february 2011 - Montclair College Prep

Seniors
Serve Slices
for School
pg. 4
Soccer
Teams Score
High
pg. 8
Montclair Journal
Mounties
Push For CIF
Championship
Volume LV • Issue 2 • February 22, 2011
Gabby Cohen & Evan Kantor
Section Editor & Staff Writer
Brandon Gale
Taken By Force
Sophomores Kyle Weber and Nick Suniga show theiur school spirit by getting dressed up for the Force.
Over the year, the Force has brought many students to the games, and has helped the teams’ morale.
Winter Dance
Returns to Montclair
Elysia Nakamine
Section Editor
When winter comes around,
most high schools begin preparing for their annual winter dance.
The girls start to shop around for
the perfect outfit while the boys
try to find the courage to ask a girl
to the dance. This year Montclair
has finally followied suit and has
On December 2, the boys basketball team kicked of their season with a big win over Flintridge
Prep, 63-46. The team stayed
strong over the next month, winning the Viewpoint Tournament,
where junior Trey Dickerson was
named tournament MVP. At the
beginning of winter break, the
Mounties played in the Cantwell
tournament and went 4-1. Then
the team headed down to San
Diego to play in the San Diego
Christmas tournament where they
finished 3rd.
The team has been and still
is working very hard to achieve
their goal this year, which is to
win CIF. Coach Patterson feels
like this team has the potential to
do so. Last year, there major focus was on teamwork and it still
is. They have come a long way
and are still growing closer. They
have learned to trust each other
on the court and play as a whole.
As seniors Charles Lockett
and Jake Boger play their last season for Montclair, they both agree
that it will be one Montclair will
never forget. Boger has played
Montclair basketball since he arrived; he averages seven points
per game. Lockett, who stands
Kayla Tong
Junior Trey Dickerson prepares to
take a shot.
6’7, leads the team in blocks, but
he also averages 15 points per
game. Newcomers, junior Bo
Vaughn and sophomore Jerrell
Harris, add skill and talent to the
Mounties.
Juniors Amonte Dees and
Amir Lugo-Rodriguez have been
working very hard to get better for this season and it already
shows. Dees, the 3-point shooter
for the team, averages 12 points
a game. Lugo-Rodriguez plays a
great defensive game averaging
one block and eight rebounds a
See Basketball, page 8
thrown a winter dance.
The dance, dubbed “Montchella,” was thrown on Friday, February 11 at Guy’s North in Studio
City, above PINZ Bowling Alley.
The last time Montclair hosted
a dance other than Prom was in
October 2006. This means the
last non-Prom dance thrown by
Montclair was when the senior
class was graduating from the
eighth grade. After the low turnout of the students at this dance, it
was decided that it wasn’t worth
the hassle of planning and organizing the dance if no one showed
up, and Montclair has not thrown
a dance since.
This year the ASB is attempting to revive the age old tradition.
This meant the school would need
See Winter Formal, page 6
lowe and Greg Cohen led the allstar cast as Lucy Van Pelt and the
aforementioned Charlie Brown.
Barlowe and Cohen have been
in Montclair’s musical theater
for several years now, and make
a dynamic duo onstage. They can
act, they can sing. They’re Montclair’s version of Gene Kelly and
Debbie Reynolds.
Additionally, “Charlie Brown”
served to demonstrate the acting abilities of the coming generations. Junior Peter Olah made
his debut onstage, taking a break
from his usual time on the golf
course. He played the piano obsessed Schroeder. Senior Josh
Brodsky enjoyed Olah’s performance. “Happiness is Peter
Olah,” he said.
Sophomore Rachel Yardum
had her first main role on stage
as Linus Van Pelt, the blanket obsessed scholar. It was suprising to
see a girl tackle a male role, but
See Charlie Brown, page 4
The cast of ‘Charlie Brown’ takes a final bow after giving a stellar performance.
You’re A Good Play, ‘Charlie Brown’
Gabby Cohen & Brandon Gale
Section Editor & Editor-in-Chief
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” has made its way to
Montclair. Everyone grew up
with the cartoon Charlie Brown,
be it the Sunday newspaper or the
animated movies. But now it has
come to life on stage in Montclair’s Little Black Theatre.
After spending countless grueling days preparing for the production, Director Mrs. Vander
Hoff knew her cast was ready for
the big day. To make the stage
feel more like a cartoon the cast
member had to grab some paintbrushes and get to work on the
set. After much work and a lot of
blue paint, the stage was set and
it was time for dress rehearsals to
begin.
Many of these actors have
been in plays directed by Mrs.
Vander Hoff for at least two
years. Juniors Remington Bar-
Minji Hwang
2
Editorials
Montclair Journal • February 22, 2011
Montclair Journal
Editor-in-Chief
Brandon Gale
Advisor
Mr. Gernes
Section Editors
Gabby Cohen
Elysia Nakamine
Kimberly Scamman
Kayla Tong
Staff Writers
Dillon Asher
Courtney Basch
Catherine Brutyan
Greg Cohen
John Dolin
Olivia Duthie
Christian Foster
Ryan Glantz
Megan Goddard
Brandon Gordon
Lara Grines
Evan Kantor
Treyvon Love
Blake Steele
Michael Sztanzki
Trevor Wassileff
Photographers
Jessica Choi
Greg Cohen
Blake Steele
Lara Grines
Kayla Tong
Cartoonists
Nick Reitzin
The Montclair Journal is a student publication of Montclair College
Preparatory School, one of the oldest private, coeducational,
independent secondary schools in the San Fernando Valley, offering a
rigorous education to students in grades six through twelve.
The statements and opinions expressed in the Editorial and Op-Ed pages
do not necessarily represent the views of Montclair College Preparatory
School, its administrators, staff, or students.
Please direct letters to the editor, questions, comments, and advertising
inquiries to:
Editor-in-Chief, Montclair Journal
8071 Sepulveda Blvd. Van Nuys, CA 91402
www.montclairprep.com/mcp_paper.asp
[email protected]
(818) 787-5290
Why Teens Don’t Care
What Happens in the World
Brandon Gale
Editor-in-Chief
When asked who Valerie Plame is or why she had
a movie made about her, the modern teen is likely to
display a look of utter confusion and shrug. When
Egypt and the rebellion against Mubarak are brought
up in class, students remain equally confused and
say nothing about it. There has been a loss of interest
in the events on the world stage. Why?
The primary reason is a derivative effect of the
instant gratification plague which has struck recent
generations. With high speed internet, we can get
things that we want in two seconds. We don’t need
to go in stores and wait in lines for hours, we can
order something online. We don’t need to go the
library to write a research paper, we have Google.
Actual work in order to get something is rarely seen
in the information age.
The derived effect is a transition from “I care
about it, therefore I want it now” to “If it doesn’t
affect me now, why should I care?” Modern teens
seem to live in the moment more, ignoring the long
term effects of actions and events in general. When
put on a broad scale, this means that teens show little
interest in the day to day events on the world stage,
what caused these events, and what effects they will
have on the future.
On top of this, we lack a reason to care about the
events of the world. We are secluded. We are safe in
our Los Angeles homes from Muslim radicals and
from nuclear profiteers. American citizens’ direct
involvement in so few of the crises in the modern
world means that, unless we join the army, there is
little to no chance that we will deal directly with any
of these threats. With our parents, political involvement and learning about the world was essential.
When you could be sent to Vietnam any day to go
die for your country, whether you believed in it or
not, its important to know the world stage. However,
the draft would be a little too much of an effort to
bring about social consciousness, so that’s out.
Furthermore, there is a sense of being such a microscopic factor in such a macroscopic world. What
can a teenager do to change the world? Very few of
us do enough community service or give enough to
charity to be able to make a substantial difference to
the world. What can we do? We aren’t even 18.
We are consistently told that things will be easier
when we get to college. We’ll have a forum for our
voices to be heard more openly. We’ll receive school
funding to go to far away countries and do community service work. But that’s still at least half a year
away for most of us. What can we do until then.
We can educate each other. Almost everything we
hear today comes from our friends. If the few who
do care about what happens in the world can spread
that caring around to all their friends. Tell people
who Mubarak is. Tell people why Valerie Plame is
important. That is how our voices can be heard: by
influencing the minds of those around us and pointing them in a good direction
The Montclair Journal wants to hear your opinions. If you want
to write an Op-Ed piece, feel free to contact Brandon Gale or
Mr. Gernes about writing it for the next issue.
Op-Ed
3
Should Seniors Go In-State or Out?
Montclair Journal • February 22, 2011
California has a long standing
reputation as a wonderful
place for students and for
residents alike. Who would
want to leave that?
Catherine Brutyan
Staff Writer
There are several reasons why a teenager would want to apply to colleges only
in California. Some reasons range from
simple factors like the gorgeous weather
or choosing a particular major a college
may offer. Others are more personal or
profound.
The first reasons many people choose to
remain in California is the weather and the
state overall. For the most part, it’s usually
sunny and beautiful, which makes many
activities available. Second of all, depending where go to college in California, you
can go surfing in the morning, skiing or
snowboarding in the afternoon, and hitting up the coolest concerts in town in the
evening. California is geographically and
socially attractive. Ever notice how many
songs there are about California and it’s
locals? California has beaches, mountains,
deserts, and bustling cities.
Another reason someone would apply to
colleges only in California is to escape the
out-of-state tuition fee. People who attend
colleges in states they are not residents of
have to pay an additional fee. Also, people
argue that staying in your home state will
lessen your chances of meeting new people. However, there are plenty people with
different mind sets that will be coming to
California for college. Within the college
a student attends, there will be tons of new
people from all over, making that factor
irrelevant for whether someone stays or
leaves California.
The rest of the reasons that determine
whether someone wants to go to college in
California or out-of-state are personal reasons. Some teenagers honestly just want
to get as far away from their family and
parents as possible and to escape them all.
However some students have good relationships with their parents and don’t mind
them being in the same state. No matter
the parental relationship, it’s best to live
on campus and not at home. Even though
students may love my parents, college is
a time to become independent, something
that can’t happen at home with parents.
Another factor people should keep in
mind is what they want. What do they
want to accomplish
in college? What do
they want to do with
their future? A student
shouldn’t pick a school
out of state just because
of what other people
are telling them. A student should do research
and find out why they
want or don’t want to
stay in California.
Also, a student
should
never make
their decision to attend a certain college on
who else is going there. Someone should
never follow a friend, a boyfriend, or a
girlfriend to college unless that is where
they want to go.
Besides the fact that California in general is a great state and a great place to be,
Los Angeles specifically is an amazing
city. Everyone should be able to study for
classes on the beach and then go to the hottest restaurants on Sunset Blvd. with fellow California residents and new out-ofstate friends showing them why California
is the best. Not only is California the best
in the west, it’s just the best of the best.
College is a time to expand
horizons and take on new
experiences, not stay in a
comfort zone with a closed
outlook on life.
Elysia Nakamine
Section Editor
After junior year of high school, every
student must begin to think of which colleges he or she wants to apply to. Almost
more importantly is what cities he or she
sees themselves one day living in. That decision leads students to think about whether they want to stay in
the state they grew up
in or leave.
New places include
different
mind-sets.
People on the East
Coast think differently
than people on the West
Coast. By staying on
one side of the world,
a student not only shuts
themselves off from
a different viewpoint,
but creates the possibility of close-mindedness, a very real danger
in this world.
Choosing to go to College out-of-state
requires courage, a strong sense of what
you want, and independence. Choosing
to go thousands of miles away from your
family cannot be an easy choice, but for
some it is the right one.
When growing up and living in only one
state and city your entire life, you have no
way of knowing what life is like living in
a different place. Going to college out-ofstate allows you to discover life in other
cities. Going to a brand new city opens you
up to a new culture.
Head
to
Head
Living in a different part of the country
will not only open a person up to a new
culture but also a new climate. In Southern California, the weather is generally the
same. The temperature rarely goes below
40 degrees and snows much less often than
most other cities. In another state someone
can experience four actual seasons including autumn, winter, fall, and summer.
Another reason that going out of state
for college is a good decision is the sense
of independence it gives you. Moving hundreds of miles away from your family will
force you to make your own decisions and
take care of your own problems. If you
stayed in state you would be close enough
to your family that whenever college became difficult or you felt overwhelmed you
could run home and have your parents take
care of your problems. If you go to college
far enough away from your home you will
be forced to find solutions to your problems and setbacks.
Living in the same state may leave you
in a comfortable environment, but if you
never explore the world, you will never
know if you’re in the right place. For a bird
to find its place in the world, it must first
leave the nest. Los Angeles is a big nest,
but it is a nest nevertheless. The birds need
to venture out.
College is all about new experiences and
finding out who you are and want to be.
Going out of state and leaving the familiarity of your home further enhances your
chance at finding these things. Just moving to a new state, to a new environment
is a new experience in and of itself. The
different people you will meet will have
grown up all over the country and bring
their different experiences to your friendships. Starting college in a different state
will give you a new beginning and force
you to truly discover who you are and allow you to redefine yourself.
Why The Arab World is Rebelling
Brandon Gale
Editor-in-Chief
Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak’s 30 year reign is at an
end. Everyone in the world knows
this, except Mubarak. He still retains some notion that the people
of Egypt have some desire to see
him as their leader. Don’t worry
Mubarak, you aren’t the only
leader in the Arab world who’s
era is at it’s end.
The Middle East for years
has been subject to the tyrannical oppression of dictators who
call themselves “presidents.” The
Egyptian “Republic” has been a
military dominated regime since
Gamal Nasser established it.
Nasser, Anwar Sadat, and Mubarak were all military men. In Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait,
and many others, the Monarch
has power over the country, more
overtly in some nations than others.
A curious thing: while the poor
citizens get poorer as the recession worsens, the monarchs and
aristocrats get richer. People are
starving in the streets without any
food to eat, and the governments
do very little to ease their sufferings. How many times in history
has a government failed to provide for its citizens and has been
toppled because of it? Honestly,
the only surprise should be that
Mubarak hadn’t ordered the army
to fire on the people sooner.
The first of the Islamic People
Revolts was in Iran after Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was elected,
for lack of a better term. If he
wanted to make it seem like he’d
won the election, he should have
made the ballots closer in number; everyone knew that Iran was
not that in support of him. The
following riots were massive and
widespread across Iran. It was the
most incredible series of protests
in the Islamic World since the
downfall of the Shah. International media focused on Iran 24/7,
streaming the Twitter posts of the
protestors onto the news.
What stopped the protests in
Iran wasn’t the military shooting
through the rioters like the Chinese did at Tiananmen Square
in 1989. It was the death of
Michael Jackson. When
Jackson died, the media lost
all interest in Iran. Who cares
about millions of Persians being
beaten senseless when the King
of Pop has passed. Jackson’s
death single-handedly setback the
liberalization movement in the
Middle East by 3 years.
Tunisia brought around the
protests again. The people’s living conditions, employment,
and general human rights were
decreasing by the day. President
Ben Ali had been in power for
24 years. People were unhappy
with him, and their decrepit state
wasn’t helping. When someone
like Mohamed Bouazizi immolates himself in protest, it’s a major enough event that it will spark
a rebellion. In less than a month,
Ben Ali followed the path of Idi
Amin and many other Islamic
dictators: He fled to Saudi Arabia
where he was given a villa and
money until he dies.
Egypt of course would
be next. All the factors
that were apparent in Tunisia
were even
more
in-
tense in Egypt.
In addition, the Egyptians hate
Mubarak much more than the Tunisians hated Ben Ali. The Egyptians have wanted Mubarak out
for decades, and aren’t willing to
wait several years more for him
to die.
This isn’t to say that Mubarak
hasn’t done everything he possible could to prevent the protests
from working. He cut off internet
for the whole country so that they
couldn’t Tweet while the
police beat them. He
fired everyone
in
h i s cabinet. He appointed
a successor. However, he
failed to recognize that he
is the masthead of all the
anger of the people, which
means that as long as he’s in power, the protest won’t cease.
Even the army, who Mubarak
is supposed to represent, is showing signs of wavering support.
They even promised not to fire
on any of the protestors, a major
power shift in favor if the protestors. The main threat to Mubarak
is from the army, who could have
a coup against him.
Egypt won’t
be the last nation
in this chain of revolts.
Most likely, the riots will
spread to Yemen or Syria, both
of which have tyrannical rulers.
Both nations have already started
protests, and there are signs of
escalation. The main fear of the
United States is that the protests
will reach Saudi Arabia. Should
that happen, the oil agreements
between the two nations could be
disrupted, which could be devastating to American gas prices.
There are some fears in the
international community that the
protests might be related to the
policies of détente with Israel and
America, but there are no signs
that this is the case. Regardless,
The Middle East is in a major
shift.
4
News
Montclair Journal • February 22, 2011
Trey Loves
Being a Star
Senior Spotlight
Brandon Gale
Editor-in-Chief
‘Charlie Brown’ Brings
Joy and Laughs to All
Minji Hwang
Junior Greg Cohen (Charlie Brown) and the other cast members sing in harmony for an impressed audience.
Charlie Brown, page 1
Yardum dominated the role and
gave a spectacular performance.
She did a terrific first job, and is
anticipated in many plays in the
coming years.
Alongside the primary cast,
there was a whole slew of seventh
grade participants. Seventh graders Emma Goddard, Elisabeth
Drabkin, and Danielle Edwards
made their debut. Although their
roles required few lines, they
stood by the rest of the cast, acted incredibly, and sang proudly.
Montclair can look forward to
seeing these young actors in future performances.
And of course, what is “Charlie Brown” without Snoopy. The
role of the witty dog was played
by sophomore Jack McKendall. McKendell demonstrated
his ability to inspire laughs in
all viewers. He danced and sang
onstage alongside the rest of the
cast while successfully staying in
character.
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie
Brown” is a spectacular musical
comedy, where the actors did a
terrific job making the audience
laugh non-stop. It features some
of Montclair’s favorite actors
next to future talent. Overall, by
the display of the peformance,
Montclair is fortunate to have
such dedicated, incredible, and
talented actors who will be here
for years, not to mention an allstar director. Montclair can hope
to see more plays and musicals
from its talented ensemble coming soon to the Little Black Theater.
Senior Treyvon Love is one of
Montclair’s brightest and best. He
is one of the school’s most successful athletes, a good student,
and has irresistible charisma.
Love comes from Orlando,
Florida. “I love Florida because
the weather is always so warm
and beautiful,” Love said. However, he came to Montclair in
10th grade to play football for the
Mounties. He lives with his father
and brother (both football fans),
and continues to pursue excellence in sports.
Love is inspired by many people. Scholastically, he admires
Frederick Douglass and Mark
Twain. “Douglass was an early
and powerful advocate for civil
rights, and Mark Twain’s witty
humor makes him an incredible
writer,” Love said. In sports, Love
is inspired by Miles Austin, the
wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. “I hope to be as successful
as Austin one day,” Love said.
Besides school, Love shows a
deep commitment to sports. He
has played basketball, football,
and soccer for Montclair in the
three years he’s been here. “I feel
that it’s important to stay in shape
so that I can feel great about myself and feel like I’m achieving
Senior Treyvon Love.
Stock Photo
my personal best,” Love Said. In
addition, Love wants to explore
the world, in hopes of learning
more about the world and himself
Love is in an unusual situation
for a senior: he’s known where
he’ll go to college for a while. He
has agreed to go to University of
Hawaii to play football. “Hawaii
is a beautiful place. The weather
is just like Florida, and I can see
myself living there for several
years,” Love said. “I see myself
playing in the NFL one day, but
then pursuing a more intellectual
career, hopefully at NASA so that
I can stay in Florida.”
Love displays something important for success: passion. He is
dedicated to all of his endeavors.
He has a promising life ahead,
and will make Montclair proud.
Jessica Choi
Seniors Celebrate Pizza Day
Students line up outside to get their slices of pizza from the senior class on Friday, November 19. The Senior Pizza day was the most successful school event hosted by the senior class so far this year, and it was
enjoyed by all the students who bought and ate pizza, as well as chips, soda, and a make-your-own sundae
bar with tons of toppings.
News
5
Montclair Journal • February 22, 2011
Mr. Kabir Brings
Cool to Montclair
Kim Scamman
Section Editor
Dr. Scholz Steps Up for
Science Department
Dr. Scholz does some quick calculations in preparation for his Physics class.
Lara Grines
Staff Writer
Dr. Scholz, a new addition to
the Montclair faculty this year,
teaches Physics, AP Biology,
Chemistry, and Biology, and is
the new Science Department
chair. He recently moved to California from Berlin, Germany. He
says “I was positively surprised
by California’s weather, people,
and everything in general.” Dr.
Scholz loves the climate, and enjoys the fact that he is able to ride
his bike to and from school without difficulty.
Scholz attended Humboldt
University of Berlin and has since
worked at several schools, public
and private. “I really love the
Montclair students,” Dr. Scholz
said, and he admires the Montclair community as a whole. He
appreciates the fact that he can
hold interesting conversations
with students as well as faculty
on a variety of topics. “The reason I teach is due to my general
passion to create something good
that everyone can benefit from,
including myself,” Dr. Scholz enthusiastically said.
The transition from Berlin to
Florida and then to California
was not an easy one. Dr. Scholz
says that he “cannot stand ignorance in general” and believes
that “self- interest is the downfall
of society.” It is evident that he
feels very strongly about various
issues that society faces, includ-
Kayla Tong
ing obesity, lack of educational
interest, and politics.
Dr. Scholz’s main goal in life is
to make the world a better place.
By improving society, he hopes to
one day become famous himself,
maybe as a renowned scientist.
Dr. Scholz’s classes are considered to be some of the harder
courses Montclair has to offer. His
students are heavily challenged to
reach their full potential. His students find the workload difficult,
however it is very rewarding.
“Montclair lost all of its Science department last year,” Mr.
Steele said. “It is a relief that
teachers like Scholz are available
to help us in this time of need.“
Montclair is lucky to have Scholz
as a new addition to the faculty.
As his second year of teaching
in total, and his first year at Montclair, Mr. Kabir is already one of
the favorite teachers at school.
Mr. Kabir enjoys playing sports
with the dreams of becoming a
professional athlete.
Originally from Bangladesh,
Mr. Kabir’s family immigrated to
New York when he was six, and
they moved to Los Angeles when
he was seven. While he grew up,
Kabir’s greatest influences were
his teachers. In fact, it was his
teachers that later inspired him to
become a teacher himself.
“I wanted to influence and
guide kids just as my teachers
have, so I decided to become a
teacher, and instantly loved it,”
said Kabir.
Mr. Kabir went to Fairfax
High School, and went to college at UCLA where he doublemajored in English and History.
As for hobbies, Mr. Kabir enjoys
cooking, dancing, and eating sushi. Mr. Kabir’s pet peeves are
Mr. Kabir strikes a pose.
Kayla Tong
when students talk when he is
talking, and also when students
start packing up their belongings
before the bell rings.
Mr. Kabir is not just an English teacher, but he is also the new
junior varsity basketball coach.
“I am very excited for the season,
and I hope that everyone has fun
and improves,” states Mr. Kabir.
With high hopes of staying at
Montclair in the future, Mr. Kabir
has already impacted the school
and the kids with his personality
and teaching.
The Montclair
Journal is proud
to support the
faculty and staff of
Montclair.
6
News
Montclair Has
A Dance Again
Montclair Journal • February 22, 2011
Winter Formal, page 1
to attempt to change student opinion on school dances.
With the assistance from ASB
President [senior] Josh Brodsky, ASB Vice President [senior]
Langston Tolbert, senior Nick
Reitzen, Mr. Ribero, and Mrs. Peffer it worked out well. This year
there was a change of venue from
Montclair.
“We were planning this dance
for months, and it went better
than ever expected,” Mrs. Peffer said. The ASB hoped that this
change would spark more interest
in attending the dance. The theme
of the dance followed the popular
trend of rave with a neon/electro
dance, similar to Electric Daisy
Carnival [EDC].
“I was super-excited to have
a fun night with my fellow high
school classmates. Since most
schools have some kind of winter
formal, it feels good to know that
I’m not missing any part of the
high school experience,” senior
Treyvon Love said.
“I thought that a winter formal
was a great idea,” Senior Max
Miller said. “It helped serve to
bring our high school even closer
together and raised the spirits of
the students even higher. I feel
it brings an experience that all
high school students should have
no matter the size of the school.
Besides, who doesn’t love a neon
dance.”
According to Brodsky, the key
to the success of the dance depended on whether or not people
attended this dance. The ASB
worked hard on planning this
dance and hopes that everyone
had an incredible time. Students
came with high hopes, and left
with nothing but positive things
to say.
Many Montclair students have
been asking for another dance.
“We’re glad it was such a success,
and we’ll see how the dances go
in the future,” Mrs. Peffer said.
For The
Record
Senior Catherine Brutyan,
who wrote “Standardized
Test” and “Gulf of Mexico” is
a staff writer.
In addition to being a cartoonist, Senior Blake Steele,
writer of “New Year, More
Force”, is also a staff writer.
The Montclair Journal sincerely
apologizes for any mistakes it
made. If you see any mistakes,
please contact Editor-in-Chief
Brandon Gale. He will take note
of the problem and be sure to
rectify it in the following issue
Dorm Diaries
Kayla Recollects
Montclair Memories
Senior Kathy Nguyen, junior Jessica Choi, senior Kayla Tong, and sophomore Dana Kang have fun.
Kayla Tong
Section Editor
Believe it or not, the bullhorn
has been a highlight in my dorm
life. You usually only hear it once
each day, twice each day during weekends. It is like a stamp
on a diary, and day-by-day it has
marked the time since the first
day that I arrived here. Of course,
dorm kids are excited when they
hear the bullhorn. They put their
slippers on; they walk down the
stairs – it is meal time.
I am Kayla Pui-Shan Tong; I
am from Hong Kong. Transferring from a school in Missouri, I
came to Montclair last year as a
junior. Being in the dorm has definitely been a new stage in life for
me. I recall when I was in Missouri, I stayed with a local host
family and had a total “Midwest”
country experience.
I decided to come live in a
dormitory because I wanted to
see California and at the same
time learn independence and discipline. There are things that I remember doing for the first times –
walking down holding a laundry
basket to the laundry room full of
confusion, cooking a proper latenight meal for myself, discussing
problems with my roommate.
You ask anyone of us, we have all
been through this. But there are a
few things that are unique about
Montclair, the “boarding school”
Montclair.
You see, from the dorm to the
school it is only a 30 seconds
walk, 24 hours a day we feel like
we are “involved” in the school;
we would walk to our lockers at
9:30 pm, and yes we did sometimes see lights creeping out of
Dr. Farris’s room because he
would work until late night; my
conception of the school campus
is based on mostly nighttime instead of daytime; these are the
little dorm secrets that we share.
And there is of course, the dormitory; we are so tight together that
every night you would see Mr.
Ribeiro hanging out with the kids
in his pajama, so tight together
that sometimes we have our boyfriends/girlfriends living just right
across the balcony. These are special experiences that I know I will
never have anywhere else, and
Kayla Tong
routines that we have grown to
love (although we might not have
noticed). We are a family.
There is nothing that could
compare to the friends I have
met in the dorm. I have my Vietnamese roommate, Kathy that
fights through many nights with
me while studying for AP Calculus on our dining table; the Thai
cutie, Nile, who would always be
there for you whether it is sunny
or gloomy; the Korean chef, Jessica that lifted me up countless
times with her homemade kimchi
soup; last but not least the “littlegrown-up” 16-year-old Dana, the
one who has brought laughter to
my life - too many to count, too
much to talk about. We are all
cultural and diverse, and we have
broadened each other’s horizons.
Senior year is coming to an
end, I will be graduating soon and
the two years in the dorm will be
something I will always remember. I am proud to be a “dorm kid”,
and please come visit us anytime.
Just, tell me beforehand so I can
clean up my chaotic room a little
bit. As Einstein said, “A messy
workplace is a sign of genius.”
Student Poll
College in California: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Top Schools
–UCLA
–USC
–NYU
–USF
–University of Arizona
–CSUN
–University of Miami
–University of Hawaii
–University of Chicago
Note: This was a poll of 40 Montclair seniors. No students were harmed in the making of this poll.
–SMC
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
New York, NY
San Francisco, CA
Tuscon, AZ
Northridge, CA
Miami, FL
Hilo, HI
Chicago, IL
Santa Monica, CA
Oscar Season Hits
Hollywood Hard
Brandon Gale
Editor-in-Chief
Another year of movies has
concluded, and the Oscars have
come once again. This year, however, the nominees are all very
competitive, and the outcome
may not be as clear as in prior
years.
Best Picture
Once more, the 10 nominations makes it harder to predict
who the winner will be. Certain
films, like “Black Swan” and “Inception,” although good movies,
have no chance of winning against
the other contenders. “Toy Story
3” will not be considered since
animated movies are awarded in
their own category. The primary
contenders are “Winter’s Bone,”
“The Fighter,” “The King’s
Speech,” and “True Grit.” True
Grit probably won’t win because
both Jeff Bridges and The Coen
Brothers have received awards
quite recently, and the academy
doesn’t award the same people
too often. The three remaining
movies are hard to distinguish,
but all critics say that it will definitely be a close race.
Best Actor
The Best Actor race is much
more apparent than any other.
James Franco is the clear victor.
Javier Bardem has already won an
oscar recently, not to mention that
Best Supporting Actor is the “kiss
of death” (i.e. Cuba Gooding Jr.).
Jeff Bridges won an Oscar last
year, and only once in history has
actor won an oscar two years in
a row. Jesse Eisenberg, although
he gave an outstanding rookie
performance, is the underdog
since he has never been in anything serious prior to The Social
Network. Colin Firth is the only
real competition for Franco. He
has been in the public spotlight
for years and is a well respected
actor. However, Franco gave an
all star performance, including
giving a realistic performance of
amputating his own arm off. The
victor is clear to all.
Best Actress
The most impossible to judge
category, as agreed upon by all
critics. Only one thing is for certain: Natalie Portman will not
win. Although her performance
was incredible, it doesn’t hold a
candle to the others this year. Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams both have similar roles,
making it hard to choose between
them. Annette Bening had the
most pleasant of the roles in “The
Kids Are All Right”, something
that the Academy tends to avoid.
Jennifer Lawrence, who played
the daughter in “Winter’s Bone”,
is the rookie contender for the
award. The race will be hard to
judge, even until the last second.
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actor is another close call, but with a more
clear outcome. Mark Ruffalo and
Jeremy Renner, both gave admirable performances, but not exceptional to the level of a clear
victor. John Hawkes performance
in “WInter’s Bone” was more
impressive, but cannot contend
with the final two. Geoffrey Rush
may get the award for many years
of impressive work, topped off
with his exceptional role in “The
King’s Speech”. However, the
most shocking and impressive
role of the year is by far Christian Bale, who played the crackaddict brother of Micky Ward in
“The Fighter.” The actor shocked
everyone by making this drastic
change from Batman to a completely new role. He deserves the
award, just for the versatility.
Best Supporting Actress
There were no clear-cut exceptional female supporting roles
in the last year. Amy Adams and
Melissa Leo both gave impressive performances in “The Fighter.” Helena Bonham Carter’s performance in “The King’s Speech”
was good as always, but nothing
exemplary. Hailee Steinfeld gave
a great performance, considering
her age, and would be the youngest actress to win an oscar since
Jodie Foster for “Taxi Driver.”
The only standout performance is
Jacki Weaver for “Animal Kingdom.” The crime film was unexpected and drew the critics eyes.
Weaver’s performance was both
incredible and worth of the nomination.
Whether or not the expected
winners do in fact win, this season
of Academy Awards will be one
to remember. The films all have
much to laud, and deserve recognition for their performances.
&Delilah
News
Montclair Journal • February 22, 2011
7
Dante
When in Switzerland,
Remain Neutral
Dear Dante and Delilah,
I am a girl and I have a best friend who is a guy. I recently
discovered that I have feelings for him, but I don’t know if I
should tell him because I don’t want to ruin our friendship.
But I do want him to know how I feel. What should I do?
Please Help.
Sincerely,
Friend in Love
Dear Friend,
Dear Friend,
I feel like most of us have
If you and this guy truly
been
in this situation and it
are best friends, telling him
leaves
us questioning ourthe truth is not going to ruin
selves:
whether
to spill our
that. You don’t want to spend a
feelings
or
bottle
them
up. Evsecond wondering “What if?”
ery
friendship
is
different
and
Regret is the hardest burden to
you
have
to
evaluate
several
hold, so to escape it you must
take chances every once in factors before making your
a while. Perhaps he feels the decision.
One of the most important
same about you and is stuck in
factors
is your maturity and his
a similar situation.
maturity.
If you told him how
By telling him how you
you
felt,
and
he didn’t feel the
feel you may be opening up
same
way,
would
he be mathe opportunity to a beautiture
enough
to
take
that as a
ful relationship. However, if
compliment
and
remain
best
you choose to hide those feelfriends?
Or
would
he
freak
out
ings, hanging out with this
and
cut
all
ties?
best friend is only going to get
The next question is, should
more difficult.
he
have the same feelings toThe worst possible scewards
you, what happens if
nario would be if he doesn’t
you
became
official, and then
feel the same way and wants
eventually
broke
up? Is he the
to remain friends. If this is the
type
that
would
stick around
case, all you have to do is tell
and
stay
friends
even though
him that it’s completely fine.
you
had
intimate
relations?
Or
If you love this person, having
would
he
feel
too
awkward
to
him as a friend is better than
remain
friends
after
you
broke
not having him in your life at
all. I assure you that you will up?
All in all I would say take
feel relieved to get those feela
chance,
try and fall in love.
ings out in the open no matter
In
this
case,
ignorance is not
how he responds. “Tis better
bliss.
If
you
don’t find out
to have loved and lost than to
how
he
feels,
you will wonnever have loved at all.” In this
der
about
it
for
the
rest of your
instance, I think we can agree
youth,
possibly
for
the rest of
with Shakespeare
your
life.
I strongly advise you to give
However you know him
it a shot. “Twenty years from
better
than I, and I must estinow you will be more disapmate
what
his reactions would
pointed by the things that you
be
and
if
you’re
willing to acdidn’t do than by the ones you
cept
whatever
happens.
And
did so. So throw off the bowwho
knows,
maybe
he’s
feellines. Sail away from the safe
harbor. Catch the trade winds ing the exact same way.
Take the risk, but weigh the
in your sails. Explore. Dream.
possible
consequences first. I
Discover.” I hope this brilliant
wish
you
the best of luck, and
quote by Mark Twain will inhope
the
two
of you are very
spire you when you make your
happy
together.
decision.
Don’t Despair,
Love Always,
Dante
Delilah
Dante & Delilah is a monthly advice column for the Montclair
Journal. Please feel free to anonymously drop a letter in the
Main Office and your response will appear in the next issue.
Kayla Tong
International Students Head to the Farm
Several of the International Students pose under a water tower during the Dorm field trip to Knott’s Berry
Farm in December. Despite the rainy weather, the dorm students thoroughly enjoyed their trip.
8
Sports
Montclair Journal • February 22, 2011
Student Spotlight
Anderson Races Ahead
of All Her Competitors
Kim Scamman
Section Editor
Kayla Tong
Senior Charles Lockett flies past the other players as he aims for victory.
Mounties Invade
the Courts
Basketball, page 1
game. Point guard Dickerson
leads the team in scoring, averaging 18 points per game. The team
as a whole averages 68 points per
game, four blocks, eight steals,
and 38 rebounds.
The Mounties were first in
their division and are trying to
hold on as long as they can. With
their trust among each other this
team can go very far. They have
recently fought proudly against
Windward and Brentwood.
In the most incredible game
for the whole year, the Mounties
took on rival team Sierra Canyon.
The game was advertised for a
week beforehand by Force founders [seniors] Josh Brodsky and
Max Miller. A massive number
of students showed up to cheer
on the Mounties. The game was
nail-biting all the way through.
The teams were neck-and-neck
for the first half and most of the
second half, even inducing some
students in the stands to start
praying. However, as the game
approached an end, the Mounties
surged forth and dominated Sierra Canyon. The victory was so
impressive and awe inspiring that
the fans surged forth on the court
the instant the buzzer went off.
The Montclair boys basketball
team has been making the school
very proud. They have had a majority of wins and play wonderfully on the court. The player’s
time spent together has built up
their teamwork, and is contributing to their winning streak. The
Mounties this year has a real and
distinct chance of going for the
CIF title, beating out Brentwood,
Windward, Sierra Canyon, and all
other competitors.
Kayla Tong
Lady Mounties Dominate
Senior Kim Scamman plays a hard game against the opponents.
The girls team has been having a successful year, and they show no
signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Senior Lindsay Anderson, a
transfer from Notre Dame, is considered one of the best-rounded
athletes at MCP. Her dedication
to cross country, volleyball, basketball and softball has made her
an excellent and successful athlete. As a starter on varsity Basketball for three years, Lindsay
has high hopes for this year’s success for the girls basketball team,
stating.
“We are going all the way to
CIF, and going to win!” Anderson said. Other than basketball,
Anderson is very talented in volleyball, as this is her second year
starting at setter position. She
is also team captain of the cross
country team, and led her teammates through a fantastic season.
In the future, Anderson has
hopes of playing basketball and
running cross country at the college level. “Maybe I’ll play,
whatever happens will happens,
it doesn’t matter what level it is,
as long as I have to opportunity
to play,” Anderson said. In fact,
Anderson hopes to do more than
just play basketball, she also
wishes to become a team manager
of a sport, and help others learn
Senior Lindsay Anderson prepares to take on the competition.
how to participate and play. Her
first choice for her future school
is University of Redlands, where
she has spoken to the head basketball girls coach about attending.
Anderson is a phenomenal athlete that keeps her spirit high and
her head up. Seeing the world
Dana Kang
by her life motto, which is “love
what you do, and have fun doing
it”, Anderson has a bright and
successful future ahead of her.
“I would like to thank Montclair for giving me the opportunity to play for such an incredible
team,” she said
Tough Call for Youssef
Evan Kantor
Staff Writer
From Tunisia to California,
Senior Youssef Mejri has come
to Montclair with the heart of a
champion. Mejri is 18 years old
and a senior who originally came
to Los Angeles to play for a Stoneridge Prep. He was unhappy
there and transferred to Montclair. Although he is happy with
the school, he is upset over CIF
rules that deny him the chance to
play for Montclair’s varsity basketball program.
One of two reasons is that he
came to the United States during
his senior year of high school. The
other rule is that he transferred in
the middle of the year from another school. The CIF immediatly
declined Montclair’s appeals, but
the 6’8 forward out of Tunisia
still keeps his hoped up.
Mejri has only had three years
of basketball experience, but
watching him play, it is hard to
imagine that he hasn’t been playing basketball his whole life. He
lit up the alumni game when he
had the whole school chanting his
name. He also encouraged “Free
Youssef” signs that the Force
held up during Montclair’s home
opener.
But how can one player with
only three years of experience
get this much buzz? His answer
is hard work and dedication.
Mejri is one of the nicest guys
anyone could ever meet, and he
Senior Youssef Mejri prepares to practice with the Varsity team.
will never give up on his commitments. When asked if he was upset with the restrictions, he said,
“of course, but I’m still working
my hardest to stay in shape.”
Mejri practices with both
the JV and varsity teams, lifts
weights on his own, and plays in
tournaments with the JV teams,
which is the only game time he is
allowed to see. But he isn’t only
getting in shape to send videos to
impress colleges; the talented big
man is on Tunisia’s national team.
In fact, this summer he plans on
going to Lithuania and playing in
the basketball World Cup of players under 20-years-old.
Although CIF rules are holding him back at the moment,
Youssef Mejri will stop at nothing
Kayla Tong
to achieve his goals. He is already
one of the best young players in
Tunisia, but when he’s older, he
plans to take his talents to the
NBA. Although his lack of game
experience is making it hard for
him to get noticed by colleges,
he has NBA friends, “helping
me out,” as he said. He also has
his dad back in Tunisia making a
videotape showing off his skill,
which everyone at Montclair
knows is very high.
Mejri’s goal in life is to become the first NBA player not
only from Tunisia, but that is
also an Arab. A challenging goal,
as many will agree. But with his
dedication, skill, and belief that
he will succeed, not even the CIF
can hold Youssef’s dreams.
Sports
Montclair Journal • February 22, 2011
9
Winter Sports
Date
Opponent
Location
Score
12/2
Flintridge Prep
Montclair Prep
W 63-46
12/8
Malibu
Boys Basketball
12/7
12/9
12/11
12/13
12/15
12/16
12/17
12/18
12/20
12/21
12/21
12/22
1/5
Soccer Teams Set
High Goals for Year
Junior Shawnie Moore takes on the opponents and gives them a run for their money.
Dillon Asher & Ryan Glantz
Staff Writers
It is wintertime, and that means
its time for the Montclair girls
and boys soccer teams to take the
field.
Captain [junior] Gabby Cohen
leads the girls soccer team this
year. Gabby is the powerhouse
captain of the Lady Mounties
soccer team. Cohen is the starting
goalkeeper, continuing her position from last year.
Sophomore Brittany Mata is
the leading forward for the girls,
with a total of eight goals. Close
behind is junior Shawnie Moore
with four goals. Forward [sophomore] Melani Gonzalez, who is
a driving force behind the Lady
Mounties, is out with a MCL
problem which is really hurting
the progress of the team. “The
team hopes that she has a swift
recovery and will be back in the
middle of this season,” Ms, Breznak, the girls’ coach, said.
When asked about the season
so far, Cohen said, “It has been
rough so far, but hopefully as the
season goes on things will start to
go our way.” The Lady Mounties
are doing their best to make the
school proud.
Captains [seniors] Treyvon
Love, Jesse Dean, and Nick Reitzin lead the boys soccer team on
the field. Goalkeeper [freshman]
David Tsuprun has shown that
is doesn’t matter how small or
young you are. It is his first year,
The Force
Unleashed
Blake Steele
Staff Writer
As many of you have probably seen around campus, the
Force has returned to Montclair.
Several weeks ago, seniors and
Force-Founders Josh Brodsky
and Max Miller unveiled the new
Force shirts with their fabulous
new design. After selling many
shirts, Montclair was ready for a
new year of basketball.
The Force kicked off the year
loud and proud. It helped the boys
basketball team take on Flintridge
Prep and Camp Kilpatrick. During the Flintridge Prep game, the
ocean of white shirts that comprise the Force were rolling in
unison to a very loud and obnoxious tune.
Flintridge fought brutally
against the Mounties behind their
star center, who was determined
to stop the team and silence the
Force. However, his stellar play
was short-lived.
The Force decided his time of basketball dominance was over
as it jumped to a new octave
that caused the faint of hearts
to leave the gym in fear. Subsequently, he lost his focus and soon
began forcing up shots and making bad decisions. After his focus and play became suspect, the
Force and a few parents enjoyed
a game in which Montclair took
control and dominated a subdued
and annoyed team.
The Camp Kilpatrick game
was another story entirely. The
formidable foes that took the court
against the Mounties stood no
chance from the beginning. Not
even an inspirational speech from
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
could have saved this Gridiron
Gang from the beating they took
from the Mounties. From the very
beginning, the Force confused,
startled, and scared Kilpatrick.
Kayla Tong
replacing the famed Jeffrey Steinberg as the Mountie goalie. He
has honored his position and has
stayed strong in the goal.
Senior Chris Viglietta and
sophomore Eddie Narvaez play
up top for the Mounties as the
forwards. They are responsible
for most of the goals scored this
season so far.
It has been tough pre-season
for the boys so far. However, they
are hoping to finish the season
strong and make Montclair proud
of its soccer team.
There is plenty of soccer left
to play for both the boys and girls
this year. Support for the teams is
always appreciated. So go out and
support your boys and girls soccer teams.
1/7
1/11
1/14
1/15
1/18
1/21
Crossroads
Villanova Prep
Los Altos
El Camino
Venice
Hawthorne
Skyline
St. Margaret’s
W 59-58
W 79-46
W 80-60
El Camino
Venice
W 70-59
L 69-77
W 75-57
W 82-63
W 69-48
Oaks Christian
Oaks Christian
Windward
Montclair Prep
Hilltop
Kilpatrick
Pacific Hills
Chaminade
Brentwood
Sierra Canyon
Pacific Hills
2/8
W 78-36
Lo Jolla Country Day
2/1
2/4
Crossroads
W 92-50
San Diego Holiday W 56-52
Tournament
L 60-62
Campbell Hall
1/28
Viewpoint
Whittier
1/25
Windward
Brentwood
Sierra Canyon
Girls Basketball
Kilpatrick
Pacific Hills
Chaminade
Brentwood
Shepherd of the
Hills Church
W 58-52
L 70-78
W 49-32
L 56-67
W 64-63
L 65-69
W 64-57
W 66-54
Montclair Prep
W 81-70
Montclair Prep
W 49-46
Windward
Brentwood
Montclair Prep
L 51-71
W 72-54
L 51-68
12/6
Glendale
Glendale
W 65-55
12/8
Chadwick
Montclair Prep
L 37-44
12/7
12/9
12/11
Montclair
South El Monte
Keppel
12/20
Morningside
12/22
Dorsey
12/21
12/23
12/27
12/28
12/29
12/30
1/8
1/11
1/14
1/15
The great white
shark of annoyance, Once again, the
Force emerged from
the battle proud and
victorious.
“Max and I are really enthused about the participation we received for our first
couple games and we hope it
will continue,” Force co-founder
[senior] Josh Brodsky said. “We
will be rolling out more chants
as the season progresses and we
are building a well respected student section so everybody should
come out to say that they were a
part of the new school tradition,
The Force.”
After the absolute domination
of Sierra Canyon’s student section, it is obvious that The Force
dominates the stands while the
Mounties dominate the court. The
Force will stand by the Mounties
all the way. Join the Force today.
Be part of tradition
Village Christian
1/18
1/21
Hawthorne
Marymount
Flintridge
Arcadia
La Salle
Hart
Brentwood
Sierra Canyon
Pacific Hills
Windward
Brentwood
Sierra Canyon
W 69-33
L 40-58
W 53-47
Dorsey
W 62-55
Hawthorne
La Canada
Tournament
Pacific Hills
Santa Clara
W 61-42
Morningside
Pacific Hills
Windward
2/1
2/8
Duarte
Tournament
Rolling Hills Prep
Campbell Hall
2/4
Duarte High
Rolling Hills Prep
1/25
1/28
Montclair
Montclair Prep
Pierce
Brentwood
Shepherd of the
Hills Church
W 45-34
W 46-30
W 68-50
W 60-58
W 55-39
L 55-57
W 58-42
L 36-62
W 64-26
W 53-49
W 58-36
L 51-62
Montclair Prep
W 63-48
Montclair Prep
W 58-28
Windward
Brentwood
Montclair Prep
L 28-72
W 55-50
L 47-48
The Montclair Journal
Supports
the Mounties.
Come Out to the
Next Game.
10 Entertainment
M
J
• February 22, 2011
ontclair ournal
Kanye’s Fantasy Meets
With Stellar Reviews
Langston Tolbert
Contributing Writer
www.onlinemovieshut.com
Christina Aguilera sang and danced incredibly in Antin’s artistic movie.
Lights, Glitter,
Feathers Galore
Olivia Duthie
Staff Writer
“Burlesque” takes audience
through the wonderful world of
clubs and dancers. This glamorous
film is both fun and mesmerizing.
And who doesn’t love Cher?
The film is about a young girl
(Christina Aguilera) who longs
to live a life on the stage and
sets out to Los Angeles to fulfill
that dream. Going through some
troubles along the way, she finally
stumbles upon the place she has
been longing for, a Burlesque
Club. Slowly working her way
up, the girl starts as a bar tender
at the club and climbs her way to
the star of all the performances.
Though the club owner (Cher) is
about to lose her club, she refuses
to give up, simply for the love of
what she started and the love for
her girls.
The highlight of this movie
is in the dancing. The film features high end dance numbers as
Once again Kanye West shows
us why we put up with his scandals. If their is anybody that can
pull their career from six feet under to the heavens, it is him. “My
Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”
is an instant classic. Every song
gives you a new sound that is perfectly pieced together down to the
last beat.
West has had a slew of incredible albums and songs. He first
appeared on the music scene with
his album “The College Dropout’
and has never left the limelight.
Despite his multiple scandals, his
fans have proudly stood behind
him for years, and with his latest album, it is apparent why they
have.
“My Beautiful Dark Twisted
Music Review
My Beautiful Dark
Twisted Fantasy

Artist: Kanye West
Genre: Hip-Hop
Release Date: November 22
Fantasy” features 13 incredible
tracks that satisfy everyone who
hears them. The song “All of the
Lights” highlights West’s masterful producing skills. The song
puts eleven stars (John Legend,
Ryan Leslie, The Dream, Rihanna, Elly Jackson, Kid Cudi, Alicia Keys, Tony Williams, Charlie
Wilson, Fergie, and Elton John)
in one song with perfect results.
“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” takes music to the extreme.
Most of the songs are six minutes,
but they feel as if they are only
four.
The album survived a major
scandal with the cover art. The
initial cover art was banned by
almost all stores due to crude and
graphic imagery of West and a
“demonic” woman naked in bed.
West revealed that his intent with
the cover was to be something
that would be banned. The cover
has since been replaced with a
more “acceptable” cover of a ballerina.
No matter the opinion of West,
it cannot be denied that he has
created a masterpiece. West has
been center stage for years and
has shown no signs of leaving
any time soon. Despite the cover
controversy, the album provides
incredible beats and lyrics and is
recommended for every hip-hop
savant.
Movie Review
Burlesque

Starring: Cher, Christina
Aguilera, Alan Cumming
Director: Steve Antin
Rating: PG-13 for sexual
content including several suggestive dance routines, partial
nudity, language and some
thematic material.
well as an incredible sound track.
Christina Aguilera showcases her
obvious talent, while Cher proves
that talent does not diminish with
age, and that she is still a powerhouse.
That being said, the film is
somewhat lacking in its dialogue.
The plot is somewhat thin, and
leaves the movie supported solely
by the musical numbers
This touching yet fun film is
fabulous. Although it is no longer
in theaters, it is recommended that
it be seen as soon as possible.
Harry L. Dougherty Jr.
Welcomes All
Montclair students
Call and Make an
Appointment Today
www.rottentomatoes.com
Jeff Bridges Gives a
Performance Full of Grit
Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld stare off into the open west as they search for her father’s killer.
Lindsay Anderson
Contributing Writer
It is not very often that a western film can light up the theater
screen, but “True Grit” is an exquisite and rugged rendition of
the Wild West. Hailee Steinfeld,
Jeff Bridges, and Matt Damon
star to create a sensational western unlike any other seen in this
day and age. “True Grit” captures
the essence of the long forgotten
cowboy lifestyle.
At only fourteen years old,
Steinfeld plays the role of a lifetime as Mattie Ross, a girl who
seeks justice for her father’s death
at the hands of a hired gun, Tom
Chaney (Josh Brolin). An independent, often smart-mouthed
young girl, she displays her intelligence and determination despite
the doubts of her elders. Through
her extensive knowledge of the
American laws she is able to clev-
Movie Review
True Grit

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt
Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh
Brolin
Directors: Joel and Ethan
Coen
Rating: PG-13 for some
intense sequences of western
violence including disturbing
images
erly convince Rooster Cogburn
(Bridges) to seek out the murderer
of her father under her payroll and
jurisdiction. Along the way, they
are accompanied by a boisterous
Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Damon)
who joins the search for Chaney
in order to collect a bounty for
him. As the three companions
make their way through treacherous Indian territory, they expose
themselves to rough terrain and
dangers of the woods, which ultimately enables them to work together in order to look after each
other and catch the killer.
Throughout the film, the audience is exposed to the beautiful
and realistic shots of the old west.
Although “True Grit” is a beautifully directed film, it lacks development of the characters. The audience is unable to make a strong
and lasting connection emotionally with any of the characters.
the film was lauded by critics for
being more faithful to the book as
opposed to John Wayne’s film.
All in all, “True Grit” is a remarkable film. The production is
incredible. The scenery is beautiful. The characters, though they
lack development, are funny and
intriguing. John Wayne has been
outdone by the wonderful talent
of Jeff Bridges. Audiences will
be intrigued by the “grit” of this
movie.
Montclair
Entertainment 11
J
• February 22, 2011
ournal
Humor
Due,
Humor
Received
Kim Scamman
Section Editor
www.eonline.com
Audiences Full of ‘Glee’
The members of the Glee club relax after another successful show.
Elysia Nakamine
Section Editor
In two short years, “Glee” has
quickly become one of the most
popular and talked about shows
on television. The unlikely hit
achieved popularity almost overnight, and has been climbing in
popularity ever since.
The hit show centers around
a typical high school and the unpopular Glee club. A passionate
teacher (Matthew Morrison) decides to start a Glee club at school,
despite its ‘un-cool’ status. As the
show progresses, the glee club acquires more and more members,
who bring with them their musical contributions as well as their
life tribulations.
When most people think of
“Glee”, all they think of is the cast
singing the whole time. However,
it not only has show-stopping musical numbers but also incorporates important lessons. The latest
issue the show has been tackling
is tolerance and respect for all
people. The creators and writers
of “Glee” have done an excellent
job in reflecting the treatment of
gay or different students in actu-
Television Review
Glee

Starring: Matthew Morrison,
Lea Michele, Jane Lynch
Creater: Ryan Murphy
Genre: Comedy, Drama,
Musical
ally high schools into the show.
“Glee’s” main theme throughout
the two seasons has remained,
and become more evident in recent episodes, to be yourself and
not let any single person tell you
who you are supposed to be.
Although most of the cast
members are newcomers there are
a few that have had success in the
world of theater . Two of the main
characters have starred on Broadway. Lea Michele, who plays
the extremely talented yet highstrung and competitive Rachel
Berry, was the original Wendla
in the critically acclaimed and
Tony-winning musical, “Spring
Awakening” on Broadway. Matthew Morrison plays the young
passionate teacher, Mr. Schuester,
who truly believes he can have an
impact and change his students’
lives.
Every show needs a villain that
the audience loves to hate. Creator Ryan Murphy was successful
with the character Sue Sylvester.
Known by her red sweat suit and
snide remarks about Mr. Shuster’s hair, Jane Lynch has done a
remarkable job capturing the essence of Sue and portraying as
our new favorite villain.
“Glee” has been nominated
for eleven Emmys, four Golden
Globes, sixteen Teen Choice
Awards, and many others in the
two years the show has been on
air. To some critics this is still
not enough evidence to convince
them that “Glee” deserves high
praise. They believe that “Glee”
has ruined classic rock songs.
Instead “Glee” has sparked a reemergence of the great hits from
bands such as Journey and The
Rolling Stones while at the same
time integrating new songs from
artist like Lady Gaga and Bruno
Mars.
“Glee” has become a phenomena and the rapidly rising popularity and innumerable Gleeks are
signs that the show doesn’t seem
to be going anywhere.
“Due Date” is a comedy about
a soon to be father, Peter Highman, played by Robert Downey
Jr. who is trying to catch a flight
home to Los Angeles from Atlanta
in order to be present for the birth
of his first child. However, he
takes an unexpected turn when he
encounters an aspiring actor and a
disaster-magnet, Ethan Tremblay,
played by Zach Galifianakis.
Throughout the movie, it is
obvious that director Todd Philips
is attempting to replicate his success with “The Hangover”. However, the film lacks the one thing
that gave “The Hangover”such
widespread success: originality.
All the gags, all the scenes with
Zach Galifianakis’s strange humor, all are directly taken from
the Hangover.
However, this does not take
away from the inherent humor of
“Due Date.” The jokes, though
raw and crude, provide laughs.
Overall “Due Date” is a relaxed and enjoyable movie that
shows that even two entirely different people can become best
friends. With non-stop laughing,
this movie will bring a smile to
anyone who watches it.
Movie Review
Due Date

Starring: Robert Downey Jr.,
Zach Galifianakis, Michelle
Monaghan
Director: Todd Philips
Rating: PG-13 for language,
drug use, and sexual content
Harry Potter Still Entrances Viewers
Lara Grines
Staff Writer
“Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hollows, Part 1” is the seventh
installment of the Harry Potter
saga. The movie only captured
the first half of the novel. There
is a planned second film to come.
“There’s just too much for one
movie,” Daniel Radcliffe said.
Director David Yates accurately translated this novel into
a truly incredible cinematic experience. This is his third Harry
Potter film, and everyone can see
how accurate his adaptations of
the films are.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grin reprised
their roles impeccably. The talent
of these actors has improved over
the years, which is evident in this
installment by their maturity and
ability to take on these new, more
serious roles.
Cinematically, the images
capture the magical world very
Movie Review
Harry Potter 7

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe,
Rupert Grint, Emma Watson,
Ralph Fiennes
Director: David Yates
Rating: PG-13 for some
sequences of intense action
violence, frightening images,
and brief sensualtiy
well. Characters like Dobby were
completely created artificially and
exemplify true imagination.
This movie begins after the
end of the summer. Harry Potter
is Voldemort’s number one target.
Now Harry is on the run from the
Dark Lord. Harry and his friends
must band together in order to
stop Voldemort from achieving
world dominance.
Harry Potter fans are so far impressed with the latest film, and
are eager for Part 2 of the movie,
coming in July 2011.
Upcoming
Films
February 25
Drive Angry: A damned
soul breaks out of hell
and fights to save his
granddaughter.
March 4
Rango: A lizard becomes the sheriff of a
western town.
The Adjustment Bureau: Two people in love
fight against a group
that has planned everything in the world, and
needs them to be apart
for the future.
Take Me Home Tonight: A group of teens
over Labor Day weekend in 1988 live their
lives to the fullest for
once before becoming
adults.
Beastly: A greedy
young man is turned
into a hideous beast,
and only true love can
save him.
March 11
Battle-Los Angeles: A
platoon of marines fight
against an alien invasion .
Red Riding Hood: A
girl falls in love while her
town is haunted by a
werewolf.
Kill the Irishman: In
1970s mob-run Cleveland, Danny Greene and
his Irish mob take on the
Italian Mafia.
March 18
Limitless: A struggling
writer discovers a drug
that helps him activate
the unused part of his
brain.
Paul: Two British comic
book geeks driving
across America stumble
upon an alien outside
Area-51.
The Lincoln Lawyer: A
criminal defense attorney must make a situation right when he got
a killer acquitted, even
though he was guilty.
March 25
www.filmofilia.com
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint race past spells and
curses as they search for a way to defeat Voldemort.
Sucker Punch: A girl
living in a mental institution finds solace in
extravagant fantasies
about escape.
12 Entertainment
M
J
• February 22, 2011
The Fighter Enters the Critics’ Ring
ontclair ournal
Blake Steele
Staff Writer
“The Fighter”, starring Mark
Walberg, Christian Bale, and Amy
Adams, centers around promising
boxer Micky Ward (Mark Walberg) who has to battle his opponents in the ring and problems
at home. His trainer, loyal halfbrother Dicky Ward (Christian
Bale), was once a boxer turned
trainer as drugs and problems
with the law curtailed his career.
The movie centers around Micky
as he tries to bounce back from
disheartening losses and salvage
his boxing career. The Fighter is
an inspirational drama that will
leave the viewer on the edge of
their seat as they cry, laugh, and
hurt with Micky in his attempt for
boxing immortality.
The acting in the movie was
quite spectacular. Though Walberg did a magnificent job in the
movie playing the more levelheaded brother, he was greatly
overshadowed by Bale. Bale’s
ability to become Dicky Ward
was quite remarkable. His mannerisms, his actions, the way he
Movie Review
The Fighter

Starring: Mark Wahlberg,
Christian Bale, Amy Adams,
Melissa Leo
Director: David O. Russell
Rating: R for extensive
language throughout, drug
content, some violence and
sexuality
spoke, and even just the way he
gazed across a room encompassed Dicky in every way possible making everyone forget that
Bale was even the actor playing
him. Adams also delivers a powerful performance as Charlene the
hardnosed college dropout girlfriend of Micky Ward, who helps
turn his life around, and perform
in the ring. She, alongside Bale,
took “The Fighter” above and beyond just another sports movie,
and turned it into a drama for the
ages.
The cinematography and the
script didn’t take backseat to the
action in this movie, but instead,
were fighting at the forefront.
www.collider.com
Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg think about their boxing careers and how to properly live their lives.
The drama of Micky’s home life
became the problem of every
viewer as they were taken to the
edge of our seats and then some.
Senior Matt Degraffenreid stated
that, “The Fighter is more than
just another boxing movie. This
movie registered on a more emotional level for me as I watched
Micky’s, and Dicky’s for that
matter, life unfold before my
eyes.”, Degraffenreid continued
to say, “I believe, due to plot line,
character development, and the
acting in the movie, that “The
Fighter” ranks alongside ‘Cinderella Man’, ‘Rocky’, and even
‘Raging Bull’.” “The Fighter” is
a must see, don’t miss an instant
classic.
Christian Bale has received an
Oscar noimination for best supporting actress. Everyone can
agree that he deserves it. He gave
a performance of a lifetime as
Dicky Ward, and was the central
talent of the whole film.
Aronofsky Awes All
Audiences With Artistry
Courtney Basch
Staff Writer
www.rollingstone.com
Lil’ Wayne’s
Latest Disappoints
Lil Wayne’s latest album, though disappointing, has great artwork.
Michael Sztanski
Staff Writer
Lil’ Wayne’s eighth studio album, titled “I Am Not a Human
Being” was released on September 27, 2010. This album was
recorded prior to his nine-month
prison term, and to say the least,
the outcome of the album is far
from impressive.
Many longtime Lil’ Wayne
fans expected a lot more from
this album, instead receiving only
a few decent songs. Songs like
“With You” (featuring Drake) and
“Right Above It” prove that Lil
Wayne has not completely disappointed his fans. “Right Above It”
became a top ten hit in the United
States and is considered by many
to be the only genuine Lil’ Wayne
song on the album. However, it
doesn’t save the album from the
Music Review
I Am Not a
Human Being

Artist: Lil’ Wayne
Genre: Hip-Hop
Release Date: September 27th
remainder of the songs.
The quality of the lyrics doesn’t
compare to previous albums that
have been so successful. Additionally, the beats are slightly off.
Worst off all, the whole album is
monotonous, with all the songs
sounding exactly the same.
On a scale of 1-10, “I Am Not a
Human Being” gets a 7. It doesn’t
come close to comparing to Lil’
Wayne’s previous works, which
had the full package of variety,
smooth sounds, and lyrical flow.
“Black Swan” is another highly entertaining film to come from
director Darren Aronofsky. With
his unique style he introduces us
to the dark and twisted world of
Nina Sayers, a ballet dancer in a
competitive and secluded New
York dance company. Natalie
Portman executes her part as the
emotionally fragile Nina superbly, with great emotional range.
Nina is so desperate to not only
please everyone, but to also win
the lead role in the company’s
production of “Swan Lake”.
Though she perfectly suits the
role of the virginal White Swan,
her fellow competitor, played
with substance by Mila Kunis,
seems to better fit the role of the
seductive Black Swan. However,
Nina is still rewarded with the
lead role, but never seems content due to her initial inability to
portray the Black Swan credibly.
Aronofsky illustrates the madness
that ultimately consumes her with
perfection. The director takes the
film where no other of this genre
has been before.
“Black Swan” is a true psychological thriller. Aronofsky draws
attention to the brutal, almost disturbing, side of ballet, and the toll
that it takes on its dancers, especially Nina. It is her desire to be
perfect that ultimately leads to her
downfall. Between the creative
genius of Aronofsky’s black and
white camera shots to the writers’
innate abilities to turn a story as
simple as “Swan Lake” and not
only bring it to life, but to com-
www.moviecarpet.com
Natalie Portman dances perfectly as the seductive black swan.
Movie Review
Black Swan

Starring: Natalie Portman,
Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Rating: R for strong sexual
content, disturbing violent
images, language, and some
drug use
plicate it to the point where the
audience is absolutely captivated,
is truly incredible. Once again
Aronofsky’s abstract thinking has
created a genius film.
However, it is also the actors
who contribute to the success
of this film. These are stand-out
performances, especially by the
two female leads. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis already have
Critic buzz surrounding them, and
it is certainly clear why. Although
Mila Kunis was the underdog actress in the film, she esecuted her
role perfectly.
As the Oscar nominations
came out, no one was surprised
that Natalie Portman was nominated. Her role required great acting skills, and it is high time she
received another academy award.
This is a mind blowing movie
that will keep you guessing from
beginning to end. Not to mention,
for all serious moviegoers, it will
be one of the frontrunners at all
film awards this year. Regardless,
it is definitely a film worth seeing
and unlike any this year.