Entertainment

A Sh'mal World
Directed by Michelle Friedline and Laureen Ricks
May 22, 2008
Congratulations to student directors Laureen Ricks and Michelle Friedline on the screening of their film, "A Sh'mal World," at the Ninth Annual Student Documentary Screening at the University of Florida. The documentary gives fascinating insight into the world of social worker Sh'mal Ellenberg.

How Do Video Games Affect Kids?
By Blake Smith, 9th grde,
August 17, 2006
Parents, have you ever questioned what influence video games have on your children? Well, I have the facts that tell you just how video games affect the youth of America.

Hip-Hop Betrayal
By Laureen Ricks, University of Florida and Role Models Ambassador
August 18, 2005
Today’s popular hip-hop artists join suggestive lyrics with racy visuals, usually carved up slices of women’s posteriors, blatant, ample and jiggling to the delight of fully-clothed MC’s and their posse.

Nothing in these lyrics or images convey respect, appreciation, honor and love for women. These artists and image-makers, mostly male, seem to despise and exploit, rather than to appreciate and honor women’s sexuality. At best, these songs praise strategic body parts, not whole women. At worst, they are barefaced assaults..

Meet Cowboy Troy: The Pioneer of "Hick Hop"
By Carly Blustein, 11th grade,
July 28, 2005
Dallas-native Troy Coleman, dubbed “Cowboy Troy,” has created possibly a new genre of music. As the first six-foot-five black rapping cowboy, he is rapidly setting a definition for “hick hop.” “Rollin’ (The Ballad of Big & Rich),” his first single, captured his audience by surprise because it blended the fast-paced rhymes of rap with the carefree hymns of country music, a task not easily accomplished because of the stark contrast in the two musical types. However, Cowboy Troy, who grew up listening to a variety of artists ranging from Charlie Daniels to ZZ Top to Run DMC, has found that blending different beats can result in the birth of a unique sound.

The Phantom of the Opera—Truly a Timeless Tale
By Carly Blustein, 11th grade,
June 8, 2005
The Phantom of the Opera is most widely recognized as a Broadway musical. It is not just any run-of-the-mill Broadway musical, however, but it is the third longest running show in Broadway history. Therefore, it is hard to imagine this chilling tale not accompanied by the award-winning music of Andrew Lloyd Weber. But the story of the Phantom began long before he sang on stage.

Napoleon Dynamite
By Karishma and Kashmira Patel, 12th grade,
November 18, 2004
Quite frankly, this is the funniest movie we have ever seen. However, not everyone will find it so amusing. It’s an original comedy about a geeky high school boy, Napoleon Dynamite. He has only two friends, a foreign kid named Pedro, and the girl he has a crush on, Deb.

Spiderman 2
By Karishma and Kashmira Patel, 12th grade, September 23 , 2004
What’s up, Doc? Doctor Octopus, that is. Doc Oc plays the ultimate villain in this summer’s most anticipated movie. Apart from the whole saving-the-city-part-time job, Peter Parker is still madly in love with Mary-Jane Watson. He’s torn between being a hero and a normal person. The city doesn’t appreciate the hard work Spiderman puts into saving lives, and it sees him as a villain.

High School Rappers Drop an EP
By Antonia Robinson, 12th grade, January 22, 2003
You've heard of Tupac, Jay-Z, Nas and DMX. Now here comes the "Future." High school senior Jason Lee or "Future," with the help of fellow seniors Keon Mills (Keez) and Brandon Myers (L Wood Blues), recently came out with an EP (half length album) for the enjoyment of rap fans.

Urban Music Bridges Cultural Differences
By Candace Mitchell, 9th grade, April 19, 2002
Urban music, a distinctive and rebellious form of expression, has always been a sultry fusion of cultural fabrics. It has detailed our history from the times of enslavement to the age of computers and automatic cars, incorporating the traditions of its surrounding society into every note.

Celebrities Give Their Money to Good Causes
By Brandi Brown, Santa Fe Community College, March 21, 2001
After September 11, many celebrities followed the growing trend of giving by starting their own philanthropies or donating money to their local charities. Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, Julia Stiles and Britney Spears are among dozens of celebrities who donate their time and money to such causes.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Movie to Rule Them All
By Lisa Fultz, 12th grade, January 30, 2002
The Christmas season, a time associated with peace, love and . . . the release of multiple epic fantasy movies? Even though The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring burst onto the screens weeks after that other fantasy movie—awash with wizards, magic, and evil creatures hidden in the darkness—the epic journey of Frodo and his Middle-earth companions seems anything but second-hand.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Bewitches Fans and Skeptics Alike
By Lisa Fultz, 12th grade, December 5, 2001
When Director Chris Columbus set out to bring the magical first book of the Harry Potter series to the big screen, he had to depict a magical journey and adventure that even a name like his would have difficulty living up to. But could a man with the same name as a famous discoverer unearth the perfect solution to creating images exactly as every individual reader of the series envisioned?