The James Logan Courier

By Farah Habad, Courier Music Editor

Wale Folarin, a prominent rapper under Jay-Z's label Roc Nation, released yet another mixtape with a Jerry Seinfeld theme. Entitled “More About Nothing” he brings about a new, distinct style to his work.

Twenty one original songs, many of which have sampled beats, defy the new wave of music played on hip hop radio stations. With no autotune and no cliché rhymes, he reinstills realness into his music.

By Kevin C. Johnson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT)
There was a time early in the career of folky-pop group She & Him when all anyone wanted to talk about was the involvement of front woman Zooey Deschanel.

Initially, she was yet another movie star who dared to step out and be in a band.
"When we were doing press a few years ago," says guitarist-producer M. Ward, "about half the questions were about how bad Bruce Willis' records were and stuff like that."

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic
(400 pages, $17.99)
By Susan Carpenter
Los Angeles Times (MCT)

Almost two years after Suzanne Collins first burst onto bestseller lists with her dystopian young-adult thriller in which 24 children are dressed up in costumes and forced to compete to the death before a television audience, "Mockingjay," the final act of the "Hunger Games" trilogy, has arrived, bringing a wrenching conclusion to the tale of a country in chaos and the 17-year-old protagonist who caused it.

Fans aren't likely to be disappointed.

By Tish Wells
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

Deep down in the summer reading pile is a biography, "Red Carpet Ready," from Melissa Rivers, celebrity interviewer and daughter of comedian Joan Rivers, writing with Tim Vandehey.

While Rivers has seen the rise and fall of many a Hollywood celebrity, "Red Carpet Ready" is basically a self-help book aimed at those who may never walk the Oscar red carpet but do have to have the confidence to march across a platform to get a graduation certificate.

"All of us have Red Carpet Moments throughout our lives. They're weddings, bat mitzvahs, and interviews for dream jobs. They're also breakups and painful apologies. A Red Carpet Moment is any time when the spotlight is on you, for better or worse."

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune (MCT)

It takes a special kind of thread to maneuver a needle as well-established (and, because it's a professional golfing simulation, creatively handcuffed) as "Tiger Woods PGA Tour," and it's doubly difficult to please everybody in doing so. But in making changes that separately benefit those who want a more accessible golf experience and those who want a game that makes that first group cry, that's precisely what "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11" does.

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune (MCT)


Some would argue that "Rock Band's" migration from honoring The Beatles last fall to honoring Green Day now is akin to Ken Burns following up his Civil War documentary with a 15-hour look at Wrestlemania. But that, like nearly everything else with regard to music, is entirely subjective.

Still, in case it somehow needs to be said, "Green Day: Rock Band" isn't for anyone who doesn't appreciate the musical stylings of Green Day enough to play the band's songs ad nauseam. Just as "Beatles: Rock Band" featured nothing but The Beatles, this package contains nothing but Green Day songs, and while players can migrate the catalog into "Rock Band 2" (and eventually "Rock Band 3") this time, this game itself allows nary a note from any other band. So if you don't like Green Day, you know what not to do here.

What is a little cloudy is what to do if you do like the band.

By Hailey Galbreath, Courier Staff Writer

Let’s start off by saying that I am a lover of all foods. Mexican food, Thai food, Portuguese food, Honduran food- you name it. So it was to my great pleasure to find Havana, a small Cuban restaurant in Alameda.

The atmosphere is colorful, and lively. With oversized photographs lining the walls of the restaurant, it breaks away from the stereotypical Cuban/Miami scene. The blue and green walls and the big windows help to give the atmosphere a calm, beach like ambience.

By Hailey Galbreath, Courier Staff Writer

If you're looking for a movie filled with tons of laughs, but isn't shy of romance Couples Retreat is a great DVD to look into renting. With an all star cast consisting of Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, and Kristin Davis, the movie definitely holds many laughs for people of all ages.

In the film, four couples travel to a tropical island resort. Three of the four couples
tag along only in the attempt to help the remaining couple work on their failing marriage. Under the impression that they will be partaking in various activities on the island, the three couples embark on the journey with their lifelong friends. But much to their suprprise (and dismay) they soon come to realize that their tropical enjoyment is cut short when they are told that they too must complete couple counseling as well. Their own marriages and relationships are put to the ultimate test as they undergo a series of challenges and courses that test one anothers boundaries. More than one marriage's stability is taken into consideration as the cast exemplifies the problems and situations real life couples face.

By Zola Boyd, Courier Staff Writer

Looking for a rad way to start off your summer this year? Then get your toosh to the Electric Daisy Carnival in Los Angeles.

Located at the L.A. Coliseum, the two day festival takes place on June 25th and 26th and features five stages of live music, carnival rides, and circus performers. Tickets are 75 dollars a day or 130 dollars for a two day ticket, and carnival rides are included in the price, which is pretty cheap for a festival that features over 30 performers a day!

By Beatrice Esteban, Courier Editor-in-Chief

The dominance of pop music has always been highly disputed by music critics worldwide. The flashy and sexually-energized outfits, constant use of Auto-Tune, and lack of true lyrical depth inspired the rise of indie music, a genre made of many sub-genres with one common identifying factor: clear contempt of mainstream music. Emerging into the indie music scene in 2001 with their debut album Feel Good Lost, Canada’s Broken Social Scene began as a duo recording ambient instrumentals but has expanded into a musical collective group with a varying lineup and evolved style. This becomes clear to the listener in 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record, a seamless integration of different music elements in one enjoyable baroque-indie record.

By Hailey Galbreath, Courier Staff Writer

With an all star cast consisting of Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, James Marsden, and Zoe Saldana, I was under the impression that the remake of Death at a Funeral would be beautifully done. I expected a mixture of comedy, drama, and raw talent to come forth in the movie, but sadly Death at a Funeral fell short of my expectations.

I was a little confused throughout the movie, as it is poorly arranged. Alternating scenes between the different groups of people at the funeral of Aaron (Chris Rock) and Ryan's (Martin Lawrence) late father, causes much confusion throughout the movie. We do come to understand (through much explanation, that is) that Aaron is an aspiring writer, looking to
have his first novel published, who envies his younger brother Ryan.

By Susan Yackee, VOA News

Muslim-Americans fear there may be a public backlash following the recent attempted car bombing in New York's Times Square by Pakistani-American suspect Faisal Shahzad. They faced one following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. A timely new book examines the "identity crisis" in America's greater Muslim community.

"My findings are of urgent relevance to America, today," says author Akbar Ahmed of his book, Journey into Islam. “Communication is needed between the two segments [Muslim and non-Muslim] of society.”

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune (MCT)

Five "Prince of Persia" games in seven years after three in the preceding 14 has taken the franchise from nowhereville to sequel city in a hurry, and "The Forgotten Sands" does itself no favor by abandoning the dramatic visual and narrative makeover that made the 2008 reboot such a pleasantly fresh surprise.

"Sands" instead is a direct sequel to 2003's "The Sands of Time," which provides the basis of the "Persia" film currently in theaters (and, consequently, should answer whatever questions you had about Ubisoft ditching that reboot and rushing "Sands" out 17 months later).

Early on, "Sands" feels less like a sequel to "Time" than a capable but uninspired imitation of it. It plays like a typical "Persia" game, mixing some ambitious environmental platforming with sword combat that's more fun than special. Per series tradition, the massive traversable environments — ledges, trapeze swings, poles, cliff sides — feel like gigantic environmental riddles more than simple action game playgrounds, and the game uses an assisted character movement scheme that doesn't hold players' hands but also doesn't require angle-perfect precision jumping. As with "Time," and per story dictation, players eventually receive a limited-use ability to rewind time and correct mistimed jumps without reverting back to a checkpoint.

By Thao (Michelle) Hoang, Courier Staff Writer

SS501 was supposed to have their comeback on May 1st. But due to the delays, they weren’t able to. Now finally, not too long ago, SS501’s new mini-album Destination was released along with a few teasers for the music videos. SS501 worked on this album for 3 months after finishing their Asia Tour. Now the full-length music video for the group’s comeback title track ‘Love Ya’ has been released.

By Zola Boyd, Courier Staff Writer

This year, my friends and I chose to ditch prom and go to "POP 2010: The Dream" instead, a huge concert/rave/sweaty pile of humans held at the Cow Palace in Daly City. We arrived in style, decked out in lace and glitter and ready to dance, only to find a line of hundreds of people. The wait seemed forever, however half naked people of all shapes and sizes and bizarre costumes were entertainment enough.