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Tuesday, June 16
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Nerds, crosswords and an IU grad

By C. Warner Sills and Jake Brown · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

If you're looking for an exciting way to spend a weekend night, I suggest watching a documentary about crossword puzzles. Seriously. Directed by Patrick Creadon, "Wordplay" is a behind-the-scenes look at the masterminds of The New York Times' crossword puzzle and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Creadon does the best thing he can to actually make this movie interesting: He tells the stories of the people involved. Creadon focuses on the editor of the Times crossword Will Shortz, who is originally from Crawfordsville, Ind. and graduated from IU with a degree in enigmatology (the study of puzzles).

'Queen' of the castle

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

When Princess Diana was fatally killed in a car accident in 1997, I was an eighth grader. It was a time when I was young and had more important things on my mind -- I really didn't know much about her at all. After seeing "The Queen," I felt as if I was given a most rewarding history lesson.

Tower of Iñárritu

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

As the story goes in the Bible, long ago all people spoke the same language and lived in a giant tower that pushed toward the Heavens. God, who feared what his own creations might accomplish -- and seeking to punish mankind for its blind ambition -- struck down the structure and made everyone speak different languages so they would be unable to communicate with one another.

It ain't much, but we call it 'Thanksgiving'

By C. Warner Sills and Michael Zennie · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner is a daunting prospect. Most of my friends' mothers didn't even attempt to on Thanksgiving. Their families packed their things, drove over the hills and through the woods to grandmother's house and let her do all the work. This has left me to wonder if when this generation of grandmothers dies, Thanksgiving dinner as we know it will fade away, only to be replaced by TV dinners and Hamburger Helper. My mother, who began her day in the kitchen at 9 a.m. and didn't end it until the last dish was on the table at 5 p.m., quite literally waged war against the meal. Between balancing squash, corn, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry sherbet, pumpkin pie, two kinds of stuffing, gravy and of course the damned turkey, she looked physically drained by the time the family sat down to dinner. At the annual Thanksgiving get-together of Indiana Daily Student staffers, the job of cooking the turkey always falls, to much complaining and protest, on the most mature and oldest staffers, in the hopes that along with the ability to hold their tongues and manage their time well, these people have also somehow picked up the ability to effectively cook a 25-pound monstrosity of a turkey in a dinky college apartment oven.

Protest music for a new era

By C. Warner Sills and Brian J. McFillen · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

In the years since the invasion of Iraq, critics have occasionally complained about the dearth of protest music today. But it's out there -- it just doesn't sell well or get much mainstream airplay (you can decide which leads to which). And after digging around a little, you'll find modern music that could easily hold its own against what your boomer parents listened to -- including the two albums by The Evens.

The Indiana Daily Student

An unfitting legacy for the late ODB

By C. Warner Sills and Chris Green · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

This posthumous release tactic seems oddly familiar...does the name 2-Pac ring a bell? Ol' Dirty Bastard, the spastic but loveable member of the world-famous Wu-Tang Clan, has a new record out, two years after his untimely death in the Wu-Tang studio. This is the third proper release from Dirty, and unfortunately, by far his weakest effort.

Make the 'Pain' stop

By C. Warner Sills and Dan Hopmann · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

I hope Keith Urban cracks open a fortune cookie soon and reads the following message: "Give up on your music, and just be happy with your lovely wife." Nicole Kidman could undoubtedly support her husband if he decided to call it quits. My wish won't come true, though, which is a travesty; Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing digs Urban deeper into the hole that is his career.

Nothing new about this race

By C. Warner Sills and Chris Freiberg · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

Let me start my review of "Need for Speed Carbon" by saying there is nothing particularly bad about it. Yes, the FMV cutscenes are ridiculously cheesy and completely unnecessary, but they're also easily skipped over and don't really get in the way of things. The tuning and street racing is solid, but that is also my biggest complaint: There's very little difference between the racing in this game and that of "Need for Speed Underground" which came out three years ago.

Pixar pulls off another winner

By C. Warner Sills and Michael Mellini · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

There's something about "Cars" that I just can't put my finger on. It has nowhere near as an original concept as some past Pixar films. The story's nothing new; a hot shot egocentric rookie learns the errors of his ways through small town values and the guidance of a crotchety old wise-man, who used to be a hot shot egocentric rookie himself. The humor isn't quite as razor sharp. Yet "Cars" is so pleasant and at ease with itself, it's just as enjoyable as its Pixar siblings.

America's greatest rock 'n' roll band

By C. Warner Sills and Dan Hopmann · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

Throughout an epic career, people have labeled The Rolling Stones "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" or to a lesser extent "England's Greatest Rock and Roll Band." Indeed, Mick and the boys have proven themselves time and again by outlasting their peers for the last four decades. And they don't show any signs of weakness from indulging in the rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

Scott/Crowe melodrama slightly overripe

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe's second project together has none of the same energy or vitality of their last project, "Gladiator," and the pair's upcoming "American Gangster" looks to pack serious heat. For now, though, we have a relatively lighthearted melodrama in "A Good Year," a movie with a concept worthy of a Lifetime Original, but with a unique performance by Crowe that nearly transcends the simple, standard formula.

Pucker up

By C. Warner Sills and Amanda Lowry · Thursday, Nov. 16,2006 12 a.m.

The Electric Kiss. The Music Kiss. The Perfume Kiss. The Underwater Kiss. The Prostitute and Customer Kiss. Michael Christian has done them all. Now he wants to kiss and tell. Christian, who is giving a presentation on kissing at 7 p.m. today in Alumni Hall at the Indiana Memorial Union, is a full-time writer and speaker on the topic of kissing. He has authored several books on the subject, including "The Art of Kissing," which has been published in 19 countries and 17 languages, according to his Web site, www.kissing.com.

The Indiana Daily Student

Science and nature intersect in public forum at SoFA tonight

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Nov. 15,2006 11:56 p.m.

The School of Fine Arts Gallery will hold a free public discussion tonight in conjunction with its exhibit, Human Nature I: The Natural World. The forum will open with a brief discussion between artist/scientists Linda Adele Goodine and Roger Hangarter. Both artists' work has been displayed in the gallery since the exhibit opened last month.

The Indiana Daily Student

Son of famed 'Fab 4' producer mixes, matches on 'new' album

By Alyson Brodsy and David Bauder · Wednesday, Nov. 15,2006 11:55 p.m.

NEW YORK -- It's the Beatles as they never even imagined themselves. The Beatles' "Love" album being released Tuesday is a thorough reinterpretation of their work, with familiar sounds in unfamiliar places, primarily created by the son of the man who was in the control room for virtually all of their recording sessions.

The Indiana Daily Student

'Hansel and Gretel' has many layers

By Alyson Brodsy and Eric Anderson · Wednesday, Nov. 15,2006 11:49 p.m.

An impressive crowd gathered at the Musical Arts Center last Friday night for the opening of the Jacobs School of Music IU Opera Theater production of Engelbert Humperdinck's beloved opera "Hansel and Gretel." The crowd was richly rewarded for its journey.

The Indiana Daily Student

Disco Biscuits provoke flashing, glow sticks in dance party

By Zack Teibloom · Wednesday, Nov. 15,2006 11:48 p.m.

Senior Casey Tofilon had the full Biscuits experience Tuesday night, spending nearly seven hours with Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig and the rest of the Disco Biscuits when all was said and done. She requested songs, danced ferociously in the front row throughout the entire show and partied with Gutwillig until 5 a.m.

The Indiana Daily Student

It ain't much, but we call it 'Thanksgiving'

By C. Warner Sills and Michael Zennie · Wednesday, Nov. 15,2006 11:47 p.m.

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner is a daunting prospect. Most of my friends' mothers didn't even attempt to on Thanksgiving. Their families packed their things, drove over the hills and through the woods to grandmother's house and let her do all the work. This has left me to wonder if when this generation of grandmothers dies, Thanksgiving dinner as we know it will fade away, only to be replaced by TV dinners and Hamburger Helper. My mother, who began her day in the kitchen at 9 a.m. and didn't end it until the last dish was on the table at 5 p.m., quite literally waged war against the meal. Between balancing squash, corn, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry sherbet, pumpkin pie, two kinds of stuffing, gravy and of course the damned turkey, she looked physically drained by the time the family sat down to dinner. At the annual Thanksgiving get-together of Indiana Daily Student staffers, the job of cooking the turkey always falls, to much complaining and protest, on the most mature and oldest staffers, in the hopes that along with the ability to hold their tongues and manage their time well, these people have also somehow picked up the ability to effectively cook a 25-pound monstrosity of a turkey in a dinky college apartment oven.

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