The James Logan Courier

By Linh-Chi Nguyen, Courier Music Editor

After successfully releasing their first full-length album, A Flair For the Dramatic, male quartet Pierce the Veil has now managed to produce another, Selfish Machines. Mike Fuentes (drummer), along with his brother Vic Fuentes (singer), Tony Perry (guitarist) and Jaime Preciado (bassist) together create the magnetic and propelling band, Pierce the Veil.

Songs such as “Besitos”, “Fast Times At Claremont High” and “The Boy Who Could Fly” are perfectly satiated with a ridiculous amount of energy. Pierce is Veil, which is made up of predominately Mexican musicians, were not afraid to showcase the influence of their culture throughout the entire album. “Besitos” (which means kisses in Spanish) is mastered with rad guitar lines that are reflective of the band’s Hispanic heritage. Although bassists, to be quite frank, are almost always monotonous, Preciado maintains the unique flavor of each song by not failing to create interchangeable notes.

By Milto Ungashe, Courier Staff Writer

Junior Tiffany Cheung has always had a passion for writing, and with the recent publication of her first novel Checkmate!, she has fulfilled her longtime goal of becoming a published author while still in high school.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve always been writing. I’ve always known that I wanted to be a writer,” said Cheung. “It’s always been one of my New Years Resolutions to get a book published.”

Getting in touch with a publisher to publish work, however, is no easy task for any aspiring novelist.

“The publisher was actually recommended to me by a family friend,” she explained. “We got in contact and they said ‘Yeah, we want to publish it!”

By Cody Mongoso, Courier Staff Writer

The movie The Tourist stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. It’s a mystery, romance and action film.

Angelina Jolie plays as Elise, who meets her long-lost love Alexander Pierce after a long journey. Alexander owes money to a man named Shaw, who he borrowed from and never paid him back. Elise is a very independent young woman, helping Alexander not get caught in any way possible. She is a double agent but turning her back on her work for the one she loves.

By Linh-Chi Nguyen, Courier Music Editor

The 20th century raged with acclaimed duos such as Simon & Garfunkel, The White Stripes, The Everly Brothers, Outkast and many others that have made a permanent and appealing impression in the music world. This century brings I Set My Friends On Fire, Breathe Carolina and the Ying Yang Twins, who have produced less-than-influential music.

However, today's music isn't entirely saturated with overproduction and unoriginal material; duos such as Blu & Exile and She & Him are decent examples. The Scene Aesthetic's newest album Brother, on the other hand, consists of mediocre tunes that do not particularly appeal to the listener's senses.

By Faiza Elmasry, VOA News

Whether it is losing a loved one or a job, facing foreclosure or serious illness, people need courage to face what life throws in their path on a daily basis. To explore what courage is and how it can help people transform their lives, authors Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons interviewed dozens of courageous people from all walks of life and across the globe.

They share their findings in their new book, The Courage Companion.

It's a School Life by Satinder Kaur, Courier Staff Artist


Best Friends Forever by Nataniel Lazaga, Courier Staff Artist

By Abeera Sohail, Courier Staff Writer

The Tourist is the typical secret spy mission type of movie, laced with romance and comedy.

This movie takes the viewer to a different country with some spies, both good and evil. A tourist whom everyone thinks is a spy falls in love with a secret agent, who provides him with a place to stay. Everyone chases after each other—which gets a little confusing—but in the end there is a good surprise.

With stars like Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, this is an entertaining, great movie with which to pass time. There are many twist and turns, which keeps the viewer wondering who is the bad guy, who is the good guy, and who is with whom. This movie was a good movie but it’s a movie worth watching home more than in the theater. Overall this movie is a thumbs up.

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune (MCT)

"Splatterhouse's" legacy undoubtably will be the new heights to which it elevates video game gore. True to the name, it's swimming in blood, with the most minor of attacks spraying the screen with blotches of red while the more advanced moves practically coat the entire level in the stuff. Throw in some special kills that trigger some very painful-looking interactive cutscenes, and the award for the goriest game in existence is now handily in this game's possession. A subtle reliance on cel shading slightly mutes the effect, but only slightly.

But Namco justifies the whole disgusting display by applying some real weight — figuratively as well as literally — to all those attacks. "Splatterhouse's" storyline encompasses a good eight to 10 hours of play time, and the novelty of all that blood would dissipate awfully quickly if the storytelling and gameplay propping it up weren't so surprisingly strong.

By Linh-Chi Nguyen, Courier Music Editor

Following the April release of their full-length album Blue Sky Noise, Circa Survive continues to please their fans with yet another release: the Appendage EP, which features three new songs, a remake and a demo. Appendage showcases some of the band's best work so far, adding onto their highly notable albums Juturna and On Letting Go. With bassist Nick Beard, drummer Steve Clifford, vocalist Anthony Green and talented contributions from Colin Frangicetto and Brendon Ekstrom on guitar, Circa Survive is one of the more subtlety dynamic alternative bands ever to emerge into the industry.

First on the EP is the demo “Sleep Underground”, which could not have been more perfectly placed. It features an intro that represents Circa's successful attempt of inducing an octave-generator effort, producing an organ sound. This playful technique adds a blend of old and new Circa Survive. Along with the honest and haunting voice of Anthony Green, the song is unquestionably interesting, reflecting both the slow paced rhythm of Anthony Green's solo project and Circa Survive as a whole.

By Arthel Cargill, Courier Staff Writer

In the riveting story Glass, author Ellen Hopkins picks up where she left off in the novel's prequel, Crank, and pulls the reader into the world of addiction and the battle between right and wrong, into the world of the monster.

In Crank, Kristina Georgia Snow (or "Bree") goes to visit her father in Albuquerque. She meets a boy who introduces her to "the monster", crank (amphetamine, colloquially known as "speed"). Hopkins shows the reader Kristina's struggle and the ultimate fall from grace that she experiences, in the form of an exciting novel.

By Faiza Elmasry, VOA News

Gregory Levey, author of 'How To Make Peace In The Middle East In Six Months Or Less Without Leaving Your Apartment,' decided to act as a freelance diplomat and solve the Middle East conflict.

Gregory Levey, author of 'How To Make Peace In The Middle East In Six Months Or Less Without Leaving Your Apartment,' decided to act as a freelance diplomat and solve the Middle East conflict.

The territorial conflict between the Jewish state of Israel and the region's mostly Arab Palestinians has raged for generations, frustrating mediators and diplomats. How could one person make a positive difference? Gregory Levey tried, and titled the book about his effort, "How To Make Peace In The Middle East In Six Months Or Less Without Leaving Your Apartment."

Gregory Levey is an unlikely peace-maker. The Canadian Jew - now a professor of communication at Toronto's Ryerson University - was a law student with no experience in diplomacy when he was hired in 2005 to write speeches for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He says the year he spent in the Middle East was a transforming experience.

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune (MCT)

This is the third "God of War" game to release in less than three years. If you count last year's rerelease of the first two games, it's the fifth.

It's little surprise, then, that most of "Ghost of Sparta" feels pretty familiar. A few new ideas aside, Kratos' latest adventure overwhelmingly follows the template established by his previous escapades: There's a ton of melee combat against the usual minions, some multi-level boss fights against gods and monsters, a few environmental puzzles and platforming challenges to break up the pace, and a dash of new insight into the mental makeup of gaming's angriest protagonist.

At its worst, "Sparta" treads beyond familiarity into outright predictability. Players with legs in the series will know almost psychically when the game is about to switch gears, and even little details like the locations of secret treasure chests are so predictable as to feel automatic when found. Familiar enemies with familiar attack patterns make repeat appearances, and the patterns in which larger non-boss enemies appear — by themselves the first time players see them, and in pairs and eventually sets later on — is customary at this point.