IUSA

An American beauty comes to an end

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 12,2006 8:01 p.m.

The beauty of HBO's beautiful, often surreal family drama, "Six Feet Under," has always come from its actors and writers. Its brutally realistic ensemble cast and team of talented scribes truly gave the show its prolific backbone that set it apart from the more conventional television dramas outside HBO's realm. The show dealt with themes of death, both the sadness and humor behind it, but also served as a realistic and fascinating look into a family of not so uncommon Californians.

The year's best hits DVD

By Alyson Brodsy and Greg Schoenbaechler · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:37 p.m.

One of the most controversial and society testing films has come to the movie store with a two-disc director's cut DVD. 2005's Best Picture Oscar Winner, "Crash," is back in the spotlight shining on shelves at movie stores across the nation. Despite the heat this film gives off it is a movie with a very dark and powerful story. "Crash" is a sensational drama about the real life prejudices that society goes through every time we step out the front door. This movie focuses on the lives of many strangers trying to overcome their fears of one another as each story weaves in and out of the other.

DVD 'Chronicles' literary classic

By Alyson Brodsy and Ash Cartwright · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:33 p.m.

Director Andrew Adamson's is not the first film version of C. S. Lewis's well known, "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe," but it is certainly the first to receive any kind of critical attention (it won an Oscar for achievement in makeup as well as being nominated for visual effects). The visuals are nicely done and the film is extremely faithful to Lewis's words. I was happy to find that the filmmakers did not screw it up as I and all other childhood fans of this adventure, in which four children find a magic land containing mythical beast, epic battles and Christian symbolism (that seems apparent to me at 21, but flew past me as a child), inside a wardrobe, feared upon hearing that it was in production.

'Brokeback' opens hearts, minds

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:27 p.m.

Sitting back after watching "Brokeback Mountain" again since seeing it in the theater, I contemplated whether or not all that can be said about the film has already been said. Since its initial record-breaking theatrical release, "Brokeback" has become a cultural phenomenon and targeted by close-minded masses that reduce the film to three words: gay cowboy movie. I can take the simple three-word route too: cowboy love story.

Debut album of Brooklyn's finest

By Alyson Brodsy and Cordell Eddings · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:25 p.m.

With Reasonable Doubt he knew he was on to something. He had to know. Maybe not about the career that would usher him from Dope Man to a CEO, certainly not transforming his business from selling kilos of cocaine to purchasing ownership shares of professional sports teams. But before the mainstream, the button up shirts, the Neptunes and the big pimping he had to have some idea of the power of his words, his persona, his message. Enter Reasonable Doubt: the genesis of a career that reads like the beginning of so many Horatio Alger rags to riches stories, with a twist.

Don't take these meds

By Alyson Brodsy and Will Hernandez · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:23 p.m.

Placebo's professional career has spanned a full decade now and in that time they've released five studio albums, a greatest hits compilation, two DVD's, numerous B-sides and have been featured on various movie soundtracks. Through their unique combination of glam and synth rock, they've established fan bases all across the globe, as well as established themselves as one of the more significant bands to come out of the UK in the late '90s. I love Placebo and everything they've done, which is why it was difficult to give their fifth and newest album, Meds, negative praise.

The little Rascal gang is back

By Alyson Brodsy and Maggie Bozich · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:21 p.m.

The pop/country group Rascal Flatts is at it again. Me and My Gang, the group's fourth album to date, is still jam packed with the love ballads and inspirational "keep fighting, there's a better day tomorrow" type songs, however, there is still something missing from this album. Gang starts off with "Stand," a song similar to the title track from the group's last album, Feels Like Today. The song calls listeners to persevere despite obstacles placed in front of them with lyrics like, "Cause when push comes to shove / You taste what you're made of / You might bend, till you break." Songs like this seem like they are becoming a staple for Rascal Flatts releases.

Indie band "At War' with themselves

By Alyson Brodsy and Evan Ross · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:20 p.m.

According to the traditional pop music formula, the Flaming Lips are an aberration. The band formed in 1983 but only achieved mainstream success in the new millennium. The Lips have released 10 albums in that time, some of which include the most bizarre and un-radio friendly pieces of music ever put to tape. (The four-CD album Zaireeka is intended to be played on four separate players at once.) Now that respectability and moderate commercial success are theirs, the Lips attempt to capitalize on it with the long awaited At War With the Mystics. After a two decade long career of redefining what is and is not pop music, the Lips may have eventually run out of weirdness. At War With the Mystics follows in the path of the two previous Flaming Lips' efforts in that the lyrics focus on and explore one or two concepts.

A film that's hard to idolize

By Alyson Brodsy and Michael Mellini · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:11 p.m.

"American Dreamz" is an ambitious, yet underachieving movie. It's not every day a big studio movie so explicitly parodies public figures like the president and TV personalities. That's territory mostly crossed by late night comedy sketch and talk shows. And that's pretty much all "American Dreamz" is; a drawn out "Saturday Night Live" skit. After being re-elected into office, President Stanton (Dennis Quaid doing a surprisingly good Bush impression) is having an identity crisis. He confines himself to his bedroom reading newspaper after newspaper and refuses to make any public appearances.

'Benchwarmers' should've never left the bench

By Alyson Brodsy and Doug Evans · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:09 p.m.

"Three grown men form a baseball team to play against little league bullies." With a tagline like this, the only way "Benchwarmers" was able to see the light of day was likely because Adam Sandler was attached to produce. Because Sandler has apparently moved on to more ambitious roles (see: "Punch Drunk Love" or "Spanglish"), he sat this film out and recruited his old pals Rob "Deuce Bigalo" Schneider and David "Joe Dirt" Spade to star. Also along for the ride is Jon Heder, who in this film takes his "Napoleon Dynamite" character and plays it to unending stupidity.

Banderas stands and delivers

By Alyson Brodsy and Josh Garfinkel · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:07 p.m.

It is not often that a tagline can ruin a movie, but it is possible (i.e "They're making memories tonight!" for the forgettable "It's a Wonderful Life"), and "Take the Lead" qualifies. The tagline is "Never follow." Interesting, considering this is a film about a teacher who struggles throughout the entirety of the film to get his inner-city students to follow his lead. Also interesting given the fact that Antonio Banderas says at one point, "A man leads. It is the woman's job to follow." So, never follow … unless you're a woman.

Mo'Nique takes on the fast food nation

By Alyson Brodsy and Matt McMullan · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:05 p.m.

First off, I'd like to think that I'm well placed to review "Phat Girlz." I'm not a woman, and I'm not 350 lbs, so I've got plenty of separation to look at this movie objectively. I just wanted to make that clear: I'm your guy for black chick-flick comedies about weight. Now, onward. So, Mo'Nique is huge. She's a very large person, and -- oh yes, this is great news -- she's decided to make a movie about it. "Phat Girlz" (that's girlz with a "z") opened last weekend, and it sucks. I want to dislike it completely, I really do, but I can't. I can't because it tries. Half heartedly, it tries to say something meaningful about body image in America. But it falls flat because it's not very funny, it looks horrible and it's not convincing.

Unlucky wannabe cult classic

By Alyson Brodsy and Tristan Mathews · Wednesday, April 12,2006 7:03 p.m.

With "Lucky Number Slevin" director Paul McGuigan ("Wicker Park") tries to become a contemporary of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Richie but outright fails to hit his mark. More boring than clever, "Lucky Number Slevin" stars Josh Hartnett as Slevin, a man who arrives in New York City to visit his friend Nick (Sam Jaeger) after being fired from his job, losing his apartment and walking in on his girlfriend with another man. Nick is missing while a case of mistaken identity places Slevin in his place forcing him to deal with Nick's gambling debts and landing him in the pocket of two of the cities warring gangsters: The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) and The Boss (Morgan Freeman).

Laundry betrays No. 1 Mafia boss in Sicily

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 12,2006 12:09 p.m.

PALERMO, Sicily -- Italy's No. 1 fugitive and reputed Mafia "boss of bosses" practically thumbed his nose at authorities for more than 40 years. He counted on Sicilians' centuries-old mistrust of the state to help him on the run, sleeping in islanders' homes, having his children born at local hospitals, even sending the public health care system a bill for prostate treatment abroad under a false name. But police finally caught up with Bernardo "The Tractor" Provenzano on Tuesday in a farmhouse outside his power base, Corleone -- the town that inspired the family name in "The Godfather."

WIUX to host discussion on tuition increases, professors' political biases

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 12,2006 12:08 p.m.

Show host Carl Gutierrez is set to interview board of trustee Casey Cox about tuition increases beginning 9 p.m. today, according to a press release. Professor James Madison, Dean of Student Dick McKaig and representatives from the IU College Democrats and Republicans will discuss professors' political biases. Finally, Little 500 participants will discuss the coming race.

Trial date set for accused man

By Michael Zennie · Wednesday, April 12,2006 2:22 a.m.

MARTINSVILLE -- A Morgan County judge Tuesday entered a preliminary plea of "not guilty" for the man accused of murdering IU sophomore Jill Behrman six years ago. Judge Christopher L. Burnham set a Sept. 18 date for the jury trial of John R. Myers II, 30, in Morgan County Superior Court. Myers sat quietly with an attorney hired by his family, Patrick Baker of Indianapolis, as prosecutor Steven Sonnega read the indictment. Myers faces a sentence of 40 years to life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted.

No. 1 Big Ten party?

By Zachary Osterman · Wednesday, April 12,2006 2:20 a.m.

Badgers and Hoosiers know how to have a good time. The latest Princeton Review rankings place IU and Wisconsin at sixth and first respectively on the list of top party schools.

Public generally ignores University-wide lost and found

By Kim Cullman · Wednesday, April 12,2006 1:48 a.m.

On the ground floor of Ballantine Hall, tucked in a corner, sits a little-known lost and found office. A wall filled with misplaced keys exemplifies just how few people know of the existence of this room.

Indiana's sex education near bottom

By Zack Teibloom · Wednesday, April 12,2006 1:48 a.m.

Less than 7 percent of Indiana high school sex education teachers educate students about proper condom usage, according to a recent IU survey. Researchers, who interviewed 400 Indiana high school and middle school teachers in a study to test the extent of sex education, said the results showed that many teachers are leaving out key aspects in their curricula. Fewer than half of sex education teachers reported discussing HIV/AIDS thoroughly, and only 35 percent discussed pregnancy.

Police resuscitate IU employee

By Audrie Garrison · Wednesday, April 12,2006 1:46 a.m.

IU police officers saved an IU employee whose pulse and breathing had stopped Monday, said IU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger in a press release.