Review Club Vol 2

The Half Hollow Hills Review Club Presents

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The Ratings An absolute classic for All TIME. The absolute best you can ever get! Exemplifies perfection!

½

Near perfection. Will be remembered in the future and will be an example of what greatness is all about.

Great! Amazing! A Superb piece of work! Totally memorable and worth the money.

½

Wow! Wonderful! Very, very good. A must.

Now this is GOOD. damned good!

½

Maybe not special, but

Average, but enjoyable.

Fair. You MAY like it, but you’re not really missing anything.

½

Not good. Don’t bother.

Poor. Worthless junk.

½ star

So horrific, it is painful to endure.

0 stars

Beyond Abysmal. So bad it is insulting. Who is the idiot that allowed this to be produced?!

This issue is now found ONLINE at the Half Hollow Hills website.

Go to: Schools – Candlewood – Clubs and Activities – HHH Review Club

http://www.halfhollowhills.k12.ny. us/page.cfm?p=977519

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The Half Hollow Hills Review Club Spring 2011 Volume 6 Issue 2

Table of Contents Topic

Page

The Ratings

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Meet the Review Club

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Restaurant Reviews Madison’s Smoothie Café Francesco’s Pizza and Pasta Staff Interviews – Mrs. Roethel

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Music Reviews

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Reviews on: Arcade Fire, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Motion Picture Soundtrack, Serj Tarkian, Kanye West, A Day to Remember, Kid Cudi and more…

Music Flashbacks

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Reviews on: Moby, Weezer, Coheed and Cambria, Codplay, The White Stripes, The Smashing Pumpkins, Run DMC, Black Sabbath, The Beetles, The Doors, and more…

Live Concert Reviews

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Reviews on: Roger Water, Ringo Starr, Crosby Stills and Nash, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, Charlie Daniels Band, and The Rascals

FEATURE: We ask the Club & Staff “What are your favorite musicians EVER?”

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Book Reviews

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Reviews on: I am Ozzy, The Glass Castle, City of Thieves, Misery, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Warded Man , The Name of the Wind, and more…

Vacation Reviews

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Reviews on: France, Washington DC, Wizardry World of Harry Potter, Jiminey Peak, Aruba, Okemo, Norwegian Epic, and more…

Broadway Reviews

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Reviews on: American Idiot, Spiderman, Wicked, Mama Mia, and Mary Poppins

Television Reviews

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Video Game Reviews

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Features an in depth analysis of Black Ops Reviews on: Back Ops, Halo Reach, Madden 11, Star Wars the Force Unleashed II, Super Mario All Stars, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and Need for Speed

Sports

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Features: The Mets, The Yankees, The Jets MLB 2011 Predictions, 2011 NHL Predictions

This Issue’s Club Critics

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Photograph Pages: 7, 15, 59, 71, 87, 101, 115 All reviews are the opinions of the writer. You may agree with their opinion or you may not. Some reviewers often give high ratings, while others are much more critical. Regardless, the reviewer is asked to be objective, fair, critical and as professional as possible while supporting their opinion. If you want to express your opinion, the Half Hollow Hills Review Club always welcomes new members.

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Wanted!!!

Critics for the Review Club Attention Half Hollow Hills We need critics New members are always welcome

Movies, Music, Broadway, Restaurants, Vacations, Books,

Sports If you are interested please contact by eboard or stop by Room 710 in Candlewood MS and talk to

Mr. Bund or you can contact

Mrs. Silberman in High School East Room 105

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MEET the REVIEW CLUB

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Restaurant Reviews Madison’s Smoothie Cafe

In December 2010, the Half Hollow Hills Review Club visited Madison’s Smoothie Café to sample a variety of different smoothies and snacks. The club has sampled a variety of restaurants, but this was our first experience with an establishment such as Madison’s. When we arrived they provided a list of exactly what smoothies we were going to sample, and there was some chicken and cheese quesadillas to fill us up in between. Each smoothie was different and had its own unique style. It seemed like each one was just getting better, but the discussions began over which one was the best. Every single smoothie we sampled was excellent. It was never a discussion of which one was good or bad, but just which one you preferred over another.

Overall, this was a wonderful experience with both students and parents impressed and satisfied with the quality of the service, and the variety and taste of the samples, and the professionalism and generosity of the ownership. I would highly recommend Madison’s Smoothie Café! – Mr. Bund 8

Madison’s Smoothie Cafe Review Continued…

Thank you for visiting our café. Here is a little information about us.

The principal owners of this establishment are Rocco Cipriano and Bruce Levine.

Both families are from the HHH School District and currently have children in both Candlewood Middle School and High School West. Rocco’s wife Carolyn is also a graduate of HHH. Madison’s Café is a franchise, which means that there is at least one other Madison’s Café. The original Madison’s is located in North Bellmore. We are located at 1936 Deer Park Ave., Deer Park—in the CVS Shopping Centre. Just like any other franchise, we do a lot of things the same. Therefore, we have the same menu and the same décor. We offer delicious sandwiches, wraps and smoothies as a healthy alternative to fast food. We also have pizzas, quesadillas, frozen yogurt, fresh fruit and vegetable juice and wheat grass. In addition to in store ordering you can even phone, fax or text in your order for quick pick up or delivery.

So sit back and relax and enjoy the samplings for today: Mango Zango Smoothie A blend of Mango and Pineapple Candlewood Cougars School Spirit Smoothie Roaring with Raspberry, Pineapple, Banana & Cranberry HHH West Colts School Spirit Smoothie A stampede of Raspberry, Blueberry, Pineapple & Coconut Candy Cane Smoothie A twist of Strawberry, Coconut, Non-Fat Yogurt, White Chocolate & Candy Canes Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla Tortilla toasted with Pepper Jack Cheese and Grilled Chicken Strips Super Swirl Freeze Frozen Yogurt Fat Free Vanilla Frozen Yogurt swirled with Banana & Strawberry We hope that you enjoyed your visit and the samples today and we look forward to seeing you soon. Enjoy your holidays and Happy New Year from all of us at Madison’s Smoothie Café.

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Madison’s Smoothie Cafe Review Continued…

This year for the Review Club we visited the Madison Smoothie Café.

Even though there are other smoothie establishments; this restaurant can easily top them all. The smoothies are full of flavor and are super delicious. We got to sample many different smoothies.

First, we had the Mango Zango which was a blend of mango and pineapple. It was refreshing and was tangy. It was light and sweet so you could taste the citrus fruit. Next, we had the chicken and cheese quesadilla (yes, I said quesadilla). It was spicy and filling due to it being stocked with Jack Pepper cheese and grilled chicken. Next was the Candlewood Cougars School Spirit Smoothie which contained raspberry, pineapple, banana, and cranberry. It was really good and sweet. It had hints of fruit everywhere. Then on the menu was the HHH West Colts School Spirit Smoothie. It contained a “stampede” of raspberry, blueberry, pineapple, and coconut. I was surprised that I liked it because I usually don’t like blueberries. It was also refreshing (like all the smoothies here are). Soon after that, we were served the Candy Cane Smoothie. It was a blend of strawberry, yogurt, candy cane, and white chocolate. This was perhaps my favorite because it was tasty, interesting, and different. Finally, we had the Super Swirl Freeze Frozen Yogurt which contained fat free vanilla yogurt swirled with banana and strawberry. It was so delicious and it almost tasted like ice cream. I totally recommend the Madison Smoothie Café to anyone who wants a variety of smoothies, great food, and an awesome experience.

- Ryan Winthrop

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Madison’s Smoothie Cafe Review Continued…

For this restaurant review, we did something different. We went to a smoothie café! Overall, I really enjoyed it. The first smoothie we tasted was the Mango Zango smoothie. It was very refreshing and light. The drink contains a blend of Mango and Pineapple for a great taste. The next sample we had was the Candlewood Cougars School Spirit Smoothie, which was sweet and very tasty. With raspberries, pineapples, bananas, and cranberry, it was a “roaring” smoothie. Next, we had the HHH West Colts School Spirit Smoothie. This one was my favorite. It was a lot better than I thought and it had a lot of texture which I enjoyed. It contained raspberry, blueberry, pineapple and coconut…yum! The last smoothie we had was the Candy Cane smoothie. It had strawberries, coconut, non-fat yogurt, white chocolate and even Candy canes! This smoothie was very, very minty and very sweet. It is like a having dessert. Now, after the four great smoothies that we had tried, it was time for a meal!

We then had a Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla which contained tortilla toasted with Pepper Jack Cheese and Grilled Chicken strips. It was very spicy and filling…which I loved! It had a great, unique taste.

And then…last but not the least, frozen yogurt!

Yes, it was a Super Swirl Freeze Frozen Yogurt! It contained a fat free vanilla frozen yogurt swirled with bananas and strawberries for a delicious taste! With all the variety, I think that everyone will find something to enjoy at this Café! - Dana Winthrop

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Madison’s Smoothie Cafe Review Continued…

Mango Zango-2.5 stars-a good combination but a little bit sour.

CW Cougars-4 stars- This was a great smoothie. Not too sour and not too sweet.

HHH West Colts-3 smoothies- Not the best of the smoothies, but had a good taste.

Candy Cane Smoothie-5 stars- This was awesome. This was by far the best smoothie I have ever tasted. Looking forward to going back there to get another. A must taste.

Quesadilla-2.5 stars- Really good taste. Not a lot of chicken and cheese though.

Super Swirl Frozen Yogurt-4.5 stars- this was great. Some of the best frozen yogurt I have ever tasted.

-Jeremiah Sullivan During my visit to Madison’s smoothie café, I had a variety of smoothies. One of the smoothies that I thought was very good was the Candy Cane smoothie. It had a very relaxing but had a strong taste.

– Nick Kohlhepp

Great smoothies all around. – Paul Decarlo

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Madison’s Smoothie Cafe Review Continued…

I had a great time at the Madison’s Smoothie Café. My mom, younger brother, and older sister went with me and they also enjoyed the experience.

My personal favorite was the Candlewood Cougars School Spirit Smoothie.

I loved the cranberry and raspberry flavors inside the smoothie. As a smoothie loving person, I enjoy most smoothies, but this one was definitely one of the best. I also enjoyed the Candy Cane Smoothie and the Super Swirl Freeze Frozen Yogurt. I would definitely recommend this smoothie café for hanging out with friends and relaxing. I had a great time and hope to go back to enjoy more smoothies, frozen yogurts, etc. at Madison’s Smoothie Café.

And to the Café, thanks for letting the Review Club try some of your smoothies, snacks, and desserts! --Gabrielle Jung This is a great local restaurant that serves good drinks and food at reasonable prices. With a convenient location in the CVS shopping center, this place is perfect if you’re looking for a cool drink on a hot day. With several other menu options, including snacks like delicious cheese and chicken quesadillas, Madison Smoothies is a great place for lunch too. When it comes to smoothies, show some school spirit and order either the Candlewood Cougars Spirit Smoothie, a sweet blend of raspberry, pineapple, banana, and cranberries, or the HHH West School Spirit Smoothie, once again with raspberries and pineapples, but this time with blueberries and coconut added into the captivating mix. If you’re not into smoothies, the frozen yogurt is a great choice too. The Super Swirl Freeze Frozen Yogurt, fat free vanilla frozen yogurt swirled in with bananas and strawberries, had such a rich taste to it. Overall, Madison smoothies is a great small business that I feel has the potential to bring in big crowds.-Anthony Passela

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Madison’s Smoothie Cafe Review Continued…

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Restaurant Reviews On November 1, 2010 Francesco’s Pizza and Pasta Restaurant supplied us with some delicious cheese pizzas, penne ala vodka, and a chicken parmesan roll.

We all enjoyed it very much!

Thank you Francesco’s!!!

Francesco's 209 Walt Whitman Rd Huntington Station,NY 11746-4118 (631) 271-3234 francescospizzaandpasta.com During October, the Review Club was fortunate to participate in a group review of this restaurant. The menu included such staples like Pizza and Rigatoni A La Vodka. The aroma from the catering was wonderful and we thank the restaurant for participating. While I like pizza and rigatoni, these are ordinary dishes. I would like to taste test something a little different. – Kara Rofe The restaurant was fantastic and the food was delicious! The review club had bought pizza, rolls, etc. for us to try out. The pizza was dry, but the food was great! I would definitely recommend people to attend the restaurant. I think that the food only was dry because it got a little cold. Overall, try and go to this restaurant. I can guarantee a delightful time! – Jason Zelamasky 16

Restaurant Reviews

Francesco’s Pizza and Pasta - continued

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Staff Interviews

Mrs. Roethel

On February 8, 2011, Dana Winthrop and Tara Ranjbar sat down with new Candlewood Assistant Principal Mrs. Roethel, to find out more about her. What does she do in her spare time? Who is Mrs. Roethel when she leaves work?

1) What is you favorite type of music? I like pop music. Also I listen to the top 40 songs on the radio.

2) What are some of your favorite musicians? I like the Black Eyed Peas, The Beatles, and Justin Timberlake.

3) What are some of your favorite movies ever? I like Rudy, the Harry Potter series, Forest Gump, and all of the Disney movies (Toy Story, Tangled, Shrek) 4) What is a movie you would recommend students in Candlewood should see? Despicable Me and Tangled 5) What are some of your favorite books? The Harry Potter series and the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 6) What is a book you would recommend students in Candlewood should read? The Harry Potter series 7) Do you play any sports? Field Hockey, Basketball, and I run track 8) What are some of your favorite sports teams? Since I’m from Boston, I like the Red Sox, Patriots, and the Rangers.

9) What are some things you like to do in your spare time? I like to spend time with my three kids. For example, drive them / go with them to birthday parties, and spend time on the beach together.

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10) What is the best or most exciting vacation you have ever been on?

Austria, Europe 11) If you can go anywhere on vacation, where would it be? I would go to Australia or Hawaii 12) Do you play any instruments? No 13) What made you become a school administrator? I became a school administrator because both of my parents were school administrators. Also, because I get to know about more kids.

14) If you can have any other job in the world, what would it be? I would be a dolphin trainer because I used to live in Florida; therefore I would go to Sea World often. I had to decide whether to be a school administrator or a dolphin trainer.

15) Who is your role model? My mom and dad because they were able to raise a family, and work a full time job.

16) What is the best part about working I Candlewood? Getting to know the kids and teachers.

17) Did you have jobs before this one? Yes, I was a sixth grade math teacher in Oyster Bay. 18) What’s your favorite color? Blue is my favorite color. I wanted my office blue, but it didn’t look good.

19) What’s your biggest pet peeve? When people don’t listen 20) What is one thing you never leave your home without? My cell phone 21) What is your favorite food? All sweets! I love chocolate and candy!

22) Finish this sentence…if I were to retire right now… I would move back to Florida, and relax on the beach and read books.

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MUSIC REVIEWS Grammy Award Winner: Album of the Year 2010

Arcade Fire The Suburbs ¾

Does anyone remember 2004?

The year that George Bush was elected to his second term, and Pixar released “The Incredibles”? Well, during that year, a little-known Canadian rock band named Arcade Fire released “Funeral”, which is largely my favorite album of the 21st century. With songs like “Wake Up”, “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) and “Haiti”, there was enough emotion built in only 48 minutes of music that you wanted to rejoice in the fact that a band had decided to create a record of such shameless beauty that even on initial listen it could resonate with anyone willing to lend an observant ear. I could sit here and talk all day about how much I love that album and how it speaks to the inner-child in me, but we must discuss the new Arcade Fire record, “The Suburbs”. A seemingly overall dissection of modern family living, the new Arcade Fire record is a courageous body of work, however so focused on being downtrodden that it forgot to sprinkle in the rejoicing qualities that “Funeral” so blatantly showcased. As far as a piece of music goes though, it is still tried-and-true Arcade Fire: bombastic in its nature and sonically overstuffed. Take the title track for instance … though it sounds great and is

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MUSIC REVIEWS Grammy Award Winner: Album of the Year 2010 Arcade Fire: The Suburbs - Continued

immediately catchy, it won’t make you cry or smile like “Funeral” was able to do.

Alright, now that I have finished skewering the artistic direction, let me say this, “The Suburbs” is a borderline brilliant album with great production and some unique-toArcade Fire electronic experimentation.

“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” is a fabulous Regine Chassagne ballad, “Ready To Start” is a colorful, upbeat song, featuring some clever, almost tongue-in-cheek lyrics from the normally weighty Win Butler, and the song “Month of May” is a slashing rocker that begins as a fantastic post-punk vehicle, before it shifts and spirals out of control down a path of colliding strings and noisy guitars a la Sonic Youth.

So to conclude, I love “The Suburbs” and the 3 ¾ star review shows. But this album is messy and somewhat soulless compared to their 2004 masterpiece. – Dean Essner

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MUSIC REVIEWS Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti Before Today ½ A fantastically trippy head-rush of an album, “Before Today” is Ariel Pink’s first, big pop statement. He still has that incredibly grainy, cassetteended-up-in-thewashing-machine sound, but this time, he seems like he is truly trying to create something accessible.

Bona-fide single and my #2 song of the year, “Round and Round” is a beautifully hazy masterpiece, with a chorus that sounds like it could have been phoned in from a weird 80s fist-pumping contest, and a drum beat that is part-glam rock and part-Michael Jackson. Songs as rich and wonderful as that (Fright Night [Nevermore], Beverly Kills), make this album a true pleasure to listen to, even if you aren’t into the weird music that comes to mind when you think of Ariel Pink and his intrepid psychedelic outfit. – Dean Essner

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Motion City Soundtrack My Dinosaur Life Ÿ The newest music of Motion City Soundtrack can be found in this album. The songs in My Dinosaur Life have a chill but loud sound to it, and can be put into the pop-punk genre. Like all music these days, the music in the album is compressed, but has a fine sound to it with louder bass than most artists use. The language in this album is advised, but I personally have no problem with that. The songs in My Dinosaur Life tell a story about the problems a character went through, and may seem puzzling at first, because it is happening to a dinosaur. I enjoyed this album very much, and I would recommend this to those who like the scene and hipster style, and Y2k. – Marli Delaney 23

MUSIC REVIEWS

Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy For weeks we have been hearing fans, critics (specifically a glowing, five star review from Rolling Stone magazine), and even Kanye himself boast that this is his finest album ever.

But is it that good? Is it that worthy of such an intense amount of heralding? I suppose this is a purely subjective answer because I am quite sure that just like the other albums, all of Kanye’s fans will love it, most people will respect it and some will feel completely alienated by it and all of its praise. For me, I suppose I fall somewhere in the middle. The record, for me, is not a sonic revelation of modern proportions, nor is it even the best album of the year. It is just… good. An album where every track is a perfectly constructed masterpiece can be considered great. An album that is mostly mediocre, however surrounded by a few exceptional songs can be called good. This is just good.

But West and his long line of producers certainly try to make that coveted “great” record, in fact sometimes too hard. “All Of The Lights”, the seemingly worst track on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, is sonically overstuffed with a chorus bordering on cacophonous; Kid Cudi’s unfortunately banal take on “Gorgeous” ruins one of Kanye’s best verses on the album, and “Blame Game” with John Legend is overbearingly preachy.

There are, though, obvious gems on the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the most notable one is “Monster”: a preposterously tasty, ego-inflating anthem with a bordering-on-no-wave beat and a showstopping verse from rap newcomer Nicki Minaj. Minaj, with her atypical voice that goes from mild-mannered to angry over the course of a few words, is simply fabulous here, providing the best cameo of the album by far. Other highlights include the single “Power”, with its genius sampling of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man”, the catchy, and lyrically

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – continued weighty “Runaway” with West’s blazing vocoder solo, “Hell of a Life” which is almost a blatant homage to the electronic band Portishead, and the album closing “Lost in the World”.

“Lost in the World”, and its continuation on “Who Will Survive in America?”, documents West’s love of indie culture. By sampling folkgroup Bon Iver (lead singer Justin Vernon appears all over the album in varied spots as well), and spoken-word poet Gil Scott-Heron, West is obviously trying to make a statement about his ubiquitous state in music and how he can meld the most bizarre aspects of music into one big, beautiful mess. But for all of West’s highly publicized antics relating to an ego the size of the United States, something tells me that this is not his complete Dark Twisted Fantasy because this record is not dark enough, twisted enough nor fantastic enough to be considered Kanye’s official entry into untouchable territory. – Dean Essner This album got #1 on Rolling Stone Top Albums of 2010. I personally agree that this album is so beautiful. Many people judge Kanye West with what he did last year when he interrupted Taylor Swift, and say because of that he is not talented and has bad music. Let me just say that's a lie. It would prove that he isn't very professional, but I respect his music.

Kanye's music before this album honestly wasn't as good as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I actually have his entire new album on my iTunes.

The lyrics in just about every song in the album are intense and meaningful.

The harmonies in songs like Power are extravagant and aren't even autotuned. In the song Runaway, West uses a fully distorted auto-tune toward the end and sings with it- which sounds like it would be made from a keyboard or some high-technology, but it's more natural than suspected. In the interlude of the song All Of The Lights, is enhanced by an orchestra. Also, a lot of the songs in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy have guest artists featured such as Kid Cudi, Beyonce, John Legend, and so on.

Rolling Stone made a good choice. It's difficult for me to decide if My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy deserved to be #1 (because it's #1), but it definitely deserved to be in the Top 10. Controversy has struck now that you've read my review, but it is clearly the truth. - Marli Delaney 25

MUSIC REVIEWS

A Day To Remember What Separates Me From You With versatility ranging from alternative rock to screamo, ADTR’s new album came out as a success.

What Separates Me From You tells a story about how a guy was separated from the love of his life. Many great songs like All I Want, It’s Complicated, Out Of Time, and If I Leave, can be found in this album, along with many other awesome songs.

Even though What Separates Me From You is not as special as Homesick, this is still one of my favorite albums from them. I would recommend What Separates Me From You to those who enjoy post-hardcore, screamo, heavy punk, alternative rock, or general modern rock.

– Marli Delaney

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MUSIC REVIEWS A Day To Remember What Separates Me From You – continued With versatility ranging from alternative rock to screamo, ADTR’s new album came out as a success.

What Separates Me From You tells a story about how a guy was separated from the love of his life. Many great songs like All I Want, It’s Complicated, Out Of Time, and If I Leave, can be found in this album along with many other awesome songs. Even though What Separates Me From You is not as special as Homesick, this is still one of my favorite albums from them. I would recommend What Separates Me From You to those who enjoy post-hardcore, screamo, heavy punk, alternative rock, or general modern rock. - Jake Abulencia

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Serj Tankian Imperfect Harmonies ½ Believe me, I suspected something better from Serj.

Imperfect Harmonies is a lot different from Tankian’s past solo albums and projects with System Of A Down and such. In this album just released, Tankian used the drums differently.

In every song, the drums became more progressive than ever, or electronic. I really liked the new flow to the songs with the progressive beats and even the electronic drums, but after a really long time it started to become a bit tiring to listen to. I really liked how Serj kept his Armenian culture strong in his music. He has always done this, and I’m glad he still does. One song, called ‘Yes, It’s Genocide’ is in Tankian’s home language. If Serj Tankian didn’t make his music his style, he wouldn’t be Serj Tankian anymore. Even though I really liked how System Of A Down had such a heavy, crunchy and distorted sound to it, I really enjoyed the songs in Imperfect Harmonies that had an acoustic sound to it. Maybe on the next album Serj releases, he could have more heavier sounding songs and acoustic as well. Sometimes changing up the sound is good, and I think this album is one of those examples of good changes. – Marli Delaney

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Kid Cudi

Man On The Moon 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager ½ I’m ready to assume that everyone knows Kid Cudi as an average rapper.

That’s definitely an underrated statement for him. Kid Cudi’s new album, Man On The Moon 2, is mad chill. The first song in the album, Scott Mescudi vs. The World, features Cee-Lo Green, and it’s one of the best songs in the album. Some other great songs in the album include Ashin Kusher and Mr. Rager.

Why is Kid Cudi so cool you ask? Those who truly respect music may know. Kid Cudi uses real instruments in his recordings. It changes the feel of his music compared to other rapper’s music; especially on Man On The Moon 2. When listening to Mr. Rager, you can just feel the guitar change from chord to chord with Cudi’s voice.

People in musical fields should listen to this album so they can create their own personal opinions for it. I also recommend this to a wide range of genres. – Marli Delaney

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Taylor Swift Speak Now The CD was released in October and quickly went platinum. It is one of the biggest selling CDs of 2010 an d Taylor Swift songs are some of the most listened to songs on the planet.

Taylor Swift, at only age 21, is a very talented singer and writes all of her own songs, mostly about her relationships. She also has a great voice and her songs are meaningful and sweet The Speak Now CD's first release, Mine, was a big hit in the fall of 2010. The most recent video release is Back to December, which can easily make anyone cry. – Kara Rofe

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Singles Reviews Airplanes – B.O.B Ft. Hayley Williams ½ When this song came out, it was impossible to say it wasn't GOOD, but now, months later, it's beginning to become a bit overplayed. Well... more like a lot, considering every 5 minutes it's playing on the radio. This song is a lot better than most songs that play on the radio, but is it really as great as people make it seem? Is it worth putting it as your Facebook status everyday? I don't think so. The song doesn't feature Hayley Williams' vocal range. It's repetitive, making it a bit boring. The true meaning of the song is hard to understand. I like the song, but I don't love it.

If you're going to buy the song, be sure you REALLY want it, or it's going to be a waste of money. Besides, why buy the song when it's on the radio every day? - Tahra Friedman Hm... I wonder if they played this song on 9/11?

Love The Way You Lie - Eminem Ft. Rihanna Dear radio stations, please stop playing this song 100 times a day. THIS SONG IS SO OLD!!! The next time I hear it, I swear I'm going to break the radio in half. The song is okay, but it's been overplayed to the point where I hate it. Some of the lyrics are confusing. I've never really met a girl who loves the way a guy hurts her and lies to her? Rihanna and Eminem make a good combo, but I've just gotten sick of this song. - Tahra Friedman 31

MUSIC REVIEWS Camp Rock 2: The Soundtrack ½ Filled with cheesy lyrics, overdone vocals, and gooey pop beats, the Camp Rock 2 soundtrack is nothing special. While Demi Lovato belts out her plans for her summer at the fabulous Camp Rock, Nick Jonas confesses his attempt to grow a mustache. In general, the whole album is aimed towards two year olds. There is only one good song on this album, It's On. While preteen girls may think this album has been the best thing since Miley Cyrus's Breakout, the truth is, this CD may be the worst Disney album out of them all combined.

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Mitchie, Shane, Tess, and Caitlyn have all returned to their beloved Camp Rock to spend another summer again!

Sounds perfect, right? Until Mitchie spots a sign for the new camp, Camp Star, across the lake. Oh no, camp competition! Well, this is quite the dramatic plot line, isn't it?

The first Camp Rock was so much better, and even that movie wasn't that good. There is a song for every moment, despite the fact that Mitchie complains about there not being enough time. Why waste time singing about how Shane drives you insane, but you can't stay mad at him for anything, Mitchie, when you could be yelling at him for wasting time? Oh, and isn't spying on a girl playing a piano dangling over a lake the most romantic thing you've ever heard? Try again, Nate. This time, let's try to be a bit less stalker-ish. Besides being predictable, this movie is boring. My advice?

Only watch this movie if you're prepared to die of boredom.

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Camp Rock 2: The Summer 2010 World Tour ½ Ladies and Gentlemen, Demi Lovato! An 18 year old girl takes the stage, opening with her single Get Back. After seeing Lovato live for 3 years in a row, there is only one thing I can say. Wow. This girl's voice has really changed, and not for the better part of it.

Demi squeaks, screams, and squeals away through 11 songs, 8 of which are her own, the other 3 from Camp Rock. Well, at least its a little better than the Camp Rock cast lip-synching their way through songs from the movie, before Demi came out.

As for the Jonas Brothers, they were fantastic. The performance from the trio made the night special. From hearing some of their new songs, including 'L.A Baby' and 'Heart And Soul', to singing along to classic Jonas hits, 'Burnin Up' and 'S.O.S', I discovered the brothers have a fantastic stage presence and are amazing singers.

This concert was definitely worth it!

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2010 was a big year for MUSIC, but look at some of the amazing ALBUMS that were out 5, 10, 15…45, 50, 55 years ago!!!

How many have you heard?

2005 – 5 years ago Kanye West-Late Registration Bloc Party-Silent Alarm Franz Ferdinand-You Could Have It So Much Better Gorillaz-Demon Days My Morning Jacket-Z The White Stripes-Get Behind Me Satan System of a Down-Mezmeize The Decemberists-Picaresque Fionna Apple-Extraordinary Machine Kaiser Chiefs-Employment Coldplay-X&Y Queens of the Stone Age-Lullabies to Paralyze Death Cab for Cutie-Plans Madonna-Confessions on the Dancefloor Oasis-Don’t Believe the Truth Outkast-Stankonia The Rolling Stones-A Bigger Bang Bruce Springsteen-Devils and Dust Beck-Guero 50 Cent-The Massacre John Legend-Get Lifted Nine Inch Nails-With Teeth Jack Johnson-In Between Dreams Coheed and Cambria-Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV Panic at the Disco-A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out Fall Out Boy-From Under the Cork Tree Nickleback-All the Right Reasons Weezer-Make Believe Mariah Carey-The Emancipation of Mimi

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MUSIC REVIEWS 2000 – 10 years ago Radiohead-Kid A Eminem-The Marshall Mathers LP Outkast-Stankonia Coldplay-Parachutes Ryan Adams-Heartbreaker Queens of the Stone Age-R U2-All That You Can’t Leave Behind Modest Mouse-The Moon & Antarctica Madonna-Music The Hives-Veni Vidi Vicious O Brother Where Are Thou? Soundtrack Jurassic 5-Quality Control Deftones-White Pony Wu-Tang Clan-The W Nelly-Country Grammar Steely Dan-Two Against Nature Sade-Lovers Rock Linkin Park-Hybrid Theory PJ Harvey-Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea The White Stripes-De Stijl A Perfect Circle-Mer De Noms Disturbed-The Sickness The Offspring-Conspiracy of One AC/DC-Stiff Upper Lip Evanescence-Origin The Wallflowers-Breach Good Charlotte Fuel-Something Like Human

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MUSIC REVIEWS

1995 – 15 years ago Radiohead-The Bends Oasis-(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

The Smashing Pumpkins-Mellon Collie & the Infinite Madness Alanis Morissette-Jagged Little Pill The Chemical Brothers-Exit Planet Dust Garbage-Garbage Foo Fighters-Foo Fighters Moby-Everything is Wrong The Verve-A Northern Soul 2Pac-Me Against the World Rancid-And Out Come the Wolves Ol’ Dirty Bastard-Return to the 36 Chambers Ben Folds Five-Ben Folds Five No Doubt-Tragic Kingdom Sonic Youth-Washing Machine White Zombie-Astro Creep Neil Young-Mirror Ball Phish-A Live One Urge Overkill-Exit the Dragon The Prodigy-Music For the Jilted Generation Jewel-Pieces of You Mariah Carey-Daydream Red Hot Chili Peppers-One Hot Minute The Presidents of the United States of America Collective Soul-Collective Soul 311 Marilyn Manson-Smells Like Chicken Alice in Chains Soul Asylum-Let Your Dim Light Shine

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MUSIC REVIEWS 1990 – 20 years ago Public Enemy-Fear of a Black Planet Sinead O’Connor-I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got Jane’s Addiction-Ritual De Lo Habitual Neil Young & Crazy Horse-Ragged Glory Pet Shop Boys-Behaviour Depeche Mode-Violator Pixies-Bossanova A Tribe Called Quest-People’s Instinctive Travels by Paths and Rhythms LL Cool J-Mama Said Knock You Out Temple of the Dog-Temple of the Dog The Sundays-Reading, Writing & Arithmetic Living Colour-Time’s Up George Michael-Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1 Garth Brooks-No Fences The Black Crowes-Shake Your Money Maker Midnight Oil-Blue Sky Mining Slayer-Seasons in the Abyss They Might Be Giants-Flood Megadeth-Rust in Peace Prince-Graffiti Bridge Pantera-Cowboys from Hell The Replacements-All Shook Down James-Gold Mother Mazzy Star-She Hangs Brightly Judas Priest-Painkiller Bad Religion-Against the Grain Morrissey-Bona Drag Ice Cube-AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted Queensryche-Empire Alice in Chains-Facelift Poison-Flesh and Blood Social Distortion-Social Distortion AC/DC-The Razor’s Edge Tesla-Five Man Acoustical Jam Bell Biv Devoe-Poison Warrant-Cherry Pie 37

MUSIC REVIEWS 1985 – 25 years ago Tom Waits-Rain Dogs The Jesus and Mary Chain-Psychocandy The Replacements-Tim Dire Straits-Brothers in Arms The Cure-The Head on the Door The Smiths-Meat is Murder LL Cool J-Radio The Waterboys-This is the Sea The Velvet Underground-VU Sting-Dream of the Blue Turtles REM-Fables of Reconstruction Prince & the Revolution-Around the World in a Day Suzanne Vega-Suzanne Vega John Cougar Mellencamp-Scarecrow Eurythmics-Be Yourself Tonight Whitney Houston-Whitney Houston Dexy’s Midnight Runners-Don’t Stand Me Down Tears for Fears-Songs from the Big Chair John Fogerty-Centerfield Simple Minds-Once Upon a Time Simply Red-Picture Book Red Hot Chili Peppers-Freaky Styley The Cult-Love Anthrax-Spreading the Disease Run DMC-King of Rock Sonic Youth-Bad Moon Rising Robert Palmer-Riptide Level 42-World Machine Iron Maiden-Live After Death SOD-Speak English or Die Motley Crue-Theatre of Pain Phil Collins-No Jacket Required Rush-Power Windows Dokken-Under Lock and Key Ratt-Invasion of Your Privacy INXS-Listen Like Thieves

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MUSIC REVIEWS 1980 – 30 years ago Talking Heads-Remain the Light AC/DC-Back in Black Pretenders-Pretenders Bruce Springsteen-The River Dexy’s Midnight Runners-Searching for theYoung Soul Rebels Motorhead-Ace of Spades U2-Boy Echo and the Bunnymen-Crocodiles The Clash-Sandinista!

The Polics-Zenyatta Mondatta Judas Priest-British Steel Ozzy Osbourne-Blizzard of Oz Steely Dan-Gaucho Joan Jett & the Blackhearts-Bad Reputation The B-52’s-Wild Planet Devo-Freedom of Choice Dead Kennedys-Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables Dire Straits-Making Movies David Bowie-Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) Black Sabbath-Heaven and Hell The Cure-Seventeen Seconds AC/DC-Let There Be Rock Queen-The Game Billy Joel-Glass Houses Rush-Permanent Waves Def Leppard-On Through the Night Iron Maiden-Iron Maiden Supertramp-Paris Stevie Wonder-Hotter in July Pat Benatar-Crimes of Passion ABBA-Supertrooper Prince-Dirty Mind Elvis Costello-Get Happy!!

REO Speedwagon-Hi Infidelity Squeeze-Arqybarqy

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MUSIC REVIEWS 1975 – 35 years ago Bruce Springsteen-Born to Run Bob Dylan-Blood on the Tracks Patti Smith-Horses Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti Neil Young-Tonight’s the Night Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here Queen-A Night at the Opera Aerosmith-Toys in the Attic Joni Mitchell-The Hissing of Summer Lawns Kiss-Alive!

Fleetwood Mac-Fleetwood Mac David Bowie-Young Americans Paul Simon-Still Crazy After All These Years Jeff Beck-Blow by Blow Earth, Wind & Fire-That’s the Way of the World Elton John-Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy The Who-The Who by Numbers The Eagles-One of These Nights Black Sabbath-Sabotage John Fogerty-John Fogerty Brian Eno-Another Green World AC/DC-High Voltage Frank Zappa-One Size Fits All Alice Cooper-Welcome to My Nightmare Smokey Robinson-A Quiet Storm ZZ Top-Fandango!

Joan Baez-Diamonds and Rust

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MUSIC REVIEWS 1970 – 40 years ago Neil Young-After the Goldrush The Beatles-Let it Be Simon & Garfunkel-Bridge Over Troubled Water Black Sabbath-Paranoid Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath Santana-Abraxas John Lennon-Plastic Ono Band Derek & the Dominos-Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs Van Morrison-Moondance The Stooges-Fun House Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young-Déjà vu Creedence Clearwater Revival-Cosmo’s Factory Grateful Dead-American Beauty James Taylor-Sweet Baby James George Harrison-All Things Must Pass Led Zeppelin III Woodstock Soundtrack Jimi Hendrix-Band of Gypsies Beach Boys-Sunflower The Doors-Morrison Hotel Joni Mitchel-Ladies of the Canyon David Bowie-The Man Who Sold the World The Band-Stage Fright Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack The Kinks-The Kinks The Jackson 5-ABC Elton John-Elton John The Velvet Underground-Loaded Cat Stevens-Tea For the Tillerman Chicago-Chicago Curtis Mayfield-Curtis Van Morrison-His Band & the Street Choir Emerson, Lake and Palmer Traffic-John Barleycorn Must Die Frank Sinatra-Watertown The Guess Who-American Woman The Carpenters-Close to You 41

MUSIC REVIEWS 1965 – 45 years ago The Beatles-Rubber Soul The Beatles-Help!

Bob Dylan-Highway 61 Revisited Boy Dylan-Bringing it All Back Home John Coltrane-Ascension Nina Simone-Pastel Blues Nina Simone-I Put a Spell on You The Rolling Stones-Out of Our Heads The Who-My Generation The Byrds-Mr. Tambourine Man Frank Sinatra-September of My Years The Beach Boys-Today!

The Byrds-Turn! Turn! Turn!

BB King-Live at the Regal The Animals-Animal Tracks The Yardbirds-For Your Love The Righteous Brothers-You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’

1960 – 50 years ago Miles Davis-Sketches of Pain Joan Baez Elvis Presley-Elvis is Back!

Ella Fitzgerald-Ella in Berlin

1955 – 55 years ago Frank Sinatra-In the Wee Small Hours Frank Sinatra-Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!

Louis Armstrong-Satch Plays Fats

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MUSIC REVIEWS

5 years ago – 2005

Moby Hotel ½

This is my 3rd favorite CD of the year. Every note oozes with style and class. Moby is one of the few artists that can make me sit through an instrumental track and LISTEN. The album does wonders on the senses. It sweeps you in and - wait I’m reviewing the bonus disc!

Every part of the album is big. It just sounds big, and huge, and luminous. The instrumental tracks (Homebound Angel, 35 Minutes, Forever, the whole 2nd disc) sound the best. Moby is primarily a keyboardist, not a singer. Which is why (A) tracks like “Beautiful,” in which Moby is driving the song by singing, doesn’t work (He’s tone deaf); and (B) He hired another singer, Laura Dawn. Nothing against Dawn, but she isn’t perfect for the music. Post-Punk and Electronica aren’t her style. The songs “Lift Me Up”, “Where You End”, and “Slipping Away” make up for the Dawn songs though. “Where You End” is a great dance song. Another good track is “Spiders,” even though it’s driven more by Moby’s voice then his keyboard, it works. Overall, Moby’s dance opus is his best CD yet, just fast forward through the Dawn songs. – Alex Pototsky (Review first published in January 2006) Download This: “Where You End”, “Spiders”, “Slipping Away” 43

MUSIC REVIEWS

5 years ago – 2005 Weezer Make Believe ½ Weezer had a large disappointment on their hands after the release of their last album “Maladroit” in May 2002. Except for the Muppets powered video and single “Keep Fishin” and the metal infused “Dope Nose, the album had no great tracks and was the beginning of an artistic decline for Weezer. After releasing the deluxe edition of the “Blue Album” in December 2003, they left many people wondering if it was the end of the great emo band that was seen in classics like “Island in the Sun” and “The Good Life.” Fans should not fear. “Make Believe” is a return to form, though maybe only as good as The Green Album (okay).

Believe starts out with the mega-huge single “Beverly Hills”, and the up-and-coming single “Perfect Situation.” The third track, “This is Such a Pity,” is the best track on the album with a good synth beat. No other songs really stand out, but they all mesh together. The lone exception is “My Best Friend” which is kind of creepy. Overall, “Make Believe” is a good effort, but still not as good as Weezer’s first albums. Beats “Maladroit” though. – Alex Pototsky (Review first published in January 2006)

Download This: “This is Such a Pity”

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MUSIC REVIEWS

5 years ago – 2005 Coheed and Cambria Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness Coheed and Cambria's new CD, “Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV,” is one of the best I've heard lately. The first two songs, “Keeping the Blade” and “Always & Never,” are softer songs.

“Welcome Home” is where the CD turns into good ol' hard rock, and it sounds a little like Led Zeppelin (later into the song). Other songs are a little softer, such as “Once Upon Your Dead Body” (don't let the name fool you), “Mother May I,” “Wake Up,” and “The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut,” which has a nice solo-ish guitar riff through almost the whole song, until it turns into a "down-south" riff one minute before the song ends. If you like all the heavy stuff, you might think that you're not going to like the softer songs on the CD, but they are still really good in terms of the guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. – A.J. Ortiz (Review first published in November 2005 issue – our premiere issue)

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MUSIC REVIEWS

5 years ago – 2005 Coldplay X&Y I am very lucky. I own the limited edition of “X & Y”s Japanese printing. My booklet for the album is in Japanese and English. Since it’s a limited edition, the album has extra tracks: “Things I Don’t Understand”, “Proof”, and “How You See the World.” If you own the regular disc it won’t be much different. These three tracks are great, but the best songs are found everywhere.

I’ve always liked Coldplay, but now I’m a fan. Every song on the album is at least good, most are great. “Square One” the first song, is one of the best songs on the album, with a pulsing electronica beat. The album starts off strong with Square, “What If?” (piano ballad with meaning-unlike summer’s “You and Me”), “White Shadows”, and brilliant arena anthem “Fix You”.

Some of the best songs come up later though, with the amazing title track, and the huge, spacey “Low” which features Brian Eno. The albums only missteps come in the form of the acoustic tracks “A Message” and “The Hardest Part.”

“Til Kingdom Come” (about Johnny Cash), works though. – Alex Pototsky (Review first published in January 2006)

Download This: “Square One”, “What If?”, “Low”

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MUSIC REVIEWS

5 years ago – 2005 The White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan “I hate this! What a waste of money!” That was my first reaction when listening to this album. Now it’s my favorite album of the year. Why? Because the music is there; the songwriting is there; the singing is there; everything is there. It’s just hidden by the unplugged style. The songs aren’t ever in your face. It’s a much more hidden approach to music, different than the radio friendly Mariah’s, and Ashlee’s of today.

Overall, “Get Behind Me Satan” is the best album released this year, and a good buy for anyone willing to think about the music, without listening to art house scum like Fiona Apple. - Alex Pototsky (Review first published in January 2006) Download This: Don’t download, buy the whole album!

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MUSIC REVIEWS

10 years ago – 2000 The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness The Pumpkins, just like any other 90's grunge band, had a few hits, then just slowly died out.

However, their hit songs, unlike most other grunge bands, were split between two albums, "Mellon Collie" and "Siamese Dream".

"Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" had their biggest hit, before guitar hero at least, Bullet with Butterfly Wings. That song alone probably gives this album most of its stars. The other big hit that this album features is Zero. - Sal Liotta

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MUSIC REVIEWS

25 years ago – 1985 Run DMC King of Rock There is nothing like good old rap. To me, Run DMC will always stand out over someone like 50 Cent. King of Rock was by far their best song and their best album. When someone says Run DMC, most people either think of this song, or Walk this Way, which they recorded with Aerosmith. Walk this Way was the song that got a lot of people to listen to their other music. King of Rock had a couple of other OK songs but, King of Rock is by far the best and my favorite. - Sal Liotta

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MUSIC REVIEWS

30 years ago – 1980 Black Sabbath

Heaven and Hell ½

To all those people who believe that there is no Sabbath without Ozzy, I'm Sorry. I am an Ozzy fan but, Sabbath was a lot better with Dio. And this, by far, is their best album and their best song, that later renamed the band for one album until Dio's tragic death. What I like about the album most is how many great songs are on it. Some of the great ones include Heaven and Hell, Neon Knights, Lady Evil, Children of the Sea, and more. Dio's voice has just always been amazing. And this is the best of his work with Black Sabbath. - Sal Liotta Out with the old in with the new. When Ozzy left Ronny James Dio (R.I.P.) joins the metal gods for his first album recorded with Black Sabbath. The songs are great, but it just doesn’t feel the same as Ozzy.

Nonetheless the album will always be good.– Nick Frankel

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MUSIC REVIEWS

30 years ago – 1980 AC/DC Let There Be Rock Never has a title been truer. This is the final time that we hear Bon Scott’s godlike voice before he dies and it couldn’t be better. There isn’t a single song on this album that can keep you from banging your head, playing air-guitar, or singing along. – Nick Frankel

The Police Zenyatta Mondatta The album’s all right, but the only memorable track is “Don’t Stand So Close To Me.” If you can find a copy I’d recommend giving it a listen but don’t waste your money. (“Don’t Stand So Close To Me” is on their greatest hits album) – Nick Frankel

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MUSIC REVIEWS

35 years ago – 1975 Bruce Springsteen Born To Run Probably one of the top ten albums ever, “Born To Run” is just amazing.

Every song just makes you say wow. I could listen to it a million times and never tire of the godliness of the boss’ voice. – Nick Frankel

The Kinks Lola Versus Powerman Moneygoround, Part One ½ Besides “Lola”, all of the classic Kinks can be found on this album. Just like how it’s hard to believe that the same three chords made up most of their music, I can’t believe such great songs can all be in one album. – Nick Frankel

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MUSIC REVIEWS

40 years ago – 1970 The Doors Morrison Hotel There is no denying that Jim Morrison was one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever. Sure he chose some obscure titles like “Peace Frog”, “Blue Sunday”, and “Queen of the Highway” but those were still great songs. I actually like this album better than “L.A. Woman”.

– Nick Frankel

Woodstock Soundtrack ¾ The greatest concert ever put onto one album.

You’ve got The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Hendrix and more on one album. Not to mention the first performance ever of Crosby, Stills and Nash. There are a few bands that have kind of died out and even I haven’t heard of but there were still great for their time.– Nick Frankel

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MUSIC REVIEWS

40 years ago – 1970 The Beatles Let It Be Let It Be was the Beatles last, but not one of their greatest albums. It has some terrific songs like “The Long and Winding Road”, “Across the Universe”, “Let It Be” and “Get Back”. Many of these songs were singles and made the album famous. It also wasn’t really the last album in a way, since it was recorded before Abbey Road.

There were also some good, but underrated songs as well.

Some of these songs included “I’ve Got a Feeling”, “Two of Us”, and “One After 909”. However, Let It Be contains some of the worst Beatles songs ever like “Dig A Pony” and “I Me Mine”.

These songs weren’t that bad, they’re just mediocre. These mediocre songs take up more of the album then with most Beatles albums.

Let It Be was a pretty decent album. It contained some of the best and worst Beatles songs. It is an album that I recommend to Beatle fans, but not for everybody. They could buy the Beatles Number One album and get the three hits. Matthew Bielskas

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MUSIC REVIEWS

40 years ago – 1970 The Beatles – Let It Be – Continued My personal favorite will always be “A Hard Day’s Night” but there may have been no better way for the Beatles to have ended their work together than with this release. “Dig a Pony,” “Get Back” and “I Me Mine” are songs that I will always love. You don’t need to be a Beatle’s fan to fall in love with this album.

If I had a copy of this album in one hand and a person in the other and they were dangling off a cliff and I had just enough strength to save both, I would let the person go, just to make sure that I could save the album. – Nick Frankel

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MUSIC REVIEWS

40 years ago – 1970

George Harrison All Things Must Pass

What can you say about a former Beatle? George was my personal favorite and his solo work may have been better than his work with the fab four. This was his first solo album and although not his best work is still a great release – Nick Frankel

The Guess Who American Woman Of all the one hit wonders of the world this might be my favorite.

American woman is catchy and fun. That doesn’t excuse the fact that it is a whole album has only one really good song. – Nick Frankel

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MUSIC REVIEWS

45 years ago – 1965

The Beatles Help!

This album is among their best, with great songs like “Yesterday”, “Ticket To Ride”, and “Help”. The album also has underrated songs “Act Naturally” and “I’ve Just Seen A Face”. This album also marks the start of their transition from a pop sensation to the first great rock group. This is a must have, because it has something for everyone. - Paul DeCarlo

As a die hard Beatles fan, I love this album! It was their first album to turn away from the mainstream pop they had done before. It included “Hide Your Love Away” which made people think “Wait, is this the twist and shout guys?” The rest of the album was made up of unforgettable songs like “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl”, “The Night Before”, “Ticket To Ride”, “Another Girl” and many more. I would recommend this to…everyone on the planet. – Nick Frankel

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MUSIC REVIEWS

45 years ago – 1965

The Who My Generation ¾ How can’t you love The Who’s signature song “My Generation.”

Aside from being their first big album, making it a classic, it’s great to listen to (Like all of their albums you should take a half-hour to listen to it all the way through and not in pieces). To be fair it’s no “Tommy” or “Quadrophenia” but it’s still damn good. – Nick Frankel

The Who – one the greatest Rock and Roll bands of all time!

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Father and Son Review

Roger Waters The Wall in Concert Nassau Coliseum November, 2010 Son’s Point of View: Pink Floyd made a great album called the Wall 31 years ago and put it on tour in the 80’s now Bassist Roger Waters is trying to recreate the magic that is the Wall. The wall is an album about Roger Waters personal life and also about his frustration of the crowd being annoying. When you first walk in you see a couple of bricks stacked on each side of the stage and a big screen behind them.

There was no opening band in this concert so you walked in and sat down. The concert started and Waters came out and did “In the Flesh” that had many effects like an imaginary plane thing come flaming into the wall and it had pyrotechnics and stuff like that. Then he played another song and then came the song “Another brick In The Wall Part 1” where while he is doing the song people are coming onto the stage and putting these big bricks the size of themselves on top of each other the song is supposed to show how every little problem in Rogers life is like a brick in the Wall of his isolation from the world. One of the lines is “Daddy’s flown across the ocean” which is about his dad in the military. Then he played the song “Happiest Days of Our Lives” which is about the teachers being mean to him, then straight after that Another Brick in the wall Pt2 came on and they put some more bricks in the wall and brought of this huge Puppet thing that represents the Teacher because the song is about teachers cruelty and then he brought on a group of kids that were singing “Teacher leave us kids alone”. There were also projections coming out onto the screen of different things. After that he played song after song with the projections each time more and more bricks coming onto the wall slowly building it up and making the pictures bigger. In the Song “Mother” Roger has a recording of himself from the tour in the 80’s and it was being projected in the background and I the corner there was a blow-up of the Mother which has a unique look and is like a Wall thing not like a regular 60

MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT Roger Waters: The Wall - continued person. The song “Bring the Bays Back Home” Came on and on the screen there were just pictures not even lasting a second on the screen just going by so fast you couldn’t read them. Then “Goodbye Cruel World” came on and waters went behind the Wall with only like 4 Bricks left and then kept playing and then after he said Goodbye they put the last brick in the wall and then it was complete. Then there was an intermission. After the intermission he played the “Second Side” of the Wall where he was behind it playing and there were just projections of different things. Now he played songs like “Hey You” and my favorite song on the whole album “Comfortably Numb” With one of the best guitar solos ever but this time David Gilmour didn’t do it was just some guitarist sitting on top of the whole wall with cool pictures coming on. Also the Song “Run Like Hell” came on which is when they released a giant pig out onto the whole crowd but it was in the air so no one could touch it, on the pig there were just sayings of all these things and on top of the Wall there were people with flags and stuff and it was cool. Then in the beginning of the end “trial” came on which showed a clip from the movie The Wall. The song is about bringing down the wall and so in the end the whole crowd was chanting “Bring Down The Wall!!” and so the Wall got brought down and all of the Bricks started falling down and it was really awesome. The whole thing was a lot like a show more than a concert but it was cool to watch. – Andrew Faber

Father’s Point of View: Entertaining show with lights, vide o, house-sized puppets, an exploding plane, a flying pig and, well, a Wall—a huge wall constructed on stage as the show progressed and (spoiler alert!) knocked down at the end. As for the concert, Roger Waters, who dissed the rest of his Pink Floyd band mates years ago, sang his parts as a cover band played the classic The Wall album note for note.

The music is timeless, but it was hard not to wonder what could have been if guitarist/singer David Gilmour and the rest of the band were performing as well. – Mr. Faber

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Crosby, Stills & Nash Live at Jones Beach August 2010 ½

This past August Crosby, Stills, and Nash (C.S.N) played a concert at Jones Beach. They are a great band who has recorded some awesome songs throughout the years. It was a pretty good concert overall that had very few problems with it.

I like Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The singers come from 3 different rock groups (Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds and The Hollies), and the songs are a nice mix of different genres of rock. They played all of their hits in concert except for one or two. I liked about half of their songs, which came mostly at the end. The first half of the concert was O.K, but wasn’t that interesting to me because it was pretty mellow. I liked that C.S.N performed some big hits that they usually never play (“Just A Song Before I Go” and Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”. They also played some cover songs that matched their style, like “Norwegian Wood “(The Beatles) and “Ruby Tuesday” (The Rolling Stones).

The one part of the concert I disliked was the unexpected intermission. Most people got snacks or C.S.N apparel (the lines were extremely long). The break lasted for about 20 minutes long. It already made a long concert seem even longer.

In my opinion, “Crosby, Stills, and Nash” was a good concert.

Jones Beach is a great place to see a concert. C.N.S isn’t the best band, but their songs are enjoyable to listen to, especially the rock ones. Their long concert was stretched out due to a long break in the middle of the concert. I enjoyed the concert and had a great time. - Matthew Bielskas

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Ringo Starr Live at Bethel Woods Last summer, I saw Ringo Starr play at Bethel Woods, where the original Woodstock concert was held in 1969. Even though Bethel Woods is located in the middle of nowhere, Ringo Starr drew thousands of Beatles fans for a great night of music. Ringo plays with his “All Star Band” which has singers from a bunch of other bands that support him. Overall, I thought the concert was very good. However, there were too many guest singers at the concert, and it seemed that there just wasn’t enough concert time for Ringo.

I thought Ringo was great. Ringo did an amazing job singing his songs, despite being almost seventy years old. However, he left out some of his biggest hits. He didn’t sing Octopus’ Garden (A Beatles Song), and a few of his great solo songs. Overall, Ringo only played 10-12 songs.

The other bands’ performances were average overall. Each person from their band played their best songs. Some guys were good, while others were not. I liked the songs that the guys from the Romantics (What I like About You) and the McCoy’s (Hang On Sloopy) picked to play. However, I didn’t like the songs that the guy from Mister Mister played. Mister Mister’s songs were too soft and boring for me. About half of the non Ringo songs were good.

The concert would’ve been amazing, but Ringo seemed overpowered by the other bands. Ringo played more songs than any other band, but the other bands’ total number of songs was around 20, which seemed like too much.

The Ringo concert, in my opinion, was great. One of the two living ex-Beatles played at the field where Woodstock was held 41 years ago. The only problems with the concert were some of Ringo’s song choices, and too many songs being played by the other singers. Despite those issues, I had a blast at the concert! - Matthew Bielskas

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Father and Son Review Ozzy Osbourne Madison Square Garden December 2010 Father’s Point of View:

½ Following opening act Rob Halford (of Judas Priest) Ozzy Osbourne rocked the Garden with a powerful band, cranking out decades worth of hits and classics from his days with Black Sabbath and his so lo work, peaking with Crazy Train, Mama I’m Comin’ Home and a kick-ass closer, Paranoid.. In between, while enticing the crowd to stand up and make more noise, he dropped enough f-bombs to make a Comedy Central Roast dais blush. Ozzie had the crowd on its feet for virtually all of his 2-hour show.

The more amazing thing is that, after decades of admitted drug and alcohol abuse, Ozzie is still standing.

– Mr. Faber

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Ozzy Osbourne Live - continued Son’s Point of View:

In the begging Rob Halford of Judas Priest opened up for Ozzy and he had a very high voice and didn’t play some songs like “Breakin’ the Law”.

Then at first on this big screen they played these parody clips with Ozzy in them like putting him on the body of an Avatar and making him as a person on Jersey Shore or… Iron Man and others. Then he came on and sang. He opened with “Bark at the moon” with the whole crowd getting more energized when everyone would scream “Bark At The Moon!” then he played more songs off of his new album Scream like “Let Me Hear You Scream” then he played “Mr. Crowley” which is a awesome song, but what made it cooler was that n the beginning there was like a downpour of sparks falling from the top of the stage on top of Ozzy of course going out before they touched him. Then he played some more songs some covers of Black Sabbath and some from his new album. Then he played “War Pigs” a cool Black Sabbath song. Then he played more at one point getting this hose that sprays soap into the crowd and then he sprayed himself and was covered in water the whole concert. Then their was this really long Drum solo which was cool at first but then it dragged on and after that was a nice Guitar Solo. Next he played Iron Man another classic Black Sabbath song. Then another song and then closed with Crazy Train. Then he went out and came back on for encores the first, Mama, I’m coming home which got the whole crowd singing when the line “Mama, I’m coming Home” and then in the end he finished with “Paranoid”. This was a really cool concert to go, I would see it again but it still wasn’t the best concert ever put on. – Andrew Faber 65

MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Father and Son Review Aerosmith Jones Beach Theatre August 2010 Father’s Point of View:

½

Sammy Hagar opened a rock show at Jones Beach with a solid set. Then, a flash of bright lights lit up the stage like a bolt of lightning, and Aerosmith, led by Steven Tyler’s howl, thundered over the crowd.

For almost 3 hours, lead singer Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry rocked through classics from four decades, from Dream On and Walk this Way, through Sweet Emotion and Livin’ on the Edge, and into this century’s Love In an Elevator, Cryin, and Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing. And there were covers of classics that have become Aerosmith staples including Come Together, Baby Please Don’t Go, and Train Kept a Rollin. In between, Perry gave a nod to the new generation of rockers with his Guitar Hero alter-image on a video screen—they competed on solos, and the winner was the audience. All in all, the musicianship was perfection, the energy unmatchable. This was certainly NOT your American Idol.

This was a classic concert of classic rock. – Mr. Faber

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Aerosmith Live - continued Son’s Point of View:

Aerosmith is a very cool band to see in concert, and their frontman Steven Tyler is very entertaining and he knows how to make fans happy.

The opening band before was Sammy Hagar (Former singer for Van Halen) He did some new songs and did “Why Can’t This Be Love” as the last song.

Then this big curtain with the Aerosmith logo came on. This concert is also good because Steven had just gotten back from his rehab for falling off the stage on Aerosmith’s last concert tour. It started to get later at the Jones Beach theatre and they had a couple of lights on then the curtain fell down and there was an overwhelming amount of strobe lights and just a blast of color as Aerosmith opened with “Toys In The Attic” After that, Steven talked and then they played all of there others songs, surprisingly almost all of there songs were hits. They played “Love in an Elevator” and “Dream On”, “Livin’ on the Edge” and of course “Sweet Emotion” In which Perry used a talk box in the beginning for the intro and then started playing guitar regularly but the guitar wasn’t working so he was all mad and the whole song it just didn’t work. They didn’t play “Dude Looks like A Lady’ or “Same Old Song And Dance” Which are two of there more popular songs. They closed with “Walk This Way’ which had an enormous amount of strobe again. All in all it was very entertaining to watch. –Andrew Faber

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Father and Son Review Charlie Daniels Band Westbury October 2010 Father’s Point of View:

Charlie Daniels brought Country-Rock and a road-tested band of seasoned musicians (old) to their annual stop at the Westbury Music Fair, or whatever it is called this year. Charlie, just short of his 84th birthday, played guitar and fiddle (and played it hot) on classic hits from the ‘70’s and ‘80’s mixed with covers. Charlie sang with his country twang as his band jammed along, with 2 guitars, a keyboard player and a flute/sax player took turns soloing out. Between songs, Charlie spoke from the heart about his love for our Country and he showed his appreciation to the Veterans (who were well represented) before the patriotic In America. The crowd took to its feet and built into a frenzy for the classic finale The Devil Went Down To Georgia. It was an entertaining and energetic show played by a bunch of talented good ole’ boys who just like to play music. – Mr. Faber

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

Charlie Daniels Band Live - continued Son’s Point of View:

I am not a big fan of Country Music but I still went to this concert.

Before the show I met Charlie Daniels and he was a very nice guy.

The opening band was The Marshall Tucker Band, they played their songs including “Can’t You See”.

After them Charlie came on and just started jamming on a Fiddle and it was very cool to see. He played some of his songs and closed with an awesome performance of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”. As not being that big of a fan of country m music or not knowing many of his songs I liked it but it just wasn’t very entertaining for me. It was still kind of cool to see Charlie Daniels playing the fiddle really fast. – Andrew Faber

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MUSIC REVIEWS – LIVE IN CONCERT

The Rascals Massapequa, NY Summer 2010 ½ This past summer the Rascals played an unexpected, but welcome, concert in Massapequa, N.Y. The Rascals are a band from the 1960’s that play soul and psychedelic rock and members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Except for one or two things, I thought the concert was pretty good.

I thought that Felix Cavilere (The Rascals lead singer) did a good job of picking their best songs to play. The Rascals played all their hits like Good Lovin, Groovin, and so much more. I also liked that the Rascals played more of their driving soul/R&B rock, than their weird psychedelic rock.

There were three things that I didn’t like about the concert. I didn’t like that some of the original band members weren’t there, especially the ones who sang lead on some of their hits. That meant that Felix’s daughter sang those songs with the band. Her voice was O.K, but she sounds more of a current pop diva than a rock and roller. Her voice is so different from the original members that she almost (in my opinion) ruined the concert. I also didn’t like that the Rascals played a lot cover songs. It made the concert seem longer than it needed to be.

The Rascals had a good show overall. Many of their songs are masterpieces, but not having some of the original members messed up the concert in some ways. I enjoyed the show, and despite not being the best, was a lot of fun. - Matthew Bielskas

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MUSIC REVIEWS

The HHH Review Club asks: What are your FAVORITE musicians EVER?!?!

Eminem - Jeremiah Sullivan The Jon Bon Jovi Band – Anthony Passela Jason Mraz, Bruno Mars – Gabrielle Jung In my younger days: The Smiths and The Cure Now: Jimmy Buffet and Kenny Chesney - Mr. Uhrass James Taylor – Mr. Greene Led Zeppelin, Tool, Deftones – Mrs. Turner Van Morrison – Mrs. Jedrlinic Rolling Stones, Sting, Cher, Bette Midler, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bucelli, Barbra Streisand and Harry Connick Jr., (everything he does) Rahsaan Roland Kirk--A love supreme & Charles Mingus - oh yeah – Mrs. Harvey

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MUSIC REVIEWS

The HHH Review Club asks: What are your FAVORITE musicians EVER?!?! continued

-

Carole King, Chicago – Mrs. Shaw Billy Joel, Iron Maiden, Dave Matthews Band, Queen – Mr. Sydor U2- Mrs. Carlsen Meatloaf, PRINCE, Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Black Eyed Peas – Mrs. Gacek Dave Matthews Band, 311 – Mrs. Cassata Dave Matthews Band – Mrs. Prinzevalli Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Eat World – Mrs. Berler

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MUSIC REVIEWS

The HHH Review Club asks: What are your FAVORITE musicians EVER?!?! - continued

Top three Punk Bands 3. The Ramones 2. Sex Pistols 1. Green Day – Sal Liotta Top five Grunge bands 5. Smashing Pumpkins 4. Pearl Jam 3. Soundgarden 2. Alice in Chains 1. Nirvana – Sal Liotta Top five stadium rock bands 5. U2 4. Kiss 3. The Who 2. AC/DC 1. Aerosmith – Sal Liotta KC the sunshine band Kool & the gang Duran Duran Bee Gee's David Bowie -Matthew Termes 1. Eminem 2. Aerosmith 3. Rolling Stones -Nick Kohlopp

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MUSIC REVIEWS

The HHH Review Club asks: What are your FAVORITE musicians EVER?!?! - continued Top Ten Bands Ever by Nick Frankel 10. Bob Dylan 9. Queen 8. Jimi Hendrix 7. Eric Clapton/Cream 6. Aerosmith 5. Red Hot Chili Peppers 4. Pink Floyd 3. The Who 2. Nirvana 1. The Beatles

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Book Reviews

I am Ozzy ½

Yes, Ozzy actually wrote a book. Surprisingly, it was pretty good. It is an autobiography that takes you through the beginning of his life until when it came out in about May of last year. It is hard to understand some of it, because Ozzy is English and it is hard to understand Ozzy as it is. I strongly suggest it to anyone who likes Ozzy. – Sal Liotta.

Entertaining. How can it not be?! Can you imagine this as an audiobook? It would be 50 discs long! Luckily, it is not. Instead it is a look back at a career that starts back when Ozzy was a nobody with no expectations. Much of the book focuses on the early days of Black Sabbath – and these were my favorite parts.

It will also give you some insight to those crazy days of “Meet the Osbournes,” biting the heads off of small animals, and a life of debauchery. – Mr. Bund

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Book Reviews City of Thieves David Benioff ½

Fantastic WW2 novel taking place during the siege of Leningrad (Soviet Union), where 2 men that should be executed are told they can have their lives back if they complete a simple mission – find 1 dozen eggs.

Sounds easy, but the Nazis are surrounding the city, and the Soviet Army and inhabitants that are remaining in the city have practically ran out of food months ago – how are they going to find a dozen eggs? A fast-paced story that will keep you turning the pages. Benioff manages to bring humor into a story that you would think is only filled with the horrors of war. It has that too, but it is book you will read and recommend to people – just like I am recommending it to you now. – Mr. Bund

Conflict of Empires (Eskkar Saga) (called “Quest for Honour” in the USA)

by Sam Barone

½

Book 3 of the exciting Eskkar saga (Book 1 is Dawn of Empire and Book 2 is Empire Rising). 3154 BC - At the Dawn of Civilization is Mesopotamia, King Eskkar must lead his people and the city of Akkad against the rising power of Sumer. With lots of interesting characters, detailed battles, political intrigue, and a story that is easy to get into and makes you want to keep reading, Conflict of Empires does not disappoint. Not as amazing as some other historical fiction books (like Gates of Fire, The Troy Trilogy, River God, and several others), but they are worth your time and getting better and better, plus this is the only series I have found concerning ancient Sumeria, and really enjoy it. – Mr. Bund 77

Book Reviews

The Glass Castle

By Jeannelle Wells The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is the memoir of a young girl whose life is controlled by her parents’ desire to escape the system, and avoid “the man”.

Jeannette’s parents verge on insanity at times, as money was scarce and their family was falling apart. Jeannette’s father was an alcoholic who couldn’t stay in touch with reality, he constantly lost control of his addiction, forcing the family to move in order to escape his mounting debts. The Walls moved often because of their parents. Neither parent could maintain a job, and when all opportunities in a town were exhausted, the family picked up and moved on. Jeannette and her siblings suffered through malnutrition, discrimination, and varying forms of abuse when times were their toughest. With each move the kids became more aware of their predicament. Moving wasn’t the same adventure it had been when they were younger, now that all the children understood the reasoning behind it. Each child was able to cope until they could find a way out of their parent’s grasp. One by one the Walls kids moved to New York City, each child meeting up with the previous ones when they arrived.

However, when the last bird left the nest, their parents decided they weren't too keen on the idea of losing their children. The

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Walls kids became fairly well established in the Big Apple, and when their parents arrived, they proved to lead to multiple issues.

Jeannette Walls tells the story of her family’s struggle to survive, and the courage it took to leave the past behind. She brings the reader along for a ride through the difficulties her life offered. Every emotion that Jeannette felt during her childhood is channeled directly into her account of the past.

Jeannette’s hopes, dreams, fears, and anxieties, come to the forefront of her memoir, as she digs deeper into her true feelings, and thoughts. Jeannette and her siblings had to take responsibility for themselves and each other, and when they matured, they had to care for their parents as well. Jeannette relates her past, her present, and her aspirations for the future into a coherent, flowing read. Although some of the content within this memoir is a bit more mature than a middle school level, the overall story is in may ways relatable. Some hardships the Walls faced are very similar if not the same to our own. The Walls experienced prejudice in many situations, as do a majority of most people. No one can go their whole life without feeling that things aren’t fair, but for the Walls it seemed that life had cheated them out of a childhood, parents, friendships, and happiness. A brilliant story about responsibility to one’s self and others, about redemption and forgiveness, and about making the life you live, and the problems you face worth it.

Five stars - For giving us all a little more faith in the human ability to heal. - Mariah Anton

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Book Reviews The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

½

This book is good and very sad.

It’s about a nine year old boy named Bruno moving to the Out-With. In the Out-With there is a concentration camp where his father is the ruler.

Bruno meets another nine-year-old boy named Schmeul. Schmeul is in the camp. The two nineyear olds always sat by the fence and talked everyday. Bruno notices that Schmeul is very thin, and his hands are tiny and boney. Bruno and Schmeul become very good friends. Read the book to find out if Bruno moves and never sees Schmeul again, or if Schmeul switches concentration camps, or if Schmeul and Bruno stay friends forever. READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ☺ P.S.- If you’re planning to watch the movie, first read the book. - Tara Ranjbar

¼

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne was such an enjoyable and touching book to read about the Holocaust. The story written by an outside narrator tells the story of 9 year-old Bruno. He lives in Berlin, Germany with his family until his father is sent to work at Auschwitz, or as Bruno thinks, Out-With. Bruno meets a child in the concentration camp named Shmuel. He builds a friendship with this Jewish boy in the camp, but will this ultimately lead to his demise? Well, you have to read it! How Boyne writes in the “speak” of a nine year-old the book is very much believable. He writes as Bruno and clearly shows how this young boy does not understand the situation he is in. This book displays the pure nature of children and how they do not judge others as adults do. This is surely is a heart-wrenching and touching story. It a great starter Holocaust book for younger teens, because it does not explain what is done to the people in the concentration camps as graphically. I would recommend this book for ages 11+. With Boyne taking such a different point of view on Holocaust books this is definitely a must-read. - Paige Botie 80

Book Reviews

The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)

by Patrick Rothfuss Excellent!!!! It is hard to eloquently convey how beautifully written this book is.

It is simply one of the most wonderfully written books I have ever read. Patrick Rothfuss’ first novel is about the epic story of Kvothe, a man who becomes a legend during his own lifetime in a world of fantasy and magic. But it is totally not what you think – it is more of a ‘coming of age’ story. Told in the first person, Kvothe is clever and gifted, but also quick to anger and over-confident.

Great fantasy, engrossing and addictive reading. – Mr. Bund

The Warded Man Peter V. Brett Welcome to a world where demons rise every night and terrorize humanity. But for some, this is not a life worth living, and will do anything to stop the demons. Very well written, fast paced, and keeps you engaged the entire time. Worth reading and book 2 “The Desert Spear” is not just already out, it may be even better. – Mr. Bund 81

Book Reviews

Here be Dragons

By Sharon K. Penman ¼ ,Welcome to Wales in the 11th-12th century. The first of a trilogy, this book follows the loves of 3 very different people.

King Henry – doing what he feels is right to rule England and expand its territory; Joanna – born a peasant, but without knowledge of her true father, she eventually is forced into a marriage she does not want to keep England and Wales from war; and Llewelyn – who will do anything for Wales and to keep it safe from England-even if that means losing his wife and children. A very good read.

– Mr.Bund

Roman Blood: A Novel of Ancient Rome

By Steven Saylor ½ A good mystery set in ancient Rome with Cicero and Gordanius the Finder.

Saylor brings ancient Rome to life. The first in a series of mysteries. – Mr. Bund

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Book Reviews

Out of the Dust

By Karen Hesse This non fiction book goes through the times of the dustbowl and how people struggled to make a living. I was forced to read this but it turned out to be a great book. I would highly recommend this book if you have to make a historical project.

Percy Jackson: The Lost Hero

By Rick Riordan ½

The book was very good and made a new story out of the previous series.

With a new set of characters and some old ones this book opens up a whole new dimension for the book to go. – Paul DeCarlo

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Book Reviews Red Pyramid

By Rick Riordan A good book that was similar to Percy Jackson but aside from some twists the idea is the same. Although it’s a good book, it’s not anything new.

– Paul DeCarlo

Misery Stephen King Misery is a classic, and it deserves to be.

This is an amazing book. It’s about an author who gets in a car accident and badly breaks his legs. He is found by his biggest fan, Annie. When Annie finishes his latest book and learns that her favorite character dies, she goes crazy. She starts torturing him to write a new book that brings the character back to life. The plot is amazing, the characters are interesting, and the ending has you on the edge of your seat. I definitely recommend this book. – Sal Liotta

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Vacation Reviews

The Epstein Family Trip to Washington DC During the February break, I went to Washington, D.C. I saw my second cousins in Maryland first. They are 13 and 11 years old. We went out to dinner in a Mexican restaurant, and we had fun for hours at their house.

In Washington, D.C., we saw the White House, which had a lot of Secret Service police around this edifice. We also saw the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument is very tall and pointy. The Lincoln Memorial is a Greek-style temple dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. I read the Gettysburg Address, which was engraved on the walls. I also saw the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, which were dedicated to veterans of those two wars.

In the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, we had fun learning the physics of airplanes. There was a paper airplane contest, which my sister won. I even saw the Spirit of St. Louis, a famous airplane that belonged to Charles Lindbergh, the man who flew the first transatlantic flight from New York to France.

The restaurant to which we went twice was the Old Ebbitt Grill, which is perhaps the finest restaurant in Washington, D.C. It is known to be the oldest tavern in Washington, D.C. The food there was delicious and was appealing to all of us. It had a great location as well because it was close to the White House.

I went to a hotel in Maryland that had an indoor pool for the first and fourth nights of the trip. My sister and I swam races, played games, and had fun. My grandparents watched us as we swam.

I can’t wait to go back to Washington, D.C.! – Brandon Epstein

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Vacation Reviews - France

The Epstein Family Trip to France Last summer, I went to France. First, I went to Paris. Its Métro subway system has many stops. It was the way we did most of our traveling in Paris.

The Eiffel Towerphoto by Mr. Bund

With my dad taking pictures, a younger sister, my mom who loves to sightsee, and my grandparents, I had a good time. I went to the Eiffel Tower, La Concorde, the Louvre, and other places. I also saw the Mona Lisa. It’s called La Joconde. The Mona Lisa is behind a glass wall that protects it from theft. The sight I liked the most was the Hall of Mirrors. It’s in Versailles.

It has 17 mirrors and it was fun to traverse. From the Arc de Triomphe, one can see the Champs Elysées, a famous street in Paris, including the Garden of Tuileries. On the Eiffel Tower, I got a good view of the nearby areas. On the upper decks, one can see all of Paris.

The most memorable part of the trip to France was the food I ate. In one restaurant, we were able to get unlimited French fries. We got some French fries, and my dad and I ate a lot of them. My mom liked it when we went to the Champs

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Elysées, which is the best Mom magnet in Paris. Apparently, she likes the store Sephora.

We did not only go to Paris. We traveled to Nice by train.

When we arrived at the hotel, Hotel Masséna, I loved the hotel rooms. There is an ice cream shop near the hotel. We usually went there after dinner to get “notre glacé” (“our ice cream” in French).

We went to the beaches in Cannes by bus. My sister and I built many things in the sand. We even had fun in the water. Also, Cannes has a film festival.

My family also did some sightseeing in a medieval village called Eze. In Eze, we saw an exotic garden on a mountain. It has many kinds of plants. Also, I saw the spectacular panoramic view of the southern coast of France from the top of the mountain.

We also visited Monaco. It’s a rich principality. There’s also a casino. I wasn’t allowed inside.

Our trip to France was fun, and we all liked it. I wonder where we will go this summer. -Brandon Epstein

The Louvre –photo by Mr. Bund

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Vacation Reviews THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, ORLANDO FLORIDA

BY KARA ROFE This summer my family and I went to Orlando. One of our stops was Universal Studios Island of Adventure and its newest feature, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter .

While I personally am not a fan of the Harry Potter series

by J.K. Rawlings, other family members were and I went along for the ride (pun intended.) Entrance to the Harry Potter Features are included in the general admission. Since we visited Florida when the attraction was quite new, the lines, at times, had about a two hour wait.

The entire feature is a wonderful recreation of the towns, school and classrooms described in the books and movies. The recreations are beautiful and the rides are exciting. Fans can pass through the Hogwarts castle gates and explore the passageways, classrooms and corridors. The shops of Hogsmeade are beautiful and visitors can sample goods, candies, and drinks from the wizards’ best-known locations, including the Three Broomsticks, Olivanders, Owl Post, Honeyduke’s and the Hog’s Head. The exciting rides include Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriff, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is a state-of-the-art attraction that magically brings the characters, and stories of Harry Potter to life. The Forbidden Journey ride uses advanced robotics and includes scenes from the movies.

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Vacation Reviews THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, ORLANDO FLORIDA – continued Hogsmeade also includes the joke shop, Zonko’s and the Hogwarts Express Train Station with an authentic looking conductor with an English accent.

The candy shop, Honeyduke’s is also magical (pun intended) and includes goodies like Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts Beans. My mother especially enjoyed the Butter Beer. I had some too, yum!

Those traveling to Universal during the upcoming winter breaks will surely not want to pass up this visit. You can find out more at http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/.

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Vacation Reviews The Red Lion Inn In the Berkshires

By Kara Rofe During Martin Luther King Day, I went skiing with my dad to Butternut and we stayed at the historic Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA. This inn is over 200 years old and one of the biggest attractions in this beautiful town. It was especially beautiful decorated with lights in the evening.

The hotel has a long history and I think George Washington slept there (really!) The inn is located in the middle of the cute town of Stockbridge and is filled with antiques and art collections. One of the features in town is the Normal Rockwell Museum. One of Norman Rockwell's most famous paintings is of the Red Lion Inn. The rooms are clean and the staff was nice. We ate at the restaurant, the Lion's Den, and our meal was fantastic. I had the skirt steak. The restaurant has nightly entertainment too.

The hotel is located near Butternut and is a great alternative to staying at a regular hotel. We stayed in a room with a shared bathroom to save money.

There are private rooms and cottages too and some rooms have their own fireplaces. Even though the hotel is historic, it has WIFI hook up and we brought an Ipad. There is no smoking. There is a gym, massages and a gift shop available too.

The hotel is an historic landmark and there is also a lot to do in the town including dining, shopping, nearby golf, museums, tours and hiking in the nearby Berkshires. Many families stay here while skiing in the winter.

During the summer, there are local car races too. We have stayed here several times and we look forward to returning.

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Vacation Reviews Okemo Mountain Resort

By Kara Rofe This past winter break, my family and I traveled to Okemo in Vermont for a few days of skiing. The weather was wonderful and the conditions were great.

Okemo has 119 trails and 13 lifts. We stayed on the Jackson Gore side of the mountain which was filled with families enjoying the holidays.

The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. The mountains always had enough snow. There are a variety of slopes for all types of skiers and styles. The lines were not too bad, except in the cafeteria where there was a limited selection- mostly pizza and burgers or chile. The main lodge lobby serves Smore's in a fondue and it is a lot of fun and a real treat after skiing. The whole lobby smells like melted chocolate at the end of a busy ski day.

The lift tickets range from $50 to $75 per day. If you are not a skier, there are other activities, such as skating, spa, gym, game room, swimming and snow tubing (at an additional cost).

New this year, is the Timber Ripper, a mountain roller coaster. The Timber Ripper is an all year attraction at the resort that is a scenic and exhilarating ride through the forests and along the mountain.

Sled-like cars carry two passengers. The riders are in control of the speed. This ride was very fun but, because it was new, the lines were very long. I personally waited an hour. The ride is also pricey, as much as $9 to $13 a ride. But since it is a lot of fun, it is worth it at least once.

Ski Safe and wear your helmet!

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Vacation Reviews Jiminey Peak Mountain Resort Jiminey Peak is a fantastic place to go skiing and have fun. This was my first time skiing and I never thought skiing could be so exciting. I went to their ski school where one instructor taught about three kids. The instructors were amazing and very friendly! Even though it was my first time skiing, I was able to go on most of the blue diamond slopes and one black diamond slope. In their ski school, there are six different levels.

Jiminey Peak is a great place to ski for both beginners and experts. – Anya Pawar

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Vacation Reviews

Aruba Aruba is an excellent place to go for vacations, especially when it is winter here in New York. There is non-stop service from JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark. The flight is only 4.5 hours long and it is a very exciting one too. Once you land at Reina Beatrix International Airport, you are just blown away by the Hooiberg, which is a big mountain, and how warm it is in Aruba. There are many hotels, but I suggest the Marriot Surf Club, which is a time share. There are over ten floors and it has an excellent view of the beach and He Island. For breakfast, you can make yourself something to eat in the Marriott Surf Club. For lunch, I recommend Smokey Joe’s. Smokey Joe’s sells amazing ribs and burgers. Aruba is an excellent vacation spot. – Jonathan Reichfield Aruba is my favorite vacation spot! The beaches are calm, the sand is white and the ocean is all different shades of blue. You'll never see anything like this in New York! You can do anything in Aruba because they have everything! I especially liked going water tubing and swimming in the Caribbean. I also recommend taking a tour of the gold mines and the lighthouses. -Kara Rofe

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Vacation Reviews

Norwegian Epic ½ This summer I want on the Norwegian Epic, the Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship (the rival of the Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis of The Seas). This ship is HUGE!! It has 19 decks 4-19 for passengers. Decks 8-14 and decks 16 and 17 are the floors with rooms. Decks 16-17 are for the Ultra Secret Villas.

They have their own pool, gym, club, and restaurant. Deck 12 does not only have rooms for more than one person but they have The Studio’s, cabins for singles. These guests have access to the Living Room with TV’s and all sorts of snacks. For more than person they have all types of staterooms.

They have Family staterooms for families with children that are a couple steps from Recess. They have spa suites for people who want to relax. These rooms are also just a couple steps from the ships Mandarin Spa. They had so much entertainment onboard that you will have something to do every night.

In the Epic Theater they have the Blue Man Group. A group of three who are blue and very curios. With a combined with loud music, paint, and, food you will really will be entertained (warning if you sit in the first two rows you will get paint on you but they provide you ponchos). Besides all of the shows they have walk in music events that are just as good. On deck 15 we have the pool deck. They have two pools that are two different sizes, hot tubs, and the first ever water park at sea. There are three different size slides.

The first one I a green twisty slide that goes overboard and if you go down Splash-Splash style you will go so fast. The second one is a purple slide, which is one long slide with two turns. And last but not least the Epic Plunge. The first ever bowl slide at sea. For adults only they have Spice H2O with the largest outdoor screen and a private pool. They also have a sports deck with a full-length basketball court, climbing walls, and the Spider Web Climbing Net, which is 24 feet tall. For the kids, tweens, and teens they have places for them to stay. For the 2 to 9 year olds they have Wii’s, a movie room, air hockey table, and a dance floor. For the 10 to 12

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year olds they have Wii’s, Playstation 3’s, karaoke, and movie room. For the teens they have their own place on deck 16. This place is called Entourage.

This adult like club has Playstation 3’s, an air hockey table, foosball, a video jukebox, and plenty of flat screen TV’s. For food onboard they have so much onboard. They have the Garden Grill, which is a buffet on deck 15 that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also have the first hibachi grill restaurant called Teppanyaki. This place serves rice, chicken seafood, steak vegetables, and miso soup. They have a steak restaurant called Cagney’s.

This place serves, steak seafood and all sorts of salads. For the only dinner entertainment onboard was the Cirque Dreams dinner show. This act is shown on the Spiegel Tent with death defying stunts. I had a great time onboard and for anyone else who goes on this beautiful ship loves as much as I did. – Matthew Garber

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Broadway Reviews

Wicked

I loved this musical!

The actors were great, the music was great and the stage sets were incredible. It is so original compared to the other shows I have seen starting to come into theatres. The stage has a huge mechanical dragon on top. This musical was truly remarkable and the effort that went into this was totally worth it! Throughout the show “wow” was the only word coming out of my mouth. – Elizabeth Georgakopoulos Being a Wizard of Oz fan I enjoyed this musical. The special effects were amazing! The musical numbers were very nice. Some acting even scared me that's how convincing it was! Some parts were a little unnecessary and hard to understand. True Wizard of Oz fans like me will recognize most of the scenes. This musical took place right before the Wizard of Oz. It is the life story of the Wicked Witch and Glinda who were actually friends in college. It is a very good musical with small bumps along the way but can be overlooked by the great acting, costumes, and sets. - Evan Hirsch

¾

96

Broadway Reviews

Mary Poppins Have you ever seen a Broadway Musical? If you haven’t then I have a suggestion: Mary Poppins. I had never seen a Broadway Musical prior to watching Mary Poppins, but I had a lot of fun. The humor and lesson of putting family before work mixed together perfectly to form an amazing play. For those like me who had never been exposed to a Mary Poppins book, movie, or play, the main idea is that two naughty children receive a nanny, Mary Poppins, who change their family from disrespectful and unstable to loving and respectful. Although at first, I was a little annoyed that I had to come out to Manhattan to watch a musical, I was pleasantly surprised. I had so much fun with my family and I’m so glad I got to experience something as entertaining as the Broadway Musical Mary Poppins. So, if you have a choice to see a Broadway Musical I would definitely recommend Mary Poppins. -Gabrielle Jung Mary Poppins was a truly amazing show! It is one of my all time favorite Broadway shows. My favorite part of the show was the big cast songs, like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I also loved the amazing set. It looked like an enormous doll house and even though I was sitting in the back, I was able to see the whole set because the seats are elevated. Also, the set went up to the ceiling. Some actors/actresses were on the ceiling (with harnesses of course). The songs were awesome because of the amazing voices of the actors and actresses. This show is great for both adults and kids. – Anya Pawar

½

Not a Fan. This show wasn’t all that great. It did have amazing effects but, it really turned out to be very boring at times. In my opinion some performers had put on a “cheesy” act at times. I was expecting this show to be more interesting. Although I did not like it, my family members had enjoyed it. I see this as a good family show. Claudine Desroches

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Broadway Reviews

American Idiot The Broadway Rock Musical at the St. James Theatre

by Kara Rofe Starring: John Gallagher, Jr as Johnny (Jesus of Suburbia) Billie Joe Armstrong as St. Jimmy Directed by: Michael Mayer American Idiot is the rock opera inspired by Green Day's album of the same name. We saw the play staring Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of Green Day, and the writer of most of the songs.

The musical is the story of three friends living in the suburbs. They seem to waste their days drinking beer and watching TV. Eventually the three friends go their separate ways. One stays in town with his girlfriend and they have a baby, one joins the army and fights in the Mid East and the lead, Johnny (aka Jesus of Suburbia,) packs up his guitar and takes a bus to the city.

Johnny is played by John Gallagher, Jr. who won a Tony for his performance.

While living in the city, Johnny finds love and meets a drug dealer named St. Jimmy. St. Jimmy symbolizes the Devil or the dark side of Johnny.

Because of the drugs and St. Jimmy’s influence, Johnny becomes an addict and loses his love (Whatsername). St. Jimmy ultimately kills himself and at that point, Johnny realizes he needs help and goes home, back to suburbia.

His other friend, Tenny, looses a leg in a battle in the war. He marries his nurse and also comes back to town. Johnny cleans up and gets a job in an office.

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Broadway Reviews

American Idiot-continued There is a lot of symbolism in the play and a strong anti war and drug message. Some of the scenes are too deep for smaller children. Many of the people in the audience seemed to have seen the play more than once. The music is awesome. The dancing and costumes were great. The cast is very talented. The play ends with all the cast members, about 30 people, on stage playing guitars. The final song is The Time of Our Life.

The walls of the theater are full of graffiti. Before and after performances crowds of people are allowed to write on the wall. Some of the songs from the play include: • • • • • •

American Idiot Are We the Waiting Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Give Me Novacaine St. Jimmy Wake Me up When September Ends

This is, absolutely, the best Broadway show I've ever seen.

I think it was amazing how Billie Joe Armstrong managed to write a great story from his music. I recommend this show for teens 13 and lode r due to its adult scenes and language. I hope you become a fan of Green Day like I just did

Spiderman On Broadway Turn Off The Dark ½

As I learned in a newspaper, that Spiderman on Broadway was the most expensive Broadway show, with 65 million dollars spent! With all that, I thought it would be money well spent. I was wrong.

The storyline was very confusing and the music just made it worse. Even though the scenery, decorations, and costumes were amazing, it wasn’t good enough. – Kara Rofe 99

Broadway Reviews

Mamma Mia Believe me when I say this: Mamma Mia was the BEST Broadway show ever! I am a really big Broadway fan, and out of all the shows I have seen, this was the best! The show was really funny and everyone in the show had outstanding voices. The big musical numbers with the whole cast blew me away! The set and the lighting was really fun to watch. This show is a “must see” especially if you are a big Abba fan like me.

There is nothing I would change about this show. – Anya Pawar

This show was truly unbelievable. The storyline was great and the music was great. Seeing this show is like going to a party. . . It was that funny! But, the show had many inappropriate scenes so I advise kids under the age of 13 not to see it. At the end, I was amazed by how great the show was and what a great time I had. This was an amazing play! – Elizabeth Georgakopoulas

¼

I really like this show as well! It was all the same story with way less props but much more singing and dancing! I loved the entire cast, especially Beth Leavel who played the mother. It was a great show! – Evan Hirsch

100

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Television Reviews The Simpsons Season 22 22 years huh. A lot of things have changed in this country over 22 years, but the American Icon, The Simpsons has been a staple on FOX since the network was young in 1989. Would I say this season was a step up? No. Would I say it was a step down? No. I enjoyed plenty of laughs this year, and I am glad to hear that this show has been renewed for a historic 23rd season. This show has certainly changed over the years, and without it we probably wouldn't have other hit shows like Family Guy. The world is funnier place thanks to this show. Keep up the good work Simpsons!Anthony Passela

Bobs Burgers Âź Lets be honest folks.

Nothing good could ever come out of a show called "Bob's Burgers".

The show is almost as bad as the restaurant it depicts. I watched a few episodes to try to compile things for an honest review, and I had to force myself not to change the channel. It’s got a couple of bright spots, but they are far and few between. Another midseason clunker from our friends at FOX.-Anthony Passela

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Television Reviews Pawn Stars No that is not a typo.

The name of the show is Pawn Stars.

Say that three times fast and you'll get... well anyway, it’s such a great show I had to review it. It follows around the employees of a Las Vegas pawn shop, a place where people can get a loan for an object, or sell to make some money. It’s got some good laughs with it and the stuff some people bring in is really amazing.- Anthony Passela

Mike and Molly

¾

The grandchild of the creator of Two and a Half Men and The Bry Buns Theory. CBS's new comedy is a good one.

It’s got usually decent plots and good jokes.

Maybe it's not as superior to other CBS comedies, but still you would not mind watching it.-Anthony Passela

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Video Game Reviews

Call of Duty Black Ops This is an amazing game.

The campaign is fun, zombies is awesome and multiplayer is just downright amazing. The graphics in this game are great, and the plot for campaign is fun. While zombies is still fun, it’s not as good as I thought it would be. Multiplayer is great and the Killstreaks make the game even more fun. The one problem with this game is that it gets kind of boring after an hour or two, but it is definitely the best Call of Duty game yet. – Brandon Nomberg Good action. Great graphics. As far as Call of Duty goes, this was one of the better ones’. If your into your war games, this is an interesting change of pace, considering there has never been a video game based on the Cold War. – Anthony Passela Not as good as when it first came out, but this is still a superb game. The graphics are great except for a few glitches and is the best cod game out. – Paul DeCarlo

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Video Game Reviews Call of Duty Black Ops-continued ½

This new game is not very exciting and is too easy to complete.

Black Ops is not exhilarating and does not want to make me scream and say "YES! I killed him!" or something else. However, this game is very realistic and the customization feature is very authentic. Also, everyone is very found of the zombie feature in the main menu. Overall, Black Ops is not exciting and is very easy to beat. Even though it has some features that entertain, I do not recommend buying this game. Sorry to all COD: Black Ops fans! - Jason Liang

¾

From the start, Black Ops is a great game. It has one of the best single player experiences of any Call of Duty, right up with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. But it is the multiplayer that most people play Call of Duty for. The multiplayer lacks a lot. The maps that you play on for one, are awful, and are just poorly designed.

The new map pack that came out, First Strike added four new multiplayer maps. Treyarch tried to give these maps some interactivity, and could have been really great, but they were so exaggerated that they just fell short. Another thing that Black Ops did not do well on was the Zombie game mode. Zombies was one of the only things that gave Treyarch’s previous title, Call of Duty: World at War, any replay value at all. The old Zombie maps were great, but the new ones are just bad. The new one, Ascension, that came with First Strike is the only decent one. Zombies had evolved from just a little mini-game at the end of the World at War campaign to one of the most fun survival game modes of any game.

Every map that was released through World at War was innovative with great new ideas. The new ones are just recycled material.

Black Ops is definitely a huge step up from World at War for Treyarch, but some of the problems from that game still linger in Black Ops. - Eric Hechler

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Video Game Reviews Call of Duty Black Ops-continued This is an amazing game. The campaign is fun, zombies is awesome and multiplayer is just downright amazing. The graphics in this game are great, and the plot for campaign is fun. While zombies is still fun, it’s not as good as I thought it would be. Multiplayer is great and the Killstreaks make the game even more fun. The one problem with this game is that it gets kind of boring after an hour or two, but it is definitely the best Call of Duty game yet. – Brandon Nomberg

½

This game is very good. In Campaign Mode, it is interesting to find out how the character got into the electric chair. There are also new weapons that are cool, like the crossbow, which shoots exploding arrows. They also have parts that are in slow motion and it looks really cool. In the online play, there are good maps and it is fun to play all the different kinds of modes and Team Deathmatch is really cool. There is also zombies online, where you can work together with up to four people to kill zombies. – Dylan Cicicco

Black Ops is a great game with great graphics. The multiplayer is great as always, but there are still some glitches. The campaign is good and the storyline is amazing. They offer many different customization choices. – Nick Kohlhepp

½

After infinity ward's commercial success with MW2. Treyarch with C.O.D.: Black Ops, the first Call of Duty to go into the mysteries of the Cold War. With a mind blowing campaign and an amazing multiplayer, Black Ops is an amazing game. Not only did it create an amazing multiplayer, they also addressed the problems of MW2 to create a fair, balanced multiplayer. Unfortunately, there were still problems to be addressed, such as lag, glitches and prestige hackers. Hopefully they'll address these problems, but only time will tell. -Neil Shah

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Video Game Reviews Call of Duty Black Ops-continued

An in depth analysis by Justin Silberlust To put it simply, Call Of Duty: Black Ops is awesome.

½

The experience of playing the game, thanks to the modified World At War engine, is comparable to the best in what the franchise has had to offer up until now. The meaty kick of the guns, the blistering pace of the action and the sterling soundtrack of explosions, gunshots and whistling bullets all serve to quicken the player's pulse and tighten their grip on the controller. Once again, introspective considerations and achievement concerns (at least on the initial play through) are dumped to one side as Black Ops' game play plugs directly into the player's primal need to make it out alive.

The controls will be familiar to anyone who has ever played COD (millions of players by the last count) or indeed any shooter in the last ten or so years. The game also earns every ounce of its 18 rating with some particularly grisly violence, although this is confined to the single-player experience.

There is nothing gratuitous about the violence in the campaign, however.

While it contains its fair share of graphically violent scenes, there is nothing on the level of the cheap theatrics of the 'No Russian' level of Modern Warfare 2. All the violence, however eyewatering it may be, is used at the service of the campaign's plot – and what a rip-roaring piece of work that happens to be. The player takes on the role of a soldier, who at the beginning of the game, is strapped to a chair in a makeshift torture chamber, with shadowy figures barking questions at him about his checkered past. The plots unfold in flashback with the action moving around different theatres from the Cold War such as (amongst others) U.S.S.R., Vietnam and Cuba. The writers do just the right amount of drip-feeding plot details and twisting the narrative that the story maintains a lethal degree of intrigue and tension. When all is finally revealed, they're also deft enough tie up campaign, while not spoon-feeding the player by closing out every loose end. It's top notch stuff and it has the edge over Black Ops' predecessor in that it actually makes sense.

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Video Game Reviews Call of Duty Black Ops

An in depth analysis by Justin Silberlust - continued The level design matches the plot's strength neck and neck. Granted, awe-inspiring set pieces have always been Call Of Duty's stock in trade as a franchise, but Black Ops ramps up the intensity while tossing in a lot of variation. Beyond the overwhelming, chaotic action in the game's major gun battles – during a charge up a hill in Vietnam or a frantic rooftop chase in Hong Kong – Black Ops offers a slow crawl through corpse-filled foxhole in Laos and a stealthy infiltration of a substation in the snow-capped steppes in which the slowdown in action is compensated for by nail-shredding tension and creepy atmosphere. There are also a couple of vehicle sections; one standout moment involves laying waste to enemy positions along a river in a helicopter gunship. Throughout the campaign, Black Ops offers an engrossing plot with epic shooter action to match. The only downside to the campaign – as has almost become standard in COD games – is that it's rather short. On easiest setting, most players will blaze through it in around 6 to 8 hours. However, many consumers won't be too bothered by this aspect, because they'll be purchasing Black Ops for the online multiplayer mode and it's here that Treyarch's hard work and creativity truly pays off.

The multiplayer is just as robust as its predecessor, with the only shortfall being that the 20 kill streak rewards have been reduced to 15 and the death streaks, which gave the less skilled online players a bit of help, have gone completely. To compensate for this latter omission, Black Ops contains a mode called Combat Training which pits the players again the game's AI in multiplayer maps and match-types.

This can be played solo or with friends (in local and online co-op) and the difficulty level can be toggled according the player's skill level. It doesn't completely replicate the experience of online – the AI doesn't camp for example – but over all this mode should give players a good introduction to the style of play in the multiplayer, and make them confident enough to test their mettle against human opponents.

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Video Game Reviews Call of Duty Black Ops

An in depth analysis by Justin Silberlust - continued Veterans might view with Combat Training as a fun, if disposable exercise. However, the wealth of content in the multiplayer is sure to set their tongues wagging – and not just because Black Ops's multiplayer has dedicated servers. First off, the customization options are mind-boggling. Players can customize nearly every aspect of their in-game avatars, build their own character classes (picking out weapons, tools and perks), design their own clan-tags and emblems and even customize the appearance of their weapons.

Fancy having your clan name scratched into your gun with a purple smiley face on the reticule of your sights? Well now you can; and in the kill cam, every one of your victims will know it was you that tagged them. There's also Theater (sic) mode in which players can play back matches they've taken part in, chop together a highlight reel and share moments from their greatest battles online.

Players have a large selection to choose from in the arsenal in Black Ops, which is eraspecific to the Cold War, and there are some new perks and kill streaks (some which make returns from previous games with new names). There's also some new equipment in the game, which mixes up the game play a bit – camera spikes act as localized radar when deployed, and SAM turrets mean you don't need to carry a rocket launcher to take down attack helicopters. There's a lengthy list of match-types which will be familiar to COD veterans and the maps themselves offer and the selection of maps offer varied environments to shoot mates in, while ticking the usual boxes for COD games – narrow streets, sniping points and rooms with multiple entries..

Black Ops has the same leveling up system as previous COD installments, but this time round, COD Points (CP) augments experience points (XP). Players gain both in every multiplayer match they play and while XP unlocks weapons, perks, skins and equipment CP offers them the option of buying them. Players have a second option to earn CP in the brand new Wager Matches, in which players all ante up CP and compete for a pot in a selection of match types. The players who end up in the first three positions will take home a share of the pot, while the rest get nothing. To prevent players from cheating, all of the Wager matches are free-for-alls, so players can't charge in with a couple of mates and farm CP.

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Video Game Reviews Call of Duty Black Ops

An in depth analysis by Justin Silberlust - continued There are four Wager match-types and all of them offer very different, if equally thrilling experiences. The first is One In The Chamber, in which players are given a handgun, one bullet and a knife. If they kill another player, they receive another bullet, although each player can only carry one bullet at a time. These are tense, exciting affairs made all the more nail-biting due to the sums of CP involved. The second match type is Sticks & Stones in which players are armed with a tomahawk, a spring-loaded knife which fires blades, a crossbow and a couple of exploding bolts. Players win the match by dispatching foes over a set time limit. However, adding a little spice to the match is the fact that if a player manages to hit an opponent with their tomahawk, they bankrupt the player in question of all their CP. Third up is Gun Game, an absolutely ridiculous match in which players are handed a succession of increasingly powerful weapons with each kill. The winner is the player who either scores the most kills or manages to cycle through all of the weapons on offer. Fourth and last, there's Sharpshooter, in which players start off with the same weapons, and then their guns are cycled at random intervals. There's a certain manic energy to all of the Wager Matches and they're by far and away one of the most satisfying aspect of Black Ops. Finally, fans of World At War will be pleased to hear that the zombies are back. This time, players take on the roles of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara, and Fidel Castro who have come under attack at the pentagon. Up to four players can take part in online battles, while two can play together in local split-screen co-op. It's a zany entertaining mode in which players dash madly around a series of rooms, blasting the stumbling undead who are trying to break into the map at four entrance points. As they rack up kills, players can spend points to unlock more weapons scattered around the map, and also barricade entry points to staunch the never-ending flow of zombies. It never stops being silly, infectious fun.

If Treyarch felt they had something to prove with Call Of Duty: Black Ops, then the developer can give itself a well-deserved pat on the back. They've really hit one out of the park with Black Ops; this COD entry is easily the gold standard for this franchise now.

This is a game that will silence any naysayers and beat off any competition. Activision will doubtless be pleased, although any other developers tasked with following Black Ops will probably be wondering how they can improve on Treyarch's work here. Call Of Duty: Black Ops will be a tough act to follow, as it's easily one of the best games of this, or any year.

It is even, dare we say it, better than Modern Warfare 2. – Justin Silberlust

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Video Game Reviews

Halo: Reach ½

The game has gone too far. They tried to make it like cod but infinity shields just don’t work well. The story has been better and lost the focus on it the Halo games are known for. Halo tried to go away from their strengths and failed. – Paul DeCarlo

My god! Halo couldn't have done any better in this game.

Everything is awesome. The storyline, the graphics, the weapons, the characters everything! Sure the music isn't very Halo-like, but that doesn't matter. This game still deserves 5 solid stars! - Jake Devlencia

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Video Game Reviews

Star wars: The Force unleashed II ½

Star wars the force unleashed 2 is the sequel to the force unleashed. It is about a clone of Darth Vader’s apprentice, Starkiller, and his journey to finish what his original self started, destroy the empire. He with the help of his allies and his abilities fights to restore the galaxy to its rightful order. This game features good graphics, an excellent plot and enemies like never seen before. I would defiantly recommend this game to everyone but I will also recommend not getting it for wii. – Ananth Nagaraj

Madden ’11 The game is good but its not anything new but players and it has been since ’09.

Madden needs to step it up if it wants to be in the conversation with blockbuster games like Gears, COD, and Halo. – Paul DeCarlo

½

112

Video Game Reviews

Assassin’s Creed Brother Hood This game is amazing.

The story mode is awesome, and there are so many weapons to choose from.

Also, in this game, Leonardo has so many new inventions for you to use, like a tank. This game also has amazing online play. It is so much fun and very easy to play. The only bad thing about this game is that it takes a long time to get into an online match.

In this game, after you have beaten story mode, there are challenges you can try. Some relate to wall climbing and killing guards. – Dylan DiCicco

Super Mario All-Stars This game includes the four classic Mario games imported to the Wii from the version on the SNES when it came out in 1993. The four games are the game that began the franchise, Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario Bros. This game also includes the lost levels only released in Japan . The games aren’t the only thing in this bundle. There is also a history booklet of Mario with a signature of Shigeru Myamo, who is the founder of Mario. The bundle’s last thing is the Super Mario Bros. CD, including music from Super Mario Bros., to Super Mario Galaxy 2. – Dylan Schwager 113

Video Game Reviews Need For Speed Hot Pursuit ½ An amazing game!! This game has everything and more.

Let's start with the online play. There are three games types: a solo event which there is one cop and one speeder playing against each other (the computer chooses the player who is the speeder and the cop). There is a game called hot pursuit where 6 or 8 players are split up into teams of 3 or 4 cops and speeders. Last the have a race where you are just the racer racing against other racers worldwide. When you don't want to play online you can play a career as a cop or speeder. You start as a level 1 (cadet for cop or suspect for speeder) and progress to get to level 20 (ultimate enforcer for cop or most wanted for speeder). Now for the weapons. Each side has four weapons.

The police has their roadblocks were fellow officers block the road, spikes strips to blow speeders(or cops) tiers, a EMP (called a electric magnetic pulse) will slow a speeder(or a cop) down, and helicopters which drops a spike strip. The speeders have EMPS, spikes strips, jammers which stop cops from using weapons, and turbo which makes your car go extremely fast in a small amount of time. The game doesn't have a multiplayer mode to play with friends on the same system. The freedom is not as good as the older ones but this is a game that I will recommend to everybody. -Matthew Garber

114

115

Sports Reviews

What the Mets need to do to make the playoffs

by Brandon Nomberg 1. Jose Reyes needs to stay healthy. When healthy, he is – arguably – the best shortstop in all of baseball. If he stays h healthy the entire year, he has the potential to put up some monster numbers for a Mets team desperate to score runs.

2. David Wright needs to bring his batting average over .300. Last season, David hit .283, which is the worst he’s ever done in his career. If the Mets are to be contenders this year, he has to bring his average up over .300 and continue the solid production from last year.

3. Ike Davis needs to build on his rookie season. Last year, he hit .264 with 19 home runs and 71 RBI’s. If the Mets are to compete with the Phillies, who undoubtedly have the best pitching rotation in all of baseball, Ike Davis will be a crucial player. If Ike Davis improves upon his statistics from last year and hits, say, .280 with 25 home runs and 85 RBI’s, that would give the Mets offense a huge boost in 2011.

4. Both Chris Young and Chris Capuano have to stay healthy for the entire year. When healthy, these two pitchers are very dominant and could help a Mets pitching staff that is desperate for consistent starters, since Santana will be starting the season on the disabled list.

5. Jason Bay needs to return to his 2009 form. Last season, Jason Bay suffered a season ending concussion while making a spectacular catch against the Dodgers. If Jason Bay can put up similar numbers to what he did for the Red Sox in 2009, when he hit 36 home runs, he would help the Mets offense compete with the best rotation in baseball, which the Phillies posses.

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Sports Reviews What the Mets need to do to make the playoffs

by Brandon Nomberg – continued 6. Carlos Beltran needs to not only stay healthy, but to also play as well as he did towards the end of last year. If he can put up numbers that are threequarters of the numbers he put up in 2006 (when he hit 41 home runs) that would put the Mets over the top.

7. Mike Pelfrey needs to build upon his 2010 campaign. Mike Pelfrey was the best starter for the Mets in 2010, and will be the starter on opening day. If Mike can improve upon his 15 wins, 3.66 ERA and 204.0 innings pitched from last season to, say, 18 wins, a 3.30 ERA and 225.0 innings pitched, he would help the Mets weakest part of their game – the bullpen. If Mike throws 225.0 innings, the bullpen would have to work a lot less, and that would definitely help the Mets because of their weak bullpen.

8. K-Rod needs to learn to control his temper and get the save in almost every chance he gets. If K-Rod can be consistent and get a lot of saves, the Mets will win many more games than they would have if K-Rod has another off the field problem. K-Rod succeeding would also take a lot of stress off the rest of the bullpen.

If all of these things happen for the Mets they will not only have a great pitching rotation, but they will have one of the best lineups in all of baseball, which is a good formula for competing with a team that has the best pitching rotation in baseball. If all of these things happen, the Mets will win the wildcard. If more than one of these things doesn’t happen, the Mets will have very little to play for come September.

Prediction: I think that most of these things will happen, so the Mets will win the wild-card by 1 game over the St. Louis Cardinals, but get swept by the Giants in the NLDS. 117

Sports Reviews

A timeline of the rise and fall of the New York Mets

by Brandon Nomberg September 19, 2006: The Mets clinch the NL East title and stop the Braves streak of 17 consecutive division titles.

October 8, 2006: The Mets sweep the Dodgers in three games in the NLDS to advance to the NLCS against the S t. Louis Cardinals.

October 20, 2006: The Mets lose game 7 to the St. Louis Cardinals and start their road downhill.

September 30, 2007: The great collapse ends as the Mets blow a seven game division lead over the Phillies that they had at the start of September as they come within a game of the playoffs after their loss to the Marlins.

January 30, 2008: The Mets pull off a blockbuster trade as they acquire Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins for almost nothing.

September 29, 2008: The Mets let another division lead go to waste as they collapse and come within a game of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

December 10, 2008: The Mets sign free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez to a three year deal.

Spring training, 2008: The Mets are deemed the favorites to win the World Series.

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Sports Reviews A timeline of the rise and fall of the New York Mets

by Brandon Nomberg August 17, 2009: David Wright suffers a concussion after being hit in the head by a 93mph fastball from Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants. Matt Cain tips his hat to the fans (while being booed by everybody at Citi Field) as he walks off the field later in the game.

December 29, 2009: The Mets sign Jason Bay to a 4 year, $66 million deal.

July 23, 2010: The $66 million investment the Mets made in Jason Bay is put to waste for 2010, as he suffers a concussion that ends his season.

October 4, 2010: Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel are fired after the fourth consecutive disappointing season for the New York Mets.

October 27, 2010: Sandy Alderson is assigned the tall task of turning around a Mets organization that is in turmoil as he becomes the general manager of the New York Mets.

November 21, 2010: The Mets hire Terry Collins t o replace Jerry Manuel as manager of the New York Mets.

January 28, 2011: The Ponzi scheme run by Bernie Madoff finally takes its toll on the Wilpons, as they are forced to look for a minority partner because they might lose a lot of money to the person suing them. The person suing them is trying to recover money for the victims of Madoff’s scandal and they claim that the Wilpon’s made a lot of money from their investments with Bernie Madoff.

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Sports Reviews

2011 baseball predictions

by Brandon Nomberg

AL East 1. Boston Red Sox 2. New York Yankees 3. Tampa Bay Rays 4. Baltimore Orioles 5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central 1. Minnesota Twins 2. Detroit Tigers 3. Chicago White Sox 4. Kansas City Royals 5. Cleveland Indians

AL West 1. Texas Rangers 2.LosAngeles Angels 3. Oakland Athletics 4. Seattle Mariners

NL East 1. Philadelphia Phillies 2. New York Mets 3. Atlanta Braves 4. Washington Nationals 5. Florida Marlins

NL Central 1. Cincinnati Reds 2. St. Louis Cardinals 3. Milwaukee Brewers 4. Chicago Cubs 5. Pittsburgh Pirates 6. Houston Astros

NL West 1. San Francisco 2. Los Angeles Dodgers 3. Colorado Rockies 4. San Diego Padres 5.Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Wild Card Winner: New York Mets AL Wild Card Winner: Los Angeles Angels World Series prediction: The Boston Red Sox will defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games. The Phillies may have the best pitching in the league, but the Red Sox are the best overall team, featuring Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Dustin Pedroia and Josh Beckett.

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Sports Reviews The New York Yankees

By Matthew Garber This season I have a feeling it is going to be a tough season. The only good thing that probably that came out of the postseason was that Derek Jeter re-signed with them but e has only three years plus an extension if he wants to stay but u have a feeling he will retire after this contract is up. The Yankees were hoping to sign Cliff Lee but they didn't get and worse one of their veteran stars Andy Pettitte retired. I don't blame him because he had a great career. They are now down to Phil Hughes, A.J Burnett, and C.C Sabathia and Joba Chamberlin. And it seems the bad news keeps coming as Jorge is now going to be a DH for most of the season with him catching here and there. So if he think the Yankees are number one I would think again.Matthew Garber

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Sports Reviews

NHL Predictions

By Brandon Nomberg (written on October 12, 2010) Eastern Conference (Top eight teams make the playoffs) 1. Washington Capitals (Southeast division winner) 2. Pittsburgh Penguins (Atlantic division winner) 3. Boston Bruins (Northeast division Winner) 4. Philadelphia Flyers 5. New Jersey Devils 6. Tampa Bay Lightning 7. New York Islanders 8. Carolina Hurricanes 9. Buffalo Sabres 10. Ottawa Senators 11. Montreal Canadiens 12. Toronto Maple Leafs 13. New York Rangers 14. Atlanta Thrashers 15. Florida Panthers

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Sports Reviews NHL Predictions-By Brandon Nomberg -continued Western Conference (Top eight teams make the playoffs) 1. Vancouver Canucks (Northwest division winner) 2. San Jose Sharks (Pacific division winner) 3. Chicago Blackhawks (Central division winner) 4. Los Angeles Kings 5. Detroit Red Wings 6. Dallas Stars 7. Edmonton Oilers 8. Colorado Avalanche 9. Calgary Flames 10. Nashville Predators 11. Phoenix Coyotes 12. St. Louis Blues 13. Columbus Blue Jackets 14. Anaheim Ducks 15. Minnesota Wild Eastern Conference Winner: Washington Capitals Western Conference Winner: Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup Winner: Washington Capitals in six games There are always going to be people who think that a different team will win, but I have one question for them: Why not the Capitals? They have, without a doubt, the best offense in the league, a very good goalie, and defense that compliments the offense very well. They have Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin to lead the offense, while Mike Green leads the defense. Just those four players alone are enough to take a team all the way.

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Sports Reviews

How the Jets can finally win the Super Bowl It’s really odd. The Jets have one of the best offensive lines in the league, one of the best defenses and a great running game. So why did they lose in the AFC championship again? Injuries. They lost a great safety (Jim Leonard) at a time when they needed to win and an inexperienced Wayne Hunter had to play on an otherwise flawless offensive line. The Jets should try to look for some young prodigies in the draft, someone they can train and use as a backup for the first couple of years as an insurance. Other than that, I can’t thing of anything else Gang Green can do to get to the Superbowl, besides maybe an offensive coordinator that doesn’t try passing the ball twice while on the two yard line! – Anthony Passela

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Meet this issue’s Critics Extra Special Thanks to:

ALL the PARENTS, ADMINISTRATION and PTA for their CONTINUED SUPPORT and CONTRIBUTIONS .

Mr. Essner, Mrs. Kohlhepp, Mr. Faber, Mrs. Roethel, Mrs. Epstein, Nicole Soloff, and Mrs. Silberman Madison’s Smoothie Café and Francesco’s Pizza All the many teachers and administrators who have contributed their survey answers, time, help and support.

All the students from Candlewood Middle School, High School East and High School West for their contributions All Review Club members of the past who have contributed articles and are printed in this issue.

This issue is now found online at the Half Hollow Hills website.

Go to: Schools – Candlewood – Clubs and Activities – HHH Review Club

http://www.halfhollowhills.k12.ny. us/page.cfm?p=977519

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Meet this issue’s Critics – continued NAME – GRADUATION CLASS

Aaron Rofe – 2021 Ananth Nagaraj – 2015 Andrew Faber – 2016 Anthony Passela – 2016 Anya Pawar – 2017 Brandon Nomberg – 2015 Claudine Desroches – 2015 Dana Winthrop – 2016 Daniel Chacko – 2015 Daniel Rudin – 2015 Dean Essner – 2012 Dylan Dicicco – 2016 Dylan Schwager – 2016 Elizabeth Georgakopoulos - 2016 Eric Hechler – 2015 Evan Hirsch – 2015 Gabrielle Jung – 2016 Jake Abulencia – 2016 Jake Devlencia - 2015

Jake Geller - 2016 Jason Liang – 2016 Jason Rose - 2017 Jason Zelamsky – 2014 Jeremiah Sullivan – 2015 Jonathan Reichfeld – 2015 Joseph Stone – 2016 Justin Silberlust – 2016 Justin Wieder – 2016 Justin Zelamsky – 2016 Kara Rofe – 2016 Kathy Kim - 2015 Matthew Bielskas – 2015 Matthew Garber – 2014 126

Matthew Termes - 2015 Matthew Tierney – 2016 Michelle Zhang – 2017 Miles Essner – 2015 Neil Shah – 2015 Nick Frankel – 2015 Nick Kohlhepp – 2016 Paul DiCarlo – 2015 Ryan Winthrop – 2014 Sal Liotta – 2015 Seudeh Ranjbar – 2012 Spencer Goldberg – 2016 Stefan Desroches – 2016 Sydney Eckstein – 2016 Tahra Friedman –2015 Tara Ranjbar – 2016 Tina Ranjbar – 2016

Extra Special Thanks to Brandon Nomberg, Kara Rofe and Michelle Zhang for all of their typing.

Brandon Epstein for his editing A very special thanks to Dean Essner. Dean is graduating Half Hollow Hills this year, and is off to college and bigger and better things. For 5 years Dean has been a major part of The HHH Review Club. He has contributed numerous articles, editing, ideas and has been a very big part in the development and continued success of the club. Thank you Dean, for all your efforts.

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Meet this issue’s Critics – continued

All reviews are the opinions of the writer. You may agree with their opinion or you may not.

Some reviewers often give high ratings, while others are much more critical. Regardless, the reviewer is asked to be objective, fair, critical and as professional as possible while supporting their opinion. Many are still developing their writing and critical thinking skills, and it is one of The Review Club’s goals help these writers. If you want to express your opinion, the Half Hollow Hills Review Club always welcomes new members.

Meetings for the HHH Review Club are held at Candlewood Middle School by Mr. Bund.

The Half Hollow Hills Review Club and “Off the Record” created and edited by Mr. Bund at Candlewood Middle School, Dix Hills, New York.

WORKS CITED: Almost all pictures were taken from Google.com. If there are any questions concerning pictures or statistics please contact The Half Hollow Hills Review Club.

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Wanted!!!

Critics for the Review Club Attention Half Hollow Hills We need critics New members are always welcome

Movies, Music, Broadway, Restaurants, Vacations, Books,

Sports If you are interested please contact by eboard or stop by Room 710 in Candlewood MS and talk to

Mr. Bund or you can contact

Mrs. Silberman in High School East Room 105

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Wanted!!!

Critics for the Review Club Attention Half Hollow Hills We need critics New members are always welcome

Movies, Music, Broadway, Restaurants, Vacations, Books,

Sports If you are interested please contact by eboard or stop by Room 710 in Candlewood MS and talk to

Mr. Bund or you can contact

Mrs. Silberman in High School East Room 105

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