Shenanigans bringing Uncle Dayton to students

Everyone is awaiting the upcoming Shenanigan’s show “My Uncle Dayton”, being performed on January 20^th and 21^st. This comical improvisational group has made the students at RB literally laugh at loud.

Junior James Landahl said, “’My Uncle Dayton’ is the story of a sloppy uncle with lots of hilarity.”

The Shenanigans Improv shows seem to always have a great turn out. The students at RB seem to really enjoy it. People seem to like it because it is a fun and cheap way to spend your weekend. There almost is always a full house.

Landahl said, “In the past we’ve had a good eight packed shows. This year we’re expecting none the less.”

Senior Sam Friend said, “I’m really stoked for the show. It’s different every time we perform it. Part of the fun is that there are always new sketches.”

Senior George Suchy said, “The show will be really funny. This is one of our biggest show action wise.”

The group consists of Jacob Palka, George Suchy, James Landahl, Sam Friend, Allison Nicolai, Andrew Payton, Sara Nie, Abe Ourth, Lorelei Volpe, Conor Fagon and Andy Volpe.

Landahl said, “This year we lost a lot seniors but we gained so many new people. Each show we do is different from the last. It’s all in the development.”

This year at RB there have been many cuts in extracurriculars because of the slim budget. Shenanigans has hung in there so they are hoping for a lot of support from the RB community.

Landahl said, “We are one of the last self sustained clubs remaining. So come out and support the school and community while at the same time getting a laugh out of it.”

The title of this show is a little random. Some might ask, what is the story behind the title ‘My Uncle Dayton’?

Friend said, “George Suchy has an uncle named Dayton from Hawaii. All of us just thought it was sort of funny.”

Suchy said, “If you look at the poster for the show closely, you can see Uncle Dayton’s face in the letters. He’s a cool guy.”

Landahl said, “I would like to give a shout out to Uncle Dayton, the man.”

Super 8: Get in the know

Iron Man II is most likely to be one of the biggest money makers of the year and especially the summer. Much like Transformers was a few summers ago. That is why JJ Abrams, the producer and director of Lost, attached the teaser trailer for his first secret project, Cloverfield, to Transformers. He has done it again with his new teaser for his next upcoming project Super 8.

If you have not seen the trailer, it starts with a truck driving onto train tracks and suddenly the train comes and hits it. A giant explosion happens and the train quickly derails and flips over. The as the camera slowly pans over to the wreckage you hear an almost alien sounding scream as the camera quickly turns to black. The movie is reported to take place in 1979, when Super 8 video cameras where commonly used.

The movie is the first collaboration between Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams. It is supposedly a modern take on classic alien abduction films. Since Spielberg was at the helm of many of those movies I bet he will be able to give great ideas towards the movie.

The movie has been announced recently but the viral marketing has already started.  The first website www.scariestthingieversaw.com which features an old computers codes and data. The website has many surprises but only a few have been found. I encourage everyone to navigate the page and try to find out more. I am pretty sure there will be many ore viral pages up soon but it takes the fans to find them.

Although this movie is still secretive and there is not a lot known, I have very high hopes for it. I can not wait to discover more secrets and hope everyone online will help uncover the truth about this film.

It’s not all banana peels and whip cream pies: Cartoon Comedy reviews

Family Guy- After reading our very own Dear Marge, I realized that “Family Guy” was no longer the funniest show on TV. It has lost its original “we are not just The Simpsons” flair, especially after its revival. I have not personally laughed at the show in months. I believe the only way to fix this show is to have Seth Macfarlane work on it more. Create a good story and then add Family Guy irreverent humor. This is what people want to see, not just 30 second random gags.

The Simpsons- I find this show to be a lot better than the last few seasons, however the biggest problem is the lack of ideas after 20 years; maybe The Simpsons has just lost it. They just need a break. I say take the down time in between seasons and really concoct a great season. Do not focus on old characters and have less random episodes. I think ‘The Simpsons” movie was a good change. It showed that they are in fact still funny but they just need the time to concentrate and really get back to business.

South Park- I do not know how these guys work. They take current issues and turn them into a hilarious show the next week. I personally have laughed at every episode in recent memory, but that does not mean the writers do not have their flaws. “South Park” does not always need to be topical like Tiger Woods’ sex scandal or the legalization of marijuana in certain areas. I personally find that episodes based around characters like the hatred between Nathan and Jimmy or Towlies drug addiction can be funny now and it will be funny in a year. To stay funny, they need to be themselves and not news analysts.

The Boondocks- Aaron Macgruder’s comic strip turned into a cartoon on Adult Swim. The show deals with a lot of race and political issues, but handles it from several different angles. The young political activist, the ghetto kid, and the old grandfather show several sides on the issues. I really like this show but it has one big problem: its constant use of the N-word. It may be around in music and television, but there is absolutely no need for it to be the only word these characters udder. If they simply removed those words or replaced them, this show would be so much more enjoyable to a wider audience.

American Dad- Another one of Seth McFarlane’s many hits. I like this show, but I find my biggest problem with it lies in its characters, specifically Roger. He is a space alien who smokes, drinks and gets into some crazy adventures. This is funny, but when every single episode features a main plot about him seducing Francine, pooping out gold and diamonds or becoming a crooked cop. It becomes overdone. Take a break with Roger and go back to Stan and Steve’s relationship or even Klaus’ history. That is where the humor is and not in a stupid, crazy alien plot.

The Cleveland Show- This is one of the only shows that I have trouble finding any flaws in. There are occasional cut aways, but they work and the plot’s, albeit wild, almost always has a good story. I still say the show needs improvement with its background characters. I still don’t see the connections between them and the Browns. I also think the characters need much more development; show us a hint of the characters’ back story.

Michael Jackson: This is it?

Michael Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009. His death saddened the whole world but I can’t help but remember all his good and bad times. Michael’s first big hits ABC and I Want You Back with his family band The Jackson 5 and that pushed him to the top quicker than imaginable.

After releasing many hit albums and dozens of number 1 singles Jackson fell into a world of controversy. Starting with dangling his son off a hotel balcony, His molestation charges which he was found innocent.

Then the news came that he was coming back to the stage, his first concert since 1997 HIStory World Tour. Tickets for events sold out minutes after they were announced. Then like a bombshell Michael was found dead in his home.

 This led everyone to wonder about the status of his death and what was to become of one of the biggest concerts of all time. The movie of his concert rehearsals was announced on August 10^th but with a clause: the movie will be shown only for two weeks. This led many fans like myself to wonder why a movie that is going to be a big money maker only be in theaters for two weeks.

Sophomore Anthony Sacco expressed how most fans are feeling:  ”I hope it gets extended because it’s going to be closure for fans worldwide.”

Closure is the key word and although Colombia Pictures have not yet said anything about a longer release they do promise that a comprehensive DVD will be released with outtakes and such.

Girls Cross Country – The race for state

This year the girls cross country team is determined to make it to state once again. The runners plan on giving it their all at the upcoming conference meet on Saturday, October 17^th and in hopes of going all the way to state.

The runners “Can’t wait to get back to state” says Senior Sam Oberholtzer. The team has formed a very strong bond because they run every day after school and see each other on the weekends for meets. The girls really need to be there for one another especially around this time when they need to start pushing each other to get to state. They don’t mind though because they are a “Big family” says Senior Sydney Oberholtzer.

Winning conference is the team’s first big step to going to state. They need to keep up their pace by winning regional’s and then going to sectionals and finally making it to state. Last year the team made it to state, however despite great effort, they didn’t win.

This year they plan on winning their first state championship even though new teams have been added to the conference. Assistant coach Ms. Sterling has high hopes of beating Illiana Christian and Lemont.

Their chances this year remain high going into conference. Hopefully the family atmosphere will help them to push each other to the top.

Kid Cudi the track by track

The Down Low

Kid Cudi exploded onto the music scene with his hit song “Day N’ Nite” on his first full length album Man on the Moon/ End of Day in February. The CD has garnered rave reviews from many outlets like Entertainment Weekly and USA Today and even this reviewer. This is his first mix tape (a digital album to garner buzz and hype for the real album) and it’s quite a trip with its depressing lyrics to its upbeat tempo.

The Tracks

Intro-

Chitter chatter at a movie theatre, i’m not going to lie one of the more annoying intros I’ve ever heard

Down and Out-

This is one of Cudi’s best raps. He tells about his life it seems to be a preliminary Soundtrack 2 My Life and what I like about Kid Cudi is that he isn’t an everyday rapper. He tells sad stories about his father’s life and death and how hard it is growing up in a rough neighborhood.

Is There Any Love? –

I really like the sample music in the back but I’m not exactly enjoying Cudi’s rap. His beat is awesome but his lyrics not so much

CuDi Get-

The back round of a kid yelling and Cudi’s slick sounding lyrics mixed with his slower rapping style sounds great. This song is really great it tells a story and it also has some more gangster rap lyrics. Perfect mix

Man on the Moon-

This song has a sad tone like most of his music but this song also seems to speak of a more hopeful Cudi not the one who’s ready to die the one who’s ready to live.

The Prayer-

Another sad tone with happier lyrics, He feels he is here to revolutionize rap music. He doesn’t like the current music scene, so he’ going to change it. This song is very haunting but also very catchy. I like this one a lot.

Day N’ Nite-

Without a doubt his most catchy song on this album. Although it’s not his best rapping it’s some of if not the best singing. This auto-tune is growing on me.

Embrace the Martian-

A lot faster than his other songs. I don’t think he works best fast, his big hits and most catchy songs are slower paced. This song doesn’t really catch my attention.

Maui Wowie-

Another fast song but this time he handles himself better. His delivery seems to be more in sync with the music. This isn’t going to be a hit but it’s not exactly a terrible song.

50 Ways to Make a Record-

This doesn’t sound like a Kid Cudi song at all. It has an older beat and samples 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. His lyrics are good and his voice goes great with the beat and tempo. I really like this song especially the beat and he does have a good singing voice. I like this song

Whenever-

Slow, drumming beat with some laid back rhyme/singing is usually a good mix. This song is lacking though I enjoy it but it repeats the chorus way to many times the song is 2:03 long with only about 30 seconds of actual rap (which is not exactly great either). Disappointing especially after so many good songs in a row.

Pillow Talk-

I really enjoy this mix tape but his intros to songs take to long to start. This song really goes with whenever. The song has no rapping and is all sung by Kid Cudi. This song really doesn’t do anything for me but it is worth a listen to fill in the story of the rest of the album.

Save my Soul (The Cudi Confession) –

Although I can’t confirm this I think this song samples Gnarls Barkley’s hit Who’s Gonna Save My soul. The mix sounds great. Kid Cudi’s lyrics with Cee Lo’s smooth voice are great. I am a little disappointed with how much he raps I really think this song could have been a bigger hit than Day N’ Nite but the lyrics just don’t do it for me.

T.G.I.F. –

Real New York sounding. This song is not for me, if you like rappers like Ja Rule or Fat Joe you will like this song but I don’t like the beat although the lyrics do shine through.

Cudi Spazzin-

A very odd beat, sounds like the back round of an Audi commercial. I don’t really like the beat and quick delivery of his rhymes, although the chorus is catchy and more at my pace.

Cleveland is the Reason-

Very trippy beat, reminds me of a slowed down version of a Tech N9ne beat. This song has a catchy beat and some good lyrics but it lacks a little. I think it’s missing some of Kid Cudi’s sadder or at least heavier lyrics this seems like he’s just giving one long shout out to Cleveland.

Heaven at Nite-

This song is one of my favorites. The lyrics deal with a kids struggle with drugs, which he finds comfort in. The lyrics are deep but Cudi handles it in a good way. He doesn’t ruin the song by preaching but he doesn’t condone it either, he admits it’s the underbelly of the music industry.

Rollin Remix-

The beat and lyrics mix well, a very good ending to a very good mix.

The Final Say

There are several songs that I love to listen to on this mix tape but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its flaws. Some songs that stuck out as particularly disappointing are “Whenever” and “Pillow Talk” they’re garbage compared to the rest. He really showed his chops on this tape with songs like “CuDi Get” and “The Prayer”. I’d recommend downloading this whole mix tape and also if you like this I’d recommend purchasing Man on the Moon/End of Day.

Rating 8 out of 10