PICTURE-PERFECT PROM

Transcription

PICTURE-PERFECT PROM
Usher: His latest puts you in the gutter, but you’ll smile. Page 19
On the Web at tb-two.com
March 25-March 31, 2010
PICTURE-PERFECT PROM
GOSH, NAPOLEON! YOU CAN LOOK LIKE
Y O U S T E P P E D O F F T H E S I LV E R S C R E E N
W I T H O U R TA K E S O N T H E P R O M S C E N E S
F R O M T W I L I G H T, M E A N G I R L S , C A R R I E ,
GREASE AND NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
( O F C O U R S E ) . PA G E S 4 - 1 3
Published Thursdays by Times Publishing Co., publisher of the
and tbt*
SWEEEEEEEEET!
it’s all about us
pixels
student editors
Tori Creighton, St. Petersburg High
Rachel Lubitz, Countryside High
Liz Nordlinger, Lakewood High
Alexa Volland, Seminole High
www.tb-two.com
Founded September 10, 2009
tb-two* overlords
MADELINE GLASSMAN | Lakewood High
When vampires didn’t sparkle
Bradley Burge, junior, left, Alex Brackx, freshman, center, and Bernard Marger,
sophomore, of Lakewood High’s Drama Club rehearse Dracula. Catch the
gruesome, bloody production and prepare to grip your seats tonight and Friday in
the LHS auditorium, 1400 54th Ave. S, St. Petersburg. The curtains open at 7 p.m.
$5 for students, $7 for adults.
Send us your pictures!
Submit photos, gawk at your classmates and tell us what you
think (about anything) at tb-two.com.
2
| Thursday, March 25, 2010 | TB-TWO
Paul Tash
Chairman, CEO & Editor
Neil Brown
Executive Editor & Vice President
Gretchen Letterman, editor
Kelley Benham, other editor
Holly Braford, designer
published by Times Publishing Co.,
publisher of the St. Petersburg Times and tbt*
490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Want to advertise in tb-two*? (Yes, you do.)
Call Andi Gordon at (727) 893-8698.
Want more copies of tb-two* at your
school? Call (727) 892-2203.
contact us facebook.com/tbtwo
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Letters to the editor: [email protected]
special thanks
Cherie Diez, Stephanie Hayes and Sean Daly
of the Times staff, for dynamite prom inspiration.
this week’s staff
Gytis Garsys, Tampa Preparatory
Shanté Shedrick, Lakewood High
Lily Cano, St. Petersburg High
Rachel Lubitz, Countryside High
prom committee
Tori Creighton, St. Petersburg High
Rachel Lubitz, Countryside High
Liz Nordlinger, Lakewood High
Alexa Volland, Seminole High
Rachel Williams, Gibbs High
Julia Clouser, Seminole High
Marion Wolfe, Gibbs High
Madeline Glassman, Lakewood High
student interns
Rachel Williams, Gibbs High
Madeline Glassman, Lakewood High
Michelle Stark, University of South Florida
tb-two* is published Thursdays during the
academic year and distributed to high schools
in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.
thecheatsheet
No, I don’t have any gum, but did you know …
games to watch
PROM
2010
THESE THINGS ARE LEGAL
e’re not trying to tell you what to do after prom, but we’ll let
Emily Post take a swing. Don’t know Emily? She’s the mother of
all etiquette mavens, and her relatives have kept up the business for
generations. Consider yourself lucky that you weren’t off to the ball in
1955, when the 82nd printing of her book Etiquette —The Blue Book of
Social Usage, first published in 1922, was rolling off the presses. In it
Post issues some stern advice to young partygoers: “You should leave
before ten . . . past midnight is too late for a well-behaved young woman
to be leaving bachelor flats — or even two young women together.” •
Cindy Post Senning and Peggy Post are the latest proper Posts to pen
an etiquette book: Prom and Party Etiquette (Collins, 2010). Here are
some of their tips for legal after-prom activities. (Parentheses added by
tb-two* staff.)
W
After the prom you might go for a latenight breakfast at a local diner. (Pancakes
at Ihop, anyone? Or continue your party with
some fiesta potatoes from Taco Bell.)
You might get together with a few friends
and continue dancing at a club or an afterprom party. (Ybor City nightlife: Club Skye,
Prana, Czar, Castle, all 18-and-up clubs. The
party could be at the house of a friend with
really nice parents, where you could eat pizza,
watch movies and stay ’til the break of dawn!)
1
2
And this is not
about prom,
either, but it’s
important
Did you know it is a crime to be
involved in sexting? Current
penalties for trading sexually
explicit images via cell phone or
social networking sites are equal
to those for child pornography
offenses, including being labeled
as a sexual predator. Florida
lawmakers are trying to make the
penalties for sexting less harsh
with a bill making its way through
the Legislature. A first offense
will be eight hours of community
service if a teen is caught
sending or possessing an explicit
self-portrait of another minor.
Subsequent offenses would carry
stiffer punishments.
Maybe your friends have rented a room
at the hotel in which the prom is held.
(Have a lock-in, fill it up with games, music for
dancing, and tons of food!)
Or maybe you simply go home. (Solitaire
is still fun . . . right?)
3
4
MADELINE GLASSMAN, Lakewood High-LILY CANO, St. Petersburg HighALEXA VOLLAND, Seminole High-
YOU CAN GO TO PROM
You don’t have a prom date yet. What are you
going to do?
You can: A) Freak out, have a conniption fit and
fall on the floor.
or
B) Figure something out! If you’re a senior, you
really need to get moving, because it will be your
last prom, a night you’ll never get back.
Okay, we admit, finding a date is not an
easy thing, especially in high school where
relationships are about as long as our attention
span during science class PowerPoints. Here are
some tips for finding a last-minute prom date.
• Don’t look for a boyfriend/girlfriend; just look
for a friend you can have fun with that night .
• Scroll through your phone contacts for old
acquaintances you might not have thought
about, but who you know are fun to be with.
• There is always Facebook. Post a status like an
advertisement (for example: Wanted: prom date;
Requirements: would look good in prom picture,
will pay for dinner afterward, pick up date in a
timely manner, must have some kind of dancefloor rhythm. This might seem kind of out there,
Okay, this is not about prom.
TODAY
Tennis: Shorecrest vs. SPC at Seminole
Lakes, 4 p.m.
FRIDAY
Baseball: Dunedin at Seminole, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
Softball: Spring Fling Invitational at
Fishhawk Athletic Complex
Softball: Palm Harbor University Spring
Tournament at Eddie C. Moore Complex
SATURDAY-THURSDAY
Baseball: Osceola Spring Invitational
Sudoku solution
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iStockphoto.com
but since it only would be seen by your (hundreds
and hundreds of) friends, it should be safe. You
never know who might be interested in going to
prom with you.
• If you’re interested in somebody, go ahead
and ask. You should not be scared; all he/she
can say is “no.” It’s not like someone is going to
yell psychotically at you “NO!!! I HATE YOU GET
AWAY FROM ME,” or punch you in the face before
running off.
• If none of these methods work, go with a group
of friends who like to have fun. You’re going to see
your friends at the dance anyway, so you might
as well arrive together.
RACHEL WILLIAMS, Gibbs High
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TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
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M A K I N G
A
(PROM) SCENE
A
prom theme that’s cool, not lame. Mission Impossible? Well,
that movie doesn’t feature a prom, but plenty of our favorite
movies do. Movies that are hilarious. And classic. And scary.
Ahhh, nothing like a good scary prom movie.
And nothing more boring than your average prom theme. No offense,
student government people. We know your hands are tied sometimes.
What else could explain “Dr. Seuss” or “We’ve Only Just Begun”?
The tb-two*prom committee — what, you didn’t know we had a prom
committee? — recreated scenes from five great prom movies. We dis-
N A P O L E O N
D Y N A M I T E
2 0 0 4
I LIKE
YOUR
SLEEVES.
THEY’RE
R E A L LY B I G .
— N A P O L E O N
D Y N A M I T E
Evan Miller and Sophia Fujiki nail the
awkwardness of Napoleon. Photo staged at
the St. Petersburg High gymnasium.
MARION WOLFE | Gibbs High
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| Thursday, March 25, 2010 | TB-TWO
PROM
2010
patched our fashion consultants to find modern dresses and tuxes to
update the looks but stay true to the soul of the movies.
If we were in charge of deciding your school’s prom theme, we’d
be tempted to choose one of these movies (maybe not Carrie). Who
wouldn’t have fun interpreting Deb’s poofy sleeves from Napoleon
Dynamite, or rocking some hot pink socks like Danny in Grease?
No matter what your prom theme is this year, maybe our take on
some of these prom moments will inspire you to make a scene of your
own.
W H A T
I N S P I R E D
U S
Twentieth Century Fox
Tina Majorino is Deb and Jon Heder is Napoleon in Napoleon Dynamite.
E VA N M I L L E R
SOPHIA FUJIKI
COUNTRYSIDE HIGH SENIOR
CHARACTER: NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
COUNTRYSIDE HIGH SENIOR
CHARACTER: DEB
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“I would wear it out every weekend for the
ladies.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which
one would you choose?
“Probably Napoleon Dynamite, just so I could
wear the suit and glasses again.”
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“Yes. I thought it was really cute. I was worried
about the sleeves being too big, but since there
were no sleeves in this, it was perfect.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which
one would you choose?
“Pretty in Pink because I’m kind of obsessed
with the whole ’80s thing.”
WHAT HE’S WEARING
Jean Yves, Sacino’s Formalwear and Men’s
Clothier
Tone-on-tone chocolate brown Parisian twobutton notch lapel tuxedo (jacket not shown),
with chocolate satin vest and brown tie by
Brandon Michael; Luxe microfiber with laydown collar business shirt; brown lace-up
shoes by After Six.
WHAT SHE’S WEARING
Jodi Kristopher, $99, Dillard’s
Large rosette detail on this spaghetti-strap
hot pink dress gives it a one-shouldered look;
with black pleated waistband and black lace
underlay.
TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
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G R E A S E
|
1 9 7 8
PROM
2010
JULIA CLOUSER | Seminole High
Sarah Aitchison and Liam Shelton channel 1959 while dancing the night away in a scene from Grease. Photo staged at the St. Petersburg High gymnasium.
I T
D O E S N ’ T M A T T E R I F Y O U
W H A T Y O U D O W I T H Y O U R
W I N O R L O S E , I T ’ S
D A N C I N ’ S H O E S .
— V I N C E
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| Thursday, March 25, 2010 | TB-TWO
W H A T
I N S P I R E D
U S
Paramount
Olivia Newton-John is Sandy and John Travolta is Danny, dancing in a crowded high
school gym in Grease.
SARAH AITCHISON
L I A M S H E LT O N
SEMINOLE HIGH SENIOR
CHARACTER: SANDY
ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY
FRESHMAN
CHARACTER: DANNY
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“It was a really cute dress, but I probably
wouldn’t have picked it myself just because of the
color. Light pink isn’t the best color for me but I
did like it A LOT.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which one
would you choose?
“Definitely High School Musical 3. Who wouldn’t
want to hang out with someone like Zac Efron?”
WHAT SHE’S WEARING
Morgan & Co., $149, Dillard’s
Blush spaghetti-strap with rosettes accenting
the bust, pleated wide satin cummerbund and
tiered chiffon skirt.
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“Yes, I would, and plan to. Even the socks.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which one
would you choose?
“Maybe Carrie. No one survives, so the role
of Tommy the football player would be an
especially cool challenge.”
WHAT HE’S WEARING
Demetrios, Sacino’s Formalwear and Men’s
Clothier
One-button black notch lapel tuxedo; black
patent lace-up shoes by After Six
Shirt: Express, 1MX, $49.50
Hot pink stretch cotton fitted shirt with point
collar and adjustable cuffs
Socks: Target clearance rack, $5
TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
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M E A N
PROM
2010
G I R L S
|
2 0 0 4
JULIA CLOUSER | Seminole High
Ashley Grimes, Valerie Bestor and Tiffany Jones evoke Mean Girls style, without the bus. Photo staged at the Tramor Cafeteria in St. Petersburg.
S H E ’ S T O T A L L Y R I C H ,
B E C A U S E H E R D A D I N V E N T E D
T O A S T E R S T R U D E L S .
— D A M I A N ,
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T A L K I N G
A B O U T
G R E T C H E N
W I E N E R S
ASHLEY GRIMES
SEMINOLE HIGH SENIOR
CHARACTER: REGINA
W H A T
I N S P I R E D
U S
D I Y : FA K E
HALO BRACE
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“I would totally wear it again; it was adorable.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which
one would you choose?
“I would want to be in Mean Girls, except
without the head brace.”
WHAT SHE’S WEARING
After Six, $200, CC’s Boutique
Strapless rose matte satin with black alencon
lace.
VA L E R I E B E S T O R
SEMINOLE HIGH SENIOR
CHARACTER: JANIS
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“No, definitely not. It was a stretch even having
to wear it for the picture.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which
one would you choose?
“High School Musical 3, not going to lie. I love
that movie. It would be fun to just dance around.”
WHAT SHE’S WEARING
Formalwear International, Sacino’s
Formalwear and Men’s Clothier
Black one-button peak label tuxedo
Paramount
Rachel McAdams is Regina George, Lizzy Caplan is Janice Ian and Lacey Chabert is
Gretchen Wieners in the movie Mean Girls.
We tried to find a real halo brace to
use in the Mean Girls photo shoot;
it was key to the scene. For some
reason, no medical supply company
or doctor wanted to loan us one of
the devices, which cost bazillions
of dollars. So resourceful tb-two*
student editors Alexa Volland and
Rachel Lubitz went to Home Depot
and gathered what they needed to
make one. For less than $20, they
bought two wooden dowel rods,
some plumber’s flashing (for the
halo), eight wingnuts, eight bolts,
two 90-degree angle brackets,
black spray paint, felt to line the
halo and fake flowers to decorate
the brace for prom, just like Regina’s
mother did. Voila! Alexa, with help
from her mom and dad, built it in no
time and is already planning her
Halloween costume around it.
T I F FA N Y J O N E S
GIBBS HIGH FRESHMAN | CHARACTER: GRETCHEN
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“I loved the dress. It fit real nice, it looks good
on me and it is purple.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which
one would you choose?
“Prom Night because it would be more exciting
to run from a killer than dance to bad music.”
WHAT SHE’S WEARING
Jessica McClintock, $149, Dillard’s
Iridescent purple strapless taffeta with square
neck, drop waist with rosette detail on the right
side and a pickup bubble skirt.
JULIA CLOUSER
Seminole High
TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
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PROM
2010
C A R R I E
|
T H E Y ’ R E
A L L G O N N A
L A U G H A T
Y O U .
— M A R G A R E T
C A R R I E ’ S
TORA ALEXANDER
GIBBS HIGH FRESHMAN
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“The first dress, OF COURSE! I LOVED that dress. If I
had the right occasion, I would totally wear it.”
“The second dress was pretty, but it didn’t fit me very
well. But after it was drenched in fake blood, it could be
a great Halloween costume.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which one
would you choose?
“I think I would choose one of the funniest movies ever,
Mean Girls.”
W H A T
JULIA CLOUSER | Seminole High
| Thursday, March 25, 2010 | TB-TWO
W H I T E ,
M O M
WHAT SHE’S WEARING:
PROM QUEEN CARRIE
Haley Logan, $189, Dillard’s
Ivory silver and gold beaded halter charmeuse with
pleated bust, crisscross empire waist, x-back and
beading on the train.
WHAT SHE’S WEARING:
SCARY CARRIE
Alyn Paige, $5.59, Boley Thrift Store
White chiffon slip dress
I N S P I R E D
Times files
10
1 9 7 6
Tora Alexander, at left, and Sissy Spacek,
above, are Carrie before the bucket of blood.
U S
Times files
Sissy Spacek, above, and Tora Alexander, at
right, are Carrie after the bucket of blood.
CHERIE DIEZ | tb-two*
TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
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PROM
2010
TWILIGHT
2008
Y O U
B E T T E R
H O L D O N
T I G H T ,
S P I D E R
M O N K E Y .
— E D W A R D
C U L L E N
Elizabeth Fyvolent and Mike
Deson embrace Twilight,
complete with leg boot and
Converse. Staged at the Tramor
Cafeteria in St. Petersburg.
JULIA CLOUSER | Seminole High
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MIKE DESON
ST. PETERSBURG HIGH SENIOR
CHARACTER: EDWARD
W H A T
I N S P I R E D
U S
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“Most definitely, the suit was very fly. Sacino’s
knows how to dress a man.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which
one would you choose?
“American Pie. I would want to be like Jim. I
have a thing for attractive exchange students,
like Nadia. She’s such a fox.”
We couldn’t have pulled off this
special issue without the help of
the following businesses, which
graciously loaned us the
fabulous fashions:
CC’s Boutique: See coupon
worth $60 toward prom dress
purchase and alterations on Page
2 of this issue.
WHAT HE’S WEARING
After Six, Sacino’s Formalwear and Men’s Clothier
Black three-button business suit; Luxe
microfiber with lay-down collar business shirt
Dillard’s: Shop at Tampa Bay area
Dillard’s April 10-11 Prom Event
and receive a $20 gift card toward
the purchase of a $100 prom dress
(participating vendors only; junior
department).
ELIZABETH FYVOLENT
ST. PETERSBURG HIGH SENIOR
CHARACTER: BELL A
Sacino’s Formalwear
and Men’s Clothier: Go to
SacinoProm.com to print a $25
gift card toward tuxedo rental.
Prom tuxedo rental prices range
from $44.95 to $109.95 with gift
card. Shoes, upgrades and some
accessories may be extra.
Would you wear this outfit for real?
“No, thank you. It’s not really my style. The
dress was a little too long for me and when I go
to a dance I usually wear heels, not Converse.”
If you could star in a prom movie, which
one would you choose?
“A Cinderella Story, so I could dance with Chad
Michael Murray.”
WHAT SHE’S WEARING
Dress: B2 by Jasmine, $200, CC’s Boutique
Cobalt blue chiffon with softly pleated
cummerbund and cutout neckline.
Sweater: Dillard’s, Copper Key, $24
White cotton knit, three-quarter sleeve shrug
embellished with pink, blue and yellow flowers.
SPECIAL
THANKS
Kristen Stewart is Bella Swan and
Robert Pattinson is Edward Cullen in
the movie Twilight.
Photos from Summit Entertainment
TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
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PROM
2010
LORD OF THE DANCE
GET YOUR PROM PUMPING WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM DJ SEAN.
BY SEAN DALY | Times Pop Music Critic
D
id you know that 87 percent of high schoolers are forever scarred by their prom experiences? Okay, I totally made that up. But I bet I’m in
the taffeta-bedecked ballpark. Prom is up there with New Year’s Eve and 21st b-days as high-pressure events that promise the goods — “the
night of your life!” — but inevitably end up in sobs and/or a lonely chalupa run. So just relax. Have fun. And get the Fire sauce — it’s delicious.
In taking a peek at this year’s highfalutin prom themes around Tampa Bay, I see that world-turning optimism and wild travel fantasies are still en
vogue. Sigh. As your friendly neighborhood music critic, I can’t alter your chalupan fates. But I can recommend cool music to help enliven your overtly
themed proms. When DJ Larry starts spinning The Cha-Cha Slide for the 12th time, tell him SD sent you with a request. Trust me . . .
OTHER THEMES
HILLSBOROUGH
Gibbs
Sweet Escape
Boca Ciega
Black and White
Clearwater
A Night in Paris
Lakewood
Music of the Night
Seminole
One Night in Venice
Theme: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate
Factory
Sean says: I don’t have many fears in life.
But I’m fairly certain that I’d soil my Rent-aTux if I were grazed by an Oompa Loompa
at prom. Just sayin’ . . .
Cool songs: I Want Candy, Bow Wow Wow;
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Marilyn
Manson; Pure Imagination, Maroon 5
Admiral Farragut Music Through
Academy
the Ages
Armwood
Darkness Falls
Bloomingdale
Fire and Ice
Freedom
Masquerade
King
Mardi Gras/
Masquerade
Riverview
A Night in Central
Park
Spoto
Fairy Tale
St. Petersburg
High
Return to Tiffany’s:
An Evening of
Elegance
BL AKE, LETO, SICKLES
Themes: A Whole New World, Arabian
Nights, Arabian Nights
Sean says: Wow, is this an Aladdin thing?
That’s really sweet and innocent. I’m
suspicious. Is “Jafar” slang for vodka?
Cool songs: Rock the Casbah, the Clash;
Wooly Bully, Sam the Sham and the
Pharaohs; B.O.B., OutKast
MIDDLETON,
CLEARWATER,
BROOKS-DEBARTOLO
Themes: A Summer Night in Paris, A Night
in Paris, A Night in Paris
Sean says: Why do I get the feeling these
are going to look more like “A Thursday in
Scranton”?
Cool songs: Lady Marmalade, Christina
Aguilera, Pink, Mya, Lil’ Kim; Land of
1000 Dances, Wilson Pickett; Last of the
American Girls, Green Day
ALONSO
Theme: Journey to Atlantis
Sean says: Okay, so maybe your night
won’t end at Taco Bell after all, crazy
seafaring Atlantis people. But you should
probably find out what time Long John
Silver’s is open ’til . . .
Cool songs: Shark in the Water, V.V. Brown;
Keep Fishin’, Weezer; Let’s Get Away From
It All, Frank Sinatra
Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.
com.
PALM HARBOR, PL ANT
Themes: Grecian Gardens, Greek Gods
Sean says: You can’t fool me with your
classy descriptions, Palm Harbor and Plant.
I’ve seen Animal House. I know what you’re
getting at. Toga! Toga!
Cool songs: God Put a Smile Upon Your Face,
Mark Ronson; God Don’t Make Lonely Girls,
the Wallflowers; Shout!, the Isley Brothers
TO FOLLOW ALL OF SEAN’S ANTICS, FRIEND HIM AT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SEANDALY.TAMPABAY.
iStockphoto.com
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TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
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PROM
2010
BY SHANTÉ SHEDRICK
Lakewood High
T
here is no question. Prom is all about
the dress. The music, food, even the
people in the limo can’t compare to
the importance of the perfect dress.
It’s the dress you dream of all your life,
since the days of princess dress-up. The dress
that makes tears well in your eyes when you
see it on the store mannequin. The dress
that makes your enemies envious and their
dates swoon when you walk into that decorated dance hall. The dress that strikes your
date with awe as he stands with corsage in
hand while you sashay down the stairway.
It’s so important to me that if I don’t find
that dress, I won’t go to prom.
Since time is short, let’s get to work. I’m
here to coax the nerve-wracked among you
through the process. Here are some tips to
help you snag the perfect, to-die-for dress that
could make you memories for a lifetime.
FINDING THE
PERFECT DRESS
T h er e i s n o c o s mic f o r c e t h a t
w i l l d el iv e r t h e d r e s s o f y o ur
d r ea m s . S o t r y t h e s e t ip s a s
you h u n t d o w n t h e id e a l g o w n .
iStockphoto.com
• On the night before the hunt, remember to eat
a well-balanced meal and get plenty of sleep.
This is as crucial as it is the night before the
FCAT, ACT or SAT. There’s no telling when you’ll
be done shopping, or how much brain power it
will take, so it’s vital to be energized.
• Face reality: Walking into a store and being
led by some uncanny force right to THE dress
usually only happens in sitcoms. Be prepared,
with patience, for some detective work. It
helps if you have some idea beforehand of what
qualities are important to you in a dress, such as
unique, delicate, sexy.
• Most important: Try everything on! I can’t
stress this enough. It’s the only way to know
whether a style looks right on you, not the
perfect mannequins with the large breasts, slim
waists and curvaceous butts. And while you’re in
that dressing room, listen to the little voice (no,
I’m not talking crazy). I’m speaking of your gut
instinct. Nine times out of 10, that voice is wisely
trying to save you from disaster.
• Never, and I mean never, go too tight, too
loose, too long or too short. If the dress seems
too small, get a bigger size. If it seems too big,
find one closer to your size. Some alterations in
both directions can be made, but it’s always best
to come as close to the right fit as possible.
• If the color doesn’t look right, find another that
compliments your complexion.
• One other tip: Each year I hear so many
horrible stories about people who bought
dresses online at sites such as eBay and other
multiple-seller sites only to receive previously
worn or damaged dresses. Even some retailer
sites have no-return policies, so check the fine
print before you click, even it if looks like the
perfect dress at the perfect price.
• Finally, ladies, if you are going with a date,
please tell him to hold off finding a tux until you
know what you’re wearing. What he thinks is
cool and quirky might look really terrible next
to your perfect dress. Don’t let him wreck your
dream night.
Believe it or not, even these common-sense
guidelines can be challenging under the severe
pressure of prom excitement.
TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
17
play
Grand Prix racers ready to make noise
Times pop music critic Sean Daly got ready for this weekend’s Honda Grand Prix
of St. Petersburg by pulling on a macho black onesie and driving a real Indy race
car at the Indy Racing Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway in Lake
Buena Vista. He didn’t really go very fast. (Read his story at tb-two.com, click on
life.)
You won’t see Sean on the track at the grand prix, but you will see and hear lots of
real drivers and their Indy Cars, Mazdas and Acuras whipping through the streets
of St. Petersburg Friday through Sunday. Expect 2009 IndyCar Series champ
Dario Franchitti (and perhaps his movie star wife Ashley Judd) to be on hand;
Danica Patrick; local racer and 2005 grand prix winner Dan Wheldon; and three-
time Indianapolis 500 champ (and 2007 Dancing with the Stars winner) Hélio
Castroneves, who has won the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg twice.
For fans and nonfans alike, the Bright House Speed Zone will feature a racing
simulator, clowns, face painting, video games, rock climbing and remotecontrolled cars. You can also meet drivers in the Speed Zone. Most race fans know
this: bring noise-canceling head phones or earplugs because it’s going to be super
loud.
Price: Prices range from $10 for one-day junior tickets to $110 for a three-day
tickets with reserved seating on Saturday/Sunday; a VIP Club Suite Pass is $850.
gpstpete.com.
Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis
eraser-free sudoku
To play
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3-by3 framed box contains the numbers 1 through 9 exactly once.
The solution is unique.
0
,
-
,
&
$
1
$
Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley
$
,
0
-
$
&
-
0
0
-
&
$
,
©2009 by M. Reagle & D. Aramanda • www.SundayCrosswords.com • Puzzle No.100325
The solution is elsewhere
in the section. Look for it!
Waste more time
Games, stories, photos, video
and — yes! — even college
prep help at tb-two.com.
18
| Thursday, March 25, 2010 | TB-TWO
Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller
REVIEW KEY
Silver medals
are still cool.
Can you marry a thing
that’s not a person?
Nobody’s
perfect.
Its mom
still loves it.
No.
Just, no.
album review
Broken Bells | Broken Bells
Broken Bells have a warm, singer-songwriter
earnestness about them that can never get
old. Their self-titled debut is like a nice, moody
Jewish boy from Brooklyn meeting up for a
jam session with a homeless man from Hell’s
Kitchen on an Upper East Side corner. It’s
honest, smooth and sexy, and it gives a nice
purity to a Sunday afternoon in crazy Florida.
The band is made up of Danger Mouse and
James Mercer of The Shins on vocals and
guitar. That makes sense after listening to
their music, which is like a Radiohead doll
with one battery missing or Thom Yorke
on five cups of coffee at midnight. The two
boys have two very distinct sounds that duet
fantastically. One is an innocent, angelic
voice that breaks through a lot of the heavy
background noise on the album and the other
is a warm, strong vocal that sounds an awful
lot like the lead singer of Keane, but isn’t. The
High Road demonstrates this perfectly: dark,
bluesy beat meets that moody Jewish kid. The
Mall and Misery also has this dualistic appeal.
The song begins with a slow, lazy slide guitar
Grade:
and then kicks in with
snarky, posh pop.
Let’s just say it’s like
Walk This Way with
Muddy Waters in the
room and Vampire
Weekend breaking
in with their oxford
shoes.
You can tell that this wasn’t thrown together
in five hours, like most music is today. Its
immense sound seems like it only could have
been recorded in the Taj Mahal, but in reality it
was recorded in Danger Mouse’s L.A. studio.
There isn’t a song I hate on this record, not
one. I dig the Pete Yorn stuff, maybe a little
Elliot Smith, maybe a little Lennon . . . To be
honest with you, I don’t know how to define it
but I do know that the minute they go on tour
or do something cool, I’ll be on it.
RACHEL LUBITZ
Countryside High
In stores: now
album review
Usher | Raymond v Raymond
+++
“Daddy’s home,” proclaims Usher on
Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) on his sixth
studio album, Raymond v Raymond, and
homecoming couldn’t be more sweet for
the smooth-voiced R&B veteran. Though it
doesn’t quite compare to Usher’s previous
classics like 8701 and Confessions, Raymond
v Raymond does little to disappoint, and does
more than enough to keep a smile on listeners’
faces — and their minds in the gutter.
Usher introduces the album with Monstar,
a classic plea to a woman to spend some
time with him for a night, with a chorus that
draws comparisons to a Thriller-era Michael
Jackson. The album deals with Usher’s new
single life, both the romanticized stories
about being a player and the dark side of
divorce. Papers shows the vulnerability
of people dealing with relationships in a
downward spiral, but ultimately exemplifies
the freedom one experiences with closure,
much like Usher’s 2004 single, Burn. Other
songs, such as So Many Girls and OMG, do
a fine job of demonstrating Usher’s ability
to paint a picture in listener’s minds of the
Grade:
beautiful women he
encounters.
One of the few weak
points on the album
is Lil Freak featuring
Young Money
representative
Nicki Minaj, mainly
because it lacks any
real depth as a musical composition and has
lyrics that match such as “You rockin’ like a pro
wit it girl” that really don’t mean anything, in or
out of the song’s context. However, songs like
She Don’t Know, featuring Ludacris and Foolin’
Around, push the album above and beyond.
The track that shines above the rest is the
almost G-Funk reminiscent Pro Lover, in
which Usher warns ladies that, “Lovin’ me,
baby, that’s a no-no.” Unfortunately for Usher,
that’ll be difficult for the majority of the musiclistening population, as Raymond v Raymond
brings Usher back to his rightful place at the
top of the R&B world.
GYTIS GARSYS
Tampa Preparatory
In stores: Tuesday
TB-TWO | Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
19
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| Thursday, March 25, 2010 | TB-TWO