A&E

Truman Capote's personal letters on Harper Lee, butter beans on display

MONROEVILLE, Ala. -- Some rare family photos and a collection of Truman Capote's letters to his favorite aunt in Alabama -- on topics ranging from Harper Lee to Tallulah Bankhead to his longing for down-home butter beans -- are going on permanent display in the state's literary capital, where the writer spent some of his boyhood.

Sixth annual Evening of Jazz to recognize Katrina evacuees

The Black MBA Association's sixth annual Evening of Jazz will take place at 8 p.m. Thursday night at Tutto Bene, located at 213 S. Rogers St.

Movie, music instant success

LOS ANGELES -- The most he and his colleagues were expecting to do with "High School Musical," a song-and-dance romance that Disney executive Gary Marsh described as "'Grease' meets 'Romeo and Juliet,'" was create a hit movie for kids.

Wilco rocks IU

Students packed the IU Auditorium last night for the Union Board's Little 500 Concert featuring Wilco. The Monday night scheduling did nothing to damper students' enthusiasm, as they opted for Wilco's brand of rock and roll over homework obligations. Graduate student Paul McCorkle attended the concert after a positive experience at a previous one. "We should be working on a final project right now," he said, amongst friends.

Dancers pursue artistic vision

Junior Stephanie Lampe stood amid her dancers, with all eyes on her. They tilted their heads as she demonstrated how they all should turn and sweep an arm to reach for a corner. "Release the head," she said, almost letting the top of her head face the floor. Lampe is one of a group of IU ballet majors who will present their work at Ballet at the BCT: An Evening of New Choreographic Works at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

For some people across the nation, decorating eggs isn't just for Easter

BELVIDERE, Ill. -- Decorated eggs aren't just for Easter anymore. That was the message Donna Thomas of Belvidere and Julia Smith of Beloit, Wis., conveyed as they set out their "eggery" one early spring morning. They were preparing not for the holiday, but for the 13th annual Rockford Egg Show and Sale, which featured the works of eggshell artists from eight states, including California and Oklahoma.

Saul Williams at IU tomorrow

The famed slam poet and modern-day Renaissance man Saul Williams will perform a free concert 7 p.m. Tuesday as part of the Hip-Hop Awareness Festival, hosted by Union Board. The rapper-poet-writer-actor-singer-preacher will guest perform his spoken-word poetry. Describing Williams as one of the most multi-visioned artists that he knows, senior Alfonso Lerma, Union Board diversity performance director, said he already had Williams in mind last year for this event.

Dance-heavy 'A Chorus Line' on stage now through Saturday

It was July 25, 1975, when "A Chorus Line" opened on Broadway, letting audiences know there was still life to be lived by big musicals. This big musical paid tribute to the thousands of chorus dancers called "gypsies" roaming New York City's cast calls. The IU Department of Theatre & Drama's season finale is a show about dancers trying to get a job in a dance chorus. The production opened Friday at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre with additional performances to be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Pakistani man dons dress, makeup to become praised talk-show diva

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Born a boy, Ali Salim long prayed to God to make him a girl. Years later, he is the most famous female TV identity in this devoutly Muslim, male-dominated country, even if his physiology remains unchanged.

Area dance troupe recalls Nirvana, The Rolling Stones in performance Saturday

Hoping to ignite a passion for dance in the community, Bloomington's Windfall Dance Company's spring show centers on the history of rock 'n' roll, said co-director Laura McCain.

Indian music concert aims to raise funds, celebrate diverse sounds this weekend

Mandawuy Yunupingu, founder of the Aboriginal music group, Yothu Yindi, once said that "music is a universal language without prejudice." IU's Association for India's Development intends to prove him correct when the organization presents "Maithreem: An Indian Music Concert" at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

New Kinsey exhibit expands meaning of erotic art

Erotic art has a new home. The first annual Kinsey Institute Juried Erotic Art Show premieres at 5 p.m. Friday with a public reception. The show will feature almost 40 contemporary artworks created by artists from 19 different states, said organizer Garry Milius.

Lighthearted fun makes up for flimsy narrative in 'Mamma Mia!'

Campy and reminiscent, "Mamma Mia!" sure isn't the thinking man's ... or woman's musical, though Donna Sheridan (played by Laurie Wells) bears her femininity with stark ferocity, fighting "marriage, the institution for people who belong in an institution," as she and her on-stage friends put it. But what am I talking about? This isn't a musical with a plot. The thin veil of a story drapes the performers, reminding them to laugh or cry and throw out a dance move or two.

LOTS OF DOTS

'Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue' premieres tonight

A boy stabs a girl 22 times, killing her. Years later, three friends discuss her life, death and the changes that emanated from the tragedy. This is part of the premise of "Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue," a first-run play from the Bloomington Playwrights Project, which premieres at 8 p.m. Written by award-winning playwright Toni Press-Coffman, "Holy Spirit" centers around three friends who share a life-changing experience from their distant past. They discuss their feelings about the death and how it continues to change their lives. Also in the play are the ghost of the deceased girl, Diana, and her murderer, a 16-year-old boy.

Annual Union Board student film festival features 19 films this weekend

Student filmmakers will be able to showcase their talents tonight and Friday night at the Union Board's fifth annual Student Film Festival. The event begins at 8 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union both nights. The event, free for IU students or $2 for nonstudents, will feature 19 films of all types: comedy, mystery, horror, science fiction, drama and artistic movies, Union Board Films Director and junior Dash Voorhees said.

SIDEWALK RUNWAY

Saying cheese on the street

The year was 1945 and the Allied forces had just learned of Japan's surrender; World War II was nearing an end. An anonymous sailor grabbed the first woman he saw, a pretty nurse, and tilted her back in a passionate, celebratory kiss. Alfred Eisenstaedt happened to be in Times Square that day and caught the spontaneous smooch on his camera.

Sight, smell, sip, summarize

Swirling, sniffing and swishing. Bordeaux, Pinot Grigio and Riesling. Who really cares what this lingo means? Chances are if you have ever swirled a glass of merlot, sniffed a flute of chardonnay or swished a goblet of port, then you've participated in a wine tasting. Wine snobs need not apply -- the art of tasting wine is based on using the senses to your advantage and being eager to appreciate the age-old practice. "There are two camps of wine drinkers," said Jerry Comfort, director of wine education at Beringer Blass Wine Estates in Napa, California. "There are beverage drinkers and drinkers (interested in) the historic growth of wine."

Market me happy

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