Reflection #4 - Prom

So this year's prom was certainly interesting. We can start with the stupid rules and my date. So I have a friend from GMU, and I was going to go with him to prom. He had asked me a while ago, and I said we could go as friends. here's the problem, he is 21. Apparently that is against the rules. So, my mom called the school and several friends tried to help as well, but nope, he isn't allowed to go to the dance. Problem number two, I already said I would go with him, so I couldn't really ask anyone else, even though I wanted to. :( So, I go to pictures and dinner with him and the dance all by myself. The other thing that made prom this year not so great was that I hurt my knee on Monday. So, there I was at my senior prom with no date, and a busted knee that I couldn't really dance on. However, the evening as a whole, wasn't bad. I had a bunch of great friends there that were all very sweet and took turns sitting, and trying to dance, with me. I still got to get all dolled up and overall had a good time. Oh well, it wasn't as much fun as it could have been, but still a pretty darn good night after all.

Current Event #4 - Mandy Moore

This week I chose an article from the Washington Post. However, it still has to do with the entertainment Industry. My article, Mandy Moore gets back to basics on new CD, is about the good girl image of Mandy Moore and how accurate that image really is.  Most of her songs are targeted toward tweens, but the article shows some hidden meanings in the lyrics that suggest her songs are not all flowers and bunny rabbits. For example in the song “I Could Break Your Heart Every Day of the Week,” there are lyrics talking about squeezing the life out of someone. This shows that people don’t really listen to songs for the lyrics, but mostly for the music. However, Moore is perfectly happy to keep her good girl label. She takes it as a compliment that people think she is good. However, she does have lyrics and songs that are a little edgier. She says none of it is meant to be taken seriously. She just let out a little of her more sassy side. Her newest album takes inspiration from Joni Mitchell and Paul and Lunda McCartney. She claims it is a kind of folk-pop-rock fusion. In conclusion Many Moore talked about one other influence that affected her album. She recently married Ryan Adams, a indie singer-wongwriter, and, although he didn’t directly contribute to the album, she claims he influenced her by just being around her.

I picked this article because I had no idea Mandy Moore even sang. I always thought she was just an actress, so I figured I would find out a little more about her singing career. It turns out I didn’t know about it because her main audience is young teens and preteens, or tweens, as the press has started calling them. Anyway, the article was mildly interesting, but I think I was perfectly happy to remain in the dark about Mandy Moore’s life outside acting.

Reflection #3 - College Orientation

This past Sunday through Tuesday was my college orientation. Driving down, I was a little nervous because I had no idea what to expect. They did not print a schedule, so I didn't even know what I would be doing for the next two and a half days. I checked in around 8:30 Sunday night, and some of the student leaders invited me to come back down and socialize. I wasn't feeling great after the seven hour car ride, but I decided I should make an effort to meet people. We all watched a movie and headed to bed. The next day the real orientation schedule started. We had a little tour of the campus. Then we met with advisors to work out our schedules. The whole first day was pretty fun, and I even made some friends. That night, around 8:00, we were given some free time, so we decided to play some ultimate frisbee. It was really fun. Then, I was jumping up to catch a pass in the end zone, when a guy behind me jumped up to try and block it and ended up colliding with me. We both fell down, and I hurt my knee. I was on crutches all the next day, and I have to go to physical therapy for at least the next month. All in all, it was a good trip. I just hope that isn't an average day at Appalachian State University.

Current Event #3 - The Colbert Report

I think it is awesome that Colbert is doing this for the troops. I hope that it goes over well, and they think it is funny. The last thing I want is for him to accidently insult or offend the troops. I think it is good that he picked a relevant topic to focus his show around, but that means he has to be careful what he makes fun of. It is always hard to make comedy out of serious issues. The article, “Colbert to broadcast four Shows from Baghdad,” caught my attention because I am a fan of his show, The Colbert Report. It turns out Stephen Colbert will actually be traveling to the former Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory to record some of his shows. The shows are each going to be taped in front of about four hundred and fifty troops. The shows are even being marketed under the name, “Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando.” Colbert is a strong supporter of the troops in real life, so he translates a lot of that into his character on the show. The trip was actually brought up by a guest on the show, former Assistant Secretary of Defense Bing West. After he was done talking about the presidential campaigns he decided to follow up on the invitation to Iraq. Now, Stephen Colbert, and thirty staff, is going to where to troops are to give them a taste of life back home. He spent a little while going through very basic training, and is bringing several care packages for the troops with him. The show is going to focus on the declining attention paid to the United States troops oversees and the war in Iraq1 He doesn’t really know what to expect when he gets there. He said he isn’t nervous about the danger issue, but is nervous about giving a good show for the troops.

Reflection #2 - Pops Concert

I have been meaning to go to a chorus concert for years, but other than Cabaret I haven't been able to. Last night I realized what I have been missing. It was awesome. The first number was good, but sort of hard to understand. I think it was because there were so many people. I had no idea chorus was that big. The following songs were awesome, including some amazing solos performed by seniors. After the intermissoin, Mr. Vanslyke performed a solo. It turns out he is a professoinal singer in New York, so, naturally, it was good. I did feel bad for him though when he messed up on the panio. He hit a couple of wrong notes, but he recovered well. The concert was longer than I had expected, but was well worth the time. The last song was so sad, and I know I saw several of the seniors crying. All I have to say is, Great Job Chorus!

Current Event #2 - Terminator Salvation

Last week I wrote about Hugh Jackman and his movie, Wolverine. Well, Christian Bale is just as hot, so I figured I would write about his new action flick as well. The article begins with when Bale first received the script for the new movie. He initially said “no.” However, director McG wouldn’t take no for an answer. He flew to London, even though he is scared of flying, to convince Bale to take the job. Bale still said no, so McG fell back on his last option, he begged Bale to take a chance on him. So, even though he was advised against it, Bale said he would do the movie.
Now, after production, Bale has to deal with the press. Unfortunately not all the questions will focus on the movie. Instead there will be questions regarding the actor’s temper and an incident of forceful language. On set, Bale yelled at a crew member who crossed through his sightline during an intense scene of the movie. He later apologized for the profanity saying, “It was unacceptable. I went too far. And I learned from it.'' The question now is; what kind of effect will this blowup have on the star’s popularity? Personally, I think it will take a lot more than a four minute rant to damage Christian Bale’s reputation.

Reflection #1 - College Orientation Registration

So I was registering for orientation a couple weeks ago and I had to write an essay after picking my choices for the Honors Courses. It was just a little annoying because I already wrote essays to get into the honors program. The prompt was stupid too, "What are you intellectually curious about...?" I don't really know if I responded the way they wanted me to, (I wrote about global warming and the environment) but I guess I don't really care. It was my mother that pushed me to do the whole honors thing anyway. Plus, I was already accepted. Also there was the section that made me chose classes, and that freaked me out a little. I couldn't even find course descriptions online, so I just picked what sounded interesting. When I called the orientation office, they said it wasn't a big deal and we would finalize our schedule when we got to orientation, so I'm not too worried about it. I am a little disappointed because I don't think I will get in the housing that I want. I applied for this special interest housing for people that like the outdoors, but when I called, they said they had over fifty applicants for around twenty spots. Oh well, I guess I can always apply next year.