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Small plane crashes into New York highrise

By Alyson Brodsy and Colleen Long · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:06 p.m.

A small plane with New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle aboard crashed into a 50-story condominium tower Wednesday on Manhattan's Upper East Side, killing at least four people and raining flaming debris on sidewalks, authorities said. There was no immediate confirmation that Lidle was among the dead.

What's in the frame

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:06 p.m.

When describing his life's work, director Martin Scorsese once made the astute observation that cinema is "a matter of what's in the frame and what's out." After seeing his latest masterwork, "The Departed," thrice already, I think I can better understand what he meant. Don't fret. This is not a glowing review of "The Departed" from a longtime Scorsese devotee. I'll leave that to my esteemed colleague in this issue's Reviews section. This is, however, my attempt to decipher what exactly makes Martin Scorsese, after more than 20 feature films and 40 years in the business, the greatest American film director alive today.

Meet the slickest man on the planet

By C. Warner Sills and Mark Perlman-Price · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:03 p.m.

Christopher Buckley, the author of "Thank You for Smoking" - the novel on which the movie was based - has a knack for developing character... er, a character that is. I'm referring to Nick Naylor, the main character. Naylor is one of the most charismatic characters I've seen in a movie in a long time, while the rest are more or less flat -- which still works since Naylor is so interesting he makes up for the rest (not to mention they provide a nice contrast to the centerpiece). And Aaron Eckhart is perfect for the role, born to play it. For a relatively unheralded actor, Eckhart may now be forever associated with Nick Naylor.

Felber's latest novel offers 'Ball' of confusion

By K. A. MacDonald · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:02 p.m.

There are some books that simply beg to be read. "Schrödinger's Ball" by Adam Felber of "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me" fame should be one of those books. If you are not a fan of "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me," this book might not be for you.

Horror in the heartland

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 11:01 p.m.

Rummaging through my DVD collection to pick out the best films of the past decade, a few heavy-hitters become apparent. "Saving Private Ryan," "Magnolia," "Eyes Wide Shut" and "The Thin Red Line" come immediately to mind, but besting all comers is the Coen brothers' black comic masterpiece "Fargo." Supposedly based on actual events, "Fargo" is nothing if not surreal, yet it anchors itself among the mundane world of the Midwest, showing how murder and greed can corrupt even the most genial locales.

Online Only: Unveiling stupidity

By Alyson Brodsy and Ayesha Awan · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:59 p.m.

Much like the USSR and the evils of communism were deemed the permanent enemy of America in the 20th century, today's eternal threat seems to be "Islamofascism" via terrorism. Though I do not agree with the idea, I can understand how those in power and many others believe that to make the world a safer place, they need to somehow change the way people practice Islam and modernize Muslim society. This led politicians, pundits and policymakers alike to figure out how to go about this daunting task in some other way besides invading countries that have no ties with the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Diane Setterfield tops best-seller lists

By Sue Leeman · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:59 p.m.

LONDON -- When Diane Setterfield sent the draft of her first novel to a literary agent, she prepared a file for rejection letters, jokingly marking it "they'll kick themselves later." That file remains empty, though, because the agent immediately snapped up "The Thirteenth Tale," a Gothic horror mystery and within a few days secured Setterfield a two-book deal, reported to be worth $1.4 million, with Britain's Orion Books.

Chaotic genius, minus genius

By C. Warner Sills and Eric Smith · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:59 p.m.

Throughout the Decemberists' career, they've fit each record into a series of sailors' tales -- stories featuring gloomy memories of mariners' travels. For the Portland, OR, band's fourth LP (its first on a major label), the U.S.S., or should I say, "Her Majesty's Decemberists" returns from the Pacific Rim to share the tale of the Crane Wife.

'Cha cha feminist' shares life experiences, insights, art

By IDS staff · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:58 p.m.

What do you get when you have a Mexican girl from a strict Catholic upbringing with a need to, explore? For Maria Elena Fernández, the answer is a "cha cha feminist."

WIUX offers tickets to sold-out show

By Ariel Ivas · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:57 p.m.

Even though Regina Spektor's weekend concert at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater sold-out Tuesday, student-run radio station WIUX will offer one last chance to win tickets during its "Evening Hour" program at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Steady diet of rock

By C. Warner Sills and Brian J. McFillen · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:56 p.m.

I'll put it plainly: The Hold Steady are one of the great underground bands of the noughties, and you should get to know their music immediately. Now, many of you probably aren't familiar with The Hold Steady yet and, since Boys And Girls In America is their third album, the effort might seem somewhat daunting -- especially when you learn that songwriter Craig Finn has populated their albums with recurring characters, themes and locations.

Eclectic Beck back again

By C. Warner Sills and Josh Millrod · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:54 p.m.

This summer at Bonnaroo, in front of a crowd of roughly 80,000 people, a mellow Beck was joined by a troupe of puppeteers and marionette likenesses of him and his band. He was shy, soft-spoken and unemotional, barely moving at all. Meanwhile, the jumbo screens flanking the stage exploded with psychedelic videos of a puppet Beck and his puppet band.

Jordan River Forum

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:52 p.m.

Tyler Perry, Kirk Nathanson and Edward Delp's editorial column in the "Totally Coked out" Opinion front (Oct. 10) posits that No Sweat!'s opposition to IU's contract with Coca-Cola is based on a hatred of big businesses rather than an actual record of abuses. In fact, violent union busting in Colombian Coca-Cola bottling plants is quite well-documented.

The Killers outthink themselves

By Eamonn Brennan · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:51 p.m.

Brandon Flowers is a rock star. He's a rock star in the most self-aware sense of the phrase; he knows what being a rock star means, what one must look like, say, do, how one must blend Bono and Bowie to achieve both popularity and critical acclaim. The problem is that Flowers isn't quite as smart as he thinks he is. On The Killers' ambitious sophomore outing, Sam's Town, Flowers and the boys try to put one over on us, trying to convince us that the coke-and-mascara act of Hot Fuss is behind them. What they didn't remember to do is genuinely change their sound, to shift their paradigms. Sam's Town is Hot Fuss with a little Springsteen mixed in. It's much simpler than anyone - especially the band - realizes.

Predictability so totally rules

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsky · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:49 p.m.

Many people have been successful with their chosen careers, have turned around and then failed to realize that success isn't always transferable. It seems simple: Dane Cook should stick to stand-up comedy and Dax Shepard should stick to "punking" celebrities. And above all, Jessica Simpson should stick to, well, being Jessica Simpson. It's obvious director Greg Coolidge, who helped with the "Employee" screenplay, put in more effort coming up with corny one-liners than he did casting this movie.

Scorsese returns to his roots

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:47 p.m.

Some time ago, I penned an article condemning the frequent Hollywood practice of remaking Asian films, mentioning in particular "The Departed," a remake of the highly successful Hong Kong thriller, "Infernal Affairs." Any regrets I had were dashed as the end credits began to roll; I realized Martin Scorsese and writer William Monahan took great source material and improved upon it tenfold.

Slavic sex, floor 5

By Alyson Brodsy and Colin Dugdale · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:46 p.m.

When Al Gore invented the Internet, lives of countless Americans were changed. Legless people with excessive nose hair growth, for instance, could now buy trimmers online, greatly increasing their ability to detect subtle farts. Obese people could now detail their personal weight struggles in their online blogs, allowing for normal-sized people to not care on six different continents.

Grinning gains

By Alyson Brodsy and Megan Robb · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:45 p.m.

Some stereotypes are true: Lots of people in England have dental problems. The semi-socialist government covers most medical costs but charges fees for dental care. So, many people in England don't go to the dentist frequently, exchanging the prospect of straight teeth for low medical bills. Duly, then, at the American students' study abroad orientation session, the British director of the program told us that we had one infallible leg up in our attempt to get our own way in the town and university where we would be living. You guessed it: our big white American smiles.

'Come out' as an ally

By Jonathan P. Rossing · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:45 p.m.

Wednesday was the 19th annual National Coming Out Day, a celebration to empower gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to live openly, honestly and proudly. Since Oct. 11, 1987, when half a million people joined the second major March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, the official National Coming Out Day has spread and grown around the country.

Newsworthy Networks?

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Oct. 11,2006 10:44 p.m.

A recent study conducted at IU found that the popular spoof news program "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" contains as much substantive news content as programs that appear on major news networks. How is this possible? The show itself states that it is the best fake news out there. Its Web page on comedycentral.com wryly proclaims that the show is "a nightly half-hour series unburdened by objectivity, journalistic integrity or even accuracy."