Musical Review (1)

Summary: Just in time to usher in the dawning of a new age in America, The Public Theater’s joyous production of HAIR comes to Broadway. A celebration of life, a love letter to freedom, and a passionate cry for hope and change, HAIR features some of the greatest songs ever written for the stage. Welcome to the curly, shaggy, gleaming, streaming, wonderful world of HAIR.


Review: It will be a rare thing when I review a musical or a show, but I was in NYC recently and saw an amazing show so I had to review it. 
Hair is a musical about kids growing up in the 60's. The age of drugs and the draft. Most of the show they are "high" and are seeing things. One of the members of "the tribe" Claude gets called up to the Draft and we see that it changes his way of thinking. The majority of the original Cast was in the performance that I saw, and they were absolutely incredible! 
The music is upbeat and fun, and the acting is amazing, the lighting was bright, and colorful and the ending moved me to tears. I have never felt this way about a show, and was surprised when my eyes were overwhelmed with tears. If you enjoy musicals, and any coming-of-age story you will love Hair. I give this a rating of 9/10!!

Book Review #10

Eclipse

By: Stephenie Meyer

Summary: As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger.

In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Review: Once again Stephenie Meyer, has a hit. Eclipse, though not my favorite of the saga, was still captivating. I loved every minute of reading it and it kept me captured in the story, turning page after page, wanting to know what would happen next. Bella and Edward's love is a story unlike any other in the sense that, there love seems to just keep going no matter the obstacles being thrown at them. 

Eclipse is a great addition, however I felt a little let down by it's ending. I think I just expected so much more, I mean with how New Moon, and Twilight end, I think that Eclipse's ending is the weakest out of all of them. This one just doesn't stand out to me as much as the others, but if you like the series you'll more than likely like this one as well. Lots of Bella, Edward, and Jacob so no matter which fan-base you are, there's something for everyone! I give it a 7/10 Stars.

Movie Review #3

Taking Woodstock


Taking Woodstock is about just that, the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. Elliot is a local boy in the town of White Lake, NY and he brings the festival to this small town and disrupts the lives of everyone in it.
I had wanted to see Taking Woodstock because I thought it was interesting and the way people lived in the 60's has always interested me. I had also just seen the Broadway Play Hair so I was in that frame of mind.
The story of Taking Woodstock was interesting. It felt more like a documentary than anything. There weren't big name actors in it, the three biggest names were Paul Dano who had maybe 10 minutes of screen time, Eugene Levy who only had about 20 minutes, and Liev Schreiber  who I won't give away but he had an amazing role! The main character Elliot, was played by Demetri Martin, and he was ok but honestly nothing special, I just wasn't very impressed with him.
Something that really disappointed me was the lack of "footage" from the music festival. I was hoping to see some people in the crowd singing along or even a glimpse of the stage up  close, but for a movie about a music festival, there was a serious lack of music.
On a better note one thing that I liked about the film was some of the camera work. They incorporated a few clips (about 15 seconds long) that were shot with an old camera that helped give it a more personal feel, but because of some of the issues I had with the movie, I'm only giving it a 6/10 Stars.

Movie Review #2

UP


Up is a cute animaged film about an older man, and a younger child. The older gentleman, Carl Frederickson, has promised his late wife that they would move to a secluded area next to a waterfall, and after she dies he decides to make her dream a reality.
Mr. Frederickson is a cranky, old man, who just wants to be left alone. He decides to blow up a whole bunch of balloons and begins and adventure of a lifetime. In mid-air he hears a knock on the door, and Russell, one of the neighborhood kids is also taking the journey with him.
Up contains touching elements that could bring anyone to tears. We see Mr. Frederickson and his late wife grow up and grow old together, and we see how much they love one another, and when she dies you can tell just how much it hurts him. I can only imagine what would happen if the love of my life was ripped away from me. I would be a mess too.
The story of Up is cute, and wonderful in the sense that it was new, however it did seem to loose it's essence when they brought in the robotic dog pack. One was ok because it was interesting, but a whole bunch of them was a little odd, and made me roll my eyes.
The animation was incredible, but Pixar's animation never fails to impress me. All in all I believe taht Up will be enjoyed by people of all ages. I'm not going to say it's a perfect date movie, but it's got a little romance in it, but be warned it is a bit sad. I give this a 7/10 stars.

Book Review #9

Tricks
By Ellen Hopkins

Review: Tricks is a story of 5 teenagers, Eden, Cody, Seth, Ginger, and Whitney,  whose lives have caused them to start working some sort of prostitution setting. Each individual has their own story to tell, and sometimes their paths cross which I thought was really interesting. Something I noticed was a common spelling mistake throughout the book. When they would spell shirt, it would come out shift. I don’t know if it was supposed to be meant to say shift and it’s just another word for shirt, but it was odd and in places made no sense. I noticed a few small errors here and there but for the most part it wasn’t too bad.

We see their lives go from not so perfect, to complete and utter disaster. Hopkins Knows how to tell a story and keep people entertained. The book had me constantly wanting to read it. I would read for short bursts and have to put it down because of class, and I wouldn’t want to put it down, just keep reading to find out what’s going to happen next.

This book is a fast read, and it does leave me wanting more to find out how their lives all turned out after and what happened, but with any book I’m always left to wonder. I love when that happens that way I can just make it up in my head, sometimes it’s better to not know and leave things alone. That way the story will remain the same no matter what and it won’t loose its luster.

Tricks is a great story, however a bit graphic in it’s sexual description to be a young adult novel. That was something I noticed in especially Cody’s story. Not that I’m saying sex in a young adult novel is bad, I just think it could have been a little more subtle than what it was. Regardless of that, Tricks was still fantastic, and I can’t wait for the next Ellen Hopkins novel!

Book Review #8

Cut

By: Patricia McCormick

            Cut is a story about a young girl that was recently sent to an institution to deal with just that, her self-harm issues. For much of the story, Callie doesn’t speak very much. It’s not that she’s mute, more that she doesn’t want to make friends, because she knows that she won’t be there long; however the doctor’s won’t let her go until she makes progress and speaks up in group and admitting she has a problem.

            In a society where self-harm is such a common thing, reading a story about it makes you realize just how harmful it is. It does make me wonder, because she self-harms why the put her in an instituition and not just in therapy. It if were me in that situation I would have much rather done one-on-one therapy than stay with a bunch of strangers, and have to confess my deepest darkest secrets to them. But of course it wouldn’t be my decision to make, now would it?

            I would have liked a little more back story as to why she started cutting, not just the first time, and a few scattered times after that. It’s a short book, but it doesn’t need to be long to get the message across. Kids are cutting, somre for attention, some just to do it, and some because they don’t know any other way to cope, and they like to have some sort of control over the pain they feel. Some stop after a while, somce can’t stop at all, then there are those that can easily be triggered to do it after not doing it for so long.

            Self harm is an issue amoung our generation. Many people around us are cutters, reading a book that shows us that you can cope brings hope to many people. I rate this a 7/10 Stars.

           

**I don’t encourage cutting in any way, but if you or someone you know is cutting get them help. Go to this website for more information http://self-injury.net/.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 EP5

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Season 1 Episode 5

"Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"

Original Airdate: March 31, 1997

Summary: Yearning for a normal life, Buffy agrees to a date with the mysterious and brooding Owen. Giles discovers a prophecy of coming danger which would interfere with her plans, but she chooses Owen over battling the forces of darkness. When Giles goes out on his own and is trapped by a group of vampires, Buffy must figure out a way to balance dating and Slaying.

Review: Vampires are all the rage in Sunnydale, and the series takes even more form with “Never Kill a Boy on the First Date.” Buffy’s slayer/watcher relationship with Giles grows more, and the awkwardness seems to have completely disappeared. Buffy has settled in to the swing of things with friends, a new school, and her slaying duties.

Buffy’s gone boy-crazy over this boy Owen! But of course at that age what else should she have on her mind, Hm… Let’s see vampires, saving the world, the anointed. One thing that I’ve noticed about the season so far is Buffy’s fashion sense. She usually wears sleeveless dresses with some sort of strange design on them, and are also the same cut.

This episode also has color issues. Again it’s very dark like some of the previous ones. A lot of it has to do with the clothes that the actors wear. Most of them are in dark, almost black outfits, and that mixed with what appears to be very low lighting makes the picture extremely dark.

The story line follows Buffy trying to be an average everyday girl, and also the slayer, however being average doesn’t work so well when you live on the Hellmouth. She ends up having to leave her date just so she can save Giles who is trapped in the Sunnydale Funeral home, and vampires are trying to get at him. Buffy has to save the day, and nearly kills her date in the process. At the very end of the episode we find that the Annointed has risen, and the vampire they killed was not the anointed but what appeared to have been a decoy.

It’s a good episode, with only a few flaws. We get to see some new aspects of the show, which is great. I’m pretty content with the episode, so I give it a 7/10.

Quote of the Episode:

Buffy: We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Buffy, and you're history!

Book Review #7

Glass
By: Ellen Hopkins


 After absolutely loving Crank I just had to get my hands on Glass to read more about Kristina’s story. I devoured the 688 pages in only a matter of a few hours. Glass is a powerful story about a young girl coping with being a teen mom, and also a drug addiction. We watch as she spirals out of control, and takes all these wrong turns and looses herself.
Glass left me wanting more, and I’m excited for the next book about Kristina George Snow to appear in 2010, titled Fallout. Ellen Hopkins is a powerful writer, and she speaks such volume with her words.
I love how all of Hopkins’ stories are told through verse and I believe that it gives them a much more powerful meaning.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 EP4

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Season 1 Episode 4

"Teacher's Pet"
Original Airdate: March 24, 1997

Summary: Xander and most of the male population of Sunnydale High, are falling all over themselves trying to impress the new substitute Biology teacher, Ms. French. When Buffy sees this femme fatale scare off a particularly nasty vampire, however, she begins to suspect that Xander may be in serious trouble.

Review: Finally an episode that revolves around a different character in the show, Xander! It's good to take a break from just the Buffy aspect. We start off inside Xander's head, he's having a daydream about saving Buffy from a vamp, and then busting out a rockin' guitar solo, he awakes and we see he's in biology class.

Right before the credits roll, after the students have left the classroom, we see the teacher get swept away by a giant arm like thing. The next day we find out he's missing, and suspicions begin to arise as a woman who is extremely attractive takes his place. At lunch Cordelia finds him, only he's missing his head. The gang then goes into detective mode, onlty to find that the new substitute is not who she says she is.

This episode is a good one, not a classic Buffy episode, but still decent. I love watching the episodes that have to do with the other characters, but also have that true Buffy-ness to is.The story is ok, Xander falls for a teacher who just so happens to be a gigantic bug as well. AndB Buffy, Willow, and Girles end up having to save him before he becomes bug food.

No witchcraft in this episode, and very few vampires. Mostly just about a "She-Mantis" but still like I said it's an ok episode. This episode isn't as dark as previous episodes, atleast not until the end, then you're going to want to turn the lights down low to see better. All in all it's an ok episode, but I would only give it a 4 out of 10 stars.

Quote of the Episode:

"Buffy: Well, your buddy, Carlyle faced it, and he's still around.

Giles: Yes. In a straightjacket howling his innards out day and night.

Buffy: Okay, Admiral. Way to inspire the troops."

Book Review #6

Tuesday’s with Morrie by Mitch Albom is the story of one man’s journey into death and another man being taught how to live by him. Morrie Schwartz, who was once a professor at Brandeis University, has been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), and the book follows his last few months on this earth through the eyes of Mitch. Mitch is an old student of his, and has not spoken to his professor since they last said goodbye after graduation, sixteen years earlier. Mitch happened to be flipping through the channels one night when he saw his old professor on Nightline with Ted Koppel, and that moment changed his life forever.

After seeing Morrie on television, Mitch then gets in touch with him, and visits him. The visits become a regular thing, and are always on Tuesday’s, because as Morrie states “We’re Tuesday people.” During Mitch’s visits he is able to watch the disease progress over Morrie’s body, at first it seems as if he is uneasy about watching his professor die, but in the end he starts doing more things for him, like adjusting his pillows, massaging his feet, even helping him out of his chair, it just shows how much he grows with each visit.

Tuesday’s with Morrie is a wonderful story. Even though a man is dying he seems to only see the good in life and what life has to offer. He is kind-hearted, and takes on a task of teaching an old student one last time. The message of the book seems to be not to dread the little things in life, don’t spend so much time looking back on what you could have done differently. Look to the future for what you will do next, and live everyday to the fullest, because you never know when death will creep up on you.

One thing I noticed throughout the book was each Tuesday, Mitch would be reading the newspaper, and at least one of the stories had to deal with a sudden death. I thought that was interesting, especially after Morrie had said that you have to live each moment as if you will die in the next. I think the author put the stories in the book to show that. One was a mother shot her two kids and her husband, another was two boys were playing with their father’s gun, and shot each other. It shows that death has no remorse, and can strike anyone even the innocent, and not think twice about it.

This book relates to nursing because it shows the compassion that nurses really need to give their patients. When you are truly passionate about something whether it be your profession or a person, no matter what is going on in their lives you try not to take notice in the bad and only think about the good.

I also believe that this relates to nursing because Morrie talks about how to detach yourselves from your feelings. I know that there will be something’s in my nursing career that I will need to do this with. For instance I would love to work in the ER, and I know that if a trauma came in that was a young boy, I would need to detach myself from the feeling of sorrow, and just have to help my team to save this boy’s life. There will be no time for fear or remorse; I will just have to focus on the task at hand.

Tuesday’s with Morrie showed me that even after someone is gone their spirit will live on, whether it is through their teachings, old photographs, or just simply thinking about that person. When we have had such a strong teacher in our lives, and we take those teachings that they taught us and allow others to experience them, then their spirit will always live on. By retelling of stories we were once told, we show how much we loved and adored that person, because we were paying attention to them enough to recall information about things.

This was actually my second time reading this book, I had to read it for summer reading in high school, the summer I was going into 10^th grade, however I read this book with a new version of myself. Originally when I read this I never really took anything away from it, I only did it because it was summer reading, I didn’t know that there was more meaning behind it.

Having matured quite a bit from the last time that I read this, I found that it was much more meaningful. I found myself really being able to relate to Mitch as he was telling the story. I remember watching my grandfather suffer a few years ago, and I didn’t really understand what I was supposed to do. Just sitting there with him watching him die didn’t appeal to me, it was too hard to watch someone so close to me wither away. Had I read this book a second time, I would have understood that I was keeping him company, and that all he wanted was someone to talk to and to hold his hand, so he wasn’t alone, but instead of doing that I would spend a few hours with him, and that was that. It was all I could bear.

At one point in the book, Morrie says to Mitch “ We put our values in the wrong things. And it leads to very disillusioned lives.” This made me immediately think of my parents. Before my parents divorced, we lived in this gorgeous house that all my friends called a mansion, we had 17+ acres of land, and we always had the top of the line things. It made people think that we were happy, but honestly my parents were masking the hurt and pain. They weren’t happy with eachother at all, but this sort of exterior made people believe that we were all happy inside.

After living in a broken home that was gorgeous for so long, I moved to Vermont into a small apartment with my boyfriend, and I have to say I was happier there than I ever was in that big house. We lived in an apartment that was smaller than my mother’s basement in the house she lives in now, we could barely afford food and only bought things with coupons or that was on sale, but because we were together, we were happy. We didn’t have any money, just enough to get by, but somehow we made it work.

I know several people who if they are unhappy will go out and do “retail therapy,” to make themselves feel better, but in the end they are still unhappy, and now have a bank account that is slowly depleting. People don’t seem to understand that the materialistic things in life aren’t what make like worth living. It’s the love and laughter and the people you grow old with that make it worth it. I know that if all I had were things cluttered everywhere, and no friends, I would not be happy. Sure I would have nice things, but I would have no one to share them with. Without friends and family, why would someone want to live? They would just be bitter, and not know the joys of what having people in your life can bring.

Morrie also says the following “They don’t know what they want in a partner. They don’t know who they are themselves-so how can they know who they’re marrying.” I agree with this saying, to an extent. There is actually a line from a Broadway musical that I think sums this up very well. It’s from Rent; “You’ll never share real love, until you love yourself.” When Morrie said those words, it automatically makes me think of that line from Rent. I believe that this is only partly true, because sometimes it takes loving someone to love yourself. Looking into another person’s heart will show you the compassion that has always been lingering under the surface of your own.

Tuesday’s with Morrie is a wonderful, moving story. I found myself curled up on the couch, with tears streaming from my eyes as I finished this book. The first time I read this I felt nothing, so I don’t feel as though I fully understood it, or even really absorbed it at all. Reading this again, allowed me to see the book from a whole new side. I don’t feel sorry for everything that Morrie went through, I feel blessed to have heard his story. To know that even in the wake of death, he was still fighting and trying to live every moment to the fullest.

I would recommend this book, to anyone that has lost a loved one that they were very close with. It will bring tears to your eyes, but you will remember the times that you had with them whether they were good or bad. Morrie’s story has touched so many people and I hope that it will continue to touch people. It may take a few reads to get the true meaning behind the story, but once you grasp it, it will always stick with you until the day you die. I give this an 8 out of 10 Stars.

Book Review #5

Odd Girl Out

By: Rachel Simmons

Odd Girl Out is a book about aggression in girls of all ages and how the adults are dealing with it. We all know how cruel kids can be to one another, but there are just times when girls can be horrible! It seems that the teachers in schools are blind to what is going on because the girls being mean are always so nice to them, and when the girl getting bullied talks to them they just roll it off their shoulder because “She’s such a nice girl, she wouldn’t do that.” While the teacher calls the poor girl a liar, the other girls are still talking about her, so no one is on that girl’s side.

The bullied girl goes home and cries, and her poor mother has no idea what to do with her. When she asks what’s wrong, the little girl responds, “Nothing, just go away and leave me alone.” Finally the little girl will open up to her mother, and tell her everything that’s going on, and the mother furious that no one has done anything will step in and talk to the mother of the other child, the principle, the teacher, everyone she can until she finally gets the other child in trouble and gets her voice her that there is a problem.

When children are bullied starting at such a young age, their self-esteem falls and it’s hard for them to make friends and sometimes even have a normal life. It can cause drastic changes in their moods, and the child can be left a broken mess, that no one can clean up. The bullies really have no idea how much they damage someone just using their words.

As the children get older the fights become meaner and nastier. They can go from Taylor’s mom still buys her footie pajamas to Taylor’s the world’s biggest slut. Things like that can ruin a person for life. Another thing that bullies seem to like to prey on is body image. They can call the skinniest girl in the school fat, just because they don’t like her, and then everyone will be doing it. That girl could then develop an eating disorder, and it all started, just because someone didn’t like her.

In the chapter titled, Intimate Enemies, Rachel Simmons talks about how girls hurt their friends. They whisper behind their friend’s back, while glaring at them out of the corner of their eyes. Right then the person being stared at feels uncomfortable and knows that something is starting to go wrong. They don’t want to believe it, so when they ask, “What’s so funny?” and their friend replies, “Oh it’s nothing,” on the outside they believe them, but on the inside they know that’s not true.

The book does raise questions, I feel that if girls know how mean they can be, and they do, then why do they still do it. It’s not like it will look good on a resume or college application. Do they just do it to hold power over someone? Do they like to belittle people?

When you think of a bully, most people think of a big burly boy, not some little girl that is really sweet to everyone. The female bullies are out there and they need to be noticed. Girls are brutal, if you’re too big they make fun of you, if you’re too small they make fun of you, if you wear the wrong style shirt to school they make fun of you. Every little thing you do they pick on and make you feel like you’re so small.

This book makes you think. Everyone at one point or another has either been the bully or been bullied, so then why do teachers not do anything about it. If they see the girl shoot another girl a dirty look, why don’t they question why or anything like that. They just seem to let it go, and let it roll right off their shoulders. Just because a person can be really sweet around adults, does not mean that they are always like that.

Female bullying is around in all cultures, with girls of all ages, even adults! As the years go by the fights go from “you stole my pen” to “you stole my husband” or “you stole my promotion.” The adult bullies are few and far between, but they are still out there.

Female aggression is often seen in the teenage years. That’s when more girls tend to turn on each other the most. There tends to be more pressure from parents to get good grades, and get involved in activities, so when something happens between two friends someone usually tends to snap because they are under a lot of stress. Their bodies are changing and so are their interest, so why is it that when we need each other the most, we are often turning on each other?

When you are the person who is the outcast, it hurts. No one ever seems to think, “Well what if the show was on the other foot.” That’s not how girls think. By getting everyone on “your side” you now have the power and you can almost control the other person. It’s hard for us to admit, but honestly who wouldn’t want the power, it will make everyone like you, and you would become one of the most popular people in school. But like most things, popularity comes with a cost. You belittle a person who has stuck by you through all the tears, the break-ups, and who has been there all along, and that’s just to become popular.

One of the most common things when dealing with female bullying and aggression is depression, which can lead to other things such as self-harm and suicide. It’s in our nature as humans to want and crave relationships in general no matter if they are healthy or not. When your friends are all turning on you, you just don’t want to believe them, or you try and fix all the things that they make fun of you for. You get different clothing, change your hair, your shoes, start doing worse in school, and this is all just to get a few people to like you. However nothing seems to work.

Once they’ve turned on you, you now have no one to sit with at lunch, chat with between classes, or hang out with after school. You’re “friends” all make plans to go to the movies this weekend right in front of you, but no one’s even asked you if you would like to come, so you chime in and say “Oh I can’t go this weekend my mom needs my help cleaning the house.” And one of the girls says, “Well what makes you think you were invited.” This stings. It rings in your ears and all you can say to yourself to not cry is those funny lyrics you heard in the car on the way to school. Once you get in the comfort of your own room at home, the tears just come. All you want to do is curl up and die, because you’ve had it confirmed. They don’t like you anymore, and now you have no idea what to do.

When you go through this type of thing at such a young age, it can ruin you for years to come. You end up with trust issues, and believe that every friend you’ve ever made will leave you. When that one friend comes along that hasn’t left, you still fear that they will, because no one has shown them differently. No matter how many times you tell them you won’t run, it’s always in the back of their mind.

In the section labeled, Annie’s Story, Rachel Simmons talks about a young girl who is torn between two friends. One is more of a loner, Samantha, and the other is one of the popular, Alison. Towards the end of the friendship with the Samantha, she started to act like a stalker would. The mother was so worried; that she would intercept phone calls meant for her daughter and would tell Samantha that Annie couldn’t speak on the phone today. Annie felt like she couldn’t do anything. Whatever she did would make one of them more upset. Eventually she had to rid herself of both friendships, because they just weren’t healthy for a child that young to have.

Just Kidding, talks about girls that use humor to get back at someone. They will start making rumors up about a girl or talking about a girl behind their backs to one of their friends, but the moment they are caught by an authority figure, they were “just kidding.” By saying this they think that everything is ok, and that they can keep talking about this as long as they are “just kidding.”

When you start to get others involved in the fight, they are known as the Middlegirls. They are the people that don’t want to take sides, but go from friend to friend telling one what the other said. Many times this makes the situation worse, because the girl in the middle likes the attention she’s getting, so she makes matters worse, by saying something different than the other girl side. The analogy that Rachel Simmons used was a ping pong ball, because the middle girl is being tossed between two girls that are like ping pong paddles.

One of the reasons Rachel Simmons gives for writing this book is because when she was young, she too had to deal with bullies when she was young. In the beginning of the book she talks about how every young girl is either bullied or the bully. Female bullying goes so unnoticed because adults just chalk it up to be girls being girls. However if it’s boys fighting then they do yell at them to stop.

Odd Girl Out is also a movie, and it takes a few of the different stories and meshes them all into one big story. We see how cruel girls can be and just how much damage they can do, with only one rumor. But we all know how it is once one rumor spreads; it escalates from there. If some young teenagers wouldn’t want to read the book, the movie addresses the same issue, and honestly I think it gave the story of female aggression a little more meaning because it was a visual thing, you didn’t have to imagine anything happening because it was happening right in front of you.

Though Rachel Simmons writes very well, it felt as if she kept making her point over and over again. Maybe that was the point of the book, but she would use different stories from people, and then would say pretty much the same thing about each one. The girl was bullied by another girl, bullying is bad, adults need to step in sooner, we’ve all been there. It never felt that each story had it’s individual problem that she addressed and I think it would have benefited a lot more from that.

The intended audience would have to be women from the ages of 15-100. If teenagers were to read this book, then maybe they would understand how cruel they can be and how hurtful they can be to their fellow classmates, even when they don’t mean to. No matter the age a woman will always be able to relate to this topic, no matter if they were the bully or the one being bullied. Maybe if the bully were to watch it they would remember how they treated that girl in high school, and think back and now feel sorry for them, and the pain that they caused.

Female bullying is everywhere and needs to become more noticed. We punish the boys for being bullies and fighting but just because you don’t always see the girls directly do something, doesn’t mean that they aren’t doing it. Girls can be very sneaky and will usually shoot glances behind their backs.

Rumors spread like wild fires and can damage any girl’s reputation, self-esteem, and even their lives. Because someone may have called them a name once, it can have daunting repercussions on anyone. Bullies beware adults are watching now, so stop making that poor girls life miserable and start lending a helping hand. I give this a 6 out of 10 Stars.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 EP3

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season 1 Episode 3
"Witch"
Original Airdate: March 17, 1997

Since the characters have been pretty well developed, we were able to dive right into the episode. This episode is one of my favorites of the season, granted there are only 12 episodes of the season so that’s really not that hard. In the episode, Buffy is trying to get on the cheerleading squad, along with several others. In the first scene we see one girl trying out and her hands catch on fire, then the credits role.

Buffy seems to be jealous of the girl Amy, who has a “close relationship with her mom.” When she talks to her mom about cheerleading, her mom doesn’t really pay much attention to her. She’s too busy getting everything ready for the gallery.

We find out that there is witchcraft among Sunnydale High School, and the gang has their suspicions that it might be Amy, a girl who is desperate to follow in her mother’s footsteps and get on the team. First Amber’s hands get burned up, then Cordelia goes blind, then another girl loses the ability to speak because her mouth is no longer there, and Buffy is hit with a vengeance spell. Once she is hit with the spell, the gang really gets to work, to save Buffy’s life.

When they get to Amy’s house, they find her mother alone and shocked to see Giles and very sick Buffy. Buffy comes to the conclusion that Amy’s mother switched their bodies because she wanted another shot at cheerleading so she could relive “her glory days.” The gang ends up saving Buffy, and reversing all the spells just in the nick of time to save Buffy (this is becoming a pattern.)

It’s a great episode of Buffy, that doesn’t have anything to do with vampires. I would say this is a classic episode. We Giles cast a spell, the gang comes together to help Buffy and all the others that were affected. The storyline is great, and we see that Xander has an infatuation with Buffy, and in a weird way we see Buffy get a little closer to her mother. The episode is very original, especially for when it first aired. I give this episode 6/10 stars.


Quote of the Episode:
Xander: I laugh in the face of danger, and then I hide until it goes away.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 EP2

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Season 1 Episode 2

"The Harvest"

Original Airdate: March 10, 1997

After narrowly escaping the vampire Luke, Buffy is able to barely help both Xander and Willow escape, but poor Jesse was taken. After the credits role, Buffy, Xander, and Willow are seen in the library discussing vampires with Giles. Xander and Willow are still in shock that vampires exist, but want to help get their friend back whatever way they can.

Once they figure out where Jesse was taken, both Xander and Willow want to help Buffy anyway they can, but they know it will be dangerous. Willow helps Giles research “The Harvest” and Xander not being able to stay put, ends up following Buffy to save their friend.

In the scene in the computer lab with Cordelia, Harmony, and Willow we see just how rude Cordelia can be. She’s already starting to damage Buffy’s reputation by spreading rumors about her saying she’s crazy, but Willow stands up to her and says she’s not. Cordelia says “Who gave you permission to exist?” It’s lines like that that give the pretty popular girls a bad name. But Charisma Carpenter has the tone of voice down pat!

After this scene we learn that Jesse is a vampire, and he has been set up as bait to attract Buffy and Willow so that the other vampires can go after them. It’s just like Joss Whedon to kill off what looks to be like a main character within the first few episodes.

Giles and Willow tell Buffy everything that they found on “the harvest,” and they saddle up and get ready to roll. They get equipped and head to the bronze where the Harvest will take place.

They arrive just as the Harvest is starting and we get ready for a wild ride. Luke kills a few people in front of everyone, and Buffy ends up getting there just in time to kick some vamp butt!

The episode is very dark, and I don’t mean disturbingly dark or creepy dark, but color wise, it’s quite dark. Watching it during the day could cause problems with sun glare, and at night make sure you turn off lights so you can see ok.

The story continues from where it left off, making the pilot episode a two parter. It’s my opinion that the second half of the episode is the better half. We get the whole gang fighting, and we get the whole picture as to what the series will be about.

For this episode of Buffy I’ll rate it a little higher than the last by giving it a 5 out of 10 stars, but remember I still have 7 seasons! So stay tuned and find out what episodes get my 10/10 star rating!

Quote of the Episode:

Xander: (Kicking the recycle bin) I don’t like vampires, I’m gonna take a stand and say they’re not good.

Book Review #4

Crank

By Ellen Hopkins

Crank is a story that is based on real events, that happened to author Ellen Hopkins. Kristina Snow is every one's idea of the stereotypical daughter, however on a trip to see her deadbeat father she begins to get involved with "the monster," and her life begins to spiral out of control.

Crank is an incredible story not just about addiction, but also what it does to you and your family. The story is told in verse which makes it even more amazing. Ellen Hopkins captures such real emotions on paper, you would think that this is happening in your very own household. In my opinion every young teen should read that story of Kristina, so they really get a feel at what addiction does to you.

I do have to say one thing that really struck me, was when her, her father, and her "boyfriend" were all doing it together. I can't imagine a father letting his daughter do that in front of him never mind doing it together. It will really show how lucky some people are to have parents that are incredibly strict. Parents that are loose and try to "party" with you are just causing harm to kids and they don't even realize it.

Crank is a great read, and you'll be glad once have listened to her story. I love the way it's written in verse, and it makes it even more unique. Also the cover art is really cool looking, but so are most of Ellen Hopkins's books. I give this story an 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Review #1

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

*Spoilers*

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was one of the few Harry Potter movies that I can say I enjoyed. Of course they added in a few items, and they concentrated more on the romance aspect, and they took away some scenes I would have liked seen in the movie.

One aspect that I really liked was that they finally just assumed that people knew of Harry’s past, so it didn’t take as long to explain everything like they did in the first 5 movies. They seemed to jump right into the action of it. In the first scene we see action, the Death Eaters take out a “muggle” bridge. In the wizarding world they know what is happening, but the poor muggles just think that it’s bad luck or poor construction.

They really added to the Ron and Hermione romance, by showing how painful it was for Hermione to see Ron and Lavender together, and showing how clueless Ron actually is to her feelings. Emma Watson’s acting has grown tremendously since the first movie, and her paired with Rupert Grint really can show how heartbreaking it is to see someone you love go after someone else.

Draco Malfoy plays a very key role in this movie. As everyone knows Draco is now a Death Eater and he is the key to the whole movie. Draco must find a way to let the other Death Eaters into the school, and in our eyes it seems like it is nearly killing him, which in a way it is.

One thing I was disappointed in, in this movie is that the potions book didn’t play a big role. It only had a small part in the movie, and given the fact that it is called “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” I would have thought they would have kept the book in there to play a little more prominent role.

This movie has action, romance, comedy, and thrills, which is everything I look for in a movie. However because it lacked a few aspects that were in the book, that I think should have been included in the movie, for instance when Dumbledore tells Harry why he has to go back to the Dursley’s house until he’s 18, I would give this movie a 7.5 out of 10.

DVD Review #4

Lakeview Terrace

I watched Lakeview Terrace a few months ago, when I first moved back home and was going to redbox a lot. I wasn’t expecting anything too exciting just wanted a thriller. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it.

            The movie follows a young couple that moves into a suburban neighborhood, and lives next door to a cop and his two children. The cop (played by Samuel L. Jackson) is a man who everyone sees as being a nice, kind, innocent man, little do they know he’s not. He sincerely just does not like his new neighbors and seems to do everything he can to let them know that.

            When the couple confronts him on it, he denies it because there are people around. He never actually comes out and says “I want you to move, or get out of here,” but the sentiment is there.

            Lakeview Terrace will leave you clinging to your seats. The suspense in the movie is thrilling, and the end just sucks you in. I was trying to do a few things at once and by the middle I was on the couch just enthralled in the movie. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.

DVD Review #3

The Pineapple Express

After all the hype with the movie The Pineapple Express, I just had to see how funny it actually was. I rented it from the local redbox, expecting a movie like the stoner classic Dazed and Confused. I microwaved some popcorn and sat down to what hoped to be a hilarious comedy. I was sincerely disappointed.

Pineapple Express stars Knocked Up’s Seth Rogen and Spiderman’s James Franco, so how could I have possibly gone wrong! I assumed the movie was going to be stupid yes, however I hoped it would be stupid funny like Old School, it wasn’t! It was just plain stupid. Throughout the entire movie I laughed maybe twice. I who had originally thought that Seth Rogen was the new up and coming comedic actor was sadly mistaken.

The movie is about this one guy (Seth Rogen’s character) who, while getting stoned, witnesses someone murdered. He gets scared and goes to tell his friend/dealer what he just witnessed. They are extremely nervous and run, just in time for “the bad guys” to catch up to them. I didn’t expect much violence in this movie, but for the last half hour that’s all there is. I know I know look at the cover art, but that didn’t mean it was going to reflect the movie in anyway. It did.

I found the movie to be more action than comedy. I was hoping this would live up to the expectations I had after seeing Dazed and Confused and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, two very classic stoner movies of the 80’s. I instantly realized that nothing would ever live up to those movies. Pineapple Express is basically what stoners are now. Lazy slugs that all they want to do is get high. What ever happened to the people that were high and still functioned? If you want to watch something incredibly pointless and stupid then Pineapple Express may be right for you. If you want to watch something that will remind you of the classic stoner movies, go watch Dazed and Confused. I give this movie a 2 out of 10. 

DVD Review #2

Step Brothers

When I picked up Step Brothers, I thought how could I go wrong, I mean it was Will Ferrell and John C. Reily pretending to be brothers. It wasn’t the greatest thing in the world that’s for sure, but in my opinion it was nowhere near as bad as Pineapple Express.

            Step Brothers is about just that, 2 families coming together that already have kids, the only downfall is both are full grown adults in their early 30’s. The two act just like they were 10 years old. They fight constantly until they realize they have something in common, and then they become the best of friends and want to do everything together.

            Eventually something happens that causes a riff in the parent’s marriage and by the end they split up, which is hard on the two boys because they think that they can’t be friends anymore so they split up.

            For a movie that is a comedy it lacks the most important part, the comedic part. Lately anything Will Ferrell has been very disappointing. He really needs to step up to the plate and come out with something good. Maybe he should team back up with Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Because it wasn’t funny, but at the same time it wasn’t incredibly stupid either I would give this movie a 4 out of 10. It had it’s moments of me giving a “ha that was a little funny” to my TV, but nothing really special. Maybe Will Ferrell’s next movie will be a hit for me.

Book Review #3

House of Night: Marked

By: P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

Marked is the first of many in the House of Night series. I first picked up the book, just because it was vampire related and I have a severe obsession with vampires; however now a days who doesn’t. From the first page I feel in love with it. It wasn’t like Twilight, in any way, but more so like Harry Potter.

            The book starts out with a normal teenage girl, named Zoey, but with all vampire stories you know that something’s going to happen. A man goes to her school towards the end of the day and “marks” her. When this happens you’re considered to be a social outcast among your friends, and her boyfriend Heath and Best Friend, keep telling her they will still be together, but of course things change.

            When you’re marked, you only have a certain amount of time to get to the House of Night school. Now the House of Night is a school for vampires in training, or fledglings is what they are called. Zoey becomes frantic because her mom doesn’t seem to care too much about her possibly dying to even bring her. She ends up going to see her grandmother and on her search ends up passing out not far from her house. When she wakes up she is at the House of Night.

            The book continues in a Harry Potter way, there is girl who is much like Draco Malfoy and her name is Aphrodite. Zoey becomes close friends that are like family with a few others. Her family disowns her except for her grandmother who acts just like Mrs. Weasley. Zoey is also special in a way. She learns she has an affinity to all of the 5 elements, which many vampires don’t have, never mind fledglings. 

            Marked is a great novel for those just wanting to get into the vampire world, but if you’ve been in it for a while, it’s just another take on the vampire legend, and maybe not your style. Unless you’re a teenage girl, or still one at heart this book may not be for you. Thankfully I am still one at heart, and I did enjoy this book despite the amount of similarities it has with such the incredible Harry Potter Series. I would give this book a 6 out of 10.

         I would’ve liked to have seen maybe something a little more unique rather than a kind of rip off from another story. It does feel like they took Harry Potter and what made Harry Potter so unique and basically stole some ideas from J.K. Rowling. I wish it was a little more unique of a story, however this has yet to be done in the vampire world.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 EP1

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Season 1 Episode 1 

“Welcome to the Hellmouth”

Original Airdate: March 3, 1997

            Buffy is a pretty girl, with a bright future, but little do people know she is a vampire slayer. She’s just moved to Sunnydale, CA and is trying to get a fresh start and live a normal life. Little does she know that the librarian has also just moved to Sunnydale, and it’s not just a coincidence. Giles, the librarian is not just a librarian, but also a watcher. And as it turns out he’s her watcher.

            There are several other characters of the episode. Xander who’s you’re average, boy next-door type of character. He is the type of character that jokes about everything and essentially creates awkward moments. Willow, who is your nerdy, geeky, know it all kinda gal. Then we have Cordelia who is the popular, “fashion guru” of the show, so to speak. She’s the girl that every school has that every girl wants to be just like. She’s the pretty popular cheerleader type. She makes fun of Xander and Willow for being really nerdy and scrubby. Buffy is slightly torn because she wants to be popular and have friends and be friends with Cordelia, but she also likes Xander and Willow and would love to become friends with them.

            The down fall to being a vampire slayer is that no one can know what you are and what you do. But when Buffy discusses how she feels about the whole slaying “profession” Xander overhears. She’s afraid of getting Xander hurt, but also having a friend that knows your secrets is very relieving.

            As Buffy is on her way to the club, She meets a mysterious man in black. He’s tall, dark, and handsome. He calls himself a friend, but why is he being so mysterious? Interestingly enough Buffy just can’t seem to get him out of her mind. He even gave her a Stainless steel cross.

            As the episode continues we learn that Buffy will probably have a stronger bond with Willow than anyone. She needs the most help, and with Buffy watching out for her she’ll listen to her every word. Buffy tells Willow to Seize the Day tomorrow you might be dead. Willow does seize the moment, but with the wrong guy!

            Buffy goes on a frantic search for her, and eventually asks Xander, who brings up the fact that he knows that Buffy is the slayer, however he at first thinks she’s delusional. Until he sees how frantic she is.

            When Xander and Buffy enter the Mausoleum, he’s shocked to learn the truth. Vampires are real, they’re in Sunnydale, and they’re attacking his two best friends. It’s at this moment that we see the potential that the two have to become great friends.

            The episode ends with a fight between Buffy and one of the older Vampires Luke. We see what a slayer is all about and how strong they actually are compared to vampires. Luke throws Buffy into and open casket and we are left lingering for a few seconds, then Luke jumps into the casket and goes in for the kill.  We’re left with the words “To Be Continued.” That’s when we know that it's going to be a great show!

            As a pilot it’s one of the better ones that I have seen, and let me tell you I’ve seen many. As an episode of Buffy, it’s just ok. Not one of the stronger episodes, but that’s to be expected because it’s the first season. Obviously the first episode is more about the characters than anything, but again that’s to be expected, you can’t just jump right into an episode without developing anything.

            Buffy has been a breakthrough for the vampire world, I remember the first time I watched this pilot, and I was instantly hooked. I still thank my brother to this very day! The show starts with a smash and ends with a well I’ll get to that! For a pilot episode of a show I give it an 8 out of 10; for an episode of Buffy I give it a 4 out of 10, which just means the show only gets better from here. 

Game Review #5

Mario Kart

Nintendo Wii

Mario Kart Wii, is  a game that is fun for all ages. With its colorful 3-D graphics and it’s likeable characters, this game is sure to please a crowd.

Like it’s predecessors, Mario Kart Wii is a racing game that involves moving your character around the track as fast as possible and trying to get the best placement you can. In the game you can pick from many classic Mario characters from the fun loving Yoshi to the mean nasty Bowser. Also you have many different tracks to choose from, 32 in all, 16 new ones and 16 retro ones. Mario Kart Wii is best played with a group of friends in the same room. With the right people you can be screaming at each other asking “Why did you hit me with the blue shell?”

Mario Kart Wii also has the capabilities to play with your friends online, just as long as you have your friends friend code, and internet capabilities you will be able to play that friend that’s halfway across the world. The only downfall to playing online is that they did not think to incorporate the Wii Speak capabilities.

Mario Kart is a fun game that has everything you would want in a multiplayer game. Get ready for lots of laughs, and memories on your next game night by buying this game.

Because of it’s online capabilities, cute cartoony graphics, and ability to give you some of the best memories, I would give this game a 7.5 out of 10.

Book Review #2

New Moon

By Stephenie Meyer

So as promised, here is a review to the sequel of Twilight. As Many know, the story follows Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, two people from very distant worlds that are destined to be together. A modern day Romeo and Juliet if you will. Our story starts around Bella’s Birthday, in September and, well I’ll just say it, all hell breaks loose. Edward and his sister Alice have planned a special birthday night at their house for Bella. And the newest vegetarian, Jasper, plays a very pivotal character in this scene, but I won’t spoil that for people that haven’t read it.

            After her birthday, for several days Edward is very distant and depressed. He loves Bella, but he knows that if he sticks around for much longer she may winde up dead or just like him. Eventually he opens up and confronts Bella on what is wrong. Which causes her to go into a complete depression, which no one can really seem to pull her out of. That is until Jacob Black comes along.

            Jacob Black not really the boy next door, but very close to it. A young boy who is a family friend, goes to Bella’s rescue. They end up becoming best friends and when Jacob starts to become distant and moody with Bella, she starts to sink again, until he tells her what has been going on. Jacob his gang have a dark secret, that if it gets out could cause a lot of commotion.  So when he tells her, the others don’t think it’s a good idea and don’t take too well to her being in on it. However considering the other secrets Bella has kept and is still keeping, many end up being ok with it.

            Bella becomes a thrill seeker, because when she does something dangerous she hears Edwards voice in her head, and it makes her happy. With Alice’s ability to see the future, it makes it look like she is attempting suicide. When Alice sees this she of course lets her brother know, who says he cannot live in a world where Bella doesn’t exist.

            New Moon captures audiences back into the world of Forks, Washington. It’s Another hit for Stephenie Meyer. And with it’s captivating scenes, heart-breaking events, and hilarious antics I give this book a 8 out of 10. 

Game Review #4

SingStar

Playstation 3

Recently I have acquired a Playstation 3, I know lucky me right! Well because I absolutely love singing and love singing games, SingStar Vol. 1 was one of my first PS3 games. I had played the previous versions on my Playstation 2, but was very excited to take a look at the online content for the PS3.

One of the first things I noticed was the ability to swap discs. If you have the Playstation 2 SingStars you will be able to swap those discs out with ease with the push of a few buttons. This allows you to not just sing songs that are on one disc, but the ones that are on all of them.

One of the features that was carried over onto the PS3 version was the ability to save your songs that you perform well, and with the added ability of being able to put up to 5 audio files onto your community profile online, you can get your voice out into the world, but be warned you will be rated and people can be brutal. If you have the Playstation Eye you can put up to 5 videos and numerous photos that people can rate as well. Along with the ability to have an online profile, you can also download songs from the SingStar store. New songs are added every other Thursday.

Now onto the actual game play, when you first buy any SingStar game you will buy it bundled with 2 microphones, a blue and red (1^st player and 2^nd player). If you have bought the Playstation 2 versions they will still work for the PS3. When you go to sing a song in any mode you will notice that the video plays in the background as you sing (I still sometimes get distracted by the video). You are scored on how well you hold notes, and how well you hit notes. I’ve come to the conclusion that highest score you can get is around 10,000 I have yet to get that but I can’t see it going any higher than that.

Some of the different game modes are solo, battle, duet, and practice. In solo mode, it is just that you sing alone. In battle mode you and a friend go up against each other singing the whole song. In duet mode you and a friend sing a song together and get a combined score. In practice mode you can practice any song without having to worry about a score.

Some of the other games that they have for Playstation 3 Volume 1, Volume 2, Abba, and a soon to be released Queen. Both of the artist titles are just their songs and no others. For the Playstation 2 there are many, here are just a few examples Country, Pop vol. 1, Pop Vol. 2, 90’s, 80’s and a few more.

If you like music, and you like to sing, then any sort of SingStar game would be right for you! For what it is, I rate this game an 8 out of 10.