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Wednesday, April 8
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Space race

By Chris Freiberg and Alisha Chaudhary · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

One of the biggest criticisms of Xbox Live Arcade has been that much of the content is either repackaged shareware games or half-assed ports of 20-year-old games at ridiculous prices. Those are valid criticisms, too. My ass still hurts from the realization I plopped down five bucks apiece for the whiz-bang high-definition versions of "Frogger" and "Pac-Man," especially in light of the proper remake treatment given to Rare's "Jetpac Refueled." Released on home computers in the '80s, the original "Jetpac" was a simple one-screen game where an astronaut dodged aliens to gather the pieces of his spaceship and then fuel for it to blast off to another planet (that looked exactly the same) and repeat the process.

In case you missed it

By Sam Nissen , Abdullah AlShihri and Sarah Skidmore · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

This young Canadian bunch produced some of this year's most advanced music to date. They fly through hollow synth solos and wade through boastful bass with vocals switching between dramatic sing-alongs and melancholy wanderings, with lyrics telling stories of robots and blogs, as well as the mundane life of us twentysomethings.

Third "Times" a charm

By Brian J. McFillen · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

Had you asked me two years ago who'd produce the better third album, Kings of Leon or The Strokes, I'd have undoubtedly chosen the latter. Julian Casablancas and company had released one of the decade's defining records and (in my opinion, at least) an underrated follow-up. KoL's debut, on the other hand, Youth and Young Manhood, was catchy and promising but a bit undercooked, and owed too much of a debt to the garage-punk of -- yup, you guessed it -- The Strokes. Meanwhile, their Aha Shake Heartbreak was a standard "more-sophisticated-but-less-exciting" sophomore slump (and still borrowed too heavily from The Strokes). But then album No. 3 came and both bands sought to reinvent themselves. And The Strokes' First Impressions of Earth…? All I can say is "ouch."

Ronni Moore

IU beats Ohio State in home conference match

By Kevin Kane · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

Aside from an IU tennis ball that one Ohio State player pocketed as a souvenir, the Buckeyes had nothing to show for their hard-fought, 1-6 loss against the IU women’s tennis team Wednesday night.

The Indiana Daily Student

The sounds of B-Town

By Craig Shank , Alexandra R. Moses and Deanna Martin · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

If there's one Bloomington tradition that I've grown to enjoy as much as any, it might have to be Live from Bloomington's yearly compilation album and Club Night. Each year, songs from the best artists that Bloomington's music scene has to offer are compiled on an album and they perform at events that benefit the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. This year a staggering 19 tracks fill this CD to the brim and provide a way for fans of Bloomington music to flex their charitable muscles while purchasing a quality compilation.

The Indiana Daily Student

8 galleries team up for group exhibit

By Whitney Biber · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

The Downtown Gallery Walk will display exhibits from eight local galleries Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. The free Gallery Walk, open to IU students and the public, celebrates the beauty and diversity of visual arts in Bloomington. Those attending can walk through the new exhibits while meeting the featured artists. All the galleries are within walking distance of one another in downtown Bloomington.

The Indiana Daily Student

Turning on victims

By Edward Delp · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

A church has become a haven for evil. I know that sounds harsh, but those who read my column regularly know that I do not mince words. I call situations as I see them.

A 'Big' letdown

By Wes Jakacki and Deepti Hajela · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

On Macy Gray's fourth album and first album in four years, she finds herself trying to make herself a career artist and not just the girl with the unique voice. She has changed record labels, has Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas as the executive producer, a slew of guest singers and a more sophisticated sound. Gray continues to try to change herself to create something special, like her debut smash, On How Life Is. Even though she gets a lot of help from Justin Timberlake, all the changes don't equal greatness.

OMG TMNT

By Chris Freiberg and Alisha Chaudhary · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

God knows how many hours I spent as a kid playing through "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game" on the NES. Sure, the graphics and sound sucked compared to the actual arcade game, but in the early '90s it was a damn fine port of an arcade game. Now, the arcade game has come to Xbox Live, and without having to be squeezed onto an 8-bit system it's an absolutely perfect translation … at least offline. It's hard to call yourself a real gamer if you haven't played "TMNT" in the arcades before. It's a basic yet extremely enjoyable game. Pick a turtle, and go through a series of sidescrolling levels taking out hundreds of Foot Clan soldiers --and eventually Shredder himself -- to rescue April O'Neill and Master Splinter. One button jumps, one button attacks. It's almost Zen-like in its simplicity, and it's an absolute blast with three other friends … offline.

The Indiana Daily Student

Brits make indie kids dance

By Brian J. McFillen · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

Klaxons is the latest "soon-to-be-bigger-than-Jesus" band from across the pond -- but an experienced hipster knows that Britannia falls for seemingly any young, skinny, scruffy guitar-and-drum outfit that gets more than 10 people gyrating in the greater London area. Call it "Fab Four Syndrome," a perennial desire to find the next … you know who. Or perhaps launching a national marketing push behind a new band every six months helps Britain maintain a favorable (that is, "favourable") trade balance with America. Whatever the case -- despite the country's deservedly high rock cred, you just can't trust the covers of U.K. music mags to steer you right (not that you can trust Rolling Stone, either). So, now that the band's debut album, Myths of the Near Future, has arrived on these shores, we get to find out: Does Klaxons' bite live up to its buzz?

The Indiana Daily Student

Fightin' worms

By Chris Freiberg and Paige Ingram · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

I have been a huge fan of the "Worms" games since playing the original on the ill-fated Sega Saturn. For those of you who haven't played one of the dozens of incarnations out there, "Worms" is, at its heart, the perfect blend of strategy and humor. Up to four teams of four worms face off on a randomly generated battlefield with everything from conventional weapons like bazookas to not-so-conventional weapons like exploding sheep, all the while mocking each other in high-pitched voices or funny stereotypical accents.

The Indiana Daily Student

Hoosiers should be commended for defeating SJR-7

By Abra Oliver and Charles Rondot · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

The Indiana House of Representative’s Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee voted April 3 and defeated Senate Joint Resolution 7, an attempt to enshrine discrimination into the state constitution. If ratified, it would have meant the loss of domestic-partner benefits, a loss of protections for victims of domestic violence, and a loss of child and elder-care rights for thousands of Hoosiers. It would have also seriously affected Hoosier families by damaging the state’s economy. Likewise, it would have crippled corporate recruitment efforts and would have accelerated the already problematic Indiana “brain drain.” Thanks go out to the thousands and thousands of fellow Hoosiers who stood up for equality under the law. Thanks too, to the numerous organizations and companies who voiced their opposition to SJR-7. They include the IU Faculty Council and major employers, such as Emmis Communications, Cummins, Dow AgroScience, WellPoint and Eli Lilly and Company. And of course, thanks go out to the brave committee members who stood for liberty and equality by defeating SJR-7. Thank you for doing the right thing! Charles Rondot IU staff member and alumnus

Bow down to 'God'

By Brian Spegele and John Barnett · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

Back in 2005, Sony unleashed "God of War" on the masses. The blood-soaked tale of Kratos, a Spartan warrior raging against the god Ares, was voted by many as one of the best Playstation 2 games ever, and its newly released sequel surpasses it on almost every level. Kratos now seeks to change his fate by confronting Zeus himself, and with the help of the Titans (a race once greater than the gods themselves), he's got a shot.

The Indiana Daily Student

Student activists demonstrate diversity on canvas, posters

By Lindsey Landis · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

The bulletin boards of libraries and various campus offices. The walls of the Indiana Memorial Union Gallery. The streets of downtown Bloomington. These are all highly visible areas in the community, and this summer they will all be lined with works of art and posters promoting diversity. The initiative is intended to target participants in an upcoming Boy Scouts of America conference.

The Indiana Daily Student

Free clinic for low-income residents to open soon

By Will Moffat and Will Moffatt · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

No health insurance? No problem. The Volunteers in Medicine clinic, which will provide free health care to uninsured residents of Monroe and Owen counties, opens April 23. The clinic will be an expansion of the Community Health Access Program, a medical program for low-income residents.

The Indiana Daily Student

Review of ‘Turtles’ movie inaccurate

By Abra Oliver and Mike Horsley · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

So, after reading the review for the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie in Weekend magazine (“New ‘Turtle’ movie sucks,” March 29), I have this to say: The author doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Granted, the movie was a bit of a let-down for all the hard-core “TMNT’ fans, but not in any of the ways he mentioned in his review. Let me explain: Like all good things in entertainment, “TMNT” started out as a graphic novel, by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It was a dirty, grimy, dark and bloody graphic novel about four turtles seeking revenge for their aged master. There is a two-page spread of the heroes-in-a-half shell blazing a bloody trail through the Foot clan to reach Shredder ... so they can kill him. Leo splits open some random Foot ninja’s face, Donny crushes another’s head, Raphael stabs two in the stomach and Mikey bashes one unlucky Foot ninja’s brains out. Those, my friends, are the Ninja Turtles. So, I will tell you where the new movie failed and where it shone. I liked the darkness, and I liked the art, both calling back to a time when the Ninja Turtles kicked ass. It could have been much darker. I would have liked it better had the movie rated at least a PG-13. Let’s face it, Leo uses katanas! The overall story line was rather weak, but didn’t matter as much as the underlying story of Raphael and Leo (which has always been a huge part of “TMNT” as a whole). I liked the attention but felt like there could have been more. Oh, and Casey – while I liked his relationship with Raphael, what happened to the hockey-mask-wearing psychopath we know and love? They softened him up a ton for this movie. I wouldn’t give the movie itself an F, because it is not a complete failure. The art is beautiful, they’re at least reaching for the turtles’ original forms and the nostalgia factor is definitely there. They just shouldn’t have tried to make it more “hip” or acceptable to the “younger audience.” When I went to see it, there wasn’t a person in the theater under 20. My point is, yeah, it wasn’t as good as it could have been, but blame that on the right reasons. Overall, I give it a C. Good effort, but not quite there yet. Mike Horsley Sophomore

Color me unimpressed

By Brian Hettmansperger and Chris Wisner · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

Few know the story of Alan Conway, a man who failed at life and decided to go around London claiming he was director Stanley Kubrick during the early '90s. Kubrick, notoriously private in his late years, never did interviews nor did anyone truly know what he looked like, making it that much easier for Conway, or anyone really, to claim he was the legendary filmmaker.

Lt. B. F. Pinkerton, U.S.N., played by Adam Diegel and Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly) played by Jing Zhang, perform during the dress rehearsal for Madama Butterfly Tuesday evening at the MAC.

A Tragedy takes Flight

By Eric Anderson · Thursday, April 5,2007 12 a.m.

Operas are not spontaneously created. They do not appear out of thin air. They require time and effort from many dozens, if not hundreds, of people. Then, like a butterfly breaking from its cocoon, the final theatrical product bursts onto the stage, wings spread and ready for flight. Not least among the innumerable individuals involved in bringing a piece of opera to fruition is the director, the one responsible for the dramatic vision that carries the work from overture to final curtain. For this season’s production of “Madama Butterfly,” the beloved opera by Giacomo Puccini, the IU Jacobs School of Music invited guest artist Nick Muni to play the important role of director. Recently appointed to the faculty of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Muni has been rehearsing with the cast of “Butterfly” since March.

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