Arts & Culture

More than 40,000 readers visit Erin Loechner’s Design for Mankind site every day for chirpy commentary on decor, fashion, and art.

Noteworthy: French Impressions, his album with pianist and fellow IU Jacobs School of Music alum Jeremy Denk, comes out this month.

Fearing they wouldn’t have the votes to block a Republican-proposed “Right to Work” bill last winter, House Democrats retreated to a budget hotel in Urbana in February, just across the Illinois border, leaving Republicans without the quorum necessary to advance the legislation. In a call with minority leader Pat Bauer, who was pictured working the phone at a tiny desk in his hotel room, House Speaker Brian Bosma reportedly told him to “get back here” (even though Bosma had led his own party’s walkout in 2004). When they finally returned in March, the Dems owed an average fine of more than $3,000. “We found that Illinois has excellent malls,” Rep. Win Moses, D-Fort Wayne, told the Associated Press. “And there’s a mini-mart right across the street.” Oh, and good news: Republicans plan to make the bill a top priority again this year.

“I told my daughter, Angie, ‘I wish everybody would stop talking about the officer, because we don’t know whose lungs these are,” says Cathy Lewis.

“It’s a tough situation for Peyton. He’s not used to being in this situation. We rode the elevator together after the Tampa Bay game, and I told him he has to cover himself with optimism. He knows he can’t will his way through this. It’s not like having a broken leg, and if he were tough enough, he could play through it. It’s not that kind of injury. And the number of years he has left is unknown. He’s 35. You hope that he can play until 38, 39, 40.”

A: Some may be outraged at the cost of a Frappuccino or Caramel Macchiato, but not so long ago, Indy residents couldn’t purchase them for any price. While Starbucks has been in business since 1971, it didn’t begin its caffeinated assault on the Indy market until 1999, when a location opened inside Butler University’s Atherton Union. A second (now defunct) spot debuted in Carmel’s Merchants’ Square a few weeks later. After that they multiplied like bedbugs, until you couldn’t drive more than a couple of blocks in any direction without spotting the McDonald’s of coffee shops. Well, perhaps they aren’t that numerous. According to Starbucks regional director of operations Nancy McLaughlin, there are currently “only” 30 locations inside the I-465 loop, and slightly more than 100 in the entire state. A decent number, but miniscule when you consider that the chain operates more than 17,000 stores worldwide.

See this clip for the cinematic story based on the book Freeing the Whales by Indy’s own Tom Rose. The film stars Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Dermot Mulroney, and Ted Danson.

My Super Job: Laura Carter

Still holiday shopping? Send someone to the Super Bowl! No, not the game—the concerts, ZipLine, and other fun stuff revolving around the big event. Here, tickets you can buy now.

Mayor Ballard was on hand today as Mark Miles, Allison Melangton, and Rick Fuson of the Super Bowl Host Committee and Village committee named more music stars and entertainment options that will descend upon Indy Jan. 27 through Feb. 5.

More entertainment and broadcasting plans for Super Bowl 46 were released today at a press conference held at Lucas Oil Stadium, including the names of music acts to grace the various stages in the Super Bowl Village, which takes up a three-block stretch of Georgia St.

>> Super City went on the air with Ed Wenck at 93 WIBC on Thursday. (Hear the audio below the photo at right.) The spot aired at 6:10 p.m. and focused on reader and public reactions to the freshly revealed official Super Bowl poster by Walter Knabe and the Host Committee’s (ahem) super-important parking and traffic announcement.

Day Job: Logistics and fulfillment manager with HardingPoorman Group, overseeing operations that send an average of 3,500 job orders through the door each month.

After noting that the Super Bowl is the equivalent of a visit from the Pope from a security standpoint, the Host Committee and the Indianapolis Metro Police Department released the first details of their Super Bowl traffic plan today.

The official poster for Super Bowl XLVI was revealed last night in the Conrad hotel’s west foyer. The artwork depicts the Soldiers and Sailors Monument’s iconic Victory statue bursting up and out of a football, with a kinetic explosion of starry confetti and Lucas Oil Stadium as a backdrop.