A&E

Vocal ensembles unite for holiday

By Ryan Whirty · Monday, Jan. 14,2002 10:54 p.m.

For IU Professor of Music Edmund Cord, tonight's Martin Luther King Holiday Celebration concert will put King's message of global togetherness into song. "It's an opportunity for us as artists to make a positive statement about our shared values and humanity," said Cord, who is also director of the IU Brass Choir. "Music has been said to have the power to express the inexpressible. To be a part of this concert is a great opportunity."

Local a cappella groups featured on CD

By Tiffany Farber · Thursday, Jan. 10,2002 12:41 a.m.

IU's Straight No Chaser and Ladies First will be featured on a CD that showcases the best of collegiate a cappella. The CD, which will be released at the end of this month, will feature songs from the University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania. The CD, Best of Collegiate A Cappella (BOCA), has been produced since 1995, and until 2000 it featured the upper echelon of only American collegiate a cappella. Since 2000, other countries, such as Japan, UK and Canada, were considered and chosen for the album, as well. The CD is produced by Varsity Vocals -- the scholastic branch of Mainely A Cappella, a company that releases the world's largest a cappella mail order catalogue. Varsity Vocals is in charge of putting out the BOCA CD and playing host to a cappella competitions at both the high school and collegiate levels.

A taste of summer in December

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 6,2001 12:47 a.m.

I am rarely ready to relinquish warm weather. I shiver over the grill for a few more barbecues, crank up the heat so I can sit around in shorts, or, alternatively, swath myself in fleece to relish my freezer's final Popsicles. So despite my yearnings for hearty stews and casseroles to ward off the evening chill, this warm weather spell has me sneaking tastes of summer into my December evening meals. My favorite fragrant reminder is cilantro.

'The quiet Beatle' loses battle with cancer at 58

By Michael Tapscott · Sunday, Dec. 2,2001 10:50 p.m.

Former Beatles guitarist George Harrison died in Los Angeles Thursday at the age of 58. He died with his wife, Olivia, and his son, Dhani, at his side. He suffered from lung and throat cancer. He was also nearly murdered in 1999 by a fan, contributing to the decline of his health.

Waldron art sale brings holiday cheer

By Kristina Muren · Thursday, Nov. 29,2001 11:02 p.m.

The John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., celebrated the beginning of the holiday season last week with the opening of its Winterfest Holiday Art Sale, currently presented in the center's galleries. The event, featuring work from local artists, is a fundraiser for the Bloomington Area Arts Council, which runs the center.

Tradition at its best

By Anne Gill and Annie Gill · Wednesday, Nov. 28,2001 11:30 p.m.

It's that time of year again: crowded shopping malls, last minute gift purchases, countless holiday parties, numbingly cold weather and every students favorite -- final exams. With all of these December duties, it's sometimes hard to enjoy the holiday season. But the IU Ballet Theater's production of "The Nutcracker" is a holiday tradition that might alleviate those dull winter blues.

Kids, adults take flights of fancy

By Kristina Muren · Wednesday, Nov. 14,2001 11:08 p.m.

Light spills out into the darkening streets from the basement windows of the John Waldron Arts Center. One glance inside reveals a flurry of activity -- a stark contrast to the empty sidewalks. Inside, a woman holds an apple-green, newly glazed pot into the air. She discusses the pottery with a man who examines it and points to specific details. Several people dart around the room, gathering the remnants of their work. Class at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., comes to a close as the day ends.

'Precarious Moments' turns 'junk' into artwork

By Kristen Van Hoesen · Tuesday, Nov. 13,2001 11:21 p.m.

Associate Professor Tim Mather bestows aesthetic beauty upon abstract "stuff," as he calls it -- objects common in our daily lives, sometimes referred to as "junk." In the School of Fine Arts Gallery, Mather\'s exhibition \"Precarious Moments\" will let visitors look at that "junk" in a new light.

Shepard play starts BAAC season

By Kristina Muren · Friday, Nov. 9,2001 12:01 a.m.

The Bloomington Area Arts Council kicks off its 2001-2002 Performance Series next week. Detour Productions, a Bloomington-based theater production company, will begin the new theater season with "Buried Child," a 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Sam Shepard. With the return of theater to the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., comes the return of something that has been missed, director Joe Gaines said.

Fairweather finds clear skies to success

By by Katie Cierniak and Katie Cierniak · Thursday, Nov. 8,2001 12:14 a.m.

Washington's Fairweather, formed a little over a year ago and recently landing a record deal, toured the country and played at Initial Records' annual Krazyfest. Fairweather burst onto the scene, releasing a full-length album If they move…Kill them on Equal Vision Records and gained a strong following. "They have exploded on the scene in a matter of minutes, and if they continue in this fashion, will be one of the bands that take over the world," said Scot Gallop from Churchkey Music, the local group promoting the concert. It all started when Jay Littleton asked Ben Green about being in a band. They played in Littleton's basement for fun, never expecting it to grow into something this big.

Muffins in the oven give that fresh-baked smell

By Camilla Saulsbury · Thursday, Nov. 8,2001 12:13 a.m.

It has always been my belief that, at the end of the day, what most people want in the way of home cooked food is something consoling and uncomplicated. Enter the muffin, the most democratic of baked goods. Muffins are amenable to both state-of-the-art and cubby-hole kitchens. Cooks who have studied cooking for years find as much joy in whipping up a batch of muffins as completely green cooks, and fussy toddlers, cranky teenagers and weary adults are comforted by them. Most muffin recipes are variations of a four-step process: combine the wet ingredients, combine the dry ingredients, combine the wet with the dry, and bake. In 20 to 30 minutes, magic.

Narcoleptics says it wants to 'just play a song'

By by Katie Cierniak and Katie Cierniak · Thursday, Nov. 1,2001 11:03 p.m.

One of the first things a person who picks up a Narcoleptics CD might notice is the song titles are humorous, but offbeat enough to make someone wonder. With titles like "You Can't Polish a Turd" and "Kill Your Parents, Eat Your Dog, Do Drugs," the Narcoleptics are sure to spark interest. Drummer John Canal says that the titles usually have nothing to do with the content of the songs themselves. "We write these song titles just as something to amuse ourselves with," Canal said.

Carlin spreads 'Braindroppings' on stage

By Elise LeBlanc · Thursday, Nov. 1,2001 11:02 p.m.

"Whenever I see a large crowd, I always wonder what was the most disgusting thing any one of them ever did," said George Carlin in his 1997 book "Braindroppings." This will give the comedian a lot to think about when he performs to a sold out show at the Auditorium 8 p.m. Saturday. It will be his first appearance at the Auditorium.

Cartoons aren't just for kids

By Christopher Ensminger · Wednesday, Oct. 31,2001 11:42 p.m.

Turning on the TV, flipping through sitcoms, drama and court TV. Then, "What's with those cartoon characters with blue hair?" This unique programming is probably anime. Japanese animation, known as anime, has experienced a surge of stateside interest in recent years, and its appeal is transcending its former cult status. It wasn't long ago that finding anime in the United States was a quest in itself, with buyers forced to scour trade shows only to find poorly dubbed versions of the product. "I remember buying bootleg videos in 1992 for $25 at comic conventions, and that was the only way you could find it," Chris Joslyn of PC Guru Comics said.

Bloomington Playwrights Project comes into 'Bloom'

By Kristina Muren · Sunday, Oct. 28,2001 11:08 p.m.

"What happens when the observer becomes the observed?" asks playwright Suzanne Bradbeer in "Full Bloom," featured at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, 312 S. Washington St.

Original musical premieres

By Gabriel Lewin and Gabe Lewin · Friday, Oct. 26,2001 12:41 a.m.

This weekend, a world premiere musical written by an IU student and her husband will open at the John Waldron Arts Center at 122 S. Walnut. Senior Catherine Peterson-Smith wrote the book and lyrics; Koven Smith wrote the music.

Vacant Von Lee's fate still under construction

By Sam Shahrani · Friday, Oct. 26,2001 12:40 a.m.

It has been dark inside the Von Lee Theater for more than a year. The screens have been pulled down and the seats torn up, as the fate of one of Bloomington's oldest theaters is still in question.

A 'Potpourri' of Expression

By Rachel Becker · Friday, Oct. 26,2001 12:39 a.m.

A yearly tradition will be renewed this weekend when IU's African-American Arts Institute performs its annual "Potpourri of Arts in the African-American Tradition." The theme for this year's production is "Ancestral Dedications." The event was established in 1993 to demonstrate the varieties of African-American tradition through the arts. The groups say they reach out to people of all ages, social, racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds with music.

Don't count refried beans out

By Camilla Saulsbury · Thursday, Oct. 25,2001 12:11 a.m.

When I moved last year, I was befuddled and dismayed to discover not one, not even two or three, but seven cans of refried beans shoved to the back of one of my kitchen cupboards. How did it happen? I had only the faintest memory of purchasing even one can. Of course, I had no one to blame but myself, because I was living on my own at the time, but that did not stop me from feeling that somebody had duped me, somehow. Now what, I wondered? Should I be frugal, dig in and eat with a spoon for the next two weeks? Throw a giant taco party? Stucco the walls with the stuff?

Innovation meets Tradition

By Kristen Van Hoesen · Thursday, Oct. 25,2001 12:08 a.m.

Soul music will meet Broadway showtunes in the hallways of the new $26 million dollar venue on Jordan Avenue. The 117,000 square-foot theatre and culture building will usher in a new era of performing arts and cultural programming for IU and the Bloomington community. The Theatre & Drama Center and Marcellus Neal and Frances Marshall Black Culture Center include the Wells-Metz Theatre, the Ruth N. Halls Theatre and the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, which feature innovative amenities to showcase IU and outside performers and lecturers.