Category Archives: Entertainment

New to Netflix: February 2019

February 12, 2019 danielas8 Leave a comment

By: Daniela Fernandez and Maddie Baggenstoss

Every month Netflix comes out with new shows and movies, and it can get hard to keep track of what’s new. This month, Netflix is releasing many new shows and movies. Here are a few of the shows and movies to be added.

High Flying Bird is a movie about a sports agent who pitches a business opportunity to a young basketball player during a lockout. You may recognize Caleb McLaughlin in this movie, who stars in Netflix’s Stranger Things. This movie comes out on February 8th.

Dear Ex is a movie about a woman’s ex-husband who dies. When he dies it is revealed that he cut their son out of his will, and put someone named Jay in instead. This movie comes out on February 1st.

Hairspray is a movie about a teen in 1960’s Baltimore who wants to be in the city’s dance TV show. She then becomes an overnight sensation. This movie comes out on February 1st.

Netflix is also adding the classic thrillers Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3, and Jaws: The Revenge. If you don’t already know what Jaws is about, it is about a killer shark who attacks the tourists on Amity island and the police chief’s quest to capture the great beast. These movies come out on February 1st.

Pretty in Pink is about a teenager who doesn’t know where she belongs in high school. She then falls for a guy in a different social group, and she realizes it’s hard to be relationship when you run in different social circles. This movie comes out on February 1st.

The Edge of Seventeen is about a high school junior named Nadine that struggles with the up and downs of being a teenager. Not to mention that her best friend is now dating her brother. With the help of a new friend she’s able to navigate life as a teenager. This movie comes out on February 1st.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua is about a Chihuahua who gets lost in Mexico. Chloe the Chihuahua travels all over Mexico with the help of another dog Delgado to get back to her owner with adventures on the way. This movie comes out on February 3rd.

One Day at a Time is about a Cuban-American family as the show follows their ups and downs of life. The show follows a single mom with two children and her mom. Season three comes out on February 8th.

Workin’ Moms is a TV show about four working moms in their thirties who must navigate life in Toronto. They overcome many problems throughout the show. Workin’ Moms comes to Netflix on February 22nd.

The Umbrella Academy is about 43 kids born with supernatural abilities. Based off of the comic book series, this movie follows six of the superheroes as they use their abilities to solve the mystery of a billionaire’s death. This movie comes out on February 15th.

The Breaker Uppers is about two women who are very cynical. They decide to create an agency that helps couples break-up. This movie comes out on February 15th.

Chef’s Table is a documentary series about unique restaurants all over the world. Volume 6 comes out on February 22nd.

Entertainment

The egg

February 7, 2019 teah Leave a comment

Kylie Jenner posted the first photo of her daughter, Stormi, and it became the most liked Instagram post with 18 million likes.

But then came a challenge. An unknown Instagram user made an account called “world_record_egg” and posted one picture of an egg. Why? To make it the most liked Instagram post.

And it did. At 50 million likes now, the egg has beat Kylie Jenner by a lot.

She retaliated with a video of herself cracking an egg on the pavement with the caption “Take that little egg.” It’s nice that she’s a good sport about it all.

Many people have commented on how crazy it is that this can happen, and what a time to be alive. It’s safe to say that memes have taken a good spot in the internet, and often influence our lives in small ways like this.

The egg has taken a firm spot in Instagram history, and however crazy it may be, at least everyone had fun with it.

Books/Art

The first foldable smartphone coming in 2019

January 16, 2019 elliotwallarticles Leave a comment

Next month, Samsung is expected to release two new phones: the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy F. The F is the first foldable smartphone that will be on the market. Samsung is currently working on the physical and UI features at the Samsung Design Innovation Center (SDIC). The SDIC is responsible for the design of Samsung’s new products, services, and the report notes for new devices.

Just like many new smartphones these days, this one will be just as expensive, if not more, because of its new, unique design. The phone will have three screens when unfolded, including the primary panel that’s placed on the inside of the phone, as well as a smaller display on the outer shell.

“Our group here is working to reinvent and reimagine how we can create new experiences based on this new platform,” the Samsung executive said. “And of course we are very well situated here because the Android system has not been designed for that (foldable). We need to explore new ways to do so.”

Since Google is helping Samsung with the Android powered software for this new foldable phone, customers will probably see foldable Android phones from various companies in the not too distant future. This includes Huawei, Microsoft, LG, Xiaomi, and Oppo.

Apple is also rumored to be trying out some new design ideas for foldable smartphones, but there will for sure not be an Apple foldable phone in 2019.

Movies/TV/Theaters

The Golden Globes

January 15, 2019 Thabash Leave a comment

The 76th Golden Globe Awards honored the best in film and American television of 2018, as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Produced by Dick Clark Productions and the HFPA, the 76th Golden Globe Awards was broadcast live on January 6, 2019, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. The ceremony aired live on NBC in the United States. Actors Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg hosted the ceremony.

The nominees were announced on December 6, 2018 by Terry Crews, Danai Gurira, Leslie Mann, and Christian Slater. The ceremony marked the debut of a new non-competitive award rewarding excellence in television, the Carol Burnett Award, with Carol Burnett herself being the inaugural recipient, along with a brand new trophy design.

Green Book won the most awards for the ceremony with three, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Bohemian Rhapsody and Roma won two awards each. In television, The Kominsky Method and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story were the most awarded, with two awards each. Jeff Bridges was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement.

This is a complete list of the winners:
Movies

Best Motion Picture, Drama:

Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:

Green Book

Best Director, Motion Picture:

Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama:

Glenn Close, The Wife

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama:

Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:

Olivia Colman, The Favourite

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:

Christian Bale, Vice

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture:

Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture:

Mahershala Ali, Green Book

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture:

Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly, Green Book

Best Motion Picture, Animated:

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language:

Roma

Best Original Score, Motion Picture:

Justin Hurwitz, First Man

Best Original Song, Motion Picture:

“Shallow” — A Star Is Born

Television

Best Television Series, Drama:

The Americans, FX

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama:

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama:

Richard Madden, Bodyguard

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy:

The Kominsky Method, Netflix

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy:

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy:

Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, FX

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television:

Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television:

Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:

Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:

Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal

Books/Art

Stan Lee: Creative legend

January 10, 2019 victoria1213 Leave a comment

Last year, Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95. He died after suffering from a cardiac arrest brought on by respiratory heart failure. Many fans of the Marvel Universe were heartbroken when they heard the news. Many people loved and admired his work and were deeply saddened by his passing.

Stan Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922. He was born in New York, to immigrant parents, and was always a talented writer.

He graduated high school early at the age of 16 and went on to pursue his creative calling. He started out working in the comic book office, that would one day become Marvel comics, as an assistant. He kept with the job and ended up contributing to his first comic book, Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge, in 1941.

Aside from writing comics, Stan Lee created a fulfilling life with his wife Joan. Together they had their daughter Joan Celia Lee. Stan and Joan were happily married for 70 years before his wive’s passing in 2014.

Stan Lee has been involved with the creation of most of the Marvel movies. These movies from Marvel Studios have been some of the most profitable.

Lee created Black Panther in 1966 with artist Jack Kirby. When the film Black Panther was released in 2018, it made over 700 million at the box office.

Some of Lee’s most popular comics were the Spider Man series, Fantastic Four and The X-Men. When asked, Lee has always said his favorite comic creation of his was the Silver Surfer.

Throughout his life, Stan Lee was able to build himself a successful career while doing something he loved. This passion can be seen in everything he produced, and that’s probably why his work was so successful. Stan Lee, the superhero legend, will be missed by not only his family, but by all his fans, young and old.

Entertainment

Ice skating in the Twin Cities

December 20, 2018 Maddie Baggenstoss Leave a comment

Winter break has started! If you’re looking for something to do with family and friends, we recommend ice skating. Here are some great places to go ice skating this winter!

A great place to ice skating is at the Wells Fargo WinterSkate. This is at Rice Park in downtown Saint Paul. It’s open every day, and Monday through Thursday from 11am until 4:50 pm. Friday through Saturday it’s open from 11 am to 10 pm, and on Sundays it is open from 11 am until 4:50 pm. Skate rentals cost $4 per person, and if you have a Wells Fargo credit or debit card it’s free. Read more about Wells Fargo WinterSkate here.

If you wish to skate au naturel, we suggest Centennial Lakes Park. The Park features a large lake that is as smooth as any indoor rink. Admission is free, and renting skates costs $6. However, be sure to check out the Centennial Lakes website to make sure the lake is frozen. Centennial Lakes usually opens up around mid-December. The hours change day to day, but the skate rental opens several hours after the park opens for guests with their own skates.

Another great place to skate is The Oval in Rosedale. It is located close to the Rosedale mall. Admission costs $6, and skate rental costs $4. This is a very good option if you want to skate outside, but would still like to have a wall to lean on. To check open skate hours in December, check the December schedule.

If you want to visit a skating rink in the Highland Park area, then you can try the Charles M. Schulz Arena. Admission is free, and skate rentals are $5. This is a good option for you if you would prefer to stay indoors. To check open skate hours visit Ramsey County’s website.

Our final recommendation is Skate the Star at the Mall of America. It is located outside of the north entrance to the mall, and will be open until January 27th. The rink is a circle around the giant star sculpture. Admission is free, and skate rental costs $5. The mall also provides lockers next to the rink that you can rent. You must have a waiver, and it must be signed by a parent if you’re 18 or under. The hours change from day to day, but to check out the times and learn more about Skate the Star, go here.

Travel/Food

Holiday recipes

December 20, 2018 fionasbloggg Leave a comment

Holiday break is one of the most favorite school breaks in high school history. You got Christmas Day, and a full 13 days of break to do whatever you want.

Some people have their entire break planned out, but others don’t have a clue. Here’s an idea! Create and bake some holiday treats to get you in the mood for the holidays! Here’s a list of 3 holiday foods to make on break.

GingerBread House

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup light molasses or dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth. Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough.
Chill at least 30 minutes or until firm.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut out the paper patterns for the gingerbread house template:
Roll gingerbread dough out to edges on a large, rimless cookie sheet. Place paper patterns onto the rolled out dough. With a sharp, straight edged knife, cut around each of the pieces, but leave pieces in place.
Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes until dough feels firm.
Place patterns on top of the gingerbread again and trim shapes, cutting edges with a straight-edged sharp knife. Leave to cool on baking sheet.
Place royal icing into pastry bag with a writing tip and press out to decorate individual parts of house, piping on decorations, windows, door, etc., as desired. Let dry until hardened.
Glue sides, front and back of house together at corners using royal icing.
Glue the two roof pieces to the pitched roofline of the house. Then, similarly, glue the sides and roof of the entryway together with icing. Attach the entryway to the front of the house.
Continue decorating the house, gluing on gumdrops, licorice and peppermint, as desired.

Peppermint Lollipops

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil
Red and/or green paste food coloring
10 lollipop sticks
Crushed peppermint candies, optional

Directions

Butter 10 assorted metal cookie cutters and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; set aside.
In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and cream of tartar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage).
Remove from the heat. Stir in oil, keeping face away from mixture as odor is very strong.
For each color of candy swirls, pour 1/4 cup sugar mixture into a ramekin or custard cup; tint red or green.
Immediately pour remaining sugar mixture into prepared cookie cutters.
Drizzle with colored mixtures as desired; cut through with a toothpick to swirl.
Remove cutters just before lollipops are set; firmly press a lollipop stick into each.
Sprinkle peppermint candies over tops if desired.

Mini Apple Crisps

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 cup crushed raw almonds
1 cup old-fashioned oats
FILLING:
3 unpeeled medium apples, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
Vanilla ice cream, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix the first four ingredients. In a large bowl, combine almonds and oats; toss with butter mixture until well coated. Press 2 tablespoons onto bottoms of six greased 6-ounce ramekins.
For filling, combine apples, sugar, lemon juice and pie spice. Spoon filling evenly into ramekins.
Top with remaining oat mixture.
Bake until topping is dark golden brown and fruit is tender, about 30 minutes.
Serve warm; if desired, top with ice cream.

Books/Art

Why are Ancient Greek concepts and stories still used today

December 18, 2018 mateob26 Leave a comment

Have you ever wondered why we still use books, stories, and information which came from people from a very long time ago?

Well, Ancient Greece brought up important ideas to the rest of the world – things like important advancements in mathematics, and creating concepts like democracy. They also created things such as theater, which is recognized all around the world today. They created their own style of architecture and art.

And, they had a religion which was called Hellenism, or Greek mythology today. The gods represented different aspects of life and nature (Poseidon is the god of the sea and earthquakes). Greek mythology has also been used today in books and movies such as Percy Jackson.

Stories from Ancient Greece are used really commonly today, but why?

Well, the first reason is because they are entertaining. For some reason it is entertaining watching Ancient Greek gods messing with the people that believe in them.

But not only are they entertaining but they can also teach you many things. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice teaches people about patience and trust in other people. Stories such as the one of Hades and Persephone teaches you about love but also teaches you about one’s greed. Stories like the Odyssey teach you about how bad it was to defy the gods of Greece, and how people back then thought that things like that would really happen to them if the did defy them. And stories like the Iliad show you events that happened back then in their perspective.

Greek stories are used today in school because they teach you lessons, show important character personality traits, and show important parts of reading. Like how in the Odyssey it shows Odysseus and how he, as the main character, gets himself and the rest of his men constantly in trouble. And this is because of his fatal flaw, he is very arrogant and prideful, and that goes on to be his downfall.

The idea of a fatal flaw is an aspect of English literature that is still relevant today. The concept of the fatal flaw can still be seen all over today’s movies, TV, and media.

Entertainment

5 fun Christmas activities to do with your family during the holidays!

December 17, 2018 maggya588173324 Leave a comment

By: Maggie Alarcon

1. Gingerbread houses:
Making a gingerbread house creates a magical moment with your family I recommend you try this.

– Start from scratch and take inspiration from your favorite places. When rolling out your dough, make sure it is of even thickness before baking. This helps with construction later.
– Build your house on a cutting board or serving tray so it can be moved easily if needed.
– Trim baked gingerbread with a serrated knife.
– Use royal icing. Just make sure it’s the right consistency, not too stiff, neither too runny. Put in piping bags.
– Get creative with candies. Incorporate your family’s favorites and create your windows, the roof, etc.

2. Go sledding
Sledding is a fun wintertime activity for adults and children.

– Get the right sleds. Make sure they have brakes to slow them down. Avoid sleds that can’t be steered.
– Dress appropriate for the weather, and avoid wearing scarves or any clothing that can get caught in a sled and pose a risk of strangulation.
– Choose the right hill/place to go sledding. Not all hills are safe.
– When you are in the sled be very cautious at all times.
– Keep your arms and legs within the sled at all times.
– If you find yourself on a sled that won’t stop, roll off it, and get away from it.
– Have fun and enjoy your time sliding.

3. Go ice skating
Ice skating is one of the best ways to enjoy the season.

– Have the proper gear. You’ll need a pair of skates for everyone.
– Have a good set of winter clothes (thick socks, hat, jacket, gloves, scarf).
– Make sure when you get to the skating rink that you warm up and take it easy the first time you go in unless you already know what you are doing.
– Start with basics until you’ve mastered skating without falling.

4. Christmas movies with hot chocolate.
There’s nothing quite like Christmastime. When the cold, snowy season comes, what better time to curl up on the couch and watch some Christmas movies with your family. Here are some Christmas movies to put on your to-do list this holiday season.

– The Nightmare Before Christmas.
– A Charlie Brown christmas.
– The Polar Express.
– Home Alone.
– The Grinch.
– How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

5. Build a snowman

Get outside this winter and spend some quality family time building a snowman.

– Get outside in the cold.
– Get a snowman kit or just simply get a top hat, a scarf, sticks for the arms, eyes, a nose and mouth.
– After you’re done getting the things you need, start rolling the snow and making 3 big balls of snow for the body.
– Start getting creative outside in the snow and start building your snowman.

I hope you guys enjoy this suggestions!