Longform

MOST EXTREME HILARITY

By Stephanie Susman · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

A scrappily-clad Japanese man prepares to advance bases. He waits at a base for the batter with the large plastic head to hit the ball. The batter misses, but the runner on second doesn't care.

Ghostface Killah a winnah

By -Brandon Tucker · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

Three years after Bulletproof Wallets, Wu-Tang's Ghostface Killah is back with his fourth solo joint, The Pretty Toney Album (Ghostface's real name is Toney Starks).

'Connie and Carla' go 'To Wong Fu'

By Doug Evans · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

From the creators of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" comes "Connie and Carla," a drag queen caper about two women on the run who pretend to be gay men in drag. This movie will no doubt be compared to the classic "Some Like it Hot," which starred Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis as men in drag hiding out from a killer mob boss.

The sounds of summer

By John Barnett · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

Unlike in the film world, where summertime is a breeding ground for blockbusters and epics, most musicians wait until off-peak times to release their much-awaited material.

Fiery flick redundant but entertaining

By Tony Sams · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

Tony Scott's "Man on Fire" is the kind of movie you've probably already seen somewhere along the line. It's about a man who, because of some personal and emotional attachment, turns into a vigilante when that attachment is harshly severed. He goes after the bad guys, it's predictable but we cheer him on so when credits roll, we've met our revenge quota for the month.

Dirty Dozen Brass: Manna from jazz heaven

By Ryan Whirty and Ryan Wirty · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

For some poor schlep who, say, stayed up all night revising an article which was due two months ago, Funeral for a Friend is a relief.

A DVD 'Date' worth making

By Jennifer Whalen · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

Boy #1 is friends with girl. Boy #2 meets girl. Boy #1 is in love with girl. Boy #2 falls for girl. Sound familiar? Well, the only thing that separates this romantic-comedy from others is the fact that boy #2 is a famous movie star named Tad Hamilton.

Wasn't this better when it was called 'Big?'

By -Jenny Kobiela · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

After discovering that her classmates don't like her quite as much as she would like, young Jenna Rink gets the bright idea that being "thirty, flirty and thriving" would be a much better alternative to the pains which come with the age of 13.

Nas' hip-hop classic still 'Illmatic'

By -Brandon Tucker · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

Illmatic, released in 1994, is widely regarded as one of, if not the best hip-hop record of the '90s. It was a tough act to follow.

Trio + One = V

By Mike Ley · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

Split records have always given buyers one thing -- two bands on one album. Never really giving Alkaline Trio a chance and having never heard One Man Army, I thought this was all this record had to offer.

His name is Prince, again

By Greg O'Neill · Thursday, April 29,2004 12 a.m.

Conservatives taking reign? Economic turmoil? Music business scandals? Blam! Prince is relevant again. Like freaking clockwork, the Purple One has descended from his velvet clouds of soft jazz and internet-only releases 2 put together his first industry-released studio album since 1999's Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic.

Adamant Opposition

By Andrea Opperman · Wednesday, April 28,2004 2:06 a.m.

Liberal: Student voices support for gay rights I am adamantly against (the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages). Constitutional amendments have traditionally been to expand rights. The proposed amendment would not only limit rights, it would blatantly take them away.

U.S. aircraft strike Fallujah

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 28,2004 2:05 a.m.

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Multiple explosions shook Fallujah after dark Tuesday, and large plumes of smoke billowed into the sky as fighting erupted for the second straight night. An American AC-130 gunship hammered targets in the city. Blasts and gunfire went on steadily for more than half an hour in sustained fighting, apparently in the northern Jolan district, a poor neighborhood where Sunni insurgents are concentrated. Flames could be seen rising from buildings, and mosque loudspeakers in other parts of the city called for firefighters to mobilize. The fighting erupted as a two-day extension to a cease-fire ended earlier in the day. U.S. aircraft dropped leaflets in the city of 200,000 people, calling on insurgents to surrender.

Hat World co-founder to speak

By Steven Chung · Wednesday, April 28,2004 2:04 a.m.

When Scott Molander and Glenn Campbell created Hat World, Inc., in 1995, it was a temporary store in Tippecanoe Mall in Lafayette. It has since grown into a chain of over 480 stores nationwide. Hat World also plans to open stores in South Korea and China.

Student arrested on cocaine charge

By Mallory Simon · Wednesday, April 28,2004 2:04 a.m.

Officers arrested junior Nitin Patel, 20, Monday on preliminary charges of dealing cocaine, maintaining a common nuisance and possession of paraphernalia, said IU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger. This marks the third cocaine arrest this month. Two Bloomington residents were arrested April 9 by the IU Police Department for the sale of crack cocaine. Minger said the case was initiated during the beginning of February, but there is no address for the initial buy. "It appears (officers) were buying powder cocaine from the subject," Minger said. "There were several other buys set up, and then they sent the (cocaine) to the lab and obtained a warrant."

IU asks seniors to donate before leaving

By Brittany Hite · Wednesday, April 28,2004 2:03 a.m.

IU seniors will get one last chance to do something Hoosiers do best: compete against Purdue. The IU Foundation is sponsoring Senior Face Off, a fundraising drive that began Monday and ends Friday. The face off will encourage seniors from both campuses to make donations to their soon-to-be alma maters and declare the school with the highest percentage of donating seniors the winner.

Hospital moves outside of city

By Lindsey Jancek and Lindsay Jancek · Wednesday, April 28,2004 2:03 a.m.

After attempting to build a hospital in Bloomington, Dr. Kamal Tiwari is now planning to move his hospital outside city limits and into the jurisdiction of Monroe County. His change of plans comes after the Bloomington City Plan Commission failed to give a recommendation to the Bloomington City Council.

It's Segway or the highway

By Kelly Phillips · Wednesday, April 28,2004 2:03 a.m.

Gliding up the ramp into Jordan Hall, Physiology Professor Henry Prange looks as if he's riding on a white scooter that's been compacted into a boxy platform outfitted with overgrown wheels.

Community shocked by anti-Semitic vandalism

By Mallory Simon · Wednesday, April 28,2004 1:51 a.m.

An IU student experienced feelings of anger, shock and disbelief as he learned exactly what it felt like to become the target of a hate crime. Sometime between 7:30 and 10 p.m. Monday, his car was vandalized -- covered in red spray-painted swastikas and the word "Jew" splashed on the side. The student, who is an active member of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, was advised by his roommate that someone had spray painted his car, and he later reported the incident to the Bloomington Police Department.

More students hired after internships

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, April 28,2004 1:31 a.m.

Employers who believe interns are only good for making photocopies and trips to Starbucks are sorely mistaken. And that misconception is costing them. Costing them future employees, fresh perspectives, short-term help ... The potential benefits are endless, said Ami Hollis, recruiting coordinator for Kent State University's Career Services Center.