diff --git a/IPython/utils/importstring.py b/IPython/utils/importstring.py
index 8653d71..c8e1840 100644
--- a/IPython/utils/importstring.py
+++ b/IPython/utils/importstring.py
@@ -1,22 +1,11 @@
 # encoding: utf-8
 """
 A simple utility to import something by its string name.
-
-Authors:
-
-* Brian Granger
 """
 
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#  Copyright (C) 2008-2011  The IPython Development Team
-#
-#  Distributed under the terms of the BSD License.  The full license is in
-#  the file COPYING, distributed as part of this software.
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Copyright (c) IPython Development Team.
+# Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
 
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Functions and classes
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 def import_item(name):
     """Import and return ``bar`` given the string ``foo.bar``.
@@ -41,8 +30,8 @@ def import_item(name):
         package, obj = parts
         module = __import__(package, fromlist=[obj])
         try:
-            pak = module.__dict__[obj]
-        except KeyError:
+            pak = getattr(module, obj)
+        except AttributeError:
             raise ImportError('No module named %s' % obj)
         return pak
     else:
diff --git a/IPython/utils/shimmodule.py b/IPython/utils/shimmodule.py
index d9ac634..9b91f27 100644
--- a/IPython/utils/shimmodule.py
+++ b/IPython/utils/shimmodule.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ class ShimModule(types.ModuleType):
         # Use the equivalent of import_item(name), see below
         name = "%s.%s" % (self._mirror, key)
 
-        # NOTE: the code below is copied *verbatim* from
+        # NOTE: the code below was copied *verbatim* from
         # importstring.import_item. For some very strange reason that makes no
         # sense to me, if we call it *as a function*, it doesn't work.  This
         # has something to do with the deep bowels of the import machinery and
@@ -33,11 +33,7 @@ class ShimModule(types.ModuleType):
             # called with 'foo.bar....'
             package, obj = parts
             module = __import__(package, fromlist=[obj])
-            try:
-                pak = module.__dict__[obj]
-            except KeyError:
-                raise AttributeError(obj)
-            return pak
+            return getattr(module, obj)
         else:
             # called with un-dotted string
             return __import__(parts[0])