November 12, 2008
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...
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November 11, 2008
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...
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November 9, 2008
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...
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November 7, 2008
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...
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November 5, 2008
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...
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November 5, 2008
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...
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November 3, 2008
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...
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November 2, 2008
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...
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October 31, 2008
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...
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October 30, 2008
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...
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October 28, 2008
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...
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October 28, 2008
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...
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October 26, 2008
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...
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October 24, 2008
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...
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October 23, 2008
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...
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October 22, 2008
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...
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October 20, 2008
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...
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October 19, 2008
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...
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October 16, 2008
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...
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October 15, 2008
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...
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October 14, 2008
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...
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October 13, 2008
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...
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October 10, 2008
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,"...
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October 10, 2008
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...
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October 8, 2008
"Show, don't tell" is a mantra of dramatic writing. And it's a mantra pretty much ignored by Gueseppi Verdi
in his opera "Il Trovatore."
In its early scenes, exposition nearly overwhelms, and even when it looks like there’s going to be...
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These higher rates Co. e about only because physicians are now hospital employees. otherwise physicians couldn't charge these rates and share the windfall with the hospital. Community/rural hospitals probably not buying physicians practices and thus weren't getting the windfall anyway.
The incentive for poor people to get themselves off public assistance and "no longer be poor" is even with help...they're STILL POOR! Being poor, even with some assistance, isn't all that pleasant. (I speak from experience) It's a stubborn myth that poor people, who are on public assistance, are sitting in the lap of luxury. You should try living on just those "freebies" that you mentioned and see how meager they actually are. By the way, I didn't mean you had to buy/own a puppy...just pet one. :)
As near as I can tell the minority has ZERO constitutional obligation to offer a quorum to the majority. A requirement for quorum was inserted into the constitution so that tyrannical majorities could not simply shove through odious and objectionable legislation (which is exactly what they did.) By allowing a tyrannical majority to charge fines against the minority for exercising their constitutional prerogative to deny quorum the court as made a mockery of constitutional governance in the state of Indiana.
The voters elected the Reps to make a vote not walk out on the vote. They had to the right to exercise their opinion and vote "no" to the bill. Let me ask you this if you walked out of your job for 5 straight weeks would you get paid? Would you even have a job to go back to? If any elected official walks out on the people they should be arrested for stealing tax dollars from the public. They were elected to do a job and not leave when the job gets stuff.
I have been to several of their locations in Pennsylvania and always go in for 1 item and leave with a basket full of things. I'm very happy they decided on Indiana, now if only they would put the other store in eastside.