The James Logan Courier

By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor

Let’s all clear the air first. “Bruce Almighty,” which is the first "Almighty” movie before "Evan" is one of my favorite movies. It is full of comedy, symbolism, and more. Secondly, commercials and trailers tend to ruin the humor and greatness of many movies. After seeing a number of different scenes already, movies just are not as good as they should be.

“Evan Almighty” is the sequel to Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston’s “Bruce Almighty.” Its cast includes Steve Carrell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, and Wanda Sykes. After being an anchorman on the first movie, Evan Baxter, played by Carrell, becomes elected as a congressman. He moves to Washington D.C. along with his family, including wife Joan Baxter (Graham) for something better and sacrificed the fact that they have to leave home. Struggling between family and work, the last thing Baxter needed to do was to build an ark as a command from God (Freeman) to prepare for a flood. It is easy to see the difficulties of Baxter are changing ways from God when he has to be in front of many other congressmen.

By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor

Every time I am asked to watch a horror film in the theaters by my friends, I am always hesitant because they tend to be a waste of money. Mostly it is because scriptwriters seem to be incapable of ending the movies correctly. With “1408,” I am pleased to say that I did not waste my money and that a horror movie finally had a horror ending.

“1408” stars John Cusack as an author (Mike Enslin) who writes about the supernatural and paranormal. His latest is about haunted hotels, in which people start to send him postcards and invitations to stay in hotels that they believe are haunted. After going through a number of them, a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel caught his eye as it tells him not to enter room 1408. Samuel L. Jackson plays as the hotel’s manager (Gerald Olin) that warns and bribes him in any way possible that Enslin should not stay in the room. The history of the room includes a number of deaths and injuries, in which Olin does not want to be hold responsibility for another one. Daring and determined, Enslin decides to stay in the room anyway to prove that it is not haunted.

By Alan Silverman, VOA News
Hollywood


The 2002 kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan is dramatized from the perspective of his widow, French-born journalist Mariane Pearl, in A Mighty Heart, a powerful new film by English director Michael Winterbottom and starring Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie.

In Karachi on January 23, 2002 Daniel Pearl kissed Mariane goodbye for the last time. The Wall Street Journal investigative reporter was off to interview a source for a story he was researching on alleged local links to terrorist groups.

Mariane Pearl, six months pregnant, quickly knew something was wrong ...and her fears were confirmed when a little-known group sent a message accusing Daniel of being a spy and demanding the United States release all Pakistani terror detainees.

By Howard Cohen
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

MIAMI — The last time Mika played Miami, about two years ago, the pop singer performed a record company-sponsored, 20-minute showcase set. His meager crowd encompassed a handful of publishing people, some musicians, "and my grandmother and my great aunt and my Lebanese relatives, my Miami hipster friends, a tiny selection of people from every scene in Miami," says the Beirut-born, Paris and London-bred Mika Penniman, on the telephone from Los Angeles on the eve of his U.S. tour's opening date.

Mika, 23, is upbeat, knowing full well Sunday's concert at Miami's Studio A — his first "real" show here — will be populated by people who have actually paid to see him perform.

By Faiza Elmasry,VOA News

Reading is one of the basic skills necessary for success in school and in life. But there's a difference between being able to read, and enjoying it. Many middle and high school students are reluctant readers, having found television, video games and peer interaction more interesting. But Adopt-An-Author, a nationwide program that uses science-based thrillers and non-fiction stories, is getting teens excited about reading.

"I wasn't really into reading. It wasn't my favorite thing to do," says Alex Rill, 17, a high school senior in Palm Beach Florida. That was before his teacher assigned his class to read Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, the story of a monstrous prehistoric shark with a voracious appetite. "This book, you have to read it, you can't stop reading it. You have to go to the next chapter to see what's going to happen. I had so much fun, like I was watching a movie."

That was three years ago. Not only did Alex devour the novel, he met the man who wrote it, New York Times best-selling author Steve Alten.

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

"PLANET PUZZLE LEAGUE"
For: Nintendo DS
From: Intelligent Systems/Nintendo
ESRB Rating: Everyone

"Planet Puzzle League" has spent its life in some sort of video game witness protection program, having changed its name over the years from "Panel de Pon" to "Tetris Attack" to "Pokemon Puzzle League" to "Pokemon Puzzle Challenge" to "Dr. Mario & Puzzle League."

If you've played any of those games, you know what to expect here. If you haven't, imagine "PPL" as a perfect hybrid between the likes of "Tetris" and the likes of "Bejeweled." Had it simply stuck to a consistent name over the years, it probably would sit right up there with those two games on the brand-name scale.

By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor

Camacho’s Cantina
1000 Universal Center Drive
Citywalk Suite 133
Universal City, CA 91608
(818) 622-3333

On our second day of the 2007 Senior Grad Nite trip, we went to have fun at Universal Studios. The park closed at 6:00pm, so we needed to check in with our chaperones before we head off to the Universal Citywalk right next to the park for an hour and 45 minutes. My friends and I decided to eat dinner there before we had to go back to the hotel. We were afraid of high prices because it is usually rather expensive near such huge attractions, but we were wrong when we stepped into Camacho’s Cantina, a Mexican restaurant. They conveniently placed a menu outside of their door. The prices seemed fairly decent, so we were good to go.

By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor

After an entire year of delay, former Destiny’s Child member, Kelly Rowland, is finally releasing her sophomore album on Tuesday, July 3, 2007. “Ms. Kelly” (originally “My Story") has thirteen tracks Rowland has worked on since 2004. She included many of her own songwritings into this album. Rowland wanted some “party records” on the album, rather than filled with deep lyrics. Well, she somewhat succeeded. The guest appearances include Eve, Snoop Dogg, Tank, and even Da Brat. The important thing is that Rowland is back again and she is ready to shine better this time around.

By Faiza Elmasry, VOA News
Washington DC

In Remember Me to Lebanon: Stories of Lebanese Women in America, Evelyn Shakir explores the life and identity of second and third generation Lebanese American women.

Shakir, a literature professor and daughter of Christian Lebanese immigrants, draws on current events and her cultural heritage in her writing.

Although the characters in her first collection of short stories are fictional, Shakir says they were inspired by women she knew. "There is no one on one correspondence between people I knew and the characters in the stories. But some of them certainly were inspired specially by older women I knew when I was a child."

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END"
For: Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
From: Eurocom/Disney Interactive
ESRB Rating: Teen (use of alcohol, violence)

There's no worse time to be a game reviewer than the summertime, which annually finds gamers besieged by a crush of movie-based titles that owe their release dates more to their source material than whether or not they're actually ready for release. Witness "Spider-Man 3" and "Shrek the Third," two examples of decent games that could have used more baking time but were pushed out the door for maximum cash-in effect.

By Iona Childers, Courier Foods Editor

Bombay Garden
5995 Mowry Ave
Newark, CA 94560
(510) 744?6945
www.dinebombaygarden.com/


There is usually a one year golden period for a newly opened restaurant.
Everything about the restaurant seems absolutely perfect; from the interior,
service, and food, right down to the utensils and the tablecloth. I‘m not quite
sure why, but a lot of restaurants like to pattern themselves after the
beginning of a rollercoaster ride (with a steady amount of quality, a peak, and
then a swift decent into food hell). I could probably compile a long list of
restaurants that have disappointed me on the second or third time around.

By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
Offer a number of artists $10 million to change five songs on an album they worked on themselves into more radio-friendly ones, how many would agree to do it? Most of them would, but the ultimate Kelly Clarkson refused to take up that offer from the “big boss,” Clive Davis. In the business aspect of the entertainment world, Clarkson’s newest album, “My December,” is stirring up quite a controversy. In any other aspect of the entertainment world, her new release on June 26 is just another masterpiece from Clarkson.

By Annie Chen, Courier Editor-in-Chief

On Saturday, Live 105 held its annual and highly anticipated BFD, one of Northern California's biggest alternative rock music festivals. More than twenty bands gathered on that hot day at the Shoreline Amphitheatre to entertain ecstatic fans, I being one of them. I was personally looking forward to seeing just Interpol, Sum 41, Tiger Army, Social Distortion, Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party. But after seeing all the bands give such spectacular performances, I made it a mission to see everyone at least one more time.

Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or expected to arrive in the James Logan Media Center.

The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, by John Steinbeck
Paperback: 364 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Reissue edition (April 1, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0374523789
ISBN-13: 978-0374523787

From Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia:
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (1976) is John Steinbeck's retelling of the Arthurian legend, based on the Winchester Manuscript text of Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. He began his adaptation in November 1956. Steinbeck had long been a lover of the Arthur tales. The introduction to his translation contains an anecdote about him reading them as a young boy. His enthusiasm for Arthur and his affinity for Anglo-Saxon language are apparent in the work. The book was left unfinished at his death, and ends ironically with the death of chivalry in Arthur's purest knight, Sir Lancelot of the Lake.

Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 100 Anv edition (October 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805072454
ISBN-13: 978-0805072457

All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, "Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!" This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

So starts the children's classic Peter Pan, a rather anticlimactic beginning but a real interest-catcher all the same. As the school year draws to a close, the thing on many people's minds (besides summer vacation, sleep, and finals) is the impending responsibilities that come with growing up. What better way to counter this than by reading about a boy who doesn't grow up? It sure put things in a different light for me.

Read Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie, online, free-of-charge, from Project Gutenberg.

By Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writer

Venus Bakery Cafe
6267 Jarvis Ave
(between Dumbarton Ct & Lido Blvd)
Newark, CA 94560
(510) 744-1188

After a long day at work, my coworkers and I decided to go out for a late night snack. Since my coworkers did not want to eat at a typical, American diner, one of my coworker recommended Venus Bakery Café. Venus is a hip, Chinese café with decently priced food.

By Bill Gibron
PopMatters.com (MCT)

The serious science fiction film genre is dead.

OK, maybe not actually deceased, but definitely on cinematic life support. With exceptions that are becoming rarer and rarer as the new millennium marches forward, and an omnipresent production paradigm that substitutes spectacle for smarts, futurist filmmaking is definitely gasping for breath.

There are several villains in this creative cabal, elements and individuals that want to see the motion picture category cater to fanboys, geeks and the easily entertained. But it seems a real shame that the one literary ideal best suited for the most visual of all mediums is constantly countermanded by issues that have nothing to do with either art form's visionary nature.

By Deuce P. Clayton, Courier Staff Writer

In the past three years, the popularity of nu metal has dwindled. Heavyweights in the genre like Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and P.O.D. have been unable to replicate the commercial and critical success they experienced in the late 90's and early 2000's. So I was a bit excited about Linkin Park's third full-length release, "Minutes to Midnight", hoping it might lead to a resurgence in the genre as a whole.

Unfortunately, it seems like the band has given up on the genre as well. Minutes to Midnight is an almost complete departure from the nu metal sound Linkin Park perfected on their first two albums. Instead, the band draws heavily on the sound of other established bands, resulting in a very uninspired album.

By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor

One of R&B’s young sensations, Rihanna, has arrived again with her third album, “Good Girl Gone Bad.” After her two previous albums, “Music of the Sun” and “A Girl Like Me,” she has finally secured her spot in the music world this time around. The album dropped on Tuesday, June 5, 2007. In “Good Girl Gone Bad,” Rihanna worked with artists like Ne-Yo, Jay-Z, Timbaland, and Justin Timberlake. There are potential hits all over the album, except for a few. Stripping away the Caribbean sounds, Rihanna is no longer that one-hit-wonder (or perhaps, few-hits-wonder). She is here to stay.

Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.

The Martian Way and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov
Hardcover: 222 pages
Publisher: Bentley Publishers (January 1982)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 083760463X
ISBN-13: 978-0837604633
From bentleypublishers.com:

This collection of four famous science fiction tales masterfully exemplifies author Isaac Asimov's ability to create quickly a believable human milieu in the midst of alien circumstances. Each of the long stores also shows his considerable skill in fully fleshing out a speculative scientific or social possibility.

Reviewed by Hassina Obaidy, Courier Staff Writer

Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser
Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse; Reprint edition (April 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN‑10: 0689848935
ISBN‑13: 978‑0689848933

Revenge is a strong action that many people use in our society. We use this action to get back at our loved ones or just to those who are accused of the wrong things.

When I picked up this book, the title sounded interesting so I knew I had to read it.

By Helen T. Gray
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Did you know?

You can change anything in your life.

Your life is in your hands.

The universe will rearrange itself to give you whatever you want.

If this sounds like magic, you haven't read or seen "The Secret," the best-selling book and DVD by Australian TV producer Rhonda Byrne that promises to reveal the "Great Secret" that "has been passed down through the ages, highly coveted, hidden, lost, stolen and bought for vast sums of money."

Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor


<b>Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (April 10, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400096278
ISBN-13: 978-1400096275

“It’s a truism that people are complicated, multifaceted, contradictory, surprising, but it takes the advent of war or other momentous events to be able to see it. It is the most fascinating and the most dreadful of spectacles, she continued thinking, the most dreadful because it’s so real; you can never pride yourself on truly knowing the sea unless you’ve seen it both calm and in a storm. Only the person who has observed men and women at times like this, she thought, can be said to know them. And to know themselves.”

Némirovsky’s insight into the workings of the human mind and nature during wartime and occupation is amazing, and the way she puts it forth urges the reader to agree, despite the usually offensive traits that are portrayed. Her descriptions are stunning, transporting the reader right into France during World War II, before and during the Nazi occupation. Although a little lengthy, and sometimes dry, it is well worth the read in the end.

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

Have pasta for lunch or dinner Wednesday and help the Alvarado Middle School volleyball team.

KenYetta Agregado of the AMS staff has asked that everyone be reminded that the boys volleyball team will host a fund-raiser Wednesday at Pasta Pomodoro, in the Union Landing shopping center.

By Stephen Becker
The Dallas Morning News (MCT)

Opening today:

KNOCKED UP — Opposites Seth Rogan and Katherine Heigl plan for a baby after a one night stand.

RISE: BLOOD HUNTER — A woman seeks revenge against those who turned her into a member of the undead.

GRACIE — A teen strives to even the playing field for women's soccer.

MR. BROOKS — Kevin Costner plays a businessman who murders people in his spare time.

(c) 2007, The Dallas Morning News.
Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

By Iona Childers, Courier Foods Editor

Tea Station Newark
39115 Cedar Blvd.
Newark, CA
510-713-9588

Sometimes having the element of surprise isn't all it's cracked up to be.

This past Tuesday was the birthday of a co-worker, and a mutual friend of ours decided to take her out to eat afterschool. The meeting place was at the tennis courts, but as we stood there waiting - it became quite clear that our friend wasn't going to show. She had been competing in the duct tape boat races during the day, and my friend wasn't able to reach her on the cell phone. Great.

The friend who decided to plan everything ended up wanting to go home -feeling a little disappointed by a backfired surprise. Well, I had my heart set on eating something and I just hate having to disappoint my stomach. Luckily I was able to get a hold of a friend who was still in the parking lot and she suggested we try a new place by Ranch 99.