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Around The Arts

Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 1:05 a.m.

News from the Arts world

Jazz series continues with casual class

By Heidi Dollinger · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 1 a.m.

Classy, but casual was the mood Monday night at the Musical Arts Center as students, faculty, and Bloomington residents stopped in for a jazz concert, part of the IU School of Music's Mac Jazz series.

Free films shown Fridays

By Graham Gardner · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 12:58 a.m.

When most buildings are empty on a Friday night, Ballantine Hall is the host of classic world cinema, shown in 16mm format for a price every student loves: free. City Lights, a program funded by the Department of Communication and Culture, does not utilize the latest in sound and image technology. Instead the Hollywood, foreign and independent films are shown in their original format, which is the main attraction for many audience members.

Film producer to speak tonight

By Cere Shovers · Tuesday, Oct. 15,2002 3:11 p.m.

Filmmaking methods are constantly changing, and keeping up with increasing technology requires dedication and talent. Robert Benedetti, renowned film producer and IU alum, said he believes that films create much more than momentary entertainment. The Department of Theatre and Drama has invited Benedetti to speak on the use of digital technology in film and Hollywood ethics. He will speak in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre at 5 p.m. tonight.

Stephen King's "Buick" hardly provides a thrilling ride

By Jason Gaddis · Monday, Oct. 14,2002 12:56 p.m.

Stephen King is in a slump. His latest novel, From A Buick 8, is just another book in a long line of mediocre works by the former master of horror in suspense. Former because King seems to have lost his knack for both horror and suspense. From A Buick 8 lacks all the elements that once made King's books fun and exciting to read.

Twisted fairy tales make enjoyable fun

By Brett Martel and Jonathon Sanders · Monday, Oct. 14,2002 12:44 a.m.

Saturday night was a good night for theater in Bloomington. The Buskirk-Chumley theater was filled with families eager to see the Bloomington Music Works' performance of Stephen Soundheim's "Into The Woods." And by the end of the evening, it was clear that few, if any, had been disappointed. "Into The Woods'" is a different take on the fairy tales we've all grown up with. The difference is that throughout the plot, all of the characters and stories are interacting with each other. And the traditional "happy ending" happens before the first act even ends. So during the second act, you're given a story that is completely original and ultimately entertaining to say the least.

'ART' more about friendship than aesthetics

By Adam Sedia · Monday, Oct. 14,2002 12:43 a.m.

Ever walk into a modern art gallery, see a painting, and think, "I could do better myself?" Well, Yasmina Reza's play "ART" deals with exactly these sentiments over modern art. A character named Serge (played by Sam Wooten) has purchased a white-on-white painting for 200,000 Francs. His friend Marc (Jonathan Molitor) doesn't think very highly of the painting and criticizes his friend for spending a fortune for nothing more than an ostensibly blank canvas. Marc and Serge bring a third friend, Yvan (José Antonio García), into the quarrel by forcing him to take sides over the new painting, even though he could care less. Yvan, after all, is about to be married and has his own family difficulties to overcome. The three have a brawl and nearly lose their friendship. At the climactic moment, Serge offers Marc a marker. Marc draws a skier on the painting, and the three friends have dinner. The conflict is finally resolved when all three friends erase the drawing and retie their bonds of friendship, although on shakier grounds than before. The IU performance, which opened this past Friday, had some extremely convincing acting. Wooten conveyed every bit of the elitism and self-congratulation characteristic of modern art lovers while remaining a rather bland professional, which is what Serge is. Molitor gave a wonderfully vivid portrayal of a fanatic who tries to impress his views on others without concern for their friendship.

Kenny Rogers makes new fans

By Michael G. Kraios · Monday, Oct. 14,2002 12:42 a.m.

Before Kenny Rogers concert at the IU Auditorium Friday, I would have in no way called myself a fan or even said I knew any of his music. I knew of two Kenny Rogers songs, "The Gambler" and "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)." The latter, a psychedelic single from the '60s, is heavily featured on the soundtrack of the Coen Brothers cult classic film "The Big Lebowski." The former, a late '70s chart-topper, is now a cliché, and people use the refrain as a phrase in everyday speech, "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em." Probably most college students recognize the native Texan not as a musician but as a restaurateur running "Kenny Rogers' Roasters" which has been parodied on television shows from Seinfeld to Jackass.

Maestro Effron is memorable

By Alyson Brodsy and Brandon Morley · Friday, Oct. 11,2002 1:02 a.m.

The Indiana University School of Music's Orchestra concert was impressive, despite the fact that the house was small. Just over 100 people attended, most of whom probably qualified for membership to AARP.

Hungarian author wins Nobel Prize

By Alyson Brodsy and Hillel Italie · Friday, Oct. 11,2002 1:01 a.m.

After Auschwitz, to write poetry is barbaric, a philosopher once concluded. A long line of poets and novelists have thought otherwise, and on Thursday, the Nobel Prize in literature went to Imre Kertesz, a Hungarian novelist and Auschwitz survivor.

Ibsen play starts tonight

By Alyson Brodsy and Brandon Morley · Friday, Oct. 11,2002 1:01 a.m.

Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" will open at the John Waldron Arts Center tonight at 8 p.m. and will run until Oct. 26. The show is produced by the Bloomington Area Arts Council and in cooperation with Detour Productions. It is the second production commemorating the 10th anniversary of the John Waldron Arts Center.

Spike Lee brings out his whip, bashing IU and its former basketball coach

By Jackie Corgan · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2:03 a.m.

Education plays a big role in his life. His family remains near and dear to him, noting the name "Spike" was given to him because his mother called him a "tough baby." Spike Lee doesn't have a favorite movie, and he sure doesn't like Indiana.

Myriad of choices

By Jane Charney · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 2 a.m.

Practicing three hours a day for every one hour a week they spend at class, students at IU's School of Music do not miss out on the overall college experience. Instead they have a rare opportunity to attend a music conservatory within a full-range university. "I came here because I'll get a well-rounded education as opposed to just doing music," said Crystal Boohr, sophomore trombone major.

Former 3LW member sues

Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 1:22 a.m.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Naturi Naughton, a former member of the platinum-selling teen group 3LW, claims in a lawsuit that she was forced out of the R&B trio because she was not "ghetto enough." Naughton, 18, says she was ousted from the group, whose hits include "Playas Gon Play" and "No More," in August.

Actress announces illness

Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 1:20 a.m.

NEW YORK -- After nearly 20 years of dealing with the illness, Teri Garr has revealed that she has multiple sclerosis. Garr, who received an Oscar nomination for supporting actress for the 1982 movie "Tootsie," told CNN's Larry King on Tuesday night that she kept the disease secret for years because she "didn't feel it was necessary to tell anybody."

Local artists get their chance

By Lacy Kelly · Thursday, Oct. 10,2002 1:18 a.m.

If you're like Dan Ovando, a high school student from local jazz band Le Petit Combo, "you'll play wherever you can, just for the hell of it." Fortunately, local music venues welcome that attitude. With settings as diverse as the culture and moods that change with the tempo, downtown Bloomington becomes an open forum for musicians and poets alike. It allows free music and poetry to fill its cafes and streets. Not only does it allow appreciation to its viewers but opportunities for artists as well.

Mourning ends on 'The West Wing'

By Alyson Brodsy and Lynn Elber · Wednesday, Oct. 9,2002 1:46 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- The mourning period was suitable. It's been more than a year since beloved White House secretary Dolores Landingham was laid to rest on "The West Wing." Still, we would be ready to resent just about anyone who tried to replace Mrs. Landingham. As played by Kathryn Joosten, she was not only a moral bulwark for Martin Sheen's President Bartlet but a real pistol to boot.

Jazz performance entertains all

By Alyson Brodsy and Katie Killebrew · Wednesday, Oct. 9,2002 12:47 a.m.

Some people came to see friends, others came for the love of jazz, and yet some people came for their love of music in general. For whatever reason, people came to listen to the Jazz Ensemble conducted by Pat Harbison Monday night at the MAC. Almost every Monday there is a performance of an ensemble at the MAC. This was the second Jazz ensemble that has performed in the MAC, but the first time that Harbison's Ensemble has performed. The concert started out with a piece called "It Could Happen to You", which was arranged by Harbison himself. This was not the original song, "It Could Happen to You," but a jazz piece composed by Burke and VanHeusen. Nine other songs were performed, ranging from jazz ballads, to pieces composed by friends and students of Harbison, and a piece by a Hoosier himself, Al Kiger.

Networks tune out President's primetime speech

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 9,2002 12:46 a.m.

NEW YORK -- The White House has no quarrel with the decision by ABC, CBS and NBC not to carry President Bush's speech about the threat from Iraq, press secretary Ari Fleischer said Tuesday. "The White House did not request them to do so, so I think it would have been unreasonable for anybody to suggest that they should have," Fleischer said. The three biggest broadcast networks all said they routinely set aside time for a presidential speech when the White House requests it. What made Monday's speech somewhat unusual was the decision by Fox, after initially saying it would not air Bush's address, to switch gears and cover it. The start of the baseball playoff game between the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves had been delayed.

History of TV program published

By Alyson Brodsy and David Bauder · Wednesday, Oct. 9,2002 12:44 a.m.

NEW YORK -- A new season, the 28th, dawns on "Saturday Night Live" this week and, as always, the question is how the pendulum will swing. The NBC comedy institution is uniquely elastic in quality. You can chart its health on a graph like the stock market, from glory years to gory years and all sorts of middling seasons in-between. Right now, the show is on a high. After a descent into bathroom humor during the mid-1990s, the comedy is now sharp and topical. The "Saturday Night Live" writing staff, largely together for about seven years, returns to work this week with a new Emmy Award in hand.