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Bob Barker retiring after 35 years on 'Price is Right'

LOS ANGELES -- Bob Barker is heading toward his last showcase, his final "Come on down." The silver-haired daytime-TV icon is retiring in June, he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "I will be 83 years old on December 12," he said, "and I've decided to retire while I'm still young." He'll hang up his microphone after 35 years as the host of "The Price Is Right" and 50 years overall in television.

Annual Octubafest features misunderstood' instrument

A long-standing Jacobs School of Music tradition, Octubafest -- a worldwide event for tuba and euphonium -- is celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year. Perantoni, who is currently in charge of the event, said retired IU tuba professor Harvey Phillips started Octubafest.

Drummers of Burundi come to IU Auditorium

While the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" filled the IU Auditorium Saturday evening, a different set of vibrations will be heard Thursday as the Drummers of Burundi take the stage. Proclaimed as "one of the greatest percussion ensembles in the world," the Drummers of Burundi will begin their performance at 7:30 p.m.

Metropolitan opera auditions draw varied crowd

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, surrounded by the first act set from the Jacobs School of Music production "Manon," graduate student Miroslaw Witkowski, 27, began his aria, "Aleko's Cavatina" from Rachmaninoff's opera "Aleko," accompanied by pianist Kim Carballo.

Help Me, Harlan!

Renowned organist returns to IU to accompany silent film

Actors stage 'Dracula' plays for first time since 1897

Writer says he hopes to amuse, inspire people to find 'poetry in the ordinary'

When poet Richard Newman set out to write a sonnet about a monster, he had no idea the subject would become addictive. One monster sonnet turned into many more until Newman realized he needed to write about something else. "I actually had to make myself stop writing monster sonnets," Newman said. Newman will give a free poetry reading at 8 p.m. tonight in room A201 of the Lee Norvelle Theatre & Drama Center. He will read from his books, "Monster Gallery: 19 Terrifying and Amazing Monster Sonnets!" and "Borrowed Towns," as well as introduce new poems.

Open your mind and close your nose

Thrift stores really get me off. I don't know if it's the menagerie of "World's Best Boss" coffee mugs or the naked Cabbage Patch dolls with one arm and crayon-colored plastic faces, but I love 'em, and I know you do, too. It's the only place where you can literally find an outfit for every occasion, from an '80s prom to a first date at Starbucks. And for almost no money!

'Rocky Horror' de-virginizes and delights

I was a virgin before Saturday night. A "Rocky Horror Picture Show" virgin, that is.

Beach Boys sing hits before varied crowd

After belting out about 15 songs, original Beach Boy Mike Love took a break from singing, wiped his brow and asked the audience, "Did anyone know there was a time where there were no Beach Boys songs on the radio?" From the crowd's reaction Saturday night at the IU Auditorium, the answer was no.

Freeway, local acts perform to launch new student organization

While growing up in Columbus, Ohio, senior Kiwan Lawson performed hip-hop with his brother in different venues for fun. As they began to perform more and more, they started developing relationships with record labels such as Bad Boy Entertainment and artists like Yung Joc. Now, Lawson is using those connections to get artists discovered around IU. Lawson, a member of IU's track and field team, developed the student organization SoundProof last year through his company and recording studio, Depth Productions Inc., in an attempt to bring record companies and contacts to Bloomington. The first SoundProof event, "Celebrity All Star Party," will kick off at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Willkie Auditorium. The event, which costs $10 in advance and $20 at the door, will be hosted by hip-hop artist Freeway and student artists.

Beach Boys return for IU homecoming after 25 years

Charles Manson. John Stamos. The IU Auditorium. By the end of the Oct. 28 homecoming, all will have shared a stage with The Beach Boys -- a band that rock music professor Andy Hollinden argues is the greatest American rock band of all time. While the band is most famous for surfer pop hits such as "Surfin' U.S.A." and "California Girls," Hollinden said that in the '60s the California quintet had an enormous impact on rock music, in addition to having a fascinating story. The Beach Boys befriended Manson and recorded music with him before eventually testifying at his trial, spent time in India with the Maharishi and even jammed with Stamos, who starred as Uncle Jesse, on "Full House."

Campus ghost walks reveal secrets of local haunts

Ghosts and goblins everywhere: Beware. Your stories are about to be told once more. For two nights, stories of ghosts and IU legends will come alive as professors, staff and students from the IU Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology host the fifth annual ghost walk around the IU campus. The guided walks will be at 7 p.m. today and Friday for $7. The Thursday walk will encompass the north campus, including fraternities, sororities, dorms and other places of interest. The Friday walk will include sites on the south side of campus, such as the Union, cemetery and Wells statue. Last year, the walks attracted more than 200 people.

The Secret Is Out

What started as a whim for Frank Warren has turned into an international phenomenon, resulting in millions of strangers sharing secrets daily on postsecret.com. In November 2004, Warren, the owner of a document delivery company in Germantown, Md., passed out 3,000 postcards. On them, he asked complete strangers to write down their secrets. The 100 that came back became part of an art exhibition Warren entered.

New movie features first black Jesus

It's a familiar image for millions of Christians: Jesus, with a crown of thorns, hanging from the cross. What color is he? In a controversial new film opening Friday, he is black. "Color of the Cross" tells a traditional story, focusing on the last 48 hours of Christ's life, as told in the Gospels. In this version, though, race contributes to his persecution. It is the first representation in the history of American cinema of Jesus as a black man.

Cigarette butts, Band-Aids, ketchup: treasure for a New York artist

Rotting garbage piled along the curb, decades-old furniture decaying in the rain, discarded cigarette butts everywhere you look -- New York City can be a filthy place. To many, it's a disgusting downside of living here. To Justin Gignac, it's treasure.

TV themes losing place in prime time

I don't remember much about high school biology or physics, and I couldn't tell you how to compute a calculus problem, but, for the love of Will Smith, the theme song to "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" remains fresh in my mind. Smith's catchy rap opened each episode of his hit '90s sitcom, in which he starred as a street-smart teen from Philly who moves in with wealthy relatives. A whole generation knows the rap by heart, as well as the "Saved by the Bell" song.

Artist demonstrates calligraphy as part of ongoing exhibit

Zhiyuan Cong stands with his eyebrows arched and his hand raised with a brush angled, ready to dive into the paper. After a slight hesitation, he sweeps his brush across the page, forming black lines that look like a waterfall. After adding a mixture of blues, greens and grays, the picture is complete. Cong, an art professor at William Paterson University, holds up his finished Chinese ink painting with calligraphy. The painting depicts a red flower emerging from a dark background. Jaws drop as members of the audience marvel at the creation.