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Yes, you've found Lou Harry's A&E, IBJ's home for opinion, debate and discussion on arts and entertainment matters in Indy and beyond. Thanks for stopping by.
Recent Blog Posts
Hating contemporary art
November 13, 2008
Comments(8)A whirlwind of a day started with my earlier-than-usual weekly Fox 59 segment (if you missed it, you can
catch it here later today) and will end with the IBJ Night at the Movies midnight screening of "Quantum
of Solace"...
MoreReview: "Whirl of the Divine"
November 12, 2008
Comments(2)It was encouraging to a see a packed house at the Central Library for the Nov. 9 performance of "Powered
by Poetry-- Whirl of the Divine."
It was even better to see that the production itself--a collaboration between Butler University Departments...
MoreConservative theater-an oxymoron?
November 11, 2008
Comments(6)An interesting Wall Street Journal piece (read it here) asks why we don't see conservative political theater.
Apart from Tom Stoppard and David Mamet, the writer of the piece "can't think of a single well-known American
or British playwright...
MoreYou-review-it Monday
November 9, 2008
Comments(5)So, did you go Spirit-and-Place-ing this weekend? (I got to the "Madness and Creativity" conversation at Butler
University and the remarkable "Whirl of the Divine" performance at the Central Library.)
Do some First Friday gallery hopping? (Maybe we crossed paths at IMOCA or the...
MoreReview: B.J. Novak at Clowes
November 7, 2008
Comments(0)At his strongest when addressing the largely student audience on generationally-specific subjects, stand-up B.J.
Novak--best known from his role as Ryan on NBC's "The Office"--riffed smartly on OnStar, iTunes, Bill Nye,
Wikipedia and GoogleMaps during his Thursday night set at...
MoreIBJ movie nights: Bond, etc.
November 5, 2008
Comments(40)In the past, I've hosted a wide range of IBJ Night at the Movies screenings.
The next two, however, are a little different. The tickets I'm giving away are, to be accurate, for IBJ
LATE Nights at the Movies. Midnight, to be specific.
First...
MoreCultural two-fers
November 5, 2008
Comments(4)One of the more convenient excuses given for not going to cultural events is the cost.
Well, with the 25th anniversary Zoobook now in release, that excuse has once again been mitigated.
Yes, I know that there are those of you...
MoreFictional Presidential match-ups
November 3, 2008
Comments(7)Here, for your entertainment, some fictional election match-ups (ignoring party affiliations). Who gets your
vote?
Peter Sellers in "Dr. Strangelove" vs. Michael Douglas in "The American President" vs. Morgan Freeman in "Deep
Impact"?
Next round:
Martin Sheen on "The West Wing" vs. Donald...
MoreYou-review-it Monday
November 2, 2008
Comments(4)For me, the weekend included catching up with shows at the Phoenix and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It
also involved stealing moments to read, flipping between David Wild's goofy new "He Is...I Say: How I Learned
to Stop Worrying...
MoreRandom tricks/random treats
October 31, 2008
Comments(6)Some random thoughts on cultural horrors.
--Boris Karloff may be Hollywood's most underrated golden-era star. Watch him in "Son of Frankenstein" if
you get a chance (although the film itself isn't as good as the perversely fun "Bride of Frankenstein").
--When we...
MoreBookstore booze to be tested
October 30, 2008
Comments(7)According to the Western Michigan Business Review, Schuler Books and Music in Grand Rapids (an outstanding
locally owned chain) is looking to go beyond the cafe-and-sweet-treats ammenities that have become stapes in
bookshops.
The downtown store has applied for a...
MoreFilm: Can 'best' = 'most popular'?
October 28, 2008
Comments(3)Interesting stat in today's New York Times: The last four winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture ("No
Country for Old Men," "The Departed," "Crash," and "Million Dollar Baby") combined didn't bring in the box
office money of 2003's...
MoreOn celebrity interviews
October 28, 2008
Comments(5)Peter Bart, one of the smarter guys in Hollywood, has an interesting blog over at Variety. His topic: Celebrity
interviews. (Find it here.)
In the piece, Bart elequently points out something I've felt for a long time now: That most...
MoreYou-review-it Monday
October 26, 2008
Comments(8)There was a lot to choose from this weekend.
Did you pick Hubbard Street Dance or David Byrne at Clowes? Or Gregory Hancock's "Oh My Goth"? Stop in
at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, or the...
MoreEmptying the arts notebook
October 24, 2008
Comments(0)Today, some random notes from around the arts world:
--Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune has an interesting item today about customer service in theaters. See
it here. Have you had any overwhelming negative or positive experiences from the front-of-the-house...
MoreHaunt-ing for real reporting
October 23, 2008
Comments(0)This is the time of year that otherwise respectable news outlets begin publishing or broadcasting stories
about haunted houses--not just the "guy jumps out at you with a chainsaw" haunted houses but also the allegedly
real ones.
Problem is, many of...
MoreWere 'Great Books' a great idea?
October 22, 2008
Comments(3)The 54-volume Great Books of the Western World series, a set of books that sold more than a million copies
in the 1950s and '60s, was:
a. an empowering, groundbreaking effort to bring brilliant writing to the masses.
b. a sales stunt perpetrated by Encyclopedia...
MoreHigh school musical memories
October 20, 2008
Comments(8)Between the upcoming release of Disney's "High School Musical 3" in theaters--as both an arts journalist and
the father of teenage girls, I know a lot about HSM--and my kid's own real life high school musical (Pike
High School's production...
MoreYou-review-it Monday
October 19, 2008
Comments(4)Truly moved by anything at the Heartland Film Festival? Catch Dance Kaleidoscope's season opener? Visit a
haunted house or, like me, were you part of the jury at the trial at the Benjamin Harrison Home?
So what did you get to...
MoreReview: 'Striped Pajamas'
October 16, 2008
Comments(2)The Heartland Film Festival kicks off tonight with the North American premiere (which I incorrectly stated
was a World Premiere in my weekly e-mail) of "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas."
Landing a major studio premiere is a coup for Heartland...
MoreReview: "Avenue Q"
October 15, 2008
Comments(3)A few month's back, I travelled to Louisville to catch the national tour of "Avenue Q." Not only was I
anxious to see the Tony-winning show, but I also wanted to catch it before it came to Indy, the better
to...
MoreMore ISO 'Guys and Dolls' thoughts
October 14, 2008
Comments(3)At some point, I will write about something besides the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's presentation of "Guys
and Dolls in Concert" last weekend.
But that point isn't here yet.
I blogged on one aspect of the show on Saturday. (Find it here, along...
MoreYou-review-it Monday
October 13, 2008
Comments(6)What a weekend.
For me, it included the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's once-in-a-lifetime production of "Guys and Dolls"
(Okay, so I saw it twice), Butler University Theatre's "Phedre," Theatre on the Square's "Evil Dead: The
Musical" and reading through most of Walter...
MoreCasting magic for "Guys and Dolls"
October 10, 2008
Comments(7)An open letter to Des McAnuff, director of the upcoming Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls."
Mr McAnuff,
You don't know me, but having seen your productions of "The Who's Tommy," "How to Succeed in Business Without
Really Trying," and "Jersey Boys,"...
MoreRodgers & Hammerstein thoughts
October 10, 2008
Comments(9)The well-sung but nondescript production of "The Sound of Music" currently running at Beef & Boards got
me thinking about the musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Some random thoughts:
--The R&H reputation pretty much rests on "Oklahoma!," "Carousel," "South Pacific," "The King...
More
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You guys have some "interesting" comments to say the least. I hope you will call in and share those opinions starting June 1. I'm looking forward to having you on the air.
For those who let this information strike a nerve, remember that this is still the America that allows the freedom to achieve dreams and goals. Should you really chastise those who are given a perk on a deal that is supported by the consumer (that is until they don't like the deal anymore due to envy) or should the dream of rewards for working be looked at a little closer? I say lets stick to the deal, go to work,earn our keep, shoot for dreams, change our jobs to have that dream or shut up about others achievements ..............while we are still afforded this liberty of America !
Three Magi
Cats out of the bag. The object of the game is to get acquired. That means the company has no idea how to grow beyond a certain point. Email is a 1990s technology. I have laughed at this company since day one. Such a small bit player. If it was anywhere but here, it wouldn't be newsworthy.
Esther, Indy has passed Chicago in the local government corruption arena. Don't downgrade us. We're No. 1 in the Midwest.