Glee - Vitamin D

Reviewed by The North Star
Song Time: 4 Minutes

Halo/Walking on Sunshine
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It's My Life / Confessions Part II - 8/10 - This is the first mash-up ever on Glee.  Whoa.  Anyways in the episode they have a battle of boys vs. girls and each group has to take two songs and make them into one song.  This is a mash-up of It's My Life by Bon Jovi and Confessions Part II by Usher. I like this song because it took a classic song and mixed it with a more unknown song and it actually does sound like it could be a song on its own.  All of the boys sound good on the song I just don't love it.  I like this but I don't love it, which is why it gets an 8 out of 10.

Halo / Walking on Sunshine - 9/10 - In my mind I think that the girls won this battle.  In the episode all of the girls took performing enhancement drugs so that they could beat the boys (who did the same thing).  This is a mash-up of Halo by Beyonce and Walking On Sunshine by Katrina & the Waves.  This song sounds less like a real song than the boys but I like listening to this one a lot more.  The girls have beautiful harmonies and the voices really seem to work off one another.  At the end of the song Rachel hits this note that is.....very high.  Every time I listen to the song I'm not sure if I like the note or not but it's very impressive.  If you bought one from the episode this one is the one to buy but they are both really good.

Real Teen Rating ~ B: Check it out but, really, there's no rush

Real Teen Download: Halo/Walking on Sunshine

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Glee - Preggers and The Rhodes Not Taken

Reviewed by The North Star
Song Time: 20 Minutes

Since they only sang one song in Preggers I decided to combine the episode with the episode after.

Maybe This Time
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Taking Chances - 9/10 - This is the only song from the episode Preggers.  Before I write anything about the song I just have to take a moment to say how talented Lea Michele is.  In this episode Rachel has decided to quit the Glee club and audition for the school musical and this is her audition song.  Up to this point her songs had just been OK and they didn't really show off her voice but finally with the song it does.  I love how it starts off slow in the beginning and then begins to pick up as it goes.  I like her version because it isn't dramatized like the original.  Lea Michele does a great job with this song and I'm always pleasantly surprised when I find it on my iPod.

Maybe This Time - 11/10 - I'm in love with this song.  When they first sang it on Glee I bought it right when the episode ended and I'm pretty sure that I listened to it on repeat for hours.  This song is duet between April Rhodes (Kristen Chenoweth) and Rachel.  They both sing about how they never win but maybe this time they will win.  Anyways this song is amazing.  Both Kristen and Lea sound great on the song.  In the very end they sing together and the harmonies that they create send shivers down my spine every time I listen to it.  Like Taking Chances it starts off slow and mellow and then as the song goes on it picks up and keeps adding layers.  This is definitely one of my top favorite Glee songs and every time I listen to it, it makes me want to get up on a stage and sing along with them.  Seriously go listen to it right now.

Alone - 7/10 - If you have ever heard the original version of this song then basically no cover will ever compare.  In the episode April and Mr. Shoe (short for Mr. Schuester) go to a bowling alley and sing karaoke because in high school Mr. Shoe always wanted to sing a duet with April.  As far as duet songs go I'm not sure this was the smartest decision.  The verses of the song sound fine but neither of them sound amazing on the chorus which is the best part or even in the harmonies.  In the harmonies all I can hear is Kristin Chenoweth which is sad because Matthew Morrison sounds good.  Parts of this song are good but as a whole it's just so-so.  I don't love it but I don't hate it either.

Last Name - 6.5/10 - Oh Glee doing a Carrie Underwood song, here we go.  In the episode April gets drunk on the stage at a huge performance while the glee club sings back-up.  I just don't think this is the right song for Kristin Chenoweth's voice.  It doesn't sound horrible but it doesn't sound great either.  There are a lot of better songs they could have picked her to sing drunk on the stage.  The way that she sings it is way too cutesy when it's supposed to be regret and confusion.  It reminded me of a concert where the singer just sings the song but doesn't perform it.  Don't bother listening to it.

Somebody to Love - 9.5/10 - I love Queen.  With that said this version does not even come close to the original.  Even though it doesn't compare it's actually a pretty good cover of the song.  In the episode they sing it for the community to show them what glee club is all about.  One of my favorite parts of this song is that a lot of people get little solos to sing instead of just one person singing the whole thing by themselves.  My favorite part of the song has to be when they cut off and then come back in slowing chanting "find me somebody to love" and it keeps building and building and building with more and more people singing until it reaches the peak.  Then Mercedes sings her part and then the whole song finishes strong.  If the beginningish was as fantastic as the end I would give it a 10/10 but it is definitely worth listening to.

Real Teen Rating ~ B+ : Check it out sometime!

Real Teen Download: Maybe This Time

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Taking Chances - 10/10 - This is one of my early favorites. It's soft and sweet, and in the beginning it has a quality like a lullaby. Then it starts to get faster after the first chorus, and it starts to sound more intense. This song shows off both the high and low register for Lea Michele, and it's absolutely beautiful. I know they need diversity on the show, but I think if they just did songs like this, I'd still be watching.

Maybe This Time - 7/10 - I know this is a duet, but for the beginning half of the song, either I can't distinguish voices, or it's just Kristen Chenoweth. Which is totally ok, because she's so talented. I'm not sure it needed to be a duet at all though. There's like one harmony in the whole thing, and it isn't super necessary. Not to say this is a bad song, because it's very pretty. But it's never been my cup of tea.

Alone - 9/10 - North Star is right when she said that no cover can compare with the original. Although people insist on covering it. The duet aspect made it interesting, because originally the song is sung by just a woman, and adding a male voice makes it stand out. Rock duets are so edgy and exciting and fun to listen to. I've always loved this song, and this is actually the best cover of it I've heard. Of the two duets this episode, this is the better one.

Last Name - 5/10 - I didn't like this song when it first came out. I don't know why, but something about it didn't click right with me. This version doesn't make me like it any better. I love Kristen Chenoweth, but this isn't her song. She sounds good on it, but there's nothing behind it. The spoken lines are the best part of it, because she sounds so little and confused, and it's kind of funny. And it just drags on and on forever. She doesn't sound awful singing, I just always hate this song.

Somebody to Love - 9/10 - I remember singing this song in the car with my friends. It's an incredibly well done choral arrangement of a classic song, mush like Don't Stop Believin' was in the first episode. This song highlights a lot of different singers, which is nice to hear. It's one of those songs that makes you want to stand up and rock out like a total dork, and that's ok. The bridge is really awesome, starting out quiet and getting loud and intense, with a few soloists riffing throughout it. This is all around a nice song to listen to.

Real Teen Rating ~ B-: Not bad

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Glee - Acafellas

Reviewed by The North Star

Song Time: 10 Minutes

Bust Your Windows
Buy it here and support our blog

Mercy - 7.5/10 - This is the second song that Vocal Adrenaline sings.  It's very similar to Rehab with the harmonies and no one ever having a solo.  I like this one less than Rehab but it's still good.  It doesn't seem to go anywhere and is one note the whole time.  Other than that it's a good rendition of the song but don't bother buying it anytime soon. 

Bust Your Windows - 9/10 - This song is awesome! In the episode Mercedes is in love with Kurt (Chris Colfer) who is very obviously gay.  She sings this song after finding out that he doesn't have feelings for her.  They're at a car wash and when she finds out she smashes his car window.  This is song is really intense though.  Mercedes really gets into the song and shows off her vocal range.  This song is really good because it was an unknown song that Glee took and made it their own and it actually fit with the plotline.  In short, buy it for the vocals but also look up the scene on YouTube because it's worth it.   

I Wanna Sex You Up - 3/10 -  The only part of this song that I like is Mr. Schuester's part.  He is the only one that doesn't sound awkward when singing the song.  In the beginning of the song they have this weird part where they're singing something really strange and I can't quite make out what they're saying but it sounds off.  It is supposed help make the song a capella but it doesn't work.  I think that they should have just picked a different song because as I said above no one sounds good except for Mr. Schuester.  No one should buy this song. Ever. 

Real Teen Rating ~ D+ : Only one song worth listening to

Real Teen Download: Bust Your Windows

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Mercy - 7/10 - This is kind of the exact same thing as Rehab. Cool harmonies, always a full choir. It's interesting, and fun to listen, but nothing that blows you out of the water. It gets kind of boring once you realize that half the time they're saying the word mercy on the same note. The voices are good, but the song isn't so much.

Bust Your Windows - 8.5/10 - I actually thought the scene for this song was stupid. It seemed pretty implausible that she couldn't tell he was gay, and that's coming from someone who has absolutely no sense of that sort of thing. The song, however, is good. I used to listen to this song a lot. It's got a jazzy sort of feel, which fits Amber Riley's voice perfectly. She has a great higher register, which she gets to flaunt in this song. It makes you want to move.

I Wanna Sex You Up - 3/10 - I literally did not remember this song at all when I read the title. And then I realized why. It's when Mr. Schuester tried to form a boy band. Whether I forgot because it's been so long since I watched the show, or because I intentionally blocked it from memory, is for you to decide. What I can say is this is one of the most awful songs I've ever encountered. Listening to it felt like physical pain. The harmonies are ok, the melody is ok. For an a capella group, it's not impressive. It's really kind of sad, because if this group of singers had picked any other song, it would have sounded good. But they picked this, and it's just bad.

Real Teen Rating ~ D: Ugh.

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Glee - Showmance

Reviewed by The North Star
Song Time: 12 Minutes

Gold Digger
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Gold Digger - 9.5/10 - This song always cracks me up because in the episode Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) is trying to teach the kids how to dance and sing at the same time and by the end they all learn...except for Finn.  Anyways, I really like this song.  The song itself is talking about girls who are gold diggers but if you ignore what the lyrics are actually about this is a really great song.  I love how it starts off with Mercedes (Amber Riley) singing and the Mr. Schuester comes in and if you have ever seen him he is not who you would picture singing this song, but he pulls it off.  The whole glee club if you look at them if not who you would be picture to be singing this song but like Mr. Shoe, they pull it off.  In the end, this is definitely one to download.

Push it - 6/10 - One of the only reasons that I like this song is because me, Dream Catcher, Living Destiny and ShoreWhisperer have an inside joke about it.  The scene in which they perform this song is hilarious.  They're trying to get people to join glee club so they think by singing this song that people will join.  The song itself.....not great.  Unlike gold digger in which they rap successfully in Push It they do not.  The only reason it's getting a good grade is because of the scene in which they sing it and the inside joke, other than that I don't like the song at all.

I Say A Little Prayer - 4/10 - I can't stand this song.  I only bought it because it was on the episode and back when Glee first came out I had to buy every song.  Quinn (Dianna Agron) sings this song to get into the glee club.  This song is all about God and a couple and how every time the singer does something she says a little prayer.  No matter who sings this song I hate it, so the fact that this song is getting a 4 is a mini miracle. The reason that it isn't getting a 1 or a 2 is because of Dianna Agron.  She has a great voice and it is honestly the only thing that makes this song tolerable.  

Take a Bow - 9/10 - I always forget about this song.  I'm not crazy about the original but I think this version is a lot better than the original.  This song is in the perfect register for Lea Michele and so her voice sounds really great on it.  Even in the recording you can hear the emotion in her voice and I think that is really hard to do when you can't see the singers face.  She brings an innocence to the song that Rihanna takes away.  In the original it seems more like Rihanna could have been in the wrong but in the glee version you feel bad for Rachel/Lea which is the point.  This is definitely a version to buy.

Real Teen Rating: C- : Don't waste your time listening to the whole episode

Real Teen Download: Gold Digger

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Gold Digger - 6.5/10 - Matthew Morrison rapping is probably one of the funniest things in the world. It's especially funny because he actually isn't bad at it. Amber Riley riffing at the beginning is the best part of the song though. She has a ridiculous voice. After that, it's ok. If you know the original song, you know that they cut out the more inappropriate parts, which is fine but they try to replace them with choral harmonies, which is less ok. I really like Matthew Morrison, and that's where this grade is coming from.

Push It - 7/10 - This is also hilarious. And it's not even that it's a good song, I just love it. It's not a song you can sing along to, or one that is particularly well done, but every time I hear it, it makes me smile. Kevin McHale's little rap part is the best part of the song, and over the course of the first season, he proves himself to be the best rap singer in the show. Cory Monteith is probably the worst, and his part sounds so awkward it's entertaining. Not the best song musically, but one of the most enjoyable.

I Say A Little Prayer - 8/10 - This is so catchy! It's not that I find the song to be great, because I think it's kind of a lame song. But it's just so catchy. And this version of it is really well done. The harmonies are good, and Dianna Agron is stellar. It gets stuck in my head, and I'll end up singing it for days. While I agree with North Star that I really don't like the song itself, I love this version, and I can't agree with her grade. I think this song is awesome.

Take a Bow - 9/10 - This song is beautiful. It's soothing, sad, and it seems a lot less harsh than Rihanna's version of it. Not angry or defensive, just sort of resigned. Interestingly, this song is at least as high as Lea Michele's first solo, but she sounds much better on it. Whether her voice matured very quickly, or it's just the fact that she isn't belting, this is a nice high register song for her. The bridge is fantastic, with the long high note. Definitely my favorite from this episode.

Real Teen Rating ~ C+: You could go either way on this...

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Glee - Pilot Episode

Reviewed by The North Star

Don't Stop Believin'
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Song Time: 15 Minutes
So I've been watching Glee since it first aired in 2009.  It has had it's ups and downs but I really wanted to review the music.  I figured the best way to do this was by episode.  These are the singles that came out of the first episode (there may have been other songs but I will mainly be reviewing the songs they sold as singles).

On My Own - 8/10 - While writing this review it feels like forever ago that this show started. This was Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) audition song for the glee club. This was also the only audition song that they released as a single. First off, I just love this song in general and you can't deny that Lea Michele has an amazing voice. This isn't my favorite version of the song but it's still pretty good.  I wish that she had sang this song later in the series when her voice developed more because listening to it now there are some parts that you can tell it's hard for her to reach.  Besides that I really like this song and I never skip it when it comes on but I never seek it out.

Can't Fight this Feeling- 7.5/10 - Even though I don't really care for the original I kinda like this version. The lyrics are cheesy and the song itself isn't good.  Finn (Cory Monteith) doesn't even sound that amazing on it.  I think I like it mainly because it reminds me of how good Glee used to be and how I wish it could be good again.  The first 50 seconds of the song are really good and after that the song goes down hill. It's a classic Glee song because it's the first time that Finn sings and he doesn't sound half-bad.  So if you don't intend on watching the show don't bother.

Rehab - 8.5/10 - Every time this song starts I think that it's a church song because they added a little part in the beginning where they sing "Ohio".  Anyways, this song is always entertaining.  It shows the complete opposite end of show choir.  They take a popular song and then make it as if it was a chorus song with crazy harmonies.  There aren't many solos but the choreography is amazing.   Whenever I hear it I always feel the need to get up and dance.  You can't compare this version to the original because the original wins every time but it's a good show choir song and in context of the show it's even better. Like Can't Fight this Feeling, if you don't intend on watching the show don't bother buying the song.

Don't Stop Believin' - 10/10 - I have never gotten sick of this song.  I remember sitting on my couch and hearing this song for the first time in a commercial for the show.  The second that I heard it I was hooked and I patiently waited for the Pilot.  This is the very last song in the episode and it gives me chills every time.  I love that it starts off a capella and then moves into half a capella, half back up band (meaning the characters are still singing as if it's a capella but a band is also playing).  To me this song perfectly describes the show.  It took an old song that used to be huge and then made it somewhat their own.  This is MUST HAVE on anyones iPod, Mp3 Player or phone.  It's classic Glee and is a good rendition of the song as well.

Real Teen Rating ~ B+ : Check it out sometime! 

Real Teen Download: Don't Stop Believin' 
(make sure you don't buy the Regionals version)

Reviewed by Living Destiny

On My Own - 6/10 - I'm not blown away by this rendition of the song. The notes get screechy or whiny at times, and it's obvious that when this song was recorded, Lea Michele simply didn't have the register for the song. It's especially evident in the big, climactic line, "the world is full of happiness that I have never known". It's almost cringe-worthy. I've heard a lot of versions of this song, and while this isn't the worst, it's definitely not the best.

Can't Fight This Feeling - 10/10 - I remember first watching this episode, and thinking this was the best song. And I still do. It has really nice, subtle harmonies, and Cory Monteith is a very talented singer. Yeah, it's a little cheesy, but I just can't get enough of it. I love this song, and there is literally nothing wrong with it.

Rehab - 8/10 - Funky choral harmonies in this one. This song was our first glimpse, as viewers, into the deep dark world of show choir. Not a solo audition, or a song in the shower, but a real, talented choir. It's interesting. I think the harmonies overpower the melody a lot, and that's not something I'm a fan of. It's good, but not fantastic.

Don't Stop Believin' - 10/10 - What a classic. When it first starts out, the vocals make you want to get up and move. The show did a great job of taking a famous song, and turning it into something fresh and new. When you hear it, you can't help but love it. The harmonies are spot on, there's a great guitar solo after the first verse, the ending is chilling, and all the voices sound really good together. Honestly, in four seasons of music, it's still one of the best that came out of Glee.

Real Teen Rating ~ B: Check it out but, really, there's no rush.

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Oz the Great and Powerful - James Franco and Mila Kunis

The Gist

Oz is your average conman.  He runs a "magic" show with a traveling circus and every night makes people believe in his tricks and happily takes their money.  Despite all of this he still feels that he hasn't reached his full potential.  One morning after angering one of the other performers Oz jumps into a hot air balloon to escape being beaten to death.  As he flies away from the circus the hot air balloon gets caught into a twister and he is knocked out after hitting his head.  The next morning he wakes up in a strange land.  He lands the balloon and begins to wander around until he meets Theodora.  She explains to him that he is in the land of Oz and that he has been sent to save the land from the Wicked Witch.  Not knowing how to deal with this new found information Oz sets off down the yellow brick towards the Emerald City to see what awaits him there.

What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Run Time: 130 Minutes

Rating: PG

When I first saw the trailer for this movie I was really excited.  This movie looked awesome and I was glad that they were finally telling the Wizard's story and what happened before Dorothy came to town.  The more that I watched the trailer the more disappointed I became.  The film started to become cheesier and cheesier the more that I heard about.  Even with that in my head I still saw it opening weekend. I should have trusted my gut instinct.  This movie was not very good.  Extremely average at best.  The special effects were cheap, the acting was ehh and it was way too bubbly.

First off, I need to talk about the special effects.  Since this movie was produced by Disney I expected everything on the post-production side of things to be very well done because money isn't really an obstacle.  Apparently I assumed wrong.  It seemed as though EVERYTHING was done on a green screen and no one was ever on a set.  The atmosphere of the Oz world was pretty but seemed too impossible.  Yes, it's supposed to be other worldly and impossible but they seemed to push the boundaries a little too much.  Everything seemed very out of proportion.  The flowers were too big.  The trees were to big.  The animals were too small.  I think you get the point.  Speaking of animals, one of the main characters in the movie was a monkey who lived in Oz.  I never believed for a second that it was an actual monkey.  Even though this monkey lived in the crazy world it should still look like a real monkey.  I could go on and on about all of the flaws with the specials effects in this movie but after a while it would all begin to sound the same.  All that you need to take away from this is that Disney should have either hired people more qualified or given the people they hired more money to do what they needed.  

Second, I wish that the cast hadn't been all famous people.  Maybe because this was a big budget film and they could get all huge stars?  I can understand the main character is an A-list actor but the whole cast? I felt like I was watching Les Miserables again, this time without the singing.  Anyways, if a movie is going to have all stars playing the roles could they have picked some better stars?  I mean I like Mila Kunis but her acting in this wasn't great.  She seemed way to over-the-top and cartoonish.  The same goes for Rachel Weisz.  She was always an extreme in the movie.  She was extremely angry.  She was extremely sad.  There was never an in-between.  Even when she was trying to be sarcastic or even subtle it wouldn't work and it came off as very cheesy.  As for James Franco he wasn't on the ball either.  I'm pretty neutral when it comes to James Franco but this movie made me lean towards the not liking him side.  He was supposed to be playing this sleezy con-man and I never got the feeling that he was sleezy.  To me it just felt like he had nothing else better to do than con people.  I never thought that he actually enjoyed taking other peoples money, which is what a con-man is supposed to do.  Perhaps he didn't do as well because of the director but I will talk about that in the next paragraph.  All of the actors unfortunately did along the same lines.  Everyone seemed to lack enthusiasm for the movie and their characters.  No one stood out as a strong actor and every minute that went by I kept hoping that it would get better and it didn't.
I will keep this next paragraph short because I could talk about it for hours but it's extremely opinionated and it only really has to do with Disney.  I wish that the film had been darker.  It felt like a lot of fluff to me.  As I said above about James Franco he could have been so much creepier.  The wicked witches could have been uglier and meaner and actually.....evil.  Oz was supposed to be run-down and nasty because the witches were running the land but it seemed perfectly fine to me.  All of the things I just mentioned could have made the film 10 times better but if Disney had it in their heads that the target audience was 9-10 year olds then it would make sense for them not to do that.  With that in mind, Toy Story is also meant for the younger audiences but I love it and for that fact so does my dad.  Just saying.
All in all this movie was not good.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the WORST thing I have ever seen and I wasn't begging for it to be over but it had a lot of problems that could have been easily fixed.  If you have any younger siblings or cousins I would say bring them but don't expect to be as entranced as they are with the merry old land of OZ.

Real Teen Rating~ C- : I’d much rather read a book.

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Wreck-It Ralph - John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Jack McBrayer

The Gist

Wreck-It Ralph
Buy it here and support our blog

Litwak's Arcade is a place where kids go to play games and forget about their worries.  At the arcade there is a game called Fix it Felix Jr. and it has been one of the most popular games for 30 years.  There is just one small problem.  The villain of the game, Ralph, doesn't want to be the bad guy anymore.  He wants the people of his game to like him and appreciate who he is.  While celebrating the 30th anniversary of the game the characters don't invite him to the party and he vows to them that he will prove he is a good guy and that he will come back with a medal showing that he is a hero.  So, Ralph sets off to find the medal and prove that he is a good guy after all.  

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 108 minutes
Rating: PG
I saw this movie today after hearing that it was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and I had wanted to see it for a long time because it looked adorable.  I was so glad that I did see this movie because it was adorable. One of the things that I really loved about it was that fact that it was completely new and never thought of before.  When I first saw the commercials I thought wow a movie that isn't based off a book and it has an original idea.  Disney always seems to amaze me with their ideas.  Who thought of to tell the story of characters in an arcade but not only that but the villains perspective.  It would have been way easier for them to tell the story through Felix's eyes but instead they decided to show it through Ralph's eyes and how he deals with the situation.  I applaud you whoever works at Disney.  
Speaking of the story, this was a really great kids movie.  If I knew someone under the age of ten and I wanted to take them to see a movie I would 1000% choose to take them to this one.  It was witty, adorable and had a very happy ending.  The perfect ingredients for a children's movie.  I love children's movies too but something seemed to be missing from this movie.  The second half of the movie at points a little too childish to me.  Almost like they spelled things out a little too much.  Granted it was made for a younger audience in mind but Disney is usually good about making movies good for the parents to watch along with their kids.  The whole movie was not this way but there were points where it felt very little kidish to me and they were parts that could have been made non-little kidish.  The one other thing that I wished for this movie was that they traveled to other games because they only really traveled to a couple.  The ones that they traveled to were fine but I wish that they added one or two more because the couple that they went to seemed like they spent to much time in the games that they went to. Other than those parts though the film was full of things that I enjoyed even as a teenager.
On a different topic the voice acting in this movie is perfect.  I applaud the casting director because they couldn't have gotten better actors to play the roles.  John C. Reilly was the voice of Ralph and I loved how innocent he made the character sound without making it seem like Ralph complained a lot or was even weak.  Sarah Silverman was the voice of a little girl that Ralph makes friends with along the way and I NEVER guessed that it was Sarah Silverman's voice.  I only found that out after the movie when I was researching who played who.  She did an amazing little kid voice and again was perfect for the role.  Jack McBrayer voiced Fix it Felix and I know him from 30 Rock because he plays the adorable page, Kenneth.  He had a very good tone to his voice to make it seem like Felix could be a kid but he could also be an adult which is very much what the character of Felix was like.  Not quite a man but also not quite a boy either.  Finally, Jane Lynch.  I was afraid when I heard about her being the voice actor because her voice is so distinctive and I didn't think that the two would be able to be distinguished.  I was so wrong.  They made the character look a lot like Jane Lynch so they didn't try to hide the fact that she was the character.  I thought this was ingenious because since she has such a distinctive voice and they worked with that so that she could still be in the movie and be amazing. 
In short, this was a fantastic children's movies and if you have kids you should take them.  I also think that it should win Best Animated Film in the Oscars because besides the parts I didn't care for I thought that it was extremely well done and there were some part that I couldn't stop laughing at. 

Real Teen Rating ~ B : Rent it to save for a rainy day.

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Les Misérables - Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe

The Gist

Jean Valjean has been in jail for 19 years for stealing bread.  He has finally been released but before he leaves he is informed by Javert, a policeman, that he must carry around a paper saying that he was in jail and that it would be virtually impossible to find a job.  Javert also lets him know that if he breaks any laws he will hunt him down and throw him right back in jail.  Jean Valjean leaves and soon finds out that what Javert says is true.  No one will hire him or even take him in.  One night he stumbles upon  a church and the priest lets him take shelter for the night.  During the night Jean Valjean steals silver from the priest and runs away.  As he runs away he is caught and send back to give the priest his silver.  When he goes back the priest informs the officers that he gave Jean Valjean the silver and that he did not steal it. The priest lets Jean Valjean know that this is his chance to start again.  Jean Valjean leaves the church with a purpose to his life, rips up his papers and decides to start his life as a new man with a new name.  

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 160 minutes
Rating: PG-13
I have been a fan of this musical ever since I heard "On My Own".  After listening to the song about 100 times I decided to listen to the rest of the CD and I found that I loved all of the songs and not just the one that I had listened to over and over again.  A year or so later I got to see a local production and I fell in love with the show.  As the years went by I continued listening to the soundtrack and never stopped loving it.  Then about a year ago I heard that they were finally making the musical into a movie.  I couldn't wait to see it.  For a year I patiently waited for the movie and as soon as I could I went to go see it.  I wasn't expecting for it to be just as good as any other movie-musical and that is all that it was.  I love the music and the story to this musical a lot more than other movie-musicals but it was nothing that I wasn't expecting.
First off, something that I found out a couple of weeks before seeing the movie was that all of the actors are actually singing.  On the set they were recorded singing the song and when editing the film together they used those recordings.  Nothing was mixed in the studio after the fact. It would be the same as if you saw it on a stage.  The actors are really singing and are not enhanced in any way to make themselves sound better.  The was a cool fun fact but it definitely raised the grade for me because it shows that the all-star cast could actually sing instead of just act. 
When I first heard about them making the musical into a movie I heard of who was rumored to be the leading roles and I was very disappointed because with the exception of Eponine and Marius all of the actors were household names that people knew.  I was especially upset when I heard that Fantine was going to be played by Anne Hathaway.  I don't particularly care for her as an actor and Fantine has some of the most famous songs in the show.  Going in with that mind set I walked out with the complete opposite thought in my head.  After seeing her performance I think that she deserves the Oscar.  She played Fantine to near perfection.  Her performance was so raw and real.  When she started singing "I Dreamed A Dream" I couldn't look away from the screen.  She had brought meaning to that song that I never knew existed.  She broke down crying in the middle of a line and took a second to catch her breath which is what would really happen if you were in her situation.  Most of the times that I saw someone perform that song they would break down at the end of a line which isn't necessarily realistic.  In short, Anne Hathaway was amazing and deserves to be recognized for her role.  
The other actors were actually pretty good as well.  Hugh Jackman was a great Jean Valjean but not amazing.  He had an amazing voice and was a great actor and he did better than I expected.  Russell Crowe on the other hand struggled.  His acting was stellar but his singing not so much.  It wasn't horrendous but the character of Javert has some of the greatest songs and he butchered them.  He was a better singer than I thought but I wish that it was better.  His acting and looks made up for the singing, so that was ok.  The girl that played Eponine (Samantha Barks) didn't reach the bar.  "On My Own" is one of the greatest songs from the show and it fell completely flat.  It didn't feel like she sung her heart out or put any emotion into the song for that matter.  Marius (Eddie Redmayne) was another unknown in the cast but he did really well.  Usually the character of Marius is kind of a weenie because he is so lovestruck but Eddie played him really well and made the character seem more manly which was a refreshing change.  Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter played the expert scammers and they were amazing.  Their parts were very small but they were amazing in the few parts that they were in.  They are the comic relief of the movie and I am always grateful when they come on because the show is so heavy.  Overall, the acting in the film was very strong.
While looking at the Golden Globe nominations I saw that this movie was nominated for best original song and I was confused because this show already had SO many songs.  Then I saw the film waiting for the song and it was completely unneeded.  I could tell that it was added only so that it could be nominated for that category.  Don't get me wrong, the song sounded pretty and was well-written but to me it seemed very out of place.  It made me very upset to think they had to add another song just to get nominated for another category.  The music has been known as legendary ever since the first showing of the musical, there is no need to add a new song now.  
The last thing that really bothered me about this film was the cinematography.  The cinematographer only used a couple shots.  Extreme close-ups, shots that awkwardly cut off people's boy parts like foreheads or arms and shots where the character was only in one third of the screen and the rest was all just te background.  All of these are good shots to use when making a film but they shouldn't be the only shots that you use for the entire film.  I wish that they would have broadened the horizons and done something different every once in a while but they didn't.  Although, I did appreciate the use of the long shots.  Those are very difficult to do and to do well so I applaud the cinematographer for those.
All in all, I thought this movie was very well done and will be remembered and I will probably end up buying it on DVD or even seeing it in theaters again.  It lived up to my expectations and nothing more.  At points it took my breath away but as a whole it didn't exceed what I was expecting and that is why I can't give it an A. 

Real Teen Rating ~ B+ : Worth Watching!

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Silver Linings Playbook- Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro

The Gist

Silver Linings Playbook
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Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) has just been released from a mental health facility after being treated for 8 months.  His mother (Jacki Weaver) made a deal with the court that he could return as long as he visited a therapist every week.  Pat has bipolar disorder and was sent to the facility after finding out his wife, Nikki, was cheating on him and nearly beat her lover to death.  Now that he is out of the hospital he is determined to win her back and prove that he has become a better man worthy of her love.  He trains day and night to show friends and family to give him a second chance and possibly lift the restraining order that Nikki had placed after the incident.
While he is training Pat reconnects with his friend who invites him over for dinner.  While at the dinner Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). The dinner quickly takes a turn for the worse and Pat and Tiffany decide to leave.  As the days go by Pat and Tiffany grow closer, when Tiffany reveals that she may be able to give a letter to Nikki from Pat if he would like.  The only catch is that Pat must compete with Tiffany in a local dance competition.  
As all of the this goes on Pat's father (Robert De Niro) tries to connect to him through football and tells Pat that he is his good luck charm.  As long as Pat watches the game with him the Eagles will win.  This becomes more and more difficult as Pat blows off his dad for various reasons. 
Pat must now decide whether or not he can trust Tiffany with her deal and if he can please his father at the same time.  

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 122 minutes
Rating: R
Every year my family and I go see a film on Christmas Eve.  This year we looked really hard for a film to go see and I had heard so much about this film that I somehow convinced my family to go see it with me.  When we got there, there was only two other people in the theater.  As it became closer and closer to the actual time the movie was going to started large groups of people filed into the theater.  By the time the film started there were only a few seats vacant. I was completely surprised because this film had been out since before Thanksgiving and on top of that it was an independent film, indie, and most times no one goes to see indies in theaters.  They wait for them to come out on DVD.  The second that the movie started I knew that I was going to like it and that I could understand why it had been nominated for four golden globes.  
Before I go into specifics that golden globes that it has been nominated for are Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Actor - Musical or Comedy - Bradley Cooper, Best Actress - Musical or Comedy - Jennifer Lawrence and Best Screenplay - David O. Russell.  
This post is going to be broken down into the different awards because this is what the critics are giving the movie praise for.  First off, the acting.  Going into the movie I had only seen Bradley Cooper in movies like Limitless and Valentine's Day.  In both of those movies he wasn't anything special and I never really thought of him as a serious actor.  After watching this film all I can say is that he truly deserves that Golden Globe possibly the Oscar.  He played the role perfectly.  Often with movies that involve mental diseases or disorders the actor with the disorder will overplay the role and make it seem extremely unrealistic.  Bradley Cooper never came close to that.  He always played a character I could believe and made me forget that he was Bradley Cooper but instead that he was this completely new person, Pat Solitano. Then, we move on to Jennifer Lawrence.  Coming into the film I knew that she was going to be good because she is consistently good.  Even in The Hunger Games which is a big budget film where acting doesn't necessarily matter she was amazing.  This movie was no exception.  Even though she wasn't the MAIN character she still had a huge role and in my opinion she stole the show.  Her character also had a mental disorder, which is never specifically stated but I think it was some sort of anger management or fear of abandonment.  She also played this very realistically.  It was very understated and very true to what someone with that kind of disorder would act like.  Every line pulled me closer and closer to her character and by the end I felt as though I could perfectly understand her and it was as if I had known her my whole life.  Again, I forgot that she was Jennifer Lawrence and I 100% believed that she was Tiffany.  Her comedic timing in the film was perfection, same with Bradley Cooper and although there were other characters in the movie their acing didn't even compare to these two.  If they don't win some sort of high award I will be completely shocked.  
Now, onto the screenplay.  At the end of the film during the credits it said that it was based off of a book.  I didn't know that and so as soon as I got home I looked it up.  The film was adapted to a screenplay by a man by the name of David O. Russell.  After looking at the plot line of the book I found that at lot of the things didn't match up with the movie and for once I was glad that I had seen the film first.  It seems that some of the things that I really liked in the movie were different in the book.  I do not want to give away any spoilers but I think I would see the movie first.  Anyways, I thought the script was brillant.  I was never bored and I never had the urge to start staring at the ceiling or check my phone to see what time it was.  It was funny but never pushed a joke so much that it was hitting you over the head.  The jokes very subtle and clever.  The only thing that I would have changed was a part with the therapist at the Eagles game.  It seemed unrealistic and unneeded.  Other than that I thought the script was one of the best that I have seen in a LONG time and I hope that it wins but there is a lot of competition this year.
All in all I liked almost everything in this movie and I highly recommend it.  There are only tiny things that I would have changed but overall I see it winning a lot of the big awards this year.  I will definitely be one of the people rooting for it at the award shows. 

Real Teen Rating~ A- : See it with some friends!        

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Janoskians

Reviewed by The North Star

In this day and age YouTube is where people spend a lot of their time watching music videos, comedy shows and sometimes even mini-series.  I spend a lot of time on YouTube looking for new videos to watch and be entertained by.  I have the regular channels that I watch when they put out new videos every week such as Jenna Marbles, Tyler Oakley and KurtHugoSchneider.  One day I saw my sister watching a video on YouTube and she was laughing her head off and so I asked her what it was and she told me that it was a group of 5 Australian boys who made comedy videos.  I went on my laptop and looked them up and then for the next 24 hours I devoted my time to watching every video they ever put up.

(From right to left) Daniel "Skip", Luke, Beau, Jai, James

The Janoskians are basically 5  attractive Australian teenage boys who decided they didn't have anything else better to do so they made comedy videos.  The five boys are Beau, Jai, Luke, Daniel "Skip" and James.  Beau, Jai and Luke are all brothers (Jai and Luke are twins) and Skip and James are just their two best friends.  In the majority of their comedy videos they pull public pranks and stunts and tape peoples reactions.  For example in one of their videos called Baby Annabelle they walk around with a fake baby in a stroller and start doing random things like dropping the baby in the trash and leaving it in the middle of the street to see how others react.  These guys have absolutely no limit to what they will and won't do.  In some of their videos they dare each other to do random things and they NEVER back down from a dare.  Daniel "Skip" actually walks around the mall in just his underwear because Beau dares him to.
The thing that I really like about the Janoskians is that they actually seem really nice.  Some people on YouTube have let their fame get to them and in their newer videos they aren't as crazy or outgoing as before.    Although the Janoskians aren't household names yet they are still extremely popular but they are still the same guys that they were in their first video.  They are also really good to the their fans in the way that they recognize them and always talk about how they love their fans just as much as the fans love them.  For example, the Janoskians are REALLY big on Twitter.  Most celebrities on Twitter only follow other celebrities or never retweet or respond to their fans.  The Janoskians are constantly retweeting their fans, replying to their questions if they tweet at them and follow a lot of their fans.  I love the fact that they do this because then the fans can feel special saying that someone they really admire has followed them and it is a way for the group to keep the fame from getting to their heads.
The other thing about them and Twitter is that the fans always tweet during and after any live event/seeing them on the street about what great people they are and how kind they are! I was not surprised to hear this but it was such a great thing to hear because nowadays celebrities seem to be really mean in person unless they are forced to be nice.  My friend met Anne Hathaway at a gathering one time and said that she was not very nice at all and she asked other people and I guess this wasn't the first time she had been rude to everyone she came in contact with.  It stinks when I hear stories like this because if I was a super fan of Anne Hathaway (which I'm not) I would be over the moon if I knew I was going to meet her.  If I met her and she was a complete jerk to me then I would be crushed that she didn't want to even waste her breath on me.  Now, I am just using Anne Hathaway as an example, there are plenty of celebrities that do this too that I just haven't named.  In short, whenever I hear someone talk, see someone tweet or tell others about how kind and sweet someone is in real life it brightens my day and makes me want to meet this person just that much more.
In conclusion, if you have not heard of the Janoskians then you should head over to their YouTube channel right now (http://www.youtube.com/user/janoskians?feature=results_main) and watch any of their videos.  I'm 99% sure that you will enjoy them as much as I did but sometimes something are just not your cup of tea which is fine too.  Personally I really like the Janoskians and every time a new video comes out I watch it right away.  They also have a second channel called DareSundays which is when they do all sorts of crazy dares (http://www.youtube.com/user/daresundays?feature=results_main) which is very entertaining as well.  Finally they have a third channel which is their blog channel and anything and everything goes on this channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/janoskiansblog?feature=results_main).  Hopefully you love these boys as much as I do and I can't wait to watch the next video!

Real Teen Rating ~ I will be a loyal fan until the very end/ Next big thing

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Katy Perry- Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection

Reviewed by The North Star
Song Time: 1 hour and 17 minutes

The Complete Confection
Buy it here and support our blog

Teenage Dream- 9/10- This song is at least 2 years old but for some reason I still listen to it when it comes on the radio singing along in the car and I am not a big Katy Perry fan.  The song is weirdly catchy and I always have it stuck in my head.  It is going to go down as one of those legendary songs that when our generation is older it will be played on the "oldies" station.  This is one of those songs that it is really hard to not sing along to in the car.  If you are reading this and you haven't listened to the Glee version of this song then go look it right now.  I am not going to deny that Glee has had its problems recently but this is back when Glee was watchable and the songs were well thought out.  If you haven't heard this song, despite your feelings about Katy Perry or newer age music you should still listen to it because it will be one of the biggest songs of the decade.    


Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)- 6/10 - I am not crazy about this song but I will admit that it is catchy and I often find myself humming it wherever I go.  This song reminds me a little too much of Rebecca Black's song Friday.  Not much about this song is appealing to me.  The lyrics are not well thought out the beat/rhythm of the song sounds very similar to almost every other song on the radio.   One of the only things I like about this song happens to be the music video.  It is fun and fits the song perfectly but a separate review on that will come soon.  Back to the actual song, when it comes on in the car I almost always change the station but the second I get out of the car the song is stuck in my head so I guess the rhythm is catchy. Other than that the song doesn't have much going for it, especially the weird chanting towards the end of the song.     

California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)- 6/10 - The original song was originally off a previous CD but for this release they redid a lot of songs with various celebrities.  When the original song came out I remember it was HUGE and you could not go ANYWHERE without hearing this song at least 6 times.  It got to the point that most people could recite the lyrics perfectly without any music playing.  I haven't heard this song in a while because newer songs have come along but I think that I can still recite the lyrics without any help.  As for my opinion of the song, I am not that crazy about it.  To me it sounds just like every other Katy Perry song with the exception of a few songs.  At first I did like the song but then it became overplayed and then I started hating it.  I don't think that it sends a good message at all, to the younger generation that is listening to the song and singing at the top of their lungs at school dances.  I wish the lyrics were more meaningful but I guess you have to have a fun meaningless song every once and a while.  Snoop Dogg also does not add much to the song and his part is kind of pointless.  In short, listen to the song if you haven't heard it (which would be nearly impossible) but don't expect genius.


Firework- 8.5/10- For some reason I really enjoy this song.  Every time I hear it I feel the urge to just starting singing as loud as I can along with the lyrics.  I'm not sure if it is the message or how it was composed but I really like it.  The message of the song is basically that you are who you are meant to be and that is all anyone can really ask for and to not worry because everyone is special at something you just have to find out what that is.  I think that is one of the most important messages to send to kids, especially ones who in this generation tend to feel less special.  Just everything about this song works and I don't think that is the greatest singer in the world but on this song she sounds really great.  When she was at a radio concert a couple of years ago this was her best song and it seemed like she really got into the emotions of the song and believed in the lyrics that she was singing.  One of the better Katy Perry songs.


Peacock- 3/10- I REALLY do not like this song.  The whole point of this song is that a girl wants to see a man's blank.  It is very inappropriate and instead of coming out and saying the actual word she says peacock but brakes it up so you definitely get the point.  The song is not funny, well produced or well written.  When I first heard this song I skipped over it after the first line because I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  Then when I finally listened to the whole song I wish that I could have unheard it because all of the lyrics are obscene and I do not want to know what drove someone to write this song, let alone record it.  If I were Katy Perry I would not have recorded it.  The only somewhat redeeming quality is that at points if you aren't listening to the lyrics the arrangement in the background is nice.  This is only though if you can get past the rest of this awful song.  It is labeled explicit for a reason.


Circle the Drain- 7/10- This is one of those songs that the second that you start listening to it you know that this is one of those songs that you would hear a club and people would love because of the hard bass and beat.  I cannot see this being one of the popular Katy Perry songs that is played on the radio 24/7.  I'm sure people love this song just for that reason alone but for me it really is not my cup of tea.  It isn't that I don't love this song but it is very high energy and in your face so unless I was at a club or going for a workout this song is kind of weird to listen to.  So if you love in your face music that gets you pumped up then I would say to check out this song because you will most likely like it. :)


The One That Got Away- 6.5/10-  When I first heard this song, I HATED it.  I remember talking to Dream and asking if she had heard the new Katy Perry song and just going on and on about how much I hated this song.  As I was forced to hear this song more and more I started to like the more and more every time that I heard it.  With most Katy Perry songs this seems to be the case.  I hate them the first time I hear it, love it after a while and then end up hating it after I have heard the song 15 million times. This song is OK.  It isn't great and it is awful.  There is nothing bad in the song which is a refreshing change and there isn't anything substantially profound.  The good thing about this song is that a lot of people can relate to it and think of that one person that they wish things had gone different with.  On that note the song is relatable but there is nothing then what you hear on the first time through. The one thing that I will say is that give it a few tries because maybe you will be like me and like a lot more the more you hear, just make sure you don't overplay it with yourself.   


E.T.- 2/10- I cannot stand this song.  At the concert where we saw Katy Perry she was trying out the song on our audience to see if we liked it before she released it.  When she started singing I became confused because it was SO different from everything else that she sings.  I remember thinking to myself that there was NO way that this song was going to become popular.  A couple of months later I was in the car and I heard this song and could not believe it! No matter how much I hear this song I will never ever like it.  There is absolutely no point and I really don't why people like listening to it....I really really don't.  I could go on for ages about my hatred for this song but I am going to leave it with never look up this song and listen to it you will want the 3 minutes of your laugh back.


Who Am I Living For?- 10/10- I had never heard of this song before I bought the decided to listen to the entire CD.  When I saw the title I was expecting to hate the song because I was expecting it to be really cheesy but it is the exact opposite.  It is more about someone's inner battle with themselves to define who they are.  Although this premise of a song also sounds cheesy it is not at all.  The song is all synthesizers, which in some cases works, but it is all very electronic and really like how it is strong it comes across.  This different approach to a very common song topic made me really have a new respect for Katy Perry but also gave me a song that I really ended up liking.  Even the lyrics to the song are great. I can feel a phoenix inside of me; As I march alone to a different beat; Slowly swallowing down my fear.  Those are the opening lyrics to this song and it really creates the whole feel of the entire song. I would highly recommend buying this song and just appreciating a really good song.  


Pearl- 6/10- This is one of Katy Perry's slower songs.  I have mixed emotions about this song.  At points I really like this song and then at other points I could really care less about it and would rather turn it off.  One bad thing about this song is that her vocals on this song don't sound the greatest.  It always seems like she is a little off.  Another thing is that the chorus is completely awful.  It is one of those parts that I just keep wishing was over.  It feels as if it doesn't know whether it wants to be a ballad or a techno song.  The versus' are really what carry this song all the way through.  If the whole song was like the versus' then this would be a great song but unfortunately the song wasn't written that way and that stinks.  Another good thing about this song is the message.  This song is basically about a girl that was pure and sheltered but then she meets someone who completely messes her up and tears her down but how she rises up from that and she realizes that she is worth more than he made her feel.  I think that is a great message to send especially for people that went through something like that or for any friend who knows someone going through something like that.  I just wish actually listening to the recording of the song was as strong as the lyrics.        


Hummingbird Heartbeat- 7.5/10- This the perfect example to show where sometimes I think Katy Perry needs to hire a new lyricist.  "Let's pollinate to create a family tree; This evolution with you comes naturally; Some call it science, we call it chemistry; This is the story of the birds and the bees."  I think when people read the title to this song they realize that it is going to be about birds, the lyrics do not need to be so literal.  Lyrics aside though, this song is catchy.  After reviewing this song I'm sure I will have the chorus stuck in my head for a good hour.  I would not be surprised in the least bit if this is the next single off of her album.  I can just picture everyone singing this song while walking down the hallways and in the car.  It is only a matter of time until this song is everywhere.        



Not Like the Movies- 7/10- This is probably the slowest song of Katy Perry's next to Thinking of You. When I first listened to this song I was very surprised that it hadn't already been on the radio.  This is exactly the song that teenagers love and love to relate to.  It is all about how relationships should be like all the romantic movies because romantic movies always have the perfect relationships.  If this song was on the radio I know that it would be extremely popular and every teenage girl would download it and have it on their iPod for when they encounter a break-up.  To me, this song is just OK.  The lyrics are average and same with the tune and composition of the song.  As I said above if you are a teenage girl then download this song because I'm sure that it will come in handy one day.  :)


The One That Got Away (Acoustic)- 7.5/10- This is the same song as above but instead of all the synthesizers in the background it is just Katy Perry and a guitar singing the song.  I like this version so much more because it is a stripped down version of the song which is really nice and it just sounds so much better.  Although this song isn't very deep for some reason the acoustic version makes the song sound really meaningful.  If you were looking at buying the CD and didn't know which version to pick, I would say to pick this version because it is so much more heartfelt and connects more to something that isn't quite there.  I often listen to this version and I don't often listen to the other version.  This one is definitely worth the $1.29.


Part of Me- 6/10- I don't really care for this song.  I am in the third stage of popular Katy Perry songs which is that now I am just sick of it and how overplayed it is.  This song is about not letting anyone bring you down and that you need to always stick up for yourself.  This is a great thing to sing about because it is an important thing for people to realize about themselves and to apply to every day life.  Again though, this song sounds like every other popular Katy Perry song.  If you try and dig deep and look for meaning in the lyrics then you probably won't find anything there.  One of the Katy Perry classics but not necessarily a great song that is to be remembered.


Wide Awake- 9.5/10-  This is Katy Perry's newest single that is played all over the radio.  Just like the One That Got Away when I first heard this song I did not like it at all.  Again, I heard it more and more and now I am in the middle stage of really liking the song.  Every time I hear it I turn up the volume and start singing my heart out.  I believe that this song is about someone coming off of a high of some kind and explaining what it feels like coming off of that high.  It is never really established completely what the high comes from which I really like.  This way if you listen to this song you could take it to mean whatever is more personal for you.  For whatever reason I really really like this song and so if you are buying the album, don't forget to buy this one.  It is a really good song.

Dressin' Up- 5/10- It seems like this whole album is divided into two very separate parts. One half is the club songs that are very electronic and the other is the popular pop stuff that gets played on the radio.  Then there are the couple random songs that don't seem to fit in either category.  This song falls in the very electronic group.  Since this song was probably expected to play in clubs they didn't really focus on lyrics so they are really silly and pointless.  In a club or at a party everyone would be so busy with their own stuff that they wouldn't even notice the lyrics so they don't need to be great.  For a party this would be a great song but just for listening when you are trying to do your homework or read it probably isn't the greatest.


E.T. (feat. Kanye West)-1/10- Read review above of the original song.  The only difference is that this version is worse because it envolves unnecessary rapping.


Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) [feat. Missy Elliott]- 3/10- I think this song is a lot worse than the original and I wasn't even that crazy about the original.  It is basically the same song except for every time there is a versus then Missy Elliott takes over and does her little rap and then when it gets to the chorus Katy Perry takes back over.  Also at random points in the song Missy Elliott will add a word or phrase.  To me it doesn't seem like they should have wasted the time rereleasing the song for just adding a few lines that actually make the song worse.  Not worth ANY of your time or money.


Tommie Sunshine's Megasix Smash-up- 8.5/10-  To start off this song is 7 minutes long.  A DJ basically took his favorite six Katy Perry songs and made a great track for a party.  I almost never like remixes of songs just for whatever reason but I really like this mash-up.  If I were ever to have a party this would be the number one song on the playlist because the way that Tommie Sunshine mixed the songs made everything sounds really great together.  Even the Katy Perry songs that I don't like sound really good in this song (like E.T).  If you are looking for a song with a great beat then this is definitely one to check out.

Real Teen Rating~ D+: Only a handful of songs worth listening to


Real Teen Download: Wide Awake, Teenage Dream & Tommie Sunshine's Megasix Smash-up

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5 Second Films

Reviewed by The North Star

Last summer Living Destiny and I were extremely bored and had absolutely nothing to do.  We went to YouTube and there was nothing interesting there so we decided to check out Vimeo (the cooler version of YouTube).  On the home screen of Vimeo the staff picks their favorite videos off of the site and features them.  We noticed this video called "You Got Mail" and so we thought what the heck and click on it.  The whole film was 8 seconds long and the first 3 seconds was a title card.  At the end of the 5 seconds I was both confused and disturbed but I was also laughing so hard that my sides hurt.  After doing some more hunting we found that there was a whole channel on Vimeo where these people posted a new video every weekday and every video is 5 seconds long.  That day Living Destiny and I literally wasted 2 hours watching all of the films over and over and over again and laughing.  After she left I continued watching them and I couldn't stop until I watch almost all of their films.  These films at points can be a little inappropriate so be warned before you watch them that some of the shorts are...interesting.  The great thing about these films are that if you don't like it then you only have to wait about 3 more seconds and then it will be over and you can go onto the next film.  The other good about the shorts are that there is at least one that is your personal favorite but it is almost never the favorite of someone else.  I would have to say my favorite is "Crabwalkin'" where Living Destiny likes "Planking" and Dream likes "Late For Work".  I enjoy all of these and so do they but we all have the different favorites and can relate to them in different way which, is what makes them awesome.  They used to post all of their videos on Vimeo.com but they have now switched to posting their videos on their website 5secondfilms.com.  To go on their website you can just click on the picture in this post as well.  In short, if you have nothing better to do check them out because you will probably find yourself laughing as hard as I did, if not harder.

Real Teen Rating ~ Ingenious

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New Girl- FOX

The Gist

New Girl
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Jess is a fun and quirky girl (who sometimes likes to sing to herself) looking for a home after she finds her boyfriend cheating on her.  She see's an internet add for one opening in an apartment, thinking that she will be sharing her new home with 3 girls she arrives to find 3 guys (Nick, Schmidt and Winston) who based off the internet application seemed like women.  After much reluctance all 3 guys agree to let her move in.  Together the four of them form an...interesting relationship as they become more comfortable with one another living under one roof.  


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Number of Seasons: 1
When I first saw commercials for this show over the summer I was sure that it was going to be AWFUL.  The commercials did not make me chuckle or even smile in the slightest and I was not the least bit interested.  Dream, Living and Shore kept saying that it was going to be good and they couldn't wait and I was the only one is the group skeptical and not that eager to watch.  Truthfully, the only reason that I ended up watching the first episode was because they put it directly after Glee but before Raising Hope, so I didn't think that it would hurt to at least try.  Boy, was I COMPLETELY wrong about this show.  The entire episode had be smiling and having my sides hurt I was laughing so hard.  Even the jokes from the commercials were 10 times funnier in context.  This show really gave me hope for comedy shows (which have seem to have become not funny at all) and I think everyone should be looking to higher the writers from this show.
I started this review when the show first started and I was completely in love with it, but as the season went on the episodes weren't as funny and I started to get really sad.  This show had started out so strong but then it feels that they tried to hook the audience on the first 5 episodes and then ran out of really good jokes by the end.  Don't get me wrong this show still has its funny moments but they are very rare.  But, when the show has these moments they have me laughing for an hour after the show ends.  The characters kind of lost the little quirks that I used to love about them.  Nick and Jess used to have fun flirty banter but now Nick is just obsessed with girls and making sure that he has a girlfriend at all times which at points it extremely annoying.  Jess is still quirky and funny, but for some reason to me it seems like she whines a little to much now which is disappointing.  One of the things that I loved about Jess was that she took any challenge that faced her and overcame it in an empowering and funny way.  Now all she does is complain about her problems and usually finds a way around them but it is not the same as it used to be.  I still love Schmidt just as much as I did before.  His character is constantly jerky and funny at the same time, which I love, so it is good that he is still the annoying "douche bag jar" guy that the audience knows and loves.  Weird enough I actually liked Winstons character more as the series went on for some reason. He isn't featured as much in the later episodes but I think that is how his character works best because when he does have a part it is really funny and one of those rare moments that I talked about above (singing to unexpected music in the car).
The plot of the show is still a great idea and the good thing is that the writers haven't lost complete sight of what the show started out being.  A girly-girl living with guys that only use girls for their bodies and then she teaches them how it is to live with a girl.  That is a great concept and so I am hoping that next season they stick with it and don't try to make it more about some of the other characters in other places, (which is a possibility if you have seen the season finale).
I just want to take a second to give credit to Debra McGuire who does costumes for this show because they are truly awesome and I wish that I owned a lot of Jess' clothes and I also think that the guys are always dressed in the appropriate attire.  Whatever they are wearing, totally matches their personalities and I know that usually don't notice that kind of thing but it is really good, so great job!
If you haven't watched this show and you are looking for a good show to watch over the summer then I would recommend it but just let yourself know now that as it goes on you will get some episodes where you will not laugh AT ALL but there are some episodes that are worth watching.  I will watch next season, but I really hope they get the old humor back because that is what made this show from ok to fantastic!

Real Teen Rating ~ B- : Worth watching, but no need to DVR 

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