Region

Spring season heads to Indy

By Chris Engel · Wednesday, April 13,2005 1:04 a.m.

The back-to-back national champion IU men's soccer team looks to continue its string of solid spring outings as it heads to North Central High School in Indianapolis to play Butler at 7 p.m. tonight. This spring, the Hoosiers have already defeated Linsday Wilson College, Bradley University and St. Louis University.

PARTNERZ IN CRIME, ACCOMPLICES IN RHYME

By Elisha Sauers · Wednesday, April 13,2005 1:01 a.m.

A clouded aquarium schooled with piranhas, a blue velvety sofa and a wall-sized graffiti mural of a hippo snagging a ride off the back of a whale. Drop one foot over the threshold of Ian Aliman and A.J. Jeoffroy's apartment and you'll find the random assortment of oddities that tend to clutter every college apartment.

Layin' LOW

By Laura Haynes · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:56 a.m.

A typical night on the town for senior Ali McCoy, like many of her fellow peers, consists of a three-bar rotation. First, McCoy and her crew hit up the notorious upper-class joint, Nick's English Hut, for a round of "Sink the Biz." Next, after checking her account balance at the ATM outside of Tacos Don Chuy, McCoy braves the cold in line for Upstairs in hopes for a taste (or two) of their AMF drink.

North Carolina native crowned Miss USA

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:54 a.m.

BALTIMORE -- Fashion marketing student Chelsea Cooley, 21, from Charlotte, N.C., got into pageants for the scholarships. "I fell in love with them, and it snowballed," she said. "And here I am, Miss USA." Cooley, the reigning Miss North Carolina, was crowned Miss USA in the 54th annual pageant Monday night. The new titleholder will compete May 30 in the Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, Thailand.

The TV and me

By -Kehla West · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:53 a.m.

I'm having a serious personal crisis, and there's nothing to be done about it. My television and my watching habits seem to be a macrocosmic reflection of my entire life, and it's starting to scare me a little.

MTV doesn't suck?

By -Alec Toombs · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:52 a.m.

Let's get something straight: I hate MTV. I dug it when I was a kid and it actually showed music videos (good stuff like the Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight" and "1979," the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," Weezer's "Buddy Holly" and Aerosmith's Alicia Silverstone trilogy) or had decent shows like "Beavis and Butt-head," but in recent years it has turned into something else entirely. What's the point of having something called "Music Television" that doesn't show any damned videos? You got me? Thankfully, someone of some modicum of intelligence over at the Viacom-owned corporation saw it fit to remedy the problem. The solution: the newly revamped MTV2.

Caucasia examines biracial identity

By Joelle Petrus · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:52 a.m.

"Caucasia" by Danzy Senna captures the life of two biracial children who must fit into alternative worlds after their parents separate their family because of escalating racial violence in the mid-1970s. The main character, Birdie, who can "pass" as white, goes into hiding with her white mother. Her older sister, Cole, remains with her black father because she cannot "pass."

Late night shots test directors' ingenuity

By Josh Kastrinsky · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:50 a.m.

God stands outside Dagwood's at 1799 E. 10th St. on a late snowy night, smoking a cigarette. God, played by senior Christian Schmitt, then enters the restaurant to join the Son and Holy Ghost in front of the camera.

Farrelly flick misses fences

By -Alec Toombs · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:47 a.m.

Baseball season is officially here and with it comes the aptly-timed flick "Fever Pitch." As directed by the Farrelly brothers (purveyors of the '90s glut of gross-out comedies, i.e. "Dumb and Dumber," "Kingpin" and "There's Something About Mary"), the film is an across-the-pond adaptation of British author Nick Hornby's ("High Fidelity," "About a Boy") semi-autobiographical book. The difference: in Hornby's memoir and its 1997 cinematic translation starring Colin Firth ("Bridget Jones's Diary") the protagonist is a high school English teacher and avid Arsenal booster; here he's Ben Wrightman (Jimmy Fallon), a high school math teacher and die-hard Boston Red Sox supporter. It's an appropriate switch, as the Brit soccer club makes its fans suffer nearly as much as the BoSox did until they won last fall's World Series -- ending an 86-year slump.

Clive Cussler confection convoluted

By Mike Malik · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:45 a.m.

Take the suave style of James Bond, the action/adventure of Indiana Jones and the oddly timed humor of Austin Powers and you have main character, Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey), created for the movie "Sahara."

Silent auction raises money for volunteer tutoring organization

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:43 a.m.

An autographed picture of Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment superstar The Undertaker is currently priced at $1, while 50 buffalo wings donated by Buffa Louie's, 711 W. 17th St., can be snapped up for $10. These items, along with an eclectic variety of other prizes, are up for grabs at the Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave., until Thursday night when the silent auction closes.

Water rate savings trump increase

By David A. Nosko · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:42 a.m.

In lieu of Bloomington's proposed 11 percent water rate increase, students and residents can take a hands-on approach to water usage, savings and payment. The Common Council is considering the rate increase as a means to fund a $2.45 million shortfall for much-needed and overdue improvements at the Monroe Water Treatment Plant. Bloomington's water supply is currently undergoing a $14.5 improvement project, which began in 2003.

Get 'Lost' with the Books

By Nate Gowdy · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:41 a.m.

"Revolution 9," John Lennon's noise experiment from the Beatles' White Album, was different than anything that had come before it. Thirty-five years later the Books' third album, Lost and Safe, expands on the landscape created by "Revolution 9." It's more listenable and a full-length album.

Name changes, music doesn't

By Tony Sams · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:40 a.m.

There's something wonderfully hypnotic about Jason Molina's voice. It's that well balanced blend of melancholy and hope that slows you down and makes you smile. It's that you-can-listen-to-me-all-night kind of wallowing. In other words, I anoint him Neil Young II.

The heat is on

By -Nate Bethea · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:38 a.m.

It was never going to last. Hot Hot Heat managed to create something unique on their last record, 2002's Make Up the Breakdown -- it was the sound of human exhaustion, of too many stimulants and not enough sleep combined with an ear for shiny, snappy pop. Nevermind the alphabet soup lyrics and shrill pogo-stick voice, Make Up the Breakdown was the pitch-perfect soundtrack to an amphetamine-laced road trip taken by rolling down a hill in a shopping cart.

Forget about "Fahrenheit"

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:36 a.m.

In the documentary world of filmmaking, it's easy to miss out on important features when you've got big films like "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Super Size Me" grabbing for your attention. Sure it's easy to be attracted to Michael Moore's anti-Bush tirade or Morgan Spurlock's insane McDonald's eating binge, but what about documentaries dealing with a bigger subject range? Chances are you probably never heard much buzz about "The Corporation," so consider yourself about to be informed.

House majority leader faces questions about fund raising for political committee he founded in Texas

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:36 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Fund-raisers for a political committee founded by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay routinely solicited donations by identifying legislative actions that prospective givers wanted, from video gambling to lawsuit limits, memos show.

An 'orgasmic' DVD release

By Karen Green · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:35 a.m.

It was nine years ago that "Orgazmo," the brainchild of "the 'South Park' guys" Trey Parker and Matt Stone, was shot and completed. Cursed with an NC-17 rating and released independently, it was received coldly by filmgoers in 1997. Perhaps that's not a bad thing, as a movie like this is best viewed on DVD anyway.

Suspects indicted in U.S. terrorism plot

By Alyson Brodsy and Mark Sherman · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:33 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Three men have been indicted on charges they plotted to attack financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. A four-count indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses Dhiran Barot, Nadeem Tarmohammed and Qaisar Shaffi of scouting the New York Stock Exchange and Citicorp Building in New York; the Prudential Building in Newark, N.J.; and the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in the District of Columbia.

Rumsfeld visits Kurdish region of Iraq

By Alyson Brodsy and Robert Burns · Wednesday, April 13,2005 12:32 a.m.

SALAHUDDIN, Iraq -- On a whirlwind tour of Iraq that included his first visit to the Kurdish region, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld urged the emerging national government Tuesday to avoid politicizing the Iraqi military. At a news conference in a shaded courtyard surrounded by young pear trees, Rumsfeld was asked whether Iraqi officials he met earlier in Baghdad had given him assurances about continuity in the senior leadership of the Iraqi security forces.