This is the archive for October 2006
By Susan Muramoto, Courier Staff Writer
Those who have watched both “Saw” and “Saw II” know the basic background of this twisted movie that was released on October 27. Continuing the plots of the first two movies, “Saw III” delivers another gruesome tale of people who are kidnapped and placed in torturous life-or-death situations in which they must decide how much their life is really worth to them.
Posted by courier at 10:46 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
GOD HAND
For: PlayStation 2
From: Clover Studio/Capcom
ESRB Rating: Mature
Awesomely terrible or terribly awesome? That is the question surrounding "God Hand," arguably the most polarizing game to arrive in 2006. The "love it or hate it" superlative is abused to the point of irrelevance, but Clover's bizarre brawler is the real deal.
Posted by courier at 07:38 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Let's start off the day with a classic Betty Boop cartoon, "Stop that Noise," made in 1935. Betty can't sleep with all that racket.
Click the picture to view the cartoon, streaming in 256k MPEG4, free from the Internet Archive.
Click here for more information and formats.
Next, watch Supermanin "Electric Earthquake," in which a mad scientist attempts to blow up Manhattan. Lois Lane investigates and Superman saves the day. Animation by Steve Muffati and Arnold Gillespie, story by Seymour Kneitel and Isadore Sparber, music by Sammy Timberg. Produced in 1942.
Click the picture to view the cartoon, streaming in 256k MPEG4,free from the Internet Archive.
Click here for more information and formats.
Posted by courier at 05:23 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
The Grudge 2
Rated PG-13
95 minutes
The
Grudge 2, sequel to
The Grudge released in 2004, is only mediocre. The first few lines of the
Grudge 2 already displayed the fact that the acting is not the best. Although it is supposed to be a horror movie, they rely highly on shock value of the viewers. However, the graphics were scarier than the first movie.
Posted by courier at 07:00 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Michelle Raskin, Courier Staff Writer
Man of the Year
PG-13
1 hour, 55 minutes
Starring Robin Williams as Tom Dobbs, who has his own show and brings out the comedy in politics. One day, a woman in the audience suggests that he runs for president and he does. This movie was a real disappointment. It was a charade of comedy trying to have action suspense. They wanted the best of both genres, but it became a big sloppy mess. It did have a few real good one-liners from Williams, but it was lacking the comedy everyone was expecting. The so-called "action" part was tied in by a way the audience was not expecting. Williams needs to stick to his roots - comedy.
Posted by courier at 04:49 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
The New Ridaz used "Out with the old, in with the new"as their motto since the NB Ridaz split their ways earlier this year. Are they really following up to what they are saying? They somewhat did as they released their new debut self-titled album last week on October 10, 2006. However, this is still a new adventure for Dos and Zig-Zag, the remaining members of the group. The New Ridaz also includes ex-Logan student, Angelina.
The New Ridaz feature ex-Logan student, Angelina
Posted by courier at 07:05 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
It was just a bit more than two years ago in June 2004 when JoJo released her first self-titled album that debuted at #4. She was 13 years old then belting out "Leave (Get Out)" (#12 on the US charts) and 15 now singing her new single "Too Little Too Late." This past Tuesday on October 17, 2006, JoJo's new sophomore album, "The High Road," dropped in stores.
JoJo's new sophomore album, "The High Road," is now in stores.
Posted by courier at 07:01 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)
Top 10 songs on iTunes Music Store for Oct. 24:
1. "Smack That," Akon
2. "Too Little, Too Late," JoJo
3. "Lips of an Angel," Hinder
4. "White & Nerdy," "Weird Al" Yankovic
5. "Chasing Cars," Snow Patrol
6. "Maneater," Nelly Furtado
7. "Chain Hang Low," Jibbs
8. "Money Maker," Ludacris
9. "SexyBack," Justin Timberlake
10. "Let Me Talk to You Prelude/My Love," Justin Timberlake
For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Posted by courier at 06:55 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)
Pop:
BERT JANSCH "The Black Swan" (Drag City, 3 { stars)
British folk deity Bert Jansch is a cult hero — Neil Young has called him his favorite acoustic guitarist — for his work with Pentangle and his long solo career. "The Black Swan" builds a bridge to a new generation of "freak folk" fans, with contributions from Beth Orton, Devendra Banhart, and members of the Philadelphia ensemble Espers. "Texas Cowboy Blues" takes a gentle jab at President Bush, but, otherwise, "The Black Swan" concentrates on creating beautifully wrought turning-leaf music, richly contemplative but never soporific.—Dan DeLuca
Posted by courier at 06:11 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn (nonfiction, 261 pages, ISBN 0805076824)
Reviewed By Jessica Stewart, Courier Staff Writer
“A bomb, Diane DeFontes thought, when thinking became possible again. At 8:46:30, an impact had knocked her off a chair in the law office on the 89th floor of the north tower, 1 World Trade Center.”
Like an onion, this book is layered and might just bring tears to your eyes. Full of the stories of some of the survivors of 9/11, and some stories of those who died, it is a book that fills you with a fear different from that of ghouls and vampires, but a fear of reality. Brimming over with details, 102 Minutes will capture your heart and your mind as you slowly begin to realize just what happened that dark day in our past.
Posted by courier at 07:31 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Julie Anne Peters, 256 pages, published by Little, Brown Young Readers, ISBN 0316733695
Reviewed by Jenna Garard, Courier Staff Writer
As I picked up this book in the library and began to read the back cover, I thought it would just be a typical book about high school life, until I read deeper and decided it sounded like a good read.
The name Liam is used 100 times in Luna, the most of any word.
Posted by courier at 07:29 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Oct. 14, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.
(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by Cahners Publishing Co., a division of Reed Elsevier, USA. (c) 2006 by Reed Elsevier, USA)
HARDCOVER FICTION
1.
For One More Day. Mitch Albom. Hyperion, $21.95 Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 3
2.
Echo Park. Michael Connelly. Little, Brown, $26.99
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
3.
Act of Treason. Vince Flynn. Atria, $25.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
4.
13 Moons. Charlers Frazier. Random House, $26.95
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 2
5.
Motor Mouth. Janet Evanovich. HarperCollins, $26.95
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 2
Posted by courier at 06:34 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By John Mark Eberhart
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
The president refers to the conflict with terrorists as World War III. More scientists conclude we're frying the planet. Even comic books go somber, with some set in Iraq.
Here we are, autumn 2006. Five years after Sept. 11, the world still is not a sanguine place.
Posted by courier at 05:41 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
KILLZONE: LIBERATION
For: PSP
From: Guerilla Games/Sony
ESRB Rating: Teen
Problem: You made a first-person shooter named "Killzone" on the Playstation 2. People really liked it. You want to make more "Killzones" on more systems. But your next destination, the PSP, handles first-person games about as well as the Washington Generals handle the Harlem Globetrotters.
Solution? Make a "Killzone" game _ but don't make an FPS.
Posted by courier at 07:29 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Let's start the day off from school with a cartoon about school, Pest Pupil, starring Baby Huey. The oversized duckling's mental deficiences stymie his frustrated teacher, so a tutor is called in.
Click on the picture to view the cartoon, either streaming or downloaded from LikeTelevision, com.
Next, Betty Boop and her dog, Pudgy, appear in "Not Now," in which a yowling, singing tomcat goads Betty and her dog to take drastic measures. Made in 1935.
Click on the picture to view the cartoon, streaming in 256k MPEG4 from the Internet Archive. Click here for more options and information.
Posted by courier at 03:50 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writer
Kurdish Director Bahman Ghobadi's film "Turtles Can Fly," is set in a refugee camp located on the Iraqi-Turkish border where he captures the innocence and hardships of the lives of these displaced children. It portrays how these alert and eager children are able to cope with unfathomable dangers.
Turtles Can Fly was released on DVD Sept. 20.
Posted by courier at 04:57 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writer
The unromantic chick flick,
The Break-Up, starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston is a heartless mess. Brook, played by Jennifer Aniston, acts as a victim of a neglected girlfriend, whereas Gary, played by Vince Vaughn, acts as the "bad boyfriend" with a bad mouth.
The movie is being released on DVD this week.
Posted by courier at 04:31 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Patrick Pilapil, Courier Staff Writer
Paul Stanley, guitarist and vocalist from legendary hard rock band Kiss, is set to release his first solo album in 28 years. With
Live To Win , scheduled to be released on October 24th, Stanley delivers a great mix of melodic songs and hard rock tunes that will appeal to both classic rock fans and fans of today's rock scene.
Posted by courier at 07:31 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Susan Muramoto, Courier Staff Writer
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus—what exactly is that? The name is actually quite meaningless, but it represents a band that’s bound for popularity.
Drop by the Courier's office, Room 509, for Red Jumpsuit Apparatus swag while supplies last, and to register for a drawing to win a free copy of their new CD. Deadline for entry: Nov. 3. Drawing: Nov. 6
.
Posted by courier at 04:45 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Diamond Floyd, Courier Staff Writer
Who is Citizen Cope? Imagine a folk/hip-hop fusion of John Mayer and Jack Johnson, and you've got it.
Citizen Cope, also known as acclaimed singer-songwriter Clarence Greenwood, with his third CD entitled "Every Waking Moment", could be a featuring band on a sountrack for the feel-good movie of the year. With great mellow tunes like "Every Waking Moment" and "More Than It Seems", you're bound to begin swaying to the beat.
Drop by the Courier's office, Room 509, for Citizen Cope swag while supplies last, and to register for a drawing to win a free copy of his new CD, IEvery Waking Moment.Deadline for entry: Nov. 3. Drawing: Nov. 6
.
Posted by courier at 04:39 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor
Frankie J. finally released his third solo English album, Priceless, this past Tuesday, October 17, 2006. Known for his soulful voice and beautiful ballads, slow songs outnumbered the faster songs on this 12-tracked album, which is different from his previous records, What's a Man to Do and The One. Frankie J. has writing credits for all 12 tracks on this album.
Posted by courier at 04:16 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Bored of the Rings by the Harvard Lampoon (fiction, 149 pages)
Reviewed By Jessica Stewart, Courier Staff Writer
“This Ring, no other, is made by the elves,
Who’d pawn their own mother to grab it themselves.
Ruler of creeper, mortal, and scallop,
This is a sleeper that packs quite a wallop.
The Power almighty rests in this Lone Ring.
The Power, alrighty, for doing your Own Thing.
If broken or busted, it cannot be remade.
If found, send to Sorhed (the postage is prepaid).”
With a catchy poem like this on the very first page, who can resist reading the pages that follow? A parody of
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein,
Bored of the Rings is a well-written and humorous novel. Although much shorter than
The Lord of the Rings, it contains most of the key scenes. The authors have twisted everything to make it funny, and in most cases, they succeed.
The cover of the first edition of Bored of the Rings, published in 1969.
Posted by courier at 07:29 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Megan Twohey
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT)
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Historical Society announced Thursday that they are making nearly 500,000 historical books and documents available for a new search engine that aims to do with books what Google has done for Web sites.
Posted by courier at 07:21 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Kim Ossi
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
HALLOWEEN HORRORS
Just in time for Halloween, "Nightwood" by Patricia Windsor ($7.95, Delacorte Press), tells a terrifying tale of six teens on a trip that goes terribly wrong. Casey, Maryann and Gena decide to skip out on their class trip to D.C. and instead take a detour to Casey's parents' cabin in Delonga, Ga. (Note that in scary stories, rule-breaking is sure to end in disaster!)
Posted by courier at 07:15 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
JUST CAUSE
For: Xbox 360
From: Avalanche/Eidos
ESRB Rating: Mature
Does "Just Cause" have problems? If you're a stickler for realism, boy does it ever. Any game that lets you scale the side of a mountain by literally running up and along it isn't what you'd call a work of realism.
Screenshot from Just Cause
Posted by courier at 07:35 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Christina La, Courier Staff Writer
A new restaurant has just recently opened two weeks ago, located down Alvarado Niles near Safeway and Blockbuster called
The Big Kitchen. I was told by a friend whose family ran the business that it was one of the few Filipino and French restaurants here in Union City, so this weekend my sister and I decided to give it a try.
The Big Kitchen restaurant specializes in Manila Fusion cuisine.(Christina La/Courier Photo)
Posted by courier at 09:24 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Today, we start with the New Three Stooges, starring in "The Noisy Silent Movie." According to the Internet Archive, "The Three Stooges play the organ in an old silent picture movie theater to accompany an old black and white film. Includes live action intro by the Three Stooges. Animation by Chick Otterstrom, Kay Wright and Frank Onaitis. Music by Paul Horn."
Click on the picture to view the cartoon, streaming in 256kb MPEG4, free from the Internet Archive.
Click here for more information and format choices.
Next, we have a classic Betty Boop cartoon. According to the Internet Archive, "It features Grampy, the king of cartoon gadgetry. Betty's mean farmer neighbor abuses his animals, refusing to stop even after she sings the title song endorsing kindness. So she calls up Grampy and he shows the jerk a thing or two. He hooks the farmer up to a whipping treadmill which powers all kinds of bizarre machines which benefit the animals."
Click on the picture to view the cartoon, streaming in 256kb MPEG4, free from the Internet Archive.
Click here for more information and format choices.
Posted by courier at 02:37 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Stephen Becker
The Dallas Morning News (MCT)
Opening Oct. 20:
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS — Strong Oscar buzz surrounds Clint Eastwood's story of the service men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima.
Posted by courier at 02:19 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Nathanial Lealao,
Courier Staff Writer
Pharrell Williams, as most of you will know, is a well-known producer and Rapper. He has been acqainted with many of the top R&b and Hip Hop stars of this generation, such as Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z and many more. Now he's released his first solo album.
The new album, "In My Mind," is Pharrell's first solo album and has been patiently anticipated after his 2003 hit "Frontin". On this album he has a variety of both R&B and Hip Hop. As Pharrell said, "The Hip Hop songs are more the introspective side of my view and how I looked at life, and the R&B stuff is the more vulnerable side."
Drop by the Courier's office, Room 509, for a free Pharrell poster or sticker while supplies last, and to register for a drawing to win a free copy of his new CD, In My Mind.Deadline for entry: Oct. 26. Drawing: Oct. 27.
Posted by courier at 04:06 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Diamond Floyd, Courier Staff Writer
Papa Roach is out with a brand-spanking new CD, entitled "The Paramour Sessions", and they're back with the same great sound that fans know and love. The CD contains thirteen "in your face" tunes, including the hit single "...To Be Loved".
Want your own copy of the new Papa Roach album? Come to room 509, the Courier's hq, to enter the Courier's drawing for a free copy, compliments of the Courier, Moxie, and Geffen Records. Deadline for entry: Oct. 26. Drawing: Oct. 27.
Posted by courier at 02:54 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (fiction, 403 pages)
Reviewed By Jessica Stewart, Courier Staff Writer
“At soccer practice, I worried that I would miss the ball, when we boarded the bus for games at other schools, I worried that I would take a seat by someone who didn’t want to sit next to me, in class I worried I would say a wrong or foolish thing.”
A freshman at Ault School, a prep school in Massachusetts, Lee Fiora expresses the same fears that teenage girls in public high school face every day. She is afraid of confrontation so she doesn’t talk, but she feels left out because nobody talks to her. She makes herself blend in but wishes to be noticed. A walking contradiction, she represents the majority of the teenage female population of the world. The only difference is that she is lucky enough to get into a private school miles away from home, although it turns out that this isn’t as great as she believed it would be.
Prep is definitely an interesting read.
Sittenfeld uses the name "Martha" 434 times in his novel, Prep
Posted by courier at 07:18 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
Here are the best sellers for the week ending Saturday, Sept. 30 compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.
(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by Cahners Publishing Co., a division of Reed Elsevier, USA. (c) 2006 by Reed Elsevier, USA)
HARDCOVER FICTION
1.
For One More Day. Mitch Albom. Hyperion, $21.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
2.
The Road. Cormac McCarthy. Knopf, $24
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
3.
The Thirteenth Tale. Diane Setterfield. Atria, $26
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 3
4.
Under Orders. Dick Francis. Putnam, $25.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
5.
The Book of Fate. Brad Meltzer. Warner, $25.99
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 4
Posted by courier at 05:30 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service(MCT)
NBA 2K7
For: Xbox 360 (coming November to PS3)
Also available for: Xbox, PS2
From: Visual Concepts/2K Sports
If the rivalry between "NBA 2K" and EA's "NBA Live" series were a basketball game, it would be one of those back-and-forth duels in which no lead was entirely safe ... until now.
NBA 2K7 screenshot
Posted by courier at 06:45 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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First this morning, we have
Naugthy, but Mice, a Noveltoon starring Herman from 1947. City mouse Herman helps country mice get rid of the big bad cat. Animation by Dave Tendlar and Al Eugster. Story by Bill Turner and Larry Reilly. Scenics by Robert Owen. Music by Winston Sharples.
Click the picture to watch the cartoon, streaming in 256k MPEG4, free from the Internet Archive.
Click here for more format choices and information.
In our second feature, Little Bo Peep and her free-range sheep are threatened when Wily and Jazzy wolves attempt to capture them. But Mighty Mouse saves the day. From 1944.
Click the picture to watch the video, streaming in 256k MPEG4, free from the Internet Archive.
Click here for more format choices and information.
Posted by courier at 09:05 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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The Darwin Conspiracy by John Darnton (fiction, 303 pages)
Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Staff Writer
“Perhaps at the end of the day, despite the fact that his studies and writings flow from an event that is singularly reprehensible, of which only I and a few others have knowledge, he does possess some attributes of greatness.”
These are the fictional words of Elizabeth Darwin describing her father, Charles Darwin, the man made famous by his theory of natural selection, in John Darton's novel,
The Darwin Conspiracy.
Posted by courier at 07:40 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Lucky, by Alice Sebold, 272 pages
Reviewed by Victoria McDonald, Courier Staff Writer
It is amazing that a book written about a brutal rape can leave the reader feeling inspired and, in some ways, almost comforted. But that is exactly how Alice Sebold’s memoir, Lucky, leaves its readers. Sebold writes her account of her story as if she is pouring out her heart to a dear friend. Her sassy, brash tone through out the story shocks and entices her readers until the very last page.
Sebold uses the word "mother" 302 times in Lucky
Posted by courier at 03:06 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service(MCT)
Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Sept. 23, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.
(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by Cahners Publishing Co., a division of Reed Elsevier, USA. (c) 2006 by Reed Elsevier, USA)
HARDCOVER FICTION
1.
The Thirteenth Tale. Diane Setterfield. Atria, $26
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 2
2.
The Mission Song. John le Carre. Little, Brown, $26.99
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
3.
The Book of Fate. Brad Meltzer. Warner, $25.99
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 3
4.
Rise and Shine. Anna Quindlen. Random House, $24.95
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 4
5.
The Guy Not Taken. Jennifer Weiner. Atria, $24.95
Last Week: 6; Weeks on List: 3
Posted by courier at 01:01 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)
OKAMI
For: Playstation 2
From: Clover Studio/Capcom
ESRB Rating: Teen
You know that sound a politician makes when he promises to reform government and lower your taxes? That same hollow thunk is what you can expect to hear from hundreds of games that proclaim, "You've never seen anything like this!" only to arrive months later looking exactly like (insert previously released game here) with (insert slight improvement here).
Posted by courier at 11:30 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writer
The unromantic chick flick, The Break-Up, starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston is a heartless mess.
Posted by courier at 05:05 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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