Entertainment

February 2009 - Posts

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: Mental Floss

    By Sarah Schelde, 16, reporting from Waterlivet,, New York, on why mental_floss-ing every day is a healthy habit
    Mental_Floss

    In today's big world of little time, we seem to love to pick up things as quickly as possible. From faster texting on full QWERTY keyboards to shorter blog posts from everywhere (ala Twitter). And what's faster than trivia and facts boiled down to amusing yet informative morsels? Try mental_floss, the wonderful magazine and website "Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix" (in their words).

    Full of fun, smarty-pants lists—body parts you didn't think had a name, 5 New Alternative Meats—instant expertise on cool topics ("What's the Difference: Quasar vs. Pulsar") and blogs on everything from sequin art to the history of ice, this bimonthly is for anyone, left-brained, right-brained, or scatterbrained. And if you want to test that noggin out, try one of the fabulously quirky and informative Lunchtime Quizzes (you may only think you're a "Love, Actually" expert) that take less time than the line in the cafeteria. Now that's what I call quick thinking. — Sarah Schelde

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: Bang for your TV Buck

    By Rebecca Murray, 20, reporting from Saint Augustine, Florida, on a show who's ending you just can't guess

    Big Bang Theory

    Television shows, even the generally good ones, can be filled with characters that are predictable. Girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, boy is dating someone else and after a lot of trials and tribulations they seem to get together. (Like in Grey's Anatomy you can guess nearly every time what Meredith is going to say next.) Girl is usually either smart and pretty and underestimates her own looks—or the tall, knowingly gorgeous one who feels that no one can see past her exterior.

    So I started looking for more original TV. I had my first success with the Big Bang Theory, and I found myself downloading as many episodes from iTunes as I could. I don't normally say this, but watching this show is worth being broke.

    The show centers on Leonard and his roommate Sheldon—extremely intelligent scientists and full-time geeks—and their new neighbor Penny, a waitress in the cheesecake factory. As you can imagine, there's a love interest. Leonard tries his hardest to impress Penny, but most of the time fails because of unwanted help from his completely OCD and very finicky roommate.

    The banter is original, all the characters (including the mostly normal Penny) are lovable, and I usually find myself laughing at Sheldon's very scientific approach to women and romance: "At least now you can retrieve the black box from the twisted smoldering wreckage that was once your fantasy of dating her and analyze the data so that you don't crash into geek mountain again." This Big Bang's a great way to, if not collide with, get that fun occasional bump with your inner nerd. —Rebecca Murray

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: The Better Beckham?

    By Saskia Boggs, 19, reporting from Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Liverpool's hottest player, Steven Gerrard
    Steve Gerrard

    Are you tired of all the David Beckham hype? How the sport has become watching what he and Posh are wearing, more Fashion Week front row than football? Consider switching teams to Steven Gerrard, captian of Liverpool soccer (or, technically, football). He's hot, he's talented, and he's British—what's not to like?

    I myself am not British, and I didn't even care about the sport until a friend of mine introduced me to Gerrard and the Liverpool Football Club with some video interviews on YouTube. After seeing what he looked like and hearing his voice, I was hooked on following Stevie and his career. One of Liverpool's top scorers, he came from their youth league and has played pro for them for ten years. He's been offered up to £100,000 a week (that's almost $150,000 where we say "soccer") to join other teams—which, unlike Beckham, he rejected. I like that loyalty. His talent is still on the rise, and Liverpool is currently hot in the running for both the England Premier and European Champion Leagues.

    So, yeah, through Gerrard, I've become a football fan, too. To anyone who enjoys the sport—or just hot British men—I recommend doing the same. You won't regret it. —Saskia Boggs

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: Mr. Precedent

    By Claudia Berger, 16, reporting from Great Barrington, Massachusetts, on a riveting old White House show's new relevance
    The West Wing

    With the inauguration of President Barack Obama less than a month ago (can you believe it?), more teens are becoming interested and active in politics. The West Wing—a TV series from the time when the country last had a Democrat in power—is a great look behind the scenes of the Oval Office and the everyday life of the president and those who work with him. With show consultants like Dee Dee Myers, President Clinton's former press secretary, we know that the situations are either based in reality or could presumably happen.

    For true Obama enthusiasts, here is a little tip: Keep an eye on the character of Matt Santos, who just might remind you of someone in the news of late. And the entire presidential campaign in the show’s last season (which was shot in 2006) eerily mirrors this past one. Plus, the TV White House’s Bartlet administration was the first after a string of Republicans. Any of this ringing a bell? For anybody interested in politics, how the nation is run, or any form of public speaking, the West Wing is a must see. Plus, with cuties like Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, and Bradley Whitford you can't really go wrong.

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: How Time Flies

    By Lindsay Sellers, 20, reporting from New York, NY, on a book that travels
    How Time Flies

    In preparation for a few international flights, a friend recently recommended the book The Time Traveler's Wife. I packed it and wasn't sure if I'd get to reading it, but as I sat in the terminal, six hours to kill, alone, with no trashy American magazines at my disposal, teleportation sounded tempting. The book promised a romantically compelling plot, and was more than 500 pages—-definitely long enough to last through my layover. I was sold.

    The main characters, Henry and Claire, proved to be engaging, and the almost saccharine plot was tempered by a few truly racy moments—-I almost felt the need to shield the text from the children and elderly seated around me. But I was thrown off by some huge gaps in logic: as if time-travel wasn't hard enough to swallow in a novel that takes place in modern-day Chicago, the rules about it did not always add up. And would any woman commit her life to a man who might literally vanish? Before I read this book, the cynic in me would have said no. But now with Valentine's Day on the horizon, I'm not so sure. Logic be damned--maybe anything is possible! — Lindsay Sellers

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: Super Spy, Real Girl Role Model

    By Jordyn Turney, 19, reporting from Alpine, CA, on her love for the original Agent 99 on the 1960s TV classic Get Smart
    Agent 99 - Get Smart

    I have a long list of fictional characters I adore, right near the top of which is Get Smart's 99.

    Not the Anne Hathaway, 21st-century version who knew she was hot stuff and thought she was just so much better than Max, but the original Barbara Feldon 1960s version, the former model secret agent who was so obviously in love with her partner-in-crime.

    She's kind of the ultimate girl role model. For starters, she's awesome. She's beautiful, but not like she's been airbrushed to death. She's trained to fight on the side of good and can throw a punch like nobody's business. She's smart--fluent in multiple languages and an expert when it comes to things like shadowing (important for spies, not so much for the rest of us).

    But beyond her extreme level of awesome, there's another reason I love this fictional character: because she's real. Or rather, because even though she's smart and pretty and seriously kick-butt, she's still capable of being just as immature and jealous as any of us when it comes to matters of the heart. Like mimicking the annoying squealy voice of her romantic rival, or looking very much like she wants to sink into the floor when she sees another girl (a pretty blonde with a job title much more feminine than her own) kiss the guy she loves.

    OK, so maybe being jealous and a bit petty isn't something to aspire to. But it is human--and in the world of fictional characters who are personal heroes, that's always a good thing. And let's face it, when you're the only single girl, surrounded by happy couples, it's nice to know that even in the land of television not everyone is annoyingly happy and paired-up. — Jordyn Turney

    Watch a tribute to 99 video (Barbara Feldon is singing!), and order the original DVDs here.

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: The Less Pure Puritans

    By Maya-Catherine Popa, 19, reporting from New York, NY, on a riveting new book about early Americans that's no AP US History text
    Sarah Vowell: The Wordy Shipmates

    What's cool in the New Year? Perspective.

    Sitting through AP US History can be a trying experience. After a decade of books, plays, and field trips devoted to learning about the puritans, one begins to wish our country's history had gone a little differently. And, as our prince of political change ushers us forward, Obama pillowcases will not be enough to encourage an understanding of this country's development.

    Luckily for us there is the trademark wit of Sarah Vowell, whose latest book, The Wordy Shipmates, isn't your high school history textbook. Vowell explores the eccentric, feisty characters who founded the colonies from a fresh perspective—that is, by debunking the myth that the puritans were boring dressers who considered prayer the only pastime.

    Puritans have pamphlet feuds. They have sex. They establish Harvard because Anne Hutchison puts the men to shame in the courtroom. They are literate, righteous, and boy have they got tempers.

    Most important, we could all use a refresher course in the ideals that early American leaders, like John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, relentlessly held. Remember when vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin (remember her?) insisted she and John McCain believed in "that shining city on a hill, as President Reagan so beautifully said?" Reagan, Kennedy, and countless other politicians have quoted Winthrop's speech, "A Model of Christian Charity." Only Palin seems to have missed the saying's origin. I'm tempted to send her this book. — Maya Popa