Buzz Magazine: April 10, 2003

z buz April 10-16, 2003

FREE!

CC O OM MM MU UN N II TT YY

Take back the the nightnight A A RR TT SS

Big River M MU U SS II CC

Protest music FF II LL M M & & TT V V

Phone booth

Arts | Entertainment | Community

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MARRY ME EVAN! | APRIL 10-16, 2003

.Swirl....S .. . k h! g in i n l iff....

C Sip....S World Premiere!

“Three Dollar Monty” Saturday April 12 at The Corkscrew Wine Emporium The World’s Best Bottle of $3.99 Wine!

It’s a secret until Saturday, but we can tell you it’s: Red (good start) & Italian (even better) $47.88 a case (plus tax)!

Corkscrew Wine Emporium 203 North Vine Street, Urbana ! 337-7704 www.thecorkscrew.com

The Eleventh Annual volunteeroperated exhibition and sale, LOCATION 112 W. Church St. EXHIBITION DATES & HOURS April 25, 6–10 April 26, 1–10 April 27, 1–7 April 28, 1–7

pm pm pm pm

For more information call 217.351.2437

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featuring over 200 local artists’ works will be held in downtown Champaign. Proceeds go directly to The Greater Community AIDS Project (GCAP) a local non-profit agency providing support services for those affected by HIV/AIDS.

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www.gcap.org

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | WHY IS SO JOE MILLIONAIRE SO SEXY?

insidebuzz 4

COMMUNIT Y

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ARTS

17

MUSIC

18

CALENDAR

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FILM & TV

Huber’s Tavern Big River Protest Music All there is to do in CU Reviews of Phone Booth and What a Girl Wants

...plus lots more

Volume 1, Number 5 COVER DESIGN | David Solana

editor’snote

letterstotheeditor

S

ince I saw the movie Old School starring Will Ferrell about a month ago, it has been difficult to get most of the scenes out of my head. I cannot explain why one of the dumbest movies I have ever seen has captured my attention so much.

I guess it’s my undying love for stupid movies. I have forever loved movies like The Princess Bride, Animal House and There’s Something About Mary. Yet, my compulsion to watch these films is not matched by my desire to continually watch Old School. I believe I have watched the scene where Will Ferrell shoots himself in the neck with a tranquilizer gun and Seann William Scott looks on and screams “that’s awesome,” five times to date.

Stupid, I know.

Yet, it’s this kind of stupidity that makes my sides split with laughter. I know it’s not high culture and I don’t think it can even be considered low culture. I think it’s low college culture.

But I have not been able to figure out why I have longed to watch this stupid, slapstick comedy over and over again until today.

I realized that everything in the world is so serious now. Prior to Sept. 11, the world seemed so at ease and I did not need to look for movies to fill this void of laughter.

Now, with the conflict in Iraq, the nuclear stand-off in North Korea and the hunt for

Osama bin Laden, American media seems so focused on the negative and life just doesn’t seem as good as it was prior to Sept. 11.

I think people like me and others need movies like Old School to get them through these times.

I remember when I was a little kid, I used to watch the Star Wars trilogy, over and over again before I went to sleep. The reason—I was scared. The movie is about good and evil and in the end, good always won out.

And even now, when I am nervous about a decision or I am just scared of what’s going to happen, I throw on Return of the Jedi to make me feel better about the world.

So, when you see your roommate, son, daughter, sister or brother replaying the scene in Old School where Seann William Scott attempts to save Will Ferrell by blowing air in his mouth and Ferrell responds by trying to make out with him, remember — it’s all therapeutic.

-TR

Got an opinion?

E-mail us at buzz@readbuzz.com or you can send us a letter at 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, Ill. 61820.

We reserve the right to reject submissions.

BUZZ STAFF Editor-in-chief Tom Rybarczyk Art Director Meaghan Dee Photo Editor David Solana Community Kelly Kiekow Arts Elisabeth Lim Music Brian Mertz Entertainment Jason Cantone Calendar Marissa Monson Calendar Coordinators Lauren Smith, Cassie Conner, Erin Scottberg Photography David Solana, Kelly Kiekow, Brian Mertz, Alejandro L. Rodriguez Copy Editors Elizabeth Zeman, Tom Polansek, Jessica Jacko, Yvonne Zusel Designers Kristin Clifford, Jacob Dittmer, So Hee Lee Won Production Manager Theon Smith Editorial Adviser Elliot Kolkovich Sales Manager Phil Winkelman Marketing/Distribution Matt Youngblood Marketing Designer Ryan Stotts Publisher Mary Cory All editorial questions or letters to the editor should be sent to buzz@readbuzz.com or 244-9898 or buzz, 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, Ill., 61820. buzz magazine is a student-run publication of Illini Media Company and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students.

Copyright Illini Media Company 2003

I

would like to preface this letter by stating that I do enjoy the alternative publications that we get here in Champaign Urbana. I probably agree with about 1% of the opinions expressed by these publications, but I do enjoy reading them. I hope this new incarnation stays around for a long time. This hope is what compels me to write this letter.

Regarding your “first official column as Buzz editor-in-chief.” I would assume, being “editor-in-chief” you would understand words like credibility and integrity. There are two statements in your column that make me think otherwise.

When you say “The American government convinced me and a good number of Americans that this war would be easy-no one would be affected.” I don't know what part of the “American Government” you were listening to, but the ones I heard, up to and including our president have consistently said this is not going to be easy and it is going to cost lives.

At the end of your column you state, “Most (troops) did not choose to have their blood spilled for an unknown cause.” Exactly what poll did you use to come up with this statistic? I haven't seen any numbers to corroborate this. Keep in mind, our armed forces are totally voluntary these days. I don't have any statistics or polling data at my fingertips right now, but if I was to guess I would say that “most” of our troops are quite content to be there doing their jobs. I would also be willing to speculate that most of them know the cause of why they are there. I would also be sure to qualify this by admitting that it is just a guess.

When people in your position write statements that sound based in fact, people summarily believe it. This is a dangerous place for the media to go.

Respectfully, Craig J. Muehling Tuscola

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Community

APRIL 10-16, 2003

buzz

Huber’s Tavern The place like home

BY ERIN WALSH | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

ith the sun sinking beneath gray clouds and half-melted snow dirtying the winter-weary ground, they come to Huber’s tavern, where neighbors are like family, conversation flows as easily as beer from the taps and bartenders are known to have bottles open and waiting for the regulars by the time they make it in from the cold. Huber’s is hardly recognizable as the corner store it was 85 years ago, and even now, the atmosphere differs from day to night depending on the crowd. Yet, somehow, people flow through the place without changing it much at all.

– Paul Rider, on Huber’s tavern

years to have a few beers before heading home—their routine on weekdays and Saturdays.

“They’re closed on Sundays,” Paul explains, his hearty laughter setting off a chorus of chuckles among the men.

A few of them are neighbors, but most have become friends just from coming into Huber’s over the years. In fact, they’ve gotten to know just about all the regulars.

“It’s Cheers, where everybody knows your name,” Paul says.

“The difference is that we go home to our families,” Jim says, puffing on his pipe.

“True,” Paul replies. He pauses, a big smile forming beneath his graying mustache. “Some of us just take the long way home.”

[ PHOTO | David Solana

[

It’s Cheers, where everybody knows your name

“Hey Gino, you’re not in your chair!” someone from across the bar yells to 49year-old Gino Kirby, who tonight has forsaken his usual barstool for a table and traded in his flannel shirt for a nice vest.

He waves and continues talking to his girlfriend.

It is 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and Huber’s is starting to fill up with its after-work crowd—some newcomers, but mostly regulars. Jim Miller and Paul Rider, old-timers from the neighborhood, sit with some friends at their usual round table by the door, talking and drinking bottles of Budweiser. CNN Headline News and ESPN play quietly on the televisions above them.

A group of five or six of the friends have been meeting at Huber’s after work for

Huber's bar tender Vicky Jones gets a drink for a customer Thursday. Jones has been a bar tender for 10 years.

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APRIL 10-16, 2003

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PHOTO | David Solana

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Huber's Bar, 1312 W. Church St.

I can’t say for everybody, but the drinking really is secondary

[

continued on page 6

PHOTO | David Solana

[

In an age when the average American will have six different careers before retirement and move 11 different times, when life is transitory and “For Sale” signs litter front lawns, the old neighborhood is quickly becoming a thing of the past. And although neighborhood bars are still thriving in parts of Chicago, they’re in jeopardy of becoming extinct in Central Illinois, where zoning laws now keep most taverns out of – Bob Ruggles, on the meeting in Huber’s residential areas.

Located at 1312 W. Church St., near Champaign’s Dr. Howard School and across the street from Eisner Park, Huber’s, too, was a non-conformer under city land-use laws for years. It finally became “legal” in March 2002 with the restriction that it can’t stay open later than 11 p.m. or on Sundays.

Now, Champaign’s oldest established tavern is Jim Cross, owner of Huber's Bar, lounges behind the bar.

community

APRIL 10-16, 2003

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continued from page 5 one of two neighborhood bars remaining in the city, along with the Ice House.

In 1918, before the Great Depression and women’s suffrage, before television and light beer, when the population of Champaign was less than 25,000, Royal Huber first opened the doors of Huber’s West End Store.

It survived Prohibition by selling canned goods and “near beer.” Then, it received the city’s first liquor license when Prohibition ended. After leasing the business to other proprietors for several years, Royal Huber’s son, Roy Huber, took over ownership and ran the tavern until 1989, when Jim and Linda Cross bought it. The Champaign couple kept the name Huber’s but remodeled the tavern, leaving only the old ceiling and foundation untouched.

Jim, now 60, has added draft beer, hard liquor and wine to old Huber’s stock of bottled beer, as well as a small menu of Butch’s Pork House Pizza, burgers, appetizers and other bar food. A brass-top bar lined with cushioned stools has replaced ice boxes men used to stand around; brick walls adorned with Budweiser mirrors and Rolling Rock neon signs have replaced the plain wood paneling; and wood furniture has replaced

linoleum tabletops and chrome chairs.

Women are welcome now—a change from the old days—and although the place still doesn’t attract many University of Illinois students, it draws a much bigger crowd than it used to. People pour in for the live music every Wednesday and Saturday night, a dart league on Fridays, and for New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl Sunday, the only two days of the year Huber’s is exempt from its time restrictions.

But despite the facelift, Huber’s has kept its neighborhood feel. An antique cash register still sits behind the bar. Kids still stop by after school or Little League to buy baseball cards and bubble gum from an old-fashioned candy window Jim has kept even though it isn’t very profitable. Friends still offer to help one another with home improvement projects and take up collections when there’s been a death, birth or divorce.

Most people still choose to walk home if they’ve had a few too many drinks. And conversation still centers around many of the same topics it did in the 1920s: family, work, politics and sports. continued on page 31

KrannertCenter.com S u p p o r t f o r W h a t ' s t h e Wo r d ? i s p r o v i d e d i n p a r t A p p l i e d A r t s ; T h e C h a n c e l l o r ' s I n i t i a t i v e b y t h e F r a n c e s P. R o h l e n Vi s i t i n g A r t i s t s F u n d / C o l l e g e o f F i n e a n d La Casa Cultural Latina; African American Cultural E x p l o r i n g t h e H u m a n E x p e r i e n c e : B e y o n d D i f f e r e n c e s ; of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instr Program; Afro-American Studies and Research Program; the College C e n t e r f o r L a t i n A m e r i c a n a n d C a r i b b e a n S t u d i e s ; Ou c t i o n ; O f f i c e o f L e s b i a n , G a y, B i s e x u a l , a n d Tr a n s g e n d e r C o n c e r n s ; f f i c e o f Wo m e n ' s P r o g r a m s ; a n d t h e O f f i c e o f t h e D ean of Students.

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PHOTO | David Solana

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Paul Rider drinks a beer at Huber's round table while laughing at a comment from across the bar.

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community

APRIL 10-16, 2003

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BY AUDREY DANIEL | STAFF WRITER

P

eople of all ages, races and genders gathered for a rally outside in the cold, drizzling rain Friday night at the University of Illinois’ Illini Union for a common cause: to take back the night.

Take Back the Night is an annual event organized to recognize women’s struggles against sexism and everyday violence in the community. It marks the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Organized by women and for women, the event had the support of many community organizations, including Men Against Sexual Violence and The 85% Coalition. It was sponsored by Women’s Direct Action Collective.

University senior Angelica Brozyna said she was anxious to support the event. “It’s great to see that there are so many people out here in this weather,” she said. “This is such a great cause. It makes people aware, and it’s a powerful thing to see that there are so many people out here against violence, and so many men fighting women’s abuse.”

Brozyna is a member of the Child Abuse Prevention Program.

Participants mourned victims of sexual

assault and demanded that assaulters be held accountable.

“This is an event to support survivors of sexual violence,” said Natalia Filipiak, the event’s spokeswoman. “It’s important for people to come together to support each other and to know that we are not alone.”

Amy Lin, a speaker at the rally and member of Asian Pacific American Coalition, referred to recent assaults against Asian women on the University campus.

“We need to stop accommodating the aggressors,” Lin said. “And we need to stop blaming the victims.”

A small group of women, joined under the title "Sluts Against Rape," supported Lin’s message. The group’s members, dressed mostly in short skirts and fishnet stockings, said women have the right to dress provocatively. Wearing a certain type of clothes and being sexually active, they said, does not justify race.

Immediately following the rally, men were welcome to stay on the patio for a discussion while women and transgendered persons marched in a symbolic reclaiming of the night. Men are not allowed to join the march.

PHOTO | Carol Jones

Take back the night

Activists participate in the Take Back the Night march held Friday night in Campustown. The women-only nature of the march is intended to show how women should be able to walk the streets at night without the protection of a male.

Q&A

GiraldoRosales where I met up with some colleagues who wanted to have a few beers and talk politics. I finally reunited with my family at about 11 p.m. Just in time to kiss them all goodnight.

What's your favorite place in ChampaignUrbana?

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

PHOTO | David Solana

What's in your CD player?

Juan Carlos Jobim

G

iraldo Rosales, a University graduate, has worked as director of the University's La Casa Cultural Latina for 13 years. He was recently elected to Champaign City Council.

What did you do last night?

I celebrated with some of my supporters.

Marsha and Professor Charles Terry gave me a little congratulatory party at their home. It was the first relaxation I'd had since the campaign. After that brief breath of air, I rushed to the diversity conference on campus

What are you reading right now?

I've been trying to catch up on the local papers. I decided to put together a scrapbook with all the articles pertaining to issues in the community and to the council. I also have been reading various items people have brought to my attention, information that has not been afforded air time. Cramming in as much as possible so that I can be on top of my game when they swear me in on May 6.

What's the best movie you've ever seen?

I think the original "Swept Away", not the Madonna version.

Who are your favorite historical figures?

Gandhi, Malcolm X, Joseph Campbell, Antonio Maceo

Who were your heroes growing up?

My father, I always wanted to attain his determination.

What's your favorite childhood memory?

Getting a red fire engine for Christmas. In Cuba, that was hard to come by.

What's your biggest regret?

You know it's funny, because I don't regret anything. Every mistake I make, every wrong turn I take, gives me insight and has made me a better person.

What are you most proud of?

My family, my children, and I think my longevity with my wife of 27 years that has grown past mere passion. We have become best friends.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever heard?

Before you hurl that stone remember, there before the grace of God go all of us.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would probably get rid of the mustache, beard and the goatee. (laughs)

What do you do to relax?

I listen to music and I play music.

When are you happiest?

On a sunny day, when I know that I have nothing on my calendar and can work in my garden.

What are you most passionate about?

I'm passionate about people.

Do you believe in God? I look at God as my mind which holds balance and love. I don't believe in the particular icon called "God" that religions have formed to worship. Unfortunately, I have seen too many people at war over the "icon", forgetting about the spiritual base it was sprung from.

What is the meaning of life?

To reproduce. If you don't reproduce, you rob us of spreading life. That said, I believe that respect of another's right to live is the key to life.

community

APRIL 10-16, 2003

Tornado weather

GoodWorks

Egg hunt for adults

BY HAKAN JONSSON | STAFF WRITER

C

O

PHOTO | Kelly Kiekow

BY LINDSEY REU | STAFF WRITER entral Illinois residents must walk the fine line between having reverence for tornadoes and fearing terror of their impact. Ed Kieser has addressed this balance between respect and fear for 13 years.

Every year, Kieser, WILL's chief meteorologist, presents Tornado Safety with Ed Kieser to the Champaign-Urbana community as a part of an ongoing effort to educate people about storms. This year, using illustrations and an edited compilation of tornado video footage, Kieser gave his presentation to nearly 300 people at the Beckman Institute.

Kieser's presentation drew an audience consisting primarily of families with young children, but also included University students and weather enthusiasts. Kieser said the large turnout reflected the community members’ strong interest in storms.

Some of the audience members had seen the presentation before, but most were attending for the first time.

"There were a lot of new people," Kieser said. "People move to central Illinois from areas without storms and don't know what to expect."

According to Kieser, 2002 was fairly quiet for tornado activity. "After a while, people become complacent," he said. "You have to remind people about severe weather and how to protect yourself, especially after quiet years."

Alison Solow, University of Illinois student, stayed for the question and answer session that followed the presentation, in which Kieser answered many questions, including those of the children. “It was really cute to see kids really interested in the topic and also using their imaginations to see ways it could affect their lives,” she said.

In central Illinois, tornado season lasts from March to June, although tornadoes can occur during all seasons of the year, Kieser said. Late afternoon and early evening are the most likely times for tornadoes to hit, he said.

Remaining safe during a tornado begins with understanding the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. A watch means weather conditions are prime for the development of tornadoes or severe thunderstorms. Residents of areas under a watch should monitor the weather closely, Kieser said.

A tornado warning means that a tornado has been sighted nearby or detected by radar.

Champaign-Urbana has outdoor warning sirens to alert residents that weather spotters have seen a tornado or funnel cloud. The sirens indicate that dangerous weather is in the immediate area, and people should take cover right away.

WILL AM-580 and FM-90.9 interrupt their broadcasts to provide severe storm warnings.

Kieser and fellow meteorologist Mike Sola provide weather reports WILL AM weekday

Now the Chief Meteorologist at WILL, Ed Kieser’s tornado expertise dates back to the 1970’s, when he lived in Ohio.

mornings every hour from 5:35 to 9:35, as well as weekday afternoons at 12:35, 4:34 and 5:34.

The two also host Your Weather weeknights at 9:58 p.m. on WILL-TV. "Storms are scary, but knowledge puts your mind at ease," Kieser said.

TORNADO TIPS When a tornado threatens: 1. Go to the lowest floor possible.

2. Put as many walls between you and the tornado as possible.

In a house or small building: 1. Go to the basement. When there is no basement, go to an interior room on the lowest floor.

2. Take cover under something sturdy such as a staircase or workbench.

3. Cover yourself with a blanket, pillows or cushions to soften the effects of flying glass and debris.

4. Stay away from windows and outside walls.

In a mobile home or automobile: 1. Get out. Neither is shelter against a tornado.

Seek shelter in a permanent, sturdy structure.

2. If none is available, lie in a ditch or low-lying area away from mobile homes and vehicles.

3. Lie flat and protect your head with your hands.

In a factory, school building or shopping center: 1. Go to a pre-designated shelter area, if available.

2. Avoid rooms with large span roofs.

3. Crouch down and cover your head with your hands.

4. Stay away from windows.

Information Courtesy of WILL AM-580

buzz

n the evening of April 19, hundreds of flashlights will light up Hessel Park as the Champaign Park District holds its annual adult egg hunt, Nite Lite Egg Pursuit X. Joe DeLuce, park district director of recreation and event planner, said he expected about 400 people to attend. They come in search of Easter eggs that contain prizes.

Previous years eggs have been stuffed with everything from candy and CDs to free dinners. But the most sought-after egg is the golden Easter egg. It contains the grand prize, which in past years included a vacation.

“This is usually a very well-liked event,” DeLuce said. “There are a lot of adults who want to go egg hunting too.”

The CPD advises all egg hunters to bring a basket and flashlight and arrive at Hessel Park at 7:30 p.m. to sign up. Participation costs $5, and anybody over 21 can enter. A disc jockey from Lite Rock 97.5 WHMS, an event co-sponsor, will entertain the crowd and “egg on” contestants as they scour the park.

For younger egg hunters, CPD will host the 14th Eggstravaganza Egg Hunt earlier in the day at West Side Park. More than 500 kids usually attend that event, according to Kristi Bolton, the special events manager at Champaign Park District.

The Easter bunny is expected to make an appearance, along with several well-known Disney cartoon characters, at the children’s

hunt. Sign-up starts at 9.30 a.m., and the hunt will begin at 10 a.m.

The Champaign Park District could use volunteers to stuff eggs today at 5:30 p.m. at the Bresnan Center and in spreading the eggs out on the day of the hunt.

For information on volunteering for the egg hunts, call Kristi Bolton at 398-2550.

Eggstravaganza Saturday, April 19, 10 a.m., West Side Park All registration will be taken on site and ends at 9:45 am.

Ages: 1-8 years (children are divided into age groups) Nite Lite Egg Pursuit X Saturday April 19, 8 p.m., Hessel Park Check-in 7.30-7.45 p.m.

Ages: 21 and older Bring a flashlight and basket, participation costs $5.

PHOTOILLUSTRATION | Christine Litas

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VOLUNTEER LISTINGS • Divorce Resource Seminar The Divorce Resource Center is hosting a seminar on Saturday, April 26 in the Parkland College Gymnasium for mental health professionals and the general public. Volunteers are needed to help with the registration and check-in process for this non-profit event from 7:45-9:30 a.m. Call Barbara Paynter at 369-5064.

• Playground Building Create independence for children with disabilities by assisting the Champaign County AMBUCS service organization when they build a handicap accessible play house the Urbana Early Childhood Program at Washington School. Technical and carpentry skills are not necessary. Call Ray Griest at 367-4091.

• Book Repair & Library Organization The Conservatory of Central Illinois, a non-profit community music school is looking for up to 4 volunteers to clean-up, repair and organize the books in the school’s waiting room. Call Jo Ellen DeVilbiss at 356-9812.

• Math Tutor Two volunteers are being sought to help tutor students of the Pavilion Foundation School with basic math and Algebra I skills.

Volunteers would choose either a 9:15-10:00 time

slot or 12 noon-12:45 p.m. Monday-Thursday or any combination of those days and times. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Call Sally Corby at 373-1772.

• Operation Helping Hand Make a difference right here in Champaign County by taking part in this community effort that let’s you choose from over 60 volunteer projects that will be completed anytime during our celebration of National Volunteer week (April 19-26). Service projects have been submitted by non-profit and charitable agencies all of which require you or your group’s volunteer power. Whether you want to prepare raised gardens for senior citizens, build a playground for kids with disabilities or help get the word out about how to prevent child abuse and everything in between, we have a job for you. To find out more how you can be a part of this exciting initiative contact Teri MCarthy at 352-5151.

For the most comprehensive list of volunteer opportunities in Champaign County check out www.cuvolunteer.org Did I C-U volunteer?

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | ART MAJOR: I DO NUDES

BY MEGAN BRODY | STAFF WRITER

T

he upbeat sound of bluegrass music accompanied by beautiful voices could be heard from the Urbana sidewalks last Thursday evening. Inside the red brick building, 54 men, women and children sang and danced around a wooden coffin. They were not practicing a bizarre funeral ritual, but rather rehearsing for the upcoming musical Big River, based on Mark Twain’s classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The story follows the misadventures of Huck Finn. After running away from his drunken father and foster family, Huck meets up with runaway slave and best friend Jim. Together, they raft down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to the free states. Along the way, they come across two con men, The King and The Duke who plan to rob the family of Miss Mary Jane Wilkes.

Written by Roger Miller and William Hauptman, Big River debuted on Broadway in 1985 and won seven Tony awards, including best musical. Champaign Urbana Theatre Company’s revival of the production, in accor-

dance with this season’s theme of children’s stories, aims to appeal to an audience of all ages.

“We wanted a musical that is known but different,” said Jeff Goldberge, co-producer and CUTC founder. “We’ve never done a bluegrass type of show. We have to do something that will sell tickets, but we wanted to do something a little different.”

“Big River was chosen because it has a large cast,” said stage manager Stacey Walker. “It’s a great show with lots of substance. It has a great mix between country, pop and gospel. It’s a great way to get community involvement.”

To add to the atmosphere, bluegrass band The Prairie Dogs will be performing with the cast. Johnson, who also serves as the show’s choreographer, said The Prairie Dogs previously did the show at The Station Theater.

“It’s such great music, they wanted to do it again,” Johnson said. “They even play the (Big River) music in bars.”

The show uses humor to encourage the audience to examine our nation’s troubled past and deal with serious issues. As in Twain’s novel, the “n-word” appears in the stage production.

“The show demonstrates how far race discrimination has come throughout the years,”

PHOTO | David Solana

‘Big River’ explores racism

The King, played by Mark Roberts, licks his fingers after biting into a chicken during rehearsal of Big River on Monday at the Virginia Theater.

Goldberge said. “Huck’s friendship with Jim is a great storyline. It’s hard to hear the word ‘nigger,’ but that’s the way it was in the 1840s.

Black people were property and that’s what they were called.”

“There is lots of content in the show that’s offensive,” Johnson said. “That was the politics of the time. It would go against the playwright’s concept if we altered it. We can’t ignore history or pretend like things didn’t happen.”

Walker thinks keeping the racial epithet in the dialogue is justified: “It is reflexive of time. The musical is trying to illustrate how much it’s overcome … Just like the book is controversial, so is the stage show. By the same token, it’s not as offensive as so many shows out there.” She added that removing the word would break the mood of the show.

Director David Barkley is the only paid member of the production; the cast includes community members and other actors.

Veteran actor Roberts has appeared on Seinfeld and Friends and in the film Bulletproof.

He is also a Hollywood screenwriter.

The show will feature some special effects and a few surprises. To create the illusion of water, a raft with an electric golf cart engine will move around the stage.

Big River April 10-12, 7:30 p.m.

April 13, 2:30 p.m.

Virginia Theatre 204 W. Park St., Champaign Tickets are $16 for the public and $7 for students.

★ BIG RIVER CAST LIST ★ Huck Finn: Jeff Grider Jim: Omar Ricks The King: Mark Roberts The Duke: Jason McCain

PHOTO | David Solana

Mary Jane Wilkes: Heather Johnson

Huck Finn, played by Jeff Grider, and Jim, played by Omar Ricks, celebrate their good fortune at having come out of a sticky situation with twenty extra dollars each during rehearsal Monday at the Virginia Theater.

Bluegrass band The Prairie Dogs will provide accompaniment for the cast.

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arts

THREE BLONDES WALK INTO A BAR, THE BRUNETTE DUCKS | APRIL 10-16, 2003

buzz

BookReview

Professor’s book a song of harmony

BY PAUL MALINA | STAFF WRITER

W

hat happens when you’re neither one nor the other but somehow both?” asks Richard Powers, a University of Illinois English professor, in his recent novel, The Time of Our Singing. The author of seven previous novels, including Plowing in the Dark, Gain, and Galatea 2.2, Powers has earned a reputation as an accomplished “novelist of ideas” in countless literary critiques.

The buzz on his latest novel is especially large, and some critics are pegging Powers as one of the greatest novelists in the country in their evaluations of the work. The book itself is weighty, and has been called his most ambitious novel. Although I will try to refrain from hyperbole, I believe Powers has written a book that is insistent, complex and important.

At the nucleus of the story are Delia and David Strom. Their children are Jonah, who grows to be a world-famous classical singer; Joseph, his accompanist and the narrator of the book; and Ruth, who takes a different path as a radical activist. Powers uses the history of racial conflict in the United States as a backdrop for the characters to act against.

The story finds its center in the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where the story takes us three times, starting when the Stroms meet at contralto Marion Anderson’s historic concert performance of 1939.

They wed against the reservations of her family and engage in the great experiment of trying to raise three children “beyond race.”

The experiment is thrown into jeopardy when Delia dies in a mysterious death. The way the

The Time of Our Singing | Author Richard Powers

children personally account for that event and of the novel when they are attempting to understand their world. grow to perceive the relationship between “The relationship between the three princitheir parents, and their parents and themple elements of the book is constantly fluctuselves, acts as a driving force throughout the ating,” Powers explains. “The third leg of this remainder of the novel. triangle is the one I think the book opens up The characters take part in and react to significant events in the history of American race onto in a distinctive way. That is time and race, race being a phenomenon or function of relations. They are at Martin Luther King’s “I time, and identity and belonging also being Have A Dream” speech and at the Million temporal phenomena.”

Man March in the ‘90s, at the 1965 Watts riot For Powers, race is something that is and Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. A coualways in flux, and racial unity, as it is for ple of times news events don’t resonate fully, Delia and David, is possible. Nevertheless, he but when the characters actually participate is pragmatic about these theories, and the in the making of history, the writing is conStrom family is challenged, torn and battered vincing and helps put a personal perspective because of their race. on sometimes inaccessible history. I found the What makes or breaks any novel is the suctransition of the novel into the ‘90s to be cess of the storytelling. The book has been smooth and the ending of the novel to be satcriticized for being too long. I must admit that isfying.

I felt the book drags in its middle sections.

Music plays an important role in each part There is very effective of the story. Powers uses writing to be found musical forms to inform the throughout the novel, structure of his novel. The though, and I liken children grow up in a reading the book to lishouse that is filled with tening to a symphony. music, the bond that drew The same techniques their parents together. They that cause this novel to are all precocious talents, drag at points—the conand music remains with stant revisiting and them as driving forces in reevaluation of images, their lives. Powers says – Richard Powers, University of Illinois stories, concepts and “the use of music as the English professor songs—are the same prevailing metaphor for the ones that make the book means that the boys story deeply moving in can explore the non-sepaits best moments. The narratives about the rateness of groups,” referring both to racial Strom children and the story of the courtship categorizations and conceptual ones. and marriage of Delia and David Strom are As a musician, I find the book eminently told concurrently and are deeply intertwined. enjoyable to read. The two brothers’ continuThe book is truly heartbreaking at points, and ing efforts to find a way to express their feelthe structure of the novel helps to deepen that ings as performers will be familiar to any one who has gone beyond dabbling in the musical feeling.

Powers describes his intention better than I world. I would caution that the musical am able to: “If you think about race as changvocabulary of the novel is quite large, and ing categories, which I think is one of the cenunless you are already fluent in everything tral themes of the book … not fixed entities from pre-17th century classical music to but cultural definitions that are constantly German concert lieders to Motown, you being revised in the passage of time and resmight feel a bit left out at points. urrected, appropriately or not … you see the The last theme that recurs in the novel is passage of these children through these recurthat of time. David Strom is a gifted physicist ring landmarks as a kind of unfinished who becomes the youngest professor at melody or as a kind of recurring chorus that Columbia University to make tenure, not for changes, even in staying the same, by virtue his own research so much as his uncanny of the fact that the verses in between the choability to solve the most difficult of his colruses have gone so far.” league’s problems. His own grappling with Powers has been criticized in the past for the implications of relativistic physics obsesswriting characters that are unbelievable, es him until his death. merely acting as mouthpieces for his ideas. I One of the most poignant scenes occurs can’t speak to the past novels, but this book when he takes his boys to share his native rises above that judgment. You might find the Jewish Mandelbot in a shop in New York focus of the book stifling at times, or you City, sharing his past while giving the chilmight not relate to the concerns of the characdren theoretical frameworks to understand ters. Classical musicians and physicists might time, which they will use throughout the rest

[ [ The use of music as the prevailing metaphor for the book means that the boys can explore the nonseparateness of groups

be hard for some to stomach as characters, but taken for who they are, their psychologies feel well developed and their actions are usually convincing. I would argue that difficult questions can’t be answered simply and easily, and that the characters of the novel are effective in conveying a message that is both real and complicated.

In his past novels, Powers has gained a reputation in part due to his treatment of scientific themes. He explains why the theme is important to him a writer, and how it informs this particular novel: “I believe that all of these aesthetic questions that are typically considered the realm of fiction… cannot be understood except in the context of the aggregate society we’re building.”

Science then acts as another one of the influences upon his temporal conception of race. He argues that “race has continued to change as a result of a modernizing, industrializing and technologizing America.”

Referring to the plot of this novel, he explains that “there is a suggestion that throughout the lives of the children in this family, the boys who have committed themselves to classical music are watching that music die, in part due to (changing) technology.”

In general, Powers sees his work as occurring in “an amazing time for letters.”

“I think the commonality that the best books have is their desire to help us recover our memory and to know a little more lucidly and more expansively about who we are,” Powers adds.

The New York Times made an interesting judgment in saying this book really resembles 19th century writers such as Balzac, Zola and Tolstoy more than it does many of the leading novelists of today. I’m not qualified to make such a broad generalization, but it does seem that he in some ways unique among his generation. His novels are uncommonly ambitious and recall a time in which novels were tomes that revealed the vast network of interconnections in our world.

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | DON’T MAKE FUN OF ART MAJORS

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Mousetrap offers modern take on Hamlet

BY LINDSEY DONNELL | STAFF WRITER

The play introduces issues of self-hate, selfinflicted violence and sexuality and gives Ophelia and her mother a voice they never he New Revels Players’ production of had.

Mousetrap: A Loose Adaptation of Hamlet, “It’s a chance to see into the bedroom of forces Shakespeare’s classic play into new every teenage girl and to see the things that territory.

Hamlet is away at college and exploring his fathers and brothers ignore,” said co-director and University of Illinois graduate student sexuality, Ophelia hopes to get into Harvard, Amity Reading.

Gertrude is a corporate power player and University of Illinois student and creative Horatio is a gay gallery owner. director Annamarie Macleod plays Ophelia.

Amy Clay, Mousetrap playwright and a forShe believes that theater as entertainment has mer University of Illinois student, drew on its place, but it is also her experiences to write important that it makes you her first full-length play. think. Clay agreed.

Clay also wanted to “Art is a political thing,” explore the psyche of the Clay said. adolescent female in the In Shakespeare’s play, context of modern presHamlet strikes out in sures after reading the revenge against his uncle book Reviving Ophelia: for marrying his mother. In Saving the Selves of Clay’s version, Hamlet’s Adolescent Girls.

– Amity Reading, co-director and torment turns inward as he As part of her research, University of Illinois graduate student struggles to deal with his Clay reread Shakespeare’s feelings for Horatio.

Hamlet and found little Ophelia deals with pressures from her father, insight into Ophelia and the other female along with recognizing the reality of her relacharacters. Clay’s version takes time to tionship with Hamlet. explore Ophelia’s character and the pressures “Playing Ophelia has been interesting in that cause her to become suicidal. Clay wantgetting me in touch with a part of me I’m not ed to show how women could be both femiused to,” Macleod said. nine and in power.

Co-director Tara Lyons believes audience members will identify with Ophelia because the play touches on the self-doubt everyone experiences.

Mousetrap: A Loose Adaptation of Hamlet is a project of the New Revels Players, a registered student organization loosely affiliated with the University of Illinois’ English department. The group performs adaptations of Renaissance plays and “highly ignored versions of Shakespeare,” according to Reading.

Their past productions include Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), and Shakespeare’s R&J.

T

[ [

PHOTO | David Solana

Mousetrap: A Loose Interpretation of Hamlet Channing-Murray Foundation April 11 & 12, 8 p.m.

Tickets are $5 at the door

Annamarie MacLeod, playing Ophelia, and Eric Jensen, playing Hamlet, hug at the end of a rehearsal scene Monday in the English Building.

E-mail reading@uiuc.edu to be put on a reservation list.

PHOTO | David Solana

It’s a chance to see into the bedroom of every teenage girl and to see the things that fathers and brothers ignore.

Annamarie MacLeod, who plays Ophelia in Mousetrap: A Loose Adaptation of Hamlet, places props on the set for a rehearsal Monday night in the English Building.

C–U Theatre Co. presents The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn • April 10, 11, 12 at 7:30 pm • April 13 at 2:30pm

• Virginia Theatre • Reserved seats $16 355–3636

• Discounts for seniors, students, and children.

Sponcored in part by WICD News Channel 15 and the Illinois Arts Council.

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arts

ART DOES THE BODY GOOD | APRIL 10-16, 2003

Artist activists address issues

Spring Fever Sale Friday Saturday and Sunday

PAUL MALINA | STAFF WRITER

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3

Days Only

EVERYTHING 50% off Mid-Century Furniture and Artifacts

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9 East University Downtown Champaign

Hours: Wed–Sat 11-5:30 Sunday 12-4:30

here are several names for the kind of performance art that will appear tonight through Sunday in the series entitled, “What’s the Word?” at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, including “slam poetry,” “performance poetry,” and “spoken word.”

Each night, the University of Illinois’ theater department will present a different group of performing “artist activists” who will talk about “politics, race, war, love, identity and drug abuse,” said project coordinator Kathy Perkins. “They’re pretty in-your-face… they don’t hold anything back.”

Perkins became interested in this art after she attended a national conference on spoken word last year. She recalls seeing big, enthusiastic crowds at the performances .

The roots of spoken word are hard to pin down. For some, they go back to underground readings of Beat Generation poets like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac in the ‘50s and ‘60s, while others associate it primarily with the emerging hip-hop movement of the ‘70s. Still others place the roots with the work of prominent African-American poets in the same period, like Gil Scott-Heron and Maya Angelou. Some of these influences overlap and inform each other. “What’s the Word?” falls under a new genre, highlighting the current generation of artists.

This art’s influence on popular culture is evident. Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam series airing on HBO provides major exposure for the art, as do performers like Staceyann Chinn (performing Saturday), who played on Broadway using the “What’s The Word?” name. The performers (with the exception of the local talent performing on the last day) are nationally recognized performance artists, and represent a culturally diverse group.

It is hard to describe what to expect from each performance—in this genre, the prepared pieces often change with the news.

The audience can expect the war in Iraq to be discussed, Perkins said. She described the artists as being “very outspoken… they’re about telling the truth and educating audiences.”

This is the department’s first spoken word production. This form presents a challenge to the established way of producing traditional theater, including scheduling performances a year in advance. It was difficult for the producers of the show to pin down the high-profile talent because the performers don’t have a set schedule for more than six months in some cases. The technical aspects of these productions are also worked out in a compressed time frame much closer to the performance than usual.

“We are doing this with the intent of bringing in a diverse audience … (including) maybe people who wouldn’t normally come to Krannert,” Perkins said.

WHAT’S THE WORD? THURSDAY AND FRIDAY Marc Bamuthi Joseph Joseph lives in New York and comes from Haitian roots. His work, entitled “Word Becomes Flesh,” will utilize dance and spoken word to dramatize the story of the migration of Africans to the New World.

I Was Born With Two Tongues I Was Born With Two Tongues is a group of four young Asian-American men and women based in Chicago whose work relates to their cultural experiences.

SATURDAY Staceyann Chinn Born in Jamaica to a poor Jamaican woman and a wealthy Chinese businessman, and later disowned, Chinn is now one of the best-known spoken word artists. Her latest work, including the piece she will present entitled “Hands Affire,” focuses on those unique familial relations as well as racial and socialpolitics.

Aya de Leon De Leon is a woman of Puerto Rican and AfricanAmerican descent who writes, performs and teaches in the San Francisco Bay area. Her work ranges from ironic political poems to prayer poetry. The work she will present is entitled “Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip Hop.”

SUNDAY Mariposa New York-based Mariposa, also known as Maria Teresa Fernandez, is a poet, actor, educator and activist. She will present DiaspoRican Dementia, a one-woman play about the poetic healing of inner demons.

Inner Voices Social Issues Theatre Inner Voices focuses on producing theatre that gives attention to social and health issues that relate to students on the University of Illinois campus.

11 local artists performing short pieces The 11 local performers will present short monologues that represent the brand of performance art that might be seen in local Champaign-Urbana venues.

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | WHY ISN’T THE EARTH DE-TERRA-FORMING YET?

No more pig, only monkey Champaign venue Cowboy Monkey a pleaser in debut

BY ALEJANDRO L. RODRIGUEZ | STAFF WRITER

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PHOTO | Alejandro L. Rodriguez

t was a mad scramble for Marco and Carlos Nieto as April 4th rapidly approached.

Every detail had to be accounted for, from health inspections to staff hiring and training to simple things such as buying kitchen knives. Friday finally arrived, and at five p.m. the doors were opened and Cowboy Monkey officially became the newest rock club in Champaign.

A crowd gathered for happy hour, so that people could get their first glimpse at the newly restored CU landmark. Cocktails flowed freely, and as people grew accustomed to the space, they prepared for the rock show that would christen the Cowboy Monkey.

“When I walked in, I of course saw the bigscreen television and the cooks, and hoped that the Nieto brothers hadn't decided to turn our beloved former Blind Pig into a playland like a lot of the other recently-opened bars in town. (Read: lots of extraneous stimulation = lots of distraction.),” said Jason Pankoke, editor/publisher of Microfilm Magazine. “But I paid my cover and went in, and indeed it felt like a time warp to a few years ago.

The new bar is what you would expect from the owners of the Highdive. Red velvet curtains adorn the stage (an homage to the Blind Pig’s curtains) and the wooden floor is light and still clean.

“It was a finely decorated, scrupulously clean place, which seems a little odd for a rock venue, but was a nice contrast to the dingier places that I have been accustomed to,” said Julia Groves, photography student at

PHOTO | Alejandro L. Rodriguez

mean to a lot of people. So I wasn't surprised to see the place packed on opening night. The vibe was great, and the sound was incredible for such an intimate venue. I've been to a lot of venues of comparable size where very reputable acts play, like the Slowbar in Nashville, or the Southpaw in Brooklyn, and the sound here at the Cowboy Monkey is up to par, if not exceedingly better then those venues.

And that was just the first night.”

The second night was one for the Champaign-Urbana rock historical archives.

In an unannounced, quietly publicized triumph, local luminaries Centaur and the Temple of Low Men’s Brandon Washington tests the new Cowboy Monkey’s potential.

Mezzanines played to a half filled house.

Those in the know were treated to a set by two of Champaign’s most popular bands, in a ers did a great job of upgrading the place the U of I. room that wasn’t crowded, on a stage that fit while creating a laid-back atmosphere that is “I really like how they mixed brand new them perfectly. consistent with the old venue.” woodwork along with breaking through the Sunday night’s show was a benefit for Men The atmosphere was filled with excitement walls to reveal the old brick work.” Pankoke Against Sexual Violence. Featuring The Gash, and energy, as though those inside knew that added.

Solo Mono, Soulstice, Equinox and the Pitch, they were a part of something special; a Comparisons to the Blind Pig were it brought a good crowd out in support of a rebirth of the musical spirit that was lost inevitable. very worthy cause. when the Blind Pig closed.

“The interior design of Cowboy Monkey is The kitchen was “The Blind Pig was a more sophisticated than the Pig, yet it still has open along with the favorite nightspot in a casual feel, and the new sound system bar on Friday. The town and when it rocks,” Nan Holda, freelance journalist and menu consisted of closed we really experifounder of the Champaign Area Roots Music appetizers but will Association (CARMA) said. “ I think the own- enced the loss,” said soon be expanded.

Jenny Southlynn, Arts The blackened chicken and Entertainment ediquesadilla, the artitor of the now defunct choke-crab dip, and CU Cityview and the -Jenny Southlynn the fried cheese have soon to be published, already become The Paper. “The instant favorites with concertgoers.

Cowboy Monkey was definitely happening. It Champaign-Urbana residents are starting to was The Pig only cleaner and better. The feel the void that was left when the Blind Pig place was crowed with a whole range of peoclose fill, as Cowboy Monkey is already pickple from old timers like myself to the young ing up the slack. and the beautiful.”

While not everyone agrees about the decoChicago band Milkplow was the first to ration or the ambience or most pointedly the play from the Cowboy Monkey stage, but name, it is widely accepted that the opening soon after, one of Champaign’s most beloved of this club will be a great addition to the bands, Temple of Low Men, made the crowd Champaign-Urbana music scene. know that they were truly back home.

“On Friday, a friend of mine quipped that Even the staff was impressed. Zac Ray, Cowboy Monkey felt like, ‘the bastard child doorman at the newly opened bar and lead of the Blind Pig and the Highdive,’” said guitarist of American Minor, said "As a newPankoke. “And he's right, but you know comer to this town, I have heard a lot about what this place used to be and what it used to what? We should all be happy for it.”

Milkplow perform. Milkplow and Temple of Low Men were the first acts to appear at Cowboy Monkey.

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The place was crowed with a whole range of people from old timers like myself to the young and the beautiful

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LOVERBOY HAS ALWAYS SUCKED | APRIL 10-16, 2003

CDReviews

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Canopy Club - Monday, April 7th @ 10PM Look for the winner in next weeks issue!

Canopy Club - Monday April 14th @ 10PM Drawing a Blank, Nadafinga, ODM

Mike n’ Molly’s - Friday, April 18th @ 10PM xxx smut, Phistine Verona, The Idle Hours

Canopy Club - Monday April 21st @ 10PM G. Lee and Jet Blonde, Green Jenkins, Analog Saves the Planet

Mike n’ Molly’s - Saturday, April 26th @ 10PM SeeD, vonFrickle, Legs For Days

Canopy Club - Monday, April 28th @ 10PM Terminus Victor, Equinox, Humpty Dumpster The winners from each week will be placed in the Bud True Music Live Finals at The Canopy Club and compete for a paid regional tour and a chance for a major-label contract from EMI! For more information, check out www.openingbands.com and listen to 107.1 “The Planet!”

VIC CHESNUTT Silver Lake ★★★

BY RACHEL TOLER Silver Lake, Vic Chesnutt’s latest album, is a blast from America’s folk-rock past.

Chesnutt’s vocal stylings — reminiscent of Bob Dylan and Neil Young — contribute to the starkly orchestrated songs that make up his 11th album.

But while he might sound like Dylan and Young, on Silver Lake Chesnutt presents an unconventional collection of songs that demonstrates his own peculiar style.

“I’m Through,” the first song, opens very intimately with soft guitar strumming and the vulnerable warbling of Chesnutt’s vocals. Despite the prettiness of the song, the lyrics demonstrate the song’s strength.“And I’m through, through, through/living my life for you,” Chesnutt croons.

As promised in these lyrics, the rest of Silver Lake displays Chesnutt’s unconcerned attitude towards conventionality.

Chesnutt’s songwriting explores a wide range of emotions through obviously autobiographical lyrics. A tragic car accident in 1983 left Chesnutt paralyzed and restricted to a wheelchair. In a roundabout way, Chesnutt’s lyrics expose his feelings about the accident and how his life has changed because of it.

The lyrics to the song “Styrofoam” are Chesnutt’s most obvious acknowledgements of his condition. In his shaky voice, Chesnutt sings,“My thorax is styrofoam/I’m a cheap, spent shell/ ... and the warrior in me/has gone and died before/and that hard, handsome Olympian/was forced to retire.” Heartfelt lyrics such as these lend a welcome sweetness to Chesnutt’s often quirky music styles.

The musical beauty of his songs, though, comes through on tracks like “Stay Inside.” Chesnutt uses a choir to enhance the perfectly paced guitar and Wurlitzer piano progression. The choir’s beautiful harmonies (produced by Chesnutt’s talented band) also offer a delightfully timeless element to the track.

Although Chesnutt presents himself as a solo artist,many of the album’s most notable moments come from the band’s collaborative efforts.Chesnutt gives credit where it is due,citing each musician’s contribution to the album in the CD booklet.

The song “Zippy Morocco” showcases the band’s tight orchestration. The musicians mix together an odd combination of instruments – castanets, mandolins and a violin – to produce an exotic sound that weaves in and out of Chesnutt’s unpredictable vocal melodies.

Of course, Chesnutt’s sometimes wacky song ideas do not turn out as well as “Zippy Morocco.”The song “Sultan, So Mighty,” for example, introduces a euphoric, almost spooky sound that does not seem to fit in with the rest of the album. Chesnutt dons a falsetto voice and sings,“I’m here because I’m a eunuch/I am no threat.”

These creepy vocals recall the vocal stylings of Roger Waters and David Gilmour at the end of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, but without the energy. With a sweeping, lethargic speed,“Sultan, So Mighty” becomes a repetitive misstep that interrupts the quiet dignity of the album.

Thankfully, Chesnutt hits more than he misses.“Wren’s Nest,” one of the highlights of the album, combines crashing cymbals and tough guitar chords to create a somewhat chaotic noise that differs greatly from the rest of the album.

The track’s transcendental lyrics – “Like on the flint river / Like at the mica mines/…let me evaporate” — contrast sharply with the guitar-driven song, but somehow Chesnutt makes the combination succeed.

Silver Lake offers a fresh, unconventional twist on the classic folk and rock music that Dylan and Young made popular. Although his music may not resonate with everyone, Chesnutt should be comfortable with his efforts. As he sings on Silver Lake,“I just wanted to bring folks together.”

Can’t blame a musician for trying.

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IDLEWILD The Remote Part ★★★

BY BRIAN TRACY On The Remote Part, Idlewild's third album, they display a comprehension of what it takes to make a distinctive, heartfelt album.

What sets them apart is not this comprehension of what it takes, but their obvious capability for the task. Idlewild has seemingly natural talent for really lush, energetic rock songs that can't help themselves but to be catchy.

The album starts out with the strong, melody-heavy "You Held the World in Your Arms." The orchestral-sounding backdrop of the chorus on this track give a feeling of depth, a full richness not found often in a time where most popular rock is more concerned with minimalism and an underproduced sound.

"Modern Way of Letting Go" picks the pace up a bit as a more hard-rocking, powerful track that is timed just right.

Clocking in at just over 2:20, the track doesn't even give you enough time to get tired of it before it even has a chance to get drawn out the track winds down. Short songs are often a bane, as they seem to just get going before they get cut off, but "Modern Way..." is timed perfectly. Its shortness is only a footnote, as the song fills every second with energy and development.

The Remote Part is a consistent album, having been a major success Europe, spawning four singles: "You Held the World in Your Arms," "Modern Way of Letting Go," "American English," and "Live in a Hiding Place," with few weak points. As the third major offering from this young band, The Remote Part bodes well for the future of these Scotland natives, there's nothing left to do but hope that the U.S. can catch up with the U.K. in welcoming this great band to our airwaves.

LIVING THINGS Turn in your Friends and Neighbors ★★1/2

BY LIZ MOZZOCCO With news of the war in Iraq on the cover of every paper and snippets of political commentary lurking in the background of conversations overheard on the street, Living Things is making a timely entrance into the music scene. Brothers Lillian, Eve and Bosh Berlin mix anti-war sentiments with hard rock guitar riffs on their first EP, Turn in your Friends and Neighbors. The group recently made the trek from their hometown of St. Louis to Austin, Texas, where they performed at the South by Southwest conference with other up-and-coming independent musicians.

Their sound is not altogether different from that which you might hear emanating from the broadcasting towers of 107.1 The Planet. This first sample from Living Things would be right at home on an “alternative rock” play list, with driving guitars and drums and easily-remembered choruses.

One hates to say that there is no better way to describe them than “rock music,” (especially in an era when everyone from U2 to Britney Spears seems to want to proclaim allegiance to rock) but in the case of the Berlin brothers, it fits rather well.

Although their sound could easily slide unnoticed into the mainstream rock genre, their politics might not. The first track on the EP,“Bombs Below,” is a clear protest to sending America’s youth off to fight. Maybe it’s not the most articulate anti-war anthem of the 21st century — the chorus includes the line “where do all the dead boys go go go go go” — but the Berlin brothers do get their point across, and they do it loudly.

“Pick Out the Meat,” the next track on Turn in Your Friends and Neighbors, is slightly more vague but continues the anti-government theme, along with another kick-ass guitar riff. This second song, like the first, is high energy, but also a little repetitive. Lillian’s singing is throaty and gruff; it is hard to believe his is the voice of a 22-year-old as he growls the names of former U.S. presidents.

Lillian continues to prove his punk sensibilities on “Standard Oil Trust,” where he lashes out about conformity with lyrics like “all in rows we sit so still/like Washington on a dollar bill.”The art inside of the EP matches the theme, with messy, scribbled lyrics (“watch” is misspelled as “whatch” -- how punk is that?) set on a background of war propaganda and a Julius Caesar quote.

The last song on Turn in Your Friends and Neighbors is the only one that veers away from making a political statement.

It is here that some of Berlin’s songwriting weaknesses become apparent. The melodies are catchy and driving, but they are also repetitive and nothing particularly out of the

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | DA MOON RULES #1

ordinary.“Bloody Nose” is the tale of love gone wrong, but doesn’t really take the listener in the direction of anything new or innovative. In fact, it sounds much like the rest of the EP, the only difference being the subject matter. There is something slightly entertaining about Lillian singing “I didn’t mean to wet your bed,” but it also makes one wonder where the substance is.

Listeners whose politics align with those of the band will probably find some merit in this EP, even if they don’t care for the tunes all that much. Those who are on the opposite side of the fence might be a little more bored or annoyed by Living Things. However, if you’re looking for a few simple, 2-minute anti-war rock anthems, Turn in your Friends and Neighbors might be worth checking out.

HELLO DEFECTIVE Kill Us Now ★★

BY RYAN BICKING Hello Defective followed up their four-song EP Plastic Hearts with their recently-released, fulllength album Kill Us Now. From the introduction in the very first song, it’s apparent that this CD will be something different. The band mixes the traditional with the bizarre, as the sound of several different organs compliment the guitar, bass and drums. These instruments give the entire album a calming and relaxing sound.

The organ sound present throughout the CD gives the songs a quirky, uplifting sound. There’s something about the sound of the organ that is amusing. The music on the whole never gets really fast or intricate, mostly to keep at the same pace as Kirby, the lead singer. Kirby’s voice is tough to describe. He brings a whiny but mellow sound to every song. It sounds as if he isn’t truly singing, but merely talking in a different voice, which remains the same in every song. In a few parts he does actually sing, and this is when the songs reach a higher level. Overall though, his voice prevents the CD from truly sounding great.

Kill Us Now has been getting radio play in some areas,but it’s not clear which song that would be.No song really stands out on the CD as a big hit,because they all sound the same.Some songs are slightly more complicated than others but they all follow the same format.

The songs seem to want to build up to something more, but never do. None of them hit a climax, but instead stay at the same level the whole time. All the instruments go at a very slow pace, as if they didn’t want to lose Kirby’s vocals while playing. In the end, this causes the songs to seem dragged out and longer than they already are.

THE LIKE YOUNG Art Contest ★★1/2

BY PATRICK SOUTH The Like Young consist of ex-Wolfie members and married couple Joe and Amanda Ziemba. Wolfie were Champaign’s favorite bubblegum indie-pop band. They combined fuzzy guitars with messy organ playing and nasally vocals for an adorable lo-fi sound. Wolfie disbanded shortly after the release of their third album.

I will not lie to myself and say that nothing was lost since Wolfie’s demise. Wolfie had a certain sloppy and childish component that made for perfect summer driving music. The Like Young is more standard pop-rock with vocal harmonies and the occasional synth. It is usually frustrating when bands “grow up,” which is the case here. That said, Are Contest and “Looked Up” Plus Four are still fun and certainly worthy of repeated listens.

The eleven songs on Art Contest and five songs on the EP (“Looked Up” appears on both) are most similar to Wolfie’s final album Tall Dark Hill, where guitars made their way to the forefront. But organs take even more of a backseat on these tracks, only rarely appearing for a short solo instead of driving the melody as they did on Awful Mess Mystery.

The full album clocks in at only 25 minutes, which could be considered an EP in itself by some bands’ standards. The tracks are short, fun and catchy, but sometimes unmemorable. With The Like Young, the Ziembas aim to strip down their sound and take a more straightforward approach. The heavy usage of cutesy organs is sorely missed, however. I will not be able to play The Like Young for my three- and four-year old kids like I could Wolfie. And, frankly, this isn’t the type of material that warrants a Japanese import version of the album.

The most effective songs are those that reach past the two-minute mark, which is a sign that at some point there is a change in song structure.“Leather Jackets” stands out from the rest because it doesn’t whiz by the listener in a guitar-riff frenzy. The track is more fleshed out: the guitar is both fuzzy and slippery, and the bass isn’t lost in all the distortion.“The Babes” is likewise effective, which slows down for a keyboard solo. It is the only track that reaches three minutes.

The lyrics and music are more aggressive this time around. One of the EP’s strongest tracks,“You Can’t Get it Back,” is about how Joe lost his friends to drugs. Joe’s vocals even seem to be losing the nasal sound with age, a component of Wolfie that turned off many listeners. Of course, Amanda’s harmonies are still there to remind the listener of the band’s care-free nature.

The Like Young are making rock music to sing along to.

They are doing what The Rentals and Weezer have done in the past. However, Weezer’s last two albums were bland, emotionless, and downright abysmal. I don’t ever want to have to listen to them again. While Weezer have jumped on the nü-metal bandwagon, The Like Young are still exciting and relevant. And they seem to take every opportunity to play small shows for fans. You might as well drop a twenty for this album and EP the next time they come to Champaign.

SoundBlotter

JAZZ Joshua Redman Elastic Band Friday April 11, Canopy Club - $20 in advance Saxophonist Joshua Redman always had a flair for experimentation that he's demonstrated alongside his well-recognized abilities as a top-drawer postbop jazz artist. The band heard on his recording from last fall, Elastic, with Sam Yahel on electric organ and keys and Brian Blade on drums was a hit and a departure for Redman. While his last two recordings, Beyond and Passage of Time brought Redman back to mainstream contemporary jazz and honing his writing, his new band is as much about soul and funk music as it is about jazz. This music does take its improvisational spirit and organic feel from jazz, and fans of Redman will find plenty they remember in the new sound. Joshua Redman has always been one of the best improvisers of his generation, and he's obviously reaching out to a younger audience with his new music and touring style. If you aren't a big jazz fan but dig the other genres, this band might be a pleasant surprise. Also playing the same stage will be the Derek Trucks Band. Trucks is the current lead guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band, so you can expect the rest of the evening to be jam-filled, as well. (Paul Malina)

All the best that music has to offer this week

HOUSE / TECHNO / ELECTRONIC

ROCK

DJ Snuggles & DJ Slak / DJ L-Tek Thursday, April 10, The Highdive, 9 p.m. ($5)

Third Eye Blind Saturday, April 12, 7 p.m., Canopy Club ($26 or highest bid- only available on e-bay) 3EB is playing the Canopy Club! Call your moms and tell them to cancel their hotel rooms for Saturday night … you’re going to see an awesome rock n’ roll show!

For the first time since the MTV Campus Invasion Tour in 1999, 3EB is returning to Champaign-Urbana in support of their much-anticipated third album, Out of the Vein — due out in record stores May 13.

Stephan Jenkins and the boys are currently at the halfway point of their “Within Arm’s Reach” tour, a short stint of shows at small bars and clubs designed to bring the band closer to their fans.

Backstage passes are for sale with the tickets and are available only on e-bay, so make sure to get your bids in ASAP. Don’t miss your opportunity to see one of the best live acts of the last 10 years perform their hits and preview their new stuff in an intimate setting.

(Corey Wilson)

HIP HOP / R&B / SOUL Mr. Lif / Akrobatik / DJ Fakts One / UC Hip Hop Allstars Monday April 14, 9:30 p.m. The Highdive Mr. Lif is an artist with a tremendous amount of buzz circling him after his critically acclaimed release I Phantom of last year. Hailing from Boston, Mr. Lif is far removed from the mold of current rap artists that dominate pop culture. Lif is reminiscent of artists such as Public Enemy, KRS-One, and the Native Tongues in his ability to find creative ways to use hip hop to voice opinions on the problems and injustices facing the world. A member of El-P's Definitive(Def ) Jux label, Lif has shared the stage with the likes of Aesop Rock, Cannibal Ox, Eyedea and El-P himself. Lif brings massive amounts of energy and is known for his fierce nasal delivery and political lyrics. Lif will be coming to campus on the “I Phantom” tour along with fellow Boston native Akrobatik and local talent UC Hip Hop. Any hip hop purists cannot afford to miss this show. (Jason Rogers)

Drum n’ bass fans take note. Two of the biggest DJs in the genre are coming to Champaign as part of the dubFrequency evenings. After learning to hone his skills in Toronto, DJ Slak moved to Philadelphia to become a resident at their Konkrete Jungle evenings. His collaborator, DJ Snuggles, hosts the number one drum n’ bass radio show in the country on Chicago’s Strictly Jungle. Both Snuggles & Slak have produced tracks for major labels, and their collaborations together have churned out some of the best drum n’ bass tracks in recent memory. Local drum n’ bass god, and dubFrequency resident, L-Tek will be getting the evening started. (Brian Mertz)

COUNTRY / BLUEGRASS / AMERICANA Kate Campbell Thur. April 10, 8pm ($3) The Iron Post 18+ With perennial comparisons to main-stays Lucinda Williams and Nanci Griffith you’re sure not to be disappointed by folk-country singer-songwriter Kate Campbell. This six-album veteran continues the Southern storytelling tradition with songs about her native Mississippi. Whether it’s the idiosyncrasies of everyday life in the small-town South or the struggle for racial equality Campbell’s elegantly woven tales will capture your interest. Don’t miss a great show at a great venue, come see Kate Campbell tonight at the Iron Post. (Adam Cook)

INDEPENDENT ROCK / PUNK / EMO Brandtson, Red Animal War, Desert City Soundtrack, Settlefish, David Singer, Solo Mono Friday, April 11, Independent Media Center, 8:00 p.m($10) On Friday there is a big show at the IMC, located in downtown Urbana. Six bands will be playing for $10. The tour is a benefit for The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Big names playing include Brandtson, Red Animal War, and Desert City Sountrack. Local hardcore band Solo Mono is opening the show. So if you don’t have plans for Friday night consider coming out to the IMC to see some good music and to support a great cause. The first band goes on at 8:00. . (Adam Henrichs)

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CHARTS PARASOL RECORDS TOP 10 SELLERS 1. Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun (Matador Records) 2. The Like Young - Art Contest (Parasol Records) 3. Ova Looven - 58:34 (Artikal Records) 4. White Stripes - Elephant (V2 Records) 5. Club 8 - Saturday Night Engine (A Hidden Agenda Records) 6. Wayne Everett - Kingsqueens (Northern Records) 7. Bettie Serveert - Log 22 (A Hidden Agenda Record) 8. Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (Plexifilm) 9. Portastatic - The Summer Of The Shark (Merge Records) 10. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Pig Lib (Matador Records)

RECORD SERVICE TOP 10 SELLERS 1. White Stripes - Elephant (V2 Records) 2. ...Trail of Dead - Secret of Elena’s Tomb (Interscope) 3. Placebo - Sleeping With Ghosts (Astralwerks) 4. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Pig Lib (Matador Records) 5. Ben Harper - Diamonds on the Inside (Virgin) 6. The Raveonettes - Whip It On (Red Ink) 7. Linkin Park - Meteora (Warner Brothers) 8. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak (Lookout Records) 9. Pearl Jam - Riot Act (Sony) 10. Ani Difranco - Evolve (Righteous Babe)

CLASSICAL UI New Music Ensemble: 50 Years On! Tuesday, April 15 at 8pm, Krannert Center $5 / Senior Citizens 4 / Students 2 I have to be honest — I've never been particularly attracted to so-called "new music." So why would I recommend this concert? Well, like any week, there are a probably a number of symphonies and choirs and concertos for you to hear in the area, but most of them revolve around historical music that you're either familiar with or indifferent to.

The jarring dissonances, electronic experimentation and unconventional melodies that can characterize New Music can turn off some ears immediately. But I think there can definitely be some value, even for amateur musicians or historians, in gaining exposure to this music, and a program like this helps people gain a framework for understanding it. The ensemble will perform John Cage's “William's Mix,” a work that premiered in a historic University concert, in its original version and Larry Austin's new interpretation of the work. David Patterson, a musicologist, will offer commentary during the concert linking the old and new music being played in the concert. Also on the program are Zach Browning's “Breakpoint Screamer” and Scott Wyatt's “Time Mark.” The UI New Music Ensemble is co-directed

by Zack Browning and Stephen Taylor. (Paul Malina)

In the April 3 issue of buzz former Absinthe Blind bassist Mike Zolfo was incorrectly identified. The buzz staff regrets this mistake.

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music

YOU GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY | APRIL 10-16, 2003

buzz

BY ANNE MASTNY | STAFF WRITER

T

he concept for a songwriters’ showcase is simple: Singer/songwriters up on stage with only acoustic guitars, vocal mics and a whole lot of heart. This is what you’ll find when attending The Iron Post’s monthly event, Writers In The Round. The atmosphere at The Post, 120 S. Race St., Urbana, is calm, friendly and welcoming, resembling a coffeehouse instead of a bar. Attendees do not just come to drink, smoke and socialize with their friends, but also to listen to the music. WITR is not only a great event for music lovers in the community, but also serves as a great networking tool for artists who might not have otherwise played together.

WITR was originally held at Embassy Tavern & Grill, 114 S. Race St., next door to The Iron Post. Dawna Nelson (of the Impalas and Fist City) worked at Embassy and had lived in Nashville, where songwriter events were quite prominent. In the summer of 2002, she decided to bring a bit of the Nashville fun to Urbana. Nelson asked G. Lee, Robynn Ragland, Adam Schmitt, and Brendan Gamble to participate in the event, and Writers In The Round was born.

Shortly after its inception, Nelson stopped working at Embassy and WITR moved to The Iron Post. Finding she did not have the time

necessary to host this event every month, Nelson handed the responsibility over to G. Lee (of local band, G. Lee and Jet Blonde). Lee has hosted the event ever since, sometimes participating as a the songwriters.

Next month’s WITR will be held on April 13. Writers in the Round is held the third Sunday of every month, and usually features at least one or two local artists. You can’t beat a night of good music and free popcorn (at every table) for three bucks.

The March 16 performance featured Anjali, Brandon T. Washington, Hilary Scott and percussionist Michael Bielski. The addition of a percussionist, a first for WITR, brought it to a whole new level. The steady beat of Bielski’s hands on a single Djembe drum added a dynamic sound, really bringing the songs to life. Previously unfamiliar with some of the songwriters from the night, Bielski had no problem improvising solid beats, no matter the style.

The format for Writers In The Round is quite clever. Rather than having to sit through three or four separate sets, the songwriters sit in a row and take turns playing one song after the other. This set up keeps the night fresh and interesting with no need to endure a 40minute set from every artist.

March’s songwriters brought a nice mixture of laid back, mellow tunes, along with high

energy and sometimes political, songs. Scott and Anjali added to the mellow vibe. In Anjali’s “Who’s That Girl,” she wants to know “Who’s that girl that you’re with? Why is she standing there, that unholy bitch?” Both women played their fair share of angst-ridden love songs, fueled by past relationships gone wrong. The anger and passion was evident in their powerful vocals.

Champaign-Urbana’s own Washington (of Local musician G. Lee performs at the Writers in the Round showcase that she local rockers Temple of helps organize one Sunday a month at the Iron Post in Urbana.

Low Men) has a vocal stylings, sometimes producing a deep, unique, energetic style for a singer/songwriter. His songs are filled with so much ener- smooth, jazzy feel and at other times, a powerful, vociferous, raspy feeling. It was a treat gy and passion that he stood for much of his to be able to see Brandon in a solo atmosphere set, unable to sit still atop his songwriters’ and absorb all the positive energy he emits as stool. It was clear that Washington is quite he plays. used to fronting an all-out rock band, in bigger clubs and at louder volumes. At times it even felt like there should have been a band Performers interested in playing at WITR can contact G. backing him. Without the band, however, one Lee at G_Lee_4@yahoo.com. can really appreciate Brandon’s marvelous

PHOTO| Lori Lobascio

Writers at the Iron Post showcase talent

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music

APRIL 10-16, 2003 | ALL THE PEOPLE AT THE ZOO ARE VERY NICE PENGUIN

War what is it good for? Absolutely nothing

BY BRIAN MERTZ | MUSIC EDITOR

L

PHOTO | Brian Mertz

ast week, Edwin Starr passed away. His name might not jump out at you right away, but if you saw the movie Rush Hour or caught an infamous episode of Seinfeld, you know Starr's hit protest song, "War." And while there was certainly more to this Motown man's career than this one hit, Starr's refrain of "War, what is it good for?

Absolutely nothing," will live on for years.

A pacifist like myself can't argue with the reasoning in Starr's song. Starr's simple question resonates today during our invasion of Iraq. As a world, we spent months debating what war in Iraq would be good for, and for years after its done, we will ponder what this war was good for.

I still think Starr got it right. War is good for absolutely nothing. So holding firmly to that belief, I took to the streets of Champaign and Urbana with fellow protesters on March 20. The event made me proud to live here. I felt like voices were being heard and opinions were not being stifled. But while one half of me was pleased, another half couldn't help but feeling a bit annoyed.

As a concerned citizen, I was ecstatic when our group of protesters sat in the intersection of Green and Wright for nearly 30 minutes. But the other half of me, the half that obsesses about music for roughly 23 hours a day, couldn't help but think that we needed more. After cycling through the four chants that we had been shouting for several hours, it felt as if the whole protest was looking for a new tactic. A rousing protest song would have done the job.

Granted, no one had brought enough musical firepower with them to turn out Starr's brand of funk protest. I did see an acoustic guitar out in the group, so some classic Dylan or Lennon tracks could have worked. But I think the lack of protest music in this march had less to do with instrumentation and more

to do with the fact that this war hasn't produced a protest song that this generation of protesters can call their own.

Certainly there have been some attempts by modern-day musicians. System of a Down's "Boom!" was released as their latest single. The music video for "Boom!" was directed by Michael Moore and features footage of anti-war protests from around the world and a multitude of facts against the war as only Moore could present them.

However, the song fails to resonate to a wide audience simply because most of the lyrics are spoken. It isn't a song that you hum in your head as you're walking down the street.

Forgive me for standing up for pop hooks on such a serious issue. Yet, "Blowin' in the Wind" and "What's Going On" continue to get airplay today in part because they have melodies that people want to hear. Listeners can sing along with the message and not have the message overpower the music. "Boom!" faces the dilemma that a sing-a-long at a rally with System's lyrics won't ever happen.

Other protest songs that have been released from Zach De La Rocha & DJ Shadow and the Beastie Boys have the same problems as "Boom!." While rappers might be able to churn out songs more quickly, their mass appeal seems to be quickly lost. And once again, getting a crowd behind your quickflowing rhymes can be a tough at a march.

John Mellencamp's single "From Washington" might be a singable tune, but if a music nut like myself has to hunt to hear this song, then it isn't going to energize a diverse audience at a protest as much as "Blowin' in the Wind."

Despite their shortcomings, these musical efforts all show that today it is possible to not only write a song quickly, but also to distribute it. The songs by De La Rocha & Shadow, as well as the Beastie Boys track, were released through their Web sites and have been getting airplay around the country.

Demonstrators clogged the intersection of Wright and Green Streets March 20.

So while some musicians have vocally stated that there hasn't been enough turnaround time to create and distribute protest songs, that answer sounds like a cop out when looking at what System of a Down, Mellencamp, the Beastie Boys and others have done.

The real reason why pop songwriters like Sheryl Crow and Dave Matthews aren’t rushing out to pen, record and release anti-war songs is because of a very real and very frightening backlash from people within the music industry. Many musicians might feel strongly enough to take out ads in newspapers or wear T-shirts opposing the war, but heaven forbid they use their creative abilities and mass popularity to try to sway opinion. I suspect these musicians learned from watching their peers, namely the Dixie Chicks.

The Dixie Chicks’ decision to make an offhand remark about George Bush at a concert in London has caused their album sales to drop.

Radio stations across the country have pulled their songs. One station went so far as to quickly schedule another major concert the same night as a Dixie Chicks performance, so people would not go to the Dixie Chicks show.

Major musicians who have the power and influence to sway public opinion are fully aware of the financial stability that comes with their place in pop culture. They also understand how quickly popularity can be lost to a new artist who simply recreates the status quo.

Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but I don't see many artists running into the studio and demanding their label reps push their protest songs. Instead, I see much talking, but not much performing from the anti-war popstars.

It does make sense. Those musicans with the most to lose will be the least likely to risk it. Ani DiFranco could release a box set of protest songs, but in the process she won't alienate a sizable portion of her fans. Dave Matthews, on the other hand, could face the same sort of backlash as the Dixie Chicks if he were to put his feelings into song. A message on his Web site seems good enough to Dave.

The pathetic part of all this is that while musicians might be worrying about risking their album sales, soldiers are off in a foreign land risking their lives. Innocent citizens of Iraq are facing the risks of being killed every day the war continues.

The fact that the Dixie Chicks felt the need to back down after getting negative press, the fact that many musicians who should have opinions don't have anything to say, and the fact that many who do have something to say are doing so timidly, all add up to make me ashamed of my generation of musicians.

I have no problem going back to the classics. But the window of opportunity for today's musicians to energize so many of their youthful supporters against war is quickly closing. If this trend of frightened apathy continues, Starr's words will be even more appropriate. War really is good for absolutely nothing. Not even a decent new protest song.

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Jazz Live

at

Dean Klinker Trio $3 COVER

TONIGHT 627 E. Green 344-0710

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APRIL10-16, 2003 | GO OUT!

CLUBSVENUES Assembly Hall First & Florida, Champaign 333.5000 American Legion Post 24 705 W. Bloomington Rd., C. 356.5144 American Legion Post 71 107 N. Broadway, Urbana 367.3121 Barfly 120 N. Neil, Champaign 352.9756 Barnes and Noble 51 E. Marketview, Champaign 355.2045 Boltini Lounge 211 N. Neil, Champaign 378.8001 Borders Books & Music 802 W.Town Ctr., Champaign 351.9011 The Brass Rail 15 E. University, Champaign 352.7512 Canopy Club (The Garden Grill) 708 S. Goodwin, Urbana 367.3140 C.O. Daniels 608 E. Daniel, Champaign 337.7411 Cosmopolitan Club 307 E. John, Champaign 367.3079

Courtyard Cafe Illini Union, 1401 W. Green, U. 333.4666 Clybourne 706 S. Sixth, Champaign 383.1008 Curtis Orchard 3902 S. Duncan Road, Champaign 359.5565 D.R. Diggers 604 S. Country Fair Dr., C. 356.0888 Embassy Tavern & Grill 114 S. Race, Urbana 384.9526 Esquire Lounge 106 N. Walnut, Champaign 398.5858 Fallon’s Ice House 703 N. Prospect, Champaign 398.5760 Fat City Saloon 505 S. Chestnut, Champaign 356.7100 The Great Impasta 114 W. Church, Champaign 359.7377 G.T.’s Western Bowl Francis Dr., Champaign 359.1678 Hideaway 701 Devonshire Dr., Champaign 356.3081 The Highdive 51 Main, Champaign 359.4444 Huber’s 1312 W. Church, Champaign 352.0606 Illinois Disciples Foundation 610 E. Springfield, Champaign 352.8721 Independent Media Center 218 W Main St, Urbana 344.8820 The Iron Post 120 S. Race, Urbana 337.7678 Joe’s Brewery 706 S. Fifth, Champaign 384.1790 Kam’s 618 E. Daniel, Champaign 328.1605 Krannert Art Museum 500 E. Peabody, Champaign 333.1861 Krannert Center for Performing Arts 500 S. Goodwin, Urbana Tickets: 333.6280, 800/KCPATIX La Casa Cultural Latina 1203 W. Nevada, Urbana 333.4950 Lava 1906 W. Bradley, Champaign 352.8714 Legends Bar & Grill 522 E. Green, Champaign 355.7674 Les’s Lounge 403 N. Coler, Urbana 328.4000 Lincoln Castle 209 S. Broadway, Urbana 344.7720 Malibu Bay Lounge North Rt. 45, Urbana 328.7415

Mike & Molly’s 105 N. Market, Champaign 355.1236 Mulligan’s 604 N. Cunningham, Urbana 367.5888 Murphy’s 604 E. Green, Champaign 352.7275 Neil Street Pub 1505 N. Neil, Champaign 359.1601 New Art Theater 126 W. Church, Champaign 351.7368 No Name Saloon 55 E. Main, Champaign 398.6912 The Office 214 W. Main, Urbana 344.7608 Parkland College 2400 W. Bradley, Champaign 351.2528 Phoenix 215 S, Neil, Champaign 355.7866 Pia’s of Rantoul Rt. 136 E., Rantoul 893.8244 Pink House Rts. 49 & 150, Ogden 582.9997 The Rainbow Coffeehouse 1203 W. Green, Urbana 766.9500 Red Herring/ Channing-Murray Foundation 1209 W. Oregon, Urbana 344.1176 Rose Bowl Tavern 106 N. Race, Urbana 367.7031 Springer Cultural Center 301 N. Randolph, Champaign 355.1406 Spurlock Museum 600 S. Gregory, Urbana 333.2360 Strawberry Fields Café 306 W. Springfield, Urbana 328.1655 Ten Thousand Villages 105 N. Walnut, Champaign 352.8938 TK Wendl’s 1901 S. Highcross Rd., Urbana 255.5328 Tonic 619 S. Wright, Champaign 356.6768 Two Main 2 Main, Champaign 359.3148 University YMCA 1001 S. Wright, Champaign 344.0721 Verde/Verdant 17 E. Taylor St., Champaign 366.3204 Virginia Theatre 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign 356.9053 White Horse Inn 112 1/2 E. Green, Champaign 352.5945 Zorba’s 627 E. Green, Champaign 344.0710

buzzpicks Roscoe Plush and Dan Darrah at The Canopy

For the young at heart

Big River at The Virginia

S

pend an hour with Grandma and help the ugly duckling find her home! The classic story of The Ugly Duckling is retold at The Parkland College Theatre this weekend. Accompanied by singing and dancing, this family musical is perfect for chidren ages 4 and older.

F

riday, one of Champaign’s hottest bands returns to the Canopy Club for another headlining show. Roscoe Plush has worked hard for several years, but their popularity soared after winning WPGU and Opening Bands.com “Planet Opening Band Contest.” Currently, their single, “Lay Me Down”, is receiving frequent airplay on 107one the Planet. Opening for Roscoe Plush will be singer songwriter, Dan Darrah

Boneyard Arts Festival

T

his work along with others by Susan Robinson will premier at Bacaro as part of the Boneyard Arts Festival. On April 18 & 19, artists including sculptors, painters, and potters will showcase their works in venues around the area.

B

ig River, Virginia Theatre’s adaptation of Huckelberry Finn will play this weekend.

The cast is made up of the veteran players of the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company, and others. The musical touches on the race relations in the Deep South as portrayed in Mark Twain’s Novel.

Krannert Center Student Association presents:

5. Queens of the Stoneage Go With the Flow 4. The Roots Seed 2.0 3. Linkin Park Somewhere I Belong 2. White Stripes Seven Nation Army 1. Johnny Cash Hurt

A Krispy Kreme Sale!

Only $5 per Dozen!

April 10, 11, 12 | 9am-2pm

new music first Presented in partnership with:

www.1071theplanet.com

Corner of Wright and Green Streets For More Information: KrannertCenter.com or kcsa.uiuc.edu

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WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com | APRIL 10-16, 2003

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5 1 M A I N S T R E E T ( D O W N T O W N ) C H A M PA I G N EASY ACCESS FROM ALL MTD BUS ROUTES!

MORE INFO?

TONIGHT!

359-4444 OR

TUE APRIL 15

MON APRIL 14

THIS WEEKEND DJ AND DANCING

dubFREQUENCY

Drum-n-Bass DJs 4/11 Pocket Big Band 5:30 SNUGGLES 4/12 Doodle for Wildlife 6:00 N-SLAK WED APRIL 16

THEHIGHDIVE.COM

WITH DJ VAMP & LAWRENCE LAU

MR LIF

THU APRIL 17

4/19

ROBERT EARL KEEN

HOUSE NATION

DISENGAGE w/TUMMLER

SUNDAY MAY 4TH

JES ONE GREG 2HYPE DJ MERTZ DJ IMPACT

6 TAY L O R S T R E E T ( D O W N T O W N ) C H A M PA I G N EASY ACCESS FROM ALL MTD BUS ROUTES!

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398-2688 OR

c o w b o y - m o n k e y. c o m

FRI APRIL 11

SAT APRIL 12

REGGAE

COWSLINGERS

SUN APRIL 13

CALIFONE ex-Red Red Meat

RED HOT VALENTINES PETE KREBS ANGIE HEATON MON APRIL 14

KOUFAX

w/DAMN PERSONALS

THE ARK BAND THU APRIL 17

DELTA KINGS

w/BROKEBACK Tortoise's Doug McCombs

FRI APRIL 18

SAT APRIL 19

VIC CHESNUTT CHICAGO BLUES

w/M WARD

MAGIC SLIM

ULU

jazz/funk ala MM&W

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com

ThursdayApril10

The Socrates Cafe – Philosophy reading and book discussion. This week Pages bookseller Jason Mierek will be taking an enjoyable look through Wendell Berry’s acclaimed book, Life is a Miracle – Pages For All Ages, 7pm

LIVE MUSIC Red Hot Valentines, Pete Krebs, Angie Heaton – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $5 Kate Campbell – Iron Post, 8pm, cover FeeD, Snaklab All-Tsara, Jaded Kayne – Brass Rail, 10pm, $3 Garaj Mahal – featuring Fareed Haque w/Groovatron – Canopy Club, $6 Hot N’ Ready – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm-1am, cover Sick Day, A-Set, Twelve Ways From Sunday – The Brass Rail, 10pm, $3 Vicki Salz – Atlanta-based Funky Folk - Cabaret Featured Performer – Independent Media Center, no cover Dean KlinkerTrio – Jazz Night – Zorba’s

DJ

DubFrequecy Presents: DJs Snuggles-N-Slak – The Highdive, 9pm, $5 DJ Resonate - Barfly, 9pm, no cover DJ Who - Joe's Brewery, 10:30, $3 Disco Dynamite w/ Paul West - Boltini Lounge, 10pm, no cover

KARAOKE Karaoke - No Name Saloon, 9pm, no cover G Force Karaoke - Pia's, 9-1am, no cover Karaoke –Jilliam’s Billiards, Restaurant & Bar, 9pm, no cover

MUSIC PERFORMANCE Beckman Concert Series – piano students of Professor William Heiles – Atrium, Beckman Institute, 12:20pm, no charge UI Symphony Orchestra – Donald Schleicher, conductor – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 8pm, $5/SC $4/Stu $2

ON STAGE The Ugly Duckling – children’s production – Parkland Theatre, 7pm, $5 Big River – an adaptation of Huckelberry Finn –Virginia Theatre, 7:30, $16, $7 students

FridayApril11 LIVE MUSIC Deep Elm presents: To Young to Die, benefiting the AFSP: Brandtson, Red Animal War, Desert City Soundtrack, Settlefish, David Singer, Solo Mono – Independent Media Center, 8pm, $10 Joshua Redman Elastic Band, The Derek Trucks Band – Canopy Club, early show, 7pm, $20 107.1 The Planet presents: Roscoe Plush, w/ Dan Darah – Canopy Club, 10pm, $4 The Ark Reggae Band – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $7 Synesthesia, Transient Frank – Iron Post, 10pm, cover Equinox, Siva, Legs For Days – Mike ‘n’ Molly’s, 10pm, $3 Pocket Big Band – The Highdive, 5:30-7:30pm, $3 Club Mariama – The theme is “A Woman’s Worth” and all are invited to attend. No jeans or gym shoes are allowed.

– Courtyard Cafe, 7-9pm Hot N’ Ready – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm-1am, cover G. Lee & Jet Blonde, Larry O. Dean, Mike Ingram – The Brass Rail, 10pm, $3 Delta Kings - rock/blues - The Pheonix, 9pm

DJ DJ Tim Williams – The Highdive, 10pm, $5 Realness with Blends by Otter - Barfly, 9pm, no cover DJ - No Name Saloon, 9pm, no cover DJ Sped - Joe's Brewery, 10:30pm, $5 DJ Stifler - dance/house/techno - Lava, 9pm, no cover DJ Bozak - Boltini Lounge, 10pm, no cover DJ Bob Bass - Pia's, 9-1am, no cover G-Force-DJ and Dancing – American Legion Tsunami Entertainment – Tonic, 9pm-2am

KARAOKE Karaoke - D.R. Diggers, 9-1pm, no cover G Force Productions - Hideaway, 9-1am, no cover Karaoke with Paul Faber - Lincoln Castle, 9:30-1am, no cover

LECTURES 9/11 Families Speaker – Jeremy Glick, whose father was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, will be speaking.

Glick is a founding member of ‘September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows’, a group composed entirely of Sept. 11 victims’ families who are opposed to war. – University YMCA, 7pm

ON STAGE

Moustrap – A loose adaptation of Hamlet by Amy Clay presented by the New Revels Players – Channing Murray Foundation, 8pm Too Young To Die – featuring Brandston, Red Animal War, Desert City Soundtrack, Settlefish, David Singer and Solo Mono – Independent Media Center, 8pm, $10 The Ugly Duckling – children’s theatre – Parkland Theatre, 7pm, $5 Big River – an adaptation of Huckelberry Finn – Virginia Theatre, 7:30, $16, $7 students West Side Story – IUB Spring Musical – Assembly Hall, 8pm, $11, $13, $15

FILM Film Series: Just Married – 112 Gregory Hall, 7 & 9:30 pm, $2 with UIUC ID, $3 for the public On the Street Where You Live: Finding God In Everyday Occurences – a comic parable of one TV weatherman’s escape into faith – Wesley Church and Foundation, 6pm9pm

LECTURES Center for Advanced Study Special Guest Presentation: The Effects of the Arrival – Carol S. Steele, Center for Ocean Technology, University of South Florida – Rooms 405 & 406 Levis Faculty Center, noon, free Aids in Africa: Obstacles to Sustainable Solutions – How is health care and AIDS treatment a human rights issue?

What affects does this epidemic have on the nation of Africa and the internationally? – University YMCA, noon1:30pm Geography Colloquium – 219 Davenport Hall, 3:00 pm

WORDS Peppas Black Poetry Set – Poetry by, for and about Black People – African American Cultural House, 9pm What’s The Word? – I Was Born With Two Tongues – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 8pm, $12/SC & Stu $11/ Yth & UI $6 Da’ Blue Room: Open Mic Poetry Set – La Casa Cultural Latina, 9pm

OTHER Africa Unite II – African Cultural and Fashion Show. – McKinley Foundation, 7-9pm University YMCA Silent Auction – Holiday Inn, U., 7pm, $30 or 2 for $50, student $15 or 2 for $25

MUSIC PERFORMANCES Friday Jazz Forum – UI Jazz Combo IV under the direction

WORDS What’s The Word? – Department of Theatre presents, I was Born With Two Tongues – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 8pm

FILM Human Rights Film Series is "Cover-up: Behind the Iran Contra Scandal." – "Cover-up" recounts a tale of drugs, hostages, weapons, covert operations, and plans to suspend the U.S. Constitution. This documentary investigates activities that the Iran-Contra hearings of the U.S. Congress did not reveal. – Illinois Disciples Foundation, 7pm

of Jay MIglia. Program will incude a variety of jazz standards and classic jazz tunes. – Room 25, Smith Memorial Hall, noon, no charge Junior Recital – Andrew Watkins, percussion – Recital Hall, Smith Memorial Hall, 8pm, no charge Doctor of Musical Arts Recital – Tzu-Feng Liu, piano – Recital Hall, Smith Memorial Hall, 8pm, no charge Master of Musical Recital – Memorial Hall, Smith Memorial Hall, 8pm, no charge Group For New Music – Auditorium, Music Building, 8pm, no charge Afterglow – Desafinado, the six piece ensemble, named after the popular Jobim tune, will deliver the sultry bossa nova, samba, and Afro-Cubans strains made popular by its namesake composer – Lobby, Krannert Center, 10pm, no charge

OTHER Fight Night - Cash prizes, contests, arm wrestling andmore!

- Lava, 9pm

SaturdayApril12 LIVE MUSIC Third Eye Blind – Canopy Club, 8pm, tickets can be purchased on EBAY only X-Krush – Third Eye Blind after-concert party – 10:30pm, $5 Drawing a Blank, Missing the Point, PGS, Ophur, One Life – Illinois Disciples Foundation, 7pm, $4 Failed Resistance, Missing in Action, Fourth Rotor, The Violents – Independent Media Center, 8pm, $5 Second Wind – Iron Post, 8pm, cover Candy Foster and The Shades of Blue – Embassy Tavern, 9:30pm, no cover The Cowslingers, The Delta Kings – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $7 Grass Roots Revival – w/ Micheal Jones and Jamie Lou Carras – Pages For All Ages, 7-9pm Hot N’ Ready – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm-1am, cover

Champaign-Urbana's premiere source of information for both bands and music fans:

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openingbands.com we want you if you're a: - writer - photographer - graphic designer - fan of ANY kind of music - band member

New members are always welcome, we meet: Sundays @ 2pm @ Green Street Coffeehouse Wednesdays @ 8pm @ Room 196 Lincoln Hall (check our website for further details on meetings) http://www.openingbands.com covertly assassinating cookie-cutter music

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ENTERTAINMENT

Freshly Baked Homemade Rolls & Breakfast Mon–Sun 7am–10pm Mon–Sat 11am–2pm Lunch Cinnamon Rolls Tue–Thur 5pm–8pm Dinner Chef Specials Daily Fri & Sat 5pm–10pm Every Friday – Fried Catfish $11.95 Early Dinner Special Every Saturday – Surf-in-Turf $21.95 Tues–Sat 5pm–6:30pm

Mom’s Day Buffet

Sunday April 13 11am–3pm $12.95 Full Banquet & Catering Facilities

Located in the Historic Lincoln Hotel (formerly Jumer’s Hotel) 209 S. Broadway Urbana, IL–384–8811 or 344–7720

Alumni Tap Tues.–Sat. 4pm–1am Full Service Bar 3 LARGE SCREEN TVs FREE Hors D’oeuvres Tues.-Thurs. 4pm–6pm EVERY WEDNESDAY

DAVE DREYER AND KEVIN HART

PLAYING JAZZ AND BLUES 7 PM–10 PM $1 DOMESTIC DRAFTS $1 WELL DRINKS

IN THE LIBRARY...

Every Fri. and Sat. Karaoke with Paul Faber 9pm–1am

Maurice and the Mindset - Huber’s, 8pm

DJ

DJ Tim Williams – The Highdive, 10pm, $5 DJ Hipster Sophisto - Barfly, 9pm, no cover Spincity - Hideaway, 9-1am, no cover DJ - No Name Saloon, 9pm, no cover DJ Naughty Boy - Joe's Brewery, 10:30pm, $5 DJ Bundy - dance/house/techno - Lava, 9pm, no cover until 11pm DJ Resonate - Boltini Lounge, 10pm, no cover G Force DJ - The White Horse Inn, 9-1, no cover The Noiseboy – Rock and Roll DJ – Mike & Molly’s, 10pmclose

KARAOKE Karaoke with Paul Faber - Lincoln Castle, 9:30-1am, no cover

MUSIC PERFORMANCES Annual Mom’s Day Concert – UI Women’s Glee Club, Joe Grant, conductor, with special guest appearances by the UI Varsity Men’s Glee Club, Barrington Coleman, conductor, Girls Next Door – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 2pm, $5/SC $4/Stu $2 Annual Mom’s Day Concert – UI Black Chorus, Ollie Watts Davis, conductor. Program will feature music from the popular and sacred music traditions, and will include hymns and anthems, as well as traditional and contemporary selections – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 8pm, $10/SC $9/Stu $7 Balkanalia – Donna Buchanan, director, traditional music from the Balkans – Recital Hall, Smith Memorial Hall, 8pm, no charge Studio Recital – harp students of Professor Ann Yeung – Auditorium, Music Building, 11am, no charge Senior Recital – Erica Powell, oboe – Memorial Room, Smith Memorial Hall, 11am, no charge Music Education Senior Recital – Alexander Rivera, euphonium – Auditorium, Music Building, 5pm, no charge Doctor of Musical Arts Recital – Joel White, tuba – Auditorium, Music Building, 8pm, no charge

ON STAGE Mousetrap – A loose adaptation of Hamlet by Amy Clay presented by the New Revels Players. – Channing-Murray Foundation, 8pm The Ugly Duckling – children’s theatre – Parkland Theatre, 3pm & 7pm, $5 West Side Story – IUB Spring Musical – Assembly Hall, 8pm, $11, $13, $15

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Protege, and much more. – Douglass Community Center, 12-5pm.

Black Chorus Annual Mom’s Day Concert – Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 8pm Mom's Day Fashion Show- "Back to Reality" – Illini Union Ballroom, Noon, 2pm, & 4pm, $7 (Tickets available at Ticket Central in the Illini Union Lisa Corsini Memorial 5K Run/ 1-Mile Walk – Registration begins at 8am – Meadowbrook Park, U, $20 per participant Japan House Spring Open House – 10am-4pm

SundayApril13 LIVE MUSIC Califone, Brokeback – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $8 Writers in the Round: Adam Wolf, Becca Koester with Sam Roan, Danny Santos, Iron Post Karen Mal – Iron Post, 9pm, $3 Billy Galt and Ed O'Hara - blues - D.R. Diggers, 8-11pm, no cover Hot 105.5 presents Support Our Troops Show – Featuring live jazz For If The Flies & blues jam featuring Kilborn Alley in the Garden Grill – Canopy Club, 7pm1am, $2 cover, or no cover if you bring something for the troops Crosby, Stills Nash – Assembly Hall, 7:30pm Crystal River – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm-1am, no cover The Iron Sheik (Palestinian Hip Hop), The Hags, Suzy Requarth, Roadside Prophets – AWARE (Anti-Racism Anti-War Effort), a local grassroots activism group, is hosting a fundraising concert. – Independent Media Center, 6pm Irish Jam Session – Mike & Molly’s,

DJ Fresh Face Guest DJ - Barfly, 9pm, no cover DJ LA Wells - Boltini Lounge, 10pm, no cover

KARAOKE G-Force Karaoke - Tommy G's, 8pm, no cover

MUSIC PERFORMANCES

FILM

Second Sunday Concert – broadcast live on WILL-FM 90.9 (101.1 in C-U) The Enescu Ensemble – Krannert Art Museam, 2pm, no charge UI Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition – Final Round, preliminary round division winners – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, no charge Faculty Recital – “A Trumpeter’s Dream” Ronald Romm, trumpet, Avis Romm, piano – Recital Hall, Smith Memorial Hall, 7pm, no charge Master of Music Recital – Darren Anderson, tenor – Recital Hall, Smith Memorial Hall, 4pm, no charge

Film Series: Just Married – 112 Gregory Hall, 7 & 9:30 pm, $2 with UIUC ID, $3 for the public

ON STAGE

WORDS What’s The Word? – Stacyann Chin and Aya de Leon Stacyann Chin: Jamaican-born spoken-word performer and national poetry slam winner – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 8pm, $12/ $11 SC & Stu/ $6 UI & Yth

OTHER Doodle for Wildlife 2 – art auction – The Highdive, 610pm, $25 Talk and Book Signing w/ Beth Finke – author of Long Time, No See – Pages For All Ages, 3pm Ewezo’s Annual Mom’s Day Brunch “A Mother’s Love” – Illinois Student Residence Lower Level Dining Hall, 10:30am, $7 with I.D. swipe, $10 without I.D. swipe AACP Mom’s Day Black Expo – Live DJ’s from WBML and Hot 105.5; giveways, black vendors from throughout the Midwest, mini-step show, dances by Omnimov and

Whether

it’s a quiet evening at home or a wild night on the town... s alway It’s

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two

Cute Girlfriends Entertainment Dancers • Models • Dates for all occasions For more information, call (217) 766-1624 or visit www.illinoiscutegirlfriends.com

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Story of A Dancer – chronicles the life of the life of a college student and her struggles and how she overcame them – Lincoln Theatre, 4:30pm, $3 students, $5 all Mousetrap – A loose adaptation of Hamlet by Amy Clay presented by the New Revels Players – Channing-Murray Foundation, 8pm The Ugly Duckling – children’s theatre – Parkland Theatre, 3pm, $5 Big River – an adaptation of Huckelberry Finn – Virginia Theatre, 2:30pm, $16, $7 students

WORDS What’s The Word? – Mariposa and Inner Voices Mariposa: an award-winning Nuyorican Bronx poet, actor, educator, and activist and creator of documentary Americanos: Latino Life in the U.S. – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 8pm, $12/$11 SC & Stu/$6 UI & Yth

OTHER Young Christian Leadership Pageant – Winners receive scholarships towards their college education. – Chancellor Hotel, 2pm

MondayApril14 LIVE MUSIC Q and Not U, El Guapo, The Dynamo Theorem – Independent Media Center, 8pm, $5 John Pennell, Brian Wilkie, Dawna Nelson – Iron Post, 9pm, cover

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Openingbands.com Local Music Showcase: Drawing a Blank, Nadafinga, ODM – The Canopy Club, 10pm, $3 Koufax, The Damn Personals – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $8 Community Drum Circle – All levels welcome. – Ten Thousand Villages, 105 N. Walnut, Downtown C, 7-9pm Drawing A Blank, Nadafinga, ODM –presented by OpeningBands,com, WPGU, and Budweiser – Canopy Club

DJ The I Phantom Tour featuring: Mr. Lif, DJ Fakts One, Adrobatik, UC Hiphop Allstars – The Highdive, 10pm, $12 Spectrum – drum & bass, house; U-C Hip Hop - dub/down tempo - Barfly, 9pm, no cover DJ Spinnery - Boltini Lounge, 10pm, no cover

MUSIC PERFORMANCE School of Music Open House – an opportunity for prospective students to learn about the School of Music, visit classes, and observe rehearsals – Music Building, Smith Memorial Hall, 8am, closed event Chamber Music Honors Recital – a concert of chamber music, performed by outstanding students of the School of Music – Memorial Hall, Smith Memorial Hall, 8pm, no charge

LECTURES Spring 2003 Brown Bag Lecture Series – “New Social Movement Theory, Radical Social Movements and the Black Panther Party” – African American Studies and Research Program, noon-1:15pm Capitalisms, Modernities: Asian-European Dialogue After Enron – J. Nederveen Peterse, Professor Sociology – 101 International Studies Building, noon-1pm

OTHER Science Fiction Bookgroup – discussion over stories from critically acclaimed anthology, The Year’s Best Science Fiction,The 19th Annual Collection – Pages For All Ages, 7pm

TuesdayApril15 LIVE MUSIC IMC Folk Music Series: Eleni Moraites, G. Lee, Vicki Salz – Independent Media Center, 8pm, $7 Irish Session – Iron Post, 8pm, cover Open Mic Night - Espresso Royale, 7:30-10:30pm, free Open Bluegrass Jam Session - Verdant News & Coffee, 7:30-9pm, Free Open Mic/Open Jam – Feature band in the CanopyStanding Wave – Canopy Club, $2, no cover before 10pm Billy Gault - acoustic - Fat City Saloon, 9pm

DJ

DJ Donovan Finn – rock & roll – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $1 DubFrequency, DJ Vamp, Laurence Lau – The Highdive, 9pm, $3 DJ D-LO & DJ Spinnery - Barfly, 9pm, no cover DJ Bozak - Boltini Lounge, 10pm, no cover

LECTURES The West Nile Virus in Illinois – Learn about the impact of West Nile Virus on the state of Illinois and the ongoing research and effortsof the University to address this issue. – 101 International Studies Building, noon, free Looking for the Connection – A brief talk about past and present works of Leslie Speicher – 3269 Beckman Institute, noon, free

MUSIC PERFORMANCE The Enescu Ensemble – Sherban Lupu, leader and soloist in celebration o fthe 10th anniversary o fThe Enescu Ensemble, this special program will feature the world premiere of a work written for the Enescu Ensembe and will include works of Bach, Purcell, Donizetti, Sibelius, Enescu, and Villa-Lobo – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, 8pm, $5/SC $4/Stu $2 UI New Music Ensemble: “50 Years On!” – in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the first electro-acoustic music concert held in North America – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 8pm, $5/SC $4/Stu $2

WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com

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WednesdayApril16 LIVE MUSIC

1906 West Bradley Ave., Champaign The Biggest Party In Town!

Join DJ Forrest for great music and enjoy $1 bottles all night!

For Private Parties, call 766–5108

It’s Fight Night At Lava!

Come out for the fights and take in the sights! Cash prize wet t-shirt contests, ring girl competitions, arm wrestling, and MORE! $1.75 bottles of Coors and Coors Light, $1 shots of Pucker For Private Parties, call 766–5108

Open Mic Night – Courtyard Café, 8pm, cover Disengage, Tummler, Party of Helicopters, Solo Flyer – The Highdive, 10pm, $5 Open Mic Night: hosted by Brandon T. Washington – Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $2 Don Heitler - jazz piano - The Great Impasta, 6-9pm, no cover The Bridge – DJ’s, MC’s, and more – Canopy Club, $5, $3 w/ UofI or Parkland ID before 12am.

Crystal River – Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm-1am, no cover Impalas - Huber’s, 8pm

DJ Big Sexy Funk with DJ Phlip, DJ Bozak – Barfly, 9pm, no cover DJ Forrest - Lava, 9pm Spicerack - 16mm educational film parade and rock music – Boltini,10pm, no cover

KARAOKE Karaoke - White Horse Inn, 9pm, no cover

MUSIC PERFORMANCES Faculty Recital – Ian Hobson, piano, All-Chopin Recital, program will feature the late works of Chopin – Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, $5/SC $4/Stu $2 UI Concert Jazz Band – Chip McNeill, leader, with guest artist Tom Garling, trombone/arranger – Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center, 8pm, $5/SC $4/Stu $2

WORDS Poetry Slam! Featuring: Alix Olson & Amy Gilgan – Independent Media Center, 9pm, $12

FILM Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour –In November, the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture, located in the city of Banff, Alberta, Canada hosts a world-renowned threeday international film competition, featuring the year's finest films and documentaries with mountain themes. A selection of the award winning films will be showing in the Champaign community. Sponsored by Champaign Surplus – Savoy 16 Theater, 7pm, $10 War Zone film screening and discussion – War Zone is about what happens when men-knowingly or unknowingly- threatens a woman’s right to walk down an undisturbed street – Levis Faculty Center, 7-9pm, no charge

OTHER

Music ROCKS at Lava!

Head out to Lava for great music and drink specials to quench your thirst to party! $1 bottles and $1 wells, all night!

For Private Parties, call 766–5108

The party keeps flowing at Lava!

DJ Bundy will be spinning the best in Dance/House/Techno music. $2 wells and $2 bottles NO COVER TIL 11PM! For Private Parties, call 766–5108

NOW OPEN–New Beer Garden Come Feel The Heat With Great Specials Every Week!

Wine Tasting – Each week two wines will be introduced at the Interlude Bar – Lobby, Krannert Center, 5pm, no charge

ART NOTICES Creative Drawing Art Class – Explore one element of design each week: color, line, shape / space, texture, and value. This project-oriented class will challenge you to think about the word “drawing” in creative ways. Great for the beginner as an introduction to the “elements of art” or for the stagnant artist as a quick jump start. No drawing skills or previous experience required. Mondays, 7 - 9 pm March 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28 1408 S. Vine, Urbana Cost $95 Contact Sandra at 367-6345 or spiritofsandra@hotmail.com Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain – For adults who have always wanted to learn to draw, but felt like they lacked talent or confidence. This class teaches “realistic” or “naturalistic” drawing. Students learn that drawing well is really a matter of learning a new way of seeing. (Youth accepted with permission.) Mondays 7 - 9 pm May 5, 12, 19 (no class Memorial Day), June 2, 9 Cost $95 Contact Sandra at 367-6345 spiritofsandra@hotmail.com Art with Intention for Adults – Participants may have weekly readings, sketchbook, and journal assignments that help them uncover and discover an intention in their own artwork. This class will be an exploration of voice.

Individualized projects will be based on the student’s desire to learn new media, explore a theme, illustrate an idea, etc. Some previous art instruction or permission required. Fee is for 5 classes in 6 weeks. Call for start date.

Thursday 7 - 9 pm or Friday 3-5 pm. Cost $95 Contact Sandra at 367-6345 spiritofsandra@hotmail.com Children's Art Classes — Verdant News and Coffee & Verde Gallery. Saturdays, 10-11:30am $120/session (8 classes) 17 E. Taylor St., Champaign 366-3204 Precious Metal Clay Workshops — Gallery Virtu Beginners and experienced folks (teens and adults; children welcome with adult helpers) can create earrings

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and beads; bring your own tools or borrow Susan's. Susan will fire all the pieces you make in the workshop. Open studio times also. Please register in advance. 762-7790 Beginning Workshop— 10am-4pm: April 5 Open Studio— 10am-4pm: April 6, 13, 27 Intermediate Workshop—10am –4pm: April 12, 26 Art Classes for Children – Creation Art Studios, established in 1993 and operated by Jeannine Bestoso,continues offering its art classes for children and adults year round. Children meet Mon, Tues, Wed, and Fri from 3:30 to 5:00. to experiment and express themselves with paint, clay, mixed-media, drawing and collage through technical instruction, independent study, and the spontaneous art process. Located in east Urbana, 1102 E Washington St. Call 217-344-6955 / 328-3896. www.creationartstudios.com Art Ckasses for Adults – Adult art classes offer independent studies for beginning and advanced students, in the instruction of studio and expressive art. Students pursue personal interests through drawing, watercolor, oil and acrylic painting, and ceramics. Studio times are Thursday mornings 11:00-2:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00 noon and 2:00 to 4:00 pm. CPDU and CEUs offered to educators for these scheduled studio sessions - provider#102753.

Located in east Urbana, 1102 E Washington St. Call 217344-6955 / 328-3896. www.creationartstudios.com Expressive Arts Workshop for Adults – Regular ongoing studio sessions offer experiential workshops in drawing, painting and mixed media that take an individual beyond the ordinary and beyond limitations. Experience empowerment and feel comfort creating expressive art through experimentation and intention. Tuesday evenings 7:00 to 9:00 and Thursday afternoons 4:00 to 6:00. CPDU and CEUs offered to educators for these workshop sessions - provider#102753 Adult Open Studio @ Creation Art Studios Communication, Expression, and Experimentation through drawing, water based paints, and mixed media. To relax, release, expand, discover Tues. 7-9pm, Thurs. 4-6pm 1102 E Washington, Urbana 217- 344 - 6955 / 328 3896 www.creationartstudios.com UIUC Japan House Tea Ceremonies for the Public – April 10th & 24th, 2 & 3 p.m. The cost is $5.00 per person.

Registration is recommended - (217)244-9934 2000 South Lincoln Ave., Urbana Studio Space – Are you an interested in making art but need space (and maybe encouragement and feedback)?

You can have your own workspace, with twenty four hour access, that includes a common sink, telephone, and kitchen. Optionally, you can attend a weekly session of instruction, feedback and guest critiques. One-year commitment required. $200 monthly. Studio in east Urbana.

Contact Sandra at 367-6345 or spiritofsandra@hotmail.com for more details Call for Entries for “Dolls and Dresses” “Dolls and Dresses” art show will be taking place during June 2003 at the Independent Media Center (IMC) during June 2003 is looking for artists who are making original unique dolls and/or art that is about dressing or dresses. Nothing from patterns. Preferably that which is a fine art expression of protest, emotion, memory, etc. Please call or email Sandra at 367-6345 or spiritofsandra @hotmail.com to discuss the possibility of including your art or to recommend an artist for inclusion.

Request for Teacher Art Entries – Jeannine Bestoso, the director of Creation Art Studios is requesting teachers to please submit works for the upcoming show in conjunction with the Boneyard Arts Festivle, April 18-19. A reception for the event will be held at Creation Art Studios on Friday April 18th at 7:00 pm. The exhibit will remain on display until May 1st. Contact Jeannine Bestoso, 328-3869 1102 E. Washington, Urbana www.creationartstudios.com

ART GALLERIES Boneyard Pottery — Ceramic Art by Michael Schwegmann and more. — 403 Water St, C. Hours: TuesSat 11am-5pm 355-5610 Cinema Gallery – 120 W. Main, Urbana. Mixed media photography by Peggy Baddeley Shaw, April 5-27. Ongoing display of fine art and crafts by 36 central Illinois artists including UI and Parkland faculty. Open 10am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5pm Sunday. 217-367-3711.

Cafe Kopi — photographs of local artist John Sfondilias will be displayed starting March 16. 109 N. Walnut, C. Mon-Thurs. 7 am-11 pm; Fri-Sat 7am-12 pm; Sun 11am-8 pm 359-4266 Creation Art Studios & Gallery – Hours vary but are generally: Tues-Fri: 1:00-5:30 Sat: 10:00-4:00. 1102 E Washington, Urbana 344-6955 / 328-3896 The Framery — Local and National Artists 407 E. Main, Mahomet 586-4610 Tues-Fri 10-5, Sat 10-2 The Furniture Lounge — specializing in mid-century modern furniture from the 1920s-1980s, retro-Danish-modern-lighting-pottery-art-bar wear-vintage stereo equipment-records. 9 E. University, 352-5150. Wed-Sat 11am5:30pm, Sun 12:00-4:30pm

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com

ART EXHIBITS Second Sunday Gallery Tour:“Petals and Paintings” – April 13 Led by Rick Orr, a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers, 1:00 p.m.,Krannert Art Museum 217-333-1860 Museum Benefit Reception – April 11 featuring outstanding floral arrangements by award-winning floral designers, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Call (217) 333-1861 for ticket information April 12-13 — Exhibition open to the public "Landscape/Architecture" – Photography by Molly Dolkart through April 30 The Middle Room Gallery @ The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center 218 W. Main St. Urbana IL http://www.gallery.ucimc.org/ Jason Finkelstein's Senior Show. – Oil paintings of urban and natural scapes. Through April 19. ArtAttack 803 S Lincoln, Urbana.

American Folk Art from the Herbert Fried Collection. – through September 21. A recent donation of 19th and early 20th century American folk art has strengthened the museum’s holdings. The vivid forms and vernacular appeal of folk art are highlighted through selections from this important collection. Krannert Art Museam 500 E Peabody, Urbana 217-333-1860 “The Idea of Landscape in the Western Tradition: Works from the Permanent Collection” – through April 13. Works from the Museum’s permanent collection – including painting, photographs, works on paper, and glassware – explore the diverse ways in which artists in Europe and the United States have interpreted and represented the idea of landscape over the past 300 years.Krannert Art Museam, 500 E Peabody, Urbana 217-333-1860 “Ceramics inspired by and from the Arts and Crafts Movement” – Through May 10., Verde Gallery, 17 E. Taylor St., Champaign Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10am10pm “Art and Conflict: The Image of War in 20th Century Art” – through May 18. Art and Conflict examines abstract, symbolic, and representational views of war and combat by artists such as Henri Rousseau, Otto Dix, Philip Guston, Andy Warhol, and Peter Saul. Tues., Thu.Sat. 9 am-5 pm, Wed. 9 am - 8 pm, Sun. 2-5 pm, Krannert Art Museam, 500 E Peabody, Urbana 217-333-1860 Featured Works XI Creativity in Print:“Artistic Interactions through the Work of Edward Weston” – Through April 13, 2003 Creativity in Print explores the relationships between photographer Edward Weston and his subjects - Ansel Adams, Anita Brenner, Jean

Charlot, Robinson Jeffers, Tina Modotti, and Igor Stravinsky. Tues., Thu.-Sat. 9 am-5 pm, Wed. 9 am - 8 pm, Sun. 2-5 pm Krannert Art Museam, 500 E Peabody, Urbana 217-333-1860 “The Idea of Landscape in the Western Tradition: Works from the Permanent Collection” – through April 13, 2003 Works from the Museum's permanent collection including painting, photographs, works on paper, and glassware - explore the diverse ways in which artists in Europe and the United States have interpreted and represented the idea of landscape over the past 300 years.

Tues., Thu.-Sat. 9 am-5 pm, Wed. 9 am - 8 pm, Sun. 2-5 pm Closed Monday, Krannert Art Museam, 500 E Peabody, Urbana 217-333-1860 “Nature Loves to Hide: Watercolors from Herbert Marder” – Through May 10, Verde Gallery, 17 E. Taylor St., Champaign Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10am-10pm “State of the Art 2003” — Parkland Art Gallery, National Biennial Watercolor Invitational Through 4/11 Creation Art Studios hosts reception for Boneyard Exhibit with Country in the City and Sweet Betsy's. Opening Reception May 18th 7 to 9 pm: Featuring works by Regional Teachers and current works by students at Creation Art Studios. Located in east Urbana, 1102 E Washington St. Call 217-344-6955 / 328-3896.

"In Print" -- Illini Union Art Gallery Work from past and current students in UIUC's printmaking department. April 8May 12th. Main level, SW corner, Illini Union 1401 West Green St, Urbana Mon.-Sun. 7am-10pm

THEATRE LISTINGS The Ugly Duckling – children’s production – Parkland Theatre, April 10, 11, 12 @ 7pm, and April 12, 13 @ 3pm Big River – an adaptation of Huckelberry Finn –Virginia Theatre, April 10, 11, and 13 @ 7:30, $16, $7 students Mousetrap – A loose adaptation of Hamlet by Amy Clay presented by the New Revels Players. – Channing-Murray Foundation, April 11, 12, and 13 8pm Too Young To Die – featuring Brandston, Red Animal War, Desert City Soundtrack, Settlefish, David Singer and Solo Mono – Independent Media Center, April 11, 8pm, $10 West Side Story – IUB Spring Musical – Assembly Hall, April 11 and 12, 8pm, $11, $13, $15 Story of A Dancer – chronicles the life of the life of a col-

lege student and her struggles and how she overcame them – Lincoln Theatre, April 13, 4:30pm, $3 students, $5

KIDS | FAMILIES High School Hoops – High School students can show off their basketball talents and kids can practice their skills while having fun and staying healthy. $1 fee. – Champaing County YMCA, April 12 & 26, 8-11pm Dive Into Easter – Splash in the pool for a couple hours and find a few treats! This is a great event that will give familiews a chance to spend timetogether in a pleasant atmosphere. – McKinley Center, April 12th, 2-4pm School's Out – The kids get the day off but you still have to work all day long. What should you do with your children? Bring them to this program for supervised fun.

Advanced registration is required and space is limited.

Champaign County YMCA, April 16-21 Spring Holiday Program – Three full weeks of crafting fun!

– March 31-April 18, Motherlands Multicultural Resource Center, 8am-5:30pm Children’s Spring Break Crafting Workshop – Sew a bunny, bead an egg, weave a basket – April 14-18, Motherlands Multicultural Resource Center, 8am-5:30pm Spring Break Camp – Spring break is approaching and it’s time to decide how to provide care for your children while you’re at work. Why not send them to the YMCA Spring Break Camp? – Champaign County YMCA, dates for Champaign schools are April 14-18 and April 21.

Advanced registration is required and space is limited!

Teen Open Mic Night – Come share your talent! – April 10, Champaign’s Main Library – 7-8:30pm Family Reading Night – Take your family- and a favorite blanket- and choose a book to share out loud. – April 14, Douglass Branch Library, 6-7:45pm Art-to-Go – children learn from experts, see samples from Krannert, make artistic creations of their own at th free program – April 16, Douglass Branch Library, 4-6pm O Baby! – 9:30 to 9:50 and 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. Apr. 14, Champaign PublicLibrary, 505 S. Randolph St. Lap bouncing, nursery rhymes and music activities for infants with a caregiver. No registration. Information: 403-2030.

Cuentos Lindos Para Niños – 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. Apr. 14, Champaign Public Library. Program of children*s stories presented in Spanish. No registration.

Club Fred – 4 to 5 p.m. Apr. 14, Douglass Branch Library, 504 E. Grove St., Champaign. Games, stories and crafts for

SENIORS Tax Help – Free help preparing tax returns is available from Volunteers from Tax Counseling for the Elderly, available on first-come, first-served basis – April 15, Champaign Public Library’s Central Library, 1-4pm

WORKSHOPS To Hair With Love – A Hands-on Workshop in Natural Hair Care. For those who have naturally curly or wavy hair. – April 12, Motherlands Multicultural Resource Center, 24pm Life Makeover – Seminars based on the book by Cheryl Richardson. Each session focuses on a topic from Richardson’s book. Topics include: What’s draining you?

What’s fueling you? Finding your lost self? Participants are welcome to come to any or all sessions. – April 10, Springer Cultural Center, 7-8:30pm Trouble with Procrastination – There’s no excuse for missing this workshop. Don’t procrastinate! – April 10, La Casa Cultural Latina, 5:30pm

ILLINI UNION BOARD SPRING MUSICAL

APRIL 11

8PM

M & 8PM

2P APRIL 12

Tickets on sale Monday, March 10 at Illini Union Ticket Central or Assembly Hall Box Office (333-5000).

Tickets are $11, $13 & $15.

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elementary school students. No registration. Information: 403-2090.

Know Zone – 4 to 6 p.m. Apr. 15, Douglass Branch Library.

Homework time followed by an hour of crafts and activities for school-aged children. No registration.

Teddy Bear Picnic – 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Champaign Public Library. Crafts, stories, songs and a teddy bear parade.

Bring your own stuffed toy. No registration.

Baby Time – 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. Apr. 17, Douglass Branch Library. Lap bouncing, nursery rhymes, music activities, and play time for infants with a caregiver. No registration.

Thursday Arts and Crafts for Kids (TACK) – 4 to 5 p.m.

Apr. 17, Douglass Branch Library. Craft-making for elementary school-age children. No registration.

Girls, Girls, Girls! – 4 to 5 p.m. Apr. 18, Douglass Branch Library. Games, crafts, and reading time for girls in grades 1 to 4. No registration.

ASSEMBLY HALL

www.iuboard.uiuc.edu IUB Event Hotline: 333-8473

$1 OFF COUPON

Griggs Street Potters—Handmade functional and decorative pottery. Usual hours are Mon-Fri: 11-4, or call 3283863 for an appointment 305 West Grigg St, Urbana.

344-8546 Hill Street Gallery — Irish Landscapes, the pines of Lake Tahoe, Italian Sculptures, Monet in the Gardens of Giverny, the prairies of Illinois and The Field of Dreams.

By Appointment Wednesdays and Thursdays 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 359-0675 – 703 W. Hill, Champaign International Galleries — works from local artists — Lincoln Square Mall, Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sa 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm Larry Kanfer Gallery — Spring florals from the Prairiescapes, Upper Midwest, and European Collections on display. Also view new University of Illinois campus photographs. Located at 2503 South Neil Street, Champaign. Free and Open to the Public.

Hours: Mon-Sat 10-am-5:30 pm. 398-2000 www.kanfer.com LaPayne Photography — "Paint the Hall Orange."

Specializes in panoramic photography of different subjects. 816 Dennison Dr., C. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Saturdays by appointment. 356-8994. Through 3/31 Old Vic Art Gallery — Fine and original art, hand-signed limited edition prints, works by local artists, art restoration, custom framing, and periodic shows by local artists— 11 E. University, C. Mon-Thurs 11am-5:30pm, Fri-Sat 11am-4:30pm Steeple Gallery — Specilazing in Americana scenes by Linda Nelson Stocks and Peter Sculthorpe. Vintage botanical and bird prints, Antiques, Framed limited edition prints M-F 9-5 Sat. 10-4 Sunday 12-4 102 E. Lafayette St. Monticello, IL www.steeplegallery.com 217762-2924 State Street Gallery & Emporium — 302 S. State St. C Studio Be — 16 B East Washington St., C Verdant News and Coffee & Verde Gallery — magazines, newspapers, coffee, beverages and fine pastries along with the Verde Fine Art Gallery 17 E. Taylor St., Champaign. Cafe hours: Mon-Sat 7am-10 pm; Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10am-10pm UIUC Japan House – Public Tours: Every Thursday, 1 p.m. 4 p.m. Third Saturday of each month, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.Or by appointment call (217)244-9934 or email japanhouse@uiuc.edu 2000 South Lincoln Ave., Urbana

Redeemable when purchasing tickets – Limit one

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calendar PUBLIC MEETINGS

Saturday, April 12, 2003 Historic Districts: Preserving Community Identity CITY OF URBANA – Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Location: Cobb Auditorium, Urbana Senior High School This event will be an opportunity for local residents to learn about how and why properties are designated, strategies for preservation groups, the role of the historic preservation commission and how to get involved!

Monday, April 14, 2003 Public Works Advisory Board CITY OF CHAMPAIGN – 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Location: Public Works/Parking Programs - 713 Edgebrook, Champaign Regular monthly meeting of the Public Works Advisory Board Committee of the Whole Meeting CITY OF URBANA – Time: 7:30 pm to finish Location: City Council Chambers Discussion of Agenda Items Tuesday, April 15, 2003 City Council Regular Meeting CITY OF CHAMPAIGN – 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Location: Champaign Council Chambers, 102 N. Neil Street, Champaign Regular Meeting Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Plan Commission Meeting CITY OF CHAMPAIGN – 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Location: Champaign Council Chambers, 102 N. Neil Street, Champaign Regular Meeting CATV Commission Meeting – 4:30 p.m. Location: City Council Chambers CITY OF URBANA Regular quarterly meeting of the Champaign-Urbana Joint Cable and Telecommunications Commission. This meeting will be televised live on UPTV Channel 6.

Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting CITY OF URBANA – Time: 7:30 pm Location: City Council Chambers Discussion of Agenda Items Thursday, April 17, 2003 Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting CITY OF CHAMPAIGN – 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Location: Champaign Council Chambers, 102 N. Neil Street, Champaign Regular

WANT TO GET YOUR EVENT LISTED ON OUR CALENDAR? Send your listings to calendar@readbuzz.com | APRIL 10-16, 2003

Meeting Board of Trustees of the Champaign Public Library CITY OF CHAMPAIGN – 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Location: Douglass Branch Library, 504 Grove Street , Champaign This regular meeting will be held in Meeting Room A/B

OUT OF TOWN SHOWS APRIL

4/10 Tim McGraw @ United Center, 8:00 4/10 trl Civic Tour: New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, Less Than Jake, The Disasters @ UIC Pavilion 4/11 Saliva @ The Pageant, 6pm 4/11 Polyphonic Spree @ Metro, 7:00 All 4/11 Widespread Panic @ UIC Pavilion, 7:00 4/11 Bog Log II w/ The Lonesome Organist @ Subterranean 4/12 Widespread Panic @ UIC Pavilion, 7:00 4/12 Ani DiFranco @ Rialto Square Theatre, Joliet, 7:30 4/12 Cheap Trick, Guided By Voices @ Vic Theatre, 8:00 4/12 Koko Taylor @ The Blue Note in Columbia, MO, 8:30pm 4/12 Catch 22 @ Metro 4/12 Al Green @ House of Blues 4/12 Centaur w/ Mezzazines @ Gunther Murphy’s 4/13 Al Green @ House of Blues 4/13 Guster @ The Pageant, 8pm 4/13 Ume Lemper @ Althenaeum Theatre, 7pm 4/14 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers @ Vic Theatre, 8:00 4/14 The Jayhawks @ Metro, 7pm 4/14 Blue Man Group CD Release @ Double Door, 8pm 4/15 Bad Religion @ The Pageant, 8pm 4/15 Velvet Sun @ Double Door 4/16 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers @ Vic Theatre, 8:00 4/17 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers @ Vic Theatre, 8:00 4/17 Toots & The Maytals @ Park West, 7:30 4/17 Jurassic 5 @ The Pageant, 8pm 4/17 The Donnas @ The Blue Note in Columbia, MO, 7pm 4/17 Mike Watt @ Double Door

DAVE’S DREAM DIARY | BY DAVE KING

4/18 Fischerspooner @ Metro, 7:00 4/18 Ani Difranco @ The Pageant, 8pm 4/18 The Disco Biscuits @ Vic Theatre, 8pm 4/18 Dada @ Park West, 8:30pm 4/19 Avril Lavigne @ UIC Pavilion, 7:30 4/19 Groove Armada @ Park West, 10pm 4/20 Ministry @ Madison Theatre, Peoria, IL 4/20 Lucky Boys Confusion @ Vic Theatre, 7:00 4/20 Umphrey’s McGee @ Park West, 8:30pm, 18+ 4/21 Maserati w/ Absinthe Blind @ Double Door 4/22 Pearl Jam @ Savvis Center, 7:30pm 4/22 Ministry @ Vic Theatre, 6pm 4/22 Pat Green @ The Blue Note, $15, 18+ 4/22 Keb’ Mo’ @ House of Blues 4/23 String Cheese Incident @SIU Arena, Carbondale, 7:30pm 4/24 And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead @ Metro, All 4/24 Skid Row @ Shark City, $12 (advance) $15 (door) 4/24 Stereo Fuse @ Martyrs, 8pm 4/25 Dar Williams & Band @ Vic Theatre, 7:30 4/25 String Cheese Incident @ UIC Pavilion, 7:00 4/25 Chuck Berry @ The Blue Note, 7pm, $20, 18+ 4/25 Stripping the Pistol @ Metro 4/26 Bad Religion @ Vic Theatre, 7pm 4/26 Dave Chappelle @ Jesse Auditorium, Columbia, MO, $25 4/28 Sum 41 @ The Pageant, 8pm, $16.50 4/27 Matchbox Twenty @ Savvis Center, 7:30pm, $33, $43 4/27 Bozo Porno Circus @ Double Door 4/29 13 Flowers @ Double Door, 9pm 4/30 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Greenhornes @ Metro, 7pm All 4/30 Pedro the Lion w/ The Stratford and Ester Drang @ Park West, 7pm 4/31 Mustard Plugs @ Metro

MAY 5/1 Pete Yorn, Grandaddy @ Riviera Theatre, 6:30

5/1 Starstruck @ Metro 5/1 Gov’t Mule @ The Blue Note, 8pm 5/2 Matchbox Twenty @ United Center, 7:00 5/2 George Lopez @ The Pageant, 8pm, $25 5/3 Flaming Lips @ Riviera Theatre, 7:30 5/3 Music As A Weapon II w/ Disturbed, Taproot, Chevelle @ UIC Pavilion, 7pm 5/4 Kill Hannah @ Metro 5/6 Ween @ The Blue Note, 8pm 5/6 Zwan @ Aragon Ballroom 5/7 Red Hot Chilli Peppers @ Savvis Center, 7pm 5/8 Johnny Marr & The Healers @ House of Blues Chicago 5/8 Concrete Blonde @ The Pageant, 8pm 5/8 Bright Eyes @ Metro 5/9 Luka Bloom @ Park West, 7:30pm 5/10 Concrete Blonde @ Park West, 7:30 5/10 The Levellers @ Martyrs, 10pm 5/13 Meshuggah @ Metro 5/13 Doa @ Double Door 5/13 Geek Show: Tomahawk, The Melvins @ Vic Theatre, 7:30pm 5/14 Lagwagon @ Metro 5/14 The Coral @ Double Door, 8pm 5/15 Chris Whitley & Band @ Martyrs, 9:00 5/15 Alkaline Trio, Pretty Girls Make Graves @ Riviera Theatre, 6:45pm 5/15 Liars @ Metro 5/23 Dixie Witch @ Double Door, 10pm 5/25 Poison w/ Vince Neil and Skid Row @ Tweeter Center 5/29 Dixie Chicks, Joan Osborne @ United Center 5/30 Dixie Chicks, Joan Osborne @ United Center

JUNE 6/6 Ben Harper, Jack Johnson @ UIC Pavilion, 6:30pm 6/9 Coldplay @ UIC Pavilion, 7:30pm 6/14 The Fleshtones @ Double Door 6/18 Pearl Jam, Idlewild @ United Center, 7:30 6/21 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Chicago Theatre, 8pm 6/28 Peter Gabriel @ Tweeter Center

CHICAGOVENUES House of Blues 329 N. Dearborn, Chicago 312-923-2000 The Bottom Lounge 3206 N Wilton, Chicago Vic Theatre 3145 N. Sheffield, Chicago 773-472-0449 Metro 3730 N. Clark St., Chicago 773-549-0203 Elbo Room 2871 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago Park West 322 W. Armitage, Chicago 773-929-1322 Riviera Theatre 4746 N. Racine at Lawerence, Chicago Allstate Arena 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont 847-635-6601 Arie Crown Theatre 2300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago 312-791-6000 UIC Pavilion 1150 W. Harrison, Chicago, 312-413-5700 Schubas 3159 N. Southport, Chicago 773-525-2508 Martyrs 3855 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago 773-288-4545 Aragon 1106 W. Lawerence, Chicago, 773-561-9500 Abbey Pub 3420 W. Grace, Chicago 773-478-4408 Fireside Bowl 2646 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago 773-486-2700 Schubert Theatre 22 W. Monroe, Chicago, 312-977-1700 Gunther Murphy’s 1638 Belmont , Chicago, 773-472-5139 Althenaeum Theatre 2936 Southport, Chicago, 773-472-5139

Have an interesting dream?

Drop an e-mail to buzz@readbuzz.com and let us know.

Your dream could be illustrated next by David King.

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ST LOUISVENUES The Blue Note 17 N. Ninth St. Downtown Columbia, MO The Pageant 6161 Delmar Blvd. St. Louis, MO The Savvis Center Clark & 14th Street St. Louis, MO

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | BLEEARRGH! THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID BLEEEARRRGH!

MovieReview

WHAT A GIRL WANTS

new line cinema

★★

MARCI KOLBER | STAFF WRITER

A MAN APART ★ MATT PAIS | STAFF WRITER

W

ith his bald head, chiseled figure and voice that sounds like he swallowed a chainsaw, Vin Diesel drips with masculine bravado in A Man Apart. Even his name has the power of a freight train hurdling off the tracks.

This hard-edged wrestler type is hardly the picture of subtlety. Diesel is so irrevocably macho that at any minute he seems poised to rip off his shirt.

Diesel plays Sean Vetter, a fearless Drug Enforcement Agency agent, who is tough enough to take down Mexican drug lords but sensitive enough to make his wife the center of his universe. A drug czar kills his wife, and Sean becomes obsessed with bringing the killers to justice to the chagrin of his partner (Larenz Tate) and his boss (Steve Eastin).

There’s not a whole lot to like about A Man Apart, directed with swift imprecision by F. Gary Gray. Gray’s past films—flawed urban morality pics such as The Negotiator and Set it Off—have, at least, sparkled with gritty authenticity and lower-middle class repression.

A Man Apart is anything but authentic, as many of the choppy action sequences exist well outside the narrative.

The performances are pervasively over-thetop; Tate and Timothy Olyphant, as a laughably “L.A.” drug dealer nicknamed Hollywood Jack, stoop down to the level of the material, but Diesel tears through even the most tender scenes with the delicacy of a wolf chewing through a T-Bone steak.

He patrols the streets like a hyper-athletic gorilla, which should pay dividends when Diesel turns down the sequel and a welltrained monkey can step in.

he great thing about sappy, cute chick flicks is that they’re predictably enjoyable.

And Dennis Gordman’s What a Girl Wants successfully delivers what the audience wants.

Amanda Bynes stars as Daphne Reynolds in this typical fairy tale about a young American girl who travels to London to meet her titled British father, played by Colin Firth, whom she has never known. Once there, she realizes that she must calm her rambunctious ways or she will ruin her father’s high-profile political career. Daphne manages to win over the public but realizes that she doesn’t like who she has become in the process. Ian, a charming local musician who wins Daphne’s heart, asks her “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” and Daphne realizes that the only way to really win her father’s heart is to be herself.

Throughout this journey, the audience is able to enjoy the light-hearted humor of Bynes’ clumsy, unconventional ways. Firth’s uncomfortable interactions with his daughter also provide simple amusement, but the greatest entertainment comes from watching the uptight ways of the snobby British elite.

MovieReview

PHONE BOOTH ★★ 1/2

PAUL BOOTH | STAFF WRITER

J

ohn Badham’s Nick of Time (1995) plays in real time; the movie is 90 minutes and the storyline takes place over 90 minutes. It comes across as original and daring but also as highly improbable. The film feels forced.

Joel Schumacher’s 80-minute Phone Booth is the latest film to employ a purposefully limiting cinematic rule. The rule here limits the film’s action to a few square feet in and around the last remaining phone booth in New York City, as the narrator fills in the audience on the rest of the story. This limit is the best part of Phone Booth. It captures the excitement and thrill of the movie but also sacrifices good dialogue for flashy camera techniques.

Stu Shepard (Colin Farrell), a young, moderately successful celebrity promoter, stops at a phone booth to call Pam (Katie Holmes), the woman he someday wants to make his mis-

WHAT A GIRL WANTS | AMANDA BYNES AND OLIVER JAMES What a Girl Wants is based off William Douglas Home’s 1956 play and 1958 screenplay The Reluctant Debutante. But like so many other movies these days, this movie lacks originality. The plot is a typical fairytale, complete with an evil stepmother and stepsister. The down to earth musician boyfriend even plays the role of a prince.

Random humorous moments give What a

tress. After he hangs up, the phone mysteriously rings.

The owner of the voice on the other end is also the owner of a sniper rifle pointed at Stu’s head. The caller tells Stu that he will shoot him if he hangs up. Confused, angry and terrified, Stu begins a mind-duel with the caller, only to watch as the sniper guns down a man on the street. Stu is blamed for the man’s death and must somehow protect his innocence while still following the snipers orders.

In order to compensate for the limited action, Schumacher employs so much camera razzle dazzle that viewers feel like they’re at a carnival. Split screens, quad screens, picturein-picture, sped up motion: The list of distracting special techniques goes on and on.

Phone Booth follows the typical Schumacher theme: a single protagonist must overcome personal obstacles to defeat a greater force. It then flounders with the typical Schumacher flaw: relying on overdone visuals as substitutions for a decent script. This was also seen in the latter two Batman movie and in 8mm.

When he’s good (Falling Down), Schumacher’s makes really meaningful films. Phone Booth falls somewhere between; it really tries to get at the heart of the characters.

Thanks to a flat, one-note script from Larry

Girl Wants an edge over similar films, as when Daphne’s grandmother tells her, “No hugs dear. I’m British. We only show affection to dogs and horses.”

What a Girl Wants is worth seeing for an afternoon of smiles and good-hearted entertainment. But don’t expect more than a predictable fairytale.

20th Century Fox

MovieReview

T

Warner Bros.

A MAN APART | VIN DIESEL

PHONE BOOTH | COLIN FARRELL

Cohen, though, Phone Booth never gets off the ground. The key to a movie like Phone Booth is a believable and ultimately horrifying bad guy, the sniper (Kiefer Sutherland). He has to be someone the audience can fear yet believe.

Cohen’s script stumbles because the dialogue between Stu and the Sniper, the heart of the film, is just standard fare. The bad guy is just another bad guy, and Stu is ultimately just a boring pretty-boy. Instead of tilting the camera and inserting pictures-in-pictures, Schumacher should have spent a little more time honing the script.

film&tv

I’VE BEEN WORKING AT THE DAIRY QUEEN FOR ABOUT .... 8 MONTHS| APRIL 10-16, 2003

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TVReview

LOST AT HOME ★★

The question asked by many a philosopher: Hump It or Dump It? 10:20 Monday–Friday

SARAH LANGENBERG | STAFF WRITER

L

ost at Home is ABC’s latest edition in the highly recycled genre of sitcoms. Unlike other shows that reveal the difficulties of life for single parents, Lost at Home takes advantage of the newest cliche: a workaholic dad, Michael (Mitch Rouse), who is disconnected from his family.

In a setting that combines modern-day suburbia and city life, the show focuses on Michael's attempt to rebuild his family and the hectic atmosphere of Michael's ad agency office.

Also in the mix are his concerned wife Rachel and three kids, who he knows very little about, and a demanding yet sympathetic boss, who also acts as his mentor. The family lives in a quaint restored farmhouse.

The series premiere successfully reveals the tension between characters. Michael is torn between his lives as a successful agent and an unsuccessful husband and parent. A nice balance is struck between introducing the characters’ personalities and the obstacles they faced. It seems obvious at times how these fragmented pieces of Michael's life will fit together in the end, and the show overall fol-

lows suit as the predictable family comedy. It is heavy on the sarcasm and light on emotions.

The pilot episode opens in the couple's bedroom, with Rachel telling him that she called a lawyer to explore the possibility of divorce. If Michael doesn't get his priorities in line and reconnect with his family, she says their marriage is over. The episode focuses on Michael's efforts to reconnect with his wife and three kids and instill order in the household.

The characters are revealed more as Michael interacts with them. His tough, nononsense boss, Jordan, reminds Michael that family was the defining factor in his life.

Rachel portrays the typical working mom on the brink of giving up her marriage, tired from the constant balancing act between being a lawyer and a full-time mom.

Lost at Home has all of the components of a typical family sitcom that could make it successful, but it remains as mediocre as the rest of them. One of the show’s unique aspects is the main characters’ life situations. Not much older than 30 and with three kids, it is unique for such a young couple to be the focus of this

LOST AT HOME | CAST PHOTO troubled story line. Even though Michael and Rachel add energy to the show that would be difficult to achieve with an older couple, the show tries too hard to reach a young audience.

Lost at Home will probably end up like many family sitcoms have lately — watched a few times and then canned, with its tapes stacked on dusty shelves somewhere in ABC’s studios. Future episodes will surely be about Michael's continuing journey to be a good father and husband, which can only be altered so many times until it gets old and boring.

TVReview

THAT’S MY BABY

★★★ 1/2 JENNIFER KEAST | STAFF WRITER

R

eality shows aired on network television often are filled with scandal, competition and drama. Some cable channels have implemented more creative and “clean” spin on reality TV: the educational reality show. The Animal Planet network has joined the educational reality show bandwagon and added That’s My Baby, a knock-off of TLC’s A Baby Story, to its repertoire.

A Baby Story follows a pregnant woman and her family through the joys and tribulations of pregnancy and the birthing process.

That’s My Baby, on the other hand, follows a family’s pet through part of its pregnancy and the entire birth process. Animals have always been the focus of extreme curiosity from humans, and many people are less likely to be disgusted by an animal’s birth than a human’s. This makes That’s My Baby more appealing than A Baby Story.

That’s My Baby reaches out to pet lovers of all kinds. Featured pets range from the ordi-

nary dog and cat to the stranger pig or giraffe. The show is committed to clean entertainment while simultaneously educating and informing the public. The first few minutes features an introduction to the geatured pet, including useful facts and statistics about the animal breed and insights to the pet’s personality from the pet’s owners.

The most interesting episodes are those that feature the more “rare” pets. One of the best episodes focused on a giraffe named Kimba. Joanne, Kimba’s keeper at a wildlife park in Florida, narrates the episode.

Through Joanne’s insight and the episode’s camera work, viewers are able to learn a lot about giraffes that they probably did not already know.

The show also centers on each animal’s birth rituals and methods. Viewers get to see everything from at-home-in-a-box births of puppies to at-the-wildlife-park births of giraffes like Kimba. The cameras on A Baby Story pan away at the actual moment birth and focus more on what the doctors and nurses are doing. That’s My Baby never shies away from the mother’s birthing process.

As Kimba gives birth, the camera focuses on her face, showing the giraffe’s expressions

Animal Planet

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THAT’S MY BABY | INFANT LAMBS as she pushes. The camera is also up close and personal as the baby, Jumoke, falls nearly 10 feet from the birth canal to the ground as she is born.

Whether it is watching little poodle puppies being cleaned, fed, and playing, or witnessing Jumoke’s first attempts at standing on her wobbly giraffe legs, the newborns do not fail to entertain or warm people’s hearts.

That’s My Baby entertains and educates throughout each half an hour show. The camera work captivates viewers while showing the animals’ true natures.

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film&tv

APRIL 10-16, 2003 | I COULD DO WITH 30 PERCENT LESS SASSMOUTH FROM YOU

Drive-thru Reviews

HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS

AGENT CODY BANKS ★1/2

FRANKIE MUNIZ The worst part about Agent Cody Banks is that it turns the best parts of James Bond, the glaring plot holes and laughable villains, into weak parts. Bond films are wisely self-conscious of their own inherent silliness, and the humor lies in that they’re aware of themselves. Agent Cody Banks refuses to let the audience lose themselves in it. For a movie this laughably ridiculous, it is a travesty. Stay away from Cody Banks. Rent Spy Kids instead. (Paul Booth) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

BASIC ★★

JOHN TRAVOLTA AND SAMUEL L. JACKSON Basic brings Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta together for the first time since their Oscar-nominated performances in Pulp Fiction. But Basic lacks what made Pulp Fiction the hit it was: originality and good writing. Imagine a giant Cuisinart. Now throw in A Few Good Men, The Usual Suspects and Full Metal Jacket and leave the top off so everything can spin together into a muddled mess and all of the quality can spew out the top. That’s Basic’s plot.

(Jason Cantone) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE ★1/2

STEVE MARTIN AND QUEEN LATIFAH The family man’s Bulworth, Bringing Down the House treats upscale emotional repression as a fundamental problem of whiteness, a problem that can be solved only by embracing one’s inner gangsta at an all-black club armed only with street-purchased clothes and fake homeboy vernacular.

(Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

CHICAGO ★★★1/2

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES AND RICHARD GERE (2003 Academy Award Winner – Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Sound) This movie adaptation of the Kander and Ebbs and Bob Foose musical lights up audiences with thrill-packed dance numbers, brilliant singing an Oscar-nominated cast and screenplay. Winner of six Academy Awards, including best picture and best supporting actress for Catherine Zeta Jones. (Jason Cantone) Now showing at Beverly

THE CORE ★★

AARON ECKHART AND STANLEY TUCCI The actors, especially Eckhart, Tucci and Lindo, are infinitely enjoyable to watch, and the script is lightened by humor.

The Core is certainly not a great movie, but it has all the elements of a pretty good movie. Just remember to check any education at the door. (Paul Booth) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

DREAMCATCHER ★★

MORGAN FREEMAN AND THOMAS JANE Four friends struggling with life meet in the Maine woods for their annual hunting trip. The four friends put in a struggle with a psychotic army colonel and a being that has taken control of one of their minds. Based on the Stephen King novel.

There are a million and one reasons this movie just doesn’t work, the biggest of those being that the writers seem to have forgotten that burping, farting and anal bleeding (yes, you read that right) are never scary, no matter what causes them.(Paul Eberhart) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

KATE HUDSON AND MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY Benjamin Barry is an advertising executive and ladies' man who, to win a big campaign, bets that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days. Andie Anderson covers the "How To" beat for "Composure" magazine and is assigned to write an article on "How to Lose a Guy in 10 days." They meet in a bar shortly after the bet is made.

Now showing at Beverly

HEAD OF STATE ★★★

CHRIS ROCK AND BERNIE MAC Some things will probably never happen, but it can be quite fun to imagine a far-fetched “What if?” like the one presented by Chris Rock in Head of State. These kinds of fantasies are especially fun if they’re executed confidently and recognize their own absurdities. In his directorial debut, Rock surprisingly accomplishes both. (John Loos) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

THE HUNTED ★★

TOMMY LEE JONES AND BENICIO DEL TORO Not a whole lot happens in The Hunted, a relatively by-thebook chase film from The Exorcist director William Friedkin.

Aaron Hallam (Benicio del Toro), an ex-soldier and expert killer, was traumatized so deeply after fighting in Kosovo that he now kills American hunters at will. Secondary characters come and go with ease, whether Hallam or the script kills them off. After an hour and a half of running, jumping and slicing, The Hunted just leaves the audience hunting for one measly ounce of feeling. (Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE

KEVIN SPACEY AND LAURA LINNEY A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row. With Kate Winslet.

Now showing at Beverly

one is to remain human.” And, in the end, humanity is all that either man wants. (Paul Booth) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

SPIRITED AWAY ★★★★

In writer/director Hayao Miyazaki’s (Princess Mononoke) animated fantasyland, 10-year-old Chihiro and her parents accidentally enter an abandoned amusement park, and minutes later, Chihiro’s parents have been transformed into pigs and the park overflows with supernatural life. A kaleidoscopic wonderland of creatures and critters, Spirited Away could only be more wondrous in its native tongue.

(Matt Pais) Oscar winner for Best Animated Film Re-released at Beverly

TALK TO HER ★★★

JAVIER CAMARA AND DARIO GRANDINETTI (2003 Academy Award Winner – Best Original Screenplay) Director Pedro Almodovar weaves a sympathetic tale about two men who care for care for two comatose women. One man works in the hospital ward with the women, and the other is visiting his girlfriend who was injured in a bull fighting accident that put her in the coma. There’s a fantastic silent-film sequence, but overall the film is slow and the subject matter is a bit difficult for even Almodovar to humanize. (Elliot Kolkovich)

WHAT A GIRL WANTS ★★

AMANDA BYNES AND COLIN FIRTH Random humorous moments give What a Girl Wants an edge over similar films, as when Daphne’s grandmother tells her,“No hugs dear. I’m British. We only show affection to dogs and horses.” What a Girl Wants is worth seeing for an afternoon of smiles and good-hearted entertainment.

But don’t expect more than a predictable fairytale. (Marci Kolber)

A MAN APART

VIN DIESEL There’s not a whole lot to like about A Man Apart, directed with swift imprecision by F. Gary Gray. Gray’s past films— flawed urban morality pics such as The Negotiator and Set it Off—have, at least, sparkled with gritty authenticity and lower-middle class repression. A Man Apart is anything but authentic, as many of the choppy action sequences exist well outside the narrative. (Matt Pais) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

PHONE BOOTH ★★1/2

COLIN FARRELL AND KATIE HOLMES The rule here limits the film’s action to a few square feet in and around the last remaining phone booth in New York City, as the narrator fills in the audience on the rest of the story. This limit is the best part of Phone Booth. It captures the excitement and thrill of the movie but also sacrifices good dialogue for flashy camera techniques. (Paul Booth) Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

PIGLET’S BIG MOVIE

VOICE OF JIM CUMMINGS This is the story of Piglet who finds his friends endangered, and with the Books of Memories, he's the one resident of Hundred Acre Wood who can save them.

Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

OLD SCHOOL

LUKE WILSON, VINCE VAUGHN AND WILL FERREL College buddies reunite and jump start a new fraternity while they battle their own problems in hilarious ways.

Now showing at Beverly and Savoy

THE PIANIST

ADRIEN BRODY (2003 Academy Award Winner – Best Director, Best Actor, BesT Adapted Screenplay) A brilliant pianist, and Polish Jew, witnesses the restrictions Nazis place on Jews in the Polish capital, from restricted access to the building of the Warsaw ghetto. As his family is shipped off to the Nazi labor camps, he escapes deportation and eludes capture by living in the ruins of Warsaw.

Now showing at Beverly

THE QUIET AMERICAN ★★★1/2

MICHAEL CAINE AND BRANDON FRASER The Quiet American is not a war film, nor is it a romance. It is a movie of conflict,. Caine and Fraser play opposite sides of the war coin – to act or not to act. Perhaps it is summed up best when Pyle says,“Sooner or later one has to take sides if

ENDING THIS WEEK TEARS OF THE SUN ★★★

BRUCE WILLIS AND MONICA BELLUCCI The film was powerful and moving, specifically taken in the light that so many people are unaware of the genocide that has taken place in such places as Rwanda, Uganda and the Sudan in real life. (Jason Minard)

A VIEW FROM THE TOP ★1/2

GWENYTH PALTROW AND MIKE MYERS Donna dreams of becoming a first class international flight attendant and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that her dreams come true. But the real question is whether her bumpy start will cause her to leave her dreams behind or if it will take her on a journey of a lifetime.

Take the refreshing fun out of Legally Blonde, the potty humor out of The Sweetest Thing and the quirky nuances out of Miss Congeniality, and what’s left is a bland, unremarkable you-go-girl comedy called A View From The Top. (John Loos)

29

debut. Though created in the vein of the Creature Feature classic edge-of-your-seat horror flicks of yesterday, House of 1000 Corpses is at its core a story of family--a cast of twisted individuals who, with each slash of a throat or stab thru the chest, add bodies to their sick human menagerie.

Opening at Savoy

RAISING ARIZONA

NICOLAS CAGE When a childless couple of an ex-con and an ex-cop decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintupelets, their lives get more complicated than they anticipated.

Re-released at Beverly this weekend.

UPCOMING FILM FESTIVAL The Video Group of the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (IMC) is collaborating with local independent film magazine MICRO-FILM to present an evening of contemporary underground films. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 from 7 to 11 p.m. in the back room of the IMC, 218 W. Main St, downtown Urbana, Illinois.

This "Night of Counter (Culture) Programming" will present two feature-length films and two short subjects that depict artists, writers, publishers, and media activists using their talents to hold their ground against seemingly insurmountable odds. Feature selections include the critically acclaimed documentary Horns and Halos, about the embattled author and publisher of the George W. Bush tell-all Fortunate Son, and the gonzo musical comedy Existo, about a shock-haired revolutionary who leads his followers against political naysayers using song, dance, art and spoken word.

Preceding Horns and Halos at 7 p.m. will be the hard-hitting spoof Killing Michael Bay, depicting the travails of two hardy independent filmmakers that kidnap Bay, the director of Hollywood big-budget epics including Pearl Harbor and Armageddon. Matched with Existo at 9 p.m. will be Gimme the Mermaid, an animated collage that comments on fickle entertainment industry mind-sets using familiar cartoon imagery.

A related film event will take place starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, also in the back room of the IMC, consisting of short videos documenting radical culture and politics, with a subsequent discussion of production techniques facilitated by the IMC Video Group.

Films to be shown include Crashing the VIP Room, a documentary by Video Group member Dave Powers on the Amsterdam media activist group Vrije Keyser Televisie, and Guerilla Video Primer, a compilation produced by California's Cascadia Media Collective.

There will be a sliding-scale donation at the door for both shows, part of which will be donated to the IMC. More information will be available soon at www.mediageek.org and www.artisticunderground.com/mf_unbound/.

OPENING THIS WEEK ANGER MANAGEMENT

JACK NICHOLSON AND ADAM SANDLER After a misunderstanding aboard an airplane that escalates out of control, the mild-mannered Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) is ordered by Judge Daniels (Lynne Thigpen) to attend anger management sessions run by Doctor Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), which are filled with highly eccentric and volatile men and women. Buddy’s unorthodox approach to therapy is confrontational and abrasive and Dave is bewildered by it. Then, after yet another mishap, Judge Daniels orders Dave to step up his therapy or wind up in jail. So, Buddy moves in with Dave to help him battle his inner demons. Buddy himself has no inner demons since he acts out at every opportunity and that includes making lewd comments about Dave’s girlfriend Linda (Marisa Tomei).

Opening at Beverly and Savoy on Friday

Fresh New Finds!

Check out our NEW spring arrivals: ’s ro T Ret

ky Fun y elr Jew

To sh ns o dr irt f es s, et ses , c.

HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES

KAREN BLACK AND CHRIS HARDWICK An empty fuel tank and a flat tire lead two couples down a terror-riddled road to the House of 1000 Corpses. From the dark, demented mind of Rob Zombie comes House of 1000 Corpses, the shock rock master’s feature film directorial

9 Taylor, Downtown Champaign • 355-WEED Hours: mon–sat 11–6, sun 1–5

30

film&tv POP CULTURE COLUMN

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SNOW? INFORMER HAD SUCH PROMISE | APRIL 10-16, 2003

buzz

DVDReview

Being Bilingual THE REF I think it would be so cool to be bilingual. Not only would it be great to savor the subtleties and nuances of different forms of expression, but you would also double your eavesdropping potential.

Learning French is clearly out, since speaking French may be illegal in this country sometime soon, unless those lousy Frogs get off their pretentious asses and start dropping some bombs on the same people we are.

I took Spanish in high school, and my skills, if I were to really knuckle down and practice, could eventually become rudimentary. Every time I find myself in the midst of Spanish speakers, I bemoan the fact that I have yet to sign up for that Spanish-intensive class. Then I’d be able to joyously participate in whatever it is that people talk about in Spanish.

Recently, though, it dawned on me that I am, in fact, bilingual. I’m fluent in a language that I call Profanese, the beautiful language of Profanity.

I know what you’re thinking: Cursing isn’t a language, it’s just vulgar. Well, you’re wrong. I’m here to tell you that it is a language unto itself, and like with any other language, you have to know when and where to use it. Slipping up will either leave you misunderstood or in a lot of trouble.

The trick to Profanese, since its use crosses the bounds of race, color, creed and sex, is to be able to recognize a fellow speaker. Sometimes, it’s pretty obvious. For example, the woman who was telling me about how Jesus had changed her life and was adamant that I allow Him to change mine was clearly not a Profanese speaker. Other times, though, it’s less obvious, so you have to either ask straight out or hint around at it. Ask, “Hey, how the ‘f’ are ya?” A reply of “I’m totally ‘f-in’ awesome” means you have met a fellow Profaniard.

Still doubt the legitimacy of Profanese as a valid language? Consider how it’s similar to Spanish: * Most people know a few words of it, even if they don’t understand complex verb tenses or how to form complete sentences. * It’s taught in schools (just not in the classroom). * There are times when knowing it can come in real handy.

Look for my upcoming class: Profanese as a Second Language. Space will be seriously ‘f-in’ limited, so I suggest you sign the ‘f” up early.

Movie: ★★★ DVD: ★

1/2

JASON MINARD | STAFF WRITER

The movie

T

he Ref is a dark, bitterly funny comedy that was initially released in 1994. It’s unfortunate that movies this mean-spirited don’t get made more often.

The film focuses on Lloyd Chasseur (Kevin Spacey) and his wife, Caroline (Judy Davis).

They are a wealthy couple in the middle of a failing marriage, attempting to get help from a rather hapless therapist. Divorce seems inevitable, but the two dig in their heels to fight until the bitter end, and Lloyd is quite content to stay married and continue pouring down his cynicism and sarcasm on Caroline.

Elsewhere, Gus (Denis Leary) is attempting steal jewels when he finds himself trapped by a creative alarm system in a Connecticut mansion. He is able to escape but not before being sprayed by cat piss and having the guard dog attack him. Escaping into the neighborhood, he decides to take Lloyd and Caroline

hostage. This turns out to be a horrible decision.

After several fights between the Chasseurs, Gus proclaims, “I’m in Hell .... Connecticut is the fifth ring of Hell.” Even with a loaded gun, bungee cords to tie up the couple and some witty banter, he finds himself unable to hold the Chasseur’s attention. They continue to argue fiercely. To make matters worse, the Chasseur’s son (Robert J. Steinmiller, Jr.), relatives and friends are on their way to the home for a Christmas Eve celebration.

The Ref isn’t a substantial look at the difficulties of marriage, but it doesn’t intend to be, nor could it be in 93 minutes. However, the film manages to insert a few nice emotional moments without taking away from the overall edgy, dark tone.

The DVD The Ref is presented in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen on a single-layer disc. The presentation is merely OK. Sharpness and detail are standard, with decent detail and the occasional hint of softness. Flaws pop up on occasion throughout the film, although the presentation does start to clear up—though

not entirely—after an iffy first few minutes.

Most of the remainder looks crisp and clean, but the occasional mark does show up.

Some subtle edge enhancement was spotted in a few scenes, but it never became much of an issue. A minor compression artifact or two were also seen.

The disc has no extra material to speak of, which is really too bad. As good as the onscreen banter was, there must have been some good miscues and great goofs. A gag reel similar to those in Rush Hour or the Austin Powers movies would have added volumes to this DVD.

FINAL THOUGHTS This is a darkly funny comedy. The Ref offers great performances, some terrific laughs and a nice balance of comedy and drama. The DVD edition offers a fairly good (but unfortunately non-anamorphic) widescreen presentation, decent audio and no supplements. However, the disc is available at Best Buy for merely mere $9.99, making picking it up an easy choice.

DVDReview

MOONLIGHT MILE ★★★ 1/2 RACHEL TOLER | STAFF WRITER

W

riter and director Brad Silberling acknowledges that life does not always resemble Hollywood movies in the movie Moonlight Mile. The movie’s beauty lies in its ability to expose some of life’s most serious truths, a rarity in contemporary films.

At the beginning of the movie, Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal), a quiet and brooding twentysomething, has just lost his fiancee in a brutal murder. Unsure of what he wants to do with his future, he finds a temporary home with his fiancee’s parents, Jo Jo and Ben. The film has a somber tone, but, thankfully, Silberling does not rely on sappiness or tears to tell the story. Rather, a subtly humorous script highlights the main characters’ eccentricities and realness.

Susan Sarandon plays the character of Jo Jo, a foul-mouthed professional writer whose strength often overpowers her stammering, commercial realtor husband, Ben (Dustin Hoffman). Unfortunately, Silberling relied on Sarandon’s image as a strong, independent woman too much to allow her more complex acting abilities to come through.

These colorful characters become Joe’s family, and he becomes an emotional crutch for Jo Jo and Ben, ultimately losing his own identity.

Before they can repiece their lives, the characters explore the pains of losing their daughter and fiancee.

Gyllenhaal comes into his own as Joe, lending an awkward, almost childlike presence to the film. Silberling highlights his internalized conflicts with other characters through a unique style of direction that reinforces Joe’s perspective on and relationships with the people he loves.

Unfortunately, the DVD features are a disappointment after watching the meticulously crafted film. A well-crafted documentary could have demonstrated the thought and planning that must have gone into such a film, but instead this segment (though polished) features the actors and director complimenting each other incessantly.

The numerous deleted scenes, available with or without Silberling’s commentary, seem promising at first, but they eventually lapse into too many boring real estate-related minutes. Viewers are lucky Silberling removed them.

In general, films focused on emotions rather than action tend to drag on without an end-

Touchstone Pictures

BARRY SMITH | COLUMNIST

MOONLIGHT MILE | ELLEN POMPERO AND JAKE GYLLENHALL ing in sight. (In the Bedroom is a recent example.) However, Silberling saves Moonlight Mile from disaster with authentic writing, original direction and a talented cast.

Even though people may go to the movies to escape the tribulations of the real world, Moonlight Mile offers a world-weary audience the consolation that every tragedy in life brings with it the opportunity for a new beginning.

buzz

31

APRIL 10-16, 2003

Huber’s

continued from page 6 “There are 60-year-olds and 30-year-olds in here, and what are they all doing?” Jim asks, taking a sip of his beer. “They’re talking— that’s it. It’s just good people having a good time.”

At 9:30 p.m. on Friday night, Huber’s is more crowded than usual for late February.

Jim credits a slight break from the cold weather for sending those with cabin fever out of the house. Music is playing, ashtrays and plastic trays of popcorn are scattered on the tables, and people are mingling and laughing loudly. Tonight it is Sheila and Bob Ruggles who are occupying the round table with friends. A younger group than the men two nights ago, they meet at Huber’s every Monday and Friday night—a tradition they say is important to them.

“I prefer to call it ‘spirits,’” Bob Ruggles says with a grin. “And I can’t say for every-

[

There are 60-year-olds and 30-year-olds in here, and what are they all doing?

– Jim Cross, owner

[

body, but the drinking really is secondary.”

“This is our outlet,” Sheila Ruggles explains. “At the end of the week, we come to Huber’s to conquer the world.”

As they talk, a woman walking by stoops down to pick up Sheila Ruggles’ jacket, which has fallen off the back of her chair onto the floor.

“Thank you,” says Sheila, who recognizes the woman but doesn’t know her name. “See, residential bars like this are a thing of the past. It’s like going to a family room and sitting and having a few drinks with friends.”

As Jim puts on his jacket and heads for the door, the group waves and says goodnight.

They all like the improvements he’s made since taking over the bar, but they’ve noticed that the better he makes Huber’s, the more popular it becomes.

“He’s been too damn successful,” Bob Ruggles says.

Gino, back at his usual barstool on Monday afternoon wearing a flannel shirt, blue jeans and a hat, explains what strangers tend to miss about Huber’s.

“A lot of newcomers that don’t live in the neighborhood like the ambiance,” he says.

“But they don’t realize the source of it and act like Huber’s is just another place. It isn’t.”

The bartender brings Gino another Miller Lite. He rests his elbows on the bar and rolls up an empty package of Winston’s.

“It’s just like bein’ home, you know?”

Drop us a line. buzz@readbuzz.com Huber's regular Gino Kirby sits at the bar on a Thursday afternoon.

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32

HELP ME | APRIL 10-16, 2003

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PHONE: 217/333-7777 DEADLINE: 2 p.m. Monday for the next Thursday’s edition.

INDEX Employment 000 Services 100 Merchandise 200 Transportation 300 Apartments 400 Other Housing For Rent 500 Real Estate for Sale 600 Things To Do 700 Announcements 800 Personals 900 • PLEASE CHECK YOUR AD! Report errors immediately by calling 333-7777. We cannot be responsible for more than one day’s incorrect insertion if you do not notify us of the error by 2 p.m. on the day of the first insertion.

• All advertising is subject to the approval of the publisher. The Daily Illini shall have the right to revise, reject or cancel, in whole or in part, any advertisement, at any time.

• All employment advertising in this newspaper is subject to the City of Champaign Human Rights Ordinance and similar state and local laws, making it illegal for any person to cause to be published any advertisement which expresses limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, color, mental handicap, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, political affiliation, prior arrest or conviction record, source of income, or the fact that such person is a student.

• Specification in employment classifications are made only where such factors are bonafide occupational qualifications necessary for employment.

• All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, and similar state and local laws which make it illegal for any person to cause to be published any advertisement relating to the transfer, sale, rental, or lease of any housing which expresses limitation, specifications or discrimination as to race, color, creed, class, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, personal appearance, sexual oientation, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or the fact that such person is a student.

• This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law.

Our readers are informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal oppportunity basis.

CAMPUS APARTMENTS Unurnished

Announcements 800

HELP WANTED | Full and Part Time

1 Bedroom Apartments

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

Photographer seeking female models for erotic photography. Must be 18 years old.

Good pay. Call Michael at 217-621-4898.

1 bedroom various Champaign old town area location beginning June 1st through August. 352-8540 pm 355-4608 www.faronpropertiesmjp.com

Employment

000

Services

100

BUSINESS SERVICES Marla’s Massage. Open 7 days, until 10pm. Private studio. (217)344-8879.

CLEANING Exact Extraction. Carpet & upholstery cleaning. Free estimates. 688-3101.

LAWN CARE FREE ESTIMATES: Tree trimming, Topping, Removal, Stump Grinding. 384-5010.

Transportation

RATES: Billed rate: 29¢/word Paid-in-Advance: 21¢/word Photo Sellers 30 words or less + photo: $5 per issue Garage Sales 30 words in both Thursday’s buzz and Friday’s Daily Illini!! $10. If it rains, your next date is free.

Action Ads • 20 words, run any 5 days (in buzz or The Daily Illini), $12 • 10 words, run any 5 days (in buzz or The Daily Illini), $6 • add a photo to an action ad, $10

300

800 W. Church, C Convenient 2 BR now available. $450/mo.

352-8540 pm 355-4608. www.faronpropertiesmjp.com

1989 Toyota MR2. Red, 149K, many new parts, new tires, must see. $1200 obo. Call cell 630-803-8813 or 630-803-2060.

97 Pontiac sunfire, 151,000 miles, good condition, $3,000, sunroof, 384-8277

MOTORCYCLES | SCOOTERS

.com

Other Rentals

500

For August great houses. Furnished, hardwood, parking, and more. 608 S. Elm 4 bed, 2 bath $1350/mo. 203 N. New 4 bed, 2 bath $1400/mo. 809 W. Charles 3 bed, 1 bath $1000/mo. Call Ted 766-5108

400

give us a ring

Placing your ad in buzz is as easy as 1-2-3!

Name

____________________________________________________________________________

Phone

____________________________________________________________________________

(where you can be reached from 8am-5pm)

Place my ad in category ____________________

Amount enclosed ______________________

S T E P 1 : Please print your ad below.

Real Estate for Sale 600

86 Honda Rebel 250cc. Great condition. $1500 OBO. 384-9004. Gideon.

Apartments

333-7777

State ______________ Zip __________________________________________________________

HOUSES 1996 Chevy Beretta, 80 K, damaged body, $2500 negotiable, 531-0230

Secret Encounters Adult Entertainment.

Running a Spring Special for $75/hr. We provide escorts and massages. Open 24/7. We provide incall/outcall services.

Willing to travel 24/hr notice. 217-3374663. www.yoursecretencounters.com

Junior Achievement - being brought to Champaign-Urbana grade school - high schools to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise and understand business and economics. Looking for consultants to teach 1 hour a week for 6-8 weeks. All materials and training provided. Interested volunteers contact 4282151 or e-mail eillja@mcleodusa.net.

Address ____________________________________________________________________________

www.

READBUZZ

AUTOMOBILES

CONDOS | DUPLEXES

10 words

CONDO 2 bedroom/garage. $74,000. 217-2390117 before 8 p.m. Open house Sunday, 3-5 p.m. 1510 S. Race, Urbana.

CAMPUS APARTMENTS | Furnished

HOUSES

JOHN SMITH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT www.johnsmithproperties.com (815) 877-6931 “believe the hype”

Charming older home, W. Church St, Champaign, 3 BR, 2 baths, hardwood floors, basement, $1, 397 square feet, $120,000, 352-4262, 202-7787

BUSINESS SERVICES

BUSINESS SERVICES

20 words

Get Relief With A Professional Massage 30 words

U of I’s Trusted name in Massage Therapy With 16-yrs of Professional Experience in helping Students & Staff overcome their stress, tension & pain.

S T E P 2 : Choose your deal

BODY THERAPY CENTER 206 N. Randolph Ste 518, C.

Line ad 21¢/word (prepaid) for each issue

355-8001

Student & Staff Discounts thebodytherapycenter.com Member: AMTA

DEADLINE:

2 p.m. Monday for the next Thursday’s edition.

711 S Randolf, C 1 BR, all utilities paid, near campus and downtown Champaign. $450/mo. 3528540 pm 355-4608 www.faronpropertiesmjp.com

C-U One to One Mentoring Program - a one-to-one, school based mentoring program seeks community based adult volunteers. Commitment requires 1 hour a week for at least a year. Volunteers interested should call or e-mail; 351-3722 or bkoester@cmi.k12.il.us

MISCELLANEOUS

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

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Bring on the Buyers!

Line ads are unbordered ads in the classified section. Use this form to place a line ad in the Thursday buzz classifieds.

10 word Action Ad choose 5 days, $6

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Action ads are non-refundable and available only for ads in Services, Merchandise, and Transportation categories. Choose 5 run dates below.

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Settling for a stupid job

BY PENELOPE TRUNK

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | A STACK OF CEILING FANS JUST FELL ON ME

n the early 1990s, when the job market was as bad as it is today, I had a college degree that was getting me nowhere. So my friend got me a job signing Esther Williams' autograph for fans.

Esther who? That's what I said. Esther Williams won an Olympic medal in synchronized swimming in the 1940s, and she took her bathing-suitclad body to MGM where she was the star of water musicals. If you've never seen a water musical think Ginger Rodgers with nose plugs.

Esther was hot in her day, and believe it or not, she's still hot among nostalgic old people, young girls who like swimming, and gay men who like kitsch.

I worried that the job was illegal, but the person who hired me assured me this is a very common job in Los Angeles. After all, no one would squander life as a movie star by sitting around all day writing autographs for the millions of people who request signed photos.

At the time, I was very upset that the only job I could get wasn't even significant enough to have a title.

(Question: "Uh, what do you call this kind of job?" Answer: "I don't know.") But now I realize that even though I hated the job, I learned a lot from doing it. In fact, I'd have to say that Esther Williams was my first marketing mentor, and I built my own marketing career around rules I learned from her: Quality control is important. During my first week, Esther gave me three copies of her signature (different pens, different sizes) and told me to practice. I submitted my best shot to Esther and she said, "Make the E's loopier." I looped and resubmitted and then she gave me the goahead.

Give the customer what they want. When I started working for Esther, she was well past 60, so when someone requested an autographed picture, you just knew they weren't asking for one she

took the week before. So we had a stack of copies of old MGM promotional photos: Esther as Olympic swimmer, Esther as showgirl, there was even one of Esther in a sort of kiddie porn motif. But for the die-hard fans who requested it, I also had a photo of Esther when she was about 50 years old: A head shot.

Cut costs. We had 8x10s, but I only sent those if the person enclosed postage.

Otherwise, Esther instructed me to send a 5x7. Sometimes people would request an 8x10, and even if they didn't send postage, I'd send a big photo.

I figured it would make a happy customer and it wouldn't break her bank - after all, she still received residual checks from Million Dollar Mermaid.

Stay out of court. One guy sent three, pristine Life magazines with Esther on the cover. He wanted each of the covers signed, and he wrote a note that said, "The last time I asked for an autographed photo I am sure it was not you who signed it. You better not let anyone mess up these magazine covers or I'll sue you." Esther had warned me to send professional requests to her, so she signed the covers.

As soon as I found another job, I quit working for Esther.

But working for Esther Williams taught me that any job can help your career if you let it. Each person, no matter how weird, has something to teach you. And each business has a gem of genius because, hey, they're making enough money to pay you, aren't they? So don't be so upset about the crummy job market; you are about to start your own Esther Williams experience.

Penelope Trunk has launched new businesses for multinational corporations and she founded two of her own companies. Her writing has appeared in the London Times, the LA Weekly and Time magazine online, among other publications.

Copyright Featurewell.com

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE (answers on page 35) ACROSS

35 Cell phone ring

in a theater, e.g. a quick right 36 Mideast expert 5 Some Indian 40 Burnt music 43 Friendly saluta10 Give a free tion in France pass 44 Semicircular 14 Exchange presymbol mium 45 Not too bright 15 Put out 46 Bridge piece 16 Where Mosul is 47 Onetime sub17 Antelope with sidiary of AT&T twisty horns 54 Navajo neighbor 18 Five in front 55 Frank who was 19 “M*A*S*H” cast known as “The member Enforcer” 20 Company once run by astronaut 56 Santa ___, Calif.

Frank Borman 57 20’s locales 23 Shultz’s prede58 Head-___ cessor as sec59 How much retary of state advertising is 24 Suffix with done psych60 Like some prac25 Sling mud at tice 28 Extreme bland- 61 Position ness 62 4 p.m. bellringer 32 Whipped up 33 Popular food DOWN fish 1 Hunky-dory 34 Paint 1 A quick left and

2 It’s wet in

Juárez 3 One heart, two diamonds, e.g.

4 Martin Luther King Jr., e.g.

5 Longtime record label of Frank Sinatra 6 Repaid 7 Actress Gershon 8 The things we do 9 Begin 10 Line from Seattle to Chicago 11 Port of a 1942 Allies landing 12 Mate for “my friend” Flicka 13 OT filler 21 Make 22 “Close My Eyes Forever” singer ___ Ford 25 Happy as ___ 26 Queen’s county 27 Reebok rivals 29 Genial sort

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SweetTalk Danelle – thanks for the rockin’ orange bracelet.

It’s going to make my year so fun. K. To my roommate-DANYE B., my sista!!! I LOVE U!!!

I'm thankful to have such a fun, cool, clean roommate...you truely are a bestfriend!!! a to the l-o: thanx for indulging my insanity... and always coming up w/creative/disturbing uses for condoms. ~you can do it, put your back into it~ Chubby-How comes you never smile? I love the past four months and look forward to many more! Your Joy head DRZ-Sometimes the heart eating goblins threaten to block our path--but we kick the pus out of them and move on--I love you darling--here is to eternity.. I Love you I ll always be here Your beautiful, Thank you-MCZ A. You weren’t born a proofreader but you were, in fact (in fact) in fact, born to be one (extra words here, in fact, ahem, in fact, blah blah blah...YIKES!) Thanks for all your help. You’re the greatest. K. PMS. Oh, PMS. Ohhhhh, PMS. PMS, stay over there.

Oh, yeah.

Hey, Sue Z! Wanna have a blue margarita and some plain tortias with salt?

Lisa, or whatever your name is.... Why do you like that other dog better than me? At least I don't poop on the floor at work. You better start paying attention to me. I'm just waiting for my chance to get even.

Kevin, I love you even though you can't speak.

Your language of love is different though. Ariel, Times New Roman, even Wingding. Please keep the golden showers coming.-Dana-ger Dana-ger To my left hand...where would I be without you?

Thanks for all the wonderful memories.

GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE, PEOPLE WITH GUNS KILL PEOPLE WITHOUT GUNS | APRIL 10-16, 2003

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY | APRIL 10-16, 2003 ARIES (March 21-April 19): I’ve been scouring herbal textbooks and tantric literature to find out if there’s such a thing as a labor-intensive aphrodisiac — in other words, a stimulus that would inspire you to work hard to become a fantastic lover.

I’m not saying your amorous skills are inferior, Aries, just that there’s room for improvement.The coming weeks will be an excellent time, astrologically speaking, to apply yourself to this worthy project. And if I do run across that labor-intensive aphrodisiac, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, pursue the leads that your intuition provides. And remember this:The capacities that make you a great lover have only marginally to do with physical techniques and mostly to do with emotional intelligence and spiritual ingenuity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The astrological factors coming to bear on you right now are uproarious yet profound; they’re mischievous, intense, and catalytic. In alignment with this spirit, I’ve composed your horoscope by channeling appropriate bumper sticker slogans. Repeat the following affirmations frequently,Taurus, or print them on pieces of paper and tape them to your back.

“Don’t follow me; I’m following my bliss.”

“I’m not tense — just terribly, terribly alert.”

“I don’t suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.”

“I’m talking to myself — please don’t eavesdrop.”

“Don’t worry — it only seems kinky the first time.”

“Warning: I have an Attitude and I know how to use it.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): How to be the best Gemini you can be? A reader named Shimmering Elf wrote eloquently about that topic. His words should be helpful as you face this week’s Gemini-enhancing tests.“Be amazed with and in awe of yourself,”Shimmering Elf began.“And try to keep doing new things to justify your amazement and awe. Be like the Native American heyoka who rode his horse backward, wearing only an apron in a blizzard, with sweat running down his chest.Talk to yourself; people can join in if they want to. Have a large papier maché ego; redecorate it often. Be like Grandmother Spider who created the world by imagining it. Be like Pygmalion and fall in love with your creation. Never imitate. Be a tricky, sticky tickler. No one will ever solve the Sphinx’s precious riddle if she doesn’t know the answer herself.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): It’s time to go straight to the source, Cancerian. Eliminate the middlemen — and the middlewomen, too. Don’t believe anyone who claims that he alone can connect you with the valuable stuff you need. As much as possible, wean yourself from translators, agents, and brokers.

And don’t worry:This won’t result in you becoming lonely and isolated. I predict that whenever you shed a relationship with someone who uses and exploits you, you’ll open the way for a new link with a person who is respectful of your gifts.

LEO (July 23-Aug.22): In a recent article in a British tabloid,

Leo diva Madonna spoke contritely about why she published the controversial book Sex back in 1992.“I was just being an ego-driven nutcase,”she confessed.This admission impressed me. Everyone makes bad decisions motivated by out-of-control egotism, but few of us have the courage to admit it — let alone a celebrity that the press regards as a megalomaniac. I suggest you draw inspiration from Madonna’s example in the next few days,Leo. If you cop to a past outbreak of unseemly arrogance, I predict you’ll unleash magic that will ultimately spawn fresh accomplishments for which you can be righteously proud.

VIRGO (Aug.23-Sept.22): Famed TV producer Sherwood Schwartz had a hand in making more than 700 TV shows, and he co-authored theme songs for the sitcoms “Gilligan’s Island”and “The Brady Bunch.”Every year he collects about $60,000 in royalties for those tunes, written so many years ago. I’d like to alert you,Virgo, to the fact that you’re now in a phase similar to the one Schwartz was in when he got inspired to compose those long-term money-makers. It’s time to create a legacy for yourself.

LIBRA (Sept.23-Oct.22): In his book Crying: A Natural and Cultural History of Tears,Tom Lutz asserts that people don’t cry as much as they used to.The English of the Victorian era, supposedly renowned for their stuffy behavior, put us to shame with their abundant outpouring of tears. So what’s our excuse?

There’s as much, if not more, to be mournful about nowadays; and we certainly don’t suffer from a lack of events to spur our cathartic joy and empathy.Would you like to volunteer to do something about the modern weeping deficit, Libra? In the coming days, you’ll have rich opportunities to unleash tears of breakthrough and release.

SCORPIO (Oct.23-Nov.21): I direct your attention, Scorpio, to Dawn Baumann Brunke’s book, Animal Voices:Telepathic Communication in the Web of Life. There she champions the value of communing clairvoyantly with other species. Learning this skill is not only helpful for becoming closer to beloved pets, she says. It can also be useful for pest control. She gives examples of people who rid their homes of ants and spider mites simply by striking up telepathic conversations with them. My theory is that this same approach can be applied to pests in human form — especially by you in the coming week. Rev up your considerable mental powers, and psychically ask jerks, annoyances, and bores to stop bugging you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov.22-Dec.21): When I recorded my last music CD, a major label spent $180,000 on my band’s recording sessions at a state-of-the-art studio.The resulting music was exciting, but sales were paltry due to the company’s inept marketing strategy.The new album I’m working on with my friend George is low-tech and self-financed, done completely on his computer in his bedroom.The experience is humbling but exhilarating. I’m free of my old rock star fantasies.There’s no

danger of having to deal with the alienating influences of fame, constant travel, and the insanity of the music business. I have the relaxing luxury of creating music just because it’s fun. I recommend that you make a comparable transition, Sagittarius.

Which of your aptitudes and inclinations would you enjoy more if they weren’t hemmed in by unrealistic dreams, oppressive duties, and the stultifying pressures of careerism?

CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan.19): Your horoscope this week consists of the words of poet Mary Oliver, whose “White Pine” describes an experience analogous to one you’ll soon have:“I have read that, in Africa, when the body of an antelope, which all its life ate only leaves and grass and drank nothing but wild water, is first opened, the fragrance is almost too sweet, too delicate, too beautiful to be borne. It is a moment which hunters must pass through carefully, with concentrated and even religious attention, if they are to reach the other side, and go on with their individual lives.”

AQUARIUS (Jan.20-Feb.18): While out on a walk, I laughed with incredulity and derision when I spied a front yard where gorgeous poppies and tulips were in full bloom — surrounded by an eight-foot-tall cage of chicken wire. Once my instinctive response subsided, I realized there was probably a rational reason for the apparent lunacy, like maybe it kept the flowers from being devoured by marauding deer. My next thought leaped to you, Aquarius. I knew that the fortress protecting the delicateblooms was a perfect metaphor for what you should create foryourself in the coming week.

PISCES (Feb.19-March 20): Feeling bereft because of the war, I found myself longing to connect with sources of inspiration thathave fueled me over the years. I scoured closets, shelves, and storage lockers, collecting power objects from every period of my life.They included the books I’ve written and C.G. Jung’s Psychology and Alchemy, photos of my daughter and the woman I love, a painting made for me by a friend, my favorite baseball card from childhood, and many other treasures. In the ensuing days, I made the freaky discovery that five other people I know had independently felt the urge to undertake a similar gathering. A ritual like this would be perfect for you right now, Pisces. I suggest you assemble 22 of your most important symbols and create a sanctuary to protect you from the world’s chaos. ____________________________________

✍ HOMEWORK: Get your curative dose of brazen peace-mongering at www.beautyandtruth.com.

EXPANDED HOROSCOPE ☎ You can call Rob Brezsny, day or night, for your EXPANDED WEEKLY HOROSCOPE 1-900950-7700. $1.99 per minute.

18 and over. Touchtone phone. C/S 612/373-9785 www.freewillastrology.com

BOB AND DAVE’S BAD RELATIONSHIP ADVICE | BY DAVE KING

Dear Patrick- You are right. We are way too sexy important for our apartment. Run away with me.

Love, M No supersized mc out to regular mc: luvya Hey stickey you’re so fine you’re so fine you blow my mind hey sticky hey sticky.

Looking for love in all the wrong places? Try two floors below and one door over. Like tonight, ok?

Hot moms in CU - yeeha!!!!!

Alberto – thanks for the cake, the candles and the I screams...and especially for holding me while I slept. Noone could be sweeter. YLIW

Sweet Talks are free. To submit your message go to www.readbuzz.com and click on the Sweet Talk link.

Please make your message personal, fun, flirty and entertaining. Leave out last names, phone numbers and those nasty four-letter words because we (and probably you!) could get in big fat trouble for printing them. We reserve the right to edit your messages; space is limited. Sorry, no announcements about events or organizations. (Enter those at cucalendar.com) Deadline for submitting Sweet Talks is noon the Monday prior to publication.

Learn to draw with the King of Cartoons! – Dave King is giving cartoonlessons every Sunday afternoon at Espresso Royale in Urbana, 1 pm. ($8 suggested donation)

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GUEST COLUMN

andanotherthing...

The wrong way to protest

BY MICHAEL COULTER | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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APRIL 10-16, 2003 | U.S. MISSILES ARE NOT KILLERS, JUST MISGUIDED

ines have been drawn in the sand.

Emotions are high. Anything can happen and everyone has to be prepared for the worst. This is a time of war and it's simply not business as usual. This would all be understandable if I were referring to anything happening in Iraq or any of the nearby battle zones, but I'm speaking of how cruel the war is to the other "victims", you know, the ones who aren't anywhere near the fighting.

There's nothing like war to make people no where near the war act like a bunch of idiots.

Earlier this week, in Oakland, Calif., a group of protesters was attempting to block the entrance to some loading docks because they were supposedly shipping war supplies from this location. Right or wrong about any of this, it was their right to do such a thing, practice civil disobedience. They could have been arrested for such a thing, and may have been, had the police not decided to shoot first and ask questions later.

Now in all fairness, the police weren't using real bullets. They used "non-lethal rubber bullets." They also fired bean bags and something called "rubber sting balls." Bean bags and rubber sting balls, you take the word "sting" out of there and it would almost seem like a Kindergarten party gone slightly awry. Police insist they used no tear gas, but that's probably no big deal since I'm fairly sure getting hit by something called a "non lethal rubber sting ball" would probably be likely to induce some sort of crying. It is unknown how many protesters were injured, but six longshoremen standing nearby were hurt during the confrontation.

I don't want to second guess the police, but I would go out on a limb and say it's never a good idea to injure longshoremen. These guys work for a living. More importantly, these are really big guys and they will likely kick your ass if you begin injuring them. Shoot a peace protester with a rubber ball and they will probably surrender. Shoot a longshoreman with a rubber sting ball and he'll probably beat you well into the next weekend.

Other people have found different, non-life threatening ways to protest, but those are almost just as stupid. Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks told a crowd at a London concert a few weeks ago that she was "embarrassed" that President Bush was a "fellow Texan." First of all, if you're going to speak of "fellow Texans" who are embarrassing, you better be in for the long haul because that's a big damned list. Second of all, virtually everyone who buys your albums and listens to your songs on the radio is for the war. The stupidity of this isn't her speaking her mind

and then apologizing for it afterwards. That used to be legal here and was called Freedom of Speech before the war started.

But now, it’s don't piss off the people who give you money. A country artist being against the war though, that's like Bob Marley coming out against marijuana.

Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam did his part the other night when he impaled a Bush mask on his microphone stand and then threw it on the stage. It so enraged the audience that a few dozen of them left. Twenty four people out of twelve thousand, that's the very definition of a silent protest. However, next time the Dixie Chicks have a concert in Texas, twenty four people leaving the audience may mean an empty auditorium. The Chicks shouldn't worry much. The city council of Madison, Wis., has offered them the keys to the city and a bottle of French wine as a show of support.

It's not a great place to call home and the city government is littered with morons.

Stupidity isn't just contained here in the states though. German linguists are calling on German and French citizens to replace commonly used English words with their French equivalents, apparently in response to our renaming "french" Fries "Freedom" fries. What do they care if we call them something else? I mean, we didn't even capitalize it most of the time anyway. It's not like we're out "Freedom" kissing and then using "Freedom" ticklers yet.

The linguists say it's "not about language purity but a political demonstration." A demonstration? Is it supposed to demonstrate how ineffective the French and Germans are at finding a sensible way to protest. Still, in case you decide to join the protest, T-shirt is tricot, ticket is billet, and boom is hausse.

Or if that or any of the above mentioned things seem a little silly to you, don't be afraid to get all old school on it. Speak what you feel and don't apologize for it. Write letters to your congressmen threatening to take their jobs away if they don't represent you.

Actually, vote in the elections to make sure the right people are in office. If you can't do any of those things, then for godsakes, act like a moron. It might not make any difference, but many of us find it funny.

Michael Coulter is a videographer at Parkland College and a bartender at Two Main. He writes a weekly email column, “This Sporting Life” and has hosted several local comedy shows.

ANSWERS TO PUZZLE ON PAGE 33 J A K E

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SEE YOU AT THE MOVIES! | APRIL 10-16, 2003

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