Kelly Clarkson Songs

Many people know the famous singer Kelly Clarkson. She won the 2002 American Idol, and is now producing many songs that are very catchy to many people. Her voice distributes a very powerful and strong tone which gives everyone energy. Some songs that are sung by her are:

#1: Dark Side - "Everybodys got a dark side." True. This song reveals one's true self. Even though people are nice, they can have their mean days as well. This displays how every good person can have a dark side.

#2: Catch My Breath - Just a beautiful song about life. Words can't describe this song.

#3: What Doesn't Kill You - CRANK UP THE RADIO. Because this song is gonna blow your mind. For all those people who can't find a speck of light in the doorway, you can with this song. It teaches you to feel stronger than you were originally. It just fills you confidence and positivity that you thought you never had. Brilliant :)

#5: Because of You - A sad moving song about not letting her family get hurt (in the music video). Also with a nice powerful voice, that everyone will love.

#6: Since You've Been Gone - The typical song talking about a possible relationship scenario. :)

Kelly Clarkson is an amazing singer. Her voice is worthwhile to listen to. So check the songs out. :)

-Joanne Y. 

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Finding Old Writing

Have you decided to go through the forgotten files on your computer, dusty diaries, unfinished journals,  and torn up notebooks from school; rediscovering old pieces from when you were younger? When you read the words that you have written so long ago, you realize how much things have changed. I always enjoyed finding writing because it reminds me of who I used to be. It can bring up a lot of memories; what you were doing and how you felt. Maybe you'll stumble upon a letter you wrote to the president in the third grade and find a stain only to remember that you were drinking cola at the time and spilled a little. Then you smile because its part of the person you might not be anymore. I think everyone should get into the habit of saving their affairs with words because its always an accurate portal back into the past.

-Kristy (Edited/Modified: Kristin)

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Brain Busters!

Since its been a while since these were posted here's three questions for the price of one:

Puzzle 1:
If you are in a dark room with a candle, a wood stove and a gas lamp. You only have one match, so what do you light first?

Puzzle 2:

Can you name four days which start with the letter "T"?

Puzzle 3:

A Name Train is a puzzle where each name is connected together like box cars in a train. You are given the first car (the Engine) and the last car (the caboose), and you have to fill in the car or cars in between. Every two consecutive cars will form a name of a person or character. Here is an example Name Train: Joan [ ] Li. The answer is Joan Jet Li (Joan Jet-Female singer, Jet Li-Actor) Ready? OK here goes:

1. Chris [ ] Hudson
2. Chris [ ] Asimov
3. Boy [ ] [ ] Ford
4. Elton [ ] [ ] Newton5. Curious [ ] [ ] [ ] Browne

*Answers to all previous teasers will be posted next Monday with the newest teasers*

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Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

Author & Director: Touno Mamare & Takeo Takahashi 

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

Summary: Typical setting where the Yuusha (Hero) fight the Maou (Demon king) to save humanity, but there is a twist,  when the Hero meets the Maou he finds out it wasn't a Demon King but a Demon Queen. Also the Demon Queen enlightens the Hero about how the war between the humans and demons is a good thing. If the humans were to not fight demons they would fight each other, thus a civil war, but if they fight demons they join together.  More humans die in civil wars than when fighting with demons. So the Hero was persuaded by the Demon Queen and is going to aid her, they seal this partnership with a kiss. This is an ongoing anime and there is 4 episode so far and each episode last about 23 minutes. 

- Eric Mei, Entertainment

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The Movie Mama

I've wanted to go to the movies for a while now, so with it being Regents week and all I decided to go. My friend and I decided to watch Mama because it was a scary movie and it sounded pretty interesting. The movie was very interesting and not like other “scary” movies. The plot was unique. The movie is about two little girls who are abandoned to live in a cabin deep in the woods after their parents’ death. The father of the girls’ murdered their mother and two of his co-worker prior and after that he comes to get the girls and drives recklessly to an unknown destination and ends up in an accident. The father attempts to kill his daughter but “Mama” kills him before he gets the chance to. Basically these girls are left abandoned in this cabin for years and grow attached to a ghost named Mama who  takes care of them. Five years later they are finally found and go to live with their uncle and his girlfriend Annabelle.  The girls’ are traumatized by the way they've been living and are having trouble adapting to their new home. Mama follows them to the new home and haunts anyone who tries to get close to the girls. It turns out Mama is the ghost of a woman who escaped a mental asylum and committed suicide with her baby by jumping off of a clip. In the end of the movie Mama tries to take the girls and jump of the cliff to take them.  Annabelle is determined to stop it and takes one of the girls back, but at the end the other one refuses and jumps off the cliff with Mama and becomes a ghost. The movie was very confusing, I wish it had a better ending because it was weird how they separated the sisters’ by one of them staying with Annabelle and their uncle and one of them going with Mama. Also it was never clear exactly who Mama was.  I found the movie not to be scary at all, in fact I was laughing most of the time because everything was over dramatic and completely fake. The movie was decent and was worth the money but if you’re looking for a good scare, look elsewhere!

- Eleftheria Kalaitzis, Entertainment

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Movie Review: Skyfall

Hi everyone,

I hope you guys are having fun or at least more sleep this week! Also, good luck to those of you who still have tests to take! It's been super cold lately, so be sure to dress warmly before heading outside. ^w^ Anyways, today, I'll be reviewing the movie, Skyfall. I don't remember much about it because I saw it a few months ago, but I do remember what I liked and disliked about it, so be prepared for a bad summary this time! OTL

*WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!*

Summary:
The movie starts out with the main character, James Bond, who enters some building and discovers this guy (presumably someone who worked for MI6, the governmental agency Bonds works for) who's shot. Bond then leaves the building and gets into this car that this woman drove over. They proceed to chase this guy who possesses a hard drive that contains the names of MI6 agents. During a scene in which Bond and the guy fight on a train, Bond gets injured. While still fighting, the woman gets in position to snipe the guy, but when M, the head of MI6, orders her to shoot, the woman shoots Bond by accident, and he falls down and into raging waters. The guy with the hard drive manages to escape, and Bond is assumed to be dead.

Some time later, with M watching, the MI6 building is blown up by a bomb. I don't remember exactly remember what happens next, but it is shown that Bond did not die after all, and is living on some island in secrecy. He learns about the bombing, and returns to help M. After undergoing tests to see if he is fit enough to return to duty, M declares that the tests were successful and he can return to duty. After he leaves, she reveals that he failed, but that he is needed, so she overlooked the tests.

I won't spoil the rest, but Bond goes on a quest to find out who has the drive and to stop whoever's been trying to destroy MI6.

What I liked about it:
Prior to Skyfall, I have never watched any James Bond movies before, and I have always believed that Bond was this impossibly skilled man who was cool and could handle any situation thrown at him. I thought he never had any trouble and never had any difficulty in completing his mission. Watching this movie made me learn that Bond was not as "perfect" as he seemed before. In this movie, I saw that he was capable of mistakes and capable of being hurt. He was vulnerable at times and was sentimental about the people important to him.

I also remember this one scene in which Bond got caught by this bad guy, and when the bad guy suggestively put his hand on Bond's thigh, Bond was all "how do you know I haven't done this before?," and the audience went "OOOHHH!!!!~~" because of what the scene was insinuating. I thought that part was really funny because of the audience's reaction (of course, I was like "OOOHHH!!!!~~" as well xD).

What I disliked about it:
I didn't like how Bond didn't really get any cool equipment to use this time. I feel like that was a trademark of the series, so when all he got was a gun and this radio signal transmitter thing, I felt disappointed.

When the woman shot Bond by accident, I was like, "Noooo!!! What are you doing?! How can you just shoot the main character like that? Weren't you supposed to be a good sharpshooter?! Why did you brag about it if you weren't?!" and so on. Of course, it was difficult to snipe accurately from such a far distance, but it was still a bad call on M's part.

There was also this lady that Bond encounters, I think Severine was her name (with an accent mark somewhere in her name), and she died practically immediately after meeting Bond. I felt bad for the girl because she was the one who got Bond to meet the bad guy.

I don't know if I was just tired, but to me, it felt as if there was a lack of climax in the movie. Like I was all "Ohhhh noooo!!!" after Bond fell into the river, but after the MI6 building blew up, the rest of the movie just plateaued for me. Maybe it's just me though.

Overall:
The movie had its fair share of fight scenes and explosions, of course, and it had a somewhat meaningful plot, not some excuse for mindless fights and violence. I learned that Bond was just as prone to emotions and mistakes like we are, though I'm not sure if previous films were like that too. In addition to the lack of cool technology that is usually seen in Bond movies, the movie also seemed to plateau and didn't seem to have a climax. I feel like some people just watched the movie because of Bond's legacy in movies. Despite its bad points, though, you should still watch this movie if you haven't seen any Bond films before, and/or you enjoy action movies.

- Melissa He, 12th Grade, Editor/Writer for Entertainment

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Winter nights, how to keep warm

This winter has been incredibly cold, colder than the winters in past years. One thing that keeps me up at night is having cold feet. It’s terrible!!!  And a normal person would say put socks on, so I tried that, didn’t work, and then I tried fuzzy socks. Still didn’t work, and then one day I found these specific slippers, but instead of a hard sole at the bottom, a soft cushion was there. I bought them, and every since then I have been using them to prevent cold feet during those really cold winter nights. There were two options at the store, Old Navy where I bought them, really long ones that went up the calf, or short ones that stop at the ankle.  If you do decide to get them, I recommend only wearing it in your bed, that way the dirt from the floor won’t be in your bed with you.  Another great thing about these slippers is that they come in a bunch of different colors, sizes, and designs, so they are very fashionable.  One thing I did notice after washing them, and they wash just like regular clothes, is that they pick up lint; this wasn’t really a problem for me since I use it for sleeping, but it is something to keep in mind. So if you’re like me, and hate cold feet, pick these up and it will never be a problem again.

- Zakiyyah Mandisa 

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The Carrie Diaries

The Carrie Diaries is definitely, without a doubt  my new favorite show. It's the prequel to Sex and the City so the show takes place in the 80's. Way back when Carrie Bradshaw was only a teenager.
Carrie's mother recently died and the whole family was having a hard time dealing with it, especially when school starts again. In an attempt make Carrie more comfortable, her father arranges for an internship at a law firm in Manhattan. And that's when everything changes for Carrie. She discovers a whole new world and meets someone who allows her to be the person she wished she was.
Sadly, the show is new and there are only two episodes out so far which you can watch on cw.com.
I don't really know what makes this show so amazing. Maybe for me, it's the fashion. The sylist did an amazing job mixing modern fashion with the neons and bold prints of the 80's. My favorites are when Carrie arrives to work at the law firm and even though her attire is business appropriate, it's also very bold, chic, and colorful. And it doesn't hurt that half the show takes place in Manhattan, a place that I'm familiar with.

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DEALS WEEK

Alrighty, you gals, and guys, can get a free bracelet here if you support the Susan Komen cause. They’re going to mail you a brochure about the 3-day walk event explained on the website. You will need to fill out your address, email, and name… Of course, they will mail you the items in the mail, free of charge: http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage

Here’s a $1.50 off coupon for Burt’s Bee’s lotion. Both men and women need lotion. Who says that only females get to put on lotion?? Here: https://www.facebook.com/burtsbees/app_137656902971961

Need a little something for your loved ones? Here are printable Valentine’s day cards! They’re cute and free!! http://spoonful.com/valentines-day/printable-valentine-cards

Thinking of painting your room? Or if you’re like me, who doesn’t have their own rooms, just imagine painting the wall your bed is attached to… I know I can, I practically own that wall. Here’s a coupon for a free 8oz paint! I don’t think it will be able to paint an entire room, 8oz of paint is not a lot. But hey, it’s free… and it’s sample sized. So if you do like it, go buy the same color. After printing the coupon, you will have to go to your local Lowe’s to redeem the paint… https://www.facebook.com/ValsparPaint/app_134261630071163

- Linda Huang 

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Dead Space 3

Dead Space 3 is coming out in two weeks. The release date is going to be February 5th, 2013. For those who don't know what Dead Space is, it is a horror game. The title says it all. The game is a third person shooter type game. However, the game is really freaky. For those who want to give Dead Space 3 a try; try the first two since they are connected with the story line. The game is mostly a zombie type of game where you shoot around trying to survive. The basic start of the story line from the first game is in the future and that a space ship was in space and somehow got attacked by some mysterious force which killed many people in the ship, besides a few survivors. There was some kind of alien virus spreading that took control of dead bodies. The remaining survivors were trying to find a way to repair the ship and find out the mystery behind this madness. The second and third are the sequels. The series itself is 4.5/5 stars in my opinion. The first two Dead Space was pretty good in specs and easy to understand. I'm hoping the third one will be as good as the first two games. Please try this game out. It is on PC, PS3, and XBOX 360. The price of the game will be $50-$60. 

- Stephen Huang 

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