Region

Reality TV goes romantic

By Alyson Brodsy and Frazier Moore · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 11:33 p.m.

NEW YORK -- Less than a week after Valentine's Day, you will learn the funny valentines Evan and Trista chose. Monday's "Joe Millionaire" (8 p.m. EST, Fox) will find Evan Marriott deciding between Zora, the substitute teacher, and Sarah, a former bondage-video queen the show identifies as "Asst. to Mortgage Broker." They are the finalists from a field of 20 lovelies who began vying for Evan's heart and the $50 million they were told would come with it.

Hip-hop group calls off Pepsi boycott

By Alyson Brodsy and Deepti Hajela · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 11:32 p.m.

NEW YORK -- A hip-hop network founded by music impresario Russell Simmons Tuesday called off a planned boycott of Pepsi products, saying it had reached an agreement with the soft drink giant. The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, which had threatened the boycott after Pepsi pulled an ad featuring rapper Ludacris, said the deal calls for Pepsi to make a multimillion-dollar donation over several years to the rapper's foundation.

Look up!

By Alyson Brodsy and Jane Charney · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 11:31 p.m.

They don't dream big. Their ultimate mission is to put art everywhere -- in galleries, on buildings, in people's homes. For now, they'll settle for two billboards. Your Art Here -- a public art billboard project, was created by four friends in August 2002. Recent IU graduate Owen Mundy together with senior photography majors Shana Berger, Alyssa Hill and Nathan Purath wanted to create a forum for visual communication. They chose billboards as their medium to connect to Bloomington residents and IU students.

US may cut forces abroad

By Alyson Brodsy and Robert Burns · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 11:26 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is considering cutting and reconfiguring U.S. forces in Europe and South Korea as part of a broader effort to restructure the military for 21st century threats.

Health benefits called unfair

By Obaid Khawaja · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 5:41 p.m.

IU professors are expressing concern over the health benefits being offered to retiring faculty and staff. Currently, retirees are offered three options, none of which receive funding from IU.

Remarkable acting, pretentious movie

By -Alec Toombs · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 1:53 p.m.

"Igby Goes Down" opened to predominantly favorable reviews this past fall. Unfortunately, few of us read anymore, and as such, the film left town within a week or two of its Bloomington debut. "Igby," while pretentious, is a good little flick worth checking out now that it's available on DVD.

Man thought to be Osama bin Laden urges followers to back Saddam

By Robert Reid · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 1:36 p.m.

DOHA, Qatar - The purported voice of Osama bin Laden tells his followers to help Saddam Hussein fight Americans even though his government is of "infidels," words U.S. officials said showed the Iraqi leader's ties to the al-Qaida terror network.

Simpsons celebrate 300th episode

By Alyson Brodsy and Lynn Elber · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 1:35 p.m.

LOS ANGELES -- The characters may be yellow but "The Simpsons" hasn't mellowed as it marks its 300th episode Sunday. If anything, the Fox animated comedy born in 1989 is more boldly iconoclastic in the 21st century. Given that timidity is programmed into television's very DNA, how does "The Simpsons" thrive?

The Great Divide: Concerts on and off campus

By Ryan Allen · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:57 p.m.

Strange things have been going on in the Bloomington live music scene, and by strange I mean upsetting, or possibly disturbing. There seems to be a dichotomy of some degree between University/Union Board concerts and off-campus concerts. Granted, there are many people who do not know or even care about what concerts are where in Bloomington. I know this because I've been to several where I thought that attendance was surprisingly lacking. Or maybe it's just me? Or maybe it's because advertising is limited to flyers on cluttered kiosks and on the jumbled bulletin boards of local record stores.

Shakira, you kiss your mother with that mouth

By Seth Forster · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:56 p.m.

Despite what MTV and tons of other stupid public service announcements tell you, voting is NOT the best way to make sure your voice is heard. Singing is. I figured this out not too long ago when wondering why it is that the singers of the past 10-15 years seem so forgettable. Wasn't grunge just lazy, recycled punk? Weren't all the roots rockers just echoing the voices of the past? And wasn't "mainstream" music just as bad in the past? All this seems valid, so why is it that there are maybe 10 memorable singers of the past decade?

'Orta' graphics superior in battle scenes

By Neal Meyer · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:53 p.m.

Sega's "Panzer Dragoon" series originally appeared on the Sega Saturn console, which means it was played by about a dozen people. Fortunately, those 12 people are fans of the ravenous and loyal variety, prompting Sega to bring "Panzer Dragoon Orta" to the Xbox. What Sega has created is a beautifully crafted, surreally imagined and supremely entertaining gaming experience.

Down the old mainstream

By Michael Tapscott · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:52 p.m.

On a day in which the imminent terror status at home was elevated to high, anything short of blood on the stage was going to seem irrelevant. That was precisely the presence of The Nicotones on the night of their release party for their newest EP, You Got It Raw. Though hardly a beacon of the populous, Saturday night at Rhino's was not a symbol of the new disenfranchised youth, it was of the blinded, non-involved and conservative suburbanites.

Brody magnificent in Holocaust film as 'The Pianist'

By Mike D’Avria · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:49 p.m.

Every year there are a few Holocaust films that come out, but don't leave a lasting impression. With the exception of memorable films like "Schindler's List," and "Life is Beautiful," many of these films about the Nazi persecution of the Jewish people leave the theater and are soon forgotten. Roman Polanski's new film "The Pianist," is one film that will not be forgotten, and is truly one of the best films of this past year.

Noyce's film nearly flaw-proof

By by Isaac Edwards and Isaac Edwards · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:47 p.m.

Returning to his Outback homeland, big budget director Phillip Noyce ("The Bone Collector") has given us "Rabbit-Proof Fence," a film of understated power and beauty, delving into a still raw period of Australian history concerning their indigenous people, the Aborigines. From 1905 to 1971, the Australian government sanctioned the kidnapping of "half-caste" children, who came from Aboriginal-white marriages, and placed them in institutes where they could be "domesticated," or white-washed, depending on your particular spin. Today, these children are known as the Stolen Generations.

Same 'ol story, different people

By Natalie A. Trout · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:45 p.m.

Man gets paid to take out woman. Plan fails when he falls for her. She finds out, gets angry and gets over it. Haven't moviegoers seen this before over and over again? It's been done before, and apparently it's still popular among screenwriters because the latest LL Cool J flick, "Deliver Us From Eva" is exactly like other movies we've seen in this genre.

Lead singer puts band out of business

By K James Sward · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:42 p.m.

It's been proven that music can be big business for those with even the slightest degree of talent. But what if one has no degree of talent? Well folks, that's been done as well, but the point is the All Mighty Senators, with their combination of hip-hop, funk and jazz, is a dismal reminder of what happens when a bad singer gets put with a good band. The one positive thing that can be said for the Senators is they know how to play their instruments. The album pulls off some rocking guitar riffs, pumpin' bass, smooth brass and the grooving sounds of synthesizer and percussion to pull it all together.

Moe's latest effort more than Okayalright

By Ryan Allen · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:41 p.m.

With jam-bands, the finished products usually fall short of expectations of unmerciful critics and zealous hordes of fans. The Buffalo, N.Y., quintet moe. has finally overcome a string of poor studio records to produce the first great jam record of the new millennium. moe. used live recordings to lay the basic tracks for Wormwood, a technique used previously by the Grateful Dead. The album is curiously raw and musically diverse. The unorthodox approach to a studio record allows moe. to do what it does best: use its instruments and voices to assemble a polyrhythmic jam machine that flows without the aid of studio voodoo.

Wilson and Chan bide time in latest buddy pic

By Ryan McAdams · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:39 p.m.

For all the bizarre charm of Owen Wilson, even he cannot transcend the flavorless environment of "Shanghai Knights." All of the elements from the first film ("Shanghai Noon") remain: the throwaway references to pop-culture (this is one of the most gloriously anachronistic films ever), the ingenuity involved in setting up rather boring fight scenes and the one-man band of Owen Wilson, who appears to believe that if he beats his drum loud enough, eventually all will begin to dance with him.

Generals deserve at least the bronze medal

By -Val Tsoutsouris · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:35 p.m.

The Baptist Generals sound like they've been on a three-day bender, and apparently, when they haven't immersed themselves in liquor, they have immersed themselves in Tom Waits records. Putting a modern take on the folk-blues the way Califone put a modern take on bluegrass, The Baptist Generals embrace a back-porch feel, though in their world, back-porch doesn't mean laid-back. Frontman Chris Flemmons hurls a couple of expletives and, apparently, his guitar after "Ay Distress." Don't worry, Chris. The take made the album. For the record, The Baptist Generals' back porch is located in Denton, Tex., and like many artists from Texas, they are a genre unto themselves. They aren't afraid of their originality though, just of their bad personal habits.

Juliana Theory sounds impossibly unoriginal

By -Val Tsoutsouris · Wednesday, Feb. 12,2003 12:34 p.m.

That the Greensburg, Pa. quintet The Juliana Theory called on Jerry Harrison to produce its major-label debut, Love, says it all. That's because Harrison, the former Talking Heads guitarist, has made a name for himself as a producer of bands trying to sell out arenas and still maintain reputations of serious artists. In other words, he produces U2 wannabes. Many of them, including Live and Creed, are vaguely Christian, and none of them dare show a sense of humor for fear they won't be regarded as "important" artists. Just look at some of the bands Harrison has produced: Live, Creeper Lagoon, Josh Joplin Group, Stroke 9, Crash Test Dummies...all bred for arenas, they would probably form the Lollapalooza lineup in hell.