Women's Golf

Every side of Elvis - from jeans to jumpsuits

By Seth Forster · Thursday, Oct. 31,2002 12 a.m.

It seems there are as many Elvis Presley CDs released each year as there are Elvis impersonators in Vegas. Well, this one is different...sort of. While this generation has undoubtedly been beaten over the head with the idea of Elvis being one of the most important figures in rock history and probably experiencing a little of a backlash effect because of it, this compilation may make him easier to appreciate. For those who can't really take listening to the most commercialized performer in 50 years, this collection should serve as a cool alternative to hear his sweeping influence, which happens to be much broader than he's typically credited for.

'E. T.' DVD something to phone home about

By C. Warner Sills and Neal Solom · Thursday, Oct. 31,2002 12 a.m.

"E.T." is a classic family film by director Steven Spielberg, a story of an alien, left on this planet by his ship, and a boy, Elliott. The tale shows how they find each other and become best friends, only to have to face the challenges and dangers of such an unusual friendship. To celebrate "E.T.'s" 20th anniversary, Spielberg reworked about 50 of his favorite scenes and re-released the movie into theaters. Now, both the original and the "touched up" versions are out in a two-disc set, and both look and sound great.

'Freestyle' it with new 'NBA Live 2003'

By Tim Street · Thursday, Oct. 31,2002 12 a.m.

Kobe Bryant is unstoppable. With a series of spin moves, sidesteps, crossovers and jukes, he slips between three defenders and throws down a thunderous one-handed windmill dunk. No, it's not the NBA playoffs. It's "NBA Live 2003," the latest pro basketball game from EA Sports. The game isn't radically different from EA Sports' 2002 version. The graphics and sound -- which were fantastic last year -- aren't noticeably different or better, and the usual features are included: create-a-player, franchise mode and online play, to name a few.

Beatles disciples master pop formula

By Michael Tapscott and Mike Tapscott · Thursday, Oct. 31,2002 12 a.m.

For more than a decade, teenage angst has ruled the sphere of so-called "intelligent" pop music. As great as groups like Nirvana or R.E.M. were, they were alienating. They moved the crises of a person in their mid-20s into kid's music. So, here are the Apples in Stereo, copping all that '60s pop music so ingrained and beloved by all and making music for the young people. The songs have lyrics that don't require thought and melodies that are undeniable. The Apples in Stereo have always been confined by their affinity for the Beatles, but is there any better band to emulate? Not only have they taken the Beatles gift for melody to the hilt, they've also inherited the absolute joy of making music.

Comedy survivors

By Brant Fechter · Thursday, Oct. 31,2002 12 a.m.

Comedy venues are rapidly becoming extinct, but Tom Sobel, president of TSM Artists, the parent company of Comedy Caravan, has the key to success: promotion, promotion, promotion. "Promotion fills seats and empty seats don't laugh," Sobel says. Sobel says his greatest accomplishment is that his company still exists. In the last five years, 200 of the nation's 500 comedy clubs have closed their doors. In Bloomington, both Bear's Place and the IMU host Comedy Caravan events on a regular basis. Bear's Place will celebrate its 20th birthday with Comedy Caravan this January.

Solid acting can't save 'Abandon'

By Laurinda Lee · Thursday, Oct. 31,2002 12 a.m.

The last time I checked, dramatic thrillers were supposed to thrill, or at least keep you interested long enough to make it to the end. Which makes me wonder: have times changed or did someone put "Abandon" in the wrong category? The latter possibility wouldn't surprise me, since "Abandon" was neither funny, dramatic nor suspenseful.

'Punch-Drunk Love' pulls no punches

By -Alec Toombs · Thursday, Oct. 31,2002 12 a.m.

Paul Thomas Anderson (better known to fans as PTA) has cemented his name as one of the foremost writer/directors of modern cinema, with films such as "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia." Adam Sandler has cemented his name as one of the most critically maligned, both rightfully ("Little Nicky" and "Mr. Deeds") and unrightfully ("Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore"), comedians of modern cinema. Put the two together and what do you get? -- "Punch-Drunk Love," an odd yet utterly captivating serio-comedic hodgepodge of both artists' styles.

Man the lifeboats and prepare to jump ship

By Ryan Whirty and Ryan Wirty · Thursday, Oct. 31,2002 12 a.m.

Last year, I got sucked into watching "The Triangle," a dopey made-for-cable movie about a ghost ship. That one starred TV wash-ups Luke Perry and Dan Cortese. Then my brains turned to tapioca and I found myself watching "Lost Voyage," yet another made-for-cable movie about a ghost ship. That little masterpiece starred TV wash-ups Judd Nelson and Janet Gunn. Both movies were tedious and meandering, but hey, I was the numbnuts who watched them. Both of them. Now, more than a year later, I was faced with another movie about a ghost ship, this one creatively titled "Ghost Ship" and starring TV wash-up Julianna Margulies. The only difference between this theatrical release and those two boob-tube classics is several choice four-letter words and a whole lot of gore. By the bucketful.

Minelli show canceled

Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:57 p.m.

NEW YORK -- Liza Minnelli won't become another Ozzy Osbourne. VH1 has pulled the plug on the singer's planned reality TV show, complaining that her husband, David Gest, was impossible to work with.

Around The Arts

Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:52 p.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Tennis sensation Serena Williams has gone Hollywood with a guest spot Wednesday night as a kindergarten teacher on ABC's "My Wife and Kids."

Elusive hero or victim of excess?

Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:49 p.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Eight years later, we're still talking about Kurt Cobain. "I'm going to be a superstar musician, kill myself and go out in a flame of glory," he announced as a 14-year-old, and he was right. And because he was right, because he went out in a flame of glory, we just can't get enough of him. Next month will see the long-awaited publication of Cobain's journals, an 800-page epic that tracks his life, in his own words, from the pre-Nirvana days straight to the time leading up to his suicide-by-shotgun on April 5, 1994.

Breast Cancer gets a voice in 'Sing for the Cure'

By Elizabeth Bahra · Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:48 p.m.

"We will keep on singing 'till we're heard," reads the closing piece, "One Voice." And they will be heard. At 7 p.m. on Sunday evening at the IU Auditorium Singing Hoosiers -- under the direction of Michael Schwartzkopf, Bloomington Instrumentalists and Singers, and IU alumnus and two time Grammy award winner Sylvia McNair -- will hit the stage for the highly anticipated Sing for the Cure event to raise awareness about and funding for breast cancer research.

Support diminishing for Sharon

By Alyson Brodsy and Laurie Copans · Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:46 p.m.

JERUSALEM -- Labor Party ministers submitted their resignations Wednesday in a dispute over funding for Jewish settlements, breaking up Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's hardline government and paving the way for early elections.

Mondale to accept nomination

By Alyson Brodsy and Ashley H. Grant · Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:44 p.m.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Former Vice President Walter Mondale gave Democrats the answer they were looking for Wednesday, saying he will run for Senate in place of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone if nominated.

District 4 hopefuls at arms over nuclear weapons

Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:42 p.m.

PLAINFIELD, Ind. -- A congressman who proposed the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Afghanistan said during a campaign debate he still believes the weapons could be useful against terrorism.

Birth, death and work between

By Terry Ord · Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:41 p.m.

You are born, you live, and then you die. That is the human existence in a nutshell. You might have no say in birth and little, if any, in death -- but the middle bit is largely up to you. And guess what Americans seem to be doing with it?

Sodrel to participate in Bush's rally

Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:40 p.m.

Republican congressional candidate Mike Sodrel said he expected a campaign boost when President Bush stumps for GOP candidates Friday in Kentucky. Sodrel said he would take part in a campaign trip Bush is making Friday in Louisville, Ky. The president is expected to speak at a Republican rally at the Kentucky International Convention Center for Rep. Anne Northup, R-Ky., and other candidates. Sodrel is looking to unseat Democratic Rep. Baron Hill in Indiana's 9th District, which covers much of the state's southeastern area.

One vote makes difference

By Evan Ross · Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:39 p.m.

Sometimes, the democratic process seems like a complete and utter waste of time to young people. It seems as though our voices aren't being heard by those in power, so we decide not to be politically active. This, in turn, allows politicians to ignore our voices and dismiss our generation as a bunch of slack-jawed yokels. This self-fulfilling prophecy is hard to break, because it's just so much easier to go with the flow rather than stand up for oneself.

Fall colors at peak this week

Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:39 p.m.

NASHVILLE, Ind. -- The woods of southern Indiana are in full color for what could be the final good days for avid leaf-watchers this fall. Trees across the region have burst into fiery displays of gold, red and orange. "This is the week," Brown County State Park naturalist Stacy Mathies said. "Everything that hasn't changed will probably change this week." She said the state park was packed with leaf-viewing visitors last weekend and she expected it will be even busier this weekend.

Am I racist?

By Silvia ten Houten · Wednesday, Oct. 30,2002 11:38 p.m.

Just having returned from a trip to the East Coast this past weekend, I was again pushed with my nose toward the fact that maybe I am a racist. Since being in the States, I have caught myself thinking of things that seem extraordinarily discriminating. While traveling by plane this weekend, a young passenger on board began to feel extremely ill. Within an hour, the lady went from being a bubbly passenger to becoming an unresponsive, physical wreck. The confusion and drowsy symptoms she developed are indeed characteristic of an overdose, but why was my intial thought that she had swallowed drugs in a trafficking attempt? Was it just because she was black?