Teen Wolf- MTV

The Gist

Scott McCall is about as average as you can get.  He has his one best friend that he trusts with everything and his name is Stiles.  One night Scott is in his room and he hears something happen downstairs so he runs down with a bat and finds that it is just Stiles.  He tells Scott that his dad (who is a police officer) is trying to find a killer who killed a girl in the woods and only left half of her body and that Stiles wants to go and try to find the other half.  Scott reluctantly agrees to go and they embark on their journey.  As they travel through the woods they get split up and Scott starts to hear things so as Scott runs away he is attacked and bit by something on his side.  He returns safely home and readies himself for school the next day.  From the second he gets up the morning things don't feel exactly right.  He can hear things from far away, his reflexes are sharp and everything just seems a little more heightened.  That day in one of his classes Scott overhears a conversation from a girl that he has never seen before.  Her name is Allison and from the second that he sees her she is on his radar.  Meanwhile, Stiles is trying to figure out what Scott is and what is happening to his best friend.  He soon figures out that Scott is a werewolf and that the one who bit him was the mysterious Derek Hale who lives in the woods by himself.  Scott goes to confront Derek but Derek says that he was not the one to bite him and it was someone else. Now, Scott has to figure out who bit him, if Derek can be trusted, why someone would want him in their pack and if he can capture and keep Allison's heart. 


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Number of Seasons: 2
I never EVER thought that I would admit the statement that....I LOVE TEEN WOLF.  The journey of Teen Wolf all started on a day where my sister and I were watching TV and we saw a commercial for Teen Wolf and laughed our heads off because it looked like one of the stupidest shows ever.  Naturally, we had to watch it so we set up our DVR recording and went on our way.  As the date of the pilot came closer and closer  my sister and I found ourselves more anxious to watch and see what a train wreck this show was gonna be.  After watching the first episode we realized that we were completely WRONG.  This show is awesome!  I never thought that I would be the person to religiously watch a TV show but after watching Teen Wolf there was no going back.  First off, the script is written by the same guy that does Criminal Minds and so in that sense you really can't go wrong.  Second, there is no one famous in this series (besides the Aunt, played by Jill Wagner from Wipeout) and I am finding this year that the less famous people in something generally, the better that it is.
The plot of this show was actually really good too although on the surface it seems really dumb and main stream.  The screenwriter did a great job of developing all of the characters and making the audience feel for them.  When one of the characters gets hurt then I was hurt watching it and I wanted all of the characters to be happy at all times (except the bad characters).  The script was also good because it was witty and believable.  Unlike most shows about teenagers on television nowadays this show has the teens talking like actual teens.  Conversations that the characters in this show have are conversations that me and my friend would have on a regular basis.  Each episode also has me hooked from beginning to end and my eyes are glued to the TV.  This is something that is rare nowadays because half way through each episode I lose interest and start staring at random things in the room and completely forget that I am watching an episode.  This has never happened with Teen Wolf and the only time I have ever taken away my eyes from the TV was to talk to Dream or Living about what was happening.


The characters of this show are awesome!  My favorite character on this show by far is Stiles.  He is Scott's best friend who is the comic relief of the show and helps relieve Scott's stress in tense situations.  Every time there is a scene with Stiles my friends and I anxiously wait for his lines and usually end up having to pause the episode because we are laughing so hard and can't hear anything else going on in the scene.  After every episode there is always one line of Stiles that we repeat for a straight week and there are jokes that we still talk about today and laugh just as hard at as if it were the first time we had heard the joke.  The main character of the series is Scott and he is probably my third favorite character in the series just behind Derek.  Scott is a great character because he is very true to a lot of teens in high school.  He is caring and loyal to his friends but sometimes he is extremely stubborn and ignorant.  Scott is also going through the most changes out of everyone in the series and so it arguable that he has the most right to be upset out of all of the characters.  Tyler Posey (who plays Scott) is a really good actor and makes you believe that one minute he is happy and the next he is extremely upset about something.  Derek is my second favorite character in the series and I'm not really sure why.  He is a complete jerk to everyone but on the outside but on the inside he really cares about Scott and Stiles and wouldn't want any harm to come to them.  There is something about his character that I really like and whenever he is onscreen I believe that the actor is Derek and no one else.  It is really funny to see pictures of the cast behind-the-scenes because Derek never smiles but in all of the photos he is smiling and that was really shocking.  My forth favorite character in the series is Allison and she plays Scott's girlfriend.  She is a good actress and at points I really like her character but then at other points I can't stand her character and she annoys the heck out of me, but that is what she is supposed to be doing at that point in time.  After Allison there really is no list all of the other characters (Lydia, Jackson, Kate and more) are all kind of equal and they are all special in there own little way.
If you are reading this and you have never watched Teen Wolf, then you must go home and record or go to the store and buy Teen Wolf.  I guarantee that you will not regret it and you will like it even more if you start watching it with friends.  Bottom line. Teen Wolf is absolutely fantastic.
Real Teen Rating~ A+:  MOST DEFINITELY SHOULD WATCH!

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David Cook- This Loud Morning (Deluxe Version)

Reviewed by The North Star
Song Time: 56 Minutes and 14 Seconds
While watching American Idol people tend to attach to one person once it gets down to the top 12 and then they root for them to whole way and want them to win and are really sad when they get kicked off (unless they win).  When the seventh season of Idol started almost no one predicted David Cook to win, but as more contestants got kicked off and you had to pick someone else to favor David Cook became very popular.  Then once he won, everyone rejoiced and said that once his album came out they would be waiting in line for the doors to open to buy the CD.  Sadly, David's second album didn't get much publicity when it actually was pretty good!

This Loud Morning
Buy it here and support our blog

Circadian- 8.5/10- This song to me is all about how things a lot of the time are thrown to chance and how a lot of the time the things that most people to believe to be not true are actually in fact, true.  When I first heard this song all I did was listen to the background music to the song because the beat of the drums and guitar really compliment each other and provides this nice ring.  The beginning also has a little music box playing and I really liked that because it was different.  The more that I listened to this I heard the lyrics and just enjoyed the song that much more.  The couple things that I didn't like about it was the repetitive nature that it had at points but other than that a good song!


Right Here, With You- 7.5/10- David Cook is the master at having great guitar parts playing behind him but this song lacked for me.  I'll listen to it if it comes up on my iPod but I would not go searching for this song.  This sounds like a song they threw together to play to the teenage girl listeners, but David Cook wasn't too crazy about it.  The lyrics are cheesy and it sounds like a million other songs but, the guitar part is amazing!

We Believe- 9/10- This song isn't the greatest instrumental wise (mainly because it sounds like every song on the radio) but the lyrics to this song are AWESOME! The beginning of this song sounds like a U2 song and I was really confused at first but then I realized that it was a David Cook song. My favorite lyric is: We believe there's a reason that we're all here, that every doubt will disappear.  I'm not sure why that is my favorite line in the song but ever since I heard it I can't get it out of my head.  All in all, if you are looking for a song with good lyrics this one is a winner.  

Fade Into Me- 7/10- I'm not to crazy about this song.  The instrumental isn't creative and the lyrics are also lame.  I think the song is supposed to be about this guy and he is saying that him and his love are so perfect for one another that they feel everything together so if one hurts then the other one hurts and also how since they have this connection the other half can sense it and make them feel better, because they feel it themselves.  It is an interesting song concept but it wasn't executed very well and I think could have been done A LOT better.  I do not recommend this song.

Hard to Believe- 8.5/10- The versus' of this song are very weak but I can never get enough of the chorus.  The lyrics aren't even that good at the chorus but the music with David Cook's voice mixed in, it makes a perfect blending and it sounds awesome.  The rest of the song is just eh and sounds like a lot of the other songs on his CD.


Take Me As I Am- 6.5/10- The sad thing about this song is that if it were a single I would like it a lot more (meaning I hadn't heard any of the rest of the CD).  After listening to the CD as a whole it doesn't seem as special anymore.  The lyrics don't stand out and neither does the music.  It sounds exactly like 3 other songs on the album but not done as well.  Don't get me wrong, it is a good song but it doesn't match up to the high standard that the other songs have on the table.


Time Marches On- 8/10- This song is just kind of there for me.  There is nothing bad about it, nothing great about it either. If it came on while listening to songs on shuffle I wouldn't skip it and I would probably end up singing with the song by the end of it.  One to look at if you really enjoyed David Cook music.


The Last Goodbye- 9.5/10- This was the first single off of this CD and I was really excited when it first came out because it was a new David Cook song and it had been a long time since his last album had come out.  The lyrics don't quite make sense at first but they are just kind of catchy and after hearing the song a couple of times it really grew on me and now every time it shows up on the radio it is a pleasant surprise and I turn up the volume! One to keep your eye on, I feel that it might get it's chance on the radio one of these days! Worth the download!


Paper Heart- 12/10- This is by far my FAVORITE song on this CD! The song is perfect from beginning to end.  The versus' are emotion filled with great lyrics and are slower on the mellow side, but then he hits the chorus with power and I can't help but sing out when I hear it no matter where I am, and if I am in a place where it should be quiet I mouth the words and I do get some strange lyrics.  Paper Heart is one of those songs you dance to in your room pretending to be the lead singer in a band with the guitar strung around your shoulder.  In general, awesome song!


4 Letter Word- 9/10- I like this song, despite it's extreme cheesiness.  When I first saw the title to the song I could predict the 4 letter word and I think that anyone who reads it can guess what it is, but it is a cute little song.  Although it is extremely cheesy it is more rocky so it sets it apart from the stereotypical love ballad.  One to buy if the iTunes money is sitting in your account but, not necessary.


Goodbye to the Girl- 11/10- This is one of my favorite songs from the CD!  Most of David Cook's music is heavy and metallic sounding but this one is on the mellow side and you can start to hear why he won American Idol.  His voice is so pure and with this song it feels like he is really getting into it and feeling what the lyrics are saying and not just singing them as if they are words on a page. Great Job David!


Rapid Eye Movement- 8/10- This song is exactly like the song Time Marches On to me, it is OK it is just kind of there.  Fun Fact: This is the song that he says the title of the album!


This Is Not the Last Time- 6.5/10- This and Let Me Fall For You were bonus tracks on this CD.  I have found that after listening to a lot of bonus tracks of CD's they are either the best part of the CD or not so great.  This song falls under the category of not so great.  Literally sounds exactly like another song on the CD so much that if you played them next to each other you probably wouldn't notice when the song switched over.  The only redeeming quality of this song is the bridge because it is different and not the same old same old.


Let Me Fall For You- 9.5/10- As the second bonus song on the CD I would expect the song to be as bad as the first bonus song but this one was actually really good.  The thing that set this sound apart from all the other ones was that in this song he used a piano which is extremely rare in David Cook songs.  He also uses a lot of repetition in this song but it actually works.  I actually like this song because it about a girl that is very secluded and does not want to let anyone in but this guy is singing about how she should let him in because he would never hurt/break her and she should just let him fall for her.  I like that because it is a different scenario that almost no one sings about.


Real Teen Rating:On the fence of C+: You could go either way on this. . .


Real Teen Download: Paper Heart, Goodbye to the Girl and The Last Goodbye

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Happy Holidays!

I've finally gotten a free moment today, after celebrating with my family since eight o'clock.  It's been a fun, crazy day here in my household, and very busy.  But I've been thinking, and I've decided that it isn't worth it to be politically correct during the holiday season, as it is so appropriately titled.  Saying happy holidays just isn't very caring, or personal, or even right.  I know I named this post happy holidays, but it's still lame.  So I guess what I really want to say here is that whether it be merry christmas, happy hanukkah, joyous kwanzaa, blessed yule, or any other sort of holiday or special occasion you celebrate, I'm here hoping that you have an incredible day, and an incredible rest of the year.  Make 2012 something magical; after all, there are people who think the world will end by next year, so make it count.  No matter what you believe in or what you celebrate, enjoy the day, enjoy the time, the season, the feeling of together that fills the air during the end of the year.  Thank you all for being you, and keep doing it, because you affect the world in ways you might not ever see.  We all do.  A saying I got on a holiday card to leave you with: merry everything happy always!

Love,
Living Destiny

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Christmas Music

Reviewed by Living Destiny


Happy Holidays everyone!  Woo!  Now that it's December - or really just after Thanksgiving - the one thing that becomes predominant in any public setting is seasonal music.  Every store you walk in is playing some sort of Christmas-y, snow filled musical concoction.  And I feel two ways about this.  Any time before December 11th, the mass amounts of holiday music really makes me mad.  It's no where near the holidays!  When you start playing me Christmas music in NOVEMBER, I will breath fire.  Copious amounts of fire.  At your face.  And you deserve it, because it isn't even the right month for that music.  But then my opinion starts to shift, in a drastic sort of way.  Once it's December 11th, which is exactly two weeks before Christmas, I love holiday music.  It totally gets me into the spirit walking around my house belting out Baby It's Cold Outside or Blue Christmas.  Two weeks is a respectable amount of time to play Christmas music.  Not so much that my head explodes, but not so little that I look like Scrooge.  It's just right.  I love all the different singers who try their hand at holiday songs.  I have six different versions of Baby It's Cold Outside on my iTunes.  I have now referenced that song twice.  Yeaaaaaaaa!  Wow.  I even have some random, obscure Christmas songs that no one has ever heard of, thanks to the free single thing on iTunes.  There's this one called The Heart of Christmas that I listen to all the time.  I think what I like most about holiday music is that it seems to be the one thing that everyone can agree on.  Even if you're like me, and you only enjoy listening to it for two weeks, everyone will listen to it at some point during this season, and everyone will smile and sing along just a little bit, if not more.  Maybe you just get a little smile, or maybe you're like me and rock out to whichever holiday song is playing over the loudspeakers at the supermarket, and make other people smile at your enthusiasm.  But however you enjoy it, you do enjoy it.  And the point of this season, for me anyway, is for everyone to come together over a common something.  If that common something happens to be music that everyone knows and can sing along to, so be it.  I think it's beautiful.  Plus, as ShoreWhisperer continues to tell me and is trying to get me to listen to even as I type this in the school library, Justin Bieber made a Christmas album that is apparently "the best". So that's a bonus.

Real Teen Rating ~ Gets you into the spirit! Yay!!!

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Melancholia - Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland

The Gist

Melancholia
Buy it here and support our blog

Justine (Kirsten Dunst) just got married. Her sister and brother-in-law payed for and organized everything. All Justine has to do is be happy. And at first she is. But when her divorced parents quarrel at dinner she begins to feel a bit disconnected for her party, her family, and even her new husband. As Justine begins to feel more and more alienated she begins to withdraw herself from the party for long periods of time - her actions becoming more and more desperate.
Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is Justine's sensible sister. Though frustrated with her sister's moods, she understands Justine more than anyone else, and takes care of her no matter what. While trying to help her sister, Claire also has her own worries to deal with. Her husband, John (Kiefer Sutherland), is a scientist and talks of a planet hidden behind the sun for years. A planet that will soon be visible to the naked eye from Earth. A planet rushing through space towards them. A planet called Melancholia. Though John assures her Melancholia has no chance at hitting Earth, Claire feels sure that something bad is about to occur. But there's nothing she can do to stop it.

What We Think
Reviewed  by Dream Catcher
Run Time: 136 Minutes
Rating: R
So. I heard about this what seems like years ago but was probably a few months tops. My mind is weird like that. But anyways, I started hearing about it again recently. Where? Entertainment Weekly. They were trying to convince me to go out and watch this movie - they told me it was fantastic and beautiful and symbolic and all that jazz every movie aspires to be. So what did I do? I trusted my Entertainment Weekly and I watched it. The worst decision ever.
So, I think I'm going to start out with the thing that was the best; the acting. I'd heard Kirsten Dunst might get nominated for best actress in the Oscars for this. And, truth is, she was actually really, really good. Her character was really interesting and complex and she made everything about her believable, even things that shouldn't be. Like deserting your own wedding? Normally, people don't do that. Dunst somehow made me believe it. Charlotte Gainsbourg was actually pretty good, too. She did well as the emotionally stable sister in the beginning, and the one falling apart in the end. The other main character, Claire's husband, John, was pretty mediocre. He was nothing to rave about but he wasn't noticeably bad. His character was pretty bland, so you can't really blame him for that, I guess. The acting was by far the best part of the movie. It was really convincing. But when I say it was the "best part" I really mean it was the "only part". Because nearly everything else was terrible, contrary to popular opinion.
The script was written by the director, Lars von Trier. Ever heard of him? Apparently he's pretty famous. I've never heard of him OR his supposedly beautiful movies. Eh. Well, he wrote the script and it was perfectly average, except for the fact that nothing made any sense and the segments of the movie were unforgivably disconnected. The dialogue itself was fine. The sister-sister relationship was believable, the husband-wife relationship was fine, the end-of-the-world panic was good. But the script is the plot. And the problem wasn't exactly lack of one...it was the fact that the story contained two mostly unrelated plots. The first section is just about Justine's disastrous wedding and her even more disastrous depression (otherwise known as melancholia). The next thing I know I'm watching everything from her sister's perspective - Justine is comatose in her sadness and Claire is freakish in her panic. Suddenly it's not at all about the wedding or the effects of that. It's about a planet. Do those things seem at all connected? No. In a desperate attempt to understand, I went to the Melancholia website and was half-reading an interview with Lars von Trier about the movie. It shed some light on some things. Some. Melancholia  is an old-fashion word for depression, so if you have depression you're a melancholiac. That's why the movie is named Melancholia; Justine is a melancholiac (and because the planet is called Melancholia - who knows why). So, the movie is supposed to be exhibiting how a melancholiac deals with the end of the world versus how the average person deals with it. Moral being: melancholiacs are so apathetic they deal with the end of the world as if it's any other day - depending on the melancholiac there may even be some celebration involved. This is put up against the manic freak out of the average person. I think dear friend Lars is trying to subtly tell us something. I just haven't figured out if he's saying melancholiacs are better, or if he's just comparing and contrasting. If it's that latter, a simple Venn diagram would have sufficed, Lars. If it's the former, it would make a little more sense. Lars is a melancholiac, after all (another thing I learned on his website), so asserting his awesomeness via film would make some sense. Maybe. Except I really don't think that was his full intention when he wrote the script. I think he was going for something deep - and because he was so OBVIOUSLY trying for thought-provoking people bought into it. Wow, he has some wicked cool slow-mo images at the beginning that symbolize the meaning of the film as a whole! I think I'm supposed to be impressed! Critics say. But I don't buy it. Just because something is intended to be awesomely mind-blowing doesn't mean it is. I think some people forget that.
I will go into cinematography because it's something that I find to be really interesting and  - when pulled off correctly - makes the entire film a whole lot more beautiful. This was another good point of the movie. The cinematography was fantastic. And, though I did just recently taunt the opening scene symbolism, it was really beautiful. The pictures were grim with a sad edginess to them. My complaint there was that each was a little to dragged out - everything could have been cut a little better. If I based my grade entirely on cinematography, the movie would get an A for sure. But I don't. And though I loved this aspect of the movie - the aspect every critic focuses on with no mention of anything else - there has to be more than that to make a real film.
I'll finish ranting soon and you can go and finish watching the movie, or start watching the movie, or make plans to watch the movie, because I know my review is probably the only of its kind in the entire universe at the moment - I am the only one to dislike Melancholia. Or so it seems.You'll want to see it anyway, and I shrug at that; I would if I were you, too.
I'll end with two things. One thing I liked, and one thing I hated. Loved: there's this specific scene which I cannot get out of my head, and I honestly do love. Justine has just gotten to Claire's house and Claire has prepared Justine's favorite meal (meatloaf) in hope that it'll bring her back to the land of the living. She helps Justine in the room and into a chair in front of the dinner table. "Do you smell that?"
"Meatloaf." Dunst's portrayal is perfect. She cuts off a slice of said meatloaf and puts it in her mouth. Chews. Everyone watches intently. She puts down her knife and her fork and stops chewing. And starts crying. "It tastes like ashes."
My point in writing all that out for you is to say I didn't completely dislike Melancholia. I hated it, but I didn't entirely dislike it. If that makes any sense. There were some great scenes, but the problem was they were few and far between. Which brings me to the thing I hated: boredom. I got so bored when watching the movie that  I paused it a few times and did something else for a few minutes before getting myself to agree to resume watching. Sadly - as sad as it can ever be with movies, it had potential. But it fell flat.

Real Teen Rating ~ D+ : It passes time...barely...

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Christina Perri - A Thousand Years

Reviewed by Living Destiny

A Thousand Years
Buy it here and support our blog

Song Time: 4 minutes and 45 seconds


I heard this song on the radio about a week ago, and immediately knew it was Christina Perri.  She has such a distinctive voice, and I love all of her songs and listen to them obsessively, so it was easy for me to tell.  I fell in love with it after hearing it once, and when it ended the radio announcer told me that it was on the Breaking Dawn - Part 1 soundtrack.  Which I saw twice in theaters and never noticed this song.  Oops. I think it was the credits song, which I didn't pay much attention to.  Well, anyway.  It got stuck in my head, and I found myself singing it for the next few hours.  I kept looking it up and playing it, trying to learn all the lyrics, and hear we are.  So.  


Just to get it out there, Christina Perri is one of my favorite artists.  Her sound is...I think the best way I can describe it is 'melancholy'.  She sounds reflective and a tiny little bit sad, even if the song has positive lyrics, like this one.  Her voice is really clear and smooth, and she has a great range.  I love singing her songs, because her lyrics are original, and more thoughtful than most songs nowadays (example: check out the lyrics to Last Friday Night.  Pure gold right there.  Not).  Her songs are simple, and don't have overpowering instrumentals or vocals.  It all just meshes really beautifully.  I LOVE HER!


Now that that's over with, the song I'm actually talking about.  A Thousand Years.  At first glance it almost sounds sad, like most of her songs, because it is slow and has downplayed instruments.  However if you look at the lyrics, that's not the case.  The song is about a girl loving someone completely, and finally being with them.  It talks about always knowing there was someone out there for her to love, and finally finding him.  the lyrics remind me of the idea of soul mates, where there is one person you're meant to be with, and when you found them it's like you've always known them and loved them.  I'm totally fascinated by that idea, and it's not one that people touch on in music very often.  Teen romance books, yes, but not music.  The lyrics to the chorus say "I've loved you for a thousand years", which is so poetic and lovely.  Music was originally poetry, and the way lyrics sound now is a disgrace more often than not.  This song definitely isn't a disgrace, and the lyrics are moving, and they make me hope to find my soul mate.  

The melody is so pretty.  It gets stuck in your head, but not in an annoying way, in a way where you kind of dance around to it without minding at all.  It's not an upbeat song, so it's not really a dance around song, but it's one you can listen to over and over and not get bored with.  It's just calming, and the message is so hopeful.  I'm a very cynical person, but this song makes me think a little differently.  My favorite lyrics are either "how can I love when I'm afraid to fall", "I have died every day waiting for you", or "I have loved you for a thousand years/I'll love you for a thousand more".  That's a lot of lyrics, but I really like them all, so that's as narrowed down as it gets.  Love this song.  Truly love it.  I've been listening to it non-stop for two hours, and I still love it.  Christina Perri is my idol, and this song rocks, even if it was made specifically for Breaking Dawn.

Real Teen Rating ~ A+: Look it up right NOWWW!!!!!

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Teens in Pro Sports

Reviewed by Living Destiny

About a month ago I was sitting on my couch, watching a hockey game, and it occurred to me that we as reviewers are being rather single-minded.  We do all entertainment reviews, with the occasional random review thrown in.  But teenagers as a group aren't interested solely in entertainment.  We like more than listening to music, watching TV, reading books and seeing movies.  There's so much more to all of us than just that.  And watching the hockey game, it came to me.  We should try to branch out as much as we can.  So here I am, trying to branch out into an area we haven't talked about yet: sports.  Specifically, since we are doing reviews for teens, teenagers in professional sports.  So I did some research on espn.go.com, and checked out the four big sports in America: football, baseball, basketball and hockey.  This is what I found.

In football, there are no teenagers.  Literally, none.  I talked to my dad, and he said that it made sense because as a league, football wants players to mature and grow before being plunged into such an intense sport.  So none in football.  In baseball, there is one teenager signed into professional play.  And I know this because I looked through every player in every team in all of major league baseball.  Do you know how long that took?  Regardless, there's one.  His name is Bryce Harper.  He's 19 years old, from Las Vegas, Nevada, and he was born on October 16, 1992.  He was signed by the Washington Nationals.  He's an outfielder, and as far as I can tell he's never played a game and he doesn't have a salary or even a jersey number.  But the point is he was signed, and managing even that as a teenager is pretty incredible, so he deserves some kudos.

In basketball, there are six teenagers signed.  They are all 19 years old.  Going in order of the way I found them, we have:  Jonas Valanciunas, born May 6, 1992, from Utena, Lithuania.  He's number 0 for the Toronto Raptors.  Next is Kyrie Irving, born March 23, 1992, from Melborne, Australia.  He's number 2 for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Tobias Harris was born July 15, 1992, and is from Islip, New York.  He's number 0 for the Milwaukee Bucks.  The more I look at this the more I suspect the numbers aren't so accurate, since it says that six different people on the Milwaukee Bucks sport the number 0 on their jersey.  Which I doubt.  Well...he may or may not be number 0.  Anyway.  Davis Bertans was born November 12, 1992, and is from Valmiera, Slovenia.  He's also listed as number 0 - I'm now thinking anyone listed as the number 0 has yet to play on the team - and plays for the San Antonio Spurs.  Then comes Bismack Biyombo, born on August 28, 1992, from Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.  He's also number 0 (there's a definite pattern here), and he plays for the Charlotte Bobcats.  Lastly is Enes Kanter, born May 20, 1992, from Zurich, Switzerland.  He too is listed as number 0, and plays for the Utah Jazz.  I love the wide variety of places these players come from.  It dazzles me to be faced with all these foreign countries I've never had the pleasure of traveling to.  Six teenagers signed to professional basketball teams. And people look down on teenagers.  Ha.  We have so much more power than is thought of us.  Not that I'm a professional athlete...but I'm a teen, and I can confidently speak for us all.  Mad credit to these six kids.

And last, hockey.  This is where it gets interesting.  Hockey seems to be the one sport where teenagers have a huge opportunity to succeed.  There are 12 teenagers signed - and, unlike the other sports, active - in professional hockey.  In all sports, younger is better, but in hockey especially the speed and power required, plus the youth needed to bounce back from injuries, give teens with talent an opening to get in to the business.  First up is Adam Larsson, number 5 defenseman for the New Jersey Devils.  He's 19, born on October 12, 1992, from Skelleftea, Sweden.  Nino Niederreiter is number 25, a right wing for the New York Islanders.  He's 19, born on September 8, 1992, from Chur, Switzerland.  Sean Couturier is number 14, a center for the Philadelphia Flyers.  He's 18 years old - ooooh switching it up here - born on December 7, 1992 - so happy birthday to you in two days Mr. Couturier! - and is from Phoenix, Arizona.  Ryan Johansen is number 19, a center for the Columbus Blue Jackets.  He's 19 years old, born on July 31, 1992, and is from Vancouver, British Columbia.  Gabriel Landeskog is number 92, a left wing for the Colorado Avalanche.  He's 18 years old - woo! - was born on November 21, 1992, and is from Stockholm, Sweden. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is number 93, a center for the Edmonton Oilers.  He's 18 years old, born on April 12, 1993 - a very young 18 year old - and is from Burnaby, British Columbia.  Jeff Skinner is number 53, a left wing for the Carolina Hurricanes.  He's 19 years old, born on May 16, 1992, and is from Markham, Ontario.  Justin Faulk is number 28, a defenseman, also for the Carolina Hurricanes.  He's 19 years old, born on March 20, 1992, and is from South St. Paul, Minnesota.  Erik Gudbranson is number 44, a defenseman for the Florida Panthers.  He's 19 years old, born on January 7, 1992, and is from Ottawa, Ontario.  Brett Connolly is number 14, a right wing for the Tampa Bay Lightning.  He's 19 years old, born on May 2, 1992, and is from Campbell River, British Columbia.  Devante Smith-Pelly is number 77, a right wing for the Anaheim Ducks.  He's 19 years old, born on June 14, 1992, and is from Scarborough, Ontario.  A special mention goes right about here.  Cam Fowler is number 4, a defenseman, also of the Anaheim Ducks.  He's from Windsor, Ontario.  He was 19 years old and on the team right up until today, when he turned 20 years old.  A very big congratulations and happy birthday to Cam Fowler.  Even though you aren't a teenager any more, you're still ripping up the ice like a pro.  Which is good because you are a pro.  Last but not least is Tyler Seguin, number 19, a center for the Boston Bruins.  He's 19 years old, born January 31, 1992, and is from Brampton, Ontario.  I saved him for last because he's the most prominent of all these teens.  He's currently leading the league in +/- points at +20, which is a big deal.  He has 12 goals on the season, and is basically just kicking butt left and right.  He's become an integral part of the Bruins team, and he's on fire.

I can't say enough how impressed I am with these teenagers.  They come from all over the world, looking for one thing: to follow their dreams.  And they all did it.  Even if you aren't a huge sports fan, you can respect the fact that they made it.  And they all keep pushing themselves to improve and do better every day.  These teens are role models to every other teen out there.  I'm truly in awe of what they can do, and how well they do it.  I've seen a couple of these players in action, and it blows my mind.  They are spectacular, whether they play 30 minutes or 30 seconds.  They deserve the recognition that they even made it to the team, even if they don't play.  I know this review seems like just a list of names, and I guess it is.  But really, it's an acknowledgment of the dedication and hard work these athletes put in, all because they love what they do and want to keep doing it for as long as they can.  Whether you're an actor, an athlete, or anybody at all, that motivation is something to strive for.  Thank you to all the teenage athletes out there who made the professional level.  You inspire me to push for what I want in life.  You made it to the big time, so I know I can too.  We all can.  Props to all of you mentioned in this article, because you are incredible.

Real Teen Rating ~ Absolutely astounding.  Seriously.  These kids rock!

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