This is the archive for November 2007
By Carmen Shiu, Courier Special Correspondent
The top 10 finalists of "So You
Think You Can Dance" regroup
after a re-introduction of themselves
at the end of Saturday's show.
Carmen Shiu Photo
From a TV studio set in Los Angeles to stages across the nation, the 2007 top 10 finalists of Fox's hit summer show, So You Think You Can Dance, performed their moves for fans live. This year, Northern California was fortunate enough to have three different shows: Oakland (Oracle Arena), Sacramento (Arco Arena), and San Jose (HP Pavilion).
The Arco Arena was flooded with fans on Saturday, Nov. 24. Some fans customized their shirts with their favorite dancers and others designed posters in hopes of gaining attention.
Approximately 10-15 minutes before the show began, the audience learned fun facts about the finalists and the tour on the big screens.
Posted by courier at 09:37 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
7 comments • Permalink
By Len Righi
The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) (MCT)
You might suppose that collaborating with They Might Be Giants would be a load of laughs, given the charming wackiness of indie-pop tunes such as "Particle Man," "Ana Eng" and "Birdhouse in Your Soul."
But John Linnell and John Flansburgh, while brainy, clever and funny, also are control freaks, and throughout the 1980s and `90s, they could be, as Linnell puts it, "frustrating to work with."
That started to change with 2001's "Mink Car." The Brooklyn-based musicians decided to let outside producers get more involved. And because of what Linnell calls "the nice experience" with Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, he and Flansburgh have learned to ease up on the reins and add new dimensions to their sound.
Posted by courier at 10:33 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Howard Yang, Courier Staff Writer
As the third album from the punk-pop band The Starting Line,
Direction has many expectations to live up to. Regarded as “[their] strongest work to date” by the members of The Starting Line,
Direction is an album that promises to deliver a well-composed collection of catchy songs with none of the extra lyrical and acoustical baggage that was associated with their last album,
Based on a True Story.
Drawing inspiration from old-time artists like Bob Dylan and James Brown, lead singer Kenny Vasoli says that,” [he] wanted to give people something that was three or four minutes long, and got to the point.”
Posted by courier at 07:36 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.
Firebirds Rising: An Original Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Sharyn November (Editor)
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 544 pages
Publisher: Firebird (April 6, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0142405493
ISBN-13: 978-0142405499
From firebirdbooks.com:
Charles de Lint. Alan Dean Foster. Diana Wynne Jones. Kelly Link. Patricia A. McKillip. Tamora Pierce. These are just a few of the acclaimed and bestselling authors who have contributed original stories to
Firebirds Rising, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning anthology
Firebirds.
This collection takes readers from deep space to Faerie to just around the corner. It is full of magic, humor, adventure, and—best of all—the unexpected. The one thing readers can count on is marvelous writing.
Firebirds Rising proves once again that Firebird is more than an imprint—it is a gathering place for writers and readers of speculative fiction from teenage to adult, from the United States to Europe, Asia, and beyond.
Posted by courier at 08:51 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Nov. 10, 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. Stone Cold. David Baldacci. Grand Central, $26.99
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
2. Creation in Death. J.D. Robb. Putnam, $25.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
3. Book of the Dead. Patricia Cornwell. Putnam, $26.95
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 3
4. Home to Holly Springs. Jan Karon. Viking, $26.95
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 2
5. Rhett Butler's People. Donald McCaig. St. Martin's, $27.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
6. Protect and Defend. Vince Flynn. Atria, $26.95
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 2
7. Playing for Pizza. John Grisham. Doubleday, $26.95
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 7
8. The Chase. Clive Cussler. Putnam, $26.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead, $25.95
Last Week: 7; Weeks on List: 25
10. World Without End. Ken Follett. Dutton, $35
Last Week: 4; Weeks on List: 5
Posted by courier at 08:01 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Cheryl Truman
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
Once you're done with the gifts and the food and every broadcast of "A Christmas Story" you can stand before you begin to hope that Ralphie does shoot his eye out, what's left to do with that intermission between the holidays and New Year's?
You can read.
It's that one time of year when you will in fact have an afternoon to yourself. Nobody hurrying to athletic practice, a host of other relatives to spirit folks to the movies, and a corner somewhere with lots of pillows, a sofa throw coated with cat hair and a gray treeless view — perfect reading weather.
Posted by courier at 07:54 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
Kanye West performing
in New York in 2006
wikipedia photo,
Courier Staff Writer
The untimely death of Kanye West's mother clearly has a great effect on his career right now. His undeniable love for his mother was constantly expressed through his music and in public appearances.
After privately bearing his grief and canceling shows in the wake of her death, he's been back on stage. YouTube has video of him breaking down in tears at a recent show in Paris, after introducing a song,
Hey Mama, he dedicated to her.
Posted by courier at 08:36 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
`SUPER MARIO GALAXY'
For: Nintendo Wii
From: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: Everyone (mild cartoon violence)
One of the most telling things one can say about "Super Mario Galaxy" is that Nintendo has delivered a game that's a bigger joy to play upside-down than most games are right-side-up.
As you might have gleaned from various teaser videos and screenshots, "Galaxy" takes the gameplay of "Super Mario 64" and literally sends it into the stratosphere. As such, large portions of the game take place in space, with Mario running around tiny planetoids with self-contained gravitational fields.
In other words, portions of the game take place upside-down. And here's the beautiful thing: It almost instantly feels natural.
Posted by courier at 11:55 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Christina La,
Courier Editor-in-Chief
In director Preston A. Whitmore's
This Christmas, an emotional adult family drama, everybody has a secret, and these secrets are not just what’s under the Christmas tree. Combining the holiday spirit with sister rivalry, divorce, infidelity and in-the-closet interracial romance, Whitmore tells the story of a middle class African American family's Christmas that consists of unresolved resentments and enduring love.
Posted by courier at 08:32 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
2 comments • Permalink
By Christina La,
Courier Editor-in-Chief
Warner Bros. Pictures' new movie,
Fred Claus, directed by David Dobkin, gives the audience yet another look into the spirit of Christmas.
Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) has lived his entire life being the brother of a benevolent and beloved Saint. Although Fred tried, he was never able to live up to the example set by his younger sibling Nicholas (Paul Giamatti). Nicholas grew up to be the model of giving while Fred was quite the opposite.
Posted by courier at 08:10 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Christina La, Courier Editor-in-Chief
Enchanted, directed by Kevin Lima, is a classical Disney fairytale that collides with modern day New York.
The movie begins in an animated forest, where lovely Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) sings with her animal friends of finding true love. She catches the eye and heart of dashing Prince Edward (James Marsden), and the two plan to wed the next day. But Edward's evil stepmother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), doesn't want the prince marrying a commoner. So the queen arranges for Giselle to take a tumble into modern day Manhattan, where she is in for a rude awakening.
Posted by courier at 07:48 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Jasmeen Banwait,
Courier Staff Writer
Set in the 1930s in Eatonville, an all black community located in Florida, Zora Neale Hurston’s
Their Eyes Were Watching God tells the touching story of a woman named Janie. Janie endures three marriages throughout her lifetime.
Through these marriages, Janie grows into a strong and independent woman, a woman who differs from the rest of the women in her society. Janie’s first marriage is thrust upon her, for she is helpless and does not have much say. She makes the decision to elope with a man who she feels she will be happy with. Yet this decision does not favor her in the long run. Her daring and loving nature helps her finally find her true love, her third husband. He is the man of her dreams, and she admits that, “Once upon a time… Ah never ‘spected nothin’…But [he] came ‘long and made sumthin’ outa me.”
Posted by courier at 09:40 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.
The Foundling by D.M. Cornish
Country: Australia
Language: English
Genres: Horror, Fantasy
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication: 2006
Media type : Print (Hardback)
Pages: 433 pp
ISBN 0-399-24638-X
From monsterbloodtattoo.com:
Set in the world of the Half-Continent-a land of tri-corner hats and flintlock pistols-the
Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy is a world of predatory monsters, chemical potions and surgically altered people.
Foundling begins the journey of Rossamund, a boy with a girl's name, who is just about to begin a dangerous life in the service of the Emperor. What starts as a simple journey is threatened by encounters with monsters-and people, who may be worse. Learning who to trust and who to fear is neither easy nor without its perils, and Rossamund must choose his path carefully.
Complete with appendices, maps, illustrations, and a glossary,
Monster Blood Tattoo grabs readers from the first sentence and immerses them in an entirely original fantasy world with its own language and lore.
Posted by courier at 09:12 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Abhishek Saluja,
Courier Book Reviewer
A young sailor set to become captain one day, set to marry a beautiful fiancée, and set to lead a worry free life suddenly finds himself betrayed by his own friends. In
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, the main character, Edmund Dantes, is sent to prison for a crime he has not committed.
Accused of treason, Dantes spends over a decade in prison, around fourteen years. Charged at the ripe age of nineteen, he is still in prison when he is thirty three.
Then finally he finds a way to escape the horrid place known as the Chateau de if. The prison has changed Dantes in more ways than a normal man should change.
Read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, free from Project Gutenberg.
Posted by courier at 05:01 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Nov. 10, 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. Stone Cold. David Baldacci. Grand Central, $26.99
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
2. Creation in Death. J.D. Robb. Putnam, $25.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
3. Book of the Dead. Patricia Cornwell. Putnam, $26.95
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 3
4. Home to Holly Springs. Jan Karon. Viking, $26.95
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 2
5. Rhett Butler's People. Donald McCaig. St. Martin's, $27.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
6. Protect and Defend. Vince Flynn. Atria, $26.95
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 2
7. Playing for Pizza. John Grisham. Doubleday, $26.95
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 7
8. The Chase. Clive Cussler. Putnam, $26.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead, $25.95
Last Week: 7; Weeks on List: 25
10. World Without End. Ken Follett. Dutton, $35
Last Week: 4; Weeks on List: 5
Posted by courier at 07:26 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Edward M. Eveld
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
Freerice.com is this "great, addictive" Web site, said the e-mail from a friend and expatriate all the way from the United Arab Emirates.
Log on to
freerice.com, and what appears is a multiple-choice vocabulary game. Up pops a word followed by four definitions. The task is to pick the right definition. After three correct answers, the player graduates to a higher vocabulary level.
Addictive, yes. But here's the "free rice" part. Each correct answer results in the donation of 10 grains of rice to help feed the hungry around the globe. Perhaps that qualifies the game as a good addiction.
Posted by courier at 10:19 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
"Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Zombie Ninja Pro-Am"
For: PlayStation 2
From: Creat Studios/Midway
ESRB Rating: Mature (blood, language, mature humor, drug reference, cartoon violence, suggestive themes)
The good news about "Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Zombie Ninja Pro-Am" is that, at $30, it's affordably priced by video game standards. That allows fans of the hilariously funny "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" cartoon to purchase it on impulse and play through it to see some exclusive new content, including a brand-new episode.
The attractive price also is, for many of the same reasons, bad news. What "Pro-Am" doesn't do to your wallet, it most certainly will do to your patience and will, regardless of how deep your "Aqua Teen Hunger Force " fandom goes.
Posted by courier at 09:03 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Charles Yi, Courier Entertainment Writer
"Bee Movie", directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner, is the latest animated feature from DreamWorks Entertainment.
Barry B. Benson (voiced by Jerry Seinfeld) is a bee who has graduated from college, but who also is devastated that his "big dreams" must be forgotten for the general welfare of his hive community. Preparing for his gloomy future of making honey, Barry takes a trip around Manhattan, where he meets a florist named Vanessa (voided by Renee Zellweger).
Posted by courier at 06:32 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
2 comments • Permalink
Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 26, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385733135
ISBN-13: 978-0385733137
From hattiebigsky.com:
For most of her life, sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks has been shuttled from one distant relative to another. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she summons the courage to leave Iowa and move all by herself to Vida, Montana, to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim.
Under the big sky, Hattie braves hard weather, hard times, a cantankerous cow, and her own hopeless hand at the cookstove on her quest to discover the true meaning of home.
Read the first chapter.
Posted by courier at 10:27 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Abhishek Saluja, Courier Book Reviewer
The novel
King Solomon's Mines involves an intriguing character by the name of Allan Quatermain. Quatermain is asked for help by a rich man, Sir Henry Curtis, in a search for his lost brother. Sir Henry's brother desired treasures which reside in King Solomon�s Mines and was presumably lost on his journey.
Quatermain is the daring leader of the expedition, in addition to adventure he wants part of the treasure sitting in King Solomon's Mines. This is supposedly his last job whether he finds the treasure or not. He believes that the dangerous journey will consume his life; yet he agrees to embark on the quest anyway.
Read King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard, one of
57 of his works available free from Project Gutenberg.
Posted by courier at 09:08 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
`ZACK & WIKI: QUEST FOR BARBAROS' TREASURE'
For: Nintendo Wii
From: Capcom
ESRB Rating: Everyone (cartoon violence)
Every time you try to do anything in the first level of "Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure," the game interrupts to slowly demonstrate how to do what you already know how to do. The source of these interruptions: a sidekick/monkey named Wiki, whose inclusion in the game's title suggests he isn't going anywhere.
Posted by courier at 07:44 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Howard Yang, Courier Staff Writer
Ray’s Sushi
888 West A Street
Hayward
(510) 887-0701
Have you ever stepped out a sushi restaurant with a stomach only half full and a wallet completely empty? If so, Ray's Sushi in Hayward may be the restaurant that finally satisfies your taste for delicious raw fish without making you break the bank.
Ray’s Sushi isn’t a very large restaurant by all means. However, as one steps into the relatively cramped interior, the furnishings and decorations give off an ambiance resembling a traditional Japanese venue. Guests seeking an authentic sushi experience would appreciate the sushi bar and the guest rooms where customers sit on bamboo mats instead of chairs.
Posted by courier at 12:36 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Charles Yi, Courier Staff Writer
Columbus Pizza
31871 Alvarado Blvd
Union City, CA 94587
510-487-4992
Popular pizza chains such as Pizza Hut and Domino's suffer in comparison to Columbus Pizza here in Union City.
Although the gleaming oil may be intimidating to health‑nuts at first, after one bite of Columbus pizza, all thoughts of maintaining that Hollywood body will be forgotten as you will be craving more of the fresh ingredients and superb flavors incorporated into these pizzas.
Posted by courier at 10:12 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
6 comments • Permalink
By Sandhaya Mansfield, Courier Staff Writer
A dark science fiction fantasy called
Tin Man, an update and adaptation of L. Frank Baum's classic,
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is coming to the SciFi channel as a six hour miniseries.
The series in a product of executive producers Robert Halmi, Robert Halmi Jr. Mitchell, and Van Sickle. It will premiere December 2 at 9 p.m.
Tin Man takes place in the outer zone (O.Z.), a fantasy-like world taken over by dark magic. The O.Z. has been taken over by an evil sorceress, Azkadellia, who now rules the land after stealing power from her own mother, the rightful queen,
Lavender Eyes. Azkadellia is armed with winged monkey-bats and storm troopers as a measure to make sure her rule is not overthrown.
Posted by courier at 09:27 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Carmen Shiu, Courier Special Correspondent
From pop to rap, the albums released on Tuesday, Oct. 30 are looking good. Singer and tabloid-favorite Britney Spears returned with
Blackout, debuting at No. 2 on the charts. Popular music group Backstreet Boys came back with
Unbreakable, which landed on No. 6. Rapper Baby Bash is ready to do it again with
Cyclone, though he only charted at No. 35.
It's been four years since her last album,
In the Zone, but she is in the tabloids just about every other day. "It's Britney, @^%#$!" Yes, Britney Spears is now back with her latest album,
Blackout.
Posted by courier at 06:12 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Christina La,
Courier Editor-in-Chief and
Cameron Lacson,
Courier Staff Writer
Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a play written by Steve Martin in 1993. James Logan’s drama department production of
Picasso in Lapin Agile was presented November 1-4. We were able to catch the Sunday afternoon showing, and we left very pleased.
The play was primarily about the theories of two different philosophers, Pablo Picasso (Gerald Carlos Malixi) and Albert Einstein (Gabriel Hinojoza). The setting was taken place at a bar called Lapin Agile in Montmartre, Paris owned by Freddy (David Collins) and his wife, Germaine (Allyn Pintal). It is set on October 8, 1904 where both men dicuss their ideas about the future. Picasso and Einstein debate back and forth the value of genius and talent with the help of other characters.
The cast shares a toast. Christina La/Courier photo
Posted by courier at 09:07 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
3 comments • Permalink
Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)
Top 10 albums on iTunes Music Store for Nov. 6:
1. "Kiss Kiss," Chris Brown, featuring T-Pain
2. "Apologize," Timbaland, featuring OneRepublic
3. "Bubbly," Colbie Caillat
4. "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
5. "No One," Alicia Keys
6. "Paralyzer," Finger Eleven
7. "How Far We've Come," Matchbox Twenty
8. "Cyclone," Baby Bash, featuring T-Pain
9. "Hate That I Love You," Rihanna
10. "Stronger," Kanye West
For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Posted by courier at 08:04 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Oct. 27, 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. Book of the Dead. Patricia Cornwell. Putnam, $26.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
2. A Lick of Frost. Laurell K. Hamilton. Ballantine, $24.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
3. Playing for Pizza. John Grisham. Doubleday, $26.95
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 5
4. World Without End. Ken Follett. Dutton, $35
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 3
5. The Almost Moon. Alice Sebold. Little, Brown, $24.99
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 2
6. The Choice. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central, $24.99
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 5
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead, $25.95
Last Week: 4; Weeks on List: 23
8. Now & Then. Robert B. Parker. Putnam, $25.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
9. Dark of the Moon. John Sandford. Putnam, $26.95
Last Week: 6; Weeks on List: 4
10. You've Been Warned. James Patterson & Howard Roughan. Little, Brown, $27.99
Last Week: 7; Weeks on List: 7
Posted by courier at 10:21 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Najia Qadir, Courier Staff Writer
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade (December 27, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 045121742X
ISBN-13: 978-0451217424
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation is a story to fit almost all genres. This book has it all: history, drama, romance, mystery, humor, and intrigue. It keeps you interested until the very last page.
There are two main characters and two stories in this book. It is a book within a book.
Posted by courier at 08:15 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Sarena Bains, Courier Staff Writer
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Paperback: 486 pages
Publisher: Multnomah (May 11, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1576738167
ISBN-13: 978-1576738160
Redeeming Love is a Christian novel which is set in the 1850's during the Gold Rush in California. The story is taken from the Book of Hosea in the Bible.
It is a heartbreaking romance between a prostitute, named Angel, and a kind farmer named Michael. Angel was sold into prostitution as a child, and is the representation of someone with sin and shame.
Posted by courier at 07:27 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Tawab Fakhri, Courier Technology Writer
Dynasty Warriors Gundam
For: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
From: Namco Bandai
ESRB rating: T for Teen
Namco has been working long and hard to reverse the decline in sales and ratings on their
Dynasty Warriors saga. With the latest update, I think they got it right. Synergizing the popular anime series Gundam with most of the original mechanics,
Dynasty Warriors Gundam takes us to a whole new level.
With two different single player modes, up to six friends in on and offline play in multi-player mode, and most of the main Mobile Suits (Gundams) in the series, DWG will have you hooked from the start. However some may ask for how long?
Posted by courier at 06:58 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
13 comments • Permalink
By Howard Yang,
Courier Staff Writer
In today's fast-paced gaming industry, tactical shooter fans are hard pressed to find a high quality game that offers both depth of gameplay and long term replayability. Luckily for gamers, the United States Army has the answer they are looking for. America's Army: Special Forces is a online multi-player tactical shooting game that rivals the greatest titles from its genre, and best of all it's free!
Developed by the U.S. military,
America's Army offers unparalleled authenticity and realism. Take the gameplay, for example, a new player must first pass a series of basic training courses in order to be given a rank and be permitted to participate in online gameplay. For those who wish to explore further, the game allows players to take on a grueling special forces training regiment that would frustrate even the most seasoned gamers. In order to become a medic, for example, the player must take an injury treatment course and even pass an exam!
Posted by courier at 09:05 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
`RATCHET AND CLANK FUTURE: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION'
For: Playstation 3
From: Insomniac/Sony
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ (alcohol reference, animated blood, crude humor, fantasy violence, language)
Everybody dances in "Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction." Doesn't matter if we're talking about a grunt, boss character, ally or even a gun turret. If you throw a Groovitron and it lands in someone's vicinity, they dance. Period.
Posted by courier at 07:49 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Carmen Shiu, Courier Special Correspondent
KYLD Wild 94.9's Boost Mobile Boo Bomb 2007 was held Tuesday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. The radio station may have impressed its listeners with the lineup, but the show itself wasn't so impressive.
American Idol 2007 winner Jordin Sparks was supposed to be a special guest host. KYLD must not know what a host really is, because appearing once for a brief moment with another DJ is not called hosting. Sparks did sing a short acapella of her new song, "Tattoo," though.
Posted by courier at 10:27 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Howard Yang, Courier Staff Writer
With the arrival of the fourth installment of the SAW series, it would seem that going out to the movies to see a SAW sequel has become part of the Halloween tradition. Movie-goers would be glad to know that SAW IV delivers on its promises of a frightening night at the theatres.
Tobin Bell makes a return in his role as John Kramer, the Jigsaw killer whose notorious reputation comes from his ingenious traps that force their victims to make a decision, suffer extreme pain in order to save themselves or die a gruesome death.
Posted by courier at 09:46 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
By Sandhaya Mansfield, Courier Staff Writer
"The world ended with no warning, and all that was left...was hope."
SciFi fans should be gearing up for the third season of Battlestar Galactica by executive producer Ronald D. Moore premiering this Sunday.
For those who don't know what Galactica is about: Basically it's a remake of the old 1978 series and focuses on the battle between humans and the Cylons (man-made super-machines gone bad). Cylons were created by the people of the Twelve Colonies and used as slaves and warriors. Because the Cylons were created with such high intelligence they rebelled against the humans and thus a war between humans and Cylons began. The war lead to a bloody stalemate and finally the Cylons fled to a remote place in space.
Posted by courier at 09:13 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Rechie Cruz, Courier Staff Writer
Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, and Russel Crowe star in the new blockbuster
American Gangster.
It's the story of African American business man Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), who works his way past the big time Mafia bosses to make his way to be one of the most notorious criminal masterminds of the streets of Harlem.Working as a big time heroin supplier in the 1970's, he raked in more than $250 million dollars in cash importing heroin through military officials in Vietnam.
Posted by courier at 09:07 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
2 comments • Permalink
By Charles Yi,
Courier Staff Writer
Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a lawyer who "fixes" malpractice legal cases of powerful, corporate conglomerates. Although financially successful, Clayton is a troubled single parent struggling with gambling problems; he is also beginning to doubt his career and where it will take him in the future.
One day, colleague Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) drags Clayton into an important case where the defendant is steadily gaining advantage in a malpractice case. Clayton unravels the truth behind the case and discovers clear evidence of illegal protocol by the corporation, thus becoming an assassination target of the corporation.
Posted by courier at 08:25 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
By Ashley Carter, Courier Staff Writer
Lauren ‘Keyona’ Palmer has got it going on at the young age of 14.
Palmer is the young lady who played in Tyler Perry’s
Madea Family Reunion which was #1 in the box office for two consecutive weeks, and starred in
Akeelah and the Bee, which gave her the opportunity to win the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress, and on the Disney Channel hit movie,
Jump In!
She goes by "Keke," the nickname that her older sister (Loreal) gave her. Keke's undeniable talent in acting since the age of 9 has gotten her far in life and in her career, but it turns out that acting is not her first love. She has always had a love for singing which has been her passion ever since the age of 5 after singing in her church choir back in Chicago.
Posted by courier at 02:06 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
Drop by Room 509 for a free
I15 poster.,
Courier Staff Writer
From catchy beats and the accompaniment of soothing voices, new artists I15 have made their way to the ears of many. Their new single "Lost in Love" will be dropping ialong with their new debut cd coming out this fall.
Their name, I15, comes from the highway that runs between the cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas and links the members of the group who lived in both cities.
In the summer of 2006, group members Das, Flash, and Castro signed with superstar producer Polow Da Don, who has done work with artists such as Ciara, Ludacris, Rich Boy, and Fergie after considering other options.
Posted by courier at 11:32 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
1 comment • Permalink
Drop by The Courier's office, room 509,
for a free will.i.am poster.,
Courier Entertainment Editor
Hip-hop purists may loathe him, but there is no denying the fact that will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas is a creative force. His pop-friendly beats and rhymes helped propel the Peas to cosmic levels and, while on tour, he still managed to hit the studio and churn out beats that have spawned hits for the likes of The Pussycat Dolls and Justin Timberlake.
Not one to miss an opportunity, his new solo album,
Songs About Girls, is all about capitalizing on his buzz as a producer—and an outlet to show off his creative force once again. It’s time to forget the divisive “My Humps” and let Will sink or swim all on his own.
Posted by courier at 11:13 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
No comments • Permalink
Oz Joins the Dark Side
