Entertainment

Iron Man 3
By Ashlyn Parker
Posted 5/7/13

"Iron Man 3" had an incredible opening weekend! This $200 million superhero sequel earned $175.3 million in North America in over 4,253 theaters. This is the second best opening of all time; right behind "The Avengers" which earned $207.4 million on this weekend a year ago. The film averaged $41,218 per theater. Forty five percent of the tickets were sold in 3-D format. According to Disney, audiences were 55% above the age of 25 and 61% male. Disney also reports that couples made up 52% of viewers, while families accounted for 27% and teens 21%. "Iron Man 3" gained more than "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2". Globally, "Iron Man 3’s” total stands at an estimated $680.1 million after 12 days of release. In China, the film's number one international market, earned $63.5 million after just five days.

"Pitch Perfect"
By Ashlyn Parker
Posted 4/22/13

“Pitch Perfect” sequel coming in 2015!
Universal announced that they have planned a sequel to “Pitch Perfect” at its CinemaCon presentation April 16, 2013. This film earned $112 million worldwide while the budget was only $17 million. Also, the “Pitch Perfect” soundtrack has sold over 636,000 copies. Kay Cannon will write the screenplay for the sequel of this film. No cast and crew have been revealed yet. However, it is safe to assume that most of the major players will be back for the sequel of this choral comedy.

ACM Awards List
By Ashlyn Parker
Posted 4/9/13

The 48th Annual Academy of Country Music was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 7, 2013 in Las Vegas. Many performances occurred throughout the night such as Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Tim Mcgraw, Keith Urban, and many more.
2013 Award Winners:
Entertainer of the Year: Luke Bryan
Top Male Vocalist: Jason Aldean
Top Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert
Best Vocal Group: Little Big Town
Best Vocal Duo: Thompson Square
Best New Artist: Florida Georgia Line
Album of the Year: “Chief,” Eric Church
Single Record of the Year: “Over You,” Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton
Song of the Year: “Over You,” Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton
Video of the Year: “Tornado,” Little Big Town
Best Vocal Event of the Year: “The Only Way I Know,” Eric Church, Luke Bryan, and Jason Aldean

Abducted: The Carlina White Story
By Nikki Williams
Posted 3/7/13

Abducted: The Carlina White Story made its world premiere on Saturday, October 6 2012. The Lifetime Original Movie "ABDUCTED: The Carlina White Story", starring Aunjanue Ellis, Keke Palmer, and Emmy® Award winner Sherri Shepherd is based on a remarkable true story of the kidnapping of Carlina White (Palmer), who was abducted as an infant from a New York hospital and solved her own kidnapping and reunited with her biological parents 23 years later. The case is reported to be the first known infant abduction from a New York hospital.In August of 1987, new parents Joy White (Shepherd) and Carl Tyson (Roger Cross, 24) took their 19-day-old daughter Carlina to Harlem Hospital in New York with a high fever. A woman named Ann Pettway, who had suffered a series of miscarriages and was desperate for a child of her own, posed as a hospital nurse and walked away with Carlina. Pettway raised Carlina as her own daughter, naming her Nejdra "Netty" Nance, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and as Carlina grew older she began to suspect Pettway was not her birth mother and launched her own investigation. Netty never really made a relationship with her biological parents after the results came back. She and her daughter went back to live in Atlanta. She stopped calling her newly discovered parents as often as she had been. The media kept coming after her. Netty became so anxious, she says, that when anyone would approach her she’d start to shake. She even checked in to a hotel in Georgia to avoid her house. On July 30th of 2012, Pettway was sentenced in a New York court to 12 years in prison for kidnapping Carlina.
Abducted: The Carlina White Story has become one of my favorite movies. This movie will keep you watching to see what happens next! The fact that this kidnapping has happened and may be able to happen again blows your mind. No great parent should have their child stolen from them. I will never understand why Ann wouldn’t just adopt a child, instead of putting that young couple through what she put them through. I felt sorry for Netty throughout the whole movie because I know she would have had a better life with her biological parents. It’s sad that she did not find out the truth until she was a grown woman. This a great movie. I would recommend it to anyone. The actors and actresses played their roles really well, there was never a dull moment.

Safe Haven
By Ashlyn Parker
Posted 3/5/13

Safe Haven is a suspenseful novel by Nicholas Sparks about a young woman’s struggle to find love again after she arrives in a small North Carolina town. Katie’s lack of enthusiasm to join the small community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she starts to plant her roots in town, and she gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex (a widowed store owner with two young children). Dark secrets constantly attack Katie and she has to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love in this deep romantic thriller.
I am currently reading Safe Haven and I am about half way through the novel. So far, this novel is amazing! I’ve read several Nicholas Sparks books, including Dear John, The Last Song, The Notebook, The Guardian, and The Lucky One. Out of all these books, Safe Haven is the best. Sparks books always leave me wanting more; however, once I started this novel, it has been hard for me to stop. I feel like many people could relate to this book because of the life struggles and changes Katie has to face every day. So far, this book does not remind me of a typical Nicholas Sparks love story. Yes, the novel includes love but the first aspect I think of when reading this is life. Safe Haven is available in stores, on Amazon, on iTunes, etc. I bought this novel on my Kindle Fire from Amazon for $6.99, and the novel is definitely worth it! On Amazon, Safe Haven is ranked number four!

A Child Called "It"
By Nikki Williams
Posted 2/28/13

A Child Called “It” is the first part in the Dave Pelzer Trilogy, with The Lost Boy coming second and A Man Named Dave as the conclusion. A Child Called “It”is about the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother. Dave’s mother played tortuous games that left him nearly dead. He was submerged in freezing cold water, forced to eat his own vomit, and stabbed. In order to survive he had to learn how to play his mother’s games. Dave’s bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him food I was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. Dave’s spirit helped him to survive through his mother’s physical abuse.  He had nothing or no one to turn to but his dreams kept him alive. He dreamt of someone taking care of him, loving him, and calling him their son.

            A Child Called “It”is the most horrific thing I have ever read.It was amazing, depressing, horrible and heartbreaking all at the same time. It brought tears to my eyes because it’s sad that a person could do this to their own flesh and blood. The book shows you what could be happening in real life, to a kid you see every day, and you wouldn’t even know it. I don’t think any kid should have to go through what Dave went through. This book will both horrify and inspire anyone who reads it. I am thankful that I never had to go through or even witness anything like the tortuous games his mother played.

The Lion King
By Nikki Williams
Posted 2/25/13

This Disney animated film, The Lion King, follows the adventures of the young lion Simba. Simba is a carefree cub who is both excited and anxious to become king one day. He spends his days playing with his pal, Nala.His father, King Mufasa, cautions him to prepare for the day when he will be called upon to lead. Simba’s uncle, Scar, plans to take Mufasa’s throne by luring father and son into a stampede of wildebeests. Mufasa is killed but Simba escapes.Scar convinces Simba that he is responsible for his father’s death and urges him to leave the Pride Lands and never return. Frightened and guilt-ridden, Simba flees into exile where he is befriended by Timon and Pumba. He matures into a young adult and is able to forget about his past until he runs into Nala. She tells him of the hard time and suffering that have come to the Pride Lands under the reign of Scar. Rafiki, a wise shaman baboon, helps Simba to realize that his father’s spirit lives on in him and that he must accept the responsibility of his destined role. Simba returns to take back his homeland form Scar with the help of his friends Timon and Pumba.
The Lion King Tour 2013
New York, NY Minskoff Theatre
8 performances weekly
Detroit, MI Detroit Opera House
Now – March 10
Omaha, NE Orpheum Theater
March 12 – April 7
Appleton, WI Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
April 9 – May 5
Nashville, TN Tennessee Performing Arts Center
May 7 – June 2
Tulsa, OK Tulsa Performing Arts Center
June 4 – June 30
Cleveland, OH State Theatre, PlayhouseSquare
July 9 – Aug. 4
Charlotte, NC Belk Theater, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
Aug. 6 – Sept. 4
Pittsburgh, PA Benedum Center
Sept. 3 – Sept. 29
Dallas, TX Music Hall at Fair Park
Oct. 2 – Oct. 20

Men in Black 3
By Nikki Williams
Posted 2/25/13

Men in Black 3 was released on May 25, 2012. It had been over a decade since the last Men in Black. Many people missed it even though Men In Black 2 wasn’t that good. In Men in Black 3, Boris the Animal breaks out of a moon-based maximum security prison and decides to travel back in time to eliminate the person that arrested him, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). After following Agent K and Boris back to 1969, Agent J (Will Smith) discovers that there are secrets to the universe that Agent K never told him. The secrets reveal themselves as Agent J teams up with younger Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

Top 10 Super Bowl Commercials
By Chris Lawless
Posted 2/13/13

With the big game comes a huge chance for advertisement. Many big companies go all out to get their products out to the millions of viewers that tune in to the Super Bowl. This year a 30 second commercial cost 3.8 million dollars. Samsung showed a commercial that they spent 15 million dollars to make and air. These are my top 10 commercial picks, for Super Bowl 47:
10. Jeep (Safe return soldiers)
9. Tide (Miracle stain)
8. Taco Bell (Retirement home escape)
7. Kia Sorrento (Where do babies come from?)
6. Coke (Desert chase)
5. Doritos (Is that my wedding dress?)
4. Oreo (Library fight)
3. Budweiser (Clydesdale horse)
2. M & M’s (I would do anything for love…but I won’t do that)
1. Dodge Ram (Paul Harvey—God made a farmer)

Luke Bryan Concert
Article by Rachel Looney
Posted 2/12/13

This past weekend I went to a concert in Charleston and saw Luke Bryan, Georgia Florida Line and Thompson Square in concert at the civic center. I got the tickets for the concert for a Christmas present. I took my friend Courtney. We drove down Saturday afternoon because Courtney and I had to take the ACT that morning. We got to Charleston around 5:30. Only 2 hours till the concert and we were pumped. We went to the mall and got a bite and eat before the concert because concert food is way too expensive. We then walked over to the concert found our seats which were very good. We waited, then at about 7:25 the man that ran the civic center came out and said he had to tell us something. He revealed that Jason Aldean would be in concert at the civic center April 18th and that tickets will be on sale February 18th, and then out came Florida Georgia Line. They sang my favorite song, “Cruise”. They played for about 45 minutes then Thompson Square made their appearance and sang my other favorite song, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?” They also played for about 45 minutes. Then it was time for Luke Bryan to come out. I had waited almost 2 months for this concert and could not have been more excited. He sang so many songs like “Shake It For Me”, “I Don’t Want This Night to End” and “Dirt Road Diaries”. I had a blast and want to thank my parents for giving me tickets.

The Walking Dead Returns
Article by Ashlyn Parker
Posted 2/12/13

The Walking Dead has unfolded into three seasons. The second half of AMC’s The Walking Dead: Season Three is returning February 10, 2013. I have lately just started watching The Walking Dead (season one) with my family, and I love it! The series is very interesting so far, a little graphic, but it is definitely a must see!
For those who have not heard of The Walking Dead, it reigns as the most watched drama series on basic cable. The series has earned two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Prosthetic Make-up, a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series - Drama, and a WGA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing Derivative New Media, among other awards. The series star, Andrew Lincoln, plays as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find the world dominated by flesh-eating "walkers", also known as zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.

Carly Rae Jepsen
Article by Ashlyn Parker
Posted 2/8/13

Carly Rae Jepsen’s, “Call Me Maybe” became a big hit in 2012. This song put the 27-year-old on a path to potential Grammy gold. “Call Me Maybe” is nominated for song of the year and best pop vocal performance at the February 10 awards show. “I was gunning maybe for Top 10 on iTunes. That was my little, mini secret goal,” she said recently by phone from Los Angeles when she was picking out a dress to wear at the Grammy’s. She will also present an award. The song was on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart for nine weeks, and has sold more than 6.7 million tracks in the United States. “To be really honest with you, leading up to every Grammy weekend except for this one, I was getting comfy in my PJs with my popcorn bowl and deciding whose dress I liked the best,” she said. “So it’ll be different for me to actually put on a dress of my own.”
Children from Newton, Connecticut will be featured as part of the Grammy Awards. The children will be interviewed by Ryan Seacrest and interact live with Jepsen, and the children also might be performing some of her hit song.