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The Indiana Daily Student

Blogapalooza: "Let's make traffic stop on Lake Shore Drive"

By C. Warner Sills and Zack Teibloom · Friday, Aug. 4,2006 12 a.m.

When we realized we could go in the front row for every act to take pictures, things got ridiculously better. There were setbacks, like being dragged from the press area at a legendary Flaming Lips show, but front row access for dynamic hip hop acts Gnarls Barkley, Blackalicious, and Kanye West made Saturday an unforgettable day and night of music. Not to mention the free food, drinks, and hanging out with artists backstage.

The Indiana Daily Student

Blogapalooza: Lolla is Red Hot

By Alyson Brodsy and Zack Teibloom · Friday, Aug. 4,2006 12 a.m.

Another perfect day and night of shows made made Lollapalooza the place to be this summer. Matisyahu put on a spellbounding performance that may have set the guiness record for crowd surfing, the Chili Peppers came close to Lolla Founder Perry Ferrell's billing as the best rock band in the country and Ben Kweller and Wilco rocked.

The Indiana Daily Student

Hoosier feels at home on bricks

By David A. Nosko · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 10:30 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The residents of Columbus, Ind., might write-in a presidential vote in 2008, to none other than 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Champion Tony Stewart.

The Indiana Daily Student

Democrats criticize politics of I-69

By David A. Nosko · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 10:28 a.m.

Hoosiers will have to wait until January 2007 for a Statehouse vote on the fate of an already paved State Road 37 because the new pavement groundwork for an I-69 toll road from Evansville to Indiana was legislated as part of the Gov. Mitch Daniels "Major Moves" bill. But local Hoosiers say the fight to protect Mother Nature and the battle to preserve the Hoosier heartland have just begun. Local Democratic leaders have reiterated their vote of "no" toward the I-69 toll road plan, and tens of thousands of Hoosiers affected by the proposal are up in arms but hopeful about protecting Indiana's long-term economic future. Hoosiers will have the opportunity this November to offer their vote of confidence about their elected officials' vision.

Expert novices help define indie rock

By Alyson Brodsy and Josh Millrod · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

Think back to the worst band in your high school. The one with that awful singer, that dude who could barely play guitar and that drummer who couldn't keep a steady beat. In their best moments, they were still barely holding it together. Then imagine them sticking it out for twelve years and becoming one of the most influential indie rock bands in history. In fact, they basically invented the genre. This is the story of Beat Happening. By their last album You Turn Me On, Beat Happening had toured the world, received critical acclaim in major music magazines and founded K Records which would become indie rock's most prosperous record label. They still couldn't play their instruments that well and their singer's rumbling bass singing still wasn't quite in tune.

Into the great Abyss

By Alyson Brodsy and Zack Teibloom · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

"When we get down there you may be face-to-face with a snake or a dead animal. I'm not scaring you, am I?" IU Outdoor Adventure Trip Leader Matt Lattis asked as we began our vertical descent into the deepest cave in Indiana. He offered to take the IDS staffer who doesn't know how to tie his own tie on a day trip to explore the great abyss of one of 2,000 caves in Indiana. A cave enthusiast since the eighth grade, Lattis is one of the trip leaders at IU Outdoor Adventure. The program consists of specialized classes and individualized trips ranging from day trips in Bloomington to week long trips all over the world. Kayaking in Kentucky, rock climbing and caving in Southern Illinois, and backpacking and whitewater rafting trips are a few of the orientation trips available to freshman in August, but students can plan their own trips year round with help from IUOA.

Crockett and Tubbs return

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

"Miami Vice," created long ago by Michael Mann when pastel shirts were in and it was cool to wear your sunglasses at night, has now received a complete update that makes it seem like the 1980s never even happened. "Vice" is now dark, gritty and lacking any sort of humor -- it isn't your normal police procedural in the least. Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx -- whose performance in Mann's "Collateral" guaranteed they'd work together again) get in over their heads with a South American drug cartel and as they get deeper, the risks become greater. To make matters worse, Crockett is falling in love with his boss's girlfriend, Isabella (Gong Li, "Memoirs of a Geisha").

It's never to early to start drinking

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Green · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

Well, it's kind of difficult to review live albums. Personally, I'm not really a fan of live albums. I would much rather go to the show personally and experience the band firsthand. But I realize that this isn't always possibly, especially with bands that aren't around anymore (like the Clash). Anyway, I'm rambling. I haven't even told you what's being reviewed yet. Flogging Molly have been on the top of their game for several years now, and they don't plan on stopping anytime soon. The band has followed up their brilliant 2004 release Within A Mile Of Home with a new album entitled Whiskey on a Sunday. Four acoustic tracks, five live tracks, and a brand spanking new studio track.

The Indiana Daily Student

J5's 4th a good time, but not their best

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Green · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

Jurassic 5 is a stunning array of talent. Take five MC's (each with their own distinct sound) and two DJ's putting out honest, raw and catchy hip-hop reminiscent of the old-school days of NWA and the Wu-Tang Clan (when ODB was still alive and not in jail). This is the boys' 4th release, entitled Feedback. Party people, get ready for some old-school party rap here. Unfortunately, this release is a bit disappointing for a J5 fan. First off, the production is weak. This can be explained by the departure of DJ Cut Chemist, who is pursuing a solo career. Gone are the goofy samples and speedy cutting and crossing that Chemist brought to the distinct J5 sound.

Drinking games: Serious Bizness

By Alyson Brodsy and Zack Teibloom · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

From the moment the bouncer asks you your middle name and birth sign at the door, the drinking games are on. The earliest known drinking game in literature is from Plato's Symposium in which players fill a bowl with wine, drink it, and pass it on. Games have gotten more advanced, and the rules differ from town to town, even within Bloomington, but the idea is the same: Why not play a game to show off your ping pong ball throwing, cup flipping, and beer pouring skills with a little peer pressure?

Powell and Pressburger's pilgrimage

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

For too long I've only seen Powell and Pressburger's Technicolor epics such as "The Red Shoes" and "The Tales of Hoffmann" and while they are fun to watch, ultimately they come off very dated and awkward in places. I had begun to think all of the Brit directing duo's films were like this, but then "A Canterbury Tale" came my way. Taking Chaucer's story and adapting it for the then modern times of England, Powell and Pressburger place three journeyers -- an American soldier, a British officer and village girl -- on a quest from Kent to Canterbury during World War II. When they reach Kent though, the chances of them making it to the fabled destination seems grim as they're hopelessly caught up in a series of village crimes that, while not murders, are far from normal criminal activity.

Chappelle gets the last laugh

By Alyson Brodsy and Michael Mellini · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

Dave Chappelle is an idiot. No, his comedy isn't stupid; in fact it's quite intelligent. But, $50 million?!? Come on man, how do you pass that up? On the other hand Comedy Central is quite smart for releasing "Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes" and milking the Chappelle teat for all it's worth. It seems production on the show's third season didn't get very far before Dave took off, so the disc only contains three episodes. And they're measly at that. Without commercials there's about only an hour's worth of footage, but what's there is damn funny. Chappelle has said that one of the main reasons he bailed was the pressure (yeah $50 mil is a lot of pressure) to maintain the show's quality. And while these episodes don't quite measure up to the first two seasons, if they had aired with a full season, viewers probably wouldn't be outraged in disappointment. Several times throughout the first episode Chappelle references his situation and the giant amount of money (and jokes about getting his own cereal and attempting to turn the L'il Jon sketch into a full length movie), so at least the audience is aware that he realizes what rests on his shoulders.

An evolutionary documentary

By Alyson Brodsy and John Barnett · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

By the end of Barbet Schroeder's brief 1978 documentary on Koko, a female gorilla being taught sign language and other aspects of human communication on the campus of Stanford University from her birth in 1971 to this very day, I had fallen in love with the noble beast. Filmed in secret as to avoid legal troubles with the San Francisco Zoo (which technically owned Koko at the time of filming), Schroeder's chronicle asks many tough questions, such as if a gorilla being raised in a humanistic environment has any significant rights, or if raising a creature in such a way is ethical.

Another teen flick to add to the collection

By Alyson Brodsky and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

I know what you're thinking, we don't need anymore teen flicks. But the future generations need one for their time and "John Tucker Must Die" is it. Although it is the first teen flick for writer Jeff Lowell ("Just Shoot Me!"), it is, for the most part, a success. Now whether that is because of the actual movie itself or the cast, I don't know. The whole movie is a cliché. Kate (Brittany Snow) is the new girl at school, and being quite the wallflower, she finds it hard to get herself noticed. Kate takes on a job as a waitress at a local restaurant and that is where she first meets Mr. Popular, John Tucker ("Desperate Housewive's" Jesse Metcalfe).

Not mind-blowing

By Alyson Brodsy and Sam Nissen · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

I guess maybe I expect too much from Pharrell. His new album, In My Mind, is full of good beats, great raps and electrifying falsetto singing. Too often, though, these highlights do not occur at the same time. In my mind, Pharrell is the fashionista of our time -- like Madonna, except not annoying -- which might be why In My Mind seems tepid sometimes. Fans should expect every song to be as well crafted as the $200 Ice Cream shoes or $100 Billionaire Boys Club hoodies he crafts when not tending to rap.

The Indiana Daily Student

They ain't no joke

By Alyson Brodsy and John Barnett · Thursday, Aug. 3,2006 12 a.m.

Old school rap took a giant leap towards rolling with the new when Eric B. and Rakim's Paid in Full began vibrating dorm room walls and Brooklyn sidewalks in the fall of 1987. Showcasing both DJ Eric Barrier's genre-defining turntable skills and production and William Griffin's nearly unmatched rhyming prowess, the New York City duo's debut hit big upon it's initial release, and was recently named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV. Greatest hip hop album of all time is stretching it a little, but Paid in Full certainly belongs in the top 20. Unlike most groundbreaking rap albums of the early-to-mid 80's, it's just as aesthetically pleasing as it is exponentially influential. Countless rappers and hip hop beatmakers owe Eric B. and Rakim for a large portion of their sound. Rakim's vocal style and multi-syllabic rhymes gave birth to everyone from Eminem and Black Thought of the Roots to Tupac and Mos Def. Eric B's soundscapes sketched the blueprint for post-Paul's Boutique Beastie Boys and occasionally seemed to encapsulate what would eventually become rap-rock. Nearly all 10 tracks on the record are primed to blow your speakers (and your mind if you'll let them). "I Ain't No Joke," "My Melody" and "I Know You Got Soul" were the hits, but "As the Rhyme Goes On" and the title track are Barrier and Griffin at their best.

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