A&E

Spoken-word show relocated to Loving Heart

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Oct. 8,2004 12:44 a.m.

IU alumna Amy Fortoul's one-woman show "This is My Body" was supposed to be performed at the 600-seat Buskirk-Chumley Theater Saturday. Instead she will perform at a much smaller venue, The Loving Heart Healing and Counciling Center, with limited space. "It was my decision to cancel," Fortoul said. I was trying to do all of the marketing for this performance myself." Fortoul explained she felt that she could handle the necessary marketing for a show at the Buskirk-Chumley but found the task to be too daunting. Fortunately, a Bloomington resident who wishes to remain anonymous has come forward and volunteered to act as a sponsor, and the Buskirk-Chumley performance has been rescheduled for mid-January.

Award-winning play opens at BPP

By Brandon S Morley · Friday, Oct. 8,2004 12:39 a.m.

Each year, the Bloomington Playwrights Project holds a national competition for playwrights designed to honor new plays. The Reva Shiner Playwrighting Competition awards its winner a cash prize and the opportunity to have BPP produce the winning play. This year's winner, Jason Grote's "The New Jersey Book of the Dead," opened last night at the BPP, 312 S. Washington St..

Around The Arts

Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 2:04 a.m.

The School of Fine Arts Gallery is transforming itself into a lounge environment tonight for its interactive multimedia exhibit. At 8 p.m. Friday, for one night only, the gallery will show "Lounge," an exhibit featuring video art, music and interactive environments. The event is free and open to the public and will allow viewers to see art from a comfortable vantage point. For more information, visit http://sofa.fa.indiana.edu.

Kelly, Jay-Z unite for concert

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 2 a.m.

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The handwritten script appeared slowly at first, unspooling across the wide-screen video monitors inside the Allstate Arena as if scrawled by some giant, invisible hand. "Dear Fans, Thank you," it began, as the 23,000 people inside the suburban Chicago stadium cheered each word. "So many times I started to quit and walk away ..." another line read. False friends were excoriated, loyal fans praised. "For those of you wondering how I'm doing ... I'M ALL RIGHT," the note added. It was signed: R. Kelly. As Kelly and Jay-Z kicked off their long-awaited Best of Both Worlds Tour, this was the first and only time the R&B icon acknowledged that, in his world, things could be better. Kelly is facing felony child pornography charges stemming from allegations that he videotaped sex acts with a girl believed to be as young as 14 years old. He has also been accused of maintaining a pattern of sex with underage girls. His next court date is Nov. 4. Thursday night, much of the Chicago audience seemed unconcerned with the hometown star's legal troubles. For three-plus hours, they sweated and swayed to the string of hits unleashed by Kelly and Jay-Z, the purportedly "retired" hip-hop capo. After waiting more than two hours past the scheduled starting time, most fans seemed elated that the show -- slated to visit 40 cities over the next few months to promote Kelly and Jay-Z's second collaboration, "Best of Both Worlds: Unfinished Business" -- was finally underway.

IU Alumna starts own online jewelry company

By Jessica Dalsing · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 1:56 a.m.

Beth Stevning had big dreams when she graduated from IU in 2002. Two years later, she made her dreams a reality by starting her own online business. She sells her personal creations off of her Web site,www.b-jewels.com. For Beth Stevning, making jewelry started out as a hobby. She had always made friendship bracelets with her sisters and bead bracelets at swim meets, but as she got older, her creativity matured and her skill at the craft blossomed. When she started making jewelry as gifts for her friends, people started asking about her wearable works of art.

Rodney Dangerfield dies at 82

By Alyson Brodsy and David Germain · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 1:34 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Rodney Dangerfield, the bug-eyed comic whose self-deprecating one-liners brought him stardom in clubs, television and movies and made his lament "I don't get no respect" a catchphrase, died Tuesday. He was 82. Dangerfield, who fell into a coma after undergoing heart surgery, died at 1:20 p.m., said publicist Kevin Sasaki. Dangerfield had a heart valve replaced Aug. 25 at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center.

Art all around

By Claire Bl and Claire Bletz · Thursday, Oct. 7,2004 1:33 a.m.

IU is a treasure chest of great artwork. Art adorns the campus on almost every corner, greeting students as they enter academic buildings in the form of sculptures. Though the sculptures are unique to IU, many of them go unnoticed and unappreciated.

Dancing 'Through a Looking Glass'

By Melissa Harrold · Wednesday, Oct. 6,2004 12:30 a.m.

Members of the IU Ballet Theatre have been working hard this week to prepare for their performances of the Fall Ballet, "Through a Looking Glass," at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Ballet professor and former prima ballerina Violette Verdy said the performance is one that is "incredible in variety." "Through a Looking Glass" consists of three sections, each containing a different ballet style and music by different composers. Music by Antonio Vivaldi will be featured in "Viva Vivaldi," Maurice Ravel in "Sonatine" and Philip Glass in "Glassworks."

'Psycho's' Janet Leigh dead at 77

By Alyson Brodsy and David Germain · Wednesday, Oct. 6,2004 12:13 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Janet Leigh's most famous scene was so terrifying it put her off showers for the rest of her life. Leigh, who died Sunday, insisted she always took baths after seeing the finished cut of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," in which her character was slashed to death in a motel shower in what may be the silver screen's most memorable murder. "I know she used to get very scared about that scene," said the director's daughter, Pat Hitchcock, who had a small part in "Psycho" as a co-worker of Leigh's.

Hillel teaches ethnic cooking

By -Jenny Kobiela · Wednesday, Oct. 6,2004 12:11 a.m.

Sweet aromas of food, just like your Bubbe (Yiddish for grandmother) used to make, will waft through the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center tonight. Hillel will host "In Our Bubbes' Kitchen: Sephardic Cooking" at 7 p.m. in the Hillel Center, 730 E. Third St. The class is the second in a series focusing on different styles of Jewish cooking. This week's class focuses on the food of Sephardic Jews, who are Jews that originated from Spain and were exiled in 1492. Since evacuating Spain, Sephardic Jews have spread all over the world.

Antique Mall offers latest fashion trends

By Mallory Zalkin · Wednesday, Oct. 6,2004 12:09 a.m.

Though some fashion trends might be short-lived, you can always count on the new stuff becoming old and old stuff becoming new again. Old fads from each decade have been brought back, and are often worn in a way that looks even more stylish than the original appearance. Because of fashion's cyclical manner, purchasing new apparel that simply imitates historical looks can be frivolous. Thanks to vintage and antique stores, shoppers can buy the latest styles at a bargain price.

Cuba's thriving hip-hop scene seeing changes

By Alyson Brodsy and Vanessa Arrington · Tuesday, Oct. 5,2004 12:59 a.m.

HABANA DEL ESTE, Cuba -- On broiling summer days more than a decade ago, teenagers here spent hours watching breakdancing on "Soul Train" and listening to American rap floating across the radio waves from Florida. Then they gathered on street corners, surrounded by rows of apartment buildings with chipped paint and laundry hanging out the windows, and copied what they'd seen and heard.

Letters from Abroad

By Alyson Brodsy and Andrea Opperman · Tuesday, Oct. 5,2004 12:58 a.m.

I'd like to extend an apology to my faithful readers. I lied in my last column. This one isn't about food. The closest it gets to dealing with food ... well, I'll explain later. You see, things came up, and I ended up going to the last bull fight of the season. Let me attempt to provide you with a visual ... I expect it to be difficult, but I will try my utmost: Bull fights (or corridas) are formal events.

Local artists diplay talents in 'Downtown Gall ery Walk'

By Rose Mary Forte · Monday, Oct. 4,2004 12:47 a.m.

Bloomington's chilly autumn streets were buzzing with people Friday night as they walked from gallery to gallery as part of this fall's "Downtown Gallery Walk." Local artists showed off their best work at the 10 participating galleries, all within walking distance of each other.

Students learn new moves at IU Swing Club

By Teri Rosenbaum · Monday, Oct. 4,2004 12:45 a.m.

Some are experienced dancers complete with black, single-strapped Mary Janes. Others, perhaps less experienced, learn the steps wearing their old, ratty sneakers. But all of them gather for one reason: to swing dance.

IU Art Museum opens 'Pressure Points'

By Stacey Laskin · Monday, Oct. 4,2004 12:43 a.m.

Warm colors, probing eyes and forceful words will fill the IU Art Museum's Special Exhibitions Gallery until Dec. 19. A new exhibit featuring contemporary art opened Friday at the museum.

Director of 'Three Kings' confronts existentialism

By Alyson Brodsy and Ben Nuckols · Friday, Oct. 1,2004 1:21 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- In person, David O. Russell is a lot like his new movie, "I (Heart) Huckabees": highly intelligent, scatterbrained, a bit goofy, concerned about political and social problems but ultimately optimistic about the future. "Huckabees," a comedy about such unwieldy topics as confronting one's relationship to the infinite, is the first movie in five years for Russell, the writer-director of "Three Kings" and "Flirting With Disaster."

Suburbia sizzles in ABC's 'Desperate Housewives'

By Alyson Brodsy and Lynn Elber · Friday, Oct. 1,2004 1:20 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Welcome to Wisteria Lane, Mr. Cherry's neighborhood. Here, in seemingly placid suburbia, homemakers tend to their husbands, children and flower beds -- while barely suppressing fear and frustration that threaten to blow the place sky high. That's how Marc Cherry, creator of ABC's "Desperate Housewives," paints his fictional corner of the world. It's a comically dark view but one, he insists, that's a big step removed from satire.

Living statues come alive at market

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Oct. 1,2004 1:14 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 25 marked the third year for Francesca Sobrer's "Living Statues" at the Bloomington Farmers Market. The Bloomington High School North drama teacher incorporates the European concept into her curriculum as a fundraiser for her theater program. "I lived in Spain and was taken by all of the statues in Europe," Sobrer said. "I decided that the concept of living statues would be perfect for my class."

Design veteran Geoffrey Beene dies of pneumonia at 77

By Alyson Brodsy and Larry McShane · Thursday, Sept. 30,2004 12:49 a.m.

NEW YORK -- Geoffrey Beene, the award-winning designer whose simple, classic styles for men and women put him at the forefront of American fashion, died Tuesday at 77. Beene died at his home of complications of pneumonia, according to Russell Nardozza, vice president of Geoffrey Beene Inc.