Region

Children's choirs to sing at museum

By Michael Reschke · Sunday, Dec. 10,2006 11:15 p.m.

The IU Art Museum will celebrate the holidays with Bloomington's St. Charles Catholic School fourth- and fifth-grade choirs. The Holiday Concert and Open House will be from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 17, with the choir performing at 2 p.m. The St. Charles school choirs will perform under the direction of Sandra Freund and Kathy Gorr. The choirs will present a program of holiday carols featuring hand chimes, according to an IU Art Museum press release. Light refreshments will be available after the concert, with a gallery tour to follow. Nan Brewer, the Lucienne M. Glaubinger Curator of Works on Paper, will lead the tour of toy-related imagery in the first floor Gallery of Art of the Western World.

Instead of plopping on the couch to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" for the billionth time, use this guide to 10 of the best museums in the country and their highlights.

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, Dec. 10,2006 11:14 p.m.

Smithsonian american art museum -- Washington, D.c. ADDRESS DON'T MISS: "Vaquero" by Luis Jimenez. This equestrian statue sits on a plinth outside the museum. It is a 16.5 feet tall, blue fiberglass construction and a curious mix of traditional and popular art.

Do it the gay way

By Alyson Brodsy and Teri Rosenbaum · Sunday, Dec. 10,2006 11:06 p.m.

I arrived "fashionably early" to a party Thursday night. The apartment was vacuumed, decorated and blasting "Fergalicious" so loud that I could barely contain myself. I watched as the party's host put a padlock on his closet and questioned if he should wear the grey V-neck or the white one. Oh, this was no ordinary party.

'Frog and Toad' musical offers life lessons for all

By Yeonjoo Son · Sunday, Dec. 10,2006 11:06 p.m.

Cardinal Stage Company's production of "A Year With Frog and Toad," nominated for three Tony Awards, will be presented at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, 16, 22 and 23, with matinees at 2 p.m. on the Saturday showings.

IU club brings Christmas entertainment to local children, parents, senior citizens

By Rorye O'Connor and Rorye O'Conner · Sunday, Dec. 10,2006 11:05 p.m.

Children dined with Santa and received a little "Entertainment with Love" from an IU club Saturday at the Sterling House of Bloomington.

UPDATE Hoosiers fall to Kentucky, 59-54

Saturday, Dec. 9,2006 4:07 p.m.

LEXINGTON, KY. -- The IU men's basketball team fell to 5-3 on the season after losing 59-54 to the University of Kentucky Saturday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The Hoosiers and Wildcats battled through 14 lead changes in the contest, 10 of which came in the first half.

Hoosiers fall to Kentucky, 59-54

Saturday, Dec. 9,2006 4:06 p.m.

LEXINGTON, K.y. -- The IU men's basketball team fell to 5-3 on the season after losing 59-54 to the University of Kentucky Saturday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

IU receives grant to make 'much ado' about gaming

By Katie Ingmire · Saturday, Dec. 9,2006 3:02 p.m.

Educators have ensured Shakespeare's vitality by keeping his works a staple of literature curriculums -- often to the chagrin of students throughout the English-speaking world. But now, IU professor Edward Castronova is attempting to make Shakespeare more relatable: He's digitized the Bard's works and created an interactive Shakespearean world inside of a computer.

Scary library

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 3:35 p.m.

Because it's Halloween, we would like to frighten you with tales of the freak show we call the library.

I'd rather have a lump of coal...

By C. Warner Sills and Michael Reschke · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 3:06 p.m.

Every Christmas people save up their money to buy things that will show their loved ones just how much they care. They sneak them into the house to wrap them up, and then they place them under the Christmas tree. On Christmas morning, people tear through wrapping paper to find exactly what they wanted. That's what's supposed to happen, but it doesn't always work out that way.

What did the five fingers say to the face?!

By C. Warner Sills and Kasey Hawrysz · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 3:05 p.m.

Mr. Big, professional midget wrestler, leaps off the top rope of the ring and tackles cruiser-weight wrestler Bobby Black in his signature move, the "drop kick off the top rope." All 4'9" and 135 pounds of Mr. Big knocks Black onto the mat with a slam, but soon Black and his tag team partner have managed to pin Mr. Big. Enter TVZ. The tag-team comprised of brothers Tom and Troy Van Zant rushes into the ring, though whether it is to help Mr. Big or beat on their chief rivals, tag-team Bobby Black and Donny Idol, is unclear. The crowd cheers for TMZ and Mr. Big or boos their opponents, shouting "Opie" at Idol because of his baby face. Wrestlers fly out of the ring right and left, occasionally pausing to clobber each other on the way.

Monkeys, Peppers, Chemicals, Decemberists and Dylan:

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:56 p.m.

1. My Chemical Romance -- The Black Parade Making the biggest career leap forward in 2006 is New Jersey outfit My Chemical Romance, who by wearing their influences (Queen, Pink Floyd, Bowie) on their sleeves tackled a concept album about a teen dying of cancer and knocked it out of the park. That Gerard Way and his band threw on Sgt. Pepper costumes and pretended they were someone else for awhile is a notable coincidence. By jettisoning the occasional grating vocals of their debut and expanding the pop songcraft of their platinum sophomore release "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge," My Chemical Romance has matured into a band worth watching closely. Standout track: "Disenchanted"

King nothing

By C. Warner Sills and Chris Freiberg · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:54 p.m.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Case in point: The three Burger King-inspired video games on sale for $3.99 each with the purchase of a value meal at participating restaurants. Each of the games features a variety of soulless corporate characters for you to play as, including the always creepy King, Whopper Jr. and super model Brooke Burke.

Silent Bob strikes out

By C. Warner Sills and Zack Teibloom · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:54 p.m.

This movie should have never been made. Like Jay-Z announcing the Black album was his last, Kevin Smith assured fans he was done with his Jersey crew after "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." Both Smith and Jay-Z should have known when to fade to black. There's no reason to make "U.S. Marshalls" 15 years after "The Fugitive," and even less reason to bring back Jay and Randall a dozen years later for one more trip to the Quik Stop.

Rebirth of a franchise

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:52 p.m.

Much like the Batman franchise, Superman was in desperate need of an overhaul after being taken out of the hands of director Richard Donner long ago. Where "Batman Begins" is a masterpiece, "Superman Returns" is very much a work in progress after being tossed around Hollywood for over a decade without hope. It only took director Bryan Singer leaving behind his own comic book franchise of the X-Men films to accomplish it.

'Grenades' a dud

By C. Warner Sills and Brian J. McFillen · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:51 p.m.

At the time of my writing this, Incubus' has been getting fairly positive reviews -- from Allmusic.com, the Associated Press, the L.A. Times and so on. This has led me to consider and reconsider my initial reaction to this disc. But each successive spin has only reaffirmed my conclusion: Someone has to stand up to this madness -- to butcher the famous Edmund Burke quote, "All that is required for (mediocrity) to prevail is for good (critics) to do nothing."

They are, in fact, so trill

By Sam Nissen · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:49 p.m.

XXL. 4.5 stars. 9.1/10. A. I can't say much that hasn't been said about Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury. But I'll keep writing anyway. This is the best rap album since Lord Willin', their last effort. Thank God for Jeezy, Rick Ross and a few others who kept coke-music breathing during Clipse's 4-year layoff. But the games are over. This is Clipse's The Chronic, their Illmatic.

Get out of your home for the 'Holiday'

By C. Warner Sills and Michael Mellini · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:46 p.m.

I have a confession: I'm a whore for Nancy Meyers' movies. I feel so warm and fuzzy every time I watch "Father of the Bride," I'm practically a human blanket. I laugh just as hard as Diane Keaton cries during "Something's Gotta Give," and it's disgusting how many times I've seen "The Parent Trap" (I can even teach the kick-ass handshake.) Director Meyers is the queen of comfort food movies, and her latest, "The Holiday," is one delectable bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Sharp and edgy, this 'Diamond' shines

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsky · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:44 p.m.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, it's the holiday season, and we all know what that means. It's the release of what will be some of the best movies of the year. And a day before its worldwide release, let me tell you that "Blood Diamond" falls into that category. Director Edward Zwick ("The Last Samurai") has produced a film whose storytelling is not only entertaining but horrifically real, one both factual and eye-opening.

'Children' of hope

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Friday, Dec. 8,2006 2:42 p.m.

Imagine that over the span of the next 20 years, our world decays. Governments fall, wars ravage the earth, pollution and famine run rampant, and somehow in the mix of all this, men and women can no longer procreate. A child hasn't been born in almost two decades, and when the youngest person on the planet dies at 18 years young, the world gives a reaction akin to the passing of Princess Diana.