A&E

The paintings on the wall

Queen Latifah and Louis Armstrong are there. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are also present. Even Flava Flav, a former member of the rap group Public Enemy, and his famous gold teeth are on hand. People from the past and present with careers in the arts and politics, as well as those with less recognizable faces, meet on the walls of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. The result is an array of colorful paintings and drawings that reflect a spirit of history and diversity.

Council begins strategic campaign

Filmmakers' experiment thinks inside the box

"Thinking outside the box" just got turned on its head. In the case of filmmakers Adam Carroll and David Mickler, creativity comes from inside the box. They are shooting one scene from their film, "Conversations with the Almighty," by placing a camera inside of a box to capture the action from a different angle.

Bobby Short, singer to the stars, dies at 80

NEW YORK -- Cabaret singer Bobby Short, the tuxedoed embodiment of New York style and sophistication who was a fixture at his piano in the Carlyle Hotel for more than 35 years, died Monday. He was 80.

'Ray' dominated NAACP Image Awards

LOS ANGELES -- The biopic "Ray" about the life of legendary singer Ray Charles won four NAACP Image Awards, including an outstanding-actor trophy that added to its star Jamie Foxx's armful of honors. "Ray" was nominated for a leading seven awards, including outstanding motion picture and outstanding actor in a motion picture for Foxx, who received the best-actor Oscar at last month's Academy Awards. Foxx exchanged long embraces Saturday night with presenters Sidney Poitier and Diahann Carroll as he accepted his NAACP trophy.

Preparing for spring break requires careful planning

Spring break can be a time of forgetfulness of all things school related. But with careful planning and budgeting, it can be a trip to remember. It's important to include essentials when packing for spring break. Mia Martin, the branch manager of STA Travel on Kirkwood Avenue said students should pack more than their swimsuits and tanning lotion.

Atomic museum explores impact of nuclear weapons

LAS VEGAS -- It's chilling to walk by a dented Army helmet with big tinted goggles on the brim, a frayed "atomic cocktail" recipe book and then come face to face with a family of mannequins, frozen in time in a fallout shelter.

Getting what you want on Spring Break

Actors struggle with the agent game

If job security and steady pay are a priority, mark "actor" off the list of potential careers.

'Falling in love all over again' with Washington, DC

I can describe my Washington D.C. experience thus far in two words: deeply moving. Though I have been here before I started the Washington Leadership Program, I felt the need to rediscover the city through its museums and memorials.

Lithgow enjoys villainous 'sleight of hand' in musical

NEW YORK -- John Lithgow can be forgiven for taking unwholesome glee in being a scoundrel. He said the part of consummate con man in the new musical "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" comes naturally to him. "What I do is sleight of hand," he said. "Trying to make people believe something when they know perfectly well it's not true."

Drama department announces new season

Classic and modern productions from Shakespeare's "Macbeth" to Pulitzer Prize-winning "Wit" will be showcased next year at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center, 275 N. Jordan Ave. Chairman of the IU Department of Theatre and Drama Jonathan Michaelsen announced the 2005-2006 season Friday at the Theatre Circle dinner.

Actors learn to work on a tight budget

On the set of a low-budget film, many of the amenities granted to Hollywood actors seem as far away as a mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. On this low-budget set, there are no amenities -- all actors are responsible for their own costuming, hair, makeup and morale. Ross Matsuda knows this all too well by now.

The pains of walking through Madrid

According to IU's "Getting Started on Your Program Abroad" handbook, "'Culture shock' is the term used to describe the disorientation that every student experiences to some degree when spending an extended period in a new culture."

Carmel concert hall draws debate

CARMEL, Ind. -- The city will soon begin debating whether to build an $80 million concert hall, with some saying the community cannot afford it. The Carmel Performing Arts Center would bill itself as Indiana's only true concert hall, occasionally playing host to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and inviting top acts that do not usually play in the state, The Indianapolis Star reported Sunday.

'Tapestry' a pattern of female voices

Tapestry of Song, the brainchild of Nasrin Hekmat-Farrokh, is in honor of Women's History Month. "(It is an) overall celebration of womanhood," the press release states, "a concert that brings together the diverse genres of the vocal repertoire performed by woman."

Jackson's accuser briefly lived life of luxury, celebrity hobnobbing

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- They rode in chauffeured limousines, were whisked across the country in private jets and were treated to spas at luxury resorts. Along the way, the poor family with the cancer-stricken son circulated within a constellation of celebrities -- Chris Tucker, George Lopez and Kobe Bryant among them.

IU students perform in D.C.

Five IU musicians received the rare opportunity to usher in the 2005 Conservatory Project Feb. 23 at the Kennedy Center. With their favorite classical and contemporary pieces on the program, these hand-selected musicians performed for audiences of fellow musicians and ensemble gurus.

Classical guitarist transcends status as former child prodigy

Many child prodigies become forgotten as they grow of age; they taste the sweetness of fame in their childhood, but the public eye eventually moves on, and they're unable to adjust to their new "common" status. Some talents shown in childhood are merely a symptom of accelerated growth rather than possessing an extraordinary gift, but a few fit the definition of genius.

Rock Steady

The fifth annual Hip-Hop Awareness Festival kicked off Feb. 22 in full force as hip-hoppers from across the nation flooded Bloomington to take advantage of a week of hip-hop culture. "The Art of Rhyme," a documentary film on the art of freestyling and battle rapping, began the week Feb. 22. A lecture by Afeni Shakur, activist and rapper Tupac Shakur's mother, and actress Jasmine Guy attracted a packed IU Auditorium Feb. 23. The event foreshadowed the success of the weeklong event, which included a poetry slam with guest poets Psalm One and Thaione Davis from Chicago.