A&E

`Crash' pulls off Oscar upset with best-picture win

LOS ANGELES - The ensemble drama "Crash" pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Academy Awards history, winning best picture Sunday over the cowboy romance "Brokeback Mountain," which had been the front-runner. "Crash," featuring a huge cast in crisscrossing story lines over a chaotic 36-hour period in Los Angeles, rode a late surge of praise that lifted it past "Brokeback Mountain," a film that had won most other key Hollywood honors.

Students sculpt peanut butter in Art Olympics

The athletic action in Turin, Italy, ended last week, but the IU School of Fine Arts held its own version of the Olympics Saturday.

Thumbs up

Jake Gyllenhaal, nominated for an Oscar for best actor in a supporting role for his work in "Brokeback Mountain," arrives for the 78th Academy Awards Sunday in Los Angeles. Check out idsnews.com for more Oscar coverage.

Backstage at the Oscars: Nervous stars, controlled chaos

LOS ANGELES -- Despite the glamour and glitz that comes with being a movie star, backstage at the Oscars even the biggest luminaries are human. Prior to going before an audience of their peers -- and potentially hundreds of millions of television viewers -- some of Hollywood's most polished professionals look more like anxious children getting ready for a school play, nervously pacing, mouthing lines and inhaling deeply before heading into the bright lights.

Mathers exhibit celebrates once-lost film

"Silvia the Zulu" was once thought to be completely lost. But the historic film inspired filmmaker and historian Peter Davis, and he refurbished it for modern audiences.

Keira Knightley and Michelle Williams move into fashion's big leagues on Oscar red carpet

There's a new young fashion star in Hollywood. Keira Knightley wore a striking wine-colored, one-shoulder gown by Vera Wang to the Oscars Sunday night that hit the right balance between youthful funkiness and movie-star glamour. Knightley wore her strawberry blond hair in a loose ponytail, and she complemented the dress with a one-of-a-kind necklace with emeralds, rubies and diamonds from the Bulgari archives and gold sandals with multiple ankle straps by Jimmy Choo.

Clooney, Weisz win supporting-performer Oscars

LOS ANGELES - George Clooney won the supporting-actor Academy Award on Sunday for the oil-industry thriller "Syriana," and Rachel Weisz took the supporting-actress prize for another corporate thriller, "The Constant Gardener." The win capped a remarkable year for Clooney, who made Oscar history by becoming the first person nominated for acting in one movie and directing another.

Hoffman wins best-actor Oscar for `Capote'

LOS ANGELES - Philip Seymour Hoffman won the best-actor Academy Award on Sunday for "Capote," in which he gives a remarkable embodiment of "In Cold Blood" author Truman Capote. "Wow, I'm in a category with some great, great, great actors, fantastic actors, and I'm overwhelmed. Really overwhelmed," said Hoffman, whose performance nimbly straddles the magnetic qualities of raconteur Capote and the effete, off-putting egoism of the gay author.

ONE OF A KIND

Student and opera star plans to perform in New York City

A spotlight shot down from the ceiling to the back of the IU Musical Arts Center and the entire audience turned. Figaro, the self-confident and self-loving Barber of Seville, strutted down the aisle distributing fliers and proclaiming his fortune in a booming baritone voice. He literally sang his own praises as he told of his wealth and assured the crowd that he was the most loved citizen of the town.

(Don't) show us your udders, ladies!

"Girls Gone Wild" has been taken over by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Actually, no, it hasn't. But PETA's new anti-dairy campaign, "Milk Gone Wild," is comparable to the videos of young women flashing their breasts on spring break. The ad features a bar, where women lift up their shirts to reveal udders, rather than human breasts, and spray milk out of them to the delight of the male patrons.

Alumna explores eating disorders, body image

March is not just the month of basketball madness, it's also National Women's History Month, a proposed time to appreciate the dedication and perseverance of strong women. In honor of the month, IU alumna Amy Fortoul will perform a one-woman show at 8 p.m. tonight at Rose Firebay in the John Waldron Arts Center. Her performance will expose the harsh realities that many woman face everyday. The piece, "This Is My Body," is a spoken-word performance, which she wrote, directs and performs in.

Who said big booties are not what's hot?

Benefit concert will revive Motown classics, assist ill children

From the speakers at a dance or a party come the first sweetly distinct notes of The Temptations' "My Girl," and almost immediately, the entire crowd becomes animated. Smiles creep over every face in the room, and there is not a person who doesn't feel the pressing desire to get up and dance to this old standard that sounds fresh every time.

Wu-Tang member GZA/Genius in Bloomington tonight

Hip-hop artists GZA/Genius and DJ Muggs will make an appearance in Bloomington tonight. GZA, a member of the former Wu-Tang Clan, and Muggs, a member of the Latin-American hip-hop group Cypress Hill, will perform at 9 p.m. at The Bluebird, 216 N. Walnut St. The duo released an album together in November, Grandmasters, and is making a Bloomington stop on its tour. Earlier in the evening, Bloomington fans will have the opportunity to meet with GZA and have their albums signed at Tracks, 415 E. Kirkwood Ave.

BREAK IT DOWN

'Silvia the Zulu' film screening and lecture shown tonight in Ballantine

"Siliva the Zulu," the first film with an all native Zulu cast made in South Africa was rediscovered only several years ago by Canadian filmmaker and film historian Peter Davis. The silent film was made by Italian filmmaker Attilio Gatti in 1927, but was lost soon after production. The film will be shown at 5:30 p.m. today in Ballantine Hall 205. Prior to the screening, at 4 p.m. Davis will present a lecture "The Image of the Zulu in Cinema."

SIDEWALK RUNWAY

It's all in the hips

Belly dancers with colorful costumes, exotic jewelry, convulsing hip movements and bare midriffs will migrate to Bloomington this weekend. But even though there will be special performances and workshops dedicated to the ancient art form this weekend, students can participate in belly dancing events year-round. The Bloomington Area Arts Council and Different Drummer Belly Dancers will host a Tribal: Pura, a tribal style belly dance workshop and "An Evening of Belly Dance" on Saturday.

PIGCASSO