A&E

Chicago lawyer writes war novel

CHICAGO -- Author Scott Turow's father served as a field surgeon in a medical unit during World War II, but his stories about that experience stopped flowing before his son reached his teen years. Now Turow -- whose work as an attorney has often inspired his best-selling legal thrillers like "Presumed Innocent" -- has used his father's conflicted views about war and courage as the jumping off point for his latest novel, a foray into historical fiction called "Ordinary Heroes."

They dressed that way so we wouldn't have to

Uptown almost perfect, except for service

Rumor has it that the Uptown Café is one of the hot spots in Bloomington. Located just off the square in the heart of downtown, the café, better know as Uptown, is recognized for its great food and personable atmosphere. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we sat in the restaurant's outside seating.

Mitchell Street Band boasts originality

Not many bands can claim to be started on a cruise ship -- and many bands in Bloomington can't even claim to prefer original pieces to covers.

IU String Academy boasts world-class experiences

IU's School of Music is hiding something right under students' noses -- literally.

Ripley's empire of the bizarre to expand

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The first thing you'll probably notice is the shark. At 17 feet long, it's the biggest ever caught on rod and reel. What's left of its two terrifying tons now hangs preserved above a dull warehouse floor.

Etch-A-Sketch used as art form

Drawing crowds to look at well-done manipulations of magnetic dust on magic screens might be simpler than drawing diagonal lines on an Etch-A-Sketch. Senior Dan Gratz has been tweaking the knobs of Ohio Art's most prized invention since he was in high school, killing time in a peer tutoring program. Now Gratz is a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts student at IU whose preferred medium is painting, but he never gave up on what many would consider to be only a children's toy.

Yale makes graduate music school free

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- In most of America's top conservatories, the world's most promising musicians are often deep in debt and giving music lessons just to cover the rent and close the gap between their scholarships and graduate school tuition. But a $100 million donation is about to change that scenario at the Yale School of Music.

Annual event celebrates diversity of art forms

The Buskirk-Chumley Theater was home to a packed audience Saturday night as the African American Dance Company, African American Choral Ensemble and IU Soul Revue came together for their annual event, "A Potpourri of Arts." The African American Arts Institute created the collaborative event in 1993 and has performed it each year since then. The AAAI created the showcase to show the wide range of African American performance produced by the Institute.

IU Art Museum adds gift shop, café

Museums are meant for nothing more than standing and viewing art. Right? Wrong. On Tuesday, the IU Art Museum expanded the concept of what can be done at a museum by opening Angles, a gift shop combined with a café. David Tanner, the Art Museum's associate director for administration, explained the move was made to strengthen the Art Museum's role in the IU educational community.

'Chicks with Dicks' explores tough side of women

You won't hear a peep out of the chicks, but you might hear a scream, catcall, whistle, moan or groan tonight and throughout the month, claims the Bloomington Playwrights' Project. "Chicks with Dicks," written by Trista Baldwin and directed by Richard Perez, is billed by the BPP as a tongue-in-cheek B-movie-like play with a nuclear twist chronicling two rival biker-girl gangs that includes kung-fu fighting, hardcore hair-pulling, mud wrestling and leather bustiers. The play premiered at the Empty Space Theatre in Seattle, and the show ran for one year at the Planet Earth Theatre in Phoenix.

Ultra-short plays wanted for dramatic holiday 'Blizzard'

Forget the pumpkin pie and the turkey legs. Sleigh bells are ringing, and winter snow is falling, if only in the mind of the playwright. The Bloomington Playwrights' Project is seeking at least 30 ultra-short plays, three to five minutes or three to five pages in length, due by 5 p.m. Friday for the 2005 Ballot Box Blizzard production titled "Holidazed & Confused."

Persimmon recipes

Recipes

Persimmon Country

As the leaves change color with the arrival of autumn in southern Indiana, the choice of cuisine changes as well. Fall brings its share of seasonal dishes, and while pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce might be the dishes that come to mind, there are also more offerings: those made from persimmons, a fruit indigenous to the United States that grows wild throughout much of southern Indiana.

The 'mod' look receives new life

LOS ANGELES -- A banner reading "1966" hangs above DJ Rena Durrant and her turntables at Club Satisfaction in Hollywood. On the dance floor, doe-eyed girls in polyester A-line dresses and bobbed hair shimmy and shake alongside boys in three-button suits and Beatle boots. A 60s R&B tune fills the room. A film shoot for an "Austin Powers" prequel? Is "American Dreams" returning to prime-time?

Violent children's films raise fears

LOS ANGELES -- A shotgun-wielding hunter mercilessly pursues his target. Angry space aliens vaporize a defenseless town. A bloodthirsty shark preys on the weak and tiny.

Documentary explores legend of 'Ballets Russes'

NEW YORK -- Agnes de Mille was in London in the summer of 1933 when the new Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo came to town. For the young American choreographer, seeing a Leonide Massine ballet became one of the season's "great erotic pleasures."

Web guides set scene for perfect stays on cross-country trips

WASHINGTON -- Sometimes it's not so much where you go as the character of the place you stay in when you get there that makes a trip a success. The Internet makes it much easier to find one of those perfect spots for your weekend or longer vacation. One of the handiest resources for finding a room with character is Historic Hotels of America -- http://www.historichotels.org/ -- started by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It only lists quality hotels that are least 50 years old and have historic significance.

Contemporary art museum in Chicago features 'Tropicalia'

CHICAGO -- Visitors to the Museum of Contemporary Art's newest exhibit will leave with sand in their shoes. "Tropicalia: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture" is the first major exhibit to examine a nearly 40-year-old cultural movement that affected Brazilian theater, film, architecture, music, fashion, advertising, television and the visual arts.

Getty Museum accused of purchasing stolen goods

LOS ANGELES -- The board of the J. Paul Getty Trust has formed a special committee to investigate claims that its world-renowned museum purchased looted art and its chief executive spent lavishly with tax-exempt funds. The committee announced Saturday will include five members of the board but not the trust's chief executive, Barry Munitz, who pledged "full support for this effort," the Getty said in a statement.