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Monday, April 20
The Indiana Daily Student

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Not Idle, nor Wild, just a let down

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With "Idlewild," popular hip-hop duo Outkast try to reimagine old school gangster films and classic Hollywood musicals by injecting their modern rap style. It's an ambitious task. When it works, it works extremely well, but it often strains to connect the dots from element to element.


The Indiana Daily Student

IU Tube

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YouTube.com features videos of all kinds, from the oddly funny: President Bush drunk and an unbelievable robot dance, to released entertainment like Daily Show clips, The O.K. Go treadmill dance, and anything you can imagine. The only thing you won't be able to find is porn or a video of Steve Irwin's death, though there are a lot of fakes. The free Web site doesn't require a password or fee to peruse the overwhelming amounts of videos. And contrary to Senator Ted Steven's statement, it is not run through a series of tubes. Though there is a hilarious techno remix with a video mocking the Senator's assessment that he "got an internet" through a "series of tubes."


Epic fights can't 'protect' butchered plot

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When "Ong-Bak" was released last year, it signaled a new era of martial arts by introducing Muay Thai force of nature Tony Jaa. With Jackie Chan now in his 50s and Jet Li done with kung-fu epics, Jaa has taken up the torch -- but with a mess like "The Protector," he may very well fall flat on his face. Where "Ong-Bak" was about one man's quest to recover a stolen Buddha head, "Protector" is the same quest but for an elephant. Jaa plays Kham, the son of a village elder, raised to cherish the precious pachyderms as a symbol of ancient Thai culture. When two elephants are stolen by thugs from Australia, Kham journeys to the land down under to save the noble beasts while demolishing the crime syndicate responsible for his troubles.


A 'Mountain' of rock hits on this new disc

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Let's not beat around the bush: TV on the Radio's "Return to Cookie Mountain" is one of this year's best rock albums. We're not talking "top-10" -- we're talking "top-3" or better. And I say this as a person who is not especially a fan of TVOTR (not that I dislike them), nor really into avant garde music, nor a person who tosses out A's like parade candy. Only time will tell, but "Cookie Mountain" might well be the band's masterpiece -- and if you fancy yourself a devotee of daring and sophisticated rock, you have to get this album.

Keep comin' on down

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LOS ANGELES - Television's iron man continues to forge on. Bob Barker will start his 35th season as the host of "The Price Is Right" on Sept. 18. Johnny Carson once held the record for continuous tenure with the same show: 29 years. Barker broke it in 2002. And Merv Griffin's game-show classics "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" are years behind "Price," the longest-running game show in TV history. Barker's approach, like the show's set, has remained essentially unchanged since he arrived Sept. 4, 1972 to host what was then called "The New Price Is Right": wholesome, playful and family friendly.


A night of their own

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This is me. Relatively normal by most accords, I suppose, but on this night I am learning that normal is in the eye of the beholder, and that every scene has its characters. Some wear pastel colored polos, while others choose grungy concert T-shirts. A character in one scene might recite poetry between drags of a cigarette, while another may thrash, bang and fight in their own. But on this night, my scene is the Axis of Evil. It's a gathering of punks, goths and any other mislabeled misfit desperate for the type of night every college aged person yearns for. A night where they can be themselves.


Schedule a visit to 'Hollywoodland'

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How do you turn a truly remarkable, mysterious story into a movie without it losing it to flopville? If you're the average director, you start by having one of Hollywood's top writers write you a script. But if you're director Allen Coulter (known for his work with "The Sopranos"), you may decide to pair up with someone like Paul Bernbaum and hope that, along with an all-star cast, your outcome is the exceptional movie, "Hollywoodland". In this case, your hopes would be justified.


Beyonce soars on latest pop fiesta album

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It must have been a daunting task for Beyoncé and her producers to choose the first single for her new album, "B'day." All pop records need that upbeat first single to drive album sales, and in "B'day"'s case, any of 10 tracks would have been sufficient. They're that good. If Columbia Records is smart they'll milk the album for all it's worth, releasing single after single after single.


Get 'Lost' in this show

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A WARNING FOR THE VIEWER: Purchasing the brand new, seven disk, 17+ hour DVD set of the second season of Lost may result in abnormally long sessions of television watching, with possible side-effects of eye damage, weight gain/loss (depending on how focused you are), deterioration of relationships, and muscle atrophy. That's the warning label that should come with Lost: The Complete Second Season--The Extended Experience. Once you start watching episodes it's VERY difficult to stop. But if you were really considering buying it, you already know this: you've watched season one and are familiar with the show. If you've never seen it, then I suggest buying the season one set in addition to season two, and spending about two solid days watching every episode so you're up to date for the upcoming season three premiere. Even if you've been watching religiously like most fans, hitting up the season two DVDs to brush up on anything you forgot doesn't hurt either (you know the writers love foreshadowing and making every detail count).


Richa Sharma - Cox Scholar

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Many IU students hail from the Midwest—Indiana, Illinois, Ohio or Michigan. There are also many students from across the United States. Some may consider a California native to have "come a long way's to college." Many IU students also enjoy the luxury of having their parents help out—if not pay completely—for tuition. But few IU students can say they both come from a long way's and be totally responsible for putting themselves through college.


The flight that fought back

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It's no simple task to evaluate tragedy from a critical perspective. It's even harder for me to admit that two of my favorite films of 2006 both deal with the events of September 11th, 2001. One of them (Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center") comes straight from the heart, while the other goes straight for the gut. Just as Stone's film strives for uplift amidst inconceivable circumstances, Paul Greengrass' United 93 achieves a documentary-like realism combined with an unflinching look at the madness of suicidal extremism.


The Godzilla Americans don't know

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This month, Gojira (the original Godzilla), finally received its first video release ever in the U.S. This new 2 Disc DVD set includes both the original 1954 Japanese version, and the heavily altered U.S. version that was released 2 years later called "Godzilla: King of the Monsters!", starring Raymond Burr.


The Indiana Daily Student

Iron Maiden returns with similar schtick

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Wow, there's a new Iron Maiden CD out. I didn't know they were still around. I didn't know people still cared about them. Well, for what it's worth, "A Matter Of Life And Death" is some classic metal for the modern times. If you love cheesy, epic metal, then step forth and raise your chalice, for Iron Maiden is about the deliver what your moral self desires so.


The Indiana Daily Student

'Energy' signals start of punk, ska movement

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The year 1987 ... seems like a long time ago. I was a mere two years of age, far from old enough to understand punk music, let alone music in general aside from Raffi and Sesame Street, if anything. But in 1987, four young kids would start a band that would set the standard for punk and ska music for years to come.



The Indiana Daily Student

Garica almost notches perfect game

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Given a big lead, Freddy Garcia could afford to simply throw strikes. Un-hittable strikes, mostly. Garcia pitched perfect ball until Adam Kennedy singled with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-0 Wednesday.