This is the archive for December 2007
Rihanna and Soulja Boy
wikipedia photos,
Courier Special Correspondent
As the year is coming to an end, it is time to reflect. From Rihanna to Hannah Montana, there have been a handful of stand-outs this year.
The No. 1 single of the year belongs to "Umbrella" by Rihanna (featuring Jay-Z). That song blew up the charts all around the world. On the radio stations, it was hard to get away from the catchy beat of "stand under my umbrella-ella-ella, eh-eh-eh." Besides, who could do it better than Rihanna? Becasuse of her smash hit single, she is beginning to become a household name.
Posted by courier at 03:09 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.
Dairy Queen, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Graphia; 288 edition (June 4, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618863354
ISBN-13: 978-0618863358
From the publisher:
When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
Welcome to the summer that D.J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say. In Dairy Queen, an extraordinary debut novel full of humor, football, and dairy farming, Catherine Gilbert Murdock introduces one of the most likable young adult heroines to come along in quite some time.
Posted by courier at 08:58 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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The Watchmen graphic novel is being
made into a film due in 2009.
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — The graphic novel, whose secret identity is a lengthy comic book, has grown up.
Why? The appeal of graphic novels now stretches well beyond these books' traditional market of teenagers and 20-something males.
The popularity has surfaced in movie theaters. Films such as "X-Men," "30 Days of Night," "Sin City," and "300" all had their origins in graphic novels, regular comic books, or both.
Posted by courier at 07:16 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Courier Opinion Editor and bassist David Collins,
and fellow senior Kyle Chan on lead guitar helped
entertain the crowd at the first assembly.
Courier Photo,
Courier Managing Editor
The talent show that Logan put on for the students the Friday before winter break began this afternoon was perhaps their best effort yet. Not only were each of the acts enjoyable to watch for all involved, they were diverse as well. From Tahitian dancers to beat boxing to amazing cover songs, the performers were talented and obviously prepared. The sound system in the Pavilion was also up to the challenge, which meant that, for once, it was actually possible to hear the acts introduced as well as to hear the performers sing (if their act involved singing).
While in past years there have been many complaints about poor acoustics, poor performances and just poor planning in general, this year gave very few things at which to nit-pick.
Posted by courier at 02:12 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Christina La,
Courier Editor-in-Chief
I Am Legend directed by Francis Lawrence, is set in a spooky empty future Manhattan of New York. The stunning glimpses of what a city could look like when a plague wipes out human life are around every corner - forests of weeds thrusting through city pavement, disrepair and emptiness in the streets.
The story shows three years earlier, when doctors came up with a cure for cancer. It worked but unleashed another more virulent plague, which may have killed 90% of the world’s population.
Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last man on earth as far as he can tell. As a scientist, he continues to search for a cure. As a man, he’s searching for a human companionship, food, and safety.
Posted by courier at 06:48 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Marijke Rowland
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
Not too many bands have hit singles before they have albums out.
And not too many hit singles break Billboard chart records before the bands behind them are even household names.
But that's the unusual road OneRepublic is on with the unexpected cart-before-the-horse success of its debut single, "Apologize." The Los Angeles-based band, formed in 2004, broke the one-week Top 40 airplay record with more than 10,600 spins (besting Nelly Furtado's previous record of 10,330). A remix of the sensitive single with hot producer/rapper Timbaland hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 16 weeks on the charts. The band's debut album, "Dreaming Out Loud," was released Nov. 20.
Posted by courier at 12:07 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)
Top 10 albums on iTunes Music Store for Dec. 11:
1. "Noel," Josh Groban
2. "Let It Snow!" Michael Buble
3. "Christmas #1's," various artists
4. "Dreaming Out Loud," OneRepublic
5. "As I Am," Alicia Keys
6. "Audio Day Dream," Blake Lewis
7. "Christmas with the Rat Pack," Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
8. "Carnival, Vol. 11: Memoirs of an Immigrant," Wyclef Jean
9. "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Vince Guaraldi Trio
10. "August Rush (Music from the Motion Picture)," various artists
For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Posted by courier at 08:35 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Sarena Bains, Courier Staff Writer
Jasmine, by Bharati Mukherjee
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Grove Press (April 5, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802136303
ISBN-13: 978-0802136305
In the novel
Jasmine, by Bharati Mukherjee, Jasmine "Jyoti" is born in a village in Punjab and like most Indian women, she is controlled and dominated by her father and brothers.
This is taken place in 1989, following the establishment of independence in India. However, Jasmine marries a modern and educated husband with a United States based modern‑thinking. He establishes his dreams upon her to study American things.
Posted by courier at 12:25 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Abhishek Saluja, Courier Book Reviewer
Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics (April 1, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140434011
ISBN-13: 978-0140434019
David Balfour, barely of age, sees his parents die and his life take on a terrible twist. Now he must confront his only living relative, his Uncle Ebenezer Balfour, a stingy, greedy, and selfish man who may not be trusted.
In
Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the author portrays an intriguing protagonist by the name of David Balfour. David in search of his fare share of an estate arrives at his Uncle’s house to begin the story.
Read Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, free from Project Gutenberg.
Posted by courier at 08:35 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday. Dec. 8, 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. T Is for Trespass. Sue Grafton. Putnam, $26.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
2. The Darkest Evening of The Year. Dean Koontz. Bantam, $27
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 2
3. For One More Day. Mitch Albom. Hyperion, $21.95
Last Week: 15; Weeks on List: 34
4. Double Cross. James Patterson. Little, Brown, $27.99
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 4
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead, $25.95
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 29
6. World Without End. Ken Follett. Dutton, $35
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 9
7. Playing for Pizza. John Grisham. Doubleday, $26.95
Last Week: 6; Weeks on List: 11
8. Stone Cold. David Baldacci. Grand Central, $26.99
Last Week: 4; Weeks on List: 5
9. Home to Holly Springs. Jan Karon. Viking, $26.95
Last Week: 7; Weeks on List: 6
10. The Choice. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central, $24.99
Last Week: 8; Weeks on List: 11
Posted by courier at 08:05 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.
Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda by J.P. Stassen
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: First Second; 1st American Ed edition (May 2, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596431032
ISBN-13: 978-1596431034
From the publisher:
Deogratias is just a boy. Benina is just a girl. Teenagers like teenagers everywhere. Only he is a Hutu, and she is a Tutsi — so say their ID cards.
We are in Rwanda in the days leading to a swift and gruesome genocide; the world will watch and do nothing. In less than a hundred days, eight hundred thousand human beings will be hacked to death.
Posted by courier at 08:00 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Jamie Maxfield,
Courier Staff Writer
"Talking With", written by Jane Martin, is a great play that allows us to get into the character's minds. This all female cast performed four nights in a row, from December 6th to December 9th.
There were nine monologues ranging from a woman talking about her mother's dying days, to a woman who is obsessed with McDonald's. Each of the cast members really got into character and they all picked out their own costumes that went along perfectly with their part.
Posted by courier at 07:35 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
`UNREAL TOURNAMENT III'
For: Playstation 3
From: Epic/Midway
ESRB Rating: Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, strong language)
The mad rush of groundbreaking games has come and gone, but 2007 still has one last fantastic trick up its sleeve.
That, initially, wouldn't seem to be the case — at least not if the game in question essentially is a technologically revved-up version of its predecessor, which is what "Unreal Tournament III" is. If you've played a "UT" game before, you know what to expect here: a high-speed, mostly-multiplayer, first-person shooter with lots of maps, gametypes, weaponry and eye candy.
Posted by courier at 07:36 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Harman Badwal,
Courier Staff Writer
The popular video game
Hitman had been retold in a feature film directed by Xavier Gens.
The plot of the film is about a genetically engineered assassin with a robotic mind and a barcode tattooed on his head, known only as Agent 47, played by Timothy Olyphant. Throughout the story, 47 is assigned to kill various persons by a group known as "The Agency, " for cash.
He is generally successful in doing this, but there is a twist when one assignment goes awry, which changes the whole situation and sends him on a personal mission to find out who betrayed him. He is pursued by the Russian military and agents of Interpol, as well as other assassins hired to kill him.
Posted by courier at 10:02 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Rebecca Soltau, Courier Entertainment Editor
Aaron Gillespie is a man obsessed. Whether he’s out in front of The Almost, his new, eagerly anticipated rock-based project, or behind the drum kit for Christian-rock band Underoath, the Florida-bred singer/songwriter can’t help but throw himself into everything he does.
What was once more of a secretive project became more than that, thanks to MTV2 and websites like Myspace. Once the fans took a listen to the new songs by the guy who beats on the drums helps with vocals in Underoath they were hooked; so hooked in fact that "Say This Sooner" has become, to-date, one of the higher played songs on iTunes and Limewire.
Posted by courier at 03:40 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or expected to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.
Doppelganger by David Stahler Jr.
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Eos (April 25, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060872322
ISBN-13: 978-0060872328
From the publisher:
Raised in a cabin in the middle of nowhere by a mother who despises him, the doppelganger has left home at last. He is making his way toward human society. He's coming to do what every member of his monster race must: find an unsuspecting human and make his first kill. He will then take that shape and identity for himself.
Doppelgangers are not supposed to have doubts. But this one does. His mother was right. He's weak. Too human, maybe. But even that can't stop him from killing. He has to do it. It's who he is.
It is only after stepping into the life of a small-town teenager that the doppelganger learns that his may not be the only cruel existence. In fact, maybe monsters aren't always who we think they are.
Posted by courier at 07:42 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Dec. 1, 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)
MASS MARKET
1. The Innocent Man. John Grisham. Dell, $7.99
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
2. Next. Michael Crichton. Harper, $9.99
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 2
3. Cross. James Patterson. Grand Central, $9.99
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 9
4. I Am Legend. Richard Matheson. Tor, $7.99
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 4
5. Wild Fire. Nelson DeMille. Vision, $9.99
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 4
6. Wife for Hire. Janet Evanovich. Harper, $7.99
Last Week: 7; Weeks on List: 4
7. Brother Odd. Dean Koontz. Bantam, $7.99
Last Week: 8; Weeks on List: 4
8. Treasure of Khan. Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler. Berkley, $9.99
Last Week: 4; Weeks on List: 4
9. The Pillars of the Earth. Ken Follett. Signet, $7.99
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 3
10. The Mist. Stephen King. Signet, $6.99
Last Week: 9; Weeks on List: 3
Posted by courier at 10:37 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Jasmeen Banwait,
Courier Staff Writer
On Sunday, I attended an advanced screening of The Kite Runner at Century 20, organized by the Muslim Student Association of Mission San Jose High School. This movie is based on Khaled Hosseini’s award winning novel
The Kite Runner, published in 2003.
According to Courier Staff Writer Hassina Obaidy’s book review,
The Kite Runner tells the story of “ A young boy named Amir Khan who lives in Kabul, Afghanistan with his father and his best friend Hassan. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessmen who is Sunni Muslim and a Pashtun. Hassan's father, however, is a servant to Amir's father, who is Shi'a Muslim and Hazara.
Posted by courier at 08:20 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
`NEED FOR SPEED PROSTREET'
Reviewed for: Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
Also available for: Nintendo Wii, PC, Playstation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS
From: EA
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ (suggestive themes)
Sometime in the last year, "Need for Speed" decided to cut its hair, shave its face, buy a nice suit and start acting like an adult. The result is "Need for Speed ProStreet," which takes a franchise known for cop chases and street culture and wedges it into a world of sanctioned, legit racing that's scarcely more rebellious than a NASCAR event on network television.
Posted by courier at 08:01 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Linda Steadman,
Courier Staff Writer
Enchanted is a cute little film for all ages.
Even though it may seem corny at times, it is sure to put a smile on your face. In many movies people are sent to fantasylands, but it much rarer for the fantasy characters to venture out to reality.
The cast of the movie actually first appears as animated figures. In fact, the whole opening sequence is in classic hand-drawn animation, with an archetypal Disney princess, Princess Giselle this time, summoning all the woodland creatures to help her with her chores and tasks throughout the day. Finding her “Prince Charming” absorbs the Princess' day.
Posted by courier at 09:32 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Linda Steadman, Courier Staff Writer
Beowulf, now in theaters, has great computer-generated action scenes, yet it isn’t the groundbreaking movie the hype machine made it up to be.
According to that hype, director Robert Zemeckis, the creator of the animated Christmas feature, "The Polar Express," (a movie that actually made the children that were supposed to be sweet and innocent look creepy),
Beowulf would far surpass “Polar Express” in awesome entertainment.
Read Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, translated From The Heyne-Socin Text by Lesslie Hall, free from Project Gutenberg.
Posted by courier at 09:16 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Special Correspondent
It's time to forget the bubblegum pop and cheesiness of the typical debut albums of American Idol finalists. Season six runner-up, Blake Lewis, released his album,
A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream), this past Tuesday, Dec. 4. And yes, its acronym is the same as attention deficit disorder on purpose, as he has explained that people used to think that he had it.
Lewis was known for adding more flavor to Idol than just singing. He has just as much talent, if not more, in beat-boxing as well. It is displayed lightly throughout the album, which is good. His true self is shown, but it is good that he doesn't try to overdo it.
Posted by courier at 12:08 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)
Top 10 songs on iTunes Music Store for Dec. 4:
1. "Low," Flo Rida, featuring T-Pain
2. "No One," Alicia Keys
3. "Apologize," Timbaland, featuring OneRepublic
4. "Kiss Kiss," Chris Brown, featuring T-Pain
5. "Clumsy," Fergie
6. "All I Want for Christmas Is You," Mariah Carey
7. "Paralyzer," Finger Eleven
8. "Tattoo," Jordin Sparks
9. "Bubbly," Colbie Caillat
10. "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Posted by courier at 10:58 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Chris Riemenschneider
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT)
You'd have to be incredibly cynical about rock's potential to change the world — as cynical as John Lydon about the Sex Pistols, or an Exxon exec about Al Gore — not to buy into the urgency and passion that kicks off the new Against Me! album:
We can be the bands we want to hear.
We can define our generation.
Is there anybody on the receiving end?
Are you ready to brave new directions?
Come on and wash these shores away.
I'm looking for the crest of a new wave.
At once bleeding-hearted but mostly apolitical, and apathetic but hopeful, the song "New Wave" is the opening track to the Florida punk band's new record of the same name — one of the best rock albums of the year, and maybe the most important.
Posted by courier at 10:34 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Sarena Bains, Courier Staff Writer
Confessions of a Video Vixen, By Karrine Stephans
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Amistad (June 28, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060842423
ISBN-13: 978-0060842420
This book is the autobiography of Karrine Steffans, and chronicles a life full of sex, drugs, and the hip‑hop scenes of Los Angeles.
She is a mother, actress, music video star, and even was a stripper. In her book she talks about her dates and affairs with a range of stars from Usher, P Diddy, Ja Rule and many others.
Posted by courier at 10:32 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Abhishek Saluja, Courier Book Reviewer
The Old Man and the Sea,
by Ernest Hemingway
Country: United States
Language: English
Genre(s): Tragedy
Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons
Publication date: Sept. 1, 1952)
ISBN: 978-0-684-80122-3 by Ernest Hemingway is about a Cuban fisherman who has gone eighty‑four days without catching a fish. The fisherman’s name is Santiago, and he is suffering great misfortune.
Even his one and only friend Manolin is told not to fish with him, because the old man is considered unlucky by the town. Santiago has been fishing for his entire life and knows that he has the ability to fish. He feels the need to prove to the world that he can still fish and therefore on the eighty‑fifth day sets out to sea determined to catch a fish.
Despite being old Santiago shows resiliency when he goes out fishing, sailing alone far into the sea. Before long Santiago’s bait is taken by a huge fish, probably a marlin. Santiago is confidant in his fishing abilities and at this point the reader roots for him to pull the marlin in.
Posted by courier at 07:15 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Nov. 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)
MASS MARKET
1. The Innocent Man. John Grisham. Dell, $7.99
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
2. Next. Michael Crichton. Harper, $9.99
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 2
3. Cross. James Patterson. Grand Central, $9.99
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 9
4. I Am Legend. Richard Matheson. Tor, $7.99
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 4
5. Wild Fire. Nelson DeMille. Vision, $9.99
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 4
6. Wife for Hire. Janet Evanovich. Harper, $7.99
Last Week: 7; Weeks on List: 4
7. Brother Odd. Dean Koontz. Bantam, $7.99
Last Week: 8; Weeks on List: 4
8. Treasure of Khan. Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler. Berkley, $9.99
Last Week: 4; Weeks on List: 4
9. The Pillars of the Earth. Ken Follett. Signet, $7.99
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 3
10. The Mist. Stephen King. Signet, $6.99
Last Week: 9; Weeks on List: 3
Posted by courier at 06:54 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Tawab Fakhri,
Courier Staff Writer
Now here is a game that finally bring out the true potential of the Next-Gen systems we hear so much about.
Assassin's Creed for the 360 was created on a whole new battle system along with a revolutionary level design.
Set in the medieval age in the Crusade era, you control a master assassin, who possesses the memories of his ancestors who were the previous assassins, for reasons unknown the monarch needs the memories of the assassin's past. Going any deeper would spoil the well-woven plot.
Posted by courier at 07:50 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
`ROCK BAND'
Reviewed for: Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
Coming soon for: Playstation 2
From: Harmonix/MTV Games/EA
ESRB Rating: Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes)
Just when you thought there was no new system to buy this holiday, along comes a gaggle of peripherals that'll bogart more living room space than all three consoles combined.
Yes, if you want to experience the phenomenon-to-be that is "Rock Band," prepare to pay for it — $170 and several square feet, to be exact. EA isn't selling "Band" in pieces until next year, so the special edition bundle — which includes a guitar, drum kit, microphone and USB hub — is the only true way to experience the year's most ambitious multiplayer experiment.
Posted by courier at 07:37 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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