The James Logan Courier

By Jowell Caballero, Courier Staff Writer

Everywhere we turn these days we are bombarded by a band that thinks they are going to be the next big thing; SafetySuit is no different. This alternative band from Nashville prides themselves on being a band whose music is inspiring, but the only thing that they inspire me to do is run away.

By Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor

“She’d already signed the contract.
Backing out now would blow her reputation with the agency, and besides, this mission would be a piece of cake. There was no reason to drag her feet. She needed the money, she was free at the moment, and it’d be a routine run, nothing more, nothing less. It’d be easier than in the past. Everything had changed.”

Luckily for Ray Vereker, everything had changed, and it would not just be a routine run, but she was unaware of her luck at the time. She soon finds herself hired by the hot Eli Conners and falling hard and fast right on into love, as does he. While this may seem a bit unoriginal, Foster adds little touches here and there to make it one of a kind, such as Ray’s profession (she’s a deadly mercenary), a realistically unappreciative victim and dirt poor guerillas. I found Unexpected to be unexpectedly good, and had a difficult time putting it down.

By Najia Qadir, Courier Staff Writer

The A‑List is a novel by Zoey Dean. It follows the story of Anna Percy who is originally born and bred in the Upper East Side of Manhattan She is now living in California with her dad. Anna has lived her whole life by the book, and in the shadow of her scandalous best friend, Cyn. Her choice to live in LA with her father is the first of many uncharacteristic choices made by Anna throughout the whole book.

Before she even steps off the plane to California, Anna meets Ben Birnbaum, a cute freshman coming home from Princeton to attend the wedding of Jackson Sharpe, the most famous and beloved actor of Hollywood.

By Jowell Caballero, Courier staff writer

American Gods is the story of a man named Shadow who has been dealt a not-so-pleasant hand in life. He is sent to jail for three years, for a petty crime. He is released, early, to a world that his wife and best friend have just recently departed. He has no job (his best friend had promised him a job when he returned but considering he is no longer living that offer is gone).

While Shadow is down in the dumps a "man in the pale suit" who calls himself Mr. Wednesday hires him as an escort and bodyguard. Through his association with Wednesday, Shadow becomes entangled in an epic battle between ancient gods, depowered by their waning popularity as former followers convert to the worship of new American gods, incarnate manifestations of modern life and technology.

By Mark Washburn
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

David Cook was crowned "American Idol" Wednesday, his smooth showmanship defeating a favored young challenger who swept the judges' praise the previous night.

"This is amazing. Thank you," Cook said, after bending to the stage floor with emotion when the results were announced.

Defeated was David Archuleta, 17, a fresh-faced balladeer groomed most of his life for the stage by his jazz musician father. Archuleta was widely praised by the judges for slam-dunk performances in the final round.

By Erin Podolsky
Detroit Free Press (MCT)

DETROIT — It was the mid-1980s, and in Kansas City, Mo., teenager Aaron Dontez Yates decided to move from straight-up beatboxing to writing his own rhymes. All he needed was a name. Not the one his auntie and mama gave him when he was born, but a real name, a name with weight that would give his rhymes that extra layer of respect they deserved.

He and his buddy paged through a book of guns and ammo, but none of the words he saw seemed quite killer enough to him. "`AK47!' I'm like, no. `Uzi.' No! `12 gauge!' No," recalls Yates, now 36 and better known in the underground rap game as Tech N9ne. "We got to the end of the book, and it was like, `Man we ain't find nothing.' But there was a picture of a Tec-9 at the back. He said Tec-9 because the way you rap is like fast, like `tekatekateka' — fully automatic."

By Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor

“The heavily shadowed gallery of the museum was filled with many strange and disturbing artifacts. None of the antiquities, however, was as shocking as the woman lying in a dark pool of blood on the cold marble floor.”

So begins Quicks’s newest novel, The Third Circle. It is the fifth one in the Arcane Society Series, two of which are under her real name, Jayne Ann Krentz, Quick being one of her pseudonyms. You do not have to have read the others in the series to enjoy her newest addition, she explains everything you need to know. It does make the reading a bit more enjoyable, though, to have read at least her other two Arcane novels under the name Quick because some of the characters make a reappearance. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth the read, previous knowledge or not.

By Jamie Maxfield, Courier Editor

James Logan's Drama department celebrated the year's accomplishments and recognized outstanding performances Saturday.

Each year the Drama department holds the Penny Awards, which is a semi-formal event that takes place in the Little Theater to recognize all of the students who have participated in any of the drama productions for the year, which is organized by the drama teacher, Paul Vega. This year the awards night was on Saturday, May 17th. Although the awards were scheduled to start at 7:00 pm, like a majority of the drama events, it did not begin until about 30 minutes later.

By Ashley Carter, Courier Staff Writer

James Logan held its Junior prom for the Class of 2009 earlier this month, and most attendees seemed to have fun.

The theme of the May 4 promenade was "A night on Cloud Nine".

By Sean Piccoli
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (MCT)

Has "reunion" become a dirty word in rock music? Stewart Copeland of the Police thinks not.

Weary critics might grouse about old rockers hogging the limelight, cashing out and repeating themselves for lack of fresh ideas. Nevertheless, Copeland's once-pioneering reggae-rock trio is on the road once more after last year's great reawakening. It's part two of a reunion run that the Police had successfully avoided for 23 years, and it's the latest in rock's sometimes exhausting string of comebacks, album tours and prolonged farewells.

In an April interview, Copeland defended doing it again. And his Exhibit A was another band's work.

See The Police live, with Elvis Costello and the Imposters, July 14 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

Archives