Entertainment

Entertainment
B4
SECRET EATER
October 29, 2010
Piracy creates lawsuits, loss of profits
ZACHARY JENSEN
STAFF WRITER
Benihana’s
Right off of Interstate 8
on Camino del Rio South lies
an authentic Teppanyaki-style
Japanese restaurant. Benihana’s
offers a variety of seafood and
other oriental cuisine.
There, each party is seated
around a grill where they watch
their food cooked right in front
of them and can watch each
ingredient that is added to their
meal, making Benihana’s the
ultimate restaurant for health
freaks.
The one disappointment in
my visit was the fact that my
waiter wasn’t Asian, but as soon
as he turned my fried rice into a
talking Mickey Mouse head, all
was forgiven.
Some would think that
food that has been played with
probably doesn’t taste very good,
but on the contrary, my shrimp
and mushroom dish were cooked
to perfection and tasted amazing.
On top of that, my drink
never hit rock bottom because
there was a waiter around every
corner. I had unlimited refills for
my lemonade. By the end of the
night, I had tried all four flavors.
You may have to travel to be
able to talk to your friend on the
other side of the table, but you
will probably be too distracted
by the chef flinging shrimp tails
in his hat to even notice.
The chefs are entertaining and
happy to answer any questions,
except for those regarding their
“special sauce” that they keep
secret.
Prices are high, and you may
need to camp out in order to
get in without a reservation, so
don’t make it your regular. But
Benihana’s is an experience that
every San Diegan should enjoy at
least once in their life.
—
YISHA WANG | ARTIST
For years, the Internet has been
a gateway to endless information
and content. Almost anything
imaginable can be found on the
Internet, from funny pictures to
movies that are still in the theatre.
Programs such as LimeWire and
BitTorrent put illegal media in easy
reach.
If you wanted to watch the
latest DVD, I doubt you would
simply walk into Blockbuster,
grab it, and leave without paying.
However, when you choose to
download a movie illegally rather
than paying nearly $20 for it at the
store, you are, in essence, stealing
it.
Whether it’s music, movies,
software, games, or e-books; the FBI
has mandated serious consequences
for even small infringements. For
example, if you are caught illegally
downloading music, you will be
charged a minimum of $750 per
song.
And say you are caught
with illegal content; you can be
sentenced to as many as five years in
prison for your first offense, along
with $250,000 in fines. Despite the
small likelihood of being caught, is
it really worth the fines that could
potentially bankrupt your family?
So far, the Recording Industry
Association of America, or RIAA,
has taken legal action against over
28,000 individuals. Even the CIA
has gotten in trouble for piracy, after
using software without permission
for their military predator drones.
Most often, illegal content
is obtained through peer-to-peer
(P2P) web sites. These sites allow
users to post and download content
ranging from music to movies
and require only limited computer
skills.
One MC junior has an entire 150
GB hard-drive dedicated to pirated
content. He pirated everything from
video games to Adobe CS5, which
sells for $2,599.
The RIAA claims that $12.5
billion of music is pirated every
year, which the junior claims is
ridiculous.
“There’s no way to track that
money, so they’re pulling those
numbers out of their asses,” he
said. “It’s out there, so you might
as well use it.”
Almost every person you talk
to has been involved with piracy
in one way or another. Most of the
time it’s simply to get out of paying,
but others use the easily accessible
content to earn money.
Another MC junior sells
pirated Xbox 360 games, selling
them for only $10, which is much
cheaper than the $60 they go for at
a store. He said producing copies
is easy, but you need to understand
what you’re getting into.
“It requires just minimal
understanding of computers,” he
said. “Just know what you’re doing
is illegal, and you can get caught.”
It seems piracy isn’t going to
stop anytime soon, particularly
since the economy has cut short
many people’s extra spending
money. It entices many with its
easy accessibility, though few are
willing to pay the price of this
seemingly harmless illegal activity.
Conan O’Brien debuts
with brand new show
following comedy tour
Deathly Hallows Part 1 to
be released mid-November
JACOB SNYDER
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
BILLY WATSON
STAFF WRITER
On Nov. 6, one of the best talk
show hosts of our time will be returning
to your TV’s late at night: the one and
only, Conan O’Brien. Now if you’re
asking where he went, I’m about to
tell you.
In 2009, when Jay Leno decided
to “retire” from TV, O’Brien stepped
in to replace him on “The Tonight
Show.”
Soon after, Jay Leno decided
he wanted to come back, but he
wanted his new show to be during the
primetime schedule. Because of this,
NBC created a new show for him and
stuck him in primetime.
“The Tonight Show” was going
great. O’Brien was starting to garner a
following. Meanwhile, “The Jay Leno
Show” was bringing in lackluster
ratings, and NBC wasn’t too happy
about it.
On Jan. 7, 2010, their plan of
action was to move “The Tonight
Show” back to 12:05 A.M., while “The
Jay Leno Show” would move to 11:35
P.M. Wanting to keep the tradition of
“The Tonight Show” alive, O’Brien
refused. He was released from NBC
shortly after.
Soon after, O’Brien went on
his comedy tour titled “The Legally
Prohibited from Being Funny on
Television Tour.” Hours before the tour
was set to start, O’Brien announced to
everyone’s excitement that he would
host a new show on cable station TBS
titled “Conan,” beginning on Nov. 6.
The rise and fall, and even higher
rise to the top for Conan O’Brien is
filled with a lot of questions, but one
thing is for sure: I will definitely be
watching him when he returns.
A-
REVIEWS
Mt. Carmel SUN
After nine years, the journey
is finally coming to a close. “Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
is the final installment in the
series, but for the film adaptation
it will not be a single-film deal.
In an interesting move, the movie
will be filmed and released in a
two-part format. Part one will
be released to theaters on Nov.
19, 2010, while Part 2 will be
released on July 15, 2011.
The decision was made
due to the common opinion that
“Deathly Hallows” was so full of
intricacies that one movie would
not suffice.
“Deathly Hallows” is so rich,
the story so dense and there is so
much that is resolved that, after
discussing it with J.K. Rowling,
we came to the conclusion that
two parts were needed,” said
Warner Bros. executive Alan
Horn. Just based on the trailer,
Deathly Hallows seems to shape
up to be without a doubt the best
movie of the franchise.
The film has an estimated
budget of between $230 and
$285 million.
Initially, both parts were set
to be converted to 3-D; however,
this was scrapped for part one
because Warner Bros. felt that it
would not reach standards. Part
two is still on track.
Deathly Hallows is rated
PG-13 for sequences of intense
action violence and frightening
violence. It is definitely the
must-see movie of the year.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY IMDB.COM
B
A+
B+
Album: Speak Now
Artist: Taylor Swift
Genre: Country
Name: Filippi’s Pizza Grotto
Location: Oak Knoll Road
Style: Italian
Title: Timelock
Author: David Klass
Genre: Action
Title: The Dark Tower (Series)
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Western
ABBY MANSOUR
NEWS EDITOR
TJ RIVERA-ALONSO
SPORTS EDITOR
MICHAEL CLOGSTON
STAFF WRITER
DAVID PU
STAFF WRITER
Mistakes, forgiveness, and heartbreak.
You’d think that the constant theme would
get overused and monotonous, but somehow
Taylor Swift managed to put out her third
album, “Speak Now,” based on these
unchanged topics.
As with every album, there are the songs
that stand out. The song from which the
album takes its name, “Speak Now,” shares
the common Taylor Swift theme of love and
mistakes and is catchy and well-written.
My personal favorite, “Better than
Revenge,” showcases another side of Swift;
one of more anger and pain. But, the way she
conveys her emotion doesn’t come across as
overly psychotic or pitiful, rather, she uses
humor to express her pain.
This album differs from her past two
in that the majority of the songs are slowerpaced. I mean, I can only hear about her sobstory of a love life for so long.
Isn’t it songs like “You Belong with
Me,” with an upbeat and happier vibe, that
really put her on the map anyway? The simple
fact is that angry and happy songs are more
entertaining than listening to a 19 year old
whine into a microphone for six minutes.
Bottom line is that this iconic star’s
album is worth buying and listening to.
From the dark ambiance to its delicious
antipasto, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto in Poway is
an interesting venue. Upon entrance to the
eatery, it is as if you have entered an authentic
Italian restaurant in New York City.
The venue seems clean and well
organized but noticeably dim. The lack of
lighting is probably an attempt by the owners
to give the restaurant more of a “grotto” feel.
A glance at the menu and you notice this is
not fine Italian cuisine, rather Italian ‘comfort
food.’
As an appetizer, or meal if you prefer, they
offer an antipasto (Italian salad on steroids).
The antipasto is chocked full of different
cold cuts, pepperoncini, and vegetables, and
comes with a freshly baked roll of bread.
After the great appetizer came the famous
pizza. The pizza was also delicious, though
it dripped so much grease that a puddle
accumulated on my plate.
Overall, the food was finger-lickin’
good, however, don’t visit if you are counting
calories.
The service was commendable and the
facilities were acceptable. Though I might lay
off the pizza next time, I will revisit the familyowned Filippi’s Pizza Grotto whenever I’m in
the mood for some great Italian food.
Timelock is a book that is best read in one
sitting, because the action is non-stop, with
plenty of plot twists and emotional energy
from some of the most unlikely places.
Written by author David Klass, this is
the third in the Caretaker Trilogy. However,
it is not necessary to read books one and two
before reading Timelock.
Timelock weaves the story of a relatable
teenager, Jack Danielson, who was sent from
the distant future by his parents to the present,
to ensure his survival all for one reason: he
is the only individual who will protect and
eventually save the world from a horrible
outcome.
Jack lives in the present, and he is
transported to the future to meet his real
parents, and then returns to battle the forces of
evil to save the future world. Then, Jack must
decide whether to stay with his girlfriend P.J.,
or to return to the future to continue with the
obligations of his birthright.
A great read with high energy, violent
battles, a bit of romance, emotional family
interactions, monsters, evil villains, people
melting ice caps to eliminate the human race,
kindly wizards, mental telepathy with a polar
bear, time travel, and even a talking dog—
this book has it all.
We go into a library or a bookstore, and
what do we look for? Typically speaking,
we look for a book with the best cover. Let’s
keep in mind, however, that this isn’t true, but
it did lead me to The Dark Tower Series.
The series was started by Stephen King
about 30 years ago, and there are seven books,
racking in a total of almost 4,000 pages.
Each book incorporates King’s style of
fantasy and horror. It all starts with the main
character, Roland Deschain, a version of
James Bond in all likeness. Deschain travels
into different time periods of New York to
acquire three other people who end up joining
his “ka-tet,” who join him on his quest to the
dark tower. Each character can be simplified
as follows: Eddie Dean is the former heroin
addict from Brooklyn; Susannah is the girl
with no legs and split personalities; and Jake
has a badger named Oy.
Simple characters, but a very confusing
storyline. The story is always moving, but
that doesn’t mean it can’t get boring at times.
King just happens to have a habit of putting
in too much unneeded detail.
It’s hard to tell if I actually would’ve
read the series if King wasn’t the author, but
I will admit that the series was entertaining,
and is recommended to all fantasy readers.