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(11/09/06 5:00am)
I never thought I would rave about a movie where the main character repeatedly bashed Judaism and is involved in a full-frontal male nudity scene that prompts him to say, "My moustache still tastes of your testes," but "Borat" is niiiice. \nI'd waited two anxious years for the Borat movie after becoming obsessed with talking like Sacha Baron Cohen's character on "Da Ali G Show," and somehow the film exceeded my wildest expectations. I tell you more. Dzienkuje. \nFor every word in the incessantly long title, there are dozens of unforgettable scenes in Borat's first movie. Our main man is Cohen as a television reporter from Kazakhstan, sent to America to learn about the greatest country in the world, US and A. High five! \nWhile here, Borat has trouble adjusting to the American way of life as he tries to learn lessons to make benefit, well, you read the title. He realizes NYC subway riders aren't down to kiss on the cheek, and that asking girls, "How much?" on the street, and calling a hotel clerk "vanilla face," are not kosher. \nSpeaking of kosher, if taken literally, the film is quite anti-Semitic, as Borat blames the Jews for 9/11 and runs away from friendly Jews at a bed and breakfast who just want to give him a little nosh. The jokes are a little excessive but are hard to take seriously coming from Cohen, a British Jew. \nBorat's motivation for the second act of the film is to find and marry Pamela Anderson after falling in love with her character on "Baywatch." Many of the subjects are unaware Borat is faking it, but Anderson had to be in on the bit. Otherwise, Cohen would be in jail for what he did to her at a signing, instead of appearing on Conan asking for his valuable red pubic hair while promoting the film. \nMuch like in the show, Cohen really excels at making interview subjects expose their inner bigots to him when they are unaware Borat is faking it. One man reveals he wishes we could hang homosexuals, a couple of college guys say they wish we still had slaves and a gun salesman shows him which gun is best to shoot a Jew. \nThe film is basically a one-man traveling circus, but credit also must go to director Larry Charles, who adds this film onto a stacked resume filled with "Seinfeld," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Entourage." He keeps the film quick, to the point and weaves the story well with the Pamela Anderson thread. \nThis movie is offensive and will make you squirm, but will make you laugh harder than anything I've seen in years. At 80 minutes, the film is short, but edited together well to provide a comedy "tighter than a man's anus." Great success!
(11/09/06 5:00am)
WEEKEND writer Zack Teibloom takes a drink for the team on his quest to uncover what makes the Kilroys Sports' atmosphere so intoxicating.
(11/09/06 4:26am)
It's being hailed as the "concert of the semester." A show so coveted that an eager fan bunkered up in a sleeping bag overnight in front of the IU Auditorium to get the best seats. A "functional sell out," with tickets so hot first-row seats are said to be selling for $260 a pair on eBay.\nPiano singer/songwriter Ben Folds comes to Bloomington "inspired" after spending October recording a full-length album to follow up the still fresh LP released two weeks ago. With the built-up excitement of dedicated fans clamoring for tickets combined with Fold's dynamic live show, the auditorium should be rocking tonight.\nUnion Board Concert Director Katie Ly said concert-goers "ate those tickets up" and that there's a lot of buzz about tonight's show.\n"I've been hearing it's the concert of the semester," Ly said. "We're so thrilled to get this show. Apparent by how quickly it sold out, there's such a high demand for it."\nAccording to allmusic.com, Folds led the trio Ben Folds Five from 1994 until they disbanded in 2000 as he went solo. The group released a self-titled album in 1995 but got national exposure with 1997's "Whatever and Ever Amen" with hits "Brick" and "Song for the Dumped." Folds has released eight full-length albums, including two live ones to show off his wild performances.\nFor the past couple months Folds has been touring, he has recorded a new album as well as compiled old material. On Oct. 24, Folds released the album Supersunnyspeedgraphic, a remixed combination of songs from previously released EPs with the addition of "Bitches Ain't Shit" and "Still."\nFolds wrote in his Aug. 21 Myspace.com blog that "every song on the album has more energy now and sounds better than it did to me on the EP's."\n"I'm just inspired right now. Sometimes I feel there's nothing going on in the music world that means much for me ... and those times it's harder to make music," he wrote.\nHe wrote in the late August post that he planned to be in the studio in October and piece the album together in the winter.\n"Right now, there's a lot of great stuff going on, and it makes me want to toss in my two cents worth and make an album," he wrote.\nFreshman Josh Webber arrived at the auditorium at 11 p.m. Sept. 7 and spent the night in a sleeping bag to ensure he was first in line for Folds tickets. Despite his efforts, the lottery system implemented placed him in the middle of the line, while some who had only spent two hours waiting got front-row seats.\nSenior Erica Scheer ended up with a slew of front row tickets despite showing up nine hours later than Webber.\n"At first we were pissed when we saw the line," she said. "Then, somehow, they called the lottery ticket of the person three (spots) in front of me, so we got front row seats. My friend sold a pair for like $260 on eBay."\nMany sporting arenas refer to their fans as the missing ingredient or "sixth man," implying their cheering adds a special element. When Folds takes the stage, it's expected he will call on the crowd. \nFor the song "Army," he often splits the audience in half and turns it into a horn section and backup singers. With grand, sweeping hand gestures, he has been known to have a crowd at his disposal as it offers layers of sound for him to pound the keys over. Folds is a big advocate of the sing-along, whether he's playing an original song or "Bitches Ain't Shit," a Dr. Dre cover he often performs. \nIU Auditorium Director Doug Booher said it is "functionally sold out," with only three seats remaining, but some tickets might be available once Folds picks up his VIP tickets. Booher advised checking the ticketmaster.com Web site to see availability throughout the day.\nSenior Shiralee Lewin will not have to worry about tickets because she got to the Auditorium at 8 a.m. Sept. 8 to get them and is dying to be a part of Folds' sing-along.\n"I rarely get excited over a concert, but I'm really excited for this one," Lewin said. "I love concerts where I know all the words to songs, and I know the words for this one."\nBased on Folds shows from the past few months, fans can expect to hear the hit song, "Brick" and Folds' version of "Bitches Ain't Shit," but Lewin said she has her heart set on another song. \n"I hope he plays 'Magic,'" she said. "That's one of my favorites. I get chills every time I hear it"
(10/27/06 12:45am)
Charles Manson. John Stamos. The IU Auditorium. By the end of the Oct. 28 homecoming, all will have shared a stage with The Beach Boys -- a band that rock music professor Andy Hollinden argues is the greatest American rock band of all time.\nWhile the band is most famous for surfer pop hits such as "Surfin' U.S.A." and "California Girls," Hollinden said that in the '60s the California quintet had an enormous impact on rock music, in addition to having a fascinating story. \nThe Beach Boys befriended Manson and recorded music with him before eventually testifying at his trial, spent time in India with the Maharishi and even jammed with Stamos, who starred as Uncle Jesse, on "Full House." \nBringing the act back to IU for the first time since their 1981 show in Assembly Hall has been years in the making. Auditorium Director Doug Booher said he has been working the last three to four years to get the Beach Boys at IU for homecoming. He said he would only have them on a weekend because a band with a "breadth of work that massive deserves that kind of atmosphere." \n"It's pretty amazing that they're coming to Bloomington," he said. "It shows they know it's a music lover's community." \nRecent set lists posted on a fan's Web site from September 2006 shows give a look at what to expect from the homecoming show. The shows usually feature more than 30, songs including fan favorites "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't it be Nice," with an encore of "Kokomo" and "Fun, Fun, Fun."\nHollinden taught a class in the past that spent half a semester dissecting The Beach Boys, which he called one of the most misunderstood bands of all time.\n"A lot of people think they only had songs about surfing, cars and girls," Hollinden said. "They miss the advanced music they made, which put them neck and neck with The Beatles in the '60s."\nIn the early 1960s, the band put out hit after hit, and Hollinden said they were a year ahead of The Beatles in a number of musical aspects. The Beach Boys stopped touring to focus on recording and started their own record label. Hollinden said they were on par musically as well. Their crowning achievement, "Pet Sounds," often cited as one of the best pop albums ever, and Paul McCartney once called "God Only Knows" the best pop song of all time, according to Hollinden. \nEven though he taught a class on The Beach Boys, this will be Hollinden's first time seeing them, and he said he's excited about it. He admitted that while he thinks it will be a great show, it will not be the same act he teaches about. The group is much different now that two of the Wilson brothers are gone and Brian Wilson is no longer performing with them, after a mental breakdown in the '60s.\n"People tend to credit Brian Wilson almost exclusively," he said. "Mike Love has been leading the Beach Boys since the word go, for what, 45 years? He has been slighted by the genius of Brian Wilson. Love co-wrote a lot of those classic songs, and I think it's been a little unfair that people latch onto the Brian Wilson saga." \nBooher said sales have been good for the show, with 1,900 tickets sold as of Thursday afternoon. But there are still some seats left in the balcony and orchestra sections, he said. \nWhen asked about whether he thinks The Beach Boys will play their 1963 hit "Be True to Your School," Booher smiled.\n"Pretty safe bet," he said. "Be true to your school -- it's perfect. I will admit I've used it in a few headlines advertising for the show."\nBesides having a song that is perfect for a homecoming concert, Booher said there is great appeal for all ages to see the legends.\n"One of the cool things we have is to bring those icons for our students and for members of the community to come and remember the historic band at the same time," he said. "What's so amazing is you'll have an 18-year-old sitting next to a 50-year-old professor next to an industry professional next to a little kid with their parent"
(10/26/06 7:23pm)
When Elaine Raines grew up in the 1950s, Halloween costumes consisted of ghost costumes cobbled together from sheets and pillowcases and scarecrows formed from flannel, hay and straw hats. Popular costumes for guys were Mickey Mouse, Popeye and Frankenstein. She says she never had a store bought costume and had to rely on whatever was around the house.\n"It was whatever you could make up at home," she says. "You really just had to make your own. You had to use your imagination."\nRaines says Halloween has become a much bigger, commercialized holiday since she was a kid, and the most notable boom is in the costume.\nGhosts and scarecrow costumes have been replaced with skimpy costumes for the ladies and offensive costumes for the gents. Steve Irwin with a stingray, a depiction of the twin towers burning and Michael Jackson coupled with a young boy in footie pajamas are just a few seen, heard of or planned for this year.\nBloomington stores sell mildly offensive costumes such as a pregnant nurse, a priest with a hard-on and a flasher. But to put together a really offensive, in-your-face, jaw dropping costume, you'll have to make your own. John McGuire, owner of Campus Costume, says traditional costumes like pirates are huge this year, but if you look around, the current trend is for guys to dress like a current controversial or funny character from pop culture and for girls to dress scandalously. But McGuire says it's mostly men who try to be offensive.\n"It's mainly the guys' costumes that are," McGuire says. "The ones that like to make people laugh and offend people."\nThe most offensive costume McGuire has seen is called "Country Loving." It consists of flannel pajamas and an inflatable sheep attached to the front so it looks as though the farmer is having intercourse with a sheep. Though some may consider it offensive, he says he is not easily offended by costumes. There are a number of controversial costumes -- from the streaker to a couple costume "nut and bolt" that fit together to simulate sex -- but many of the boldest costumes are not for sale.\nSenior Jason Boyd says the most offensive costumes he's seen have been online.\n"The funniest one was a paper mache twin towers," he says. "The towers were on fire, with a toy airplane attached. It had action figures hanging off with strings, so it looked like they were falling out of the building."\nWhen told of the costume, senior Sher Lewin was taken aback, and her jaw dropped. \n"I don't think people should dress up like tragedies," she says.\nBoyd admits to being a big fan of controversial jokes and costumes, and is really trying to push the envelope this year.\n"I feel like everyone's going to go as Steve Irwin," Boyd says. "I think it would be funny to be Steve Irwin alive and have your friend be a sting ray and attack you during a party."\nLike all fashion choices, wearing an offensive costume has its drawbacks. If you have a mullet, you probably won't get laid outside of Bedford, and if you dress up like a flasher, you could end up haunting a little girl forever.\n"When I was 10, I went to visit my sister in college at Florida and was out to dinner with my parents," senior Justine Menter says. "Some guy with a trench coat was running around. When he opened his jacket, it triggered a plastic penis to raise. It really freaked me out. I tried to pretend like it didn't bother me, but I was really traumatized."\nWhile guys have the option of streaker, Ron Jeremy, or a costume the Bloomington store Halloween calls "Super Stud," the sexy costumes are usually left up to women.\nSome students think the only thing more overused than a "bringing sexy back" joke is a sexy "insert job here" costume on a girl. Sexy fire fighter, nurse, angel, intern, etc.\nSophomore Samantha Hornstock says the scantily clad costume is so commonplace that you can't get called out for it.\n"It's the one day of the year that it's acceptable to dress really provocative, and no one will call you a slut," she says, paraphrasing "Mean Girls."\nLewin says she was used to the slut costume as well, and wondered what happened to the classic costumes.\n"I always see girls dressing in really slutty versions of every profession," she says. "Nobody dresses really Halloweenie anymore - like witches and stuff."\nVariations on the slutty costume get great responses if they're clever. The morning after girl with messed up hair and smeared make-up with a condom wrapper in the pocket of a collared shirt is a popular variation. \nLewin says she saw a girl dressed as a groupie wearing a T-shirt that says "I fucked Mick Jagger" with condoms for jewelry and a "cute little mini skirt." She says the costume really stuck out in her memory three years later.\nTwo IU seniors are trying to come up with the ultimate wholesome costume. But they may succumb to peer pressure as Halloween gets closer.\n"Me and my roommate are thinking of going as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln this year," senior Candice Levy says. "Everyone dresses slutty, so we figured we would do the exact opposite. Well, maybe we'll be a slutty Abe Lincoln and George Washington. You know like with a corset and wigs and stuff? I don't know. We'll see what happens." \nAs girls try to break the downward revealing costume spiral before we're dealing with a Rose McGowan ass-baring costume, guys will likely continue wearing the most current, controversial pop culture costume. \n"The guys get into it more now than back when I was growing up," Raines says. "A lot of the girls aren't wearing much of anything. I hope the girls get more material. They can't get any skimpier than what they are now"
(10/26/06 4:00am)
When Elaine Raines grew up in the 1950s, Halloween costumes consisted of ghost costumes cobbled together from sheets and pillowcases and scarecrows formed from flannel, hay and straw hats. Popular costumes for guys were Mickey Mouse, Popeye and Frankenstein. She says she never had a store bought costume and had to rely on whatever was around the house.\n"It was whatever you could make up at home," she says. "You really just had to make your own. You had to use your imagination."\nRaines says Halloween has become a much bigger, commercialized holiday since she was a kid, and the most notable boom is in the costume.\nGhosts and scarecrow costumes have been replaced with skimpy costumes for the ladies and offensive costumes for the gents. Steve Irwin with a stingray, a depiction of the twin towers burning and Michael Jackson coupled with a young boy in footie pajamas are just a few seen, heard of or planned for this year.\nBloomington stores sell mildly offensive costumes such as a pregnant nurse, a priest with a hard-on and a flasher. But to put together a really offensive, in-your-face, jaw dropping costume, you'll have to make your own. John McGuire, owner of Campus Costume, says traditional costumes like pirates are huge this year, but if you look around, the current trend is for guys to dress like a current controversial or funny character from pop culture and for girls to dress scandalously. But McGuire says it's mostly men who try to be offensive.\n"It's mainly the guys' costumes that are," McGuire says. "The ones that like to make people laugh and offend people."\nThe most offensive costume McGuire has seen is called "Country Loving." It consists of flannel pajamas and an inflatable sheep attached to the front so it looks as though the farmer is having intercourse with a sheep. Though some may consider it offensive, he says he is not easily offended by costumes. There are a number of controversial costumes -- from the streaker to a couple costume "nut and bolt" that fit together to simulate sex -- but many of the boldest costumes are not for sale.\nSenior Jason Boyd says the most offensive costumes he's seen have been online.\n"The funniest one was a paper mache twin towers," he says. "The towers were on fire, with a toy airplane attached. It had action figures hanging off with strings, so it looked like they were falling out of the building."\nWhen told of the costume, senior Sher Lewin was taken aback, and her jaw dropped. \n"I don't think people should dress up like tragedies," she says.\nBoyd admits to being a big fan of controversial jokes and costumes, and is really trying to push the envelope this year.\n"I feel like everyone's going to go as Steve Irwin," Boyd says. "I think it would be funny to be Steve Irwin alive and have your friend be a sting ray and attack you during a party."\nLike all fashion choices, wearing an offensive costume has its drawbacks. If you have a mullet, you probably won't get laid outside of Bedford, and if you dress up like a flasher, you could end up haunting a little girl forever.\n"When I was 10, I went to visit my sister in college at Florida and was out to dinner with my parents," senior Justine Menter says. "Some guy with a trench coat was running around. When he opened his jacket, it triggered a plastic penis to raise. It really freaked me out. I tried to pretend like it didn't bother me, but I was really traumatized."\nWhile guys have the option of streaker, Ron Jeremy, or a costume the Bloomington store Halloween calls "Super Stud," the sexy costumes are usually left up to women.\nSome students think the only thing more overused than a "bringing sexy back" joke is a sexy "insert job here" costume on a girl. Sexy fire fighter, nurse, angel, intern, etc.\nSophomore Samantha Hornstock says the scantily clad costume is so commonplace that you can't get called out for it.\n"It's the one day of the year that it's acceptable to dress really provocative, and no one will call you a slut," she says, paraphrasing "Mean Girls."\nLewin says she was used to the slut costume as well, and wondered what happened to the classic costumes.\n"I always see girls dressing in really slutty versions of every profession," she says. "Nobody dresses really Halloweenie anymore - like witches and stuff."\nVariations on the slutty costume get great responses if they're clever. The morning after girl with messed up hair and smeared make-up with a condom wrapper in the pocket of a collared shirt is a popular variation. \nLewin says she saw a girl dressed as a groupie wearing a T-shirt that says "I fucked Mick Jagger" with condoms for jewelry and a "cute little mini skirt." She says the costume really stuck out in her memory three years later.\nTwo IU seniors are trying to come up with the ultimate wholesome costume. But they may succumb to peer pressure as Halloween gets closer.\n"Me and my roommate are thinking of going as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln this year," senior Candice Levy says. "Everyone dresses slutty, so we figured we would do the exact opposite. Well, maybe we'll be a slutty Abe Lincoln and George Washington. You know like with a corset and wigs and stuff? I don't know. We'll see what happens." \nAs girls try to break the downward revealing costume spiral before we're dealing with a Rose McGowan ass-baring costume, guys will likely continue wearing the most current, controversial pop culture costume. \n"The guys get into it more now than back when I was growing up," Raines says. "A lot of the girls aren't wearing much of anything. I hope the girls get more material. They can't get any skimpier than what they are now"
(10/23/06 11:28am)
The seventh annual Jill Behrman Run for the End Zone brought out about 1,300 runners, many of whom had a connection to the family, on Saturday's brisk and sunny morning. \nMany in attendance were quick to bring up the ongoing trial, which provided an extra incentive and desire to remember Jill.\nThe event, which began and ended in the John Mellencamp Pavilion Saturday, included a 5-kilometer run and walk and a 1-mile walk, as well as a number of informative booths. The high turnout and diverse group of runners -- the youngest was four, the oldest was 85, made race planners proud. \n"It's like that first year with the community coming together for the family to show their support," said Chris Geary, director of programming and research for Recreational Sports. \nProceeds for this year's run will be donated to the Jill Behrman Emerging Leader Scholarship and Jill's House, the recently approved temporary home for families of patients receiving care at the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute in Bloomington.\nThe run was even more special for Jill Behrman's mother, Marilyn Behrman, who attended the event with her son, Brian Behrman. She was also supported by numerous friends and family members as she attended the event without her husband for the first time. Eric Behrman was in Martinsville for the trial, which is slated to run six days a week. \n"It was different this year," she said. "We had to make a decision to be here or in Martinsville. I'm here. Eric's in Martinsville. He's never missed it before. I'll bring him a shirt."\nSenior Laura Buonanno ran in the IU Mini Marathon, which was 13.1 miles, so she was ready for the 3.1-mile race but noted the importance of the day. \n"It's different because the case is going on now," Buonanno said while stretching. "It feels special to be part of history."\nDelta Upsilon fraternity members came out to show their support and were laughing during their ritual warm up game of Duck Duck Goose. Senior Kyle Murphy said the fraternity had a special connection to the Behrmans.\n"This race has a little more significance to our house," he said. "Brian Behrman was in our house when all the craziness was going on."\nThe race is about raising money and remember Jill Behrman, but runners still took the race seriously.\nJimmy Grimes, who graduated in May, finished the 5-kilometer race in first place with a time of 16:32. Grimes shaved 20 seconds off his winning time from last year and took home back-to-back titles. He won a plaque and a $100 gift certificate to Athletic Annex in Indianapolis for his effort. Grimes said he ran the race because he worked for Recreational Sports last year and helped plan the event. He wanted to come back this year to support the cause.\nAfter the race, Buonanno was breathless and a little nauseated but pleased with how she ran.\n"It was four minutes faster than I expected," she said. "I feel like I'm gonna barf."\nMichael Staton did. The 13-year-old threw his body across the finish line with a pained expression on his face. Je held his stomach after being told he ran the fastest youth time. After taking a few minutes to catch his breath, Staton described what held him back from winning the race.\n"I tried to come in first in all ages, but I puked twice during the race," Staton said. "My stomach hurts."\nLots of attendees had a personal connection to the Behrmans in one way another. Ted Deppe, 85, came to the race with Meadowood Retirement Community and has known the Behrmans since the 1960s. \n"Eric (Behrman) was a former student of mine," he said. "I know both parents very well. I'm here to support a good cause."\nTom Herbert, who works with Marilyn Behrman at the IU Foundation, brought his tow tow-headed sons, aged four and seven, to the race.\n"Whatever we can do to help, we're happy to do," he said.\nMarilyn Behrman was excited to see the big turnout and said she is proud of all the good things being done in remembrance of Jill Behrman. But she said at times she wondered what Jill would think of it all.\n"There was a time that I thought Jill would be embarrassed at all the attention," Marilyn Behrman said. "But now I think she'd be proud knowing that a lot of people really care and are doing something in her name"
(10/23/06 2:40am)
When Steve Hofstetter takes the stage tonight at Bear's Place, no subject will be safe. From Terri Schiavo, to his Jewish-Irish heritage, to his hatred of Larry the Cable Guy, nothing is off-limits for the up-and-coming comedian. \nThe head writer for CollegeHumor.com, who hosts a show, "4 Quotas," on Sirius Satellite Radio in addition to writing for ESPN and Maxim, is hitting it big. His comedy album, "Cure for the Cable Guy," is enjoying several months on the comedy charts. And he has way more Facebook friends than you.\nHe returns to Bear's Place tonight at Comedy Caravan. Hofstetter said he is looking forward to his return to the spot of his first road gig and the first place to put his picture on the wall. \n"It was my first road gig, and this is probably the 15th time I've performed here in four years. I absolutely love it," Hofstetter said.\nHofstetter is enjoying the success of his first album, which makes a statement about comedy's place in American culture. He attacks Larry the Cable Guy of Blue Collar Comedy fame for "promoting ignorance that promotes the downward spiral our country is on."\nDan Whitney's character, Larry the Cable Guy, upsets Hofstetter not because Whitney creates a fake persona but because Whitney is unwilling to accept that it's just a persona, he said. \n"(British comedian) Sacha Baron Cohen is Ali G, but he's still Sacha Baron Cohen," Hofstetter said. "He's not credited in other movies as Ali G." \nKnown as the "thinking man's comic," Hofstettler said it's important that people research what they're interested in so they can have educated conversations. \n"Not everyone has to be into politics and religion, but you should at least know what you're talking about," he said. "If your political conversation includes the words NASCAR, Jesus or dill hole, it's not a political conversation." \nOn the surface, Hofstetter's topics might come across as controversial, but he stresses looking beyond the surface of his words and focusing on the meanings. Though he might talk about taboo subjects he insists he's not as interested in shock value as he seems.\n"In the short run, shock value sells, but in the long run, truth works," he said. "I know people will be shocked by a Terri Schiavo joke, but I say it not to shock people but because I fully believe in it."\nHofstetter said hate mail riddled with spelling errors from people who don't take the time to make sense of his words floods his mailbox. Listeners hear volatile words and assume he's making insensitive jokes, but he said it's necessary to listen for the meaning. \n"If people understood the meanings of words, there would be no such thing as light ranch dressing," he said.\nTelling a joke once or twice on stage that you're not completely invested in is OK with Hofstetter, but he said if you're going to tell a joke for a couple years, you better be prepared to stand by it.\n"I stand by almost everything I say because I think before I speak, which is rare," he said.\nTo avoid becoming stale, Hofstetter is constantly writing new material and is working up bits for a new album. Of his 45-minute set, he likes to have about 20 minutes of new stuff. \n"I write all the time," he said. "If you want to hear the classics, get the CD."\nHofstetter's unwieldy number of Facebook and MySpace friends has attracted jealousy from some. He had to get friends to help him accept all his friendship requests, and Facebook administrators made him close his account because it was crashing their servers. \n"It's funny, because some schools are trying to ban it," Hofstetter said. "If anyone blames Facebook for their problems, then they really don't understand their problems."\nLike most comics, Hofstetter had to build up his act over time, struggling through some early sets.\n"Everybody bombs. Everybody bombs," Hofstetter said. "You only get better if you have a bad show"
(10/20/06 5:04pm)
The hiss of balloons filling with nitrous oxide was a constant sound in the Indiana Memorial Union Parking lot in the hour preceding the Widespread Panic concert Wednesday night. \nAs a police squad car rolled through the lot, pushers said, "Close it up," passing the message down the line. Beer vendors closed coolers full of beer and hid them in trunks, nitrous balloon fillers stuffed their nitrous tanks into black garbage bags, and dealers with far-away eyes selling "molly, nuggets and rolls" -- forms of ecstasy, marijuana and acid -- stopped wandering and mumbling about their offerings.\nAs Bob Marley and The Grateful Dead blared in the background, concert--goers, little kids, a few dogs and bags of drugs filled the IMU parking lot. They came from Alabama, Iowa and all over Indiana for the Widespread Panic concert -- and some of them just came to hang out in the lot. \n"I'm here for the lot," senior Max Aronson said. "This is just cool to do."\nWhen the police left the lot, yells of "No cars!" were met with whooping applause and the drugs re-emerged. Dealers offered marijuana, cocaine, acid and a form of ecstasy, in addition to beer and nitrous balloons to anyone walking around the parking lot.\nA man who called himself James S. said he started his Panic journey with his girlfriend and Jack, his labrador, in Birmingham, Ala. He has seen shows in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Evansville and plans to make it all the way to Las Vegas for Panic's Halloween weekend show at the Vegoose Music Festival. James said he's enjoyed following the band, even though his dog was acting wild Wednesday night at his first concert experience. James said he has paid his way selling cold beer and blow, though the cocaine was only offered under his breath.\n"I don't make a living, but I get by," he said.\nThe parking lot wasn't the ideal day care, but there were a number of children running around the lot, checking out the art work, dancing and hanging out with their "Spreadhead" parents. \nOne young, dreaded-locked child was running around with a pin, popping the nitrous balloons to cheers from some and anger from other partiers who had just dropped $5 on the \nnitrous.\nA glossy-eyed man wearing Led Zeppelin cloth pants, a patchwork shirt, a multicolored rainbow cape and a bejeweled headband strolled through the crowd offering massages with the guarantee that "there's a 95 percent chance you will not get pregnant from my back massage."\nFreshman Kate Goeller was wide--eyed and taking the scene in at her first lot experience. Wearing makeup, a nice clean blue top and black pants, she stuck out in the crowd but said she was enjoying herself.\n"It's really different, interesting eye candy," she said. "We just got done with a sorority dinner, so we look a little out of place"
(10/19/06 4:28am)
Widespread Panic fans walking into the IU Auditorium Wednesday night, buzzing with anticipation, said the night before in Evansville the balcony literally shook from the energy of the crowd. Wednesday night, the balcony was closed off, and there were several empty seats as close to the stage as the third row.\nWidespread Panic had fans dancing in their seats, but a number of concert-goers said the band failed to live up to expectations.\nPanic played two sets of the band's jam-influenced Southern rock with two guitarists, a bassist, keyboard and two percussionists. Several fans said the highlight was recent addition to the band guitarist Jimmy Herring, who played a number of extended guitar solos.\nSenior Matt Beck said he only came because his aunt was visiting and she used to follow the band around in the 80s.\n"Let's have an average song and have Jimmy Herring bail us out with a sick solo," he said.\nGeorge Good, an IU graduate and Bloomington resident, sat in the lobby getting set lists instantly downloaded onto his phone. He said he has been to more than 100 shows, and the sound for Wednesday night's show was "absolutely perfect," but he had issues with the venue.\n"It's a little policed," he said. "You can't stand in the aisle, and a lot of things people want to do they can't get away with."\nFor more than an hour before the show and in between sets, acid, cocaine, nitrous balloons, marijuana and "molly," -- a form of ecstasy -- were being sold in the Union parking lot. In addition, beer and homemade sandwiches and pizza made out of an oven in the back of a van were available. Some people handled their drugs better than others. "I just saved a girl's life," said Jared Farmer, who came in for the show from Ivy Tech. "She fainted and was incoherent, heaving. People were standing around her not knowing what to do. We flipped her over, and she threw up all over the floor."\nThe crowd that stayed for the show applauded and danced throughout the two sets and gave some positive reviews.\n"It's a great show," sophomore Baylor Brangers said. "It's a great venue in terms of music, and they play well together."\nAll in all, the crowd appeared entertained but not thrilled by the performance and said they had a better time when Panic was in Bloomington in April 2005.\n"I was more impressed with last year," senior Evan Alberhasky said. "I'm glad they came back again, but I think people were disappointed"
(10/18/06 4:09am)
While the only costumes most IU students are thinking about in mid-October are for Halloween, it's time for those graduating in December to think about their caps and gowns as graduation creeps up on them.\nThe Grad Fair going on from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the IU Bookstore in the Indiana Memorial Union features displays for class rings, gowns and graduation invitations.\nStudents shuffled in and out the afternoon Tuesday, but Patrick Cavazos, a Herff Jones representative, said his company receives much more orders online and in the spring. \nSenior Amber Brandes was excited to get her cap and gown in preparation for her early graduation after only three and a half years at IU. \n"It's real now," she said. "It's less than two months away. Every assignment I do I think of as one step closer to graduation."\nErin Ayres and her roommate Lauren Jaffurs plan to graduate in May but came to check out class rings and look at gowns and graduation invitations.\n"We got really excited-slash-nervous when we walked by the door," Ayres said. "It's so surreal. Not many people make it to this point."\nGetting a class ring is an option for anyone with 56 credit hours, graduating students or alumni. There are a few variations on ring styles -- from the traditional garnet with the red stone or the signet all-metal ring with the IU interlocking symbol. \nCavazos said rings are not as common as they were decades ago, when it was commonplace for people of all walks of life to get class rings.\n"Years ago, everyone got class rings," he said. "Now they're more reluctant to spend ($400) to $500. We get a lot more alumni who want rings 10 years after they graduate now that they can afford it." \nAyres said her family will be "pouring in" for graduation since she is the oldest family member of her generation. She was nervous about asking her parents to spend a few hundred dollars on her ring.\n"They'll let me get it. I'll have to break it slowly, gently to them," she said. "I'm gonna be rocking on graduation day," \nAyres asked Cavazos what finger she should get her ring for.\n"I've seen people wear rings on their pinky, thumb and one girl got the ring for her middle finger, so when she flicked people off, they could see where she went to school."\nCavazos said he has a couple of funny memories from his time selling rings around the country. He recalled a Texas football player who needed a size 22 ring, which is double the average men's size of 10 to 11. Some students he has sold to should have looked at a bigger ring.\n"I've had people have the ring stuck on their finger and had to have (the ring) cut off with ... cutters at a local jeweler." \nJaffurs did not need to get a cap and gown, since she won't graduate until May, but she did try on rings. She said she was nervous about entering the real world after graduating. Passing by the caps and gowns, she longed for more time at IU.\n"It's making me really nostalgic," she said. "Wishing I was a freshman again, starting all over"
(10/17/06 4:28am)
Dorm residents will have a new late-night hangout as early as next semester. The venue is an empty wing of Gresham Food Court, and Residential Programs and Services Executive Director Pat Connor said RPS hopes to place pool tables, arcade games, flat screen TVs and more in the area.\nWith some acoustical adjustments to the space, he said it could even become a concert hall with a concession stand and could stay open until 2 a.m. \nFreshmen are excited about the prospect of a new hangout, since The Underground in Foster Quad and the Cheshire Cafe in Collins Living-Learning Center are currently the only places open past 10 p.m. in the Northwest neighborhood. Both are open until midnight.\nWhen told about the possible addition, freshman Josh James was excited.\n"Video games and food? You can't beat that," he said.\nPlans are in the early stages, and RPS has no cost estimates or potential venue names, but Connor said RPS hopes to finish the project by spring break. He said RPS hopes to work out the kinks and figure out the best utilization of the space, which will be paid for by RPS's \nrenovation funds. The ultimate plans are to have a fully functional space before the school year ends and have it be student-run.\n"It's important because our belief is that students are looking for space on campus where they can meet people," Connor said. "We're looking to have a space with fun activities going on at night."\nRPS has a designer working on the site, which is bare at the moment except for a few tables and chairs stacked along the walls. \n"Right now we're just doing site preparation and taking down ceiling tiles," Connor said. "The next stage begins after final approval of architecture."\nThe space will be a late-night hangout like The Underground, but it will not be focused on food. Though this space will be just above The Underground, it is in no way replacing the late-night food court, Sandra Fowler, director of dining services, said.\n"There had been no discussion at this point of relocating or removing The Underground," Fowler said.\nTwo freshmen eating pizza and fries at The Underground contemplated the potential for the eatery, unaware that a new hot spot would be opening in the near future.\n"I think they should be open until 2 a.m. I like it here," freshman Greg Anderson said of The Underground. "The drunken munchies kick in at 1"
(10/17/06 2:45am)
The IU Auditorium welcomes back "road warriors" Widespread Panic just a year and a half after their sold out Auditorium show. The former Bonnaroo headliners are expected to fill the parking lots with partying "Spreadheads" and induce dancing in the aisles during their trademark high-energy show at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Lower orchestra seats were still available as of Monday afternoon. \nSenior Sarah Smazal is a Widespread concert veteran and woke up at 9 a.m. Sept. 7 to make sure she got good tickets. \nIn April 2005, Widespread played a packed house as fans partied in the parking lot up until the last minute, before flooding into the Auditorium for the nearly three-hour show.\n"The spring crowd was amazing," Auditorium director Doug Booher said of the sold out show. "Widespread had just come back from hiatus. It was a really positive night with fans coming in from all over the region."\nThe notoriously wild Southern rock band, which also includes jazz and blues influences, is often lumped in the jam band category. On Allmusic.com's profile of the band, writer Jason Ankeny said they are "one of the many neo-hippie jam bands, inheriting the road-warrior mantle left behind by the Grateful Dead, establishing a devout grassroots following on the strength of constant touring." \nThe band has garnered an almost Phish-like following since their first album in 1988, and during their peak, the band put on nearly 250 shows a year. \n"It's always an amazing crowd," Smazal said. "Always high energy, and they always surprise you with what they're going to play."\nBooher said throngs of people came into town for the show last spring, "making the parking lots their place for the day, celebrating the show and having a great time."\nSenior Evan Alberhasky has seen the band nearly 20 times and said he looks forward to the party-like atmosphere. He intends to head down to the parking lot area at about 5 p.m. to check out the scene.\n"Last year it was a huge gathering in the union parking lot, with people kind of pre-partying," Alberhasky said. \nWhile Widespread is often described as a jam band, Alberhasky said he wouldn't describe them that way. He said the band would not draw out songs for 15 minutes - like jam sands do - and compared them to Southern rockers The Allman Brothers. \nFurther adding to The Allman Brothers-like sound is new lead guitarist Jimmy Herring, who formerly played with The Allman Brothers and Phil Lesh and Friends. The guitarist, who joined the band in August, adds to a lineup Booher described as a great group of musicians who really play for their fans. And he expects nothing less this year.\nBooher said the Union Board brings back big acts when they draw well, as was evident by past returning acts like Bob Dylan and Dave Matthews Band. \n"Usually the Union Board doesn't bring back the same band so soon," Alberhasky said. "It was a rockin' show. I'm sure that's why they're bringing them back so soon"
(10/10/06 3:05am)
Restaurants in downtown Bloomington faced massive crowds thanks to what Lotus Festival veteran and volunteer committee member Lynn Schwartz said was the biggest Friday and Saturday night ticket sales in the event's history.\nOwners, servers and restaurant managers said they were "filled to capacity" as festival-goers enjoyed the crisp fall evenings by eating outdoors. \n"It was definitely busier (than past years)," Opie Taylor owner Eric Havill said. "Saturday was a huge deal. This year even blew last year away."\nManagers said they had to bring in more workers and they look forward to Lotus Festival every year. \n"Lotus is the pinnacle of our year," said Molly LeCount, manager of Bloomingfoods Theater Café.\nTrojan Horse manager Aaron Kozlovic was new to Lotus Fest this year and said he was excited about the extra business. Kozlovic said the wait was double what it usually is and the restaurant had two extra servers to help with the increased flow of customers. \n"It was a lot busier," he said. "A lot different crowd. A lot more diverse and intoxicated. The business was up by a decent percentage."\nManagers and servers from Grazie Italian Eatery and Malibu Grill said they usually are at full capacity most weekends, but this weekend the patios were in extra-high demand.\n"We had a real busy night," Malibu Grill manager Matt Hoff said. "The patio was full. People were really enjoying the music, and it was a slamming party out there all night."\nSome restaurants were underprepared for the influx of patrons. Roots Restaurant and Juice Bar had noodles, kabobs and sandwiches available for sale on the sidewalk, but manager Ryan Dauss said he was not ready for all the business inside. \n"When venues were letting out, everyone wanted specialty drinks at once," he said. \nDaus said he will make a better game plan for next year's Lotus Fest to make sure the restaurant is prepared.\nAt Subway, 200 N. Walnut St., a much different scenario played out. Brandon Bday was left alone to handle the store, unaware of "where all that music was coming from." At about 8:45 p.m. Friday, he decided to frequently close the store, leaving customers looking frustrated inside as he took breaks to smoke cigarettes.
(10/09/06 3:57am)
Saturday night, Lindsey and I bet on what time Tamir of Balkan Beat Box would remove his shirt. We argued whether his wearing a sweater would make him de-robe sooner or later. I guessed that he would be shirtless by 11 at the 10:30 p.m. show. By 10:59 we had a shirtless Tamir rapping and ending the show an hour later by climbing on the speaker and proclaiming, "I'm on the speaker because I have something to say."\nYungchen Lhamo was so sweet I want her to tuck me into bed everynight. She took the stage after we learned her name meant "goddess of melody and song." Never has a name been so appropriate since Dick Cheney. Lhamo had the audience spellbound as her angelic voice floated above the "Om" she had the crowd hum.\nI checked out Yerba Buena's set just in time to hear them say, "No, that last song was in English." \nMichael on "The Office" should have brought this band in for diversity day. It's a motley crew of a drummer that looked like an early 1980s Stevie Wonder with long corn rows, yellow mesh shirt, pink pants and aviators and monstrous, tattooed guns. To add to that mix, there's a Latin-looking singer, a middle-aged white guy with an awkward dress shirt, an African American woman with Lauren Hill-esque poofy hair and a flowy dress and two tough looking Cuban guys.
(10/06/06 4:35am)
Sue Johanson of "Talk Sex with Sue" fame has nothing on Robert Francoeur's knowledge of sexuality and interactions from around the world. \nFrancoeur, a Fairleigh Dickinson University Emeritus Professor of Biology, has come across everything from African traditions in which a widow must marry her deceased husband's oldest brother, South Korean hymen reconstruction and the subordinate role of women in many cultures where "female orgasm is either unknown or feared as a prelude to insanity."\nIn 1992 Francoeur, an author of more than 30 books, started compiling a cross-section of issues related to sexuality from cultures around the world. By the time he finished, he had created the Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality. He planned for it to be a "simple project" with help from 20 of his colleagues from around the world. The project turned into a 1,400-page sex encyclopedia with input from 280 sexual scholars spanning 62 countries. \nNow, the whole world has access to these important resources thanks to a partnership with the Kinsey Institute. During the last year, the institute and Francoeur, with help from others, worked to get the publication on the Kinsey Web site. The site launched the encyclopedia Sept. 27, but a lot still needs to be added to get the full 1.5 million-word text online.\nAfter receiving numerous awards and selling extremely well in the United States and Europe, the book needed to get to Third World countries, Francoeur said. At 1,400 pages and seven and a half pounds, it was not feasible to send around the world, so it had to be put online. The professor \ninsisted it be free. \nJennifer Bass, director of communication at the Kinsey Institute, explained why the volumes are so important to have on the Web. \n"We get people from Pakistan to India to small colleges in Africa that don't have resources we have here at Kinsey," she said. "We wanted to make it available to students, scholars, and the general public."\nFrancoeur said in his foreword to the book that he originally planned to invite 20 sexologists in 20 countries to prepare 20-page chapters on "sex and love, marriage and family in their countries," but word spread and more authors offered their services from around the world free of charge to help put together the massive encyclopedia.\n"Now, after 11 years of work by 270 authorities on six continents, we have a truly unique up-to-date Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality with in-depth studies of sexual attitudes and behavior in five dozen countries," he wrote in the foreword of the book.\nFrancoeur is still working on the ever-growing encyclopedia, he said. \nHe wrote in his foreword that the information is there to help shed light on important worldwide questions, such as how people can promote the reality of gender equality and equal legal rights for all, regardless of sexual identity, role and orientation. \nIn addition, he wants to address sexual education, which has recently been a problem in Indiana since studies show that less than 7 percent of Indiana high school health classes teach proper condom usage. \nFrancoeur has personally been able to see the practical application of his creation. When his daughter called him from college telling him her Portuguese and Israeli friends were having relationship issues stemming from their cultural differences, Francoeur found a way to help. He sent them the chapters of his sex encyclopedia from their respective countries so they could better understand each other. He said the encyclopedia, which has been out for a few years, has saved a lot of marriages. \nBass said having the encyclopedia online gives her and the institute another source of pride.\n"It's important to spread the information around the world," she said. "We're all about information. Knowledge is helpful. Knowledge is not a dangerous thing, and I think that's the bottom line."\nThe encyclopedia is just one of the resources available at the Kinsey Institute, which Bass said has more than 100 volumes spanning five centuries of written material. They also have current issues of Hustler, Penthouse, and Ms. magazines and sexual journals for those wanting to keep up with current sexual issues or explore current pornography. The Kinsey Institute, located in Morrison Hall, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with about three free tours available a week. New to the Institute is the gallery viewing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The encyclopedia can be viewed online at http://kinseyinstitute.org/ccies/. \nFrancoeur said he signed a contract with the Kinsey Institute partly because it has been doing sexuality work for 50 years, and its researchers are "major pioneers."\n"I have tremendous admiration for Kinsey. He was a giant," Francoeur said. "I just got an idea, and it worked better than I ever thought it would"
(09/28/06 4:00am)
Ever since the last hilarious scene in the movie "Mallrats" where Jason Lee takes over "The Tonight Show," I've thought, "Man, that guy really should have his own show." \nNow he does. I typically don't enjoy hick-based jokes, and "My Name is Earl" isn't the format I would've expected Lee to be in -- but it works. Lee still has that impeccable timing and as a big fan of karma, it's nice to see it appreciated and passed on here. \nThe show opens with Earl talking about how whenever something good happens to him, something bad is sure to follow. He attributes it to karma, and after getting hit by a car with a winning lottery ticket in hand, he decides to turn his life around. He makes a list of all his wrong doings and tries to correct them. \nIt's a dense, embarrassing list of wrong doings. Earl has stolen a car from a one-legged woman and cut off a piece of his dad's hair and glued it above his lip to give him a Hitler mustache before a dinner party. A lot of the humor comes from showing the ridiculous crimes and grievances Earl has doled out on the community over the years. \nA strong supporting cast rounds out the show nicely. Jaime Pressly ("Not Another Teen Movie") plays Earl's ex-wife who he tries to right many of his wrongs for. Earl's partner-in-crime and roommate is the always entertaining Ethan Suplee who plays his brother. You know him as the fat guy from "Boy Meets World" and Lee's co-star in "Mallrats" -- the one who can't find the sailboat. They live together and sleep in the same bed. \nEven while trying to make reparations, Earl makes mistakes. He sleeps with his ex-wife who is now married to his good friend. Earl tells his friend, an African American, it's not that big a deal because the friend slept with Pressly when Earl was married to her (resulting in Pressly having one black and one white baby.)\nPressly excuses the behavior saying, "You think Bruce and Demi don't sleep together and don't tell Ashton? Pff Please." \nThere's some good music in the series. Standouts for me were Bob Marley, Nick Drake and Bachman Turner Overdrive, but there are some lame songs that fill up the soundtrack as well. \nSpecial features are solid in breadth -- a blooper reel, deleted scenes, behind the scenes and a few audio commentaries. The behind the scenes feature is interesting and tells how the show is tightly based on the life of its creator. The blooper real is fairly funny, but neither feature is worth watching more than once. \nAll in all, the show has its moments and is like a comic warming up the crowd for the far superior comedy following it. I'll watch it, but I'll usually just be waiting for it to end so I can hang out with Dwight, Pam, and Jim in "The Office"
(09/28/06 3:01am)
Ever since the last hilarious scene in the movie "Mallrats" where Jason Lee takes over "The Tonight Show," I've thought, "Man, that guy really should have his own show." \nNow he does. I typically don't enjoy hick-based jokes, and "My Name is Earl" isn't the format I would've expected Lee to be in -- but it works. Lee still has that impeccable timing and as a big fan of karma, it's nice to see it appreciated and passed on here. \nThe show opens with Earl talking about how whenever something good happens to him, something bad is sure to follow. He attributes it to karma, and after getting hit by a car with a winning lottery ticket in hand, he decides to turn his life around. He makes a list of all his wrong doings and tries to correct them. \nIt's a dense, embarrassing list of wrong doings. Earl has stolen a car from a one-legged woman and cut off a piece of his dad's hair and glued it above his lip to give him a Hitler mustache before a dinner party. A lot of the humor comes from showing the ridiculous crimes and grievances Earl has doled out on the community over the years. \nA strong supporting cast rounds out the show nicely. Jaime Pressly ("Not Another Teen Movie") plays Earl's ex-wife who he tries to right many of his wrongs for. Earl's partner-in-crime and roommate is the always entertaining Ethan Suplee who plays his brother. You know him as the fat guy from "Boy Meets World" and Lee's co-star in "Mallrats" -- the one who can't find the sailboat. They live together and sleep in the same bed. \nEven while trying to make reparations, Earl makes mistakes. He sleeps with his ex-wife who is now married to his good friend. Earl tells his friend, an African American, it's not that big a deal because the friend slept with Pressly when Earl was married to her (resulting in Pressly having one black and one white baby.)\nPressly excuses the behavior saying, "You think Bruce and Demi don't sleep together and don't tell Ashton? Pff Please." \nThere's some good music in the series. Standouts for me were Bob Marley, Nick Drake and Bachman Turner Overdrive, but there are some lame songs that fill up the soundtrack as well. \nSpecial features are solid in breadth -- a blooper reel, deleted scenes, behind the scenes and a few audio commentaries. The behind the scenes feature is interesting and tells how the show is tightly based on the life of its creator. The blooper real is fairly funny, but neither feature is worth watching more than once. \nAll in all, the show has its moments and is like a comic warming up the crowd for the far superior comedy following it. I'll watch it, but I'll usually just be waiting for it to end so I can hang out with Dwight, Pam, and Jim in "The Office"
(09/23/06 12:25am)
A car made out of beer cans that runs on beer and emits incense. A visor that harnesses the sun's energy to charge a laptop. These ideas might be impractical, but students need to get creative if they want to win the big prize from the mtvU GE ecomagination Challenge.\nThe premise is simple: Come up with an interesting idea of how IU can help save the planet and get $25,000 to implement it. Plus, win a free mtvU-sponsored concert on campus. \nIn an inaugural contest, mtvU and General Electric have teamed up to promote innovative solutions to what GE representative Britta Barrett called "the crisis in the world with global warming and ecology, etc."\n"Ideas can be big or small," Barrett said. "We're looking for students to imagine and build innovative solutions."\nAccording to the contest's Web site, ecocollegechallenge.com, mtvU and GE are "looking for innovative and ground-breaking ideas that can have a positive impact at the local level or the global level -- or both."\nBetween now and Dec. 1, students on any college campus can submit their ideas. The top 10 entrants will be posted online, and a viewer poll will give visitors a chance to vote on their favorite idea.\nMtvU is still determining which artist will perform for the Earth Day 2007 concert at the winning student or group's campus. Ross Martin, head of programming at mtvU, said they have a number of artists who are committed to the project and ensured it will be a big-name act. \nOnce the project ideas are online, eye-catching visuals will likely entice voters. For that reason, the ecochallenge Web site suggests entrants send something like pictures, video or a game to appeal to online voters.\nThe site says projects will be judged on ecology, imagination and economics.\nEcology judging will consider the effect the project will have in limiting global warming. Imagination criteria will include how cool, unique, artistic, technical and marketable the idea is. Last but not least, economic scoring will be based on how much it will cost, if it's worth doing and the timeline for getting the project up and running.\nThe winner will receive $25,000 in grant money to get the project running, but the goal is to get people thinking about the environment and find a way to implement ideas.\n"The goal is that (entrants) follow through on their idea," Barrett said. "Right now it's a one-time contest, but if it's successful it may become an annual event."\nMartin said the Earth Day celebration will not be just a day of music but also a day to celebrate great ideas.\n"We know there will be no limit of incredible ideas," he said.\nHe encouraged students to think unconventionally and without limitation. Martin has received a number of entries already and said he is excited to see what others come up with.\n"College students are some of the most brilliant thinkers when it comes to innovations for the environment," he said. "We want to get behind something big that will really make a big impact on a large scale"
(09/21/06 4:00am)
The Stella shorts are hilarious: A couple dozen absurd short films by David Wain, Michael Ian Black, and Michael Showalter, in which the three run around in suits playing with dildos, simulating gay sex, and sing and goof around. Sadly, the show couldn't capture the freshness and absurdity of the shorts. \nDuring a long documentary about the history of Stella comedy, the three stars say the studio asked them if they could be funny without all the dildo jokes prevalent in their skits. They shrug and say, "Not really." They're right. \nWhat started as a three-man stand-up routine in New York and gained steam as a series of short skits on the Internet became a half hour show on Comedy Central. Even big Stella fans like me and my friends who loved the skits avoided this show, and it was canceled after 10 episodes. \nThe creative minds behind the hilarious movie "Wet Hot American Summer" and the cult series "The State" get some laughs in Stella, but it's uneven and mostly nonsensical. \nThe pilot involves the three boys becoming homeless, wearing disguises to get their apartment back and performing open heart surgery on their landlord with a butter knife and ladle. He dies, but it's OK: We find out he was a Nazi war criminal. The boys are rewarded with a wicker basket and three months free rent. \nOther ridiculous plot points are wild and sound funny but, often, just come across as weird. The three suit-clad characters wear black face to cover up scars they got from bullies taking over their paper route. They go hunting and, Dick Cheney-style, shoot and kill the guy with whom they're hunting and eat him. \nThere are a couple strong episodes stuck in here - "Coffee Shop" and "Campaign" come to mind - but in general the series has fantastical plots that might shock, but have no real value. \nThe history of Stella documentary is interesting but runs long at 45 minutes. The bloopers are moderately funny, but the commentaries are mostly stale. \nCheck out the short films online for free at Youtube, and re-watch "Wet Hot American Summer." There's a reason it took a decade to get this show on the air. It's not worth the half hour treatment.