“I’m so excited that One Direction is becoming popular here at Ursuline! They are such a great band, and I love them so much,” exclaims Ursuline student and huge fan, Allison D. ‘13.

     The group was first discovered last year when they competed in the British TV program “The X Factor,” and have been the new Justin Bieber of Europe ever since. The five boys, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and Liam Payne, originally auditioned separately but were put together by the judges halfway through the competition.

     Though one might doubt that five people who barely know each other could work as a team, they got along extremely well and the group ended the competition winning third place and landing a record label with Sony. They made it far in the competition and gathered quite a lot of supporters along the way.

     Though the group is very musically talented, many fans also rave over their charming looks and funny personalities. The boys never have to make an effort to have fun with their job and are always making jokes and goofing off during interviews and videos.

      “The thing I love most about them is their unique friendship. When they are together they are so funny,” says Allison.

     Promotion of the band has begun here in the United States as they will join American boy band Big Time Rush on tour this spring and also with the initiation of their Bring1DtoUS campaign (to read more, scroll down).

     Their debut album “Up All Night” has been released in multiple countries and will be available in the U.S. in March.

     The boy band craze of the 90s is coming back and will be bigger than ever.

#Bring1DtoDallas

     The campaign “Bring1DtoUS” began this past December and is still going on. It promotes One Direction in the United States by having nine major cities (including Dallas) compete to get the boys to come and visit the winning city.

     The competition has so far consisted of five challenges over Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The objective is for the city to get points by winning the challenges with the most participants.

     Dallas is currently in the lead with 450 points and New York City and Los Angeles are close behind. After just winning the fifth challenge, a petition over Twitter, Dallas will be put even farther in the lead.

     Ursuline students have made a big contribution to the Dallas challenges by making videos and posting on Facebook, trying to convince their friends and family to help by participating.

     “I get so many notifications on Facebook from people ino our class trying to get us to participate in the challenges, their fans are really dedicated”, says Erin F. ’13

To help bring One Direction to Dallas by checking out more about the challenges, you can visit the website: http://www.bring1dtous.com/.

The movie will feature Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year old girl who lives with her mother and younger sister in future North America. Every year, the Capitol, the home of the rich and wealthy, holds a contest called the Hunger Games in which contestants fight to the death.

The Games were created by the president as a punishment to the citizens for revolting. As a result, one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen are chosen from each of the twelve districts for the Games. When Katniss’s younger sister is chosen, Katniss steps forward to take her place.

That one courageous act performed out of love for her younger sister forces Katniss into the horrific Capitol with Peeta, the son of a baker who is chosen.

In a world drastically different from our own, she must fight for survival, but this is nothing new to her. Katniss, who grew up in the poorest district, is no stranger to facing her fears or standing up for herself.

“I really admire Katniss,” Ali D ’14 said. “She’s an inspiration for strength in young women.”

Many Ursuline students also admire the hero, Peeta, who will be portrayed by Josh Hutcherson.

“Peeta is my love,” Katy C ’14 said wistfully. “But seriously,” she added, “He’s my favorite character!”

Although fans of the Hunger Games series can’t wait for the movie, they are also a little apprehensive that it won’t live up to their expectations.

“If they murder the series, I’m going to kill someone!” Shivani P ’14 said jokingly.

The stage musical On the Town first premiered on Broadway in 1944.  The plot depicts three American Navy sailors on a 24-hour leave in New York City near the end of World War II.  During this 24-hour period, each sailor finds love and unforgettable adventure while out on the town.

The music in On the Town was composed by American composer Leonard Bernstein, also widely known as the composer of the legendary show West Side Story.  On the Town’s book and lyrics were written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, though the storyline was inspired by choreographer Jerome Robbins’s 1944 ballet Fancy Free.  Robbins also choreographed the original Broadway production of On the Town.

On the Town was made into a film by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in 1949.  It starred Gene Kelley, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin as the three Navy sailors, and Vera-Ellen, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller as their girls. 

Both the show and the film are known for the classic song “New York, New York”, which has been used and referenced in film and television since the production’s 1944 opening, most recently on the season two finale of popular TV series Glee in May 2011.

“[On the Town] is a legendary show, and you’re not going to see it done on too many high school stages, because the music is so challenging for both the performers on stage and orchestra.  But, we can do it,” said Ms. Jane Chambers, Performing Arts Department Chair and musical director.  “We haven’t done On the Town in 19 years.  It’s a good show for our community.  It’s fun, it’s sweet, and it’s musically a challenge for everybody.  Everyone will grow from it.”

She also says that she often looks for a show that showcases females performers, and On the Town accomplishes that goal.

Ursuline’s production of On the Town will feature 73 students in its cast.  These cast members will contribute their acting, singing and dancing talents to the show.  Auditions were held in November, and daily rehearsals began early January.  Crew members, such as the lighting crew and makeup artists, work backstage to ensure a seamless, smooth production at all times.

All three performances will take place in the Ursuline Center for Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. each night.  Tickets will be available for purchase during the two weeks preceding the show.

“I think we have a really solid group of performers.  We have talent up and down the cast.  We have wonderful students in the tech crews, and so we have a partnership onstage and with those in the wings.  We have a foundation of hard-working people,” said Ms. Chambers.“Already, I’ve been excited about our group of people.  I’m excited for people to see a musical that they may have heard songs from, but never seen before, and then find out how good it is.”

     Musical houses have been spotted already since 2005 and are an upgrade to the usual decked out Christmas house. It’s a little extra for the holiday-ers who want a little more Christmas spirit and carolers.

    These eye stunning houses can be made from over 40 000 LED holiday lights and controlled with over five computerized lighting controllers. One person acts as an orchestrator, commanding the lights when to go on or off, fade or twinkle. Inside the house, the orchestrator has an MP3 player inside the controllers, playing the music.

     However, they’re not for everyone, when asked if she would ever try this on her own house, Marcelle C. ’13, brings up an important point, “I feel that it costs too much electricity.” These houses probably don’t light up all night, but the bill for the time they run their musical lights must make this an annual event.

Though many of us may never attempt to so extravagantly decorate our houses, we can still watch from the streets, or is there isn’t a musical house in your neighborhood, watch from youtube.com.

They can be easily found on youtube.com, but here are a few favorites from the staff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmgf60CI_ks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8AUsmse15o&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hjtd__eEmA&feature=related

      The Descendents, a mix of comedy and drama, is about a man from Hawaii whose life is about to majorly change. The wife of Matt King, played by the famous and talented George Clooney, is not only in the hospital in a coma, but she was also having an affair with another man with almost everyone knowing about it, except Matt. His daughter, Alexandra, portrayed by Secret Life of an American Teenager star Shailene Woodley, is the one who tells him about the affair, explaining why she hadn’t been getting along with her mother before the accident. Oscar buzz has been given to both Clooney and Woodley for their heartwarming and expressive performances in Descendents, so it’s not surprise why this movie’s ratings have been A+.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/

      After wonderful reviews from this year’s film festivals at Sundance and Toronto, Like Crazy caught many people’s attention and was put into theaters later in the year. When Felicity Jones’ character Anna falls in love with Jacob, played by Star Trek and Charlie Bartlett star, Anton Yelchin, they begin an epic romance with no turning back. But there’s a problem: Anna is only welcome to stay in America until her student visa is set to expire after graduation and instead she overstays, which only continues to cause more problems for the rest of the film. With comparisons to movies like last year’s Blue Valentine and Jane Eyre and the combination of Yelchin and Jones’s chemistry and likeableness, it is a sure Oscar contender.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1758692/

      Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, based off the novel by John le Carré, is expected to have a solidified spot in the running for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars—and that’s based purely on the trailer and the amazing cast involved. Batman Begins and Harry Potter’s Gary Oldman plays George Smiley, a retired British Intelligence espionage expert is asked to return in the hopes of finding a suspected mole working for the Russians within the operation. Set during the Cold War in the 1970s, Smiley must find the difference between lies and truth in this impressive spy film with other leading actors such as Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Hardy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/

      A story of the relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and their studies of psychology is animatedly portrayed in A Dangerous Method. Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen and X-Men First Class’s Michael Fassbender, who play Jung and Freud, are expected to show how complex and interesting both their studies and relationships were during their time. Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley and Black Swan’s Vincent Cassel both also star in Dangerous Method, which has been generating Oscar buzz since the summer and will supposedly have a strong chance at claiming many of the awards this year.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1571222/

     One of the most popular artists in the vein of Christmas music is Michael Bublé, who has released his second holiday album, called Christmas. Bublé is covering songs such as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, and “Silent Night”. In addition, he sings “White Christmas” as a duet with Shania Twain.

     Teen sensation Justin Bieber is also releasing a Christmas album. Titled Under the Mistletoe, Bieber’s album has plenty of holiday songs to put joy into his fans’ hearts. In addition to covering classics like “The Christmas Song” and “Drummer Boy”, Bieber also has an original song, “Mistletoe”, that is sure to top the charts.

     For all of the country music fans out there, country group Joey + Rory is also releasing a Christmas album. Besides putting a new spin on familiar songs, like “Away in a Manger” and “Blue Christmas”, the musical duo has also recorded a number of original songs meant to bolster Christmas spirit.

     If you are familiar with New Girl star Zooey Deschanel, you might know that she is one half of pop-duo She & Him. Having been in stores since October, She & Him’s new album, A Very She & Him Christmas, has been a hit with music critics. The pair is putting a modern twist on classics like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, “Silver Bells”, and “Sleigh Ride”.

     Any of these holiday albums are sure to get you in the mood for caroling, gift-wrapping, and Christmas cookies. Start your holiday season off by listening to a few new songs and old favorites by some of your favorite artists.

     According to NY Magazine, the big trend spotted during New York’s Fashion Week was lace. Lace, light and delicate, gives a classic, polished look to any oufit.        

      Anoter trend gets revival this season: fur.  Fur is comfortable yet sophisticated and easy to find on vests, coats, and scarves. The neutral shades of fur are also fitting for the fall season. 

      A way to spice up the darker colors of winter and fall is by putting on a pair of brightly colored pants. Bright pants give an outfit a fresh and fun vibe to the otherwise drab clothes found this season.

      Want something to curl up in this fall? Cozy long sweaters with can bring an element of comfort to your everyday wardrobe and match with anything you wear,  making it an essential item to have in your closet this season.

     Don’t be afraid to mix patterns. According to Vogue magazine, mixing patterns were ever present during New York’s fashion week. These patterns are bold statements and sure to draw attention– the good kind, of course.

     This fall’s stylish coats popularize the rich hue of rust brown. This color, similar to the colors of the changing leaves, creates a warm vibes. Rust brown also pairs well with other earth tones to create a fresh look.  

     Graphic tees, much like jeans, are a must have in every girl’s closet. Each tee can match with anything you wear and give an extra kick to any outfit.

     Finally, don’t fret about the prices.  The latest fall fashions could be cheaper than you’d think. With a good eye, you could find the latest fall fashion at the local Goodwill store.

     This Fall, the play is The Government Inspector, written by Nikolai Gogol and adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher. Ms. Ferguson was “looking for a play with a larger cast” since last year’s play cast consisted of six people. This play fit the bill, with a cast with more than 25 roles. Plus, the recent adaptation, first produced in 2008, is fast paced with easy-to-understand language. The play is filled with slapstick and wit; the Russian version of Italian lazzi.

     The play, originally written in 1842, is all about corruption in the local governments and emphasizes how the government takes advantage of people, a theme as relevant today as it was 200 years ago. Years ago, Gogol got special permission from the czar to produce his play, even though he openly criticized the government. But at that time, Russia was at a low point and people needed something to laugh at, even if it did undermine the government.

     When pondering on where to go to find the best summery of the play, I was told to search Wishbone: episode 39 on YouTube. Ms. Ferguson first remembered the play from that very episode. Her ex-husband, Chamblee Ferguson, used to perform on Wishbone, so her whole family would get together and watch the show. Ferguson actually played the postmaster in the episode.

     I always love an excuse to watch clips of TV shows of my childhood, so I was excited to start watching. Plus, I think the tune is quite catchy, although my fellow newspaper classmates might disagree. But most importantly, in between the scenes of Wishbone auditioning for the role of Mister McPooch in a commercial, I found a great rendition of the Fall play.

     The mayor of a Russian town, filled with political corruption due to bribery and other scandalous acts, learns that the Government Inspector will be visiting from St. Petersburg to check on things. In their state of panic, the mayor and his officials mistake some vagabond as the inspector. Chaos and confusion ensue as the mayor attempts to impress the befuddled ne’er-do-well turned government official while trying to cover up the obvious scandals and corruption of the town. In turn, the vagabond stirs up his own trouble endeavoring to keep up with his mistaken persona.

     The script and turn of events are promising, and with the talent this school possesses, the play should be a hit. The production will be Nov. 3-6 in the Ursuline Center for the Performing Arts, right next to the gym. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances start at 7 p.m. Sunday’s performance, a matinee, starts at 2 p.m. Tickets are usually somewhere between $8 and $10, and worth every buck.

     If you are considering attending a performance, which I hope you do, I would recommend watching the Wishbone episode: “Rushin’ to the Bone”, so you will know the general plot line and will be able to focus more on the humor and antics. And I know your friends will appreciate the theme song stuck in their head.