (John Goodman) discovers the "demon-llama" (as he calls the animal). Pacha's task is to get Kuzco back to the palace without killing himself first.\nAside from a few flaws, this is a good animated film. It's funny, it's cute and most importantly, it has a good moral: Be nice to people. \nThe greatest thing about "The Emperor's New Groove" is it started out with the traditional Disney formula -- big, dramatic animated feature that teaches kids an important lesson about life, complete with an entire soundtrack by Sting. But somewhere along the line, somebody decided to throw that formula out the window and just make a funny children's cartoon. And it worked. \nOf course, the title doesn't really go too well with any of the movie except the beginning; the culture depicted doesn't seem to matter much to the plot (except to add some interesting scenery), and David Spade just can't let you forget that he's David Spade. But somehow none of that hurts the entertainment value of the film.\nKitt is appropriately "frightening beyond all reason" for her character, Goodman is appropriately lovable and loyal, and Spade is the bitterly sarcastic skinny guy from "Saturday Night Live" we all know and love, even inserting a "buh-bye" into the script.\nIf you want to see a kids' movie anytime soon, make sure and catch this one. Because from the looks of the kids' movies coming out in the near future, you might as well stay home until the "Harry Potter" movie comes out in October.
(01/25/01 5:00am)
Disney's done it again. \nIt has taken an ethnic people it doesn't understand and mocked its traditions. But unlike "Pocahontas" and "Mulan," "The Emperor's New Groove" is supposed to be funny. \nSelfish, egotistical Emperor Kuzco (voice of David Spade) fires his witch-like adviser, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), and she swears revenge. Yzma plots to kill Emperor Kuzco, but because of a wacky mix-up, Kuzco is turned into a llama, and a really lousy llama at that. Yzma's bumbling but good-natured servant Kronk refrains from throwing Kuzco off a cliff at the last minute, and a peasant named Pacha (John Goodman) discovers the "demon-llama" (as he calls the animal). Pacha's task is to get Kuzco back to the palace without killing himself first.\nAside from a few flaws, this is a good animated film. It's funny, it's cute and most importantly, it has a good moral: Be nice to people. \nThe greatest thing about "The Emperor's New Groove" is it started out with the traditional Disney formula -- big, dramatic animated feature that teaches kids an important lesson about life, complete with an entire soundtrack by Sting. But somewhere along the line, somebody decided to throw that formula out the window and just make a funny children's cartoon. And it worked. \nOf course, the title doesn't really go too well with any of the movie except the beginning; the culture depicted doesn't seem to matter much to the plot (except to add some interesting scenery), and David Spade just can't let you forget that he's David Spade. But somehow none of that hurts the entertainment value of the film.\nKitt is appropriately "frightening beyond all reason" for her character, Goodman is appropriately lovable and loyal, and Spade is the bitterly sarcastic skinny guy from "Saturday Night Live" we all know and love, even inserting a "buh-bye" into the script.\nIf you want to see a kids' movie anytime soon, make sure and catch this one. Because from the looks of the kids' movies coming out in the near future, you might as well stay home until the "Harry Potter" movie comes out in October.
(01/25/01 1:41am)
Our scene opens on chaos -- students mill around in groups, chatting about the latest films and discussing the day's schedule. Adjunct Professor John Winninger quiets the room -- albeit briefly -- with a shout. He dismisses groups of students to the care of other students: writers go upstairs to discuss sketch ideas with senior Jodie Reminder; actors join junior Carrie Owen in the props room to go over lines; and producers and editors remain to build sets. \nSound like Hollywood? Actually, it is T436, Advanced Production workshop, a telecommunications course designed to give students hands-on experience in the production and creative process of television. The 36 students put together the sketch comedy TV show "Slow Children at Play." \nThe shows they produce air all at once after each semester is over, either on campus cable or WTIU. They also produce a live show toward the end of the semester. Two and a half hours of last semester's efforts, including a rerun of the live show, aired Saturday night on WTIU. \n"The last time we were on at midnight," said senior Andy Murphy, the show's student executive producer and associate instructor. "We're working our way into primetime -- this time we were on at 10!"\nHe wasn't kidding. This semester's live show will air at 8 p.m. April 29.\nIn Studio 5, also known as Room 127 of the Radio and Television building, students pound away on flats -- large wooden panels that serve as the walls for this make-believe world. The flats have been painted and decorated outside of class, the same way much of the work is done. Only the actual production and filming is done during the class, which meets from 5:45-10:30 p.m. every Monday. Writers have to produce scripts and bring them to class; actors must have their lines memorized beforehand; and editors do their magic after class.\nSome of the materials they use are available through the telecommunications department, and some are paid for by the students. Because the students have no books or exams, they each pay a course fee of $30, which allows for paint or unusual props the students can't provide themselves. This pool of money doesn't pay for everything the students would like, but it pays for the necessities.\nWinninger, who also teaches the class that produces WTIU's student news forum show, walks back and forth from the studio to the editing room, checking light levels, camera angles, anything that needs to be checked.\n"(I'm) just the honcho -- I put out fires and kick their butts, if they need it," he said.\nEngineer Stephen Parker, who also works with WTIU, adjusts the cameras' color levels and checks the equipment in the editing room.\n"I've been doing this 18 years now," Parker said. Gesturing in the editing room, he continued, "This is more or less my living room, and (the studio is) my backyard." \nIn Parker's "backyard," the students have quickly erected three sets: a dentist's office, a kindergarten classroom and a dorm room. These will provide the setting for the first three skits of the show's third season. \nOnce the chaos has passed, sudden quiet fills the room. The cameras are in place. All the lights are dim except for those on the set. The actors in the first skit, having memorized their lines, wait until it's time to rehearse by singing Prince's "Kiss" loudly. \n"(When ) these kids get relaxed, they get crazy -- watch out!" laughs Parker as he pulls a camera cord across the room.\nThe cast of this sketch (each sketch has a different set of actors and producers and a different director) rehearse a few times so the producers can adjust the camera angles, lighting and sound to best capture the scene. The floor director then calls for quiet, and the only sound is that of the actors delivering their lines. \nThese are the cream of the crop. The class' executive board auditioned 27 students to be on the show this semester and chose only nine. Even so, each skit requires several different takes to make it ready to air, despite few problems with lines.\nIn the editing room, everyone is on task, watching monitors and adjusting cameras. The director speaks to the floor director through the headsets. From there, the floor director tells the producers and actors in the studio what to do.\nCut to the writers upstairs, going through the various sketch ideas that were the class assignment for this week. They laugh at some and write down others, discussing the possibilities. They come across some suggestions having to do with toilet humor, and there are mixed feelings on the subject.\nThe writers are required to submit a script before they are accepted on the writing staff. Sometimes comedic genius is a hard thing to reach, but they have a pretty good idea of what their viewers will find humorous. \n"We've all grown up watching TV. We've all watched 'Saturday Night Live.' We know what's funny," senior Kevin Brezette said.\n"And, if it's not, we have eight other writers ready to criticize us," said junior Lauren King.\nMeanwhile, the cast downstairs has shifted to the next sketch. The "kids" sit on the floor playing with their toys, reciting their lines for the fifth or sixth time. The actors and producers not involved in this skit sit on the bed set up for the dorm room sketch and discuss the philosophy of comedy. \n"The only things that are funny are the things that are true," freshman Sam Shahrani said.\nAfter several takes, everyone is exhausted. Someone announces that the pizza has arrived, and everyone runs for the hallway outside the studio, where they line up to eat and chat about life. The break ends, and the chaos returns to the studio with the actors and producers. \nJust like any TV show, the writers have to deal with censorship. One student wrote a sketch involving sexual devices, and Murphy had to explain why they could not produce it.\n"You just can't air this on PBS," he said. "We can write things that are very funny, without using the sex stuff or without showing someone that's drunk or high."\nWhile not everything that ends up on the show turns out as well as they'd like, each semester improves upon the last.\n"It's a big step up from last semester," Reminder said of last semester's episodes. "I'm hoping we can compare to other college-age shows, like 'The State.'"\nJunior Paul Molin said "Slow Children at Play" is similar to the national sketch comedy shows, just on a smaller scale. \n"I was just really surprised with our writers. Our writers are really good," he said. "'(The) Kids in the Hall' -- they have a bigger budget. If we could play around with that, the stuff we could do would be awesome. I think people who like '(The) Kids in the Hall' would like us."\nAt the end of the night, the whole class reconvenes in the studio to receive congratulations or constructive criticism, to hear announcements and to discuss the next week's schedule. Afterward, everyone leaves en masse, except for the executives, who stay behind for a meeting. Finally, they're finished (for now, anyway), and everyone trickles out of the studio. Fade to black.
(01/18/01 5:00am)
Tim Robbins doesn't always choose the best scripts, but he always plays the most interesting characters.\nIn the techno-thriller "Antitrust," he plays a megalomaniac owner of a software company who'll stop at nothing to dominate the marketplace. Gary Winston has the thinly veiled look and feel of Microsoft's Bill Gates, down to the Justice Department proceedings against his company. He also has the reputed temper and charisma of Apple's Steve Jobs, even to his obsession with creativity. As usual, Robbins plays his character impeccably. The rest of the movie has some flaws.\nThis could have been a good film, appealing to computer geeks everywhere. The problem is it creates a paradox. The only people who'll go to see it will be computer geeks, but they'll be turned off because the filmmakers clearly lack a knowledge of the technology they try to use. Instead, they try to make the world of computer software more interesting to general audiences by making the climactic scenes ridiculously intense, which only results in inducing laughter in the audience rather than fear or suspense. Microsoft might be a monopoly, but I hardly think it's gone so far as to kill programmers for the purpose of stealing their software.\n"Antitrust" is a slightly above-average "B" movie, whose only real purpose is to promote the open-source community and introduce a few newcomers to the silver screen. If you really want to see an interesting film about the computer industry with a dead-on imitation of Bill Gates, go rent last year's TNT made-for-TV movie "The Pirates of Silicon Valley"
(01/18/01 3:56am)
Tim Robbins doesn't always choose the best scripts, but he always plays the most interesting characters.\nIn the techno-thriller "Antitrust," he plays a megalomaniac owner of a software company who'll stop at nothing to dominate the marketplace. Gary Winston has the thinly veiled look and feel of Microsoft's Bill Gates, down to the Justice Department proceedings against his company. He also has the reputed temper and charisma of Apple's Steve Jobs, even to his obsession with creativity. As usual, Robbins plays his character impeccably. The rest of the movie has some flaws.\nThis could have been a good film, appealing to computer geeks everywhere. The problem is it creates a paradox. The only people who'll go to see it will be computer geeks, but they'll be turned off because the filmmakers clearly lack a knowledge of the technology they try to use. Instead, they try to make the world of computer software more interesting to general audiences by making the climactic scenes ridiculously intense, which only results in inducing laughter in the audience rather than fear or suspense. Microsoft might be a monopoly, but I hardly think it's gone so far as to kill programmers for the purpose of stealing their software.\n"Antitrust" is a slightly above-average "B" movie, whose only real purpose is to promote the open-source community and introduce a few newcomers to the silver screen. If you really want to see an interesting film about the computer industry with a dead-on imitation of Bill Gates, go rent last year's TNT made-for-TV movie "The Pirates of Silicon Valley"
(01/11/01 5:00am)
Makeover movies are not, as a rule, good. At least, they weren't until "Miss Congeniality."\n When Hollywood takes an ugly duckling figure and tries to transform her (because they are invariably women -- aren't there any men who need makeovers?), the same mistake is always made. An actress who is attractive in the first place is cast, and they try to make her ugly so she can transform mid-movie into an appealing swan. This has worked exactly twice: once in the 1980s with Bernadette Peters in "Into the Woods" and now with Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality."\n Bullock plays Gracie Hart, an ill-mannered, unkempt FBI agent who picks her teeth, doesn't comb her hair and snorts when she laughs. Then Michael Caine as Victor Melling, the has-been gay hairdresser so typical of these sorts of films, takes a team of experts and forces Gracie to metamorphose into the svelte Miss New Jersey seen in the preview.\n The entire film mocks an American tradition -- no, not co-star William Shatner, although he does a fine job of mocking himself. No, it mocks beauty pageants ... er, that is, scholarship programs. The premise is by far not a new one, but "Miss Congeniality" winks at the audience so much, it could be a parody of the recent failures in the genre. Unfortunately, the too-sincere, pat, romantic, typical Hollywood ending nearly ruins the jocular mood, but the hilarious twist toward the end makes up for the sudden sincerity, and it is no less funny for its predictability.\n Bullock is her winsome, sarcastically funny self. Benjamin Bratt stands around making jokes and looking pretty. But the supporting cast steals this show. Caine is endearing yet sadistic, if that combination is humanly possible. He is disapproving but affectionate, whimsical and bitingly sarcastic. Shatner, as the clueless emcee, parodies himself and his image. And Bergen's aging beauty queen is most spiteful and hilarious of all.\n Some might say this film belongs on some network's movie-of-the-week TV lineup, but the level of satire measures up to the amount of cheesy falling-out-of-high-heels slapstick and dumb beauty pageant jokes.
(01/11/01 1:29am)
Makeover movies are not, as a rule, good. At least, they weren't until "Miss Congeniality."\n When Hollywood takes an ugly duckling figure and tries to transform her (because they are invariably women -- aren't there any men who need makeovers?), the same mistake is always made. An actress who is attractive in the first place is cast, and they try to make her ugly so she can transform mid-movie into an appealing swan. This has worked exactly twice: once in the 1980s with Bernadette Peters in "Into the Woods" and now with Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality."\n Bullock plays Gracie Hart, an ill-mannered, unkempt FBI agent who picks her teeth, doesn't comb her hair and snorts when she laughs. Then Michael Caine as Victor Melling, the has-been gay hairdresser so typical of these sorts of films, takes a team of experts and forces Gracie to metamorphose into the svelte Miss New Jersey seen in the preview.\n The entire film mocks an American tradition -- no, not co-star William Shatner, although he does a fine job of mocking himself. No, it mocks beauty pageants ... er, that is, scholarship programs. The premise is by far not a new one, but "Miss Congeniality" winks at the audience so much, it could be a parody of the recent failures in the genre. Unfortunately, the too-sincere, pat, romantic, typical Hollywood ending nearly ruins the jocular mood, but the hilarious twist toward the end makes up for the sudden sincerity, and it is no less funny for its predictability.\n Bullock is her winsome, sarcastically funny self. Benjamin Bratt stands around making jokes and looking pretty. But the supporting cast steals this show. Caine is endearing yet sadistic, if that combination is humanly possible. He is disapproving but affectionate, whimsical and bitingly sarcastic. Shatner, as the clueless emcee, parodies himself and his image. And Bergen's aging beauty queen is most spiteful and hilarious of all.\n Some might say this film belongs on some network's movie-of-the-week TV lineup, but the level of satire measures up to the amount of cheesy falling-out-of-high-heels slapstick and dumb beauty pageant jokes.
(10/26/00 8:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Some movies are like cotton candy -- you don't expect any substance from them, but they're sweet and enjoyable nonetheless.
(10/26/00 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Some movies are like cotton candy -- you don't expect any substance from them, but they're sweet and enjoyable nonetheless.
(10/19/00 4:00am)
It was only a matter of time before Hollywood addressed the concept of sex scandals and the U.S. presidency -- or in the case of Dreamworks' new film "The Contender," the vice presidency.\nThe film's premise is this: two major politicians -- one male, one female -- vie for the recently vacated vice president's office. Both are competent and worthy of the position, but President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) chooses Ohio Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen) because he wants the first female vice president to be his legacy. The only thing standing in her way is her past. Photos and rumours from one particular college party circulate, drawing ire from enemies and friends alike.\nThis film, like so many others that have come before it, longs to change the status quo -- or at least point out the hypocrisy in it. The basic questions this film asks are the same as those the country has asked itself in the past: Where do we draw the line between private and public life? What defines a moral existence? How do we bridge the professional gender gap? And so on.\nThe plot is relevant and timely, with one unexpected twist and one expected one. The storyline builds suspense and moves along quickly. This is typical Hollywood blockbuster fare, with typical goals and expectations. Audiences will enjoy the film but not necessarily remember it, for while it is interesting, entertaining and intellectual, the only exceptionally explosive scene is the repeated, borderline-pornographic flashback.\nThe acting is also typical, with decent performances by all and a particularly entertaining performance turned in by Bridges. While there are a few pointedly sappy, patriotic moments in his speeches, his character outshines all the others, even the fiery Hanson, who isn't quite so fiery as one would have hoped. But while the story has some depth to it, the characters don't have quite so much. And without that insight into their characters, the audience can't empathize nearly as much as is necessary to this film.
(10/03/00 11:19pm)
Do you get your driving directions from the Internet? How long has it been since you used a real paper phone book? Have you actually written a letter with ink and stationery since you came to college? If you use the Internet for everything else, it's only natural to use it to find an internship as well.\nThe search\nBesides the general job search Web sites such as www.hotjobs.com and www.thejobresource.com, which help people find employment, there are more specific job search sites, such as www.journalismjobs.com (a personal favorite) and the nonprofit career center www.idealist.org. Also, trade organizations sometimes have a job search option on their sites, such as the Society for News Design (www.snd.org) or the American Psychological Association (www.apa.org).\nBut don't forget the most obvious resource of all: the company Web site. If you have a particular company in mind for which you would love to work, check out the company site. Most companies have a section called "Work for us" or "Career opportunities." Not only will this give you a chance to contact the specific person in charge of hiring interns, you can find out more about the company while you're there. The job description on company Web sites is also generally more descriptive than one might find elsewhere. \nResumes\nYou might have already discovered the joy of searching for jobs on the Web, but have you tried applying online? Imagine: Instead of making that trip to Kinko's the night before all your internship application materials must be postmarked, you could send your resume and work samples via e-mail, weeks ahead of the deadline. Or mere minutes ahead.\nHere's what you do: Create a basic text file to save in your e-mail account, so you can send your resume to anyone at any time. It won't be fancy or well-designed, but it will contain all the vital information potential employers need to know. Don't bother trying to align things in the center or on the right: it will be messed up if the message is forwarded to others in the company. But do try to space things out vertically. While this does not have to be the prettiest message, it helps if your entire resume isn't all one paragraph. Add headings like "Education" and "Experience" just like you would on a regular resume.\nCover letters\nThe great thing about applying for a job online is that it requires less formality than an ordinary cover letter would, as long as you don't turn it into a "Wazzup?" message. The cover letter you sent with your resume online should be a short note explaining who you are and why you want to work for that particular company. Be creative, but don't make it too long: People have short attention spans when it comes to reading e-mail. Also, as with a paper cover letter, make sure to ascertain the person's name to whom you should address it. And make an effort to learn the person's gender if the name is questionable. You don't want to insult your possible future boss first thing.\nSuggestions\nOne good idea is to create a Web page of your own with your resume and work samples on it. HTML isn't difficult to learn, and it's much easier for a potential employer to go to your Web site and check out your resume and experience all at once than to pass around a packet of papers and risk losing them. Plus you can provide links to previous employers' Web sites and to your references' e-mail addresses. And that's not to mention how impressed your future employer will be to see you've learned how to do Web design, especially if the site looks good and Web design isn't your chosen field. \nWhile these tips will work beautifully with some companies, you will probably still have to send in hard copies of your resume and work samples to some. Keep in mind that not everyone is prepared to move to a paperless society yet. Make sure to keep a backup of any computer files you might need to print out for later submission, as well as a paper copy of your resume in case you need a quick photocopy.