Region

Dysfunction is a function of great comedy

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 11:06 p.m.

What do you get when you combine a dysfunctional family, a magician named Gob, a Private Eye named Gene Parmesan, a blue-painted David Cross, Saddam Hussein, a bounty hunter/caterer called Ice, Liza Minnelli, a carnivorous seal, Henry Winkler, a one-armed man, Ron Howard, the Motherboy competition and lots of frozen bananas? The answer of course is season two of the brilliant television anti-sitcom "Arrested Development."

Danger Doom project highly animated

By Alyson Brodsy and Evan Ross · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 11:04 p.m.

It's incredibly likely that anyone hearing about Danger Doom will react with a healthy dose of skepticism. It stinks of cheap cross-promotional marketing, novelty recording and a co-opting of a currently popular television trend. After all, it is a rap album about cartoons. Not just any cartoons, but the fanatically popular Adult Swim line-up shown late-night on Cartoon Network. For all the naysayers out there, The Mouse and the Mask is perhaps the most bizarrely catchy cash-in this year.

Post-punk grave-robbing and ho-hum covers

By -Nate Bethea and Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 11:01 p.m.

Gang of Four's story is one of the greatest and saddest in rock music, mostly because they put out two fundamentally amazing albums and then proceeded to shred their legacy with horrendous (I'm talking so bad it can't be described) subsequent albums. 1979's Entertainment! is one of the most solid and jaw-dropping debuts ever committed to tape, and its follow up Solid Gold was of equal quality. It was only in the '90s when albums like Mall and Shrinkwrapped came out that music fans were forced to tears.

Let's hope 'The Fog' dissappears

By Alyson Brodsy and Matt McMullan · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 11:01 p.m.

At one point in the middle of this loss of eight bucks, Selma "I'm only in it for the paycheck" Blair asks an intriguing question: "What kind of fog goes against the wind?" I know the answer. The kind of fog that sucks. Hard.

Ruined by a record label

By Alyson Brodsy and Mallory Simon · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 10:59 p.m.

O.A.R. fans: Prepare for a great divide. Stories of a Stranger, the 7th album from the band known for its college-heavy following, creates exactly the stir it was supposed to. For good or bad: that's up for debate. Initially I sided with the latter. The CD signifies a growing move for the band, now under Atlantic Records, and showcases an attempt to prove they are more than a band that can come into college towns and get undergrads to rock out in their apartments.

Gather 'round for storytime

By Alyson Brodsy and Gary Mellini · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 10:56 p.m.

With "Get Your Way," the opening track off his second major full-length release, Catching Tales (a fitting title since most songs are narrative voice-overs), Jamie Cullum seems to have taken the jazz influences from the many swing covers off his last album, Twentysomething, and nicely incorporated them into a more modern, swing style of his own. This popping, upbeat number complete with a soulful, funk strut shows that Cullum need not only cover 1950s standards, but can make his own.

'Domino' is an action flick on speed

By Alyson Brodsy and Doug Evans · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 10:47 p.m.

In the vein of Uma Thurman's character "The Bride" from "Kill Bill," Domino Harvey, played by Keira Knightley, is the story of a pretty woman who kicks ass, masterfully handles nunchuks and other assorted weaponry and lets nothing short of death get in the way of completing her mission as a bounty hunter. The only difference between the two characters: Domino is based on a true story. Well, sort of.

'Proof' of an Oscar nod

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 10:37 p.m.

"Proof," adapted from David Auburn's Tony Award-winning Broadway play, is a drama of mathematical proportions. There is so much going on between all the main players that the effects they have on each other almost seem incalculable -- like the math problem that keeps you up all night making you swear there is no possible right answer.

Crowe's 'town' worth visiting

By Alyson Brodsy and Rob O'Connor · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 10:33 p.m.

Man, do I hate Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. And not just in a cute, pouting kind of way. Whenever I see either one of them I have the overwhelming desire to throw my shoe at the T.V./movie screen/billboard. If ever you read the headline "Bloom attacked with loafer," chances are it was me. That is why it is so amazing that Cameron Crowe ("Almost Famous," "Vanilla Sky") was able to make an enjoyable movie starring both of them. Yet that is what "Elizabethtown" is, maybe not as great as his past efforts, but still worth a trip to the theater.

IU's Ultimate Fighter

By Andy Romey · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 1:26 a.m.

Chris Higi is a fighter, make no doubt about it. He started at 4 years old and naturally has taken a few beatings in the 22 years since. But he sure as heck has dealt a few out himself -- like in his first mixed martial arts fight, which he deemed the worst beating he ever handed out.

Chancellor candidates make visits

By Brian Baker · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 1:26 a.m.

University officials continue to keep quiet about the ongoing search for IU-Bloomington's next chancellor. As an announcement of the search committee's choice is expected before the next board of trustees meeting in November, many IU faculty members are keeping their opinions to themselves.

Greenspan: 'We will meet football revenue goals'

By Michael Sanserino · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 1:26 a.m.

IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan said Tuesday he believes increased football revenues will ease the burden of a repeal of the student athletics fee. During the Bloomington Faculty Council meeting, Greenspan said his goals for the athletics department include developing and ratifying a balanced budget and achieving revenue objectives, which have increased from previous years.

County jail avoids hygiene crisis

By Kathleen Quilligan and Kathleen Quilligen · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 1:26 a.m.

Thanks to a vote by the Monroe County Council, the Monroe County Jail won't have to scrounge around for toilet paper. With less than 10 days before the jail ran out of basic cleaning and sanitary supplies, jail Commander Bill Wilson contacted his facility manager Sue Wheeler to conduct a inventory of the facility's current supplies. Wilson's order came after the Monroe County Council voted against transferring money to resolve the problem at their regular, Oct. 11 meeting. According to the list Wheeler compiled, the jail has already run out of plastic foam cups, was scheduled to run out of latex gloves today and would have run out of toilet paper by Halloween.

Rumsfeld: China understating military spending

By Alyson Brodsy and Robert Burns · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 1:16 a.m.

BEIJING -- China is raising global suspicion about its military intentions by failing to acknowledge the true size of recent increases in its defense spending, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday. On his first trip to China as President Bush's Pentagon chief, Rumsfeld is meeting with government officials and senior military leaders in advance of Bush's planned visit next month. A Chinese spokesman said he hoped Rumsfeld's visit "would increase his understanding" of China's policy. Rumsfeld will speak Wednesday at the Central Party School, the Communist Party's top training center for mid-career members and its main ideological think tank. President Hu Jintao was the school's president before he became the Communist Party general secretary in 2002.

Gay and greek: Members speak

By Kacie Foster · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 1:15 a.m.

Junior Kyle Brandle of Kappa Delta Rho made sure his fraternity brothers knew he was openly gay. "Nobody seemed to care," he said. "I joined like any other brother would." Though he missed the formal rush because he didn't know about it at the time and joined later, he said he feels proud and blessed that he has brothers who aren't making his orientation a big deal.

IU experts discuss impact of earthquake in Pakistan

By Peter Stevenson · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 1:13 a.m.

Members of a panel of IU experts Tuesday called for more international aid to help the victims of last week's devastating earthquake in Pakistan, calling it a disaster that deserved a concerted response from the campus community. "Perhaps we are becoming a little inured to disaster -- after a while people sort of become fatigued from giving aid," said Sumit Ganguly, director of the India Studies program at IU.

Online masters degree ranked 'Best Buy' by education Web site

By Kim Cullman · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 12:53 a.m.

For students searching for a means of further education outside the cultural norm of attending classes, IU's online master of science degree program in adult education might be exactly the right choice. Not only does it offer a chance to earn a degree outside of the classroom, but it was also recently recognized by GetEducated.com, LLC as a "Best Buy."

IU research firm surpasses last year's patent mark in 3 months

By Ryne Shadday · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 12:52 a.m.

A device that delivers bone grafts, a closure device for vascular surgery and a diabetic rat model are just a few of the many inventions the IU Research and Technology Corporation have created in the last eight years.

IU splits weekend series with No. 5 Grand Valley State

By Josh Sacks · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 12:51 a.m.

As AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" blasted from the speakers at the Frank Southern Center in Bloomington Friday night, the IU hockey team skated on to the ice to begin their journey for their first national championship. IU split its first series match-up of the season, losing 2-1 Friday and winning 7-4 Saturday, against the No. 5 Grand Valley State Lakers. Even though IU outshot GVSU 61-37 Friday, the Hoosiers couldn't put the puck in the net. Penalties and goaltending were the themes of the game as GVSU senior goaltender Chris Moore recorded 60 saves for the Lakers, now 6-2.

Getting 'Poynters' in journalism

By Alyson Brodsy and Mallory Simon · Wednesday, Oct. 19,2005 12:51 a.m.

Most of the staff members at the Indiana Daily Student spend a good amount of time stuck inside the newsroom. When it comes to making decisions about the paper we encourage everyone to give us their opinion, but sometimes we forget to think like the reader and think about how our decisions will be perceived. We can easily fall into the same groove and think with one-track journalist minds. We always tell our reporters that to get the good stories, you have to get out of the newsroom and into the world where stories occur.