This is the archive for March 2007
By Iona Childers, Courier Restaurant Editor
Baldie's Cafe
Photo by Elliot L. from Yelp.com
(between Clover St & Lilac St)
Union City, CA 94587
Struck with a sudden craving for pancakes, a few friends and I decided to try the Original Pancake House in Fremont after school. But when we arrived at the small restaurant, we were greeted with the word "CLOSED" in bold black letters (apparently the restaurant closes at 2 p.m.).
Unwilling to drive to the busy IHOP at Union City Landing, we all agreed on Baldie's Cafe since a few members of our group had never been there before. Luckily for us, Baldie's Cafe is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday, and from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Posted by courier at 07:29 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)
Beyonce Knowles and Shakira collaborated
on the song "Beautiful Liar."Top 10 songs on iTunes Music Store for March 27:
1. "Beautiful Liar," Beyonce and Shakira
2. "Don't Matter," Akon
3. "Girlfriend," Avril Lavigne
4. "Glamorous," Fergie
5. "Cupid's Chokehold," Gym Class Heroes
6. "The Sweet Escape," Gwen Stefani
7. "Glamorous (explicit version)," Fergie
8. "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," Fall Out Boy
9. "This Is Why I'm Hot," Mims
10. "Throw Some D's," Rich Boy featuring Polow Da Don
For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Posted by courier at 02:19 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
While it is still March, it is never too early to talk about upcoming album releases from hot artists. Before summer even begins, there are plenty of highly anticipated albums to be released by artists like Rihanna, One Chance, Linkin Park, Ashanti, Corbin Bleu, Maroon 5, and more. In the next two months, the new works of Timbaland, Ne-Yo, and Numskull will be known officially to the world.
Timbaland is one of today s most well-known producers. Hits after hits, it was only about time that he releases an album of his own after nine years since his debut album. Timbaland Presents Shock Value will be released on April 3, 2007. The first single is
Give It To Me and it features Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake. The hot track is already climbing up the charts and will definitely be in the top 10 sooner or later. Shock Value guest stars a number of other musical acts, giving it more variety. It will be difficult to find 50 cent, Dr. Dre, Fall Out Boy, The Hives, and Elton John all in one album. If anyone can pull it off, it is definitely Timbaland.
Posted by courier at 08:05 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Deuce P. Clayton, Courier Staff Writer
Dignity, Hilary Duff
Release Date: April 3, 2007
Label: Hollywood Records
ASIN: B000MV9OHW
2 out of 5 stars
All pop singers have one album they release as a statement of maturation. An image change is almost mandatory, along with acquiring a new musical direction. Hilary Duff's coming of age as a pop star comes in the form of her fourth studio album, "Dignity".
"Dignity" takes a more electronic approach than her first three albums, but it still comes off as unoriginal. Kylie Minogue has been making very similar records for the past 13 years, and has been pulling it off much better.
Posted by courier at 07:26 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Grove Press; Reprint edition (August 29, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802142818
ISBN-13: 978-0802142818
“Could fulfillment ever be felt as deeply as loss? Romantically she decided that love must surely reside in the gap between desire and fulfillment, in the lack, not the contentment. Love was the ache, the anticipation, the retreat, everything around it but the emotion itself.”
Although
The Inheritance of Loss has been viewed as a book about the gaping hole between the old world and the new world that swallows all who dare to toe the edges, and it has been thought to be about the consequences of colonialism and bridging the gap between it and the modern world, to me, it is a story of love and its many forms and consequences. I may just be a hopelessly romantic teenage girl overflowing with hormones that bring to light all things romantic in any situation, thus hiding the true themes of this novel from eyes blinded by estrogen, but I do truly believe that the gaping hole and the bridge are there only to bring a realistic sense to the real theme: love.
Posted by courier at 07:47 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best sellers for the week that ended Saturday, March 17 compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.
(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by Cahners Publishing Co., a division of Reed Elsevier, USA. (c) 2007 by Reed Elsevier, USA)
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. The Secret. Rhonda Byrne. Atria/Beyond Words, $23.95
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 11
2. Women & Money. Suze Orman. Spiegel & Grau, $24.95
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 3
3. In an Instant. Lee & Bob Woodruff. Random House, $25.95
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 3
4. You: On a Diet. Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. Free Press, $25
Last Week: 4; Weeks on List: 19
5. I Feel Bad About My Neck. Nora Ephron. Knopf, $19.95
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 32
Posted by courier at 07:12 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
GOD OF WAR II
For: Playstation 2
From: Sony
ESRB Rating: Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, sexual themes, strong language)
Any fears of a sophomore slump from the PS2's best action game dissipate in ... oh, two minutes, maybe? Yes, "God of War II" has quite an act to follow — and what better way to do so than by kicking things off with a boss fight?
The opening encounter — the plot details of which won't be spoiled here — pits you against hundreds of normal-sized enemies and one ridiculously huge boss enemy. It takes place in three separate areas, including the boss' burning innards. And when it's over, nearly 90 minutes later, you'll have witnessed an opening throwdown that puts most games' final levels to shame.
Posted by courier at 11:28 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Iona Childers and Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writers
Senior Powderpuff cheerleaders rallied
their team with a human pyramid
Victoria McDonald/ Courier PhotoThe Powder Puff preview half-time show, during fourth and fifth period rallies, was some show
The Junior cheerleaders were bedecked in short skirts, pink-imprinted shirts, different colored wigs (we spotted one pink wig with a 60s bob style and five blondes) and about a quarter pound of makeup each. Not only did these Junior 'gals' look the part, but they also showed that they could 'shake what their mommas gave them' to the fullest! Their intro song was none other than "Fergalicious" by former Black Eyed Peas member, Fergie. The crowd responded with many excited screams as they continued their routine with other current hits like Justin Timberlake's "Sexyback" and the Pussycat Dolls' song "Buttons". Their closing formation included their very own three level pyramid.
Watch video of the Junior cheerleaders' Powder Puff Rally performance, free via YouTube.
Watch video of the Senior cheerleaders' Powder Puff Rally performance, free via Youtube.
Posted by courier at 07:35 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Abdul Nawabi, Courier Staff Writer
In Chris Rock's new movie
I Think I Love My Wife, Rock's character, Richard Cooper, lives the well-off but stultifying life of an investment banker.
Rock, who also directed and wrote the script with his frequent collaborator Louis C. K., employs voice-over narration, in the character of Richard, to help tell the story. Richard is the first to admit that his life is pretty good. He has a gorgeous wife named Brenda, played by Gina Torres, with whom he has two cute small children. They live together in a rich man's house in the suburbs, all of it financed by his upwardly mobile career at an established Manhattan financial company.
Posted by courier at 07:44 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Steven Rea and Carrie Rickey
The Philadelphia Inquirer(MCT)
AMAZING GRACE 3 stars. A compelling period drama about real-life anti-slavery crusader William Wilberforce, the British legislator, who, in the late 1700s, fought to abolish slavery — and changed the face of British politics in the process. 1 hr. 56 PG-13 (adult themes) — Steven Rea
ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES 1.5 stars. French filmmaker Luc Besson takes his Cuisinart to Lewis Carroll, Jonathan Swift, T.H. White, Frank L. Baum, and picture books featuring pretty, pointy-eared elves in this glossy, long-winded mix of live-action and animation. What a mess! 1 hr. 42 PG (cartoon violence, scary images, inappropriately attired senior citizens) —Steven Rea
Posted by courier at 06:40 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
Elliott Yamin may very well be the next best-selling American Idol 5 finalist next to Daughtry (selling 1.9 million copies thus far). Fans of Yamin and Daughtry should actually be thankful that they were not the top two finalists of American Idol's season five. This factor enabled them to record an album better suited for them by allowing more input from themselves rather than the
pressure and demands of 19 Management, the record label finalists are signed to. Yamin's self-titled debut album was released on Tuesday. Apart from the show, Yamin demonstrated growth and talent on this 11-track album.
Posted by courier at 10:08 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)
Pop:
MODEST MOUSE "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" (Epic, 2 stars)
With quaint titles, moaning lyrics and an overall slow twitchiness as its sonic calling card, Modest Mouse has become a brand whose principle product is a yawn. "Fourteen years of yawp" could be Mouse CEO Issac Brock's motto.
But a good number of people find this their favorite cup of tedium. Mouse's ruminations are exquisite in their enervation. Not since Morrissey has repudiation sounded as sexy as it does through the sashaying "Missed the Boat." Maybe that's why Brock recruited Moz's ex, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, for this CD.
Posted by courier at 07:50 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Barnard-White Middle School's production of "Aladdin" opens Thursday night on the BWMS Cafeteria Stage. The curtain goes up at 7:30. An encore performance is scheduled Friday night, also starting at 7:30.
Next week, "Aladdin" goes on the road, to The Little Theater at James Logan High School, for 7:30 p.m. performances Thursday, March 29, and Friday, March 30.
Admission to all performances is $5.
Posted by courier at 07:13 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books and other materials newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.
Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (August 23, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060541415
ISBN-13: 978-0060541415
From MaureenJohnson.com:
Here’s the deal: Aunt Peg, the New York artist and the person Ginny Blackstone depended on to make her life interesting, took off to Europe without a word three years ago. Aside from a few postcards, Ginny hasn’t heard much. Then she gets a horrible phone call that changes everything.
Posted by courier at 11:57 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor
Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Anchor (October 3, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385720408
ISBN-13: 978-0385720403
“God let me be born here, as a Muslim of the Shiite Faith, in the religion of Imam Dshafar. May he be merciful and let me die here, in the same street, in the same house where I was born. Me and Nino, a Christian, who eats with a knife and fork, has laughing eyes and wears filmy silk stockings.”
The story of Ali and Nino is another one of those Romeo and Juliet-type tragic romances that, without a bit of flavor, could bore the socks off of anyone. Luckily, I didn’t have to waste my time with one of those boring books because Said added the flavors of cultural and religious clashes during WWI, a mention of the tragically forgotten Armenian Genocide, colonization, the Russian Revolution, and exposes the truths of love, the battles between religions and cultures, and human nature. It is an amazing read, although at times confusing.
Posted by courier at 07:44 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
GHOST RECON: ADVANCED WARFIGHTER 2
For: Xbox 360
From: Ubisoft
ESRB Rating: Teen (blood, language, violence)
Playing "Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2" is like going on a second date. The food's delicious. The show's first-rate. The goodnight kiss? Spectacular. But you expect all that, what with the first date going so well already, and the "wow" factor that consumed that first night out is nowhere near as prevalent this time around.
Posted by courier at 07:23 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
Sandra Bullock's latest film,
Premonition, is decent. She plays the character of Linda Hanson, a content housewife, who initially had a vivid dream of his husband, Jim (Julian McMahon), dying. After seeing Jim in bed next to her when she wakes up, she realizes it was only a dream. However, random events occur throughout the day, similar to the dream, to make her believe it was more than a dream, perhaps a premonition.
Posted by courier at 12:21 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Roberta Maas, Courier Staff Writer
The blockbuster greek action file
300 incorporates breathtaking cinematography and incredible fight scenes that dominate the entire movie. All that the film is missing is a solid plot. The attempt at a plot seemes to have been put into place only to break up the battle scenes, bridging from one scene to another.
Visit the movie's website.
Posted by courier at 08:43 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)
Pop:
SON VOLT "The Search" (Transmit Sound/Legacy, 3 stars)
Jay Farrar always does just enough to make a new project intriguing but not quite enough to make it wholly satisfying. Even when the music rocks — and it does, often, on "The Search," Farrar's second album with his new version of Son Volt — his baritone voice remains reserved and somber, and his ballads tend to follow similar melodic arcs.
Beginning with the opening salvo of the deliciously eerie "Slow Hearse," the Son Volt meets Stax/Volt war-as-profit statement "The Picture" (complete with horns!), and the aggressive, bluesy "Action," "The Search" does offer new thrills.
Posted by courier at 09:18 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)
Top 10 songs on iTunes Music Store for March 13:
1. "This Is Why I'm Hot," Mims
2. "Glamorous," Fergie
3. "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," Fall Out Boy
4. "Don't Matter," Akon
5. "Girlfriend," Avril Lavigne
6. "Cupid's Chokehold," Gym Class Heroes
7. "Glamorous (explicit version)," Fergie
8. "The Sweet Escape," Gwen Stefani
9. "It' Not Over," Daughtry
10. "Break It Off," Rihanna and Sean Paul
For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Posted by courier at 08:40 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Staff Writer
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco; Reprint edition (May 10, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062502182
ISBN-13: 978-0062502186
“The closer one gets to realizing his Personal Legend, the more that Personal Legend becomes his true reason for being, thought the boy.”
The Alchemist is by far the most beautiful book I have ever read. The words all flow like a brook of crystal clear water and are as inspirational as any episode of Oprah Winfrey. The plot is fast paced enough to keep you interested, and memorable enough to make it possible to just pick up where you left off without having to backtrack a bit to get what’s going on. The characters are as real as anything else in this world, and, even better, they face real-life problems rather than some over-dramatized, impossibly complex problems whose only use is to bring about an exciting climax. Not like there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that it’s nice to read a book that you can really relate to or understand or believe.
Posted by courier at 07:27 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Reviewed by Hassina Obaidy, Courier Staff Writer
Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Publisher: Warner Books (May 1995)
Pages: 262
Language: English
ISBN #: 0446600253
Ultima a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic lives with Antonio Marez's famliy in their New Mexico hime when he was six years old. Antonio is the youngest of his three brothers whom went off to fight in World War 2. When Ultima stays with the Marez family, Antonio's relationship with her becomes very strong. As Antonio gets older he has to choose between his father's family's nomadic lifestyle, or his mother's family's settled down agricultural way of life.
Posted by courier at 06:41 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Eric Benderoff
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
This week's column is a collection of odds and ends from a tech reporter's inbox. Let's start with the odd:
EVERYTHING iPOD: The iPod continues to push our culture forward in significant ways. No longer is bringing reading material to the bathroom enough; now you can have a soundtrack.
Just pop your iPod into this dock built in to the toilet-paper holder. It comes with moisture-free speakers but is powered by batteries. So don't spend too much time lost in reverie.
Posted by courier at 09:43 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Game Informer Magazine (MCT)
IPTV on Xbox 360
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Web site: www.xbox.com
List price: TBD
At January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft's Bill Gates unveiled a new functionality for the Xbox 360. The company is planning to debut an IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) service before the end of the year that will allow the platform to act as a digital video recorder similar to TiVo, so users can record and watch TV programs. This new functionality works seamlessly with the 360. For instance, users can play 360 games while recording a favorite TV show or watch TV while talking with someone on their 360 friends list. Users will also have access to Xbox Live Marketplace, and the service would enable picture-in-picture channel browsing, movies and TV on demand, and searches for specific actors or directors.
Posted by courier at 09:29 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
MLB 07: THE SHOW
For: Playstation 2 and PSP (coming April for PS3)
From: Sony
ESRB Rating: Everyone
It was always a little disappointing that the coolest part of Sony's so-so basketball game — the rags-to-riches career mode — wasn't instead instilled into its endlessly-better-than-so-so baseball franchise. The career mode in "MLB 06" was terrific, but it lacked the lone-wolf mentality that could really set it apart.
Posted by courier at 07:11 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Alex Smith
Lukas GrippaA squad of Logan students calling themselves the Improv club is serving up comedy to entertain audiences and, most importantly, themselves.
Captain Lukas Grippa and Co-Captain Alexander Smith lead the Improv meetings on Wednesdays after school (which are, by the way, now being moved to every Tuesdays and Thursdays after school), and are supervised by World Literature, Drama, and Stagecraft teacher Paul Vega.
If you've ever seen ther show "Who's Line Is It Anyway?", you've got a little clue as to what they do,
Improv, in Lukas' words, "essentially, is creating a scene off the top of your head." The people who go on stage do not use scripts. All they have is an idea of what they want to do on stage, and they go with it.
Posted by courier at 07:53 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Reviewed by Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writer
Nobody Knows: written, produced and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
Distributed by IFC Films (USA)
Release date: August 7, 2004
Running time: 141 min.
Language: Japanese
Inspired by a true story that occurred in 1988, this Japanese film portrays the life of four children (aging from four to twelve) who are forced to fend for themselves when their mother, Keiko, abandons them in a dilapidated apartment in Tokyo.
Posted by courier at 07:16 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
It has been three years since Lloyd released his debut album,
Southside. His very first single,
Southside, (featuring Ashanti) was merely a one-hit-wonder. However, his latest single,
You, is scoring higher positions on the charts with the help of Lil Wayne on the track. Lloyd s sophomore album releases next week on Tuesday, March 13, 2007, entitled Street Love. The sound of this 13-track album (excluding the introduction) is not surprising, but yet still holds a few potential good singles.
Posted by courier at 12:44 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Patrick Pilapil, Courier Staff Writer
Tomorrow, one of rock's greatest albums will be celebrating its 20th birthday. U2's "The Joshua Tree" was released on March 9th, 1987, earning the boys from Dublin worldwide commercial and critical success. To commemorate the landmark album, I compiled and ranked U2's best songs ever recorded.
1.
With or Without You ‑
The Joshua Tree, 1987
Not the most complex or brilliant piece of music in U2's catalogue, probably one of the simplest songs to learn to play. But as far as songwriting goes, it has perhaps the most moving lyrics to come from the band. What makes this the greatest U2 song, however, is just the sheer emotion that resonates from Bono's voice from start to finish.
Posted by courier at 09:00 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Jim Farber
New York Daily News (MCT)
Iggy Pop performing at
U.C. Davis in 1980
wikipedia photoIt's hard to believe but next month Iggy Pop turns 60.
Not that he minds.
"Only now in my life do I have everything I wanted when I was an adolescent," Pop explains. "Cool cars, hot sex, a really good band that people actually enjoy, proper gigs. And I don't wake up feeling ill."
Better, only at this point has Pop managed to record the first full album in over three decades with his historic blurt of a band, The Stooges. This week, the reunited group releases "The Weirdness," a 12-track spew of whiplash riffs and murderous lyrics more viciously skewed than anything out there now by guys 40 years their junior.
Posted by courier at 08:49 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By David Hinckley
New York Daily News (MCT)
The Beatles album, Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band, was named
the greatest ever.
At a time when CD sales are wobbling like Britney Spears, the National Association of Record Manufacturers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have fought back with a celebration of the greatest albums ever.
The two organizations Tuesday released "The Definitive 200," a list of 200 albums they think every popular-music fan should own. To no one's shock, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper," Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
Posted by courier at 08:39 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)
Top 10 albums on iTunes Music Store for March 6:
1. "Infinity On High," Fall Out Boy
2. "Music and Lyrics (Music from the Motion Picture)," various artists
3. "Daughtry," Daughtry
4. "Taking the Long Way," Dixie Chicks
5. "Continuum," John Mayer
6. "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake
7. "Corinne Bailey Rae," Corinne Bailey Rae
8. "Not Too Late," Norah Jones
9. "The Evolution of Robin Thicke," Robin Thicke
10. "Alright, Still," Lily Allen
For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Posted by courier at 08:34 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Editor's Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books and other materials newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.
300 by Frank Miller
Hardcover: 88 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse; 1098 edition (December 15, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1569714029
ISBN-13: 978-1569714027
From
Amazon.com:
An emperor amasses an army of hundreds of thousands, drawn from two continents, to invade a third continent and conquer a tiny, divided nation. Only a few hundred warriors stand against them. Yet the tiny nation is saved. It sounds like the plot of a preposterous fantasy novel. It is historical fact. In 481-480 B.C., King Xerxes of Persia raised forces in Asia and Africa and invaded Greece with an army so huge that it "drank rivers dry." Then they entered the mountain pass of Thermopylae and encountered 300 determined soldiers from Sparta....
Posted by courier at 02:06 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor
What is the What by Dave Eggers
Hardcover: 475 pages
Publisher: McSweeney's; 1 edition (October 25, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932416641
ISBN-13: 978-1932416640
“So the first man lifted his head to God and asked what this was, this What. ‘What is the What?’ the first man asked. And God said to the man, ‘I cannot tell you. Still, you have to choose. You have to choose between the cattle and the What.’ Well then. The man and the woman could see the cattle right there in front of them, and they knew that with cattle they would eat and live with great contentment. They could see the cattle were God’s most perfect creation, and that the cattle carried something godlike within themselves. They knew that they would live in peace with the cattle, and that if they helped the cattle eat and drink, the cattle would give man their milk, would multiply every year and keep the monyjang happy and healthy. So the first man and woman knew they would be fools to pass up the cattle for this idea of the What. So the man chose cattle. And God has proven that this was the correct decision. God was testing the man. He was testing the man, to see if he could appreciate what he had been given, if he could take pleasure in the county before him, rather than trade it for the unknown. And because the first man was able to see this, God has allowed us to prosper. The Dinka live and grow as the cattle live and grow.”
This is the Sudanese folktale upon which the title of this fictional biography is based. It is not completely fictional; in fact it’s based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee from Sudan (the current location of the Darfur genocide) and one of the Lost Boys (the boys from the generation of Sudanese who lost their childhood while trekking hundreds of miles from their homes in search of safety during a brutal civil war). It is classified as fictional because some of the dialogues that occur have been fictionalized; other than that, it is the life story of a young boy who is constantly running from a danger few of us can even imagine, and the story of a young man in an America that is quite like he imagined it would be.
Posted by courier at 07:01 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Feb. 24, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.
(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by Cahners Publishing Co., a division of Reed Elsevier, USA. (c) 2007 by Reed Elsevier, USA)
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. Innocent in Death. J.D. Robb. Putnam, $25.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
2. Step on a Crack. James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown, $27.99
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 3
3. Sisters. Danielle Steel. Delacorte, $27
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 2
4. The Double Bind. Chris Bohjalian. Crown/Shaye Areheart, $25
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 2
5. For One More Day. Mitch Albom. Hyperion, $21.95
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 21
Posted by courier at 06:10 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Sam LaGrone
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
Screenshot from Myst
Online Uru Live RALEIGH, N.C. — Before Will Wright's genius mind unleashed "The Sims" onto the world, the single most popular game on the personal computer was "Myst."
That game was developed by Rand and Robyn Miller, a team of brothers who were among the first to delve into the CD-ROM realm of game production in the early 1990s. Remember back then: trading bootleg copies of "Doom 2" on eight 3.5-inch floppy disks? Calling the Web the Net? Jams, the shorts, not the bands?
"Myst" came in and wowed the world with 3D graphics and non-stupid sound.
Posted by courier at 07:20 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Jerri Stroud
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT)
Dane Johnston uses GameRail from
his Lafayette Square apartment in
St. Louis, Missouri, Feb. 12.
(Kevin Manning/
St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)ST. LOUIS — Online gamers live or die — in the virtual world anyway — on their ability to respond quickly to opponents' moves.
While part of that response depends on reflexes, a gamer's equipment and the Internet can slow down delivery of the response, cause jittery images or lose a player's move altogether.
GameRail, a new St. Louis company, has developed technology that can shave milliseconds off response time — also called latency — by directly connecting Internet access providers and the servers. The technology also reduces jitter and delivers signals — or data packets — more reliably.
Posted by courier at 07:08 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
CRACKDOWN
For: Xbox 360
From: Real Time Worlds/Microsoft
ESRB Rating: Mature (Blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, strong language, use of drugs)
Yes, "Crackdown" is the latest in a growing line of video games that overtly takes cues from the open-world formula made popular by "Grand Theft Auto." But "Crackdown" also is what happens when someone argues that "GTA" is, of all things, too restrictive.
Posted by courier at 06:31 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Fermin Sierra, Courier Staff Writer
The Number 23, Jim Carrey’s new “psychological thriller” was released last week to overwhelmingly bad reviews as critics around the country announced the fall of Mr. Carrey’s career. While those rumors are completely unfounded and untrue, it is obvious upon first viewing of
The Number 23 that viewers are watching a movie, and a star who are both going to great lengths to create and the two things that make “psychological thrillers” entertaining: mood and a controllable plot.
Posted by courier at 09:04 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Roberta Maas, Courier Staff Writer
James Logan's production of
The Music Man Friday night was neither a disappointment nor satisfying.
The musical was not consistent. On occasion the performances were quite believable. During other scenes, however, the singing was extremely off key and lines were entirely forgotten. The male portion of the cast suffered from this memory loss most frequently.
Posted by courier at 01:08 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Reviewed by Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writer
"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room":
Release date(s): April 22 2005
Running time: 109 min.
Language: English
Producer/director Alex Gibney's documentary of Enron unravels the bankruptcy scandal that disintegrated the seventh largest corporation in the country. It goes under the surface of the company and reveals the secrets about the company's employees, stockholders, business associates, and seven casual observers.
Posted by courier at 08:52 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Reviewed by Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writer
"The Motorcycle Diaries":
Based on Ernesto "Che" Guevara's books,
The Motorcycle Diaries, this Spanish film, directed by Walter Salle, takes place during the '60s when Guevara (Fidel Castro's military sidekick) became a worldwide icon of revolution.
This film follows the journey of Guevara and Alberto Greando's, his friend, 8000-mile journey on a motorcycle from Buenos Aires to Venezuela. However, their journey on the motorcycle is cut short and they must travel on feet when the motorcycle breaks down. The audience is able to see the Guevara's gradual change that transformed him from an affluent young adult to a violent revolutionary.
Posted by courier at 07:57 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)
Pop:
DEAN & BRITTA "Back Numbers" (Zoe, 3 { stars)
Dean Wareham has excelled at quiescent, Velvet Underground-derived rock for a couple of decades now, stretching back to his days leading the sometimes somnambulant trio Galaxie 500 in the '80s through his years making delicately restrained music with Luna.
But the New Zealand native really got his slow-motion groove on with L'Avventura, his 2003 collaboration with Luna bassist Britta Phillips, who is now Wareham's wife.
Posted by courier at 08:57 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
Everlife, by Everlife
Release date: February 20, 2007
Label: Buena Vista
ASIN: B000MGUZNE
For Disney Channel viewers, Everlife (Julia, Amber, and Sarah Ross) should be a name they know. Since 2004, these three sisters from Pittsburgh have had five successful singles in Radio Disney s Top 30 playlist. Two notable ones are
Go Figure (from Disney Channel Original Movie, Go Figure ) and
Find Yourself in You (from Disney Channel Original Series, Hannah Montana ). A number of songs on their latest self-titled album (released on February 20,) are not original songs and/or were featured on other albums, which downplays the band.
Posted by courier at 08:34 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)
Top 10 songs on iTunes Music Store for Feb. 27:
1. "This is Why I'm Hot," Mims
2. "Break It Off," Rihanna & Sean Paul
3. "Don't Matter," Akon
4. "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," Fall Out Boy
5. "Cupid's Chokehold," Gym Class Heroes
6. "The Sweet Escape," Gwen Stefani
7. "What Goes Around .../... Comes Around," Justin Timberlake
8. "It's Not Over," Daughtry
9. "Say It Right," Nelly Furtado
10. "Here (In Your Arms)," Hellogoodbye
For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Posted by courier at 08:24 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
Neighborhood Rapstar, 2XL
Audio CD (February 20, 2007)
Original Release Date: October 24, 2006
Label: Tommy Boy
ASIN: B000I2IR78
It is hard to believe, but the twin brothers of the California-based rap duo 2XL are only 16 years old. Bennett Laze and Justin Royal Talmadge Armstrong just released their debut album, Neighborhood Rapstar, on February 20, 2007. At such a young age, 2XL are already working with big names as they appear on the album like Cherish, E-40, and Scott Storch.
Posted by courier at 07:55 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Patrick Pilapil, Courier Staff Writer
Funeral for Yesterday, Kittie
Release Date: February 20, 2007
Label: X Of Infamy
ASIN: B000MQ55HK
4 out of 5 stars
When it comes to hard rock, the list of female musicians who have made an impact in the genre is very short. Wendy O. Williams, Lita Ford and Courtney Love are the only ones that come to my mind. However, one all-female band from Canada aims to make that list just a bit longer.
You can see Kittie on tour on Wednesday at 8 p.m., at the Fat Cat Music House and Lounge, in Modesto.
Posted by courier at 07:30 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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