Articles

Tweeting on the lawn

Annoyed by text-reading patrons at concerts? Well, Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra is now actively encouraging it.

For an upcoming concert at Wolf Trap, it will be Tweeting live program notes to audience members on the lawn during a performance of Beethoven’s “Pastoral.”…

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500 Days of Summer thoughts

So, did you make it to the screening of “500 Days of Summer”? If so, what did you think?

I’ll let a few others post before I chime in with my thoughts.

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How I spent my summer vacation

I just returned from a vacation with family at the New Jersey shore. But, of course, I didn’t leave A&E behind.

No, I didn’t catch any Atlantic City casino shows — although, I regret missing Chazz Palminteri do his one-man show,…

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You-review-it Monday

I’ve been out of town this week, so I’ve missed, well, everything.

But I plan on catching up in a big way this week. In the meantime, tell me about your weekend arts experiences. Did you get to the latest “Smoke…

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LOU’S VIEWS: Abe Lincoln is back at Spencer County theater

After I discovered it one summer, Lincoln Amphitheatre quickly became one of my favorite theaters in the state. Nestled
in a state park in Spencer County, the covered-but-still-outdoor theater’s anchoring attraction was a show about young
Abraham Lincoln, who spent his formative years just yards away.

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DINING: We’ll take sushi over cigars, now and Zen

This week, our exploration of the city’s cultural district dining took us to Mass Ave, where the culinary cultural
offerings just might outnumber the artsy fartsy stuff. Our destination: Bu Da Lounge (429 Massachusetts Ave., 602-3643), which
bills itself as an Asian-inspired cigar bar but is generating buzz for its sushi selection.

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IBJ Movie Night: ‘(500) Days…’

Want to join me at a sneak preview of the new romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer” starring Zooey Deschanel? (More info on the film here)

I’ve got passes for the Wednesday, July 22 7:30 screening at AMC Castleton Square…

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BENNER: Mom and Lance Armstrong had cancer in common

A few years ago, when cyclist extraordinaire Lance Armstrong was in the midst of his phenomenal seven
straight Tour de France titles, those yellow Livestrong bands seemed ubiquitous. But when Armstrong left
competitive cycling, gradually those rubber yellow bands faded from view. I kept wearing mine, however, to remind me of the
courage of my mother, Emma.

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Get ready for Operapalooza

IBJ reporter Kathleen McLaughlin guest blogs today.

The Indianapolis Opera is adding another event to the busy fall festival scene, but it’s definitely striving to carve out a distinct niche. Operapalooza, planned for Sept. 11 and 12, will mix sets by…

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NEA grants impact Indy arts groups

IBJ reporter Kathleen McLaughlin guest blogs today.

If our report last week about federal stimulus money for the arts piqued your interest, we have an update this morning from the Indiana Arts Commission. See the list below for details on who…

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You-review-it Monday

So did you walk with dinosaurs? Hang out at Conner Prairie with the Symphony? Catch one of the final performances of “Octopus” at the Phoenix Theatre?

I spent Sunday afternoon at the oldest continually operating theater in the country catching a…

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DINING: (Piz)’Za made for the middle of the night

If you’re in Broad Ripple and hungry for pizza, you’ve got lots of options. But what do you do if it’s the
middle of the night on a Thursday and you and your entourage have the munchies? Well, for that very specific
demographic group of pizza eaters, there’s now ’Za, which is open until 4 a.m. Wednesday
to Saturday.

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Review: “Walking with Dinosaurs”

There are lots of ways that “Walking with Dinosaurs” (with performances through this weekend at Conseco Fieldhouse) could have compromised itself. It could have turned too jokey. It could have gone anthropomorphic or “Land Before Time” cute. It could have…

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LOU’S VIEWS: Here’s the best from International Film Fest

This year’s Indianapolis International Film Festival gets rolling later this usual, with a bump to summer precipitated
in part by the moving on of its founder to the Nashville Film Festival and in part by the move of most of the fest (minus
parties) to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We’ve spent the last few weeks reviewing most of the
features in competition.

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State arts commission budget down 20 percent

A 20-percent budget reduction for the Indiana Arts Commission will affect as many as 400 grant-dependent organizations
across the state. The agency’s overall budget will shrink from $4 million in 2009 to $3.2 million for the
next two fiscal years.

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BENNER: Time for some perspective on Tony George’s legacy

Reports of a Hulman-George family feud proved dead-on accurate when matriarch Mari Hulman-George issued a statement June
30 confirming the ouster of her son, Tony, as CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the family business empire. Shortly
thereafter, Tony George also resigned as CEO of the Indy Racing League.

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