Photo Credit and Image Design Credit: Sofia Berg

As with the end of any sports season, it begins to seem like the high school has nothing to go to on the weekend.  I say “seem” because, luckily for us, Center Stage is here to offer a wonderful performance that they have been working hard on for the past couple of months.  The end of the 2013 winter sports season brings the musical “Curtains” to the WHS stage.

Here are the top five reasons you should go:

5. Not Just the Cast Will be on Stage
“Curtains” is a musical that makes fun of other musicals.  Due to its nature, there will be some weird stuff happening on stage.  The stage crew, the people who move the set pieces in between scenes, have a part where they will be on stage, so you can finally see them!  Also, Mr. Lefebvre, the pit orchestra director, does something very unusual for a standard musical.  To find out what that is, you’ll have to go!

 
4. Support for Your Classmates
The musical is the largest production the drama department does all year, involving nearly one hundred students.  Just by going, you will be supporting almost 10% of the student body.

 
3. It’s Something Different
Chances are you’ve been to plenty of sports games and school dances, but maybe not as many theatrical productions.  The musical is something that only happens once a year, so this is your one chance to get out and do something different.  When was the last time you even went to a musical?  Going to the musical will make you and your life a little more interesting.

 
2. It’s a Great Way to Spend a Night in March
We all know that March sucks: it’s too warm for winter activities, but still too cold to get outside and enjoy some nice weather.  There are literally no days off of school, and winter sports have ended, so you can’t even get out to see a basketball or hockey game.  The musical is a perfect event to fill this void and get you through the dull ides of this horrific month.

 
1. The Show is Hysterical
Unlike the fall play, which tends to lean towards the more intellectual and artsy side of theater, the musical is a comedy, aimed for mass appeal.  It is full of funny characters, jokes, and silly songs.  On top of this, “Curtains” is a musical that parodies the musical-ness of other musicals.  You will see how this musical makes ironic humor of musical staples and traditions.

Show times are Friday March 8th at 7:30pm, Saturday March 9th at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, and Sunday March 10th at 2:00pm. Be sure to get your tickets at lunch this week!

Ned’s Coffee House is an annual event that Westborough High School has been doing for quite some time.  It is an opportunity for students to showcase a talent that they have by reading poetry, singing, dancing, or whatever else they can come up with.  Every act has its own individual style, making it memorable and interesting to watch.

Walking in this year, they had constructed a stage, which was surrounded by hanging strands of lights.  There were also couches, chairs, and pillows set up that faced the projection of the Ned’s Coffee House logo on the backdrop of the stage.

The talent included poetry, tap dancing, country music, pop music, rap music, contemporary dance, improvisation, a rock band, and a heavy metal band.  There is something that appeals to all different tastes.  At the same time, this event supports the school and the music department.

There was such a great turnout that the comfortable seating scattered around the WHS lobby filled up rather quickly, forcing many people to sit on the ground.  The popularity of this event is certainly growing, so more seating will definitely be needed in the future.  Although the seating wasn’t great, everything else was phenomenal.  Our school is so talented and it really showed last night.

There is an abundance of talents at Ned’s Coffee House, and something for everyone.  Next year, everyone should go, as many performers will be returning to show off their talents once again, but there will also be new talents, to create another memorable and enjoyable show.

Written By:  Elizabeth Volpe and Mary Kenyon

The new movie Pitch Perfect was a hilarious and captivating film. The film centers on two colleges’ a cappella groups, the Treble Makers and the Barden Bellas. These groups compete against each other and other a cappella groups to win the campus competition. The protagonist, Becca, joined the Barden Bellas to bring their set list to a whole new level, setting the scene for the rest of the film.

The recent popular music used in the film engaged the audience and allowed them to sing along. Also, the music made the movie current and made the audience feel as though the film was happening now. This movie is definitely for comedy lovers and musical enthusiasts. The combination of friendships, romance, and college life helped make Pitch Perfect more realistic and relatable to teenagers.

Actors such as Christopher Mintz-Plasse from Super Bad, 21 Jump Street, and Role Models; Rebel Wilson from Bridesmaids and What to Expect When You’re Expecting; and Adam DeVine from Workaholics, came out with a boom, performing hilarious scenes that made the audience laugh hysterically.  Mintz-Plasse, Wilson, and DeVine brought fans from a vast variety of shows and movies to come see their favorite actors.

Altogether, Pitch Perfect exceeded expectations and was one of the funniest movies produced in the 2012 season.

343 Industries have out done themselves with Halo 4. This is the recently released edition in the games series, and it is no let down. This game brings new meaning to first person shooter games. Also, its weapons, vehicles, and well written story have brought a new light to the game of Halo.

Upon loading the game you can already tell the music and graphics live up to the anticipation around this game. As you begin the campaign, the brightly lit screen with bright colors truly brings the game to life. In Halo 4 the mission for John is not to just save humanity, but to also save Cortana herself, who is slipping into rampancy. It starts off by unthawing John and sending him straight into battle. It then goes on to become the most amazing game you’ll ever play. The stage is set during the scientific war, mainly being played on the planet of Requiem.

The games graphics certainly have improved and set a precedent for games to come. Halo 3, released and forgotten five years ago, doesn’t compare to the new age graphics of Halo 4. The colors are bright, the cut-scenes and maps are amazingly designed and its details on each part of the game truly make it come alive. The music for the game is not nearly as good as Halo 3’s unfortunately. 343 Industry made a risky switch in sound guys and it wasn’t for the better. The music is not terrible, but does not live up to Halo 3’s suspense building, blood pumping sound.

On March 8, 2011, the world famous band, R.E.M, came out with a brand new album, Collapse Into Now. This new album is the follow-up to their last album, Accelerate, and already the new album far surpasses its predecessor. 

 The album combines sounds from different albums that they have produced over the years into one individual CD, a concept that is reminiscent to their album Automatic for the People, which premiered in 1992 and was a compellation of sounds from albums past.

 There are three distinct rock & roll songs on the album: Discoverer, All the Best and That Someone is You that reflect sounds of Accelerate.  However, these songs are much improved because the sound has been refined. Mine Smell Like Honey, Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter, and Uberlin are the three songs on the album that resonate with a pop type sound.  This is a technique the band doesn’t do often but does very well.

There are several songs on the album that represent what R.E.M does best, though not what they are most famous for. The songs, Oh My Heart, Every Day is Yours to Win, It Happened Today, and Walk it Back are slow, alternative songs that test out different instruments in diverse ways to produce sounds unique to R.E.M.  The song Oh My Heart is an obvious renovation and improvement on the song Huston from Accelerate, both of which have a distinct country sound.  Oh My Heart has a slower tempo as well as the addition of a predominant accordion, giving it a distinct, slow-paced Italian sound. The song Every Day is Yours to Win, features a more 1950’s radio style vocal which gives an extremely distinct sound to the song.  It Happened Today is one of the finest songs on the album, with R.E.M performing the distinct upbeat yet slow sound that they are so good at producing. The song Walk It Back is another song that demonstrates the same classic R.E.M sound that they have carried with them in their thirty years of producing.  The song, however, is far too similar to It Happened Today, making the album seem redundant.

The song Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I is a slow song compared to the speed of the rest of the album.  The song is almost sad or depressing at times, but it carries the distinct unique instrument styles that R.E.M carries with them throughout the years with a very predominant vocal in this song compared to others that they have produced.  The almost discordant harmonies between lead singer Michael Stipe and bassist Mike Mills add to the wail-like sound of this particular song.  The final song on the album, Blue, is a very bizarre song and is not one of the best that has been produced by the group. The lead vocal preformed by Stipe is a fast monotone that carries through most of the song. The secondary vocal for this song was preformed by singer Patti Smith, who has done backup vocals for the band many times throughout the years. 

Overall, Collapse Into Now is a generally good album that is very R.E.M. It was one of the band’s better albums that they have produced and was a great follow-up to Accelerate.

By: Meredith Geller and Annie Meaney

After months of planning, Westborough High School’s Environmental Club presents a new and much anticipated fundraiser, Battle of the Bands which will be held on Friday, March 18. For five dollars a ticket at lunch and seven dollars at the door, come watch your fellow students perform live in the gymnasium at 7 pm.

Senior E-Club President Nikki Benoit came up with the idea to raise money for the Environmental Club. Senior David Benites and English teacher Ms. Dassatti used their passion for music to add ideas and help plan for this organization. From lighting to decorations, both are very motivated to make this a successful night for the E-Club. Along with entertainment there will be concession to kick the night off in full swing.

So how does it all work? The bands will be competing for a prize and it’s up to the students and judges to decide who will come out on top. There are three ways that the bands will be evaluated. First, students and teachers should log on to whsbattleofthebands.bandzoogle.com to listen to one song from each band. The band with the most downloads wins that section of the battle. Next is the audience favorite. Mr. Joyce has provided a sound meter to determine the crowds’ favorite. Lastly, there will be a panel of judges with musical background to give their vote. The judges include Ms. Dassatti, Ms. Pelletier, and three other outsiders.

By: Charlotte Kruse

         Raising Hope takes a comedic and different approach towards a subject that has been talked about for a long time: teenage parenthood. In this new series, an unambitious teenager Jimmy, from a lower class family, has a fling with a girl who becomes pregnant. Unfortunately, Jimmy isn’t aware that the girl actually murders her boyfriends.

Once Jimmy and his family hear these important details about his new girlfriend, they take her to jail where she is sentenced to the death penalty. Jimmy takes the baby named Hope, home and to the dismay of his family decides to keep it.

            This series is different from other shows or stories about teenage parenthood because the mother usually bears the burden of taking care of the baby alone, but in Raising Hope, the roles are reversed and the father becomes the single parent.

It is interesting to watch how readily Jimmy gives up all of the usual perks of being a teenager and transforms into a responsible young adult when Hope enters his life.   I anticipate this to be a popular comedy, and I am curious to see the development of how this family helps out with Hope.

Miranda Higbee

You have probably heard a lot about this intense drama, but what people may not be telling you is that this film was one of the best pictures for the year 2010. If you haven’t yet witnessed this epic combination of insanity and struggle, then you are in for a crazy ride because Natalie Portman proves herself as an actress and a dancer as she must lose herself in order to envelope the main character known as Nina.

The story begins with a young woman who struggles to find her inner self as a dancer, until she is given the lead role in the edited version of Swan Lake. However, she ends up losing her mind in order to fill the part.

The director brilliantly presented this story in a dark thriller filled with insanity and passion.  Although “Black Swan” may be a little mature for some younger viewers it is still the “must see” movie of the year.

 I would suggest the film “Black Swan” to anybody who is interested in dance and thrillers.

image: www.scholastic.com/thehungergames

By Erin Reynolds

             Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, is the highly anticipated conclusion to the popular Hunger Games series. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire were the first two books of the series. Catching Fire ended in a suspenseful cliff-hanger when Katniss, the main character, was rescued by a helicopter from the rebel state District 13. In Mockingjay, Katniss joins the rebels and the revolution begins. Readers have been clamoring for this book. 450,000 copies of Mockingjay were sold in the first week of its release. It was #1 on the USA Today bestseller list as well as on the New York Times list.

Despite the praise, I expected Mockingjay to be a dramatic yet predictable story in which the faultless rebels came out on top and the main characters lived happily ever after. This book defied my expectations. Although it is clearly a fantasy book, Mockingjay deals with war in a refreshingly realistic way. In this book, the rebels are not faultless. They use Katniss as a figurehead and take advantage of her, similar to what the Capitol did in the earlier books. The rebels perform despicable acts in order to win the war. President Coin is cold and calculating, almost as heartless and President Snow. In reality and in Mockingjay, wars are not as simple as good against evil.

Suzanne Collins addresses the issue of morality in war-time, rather than ignoring it or smoothing it over as some fantasy writers do. Gale personifies the mindset of doing whatever must be done in order to win, even if it means harming innocents. Katniss, on the other hand, empathizes with the enemy. She understands that most of the people the rebels are fighting are innocent citizens. This added another philosophical level to the book. 

            Mockingjay ended on a bittersweet note. Peeta and Katniss do return to their home and live together, but not happily ever after. Both are scarred mentally and emotionally by the war. I liked the ending because a perfectly happy ending would have been unrealistic; while a sad ending would have devastated readers. However, the ending was abrupt and didn’t take the time to tie up all the loose ends.

            In my opinion, the only negative aspect of this book is the main character. I think Katniss is foolish, clueless, and reckless. She makes stupid, predictable decisions. I find it hard to identify with Katniss. But overall, Mockingjay is a book worth reading. It’s full of action and shocking plot twists. The language is fairly simple, so the book is easy to get through. I recommend Mockingjay for fantasy-loving readers of all ages.

“Morning Glory”: What’s the Story? 
    
     Fairly late on Saturday night, some friends and I arrived at the movie
theatre, unaware of any movie times, in
hopes of finding something to watch.  Standing in line, ticket money in hand, we
decided to see “Morning Glory”.  We were pleasantly surprised.

      “Morning Glory”, starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison
Ford, and Diane Keaton is funny, clever, and will leave you with a good feeling
upon exiting the building.  I went in expecting another chick flick about some
girl dealing with a stressful life in the city, but came out impressed.

 A basic
summary of the movie is that a rookie news station executive producer tries to
significantly bring up the ratings of her laughably downtrodden morning news
show, and along the way a mixture of hilarity and a small amount of
meaningfulness ensue.

I would recommend Morning Glory to almost anyone that has
a sense of humor, because it would easily get a thumbs up by viewers.