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| Entertainment December 2003, Volume 7, No. 2 |
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By Jennifer L.
Recently, my family and I ate at Portillo's in Bloomingdale located at 134 E. Lake Street. We went on a Saturday at lunchtime. It was busy, but we didn't have to wait very long.
We ordered a hotdog, an Italian beef sandwich, the antipasta salad, and my sister ordered spaghetti from Barney's, which is owned by Portillo's and connected to it.
I think Portillo's has excellent food. I especially like the hotdogs. I would highly recommend Portillo's to everyone.
In addition to hotdogs, they serve chili, assorted sandwiches, burgers, fries, salads, soups, and much more. I rated everything below on a scale from 1-5, with 5 being the best.
Food: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Cleanliness: 5
Value for money: 4
Kid Friendliness: 5
Overall Experience: 5
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Scary Movie 3 is a hit
By Aziza H.
A movie that recently came out and many people wanted to see or already have seen is Scary Movie 3.
The movie parodies other popular movies such as 8 mile, Signs and The Ring.
A reporter named Cindy meets up with an old friend, Brenda, at her nephew's school. They become best friends and Brenda keeps a secret from her, that she will only have seven more days to live because she has seen a cursed videotape.
After you see the video, you will get a mysterious phone call saying that you will have seven more days to live (from The Ring). Brenda ends up dying and Cindy finds out how and takes the tape.
She watches it and gets the phone call; she does not know what is going on until she gets the message. Meanwhile, on a farm UFO's have left a strange message (from Signs).
Cindy meets the farmer's brother, George, at the same place she met Brenda. He is a "rapper" who performs on stage almost everyday (from 8 mile).
Cindy gets all the information she needs to figure out who is behind it all.
I will not tell you what happens from this point on, because you have to see for yourself. Sorry!
Overall, this was a good movie, but it could have been better. On a scale from 1 to 4, I would rate this movie a 3.
It was hilarious and a little scary, but it could still use some work. If you like comedies with thriller, action and adventure, then this is the movie for you!
Overall rating: 3, on a scale from 1-4
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
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School of Rock rocks theatres
By Shane D.
If you like music and comedy, I recommend that you see School of Rock.
In this movie there are many exciting parts and a lot of catchy music.
School of Rock stars Jack Black as the main character who gets a teaching job at a very preppy school after being fired from his band.
Instead of teaching his students normal subjects, he teaches them how to play rock instruments. Once the children get very good at playing, he takes them to a concert to perform for a $10,000 grand prize.
He personally needs the money to pay his apartment rent. He doesn't have the money and needs it fast otherwise he will be evicted.
I can't tell you if he wins the contest or not.
All I can say is that School of Rock is a great movie and you should go see it as soon as possible.
Genre: Musical Comedy
Rating: PG-13
My Overall Rating: * * * *
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School of Rock
By Andrea P.
Jack Black is back with his new movie School of Rock.
Black plays a down and out rock star who has just been fired from his own band.
Black needs a job quick to pay his rent.
One day he answers a phone call for a substitute teaching job for his roommate. Black impersonates his roommate by accepting the teaching job at a prep school.
What happens next in this movie will keep you laughing. This movie deserves four stars!
Rating PG-13
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Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
By Leonardo M.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour combines the sport of golf with the Mario gang. It's only for the Nintendo Gamecube. It was made by Nintendo and Camelot Co, Ltd.
You can play either by yourself or up to four players together.
It is rated E for everyone, there's no blood or any fighting, it's just a clean game of golf.
Mario Golf was released on July 29, 2003 and since then it has been $49.75 at Wal-Mart, $49.99 at Target and Best Buy.
Gamespot.com gave Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour an 8.3 out of ten points, which isn't bad. They also they graded it for the sound, graphics, and play control, and gave them an eight out of ten points.
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The fun thing about the game is that each character has eight taunts, four good and four bad. |
So if the hole has par 5, you have to get the ball into the hole within the par 5.
If you get one stroke under par, it's a birdie. If you get the ball into the hole two strokes under par, it's called an eagle. If you are lucky enough to get the ball into the hole three strokes under par, it's called a double eagle.
So then after every hole, you go to a new hole.
You can play the whole eighteen hole course, you can play the first nine holes, or the last nine holes.
The fun thing about the game is that each character has eight taunts, four good and four bad.
The four good taunts are stuff like, "Do Your Best!" and "You're The Best." Bad taunts would be something like someone sneezing or "Move It!"
Some of the characters are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Birdo, and Bowser.
Hints:
Secret Characters-
Shadow Mario- Collect every badge in Tournament Mode.
Petey Piranha- Complete all side games (besides birdie challenge) on beginner, intermediate, and expert.
Bowser Jr.- Complete Ring Shot Mode.
Boo- Get 50 Best Badges
Star Characters- Star characters are the same normal characters, but they have stars on them. You could choose whether or not to leave the character normal or change him/her into a star character. (If you add the star, the characters' stats will go lower.)
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
By Pedro M.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tells the story of four turtles who one day are mutated into humanlike form by a mysterious ooze. With the help of a rat named Splinter the turtles take the next big step by learning the martial arts and becoming super heroes.
The game's plot revolves around a mystical sword that is being searched for by the evil Shredder and his army of foot ninjas known as the Foot Clan. Along the way you'll encounter many faces including the turtles best pal April and the hockey mask-sporting hero.
The game's story is told in episode fashion, with each stage containing its own story. Every stage has around five or six areas you must complete before passing to the next stage.
The cut scenes are actually done well, but the in-engine stuff only has characters standing around occasionally shaking their fists or changing their facial expression to signify being mad or something similar.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bases its game play on the classic "beat them up" titles. The game play is about as simple as it can get. Though you can play as any of the four turtles, they all handle the same.
There are four basic action controls that let you perform basic attacks, spin attacks, jumps, and throws. You also have the ability to execute an uppercut attack, where you throw your opponent in the air and juggle him.
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The game’s plot revolves around a mystical sword that is being searched for by the evil Shredder and his army of foot ninjas known as the Foot Clan. |
You can earn new attacks and stats for your chosen turtle by taking part in Dojo missions. Dojo missions are training levels that appear from time to time, where you have to complete various tasks assigned by master splinter.
The one nice thing is that this game contains a multi player component. You and a friend can pair up against shredders forces in the game's story mode, similar to the classic version.
Playing the game in two-player mode is a lot more fun than playing by yourself. The most depressing thing about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is that you cannot play as the four turtles considering there are four turtles.
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The Advice Column
We can help you
Authors of questions and answers will remain anonymous.
Our first question was from a seventh grader: "Everyone is bragging about how they have a boyfriend or girlfriend. I do like someone, but I don't know what to do."
First of all, the people who are bragging shouldn't bother you. Being jealous will just make you more frustrated. Either way you shouldn't have to worry because junior high is still a little early to worry about this.
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Whatever you do, don’t use friends to get through to talking to him. |
Whatever you do, don't use friends to get through to talking to him. This could cause bad rumors and things could get all messed up. The best thing to do when talking to him is to talk to him without friends, confidently, and most important is to just be you.
The second question received was from a sixth grader: "Some boys always tease everyone. The teachers never see them. One of my friends gets picked on all the time. He won't talk to me anymore. I need help."
What you should do about your friend is try to talk to him through a friend or letter. First thing you want to do is ask him "Why don't you want to talk to me anymore?" Mention how you used to be good friends and ask why he broke that friendship. Also don't force anything from him.
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Confidently stand up to the bullies and tell them to leave you alone. |
If that doesn't work, you should get a big group of friends against them. Confidently stand up to the bullies and tell them to leave you alone. Bullies don't like good comebacks or rebellion against them, but you shouldn't do anything that could get you in trouble.
Our third question was from a seventh grader: I have a friend who I can't stand, but he's nice and such. The thing is he has been showing off lately, and that's what I hate in people. Please help me!"
The most important thing for you to do is admit to your friend what you think of him. Most likely your friend will deny what you say. If he is really your friend he will try not to brag so much.
You really need to explain to your friend with examples of when he has bragged in order to get through to him. Also, don't be mean or rude when talking to him. If he still bothers you the same or even more, you should reconsider your friendship.
Our next question is from a seventh grader: My best friend and I got into an argument because her best friend is bad news. She won't talk to me anymore. How can I make things better?
If you can't talk to your friend then you should try to get through to her through a letter or friend. You also might want to apologize for what you may have said, and you shouldn't deny anything you did wrong.
Once you have regained her friendship, explain to her without criticism why her friend is no good. If she really is your friend she'll be more aware of what happens or she might even give up the relationship.
And our final question is from an eighth grader: "There is a seventh grader who is stalking me! What should I do?"
If no real serious things are going on you should just ignore it and talk to your friends or an adult about it. Ask if they can help you with your problem.
If this becomes a case of voyeurism (Peeping Tom) you should tell a higher authority to handle him.
If this still continues you should notify the police. You shouldn't have to be scared to tell another person about this.
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Lost dog visits Peacock lunch
On Thursday, November 20, 2003, a lost dog visited eighth grade recess. The dog began chasing after a soccer ball with the students, not always returning the ball. The Itasca Police soon arrived to return the dog to his rightful owners.
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