Community Arts

The doctor is in

By Stephanie Susman · Wednesday, March 9,2005 12:36 a.m.

When Tiffani Cannon met Jeanelle Crouch, it changed her life, not only giving her a new hairstyle and stylist, but also a new best friend. "I sat in (Crouch's) chair and she demonstrated expertise by making a recommendation at my first visit," she said. "The trust level bond formed immediately." Traditionally, barbers and stylists have the knowledge of a newscaster and acquire more gossip than a Yenta. They know everything from the hot topics of the day to the personal lives of their patrons.

Close cities offer spring break shows

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Wednesday, March 9,2005 12:28 a.m.

Bloomington may not be very exciting during spring break, but Chicago and Indianapolis provide plenty of entertainment for anyone willing to take a short road trip.

Sunny SIDE UP

By Andrea Opperman and Andrea Opperman with additional information · Wednesday, March 9,2005 12:06 a.m.

She can already hear the waves crashing, feel the wind blowing and smell the salt water churning. Spring break is so close she can taste it. Lounging on the beach, soaking in the sun and truly taking the definition of vacation into context, junior Lida Coalter is hours away from spending her break in the Bahamas. Many students have been preparing for this magical week off in mid-March by packing and finishing up school work. Coalter has other plans. She's been preparing for spring break in a manner that has been catching on around campus and the nation in the past few years. A few weeks ago, Coalter started going to a tanning salon.

Around The State

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, March 9,2005 12 a.m.

New prescription drug Web site offers alternative to imports INDIANAPOLIS -- Pharmaceutical companies are running a new Web site that can direct Indiana residents to prescription drug programs offering free or discounted medications -- a safer alternative to importing drugs from other countries, Gov. Mitch Daniels said Tuesday.

IU's Circle of Life encourages organ donation awareness

By Megan George · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:53 p.m.

Life is a selfless gift anyone can give regardless of age or nationality. Students and faculty members came to Merrill Hall's Clouse Lounge yesterday to register and spread awareness about organ donation for IU's Circle of Life. School of Music staff member Susan Buzan organized the event to raise organ donor awareness, a cause she has been actively advocating since early fall.

Israelis agree to hand over Jericho

By Alyson Brodsy and Josef Federman · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:47 p.m.

EREZ CROSSING, Israel -- Israel will turn over two West Bank towns to Palestinian control in the coming days, Israel's defense minister announced Tuesday after meeting the Palestinian leader, but disagreements remained over how much land around the towns would be transferred.

China authorizes attack on Taiwan

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:46 p.m.

BEIJING -- China unveiled a law Tuesday authorizing an attack if Taiwan moves toward formal independence, increasing pressure on the self-ruled island while warning other countries not to interfere. Taiwan denounced the legislation as a "blank check to invade" and announced war games aimed at repelling an attack.

Clinton scheduled to have follow-up heart surgery

By Alyson Brodsy and Karen Matthews · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:44 p.m.

NEW YORK -- Former President Clinton will undergo a medical procedure this week to remove an unusual buildup of fluid and scar tissue from his chest, six months after he underwent quadruple bypass surgery, his office said Tuesday. "I feel fine," Clinton said in Washington.

Too much plot, not enough time

By Sean Abbott · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:43 p.m.

What happens when a musclebound action hero finds himself bound by circumstances to protect a house full of children in the land of suburbia? Who knows? But here's a better question: didn't Hulk Hogan already make this movie a few times a decade before Vin Diesel became "The Pacifier"? And wasn't Hogan a lot cooler?

Bush praises spread of democracy in Mideast

By Alyson Brodsy and Terence Hunt · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:43 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush hailed fresh signs of democracy Tuesday in the Middle East, saying authoritarian rule is "the last gasp of a discredited past" and demanding that Syria withdraw from Lebanon.

Bloomington native recalls days in Iraq

By Pat Giese and Patrick Giese · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:41 p.m.

With the ongoing conflict in Iraq receiving so much news coverage, it is easy to forget that in addition to men and women in uniform, hundreds of American citizens face the dangers of an unstable Iraq to provide us with that news. One Bloomington native spent 10 days in Baghdad to send Americans information about the Iraq elections.

Great acting doesn't save 'Jacket'

By Miranda Higdon · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:41 p.m.

"The Jacket" is a dark, bleak film rife with harsh screeches and brutal, stabbing flashes of memory. Sounds normally peripheral are unnaturally loud, like breathing or the buckling of straps. Director John Maybury employs numerous extreme close-ups of eyes and mouths. The jagged, tuneless music complements the cramped, cheerless tone of the film perfectly. If any of these things in large quantities make you uncomfortable, then this film may not be to your liking.

'Wounded city' holds terror summit

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:41 p.m.

MADRID, Spain -- Nations must band together to fight an international terrorism threat because most are too weak to deal with it on their own, a world summit on the new century's scourge was told Tuesday. Leading experts on terrorism also stressed the new enemy only can be contained and might claim lives for decades to come.

Travolta comes up 'Shorty' in sequel

By -Alec Toombs · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:39 p.m.

Ten years after "Get Shorty" hit theaters comes the unnecessary but intermittently entertaining sequel, "Be Cool." Despite dismissals from numerous critics across the country, "Cool" actually lives up to its name at times.

'Phoenix' rises to the occasion

By -Kehla West · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:35 p.m.

The DVD release of "Flight of the Phoenix" is a lot like the movie itself: mediocre fluff, but ultimately a little less than good. The movie is good, in a Saturday-afternoon-at-the-movies sort of way. It's a popcorn flick, without any real cinematic value, but I liked it. A team of humanitarians involved with a Red Cross-like agency are flying across Mongolia on their way home. Naturally, the plane crashes in the least accessible part of the desert, and because their agency was already strapped for cash, it doesn't look like anyone is going to be coming for them.

'Bringing Up' a classic

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:33 p.m.

What happens when you combine Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, a dog and a pet leopard all into one movie? You end up getting one of the greatest comedies of the classic Hollywood era, that's what!

Send this prequel back to hell

By Evan Wade · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:31 p.m.

After wasting 114 minutes of my life with "Exorcist: The Beginning," I can only recommend that others not even bother watching it. Like the original "Exorcist"? It doesn't matter. Looking for a good lark to watch with your buddies over a few beers? Don't rent it. Watch "Blood Freak," "Basket Case" or something else with low production values and a high camp factor.

Johnson's latest 'Dreams' a success

By Diana Tychsen · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:28 p.m.

Jack Johnson traded in his surfboard for a guitar when he was 14 and has since secured international success with On and On, and his January 2001 debut, Brushfire Fairytales. His latest album, In Between Dreams, was released March 1, and the first single "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," already has people anticipating that sweet, Cat Stevens-esque simplicity that he mastered on his first two recordings.

Don't ever put 'Frances' on 'Mute'

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:25 p.m.

It's been almost five years since post-hardcore act At the Drive-In parted ways and went on to form all new musical incarnations. While three-fifths of ATDI created the atmospheric Sparta, the rest of the band, singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, would go on to form the highly experimental group the Mars Volta. And while Sparta is pretty good and the old tunes of At the Drive-In are simply unforgettable, the Mars Volta does an amazing job on its latest release, Frances the Mute.

Fitty avoids sophomore slump

By John Barnett · Tuesday, March 8,2005 11:24 p.m.

Even for someone possessing the brash bravado of Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent), following up a record as brutally loaded as his own debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin', would prove an overwhelming task. With 11 million copies sold, Get Rich threw 50's intimidatingly talented hat in the ring while doing its part to bring back some of rap's ferocity lost after the deaths of Biggie and Tupac. It's also become somewhat of a modern rap classic.