Longform

Business in Brief

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 7,2005 12:04 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- In a year when McDonald's Corp. had three chief executive officers, the fast-food chain paid a total of $7.18 million in bonuses to executives holding the post.

Shipments by California wineries to U.S. markets up 3 percent in 2004

By Alyson Brodsy and Michelle Locke · Thursday, April 7,2005 12:02 a.m.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Wine shipped by California wineries to U.S. markets increased by 3 percent in 2004, which experts attributed to a recovering economy and increased wine consumption.

Quality Location. With the opening of Dick's Sporting Goods, local sports retailers are relying on these attributes in hope to survive and thrive

By John Rodgers · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

With Dick's Sporting Goods opening in the College Mall Wednesday, you'd think Smith's Sport'n Shoe would be more concerned.

Old school style, new school savagery

By -Alec Toombs · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

Booze, broads and bullets -- this is the world of Frank Miller's "Sin City," a series of celebrated graphic novels now translated to celluloid by Miller and writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor/composer Robert Rodriguez.

Small Wonder

By Felipe Maya · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

Walking through the wooden doors of Kilroy's on Kirkwood, vintage rock music mixes with waves of loud voices. The dark, chill atmosphere and assortment of liquor make it a hit on the Bloomington bar scene, a place everyone wants to get into.

21st century relevancy

By John Barnett · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

Week before last, just in time to coincide with the release of the new Beck album, a friend of mine commented to me as I fawned over Beck's latest material that there had been no truly great records released since the turn of the century. Postulating that the last purely classic record to be released was Radiohead's 1997 opus, OK Computer, he went on to say that he felt bands and artists today weren't even attempting to make great records, and that the music industry would soon violently implode because of this fact.

Rent 'Closer' for film, not features

By Rob O'Connor and Robert O'Connor · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

"Closer" is easily director Mike Nichols' best film since he won an Oscar for "The Graduate." And it is a surprisingly good first feature-length effort by writer Patrick Marber, who also wrote the play that this film is based on. All four of the main actors do a wonderful job. In fact, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen each nabbed a Golden Globe for their work on this film. It is an original love story with tons of lust, betrayal and sex to keep you interested, balanced out by touching dialogue that makes you actually care about the main characters. Overall, this is one of the best films that came out in 2004.

Photo by Jacob Kriese
Junior Kevin Noschang kicks the Hoosier's only goal against UCLA on Sunday September 2nd at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers won 1-0.

Allen, Costner elevate 'Anger'

By Miranda Higdon · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

If it weren't for an uneven plot, "The Upside of Anger" would be an excellent film. Still, it remains a good movie with above average acting, especially by co-stars Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. They are believable together as drinking buddies-turned-lovers -- two extremes of personality who meet to offer each other a taste of something different.

Don't bother digging up 'Gold'

By Nate Gowdy · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

"National Lampoon's Gold Diggers" is a bad movie. Possibly the stupidest, most boring flick ever made since the beginning of time. Playboy Bunny Nikki Ziering is on the DVD's cover. This implies a crude comedy with at least one-sided sex appeal going for it, but Ziering's part is smaller than her swimsuit. Her bare breasts themselves don't make it worth watching Cal (Will Friedle of "Boy Meets World") and Lenny (Chris Owen, the sex-addicted nerd in "American Pie") drag the plot along the other 98 percent of the time.

M.I.A. breaks out with Brit beats

By John Barnett · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

Maya Arulpragasam (aka M.I.A.), the Sri Lankan-born Londoner who survived the guerilla warfare and social strife of her home country before moving abroad to pursue careers in music and art, has been recording her own beats and rhymes prodigiously for the past several of her 27 years. Her first two singles, "Galang" and "Sunshowers," infrequently haunted college radio in the fall of 2004, and a full-length LP was promised to be in the works. With several delayed release dates and one lengthy legal battle over a beat sample behind her, M.I.A. finally debuted Arular.

'Brothels' proves raw and moving

By Mary Hansell · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

With all these fine films to go see currently, like "Beauty Shop" and "Constantine," it can be quite a difficult task to choose a film. Which is why it can be even more strenuous when they throw a documentary into the mix. Yet, it must be a problem in Bloomington because apparently no one chose the documentary over "The Pacifier" Friday night at 10 p.m.

'Sunset' has great cast, locations

By Sean Abbott · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

It is amazing the way this movie snuck past audiences last November. Just like a jewel thief, "After the Sunset" was here and gone before it could even be noticed, and that is almost a crime.

TiVo: greatest invention since the telephone

By Adam Aasen · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

Baseball season started off this week with the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. As I watched the sport, I realized something -- I really need TiVo.

Widespread support for Panic

By Laura Cooper · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

The colorful masses descended upon IU early Sunday morning as a steady flow of tie-dye clad "Spreadeads" (as Widespread fans are sometimes called) flocked to the IMU parking lot in their political bumper sticker bearing vans to start the day's pre-show festivities. Trunks opened, beer coolers and grills appeared, and the muffled sounds of bootlegged Widespread Panic songs could be heard floating from various cars; slowly, the aroma of grilled veggies, and bellows of "Beer!

Pulp(science)fiction

By Ryan Corazza · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

It's a word with two meanings. In the first, halcyon defines itself as another name for the kingfisher bird. But it's the second definition junior Derek Kagemann drew inspiration from in naming his pulp-fiction sci-fi magazine. "The reason why I chose it is because it also means better days," said Kagemann. "People talk about the 'halcyon days of yore,' which means 'back when things were better.'

The Bravery drop bold debut

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, April 7,2005 12 a.m.

I remember walking into the local Best Buy, doing my rounds and looking for stuff to buy over spring break. When I walked up to the register, an old friend working there came over and asked if I had ever heard of a band called the Bravery, to which I kindly replied "No." He then rushed over to a counter and handed me what would be the Unconditional EP that came free with my purchase. I popped in the CD as soon as I returned home and by the middle of the first track I knew I would find myself purchasing the debut full-length the day it hit shelves.

After leaving high school early, Underwood joins IU

By Dan Click · Wednesday, April 6,2005 4:41 p.m.

While the seniors at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville, Ohio, are busy picking out dresses and tuxes for prom, Dennis Underwood is worrying about shoulder pads and cleats. Underwood, a freshman running back, became the first member of IU football coach Terry Hoeppner's inaugural recruiting class to make it to Bloomington. Underwood decided instead of sticking it out in high school for one more semester, he would join IU and hit the ground running as he enrolled in January.

Following the flush

By Michael Beal · Wednesday, April 6,2005 1:55 a.m.

Drinkable Bloomington water is currently receiving a $14.5 million makeover, about $2.5 million less than the Monroe Water Treatment Plant estimated it needed to finish the revised and expanded 2003 city project.

Hamilton discusses role of Congress

By Michael Zennie · Wednesday, April 6,2005 1:55 a.m.

Former U.S. Representative for Indiana and 9-11 Commission Vice Chair Lee Hamilton said Congress has ceded too much power to the presidency and needs to reassert some of its fundamental authority in a speech Tuesday in the Moot Court Room of the IU School of Law.

IUPD preps for Little 500 week

By Lori Geller · Wednesday, April 6,2005 1:55 a.m.

As Little 500 approaches, the IU Police Department has begun preparations for the week's traditional parties and celebrations, which often result in a spike in alcohol arrests.