Category Archives: Entertainment

Hamilton

 

Lin-Manuel Miranda walks up to center stage. He breathes in deeply, then starts rapping about our founding fathers of America. Actually, more specifically, “the founding father without a father,” Alexander Hamilton. You probably wouldn’t expect those two phrases to be put together in a sentence, but the Broadway musical Hamilton has “blown us all away” and exploded into the limelight. This hip-hop musical is sold out until next year, and celebrities rave about it. You might be wondering, Why?  Why would people want to listen to songs which are basically my history textbook?  Well, Hamilton is more than that.

Along with telling stories of the founding of our country, Hamilton tells a story of pain and heartbreak. Sorrows and drama. Humor mixed with tears. In addition, it has people of color playing white roles. This is called racial diversity, or“color-blindness.”. Most of the cast is African American or Hispanic, and the lead role of Alexander Hamilton is played by the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Miranda is the creator of this piece of art, the creative genius behind the masterpiece of Hamilton. His early life was filled with show tunes and salsa. Involved in theater since a young age, he got his inspiration for Hamilton from a biography which he read on his vacation. The book he read “ended up changing my life” according to Miranda. He was certainly right about that. This musical has skyrocketed to success, with tickets sold out until next year. Celebrities including Idina Menzel, Kanye West, Daniel Radcliffe, and Beyoncé have raved about the show, and the President himself had a showing of Hamilton at the White House! If that isn’t amazing, I don’t know what is.

Many people find this mix of history and rapping to be a bit odd, but I think that Miranda does a wonderful job mixing the two into the art that is Hamilton. Each metaphor is meaningful and has a purpose. The tone of their voices, the simplicity and repetition of words at some points; there’s a meaning to all of that. Hamilton is an intricate mosaic, and each tile connects to the bigger picture of the way our country was founded. I’m hoping Mr. Miranda can drop a musical about Algebra soon, that subject really needs more charisma.

~Sanvi

Ballet in the Whole

One topic I am very passionate about is Ballet. Ballet has many types of styles inside of it, including Story Ballets, Classical Ballets, Neo-classical Ballets and Contemporary Ballets. One of the highest levels of Ballet is being a principal dancer of a professional Ballet company. Some of the best ballet schools and companies are the Royal Ballet, Joffrey Academy of Dance, American Ballet Theatre, The Juilliard School and Paris Opéra Ballet School. One interesting fact is that the first professional ballet dancers were De Lafontaine or Mademoiselle De Lafontaine. All in all Ballet has a lot of variety and is a very old concept.

My view on Ballet is that it is a traditionally a very classical art that has turn into more of a sport. Throughout the years ballet has become more athletic. In the beginning ballet was mainly for the royal and was used for parties and celebrations. Currently ballet has loads of variety. One day a dancer could be performing a contemporary ballet and the next day performing a classical ballet. One of the main reasons why ballet has become more athletic is that wearing pointe shoes has become more popular for female dancers. These shoes are used to put the dancer on the top of their toes, they are a satin shoe with a hard toe and a hard shank. In conclusion ballet went from a traditional dance for Royals to a athletic performance technique.

~Brianna

CDs: The Disc is Disappearing, but the Music Isn’t

Let me ask you a question: Do you know what a Walkman is? How about a typewriter? Telegraph? I’m guessing a a good amount of you said no to at least one of these things. Now this is simply because that piece of technology is really, really old. So old to the point where our generation doesn’t even know it existed.


However this is also happening to a piece of technology that pretty much all of us have known our entire lives: the CD. Pretty soon it will disappear. Gone. Poof. Donezo. The CD has now become almost completely obsolete! Very few people still buy them compared to how many people bought when they were in their prime, because everyone just downloads all of their music now. Eventually we’ll be saying the classic “Back in my day” story about how we used to have to put a CD in a CD player to listen to music.

Now obviously this isn’t entirely a bad thing. I personally think it’s great. We’re trading away CDs for downloadable music, the latter of which is easier to get, takes up much less space, and in some cases is much less expensive. The only thing we have to worry about is remembering to charge our phones or Ipods or whatever, and not dropping them or getting them wet. Although those last two things could also be said for CDs. You may ask yourself, “Are we going to miss out on better quality music if the CD goes away?” The answer is no. CDs aren’t even that high quality. One of the reasons that the record is making a small comeback is because it has very high quality sound. This is not at all the case for the CD.The reasons that they were popular were because they were the smallest way to listen to music, and they were cheap to buy and make. Downloads have greatly surpassed them. Will we be seeing a comeback? Probably not. You don’t see the telegraph or the typewriter making a comeback do you? Those would only be kept as antiques. The same won’t be said for CDs though, because they are so cheap. People will just end up throwing them in the garbage.


I really don’t even see any point in even buying CDs anymore. There is literally no reason to have one. Pretty much everyone I know listens to music on their phone or Ipod, and frankly that’s a much better option. Sure their are still people that buy CDs, but they’ll all eventually have to make the switch to downloads.

~Ethan

Why are Vine Stars and YouTubers Popular for No Reason?

 


DigiFest, DigiTour, Magcon, and Playlist Live,are just some of the many concerts and festivals that promote social media. Have you ever heard of them?   Well, the Vine and YouTube community are taking the world by storm. Vine and Youtube are both video sites with videos that times range from 6 seconds to hours long! Between beauty gurus, video gamers, and hilarious six second video masters, vine stars and YouTubers have used vine and YouTube to make a name for themselves around the world. Who are these people that are creating these magical movies that have millions of followers enchanted? Andrew B. Bachelor (KingBach on vine), Nash Grier, and Brittany Furlan are the top 3 most famous Vine stars with followings ranging from 9 million  to over 12 million! In the YouTube community, according to Vogue Magazine Online Bethany Mota and Zoe Sugg are two of the most popular girl youtubers and have well over 16 million subscribers combined. Singing sensations on Youtube and Vine also have helped them to make an impact on this generation. Jack Gilinsky and Jack Johnson or JackandJack on Vine are known as the eighteen year old singing duo. So far, they have released 12 songs with  more coming. Also, Bethany Mota’s song “Need you Right Now” was off the charts when fans went ballistic to go and buy the song.

So, what’s so special about these Vine and YouTube artists? In my opinion, these people are actually very talented for their age. Although,they do just seem like another pop star with stupid lyrics in a catchy song, their lyrics do have a positive meaning. For example, the lyrics in Jack and Jack’s song “Doing it Right” talk about bullies on the internet and telling people that while they are hating on the internet they shouldn’t let these hurtful comments affect them. Some Viners and Youtubers obviously have more musical abilities than others. However,  some are even taking their talents as a job and getting paid to be on a TV shows or to sing a song for a commercial.

I also do believe that there are some stars that are famous for no apparent reason except for their “good looks” which makes no sense! Why should we practically praise and obsess over people with no musical abilities whatsoever? It isn’t only just the musical talents that most of these people don’t have, it’s just plain old common sense. They think that just because they have a gigantic fanbase that they can write songs that not only sound bad but, have bad grammar and don’t make sense at all. The people that put on these songs are just embarrassing themselves. I mean the song practically screams “I don’t have talent”! Clearly, Vine and Youtube stars are really surprising this generation is all different ways.

 

~Marissa

 

Is Violence in Video Games to Blame for Violence in Real Life?

A large majority of the American population believes that the content in some video games causes violent behavior in the people who play them. Take the highly controversial Grand Theft Auto franchise for example. Grand Theft Auto V had record breaking sales in its first day of being released. It is a game revolving around, chaos. It breaks the boundaries of the phrase “do whatever you want,” because in this game, you can buy a million dollar car one minute, and then the next, it explodes because you drove it straight into a taco truck. Or, the player could purchase a tank and go on a rampage through the streets. Now these are the kind of actions that cause many people to think that video games cause violent behavior, but this is simply not the case. Recent studies show that violent video games have nothing to do with the actions of people in real life. It is only mental defects that cause such actions.

I strongly agree with these studies. The fact that so many people blame video games for tragedies such as the Sandy Hook shooting is just absurd. These happenings are the result of mental illness, not because someone wanted to recreate a video game in real life. As I said earlier, Grand Theft Auto V had record-breaking sales in its first day. Basically, this means that millions upon millions of people bought the game, many not as mature as they ought to be. You don’t see these millions of people going out and carjacking someone do you? Didn’t think so. The only reason that these things might happen is that a few very impressionable kids that are WAY too young to be playing violent games, go and try and do what they saw in real life. But still, this isn’t the video games’ faults. It’s the result of parents that don’t care what their kids play or see on TV.

So now the problem stands, what can we do to make people see that video games are not at fault for violence? There are too  many people that need something to blame for violence in America, and unfortunately, their scapegoat is video games. Despite the large amounts of scientific research that disproves that video games cause violence in people, not enough of them will listen.

~Ethan

Who(LU) Wants To Binge Watch?

Everyone has a favorite television show, and sometimes we sit down, turn on Netflix, and watch a few episodes. Or seasons. Or the entire series. This is called binge watching. We all do it without a second thought. There’s no harm in watching excessive amounts of television, right? Wrong. Have you ever heard of binge drinking, or binge eating? These are often linked to depression and loneliness. Is binge watching really that different? The answer is no. Binge watching is a way to escape the sometimes stressful world around you and sink into the action-packed drama-filled happy world of television. Also, when you’re sitting on the couch binge watching, probably with a snack, do you know what you aren’t doing? Getting that 60 minutes of exercise. Actually, you could be done with that after watching about 2 episodes of your favorite show. In addition, 75% of viewers admitted to binge watching, usually using Netflix or Hulu. However, we shouldn’t single them out. There are so many other places to find your favorite shows, so it’s difficult NOT to go watch them. Let’s look at Netflix for a minute. On there, the next episode of the show automatically starts playing when the previous one ends. Do you feel like skipping around? No problem, just click on the list of episodes that are available while you watch and decide what you’re watching next, while you’re watching. How much easier could it get?

 

 

 

Now, do I think that binge watching is all that bad? Honestly, there are worse things to do. Now, I’m not saying that you should go home and watch 10 hours of television, because you have homework to do. I have to admit that I fall into that 75% of binge watchers. After a long week of school, who wouldn’t want to get under the blankets and watch a little (lot of) TV? But, if you are a frequent binge watcher, and you can’t go a day without watching at least 3 hours, then maybe you should find another hobby. As long as you’re getting enough sleep and exercise, as well as keeping your grades up, then you’re good to go. Oh, and don’t forget about clubs. And sports. And food. And your friends. Now the only issue is finding the time to binge watch.

~Michelle

Are People Going Crazy With Their Christmas Shopping?

The holidays are right around the corner, and people every where have spent a lot of money on their favorite days of the year to shop, Black Friday and Cyber Monday because of the great deals in every store. Many people plan where they are going to go and what they are going to get for their families for the Christmas holiday. People everywhere were ready to race into their stores and be the first or second person to get the item they wanted for someone and get in line. It is basically like a race; in a race you want to be in first or second maybe third place, but in Black Friday shopping you want to be the first, second, or third person to get something you want.

Personally, I think it is too crazy to go out on Black Friday, people are running around the mall getting whatever they need for the Christmas holiday. They are trying to get the best things for the best deals and trying to spend the least amount of money possible. But on Cyber Monday even if you have the same deals it is not as crazy then it is on Black Friday. The thing that I have a problem with on Black Friday is if a company orders lets say fifteen TV’s that many people want for a really good deal that means only fifteen people have the chance to get a TV; what if there are many people waiting at the door until they open them.

~ Cassie

Controversial “The Interview”

The Interview, a new blockbuster movie is stirring up trouble all over the country.  This movie is about two people, regular guys who work with a news network that are called to work with the CIA to take out the leader of North Korea, Kim Jung-un.  Sony, the company making the film, has recently been hacked by a group called “The Guardians of Peace” and people are thinking that this group could possibly be from North Korea.  Seeing as though North Korea is one of the most dangerous places in the world, naturally people are a little concerned that North Korea and Kim Jung-un may take this new film as a war threat.  The Department of Homeland Security is tracking who may be behind “The Guardians of Peace” and are very close to finding who it is and where the hack came from.  Many movie theaters have decided not to premiere this movie including Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas and Cineplex Entertainment.  This came after receiving a 9/11 like threat from the hackers (Knibbs).

I personally think that it is a good idea for people to not air the movie.  I think this because, if people air the movie, that could be taken as a direct threat to North Korea and if they are behind the hacking of Sony, could be getting ourselves into a war.  Another reason I think this is because of how terrible it was when 9/11 occurred and how long it took the country to recover from that terrible day.  Many people lost their lives on 9/11 and I would hate to see even more people lose their lives, especially when the people were innocent.  I do realize that Sony may accumulate extreme amounts of debt if people don’t air the movie, but I also think that life is more important than money and that if there is a threat toward harming people or even killing them, the movie should not air.

~Lila

“Satanic” Music and it’s Meaning

Rock, Screamo, Hardcore, Metalcore, and Alternative music have all been called “Satanic, Satan worshiping” and many more names.  When in reality all it is is people expressing their ideas in a different style of music.  I personally love to listen to this music and I love the message behind it, for instance the song  Seconds and Sebring by: Of Mice & Men is all about the singer Austin Charlile’s mother who died when he was 17 years old. The song Bulls IN The Bronxs, by Pierce the Veil is written in memory of a fan named Olivia who influenced the band so much they wrote a song in memory of her when they found out she had been severely bullied and committed suicide while listening to their music. Not all people who listen to this kind of music worships Satan, all they want to do is get their point across, but no one will listen. I started listening to this music in grade 7 after my grandfather died, I liked it because all the singers, drum players, and guitar players have all been thought the same thing a lot of kids and teens go through today.  Yes alot of people who like this style of music wear black, and have many piercings and stretched ears, and are covered in tattoos, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great people, but people judge them anyways because they dress differently.

A lot of people don’t like the singers because they are bad influences, yes some of the things they have done might not have been the best ideas but that doesn’t mean they aren’t nice people.  A couple examples are… The singer of Sleeping With Sirens, Kellin Quinn grew up in a very broken home and his mom left when he was young.  He is now happily married and has a daughter named Copeland and two beautiful stepsons who he would do anything for.  Mitch Lucker the former singer for the death metal band Suicide Silence died while driving on a motorcycle drunk because he wanted to say goodnight to his wife and four year old daughter.  Vic Fuentes the singer of Pierce The Veil, self harmed when he was younger, but then found out that his little brother Mike looked up to him so he wanted to change for him.

These bands mean the world to some people and they do not deserve to be treated differently than One Direction, 5SOS, and more pop bands.  So the next time you put on social media that you shouldn’t hate on 1D just think about not hating on the other bands out there.  I was talking with my grandmother and she said that the bands I like would never play on the Today Show because nobody would ever come and see them perform.   I looked at her and said to her “they don’t need to because they have there own tour thats all summer and they go to every state, $40 for 100 of your favorite bands when Justin Bieber concerts cost like $150 and he doesn’t even start on time!!”

So the next time you say that these bands are “ So Satanic” just remember that those bands were there for people when nobody else was!

~Sophia

 

 

Bakery Story: The Online Baking Revolution

Bakery story is an online game available on the app store. It’s free, and creates a world where easy, electronic baking is possible. In this game you have a job to run a bakery. You must constantly leave food on the counters, or you’re at risk of customers leaving with broken hearts. The food on this app takes a variety of time to cook, ranging from five minutes, to two bakery story days (forty-four hours) There are dozens of ovens to choose from, each creating specific foods, related to the oven name. For example, the shaved ice machine creates red, blue, and rainbow shaved ice, and the deep fryer adds donuts, and other fried food onto your counters. In this game you can continually expand your bakery, leaving room for more chairs, tables, and other decorations. You are also able to decorate the bakery in a variety of themes, or create your very own style, mixing and matching chairs and tables. All of these luxuries may be purchased with the coins and gems that your bakery earns for feeding happy customers. These coins and gems can also be purchased using real world money within an in-store purchase, but your bakery can survive without spending real money. Finally, bakery story allows people to make friends with other bakery’s. The benefits of having friends is that your friends may give your bakery six tips a day, providing the Bakery Story owner with extra coins to buy items. Also, your friends give you a daily gift. This gift may help when trying to build an oven that you don’t have all the parts for. Overall, Bakery Story is a game that leaves millions happy as they are provided with the entertainment of online fun.

I am a fellow bakery story lover. I have reached level 70/99 and have over three million coins. I love how I am able to redesign my bakery, and put my creative mind into play, using the app. I’ve made beach, autumn, movie, Paris, and winter themed. My friends are always leaving compliments on my wall about my fabulous bakery. I have over 100 neighbors, who give me fully tipped tables each day. Normally, I check my bakery twice a day. I bake eight-hour foods in the morning, that will be finished in the afternoon. Then, I bake twelve-hour foods to cook through the night. My favorite part of Bakery Story is the goals. Every week this app comes out with new goals for the bakers to complete. After you have finished a goal you earn a prize of either coins, or a decoration. I know many people who have bakeries, and love it just as much as I do. Amelia Pellegrino, a level 63 baker says, “Bakery story is one of my favorite apps, it’s so simple and easy to use.” Everyone loves this game! Bakery story is mostly of interest to the teenage group, mostly girls, but many boys as well. It entertains the daily life of many of todays people in this electronically filled World. In conclusion Bakery Story is an amazing app and I suggest that everyone gets it, because I know that they will enjoy it just as much as I do.

~Lucy