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Newseum Review

Peter Baugh — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:11:27 +0000

In Washington D.C. one of the world’s most intriguing museums stands at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. From eight 12-foot tall chunks of the Berlin Wall, to the lunch counter where civil rights sit-ins began, the Newseum takes visitors through the history of news.

The Newseum offers rare items that can’t be found anywhere else, just like every museum does, but what separates a standard museum from the great ones, is how they display and explain their artifacts. The Newseum does this expertly.

The glass building has six floors. On the fourth, there is a slab of bent up metal: the metal radio tower initially placed on one of the two World Trade Centers. The walls around it are layered in newspapers from around the world featuring the breaking news of the terrorist attacks in a memorial to the victims.

Around the corner from the jaw dropping memorial is a small theatre continually playing an 11 minute film. It showcases the reporters and photographer’s experiences during the attacks. The film brings to life the jarring events of the fateful day.

Dark exhibits like these may not be the best for younger children, but don’t worry, the youngsters will still have plenty to do.

They can look at lighter topics, such as photography exhibits or a section on past president’s dogs. There also is an interactive newsroom where visitors can play reporter, recording themselves announcing breaking news.

Outside the museum, there are covers of the day’s newspaper from different cities worldwide. Anyone who is strolling by the Newseum can take a peak at these, and they are often very interesting.

Right off of the national mall, the Newseum takes viewers through not only our nations history, but the worlds. It shows people what impacts the media played in how events, such as 9/11 and the Berlin Wall, were covered. One of the top Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C., the Newseum is a must see for anyone in the area.

Photos by Peter Baugh

Season Four of The Mentalist: Another Booming Success

Peter Baugh — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:54:42 +0000

“The Mentalist” starring Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, is consistently one of the best cop shows on television. The plot revolves around Jane, an agent for the California Bureau of Investigations (CBI), who is so in tune with his surroundings that he solves crimes by picking up on clues that others miss.

The overarching plot of the “The Mentalist” follows Jane as he attempts to catch the man who murdered his wife and child. Jane has spent the past three seasons trying to avenge the death of his family.

Season four of “The Mentalist” picks up where the last season left off, with Jane thinking believing he killed the man responsible for this family’s murder.

The strength of “The Mentalist” is Simon Baker. Baker plays Jane with expert wit and Janne’s character is one to love. His quirky behavior and brilliant crime solving strategies are an enjoyment to watch, though his willingness to break the law keeps one on their toes. The show also stars Robin Tunney (Jane’s boss, Agent Lisbon), Tim Kang (Agent Cho), and Owain Yeoman (Agent Rigsby).

For those that spend their evenings with one of the numerous CSI dramas, take a moment to test “The Mentalist”, a well well written, non sappy crime show, with a thrilling plot and interesting characters.

The Mentalist is shown on CBS at 9 Central Standard Time.

9/11 exibit

CHS Globe Staff — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:16:02 +0000

Holiday Tech Gift Guide

Christopher Sleckman — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:09:44 +0000

iPhone 4S

Price-$200 for 16GB, $300 for 32GB, $400 for 64GB

Review-The iPhone 4S includes a few unique upgrades: Dual-core A5 Chip, 8MP camera, iOS5, iCloud and Siri. The phone and camera have much better graphics and are much faster. The new, iOS5 operating system, allows you to check the weather, the stocks, and all of your notifications with one swipe of the finger. iCloud allows you to share music and contacts between your phone and computer wirelessly. And finally Siri is a new gadget that operates as your digital assistant. Siri uses voice recognition to process your question and then gives you an answer to the best of its ability; but the reliability is nowhere near perfect.

Verdict-If you already have the iPhone 4 the upgrade isn’t worth the $200 more for these new features that aren’t completely reliable at this time. But if you don’t own an iPhone yet, it is a great investment and a very user-friendly phone.

Kindle Fire

Price-$200

Review-The Kindle Fire is a great gift for avid readers. The Kindle Fire has a 7” color touch screen, you can play games, watch movies and TV shows, read books and magazines, and listen to your favorite songs. The Kindle Fire is like the iPad, but you can rent books for free.

Verdict-The Kindle Fire is a great purchase if you plan to read a lot otherwise, the iPad is a much better investment.

Xbox Kinect

Price-$150 with Kinect Adventures Game

Review-The Xbox Kinect is a new console that goes with the Xbox 360. The Xbox Kinect is basically a motion sensor. It senses your motions and replicates them in the Xbox game you are playing. The Xbox Kinect is a great way to remain active while playing video games. It is also a fun way for the entire family to enjoy video games.

Verdict-The idea of a motion sensing console is a great idea, but this is the first one so it isn’t completely reliable yet and you will run into glitches occasionally. It is an excellent present for a video game enthusiast and can also be great fun for first time video gamers.

(Photos: Above by Andrea Stiffelman, Right by Todd Sumlin/Charlotte Observer/MCT)

Like Crazy

Caroline Greenberg — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:34:09 +0000

The breathtaking portrayal of the highs and lows of long distance relationships is shown in the movie “Like Crazy.”

Anna (Felicity Jones), a British exchange student studying in California, falls for Jacob (Anton Yelchin), and decides to stay in America overstaying her VISA. By violating her VISA, she is banned from the United States unable to return to Jacob. For the next years they struggle to maintain a long distance relationship. They try to maintain a life together, but on different continents.

The raw detail of their relationship is shown through realistic portrayals that make you become entranced in their struggle to be together.

Felicity Jones, a British born actresses, had an air of innocence and sweetness that makes you believe in what she says.

Anton Yelchin displays a versatile character throughout the movie showing the happiness and heartache that happens when falling in love.

From America to England each scene change illuminates the different lives both Anna and Jacob create for themselves. Their struggle to be together creates this antagonizing feeling for people watching.

The isolated feeling they get when they are apart is especially illuminated during their desperate calls to each other that happen usually when they are with friends or at bars. It is also portrayed extraordinarily well during the times that they decide to see other people, and shows that not even being a continent apart could make them not long for each other.

“Like Crazy” was a grand jury prizewinner at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and also has been up for many other awards. Both Jones and Yelchin have been up for awards for their performances.

This movie is not for moviegoers longing for a happy ending, this movie is a frustrating perfect portrayal of a long distance relationship. It shows the angst, as well as the happiness that goes along with trying to be with someone in a long distance relationship.

“The X Factor” promises success

Chris Cho — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:13:26 +0000

Having been so successful and appealing in England, America has been captivated by such success and built its own version of the show “The X Factor.”
“The X Factor” provides competition to those interested in expressing their singing talents. The goal is to win the competition and receive the 5 million dollar grand prize and a recording contract with one of the more famous companies in the singing market.
Providing the stardom in this competition is not only the talented singers, but also the already renowned judges. Simon Cowell, alum of “American Idol”, has come to provide the viewers with his sharp, yet comical, criticism. Paula Abdul, also from “American Idol,” provides subtlety and consistency when judging the contestants. New to judging are three accomplished singers and producers; Cheryl Cole, a singer and songwriter, Nicole Sherzinger, a singer from The Pussycat Dolls, and producer L.A. Reid, all of whom will judge alongside Cowell and Abdul. Now airing on Fox on Wednesdays and Thursdays, viewers highly regarded the show as the new “American Idol”.  Cowell expected the show to receive up to 20 million viewers by the first show– however, this number was not attained. Cowell referred to that situation as humbling. He later stated in an interview with Access Hollywood that he fully expects his new show to flourish in the midst of a slow start. Moving coast to coast, from Los Angeles to Miami, “X Factor” will travel to six cities across America in hopes of choosing the most talented contestants to reach the finals. “The X Factor” has already provided viewers with jaw-dropping performances and eye-raising ones as well.
Contestants range anywhere from 15 to 61 years old, and the various acts make it impossible to predict what might happen next. CHS students were asked whether they also enjoyed this new variety show. After taking a survey of about 50 CHS students, the overwhelming consensus was a yes. 48 of these students convincingly reiterated that “The X Factor” was their new “American Idol”. Many of these students were torn as to why they love the new show, but in the end they all agreed to one idea; “The X Factor” is more entertaining and unique than “American Idol.”
“The contestants on ‘The X Factor’ have been much more talented than the contestants on ‘American Idol,’” junior Greg Ginos said. “The quality of the voices has gone from sub-par to outstanding.”
A vast majority had one reason as to why “The X Factor” was more appealing: Simon Cowell. Influential, charismatic, and successful are all characteristics that Cowell possesses. CHS students were particularly swayed by the efforts Cowell put into Idol and the amazing results he produced.
“‘American Idol’ was one of my more favorite shows when Simon Cowell played a prominent role in it,” junior Matthew Milbourn said. “However, ‘The X Factor’ has gone above and beyond recruiting their judges.”
“American Idol” is now becoming far less relevant because of its less superior quality of judges and contestants on the show. Also, while “American Idol” restricts its competition to solo singers, “The X Factor” welcomes group singers to the stage. Contestants will also be singing in front of thousands of fans on a stage for the audition in “The X Factor”, while “Idol” contestants sing in a small, compact hotel room. This change may attract contestants looking for their first taste of stardom.
It seems “X Factor” may very well dethrone “American Idol” as the king of singing competitions.

Abduction is action packed, thrilling

Neil Docherty — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:11:38 +0000

You’re in high school, living a normal life when one day you stumble upon a picture of yourself on a missing children website. Then before you know it, strangers are trying to capture you and kill your family and friends. What do you do? You run.

And that’s exactly what seventeen-year-old Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner) does in the film “Abduction” directed by John Singleton. Running from home to find answers about his life, Nathan is joined by his long time crush Karen (Lily Collins). As the chase continues, the couple realizes that not just the bad guys are after them, but also the CIA. With only instructions to trust no one from Nathan’s psychiatrist (Sigourney Weaver) and little information, the two teens stay on the run, dodging obstacles at every turn. In Nathan’s quest for answers he soon discovers a list of encrypted names, which are the cause of his ordeal. Now with a path to follow Nathan and Karen stay on the move and the movie stays action packed and gripping until the end.

For Taylor Lautner fans, you won’t be let down by this film. With plenty of romantic scenes involving Lautner, Lautner fans are sure to get their money’s worth. But “Abduction” is not to be confused with Lautner’s most famous movie, “New Moon.” “Abduction” offers the audience not just a love filled romantic movie, but also an action filled plot that is sure to entertain girls and boys of all ages. So if you love action, Taylor Lautner, or both then this is the perfect movie for you.

“50/50″ is a 100 percent success

Nina Murov — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:09:31 +0000

I’ve always hated the word “dramedy” (a movie combining both drama and comedy). First of all, every time I watch a so-called dramedy, I end up disliking it. And second of all, a movie can either be a drama, with awkward comedy moments, or a comedy, with forced dramatic moments. However, “50/50” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt who also starred in “500 Days of Summer” and “Inception” and Seth Rogen who also starred in “Knocked Up” and “Pineapple Express” convinced me that a good dramedy can indeed exist.

Written by Will Reiser, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, “50/50” is the real life tale of Reiser’s battle with cancer. Rogen was by Reiser’s side the entire time, and after Reiser beat the disease, Rogen convinced Reiser to write a screenplay about it.

“50/50” centers around 27 year-old Adam Lerner (Gordon-Levitt) who learns that he has a rare form of spinal cancer. Adam has a 50/50 chance of living and he is surprisingly calm about it. His girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) tries to be supportive, but ends up being the exact opposite. His overprotective mother (Anjelica Huston) won’t stop calling him, and only wants to talk about the bad things. But then there is Adam’s best friend Kyle (Rogen), who lightens up the dark times by making jokes about uncomfortable topics, smoking a lot of medical marijuana, and using Adam’s illness as a way to pick up women. Although he seems like a terrible friend, he is one of the only people who stands by Adam’s side. Adam also has to go to a therapist (Anna Kendrick), who is very awkward, but surprisingly helpful in the end.

The acting in “50/50” is terrific. It makes the characters emotions seem extremely believable, making the movie even more realistic. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great job of staying calm, yet still seeming very worried. He has that sweet little smile and those endearing eyes that make him enjoyable to watch. Anna Kendrick and Anjelica Huston both are a wonderful addition to the cast. Kendrick’s character is the awkward but loving therapist, and Huston’s character is the awfully devoted mother. But the surprisingly best performance was Rogen. He made the movie more fun to watch than sad, with his dark, but charming humor.

I don’t know if it was the fact that the story was a real life tale, but “50/50” is both moving and very funny. I am now a true believer in dramady’s, and odds are, you’ll love “50/50.”

“New Girl” promises laughs and sweet simplicity

Jackie Leong — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:01:26 +0000

If you weren’t living under a rock during the summer, you probably saw one of the slew of promotional clips for Fox’s new comedy, “New Girl,” in which, after a messy breakup—to make a long story short—Zooey Deschanel is one of the guys.

Naturally, I was excited. Not because Zooey was her usual hilarious self, or because the premise of the story in itself seemed interesting, but because the entire plot seemed like cheerful disaster just waiting to happen. And that’s what we all know and love as comedy, correct?

The premise of the show is simple and what you’d expect. Deschanel is Jess Day, a quirky 20-something who’s just moved in with three guys with a spare room posted on Craigslist. The guys turn out to be equally quirky, each in their own slightly stereotypical way—the athlete, the playboy, and the insecure. Hilarity ensues Hopefully, anyway.

So I set out, hoping that the show I had high hopes for this year didn’t disappoint. Past my initial (grudging) misgivings, it made the cut, as it more than did so on the national level. The pilot episode, as expected, was basically a loosely fleshed-out version of the trailer, and barely twenty minutes long, but don’t let that deter you.

As it turns out, it didn’t need to be longer. The show snagged the rights to be called a smash hit when Fox requested a total of 24 episodes after just a couple of weeks in.

But back to the cast and motley crew. The characters themselves are figures we’ve all seen before, in other sitcoms, movies, and novels. It’s how they blend together that makes the show. Deschanel is refreshing as a female lead who stands on her own. Awkward at times, cheerful during others, and lovable whatever she happens to be doing, she plays Jess’ character perfectly, which may break into song at random times. Other actresses would butcher the role, but Deschanel makes it seem natural, not at all forced.

As I steadily made my way through the queue of the released episodes (the size of which was pretty scant, since the show was put on a short hiatus), I saw that we are not subjected to a laser-focus on her cutesy character. I was happy to see that the show didn’t leave the remaining cast of guys (and girl, Jess’ model friend) out to flounder as perpetual backup dancers. Not too much, but just enough attention was paid to the others, who seem acceptably three-dimensional.

“New Girl” endears itself not because it’s original, or overly hilarious, but simply because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It doesn’t need to be too witty. And thankfully it doesn’t have a laugh track like most otehr shows of its kind.

So the stage is set. The few released episodes show major promise, but can “New Girl” hold a top spot? We’ll see. Until then, I’ll be enjoying the ride.

Monet meets the art museum: The long-anticipated exhibition of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies is finally open

Maria Massad — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:49:46 +0000

The new special exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum is entirely devoted to French Impressionist Claude Monet. Five magnificent oil paintings, including one of his most famous works, are currently on display in Monet’s Water Lilies.
Given Monet’s status as a giant in the world of art, St. Louis has certainly been blessed to receive such famous works.
Inspired by his home garden in Giverny, France, Monet painted what is perhaps his most famous work: Agapanthus. He painted this triptych – or a set of three paintings – over the course of several years. Agapanthus is the main feature of the display. The triptych features reflections from Monet’s garden and, of course, his famous water lilies.
In Agapanthus, his use of color is absolutely incredible. Monet uses bright red paint to outline the lily pads, among many other unusual choices, but he combines colors in such a way that is genuinely pleasing to the eye.
Other paintings, including Water Lilies, Harmony in Blue, also showcase Monet’s genius. Monet’s intense brushstrokes can clearly be observed in the oil paintings. Each one is deliberate, but, at the same time, Monet’s strokes seem to be somewhat spontaneous, which further adds to the grandeur of his artistry.

This masterpiece is finally presented as the artist intended for the first time in more than 30 years – together and connected as one, instead of each third of the painting separated at different art museums.
The Monet exhibit will be on display through Jan. 22, 2012.

(Ellen Creager/Detroit Free Press/MCT)