The film is based on three comic books published in the 1940s: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham’s Treasure. It was made by Steven Spielberg (E.T., Jurassic Park trilogy, Jaws) and Peter Jackson (the Lord of the Rings, King Kong) and featured popular cast members like Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg. It used the same technology as James Cameron’s Avatar and every object looks photorealistic even though it is animation.

                The film follows the plots of the three books faithfully, but with only a couple of changes in order to support the plot. The film starts out slow to help introduce the protagonist, Tintin, and his white fox terrier Snowy. At an outdoor market, he buys a model of a 17^th century ship called the Unicorn. Unbeknownst to him, there is a parchment inside the mast of the model that will lead to the treasure and the main antagonist, Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine tries to get one way or another.

                After a successful kidnapping attempt, the middle of the film takes place on a freighter, and this is where Tintin meets Captain Haddock. Captain Haddock is an alcoholic and his ancestor was the captain of the Unicorn. Together, they battle the crew and other dangers to find the treasure of the Unicorn. The climax takes place in a lot of foreign places from Europe to the deserts of Morocco.

                As I have said previously, the plot of the movie is faithful to the books that the movie is based on. The only problem I have is that I wish they introduced the character of Professor Calculus. The professor was introduced in Red Rackham’s Treasure and played a very important role to the plot and humor of the trip.

               The cast was another good thing about The Adventures of Tintin. There was a wide range of actors from Jamie Bell to Casino Royale actor Daniel Craig. In conclusion, I think The Adventures of Tintin is a wonderful action adventure/comedy film for all families to enjoy and I can’t wait until the next sequel comes out.

• Freshman:  You have just taken a new step in a fully mature world. It’s time to say goodbye to your childish middle-school antics – teachers frown upon that here. If you were to be compared to anything, you would be like a pup, whose mother is teaching you to hunt. Don’t be afraid of this strange place and the slightly taller, more experienced kids. Take your first step into a new world of opportunities.

• Sophomore: You’ve grown past your “newbie” stage, but you’re still unfamiliar with your surroundings. You are considered a “wise fool” by many. You still retain your freshman immaturity and you still feel like the bottom rung on the ladder. But don’t let that worry you. You’re still better than the freshmen. Keep  growing until you fully blossom.

• Junior: Now you’re dreaming with the big guys. You have more opportunities than before, you feel more experienced than you did two years ago, and you don’t have to take gym anymore. Also, you’re old enough to give blood! However, your adventure isn’t over yet. You have one more year to go.

• Senior: Who would have known you’d make it this far? Your journey is almost complete – all you have to do is suffer through some mandatory college application processes and have your parents pay their taxes early. Sounds fun, right? After all this is over, you’ll start to look back at your days of Spotsy High with admiration. Your journey is finally over. Cue “Pomp and Circumstance”!

For school and work, you can try plenty of new sweaters and scarves. You can bring some light to a dark winter wardrobe by pairing simple cardigans with some leopard print. Animal prints are really versatile because they can be worn in all of the seasons. Printed scarves are also an awesome touch to add to any simple outfit.

Body con and pencil skirts are also a popular trend from the summer. Add some simple tights to give it a more fall look. Add some flats, a solid shirt, and a printed scarf and you’re good to go. You can wear this look out to work and school or a party.

Fall and winter party dresses are great and really comfortable. A nice sweater dress with tights and heels is a simple way to go, but looks effortless and comfortable. Any dresses in darker colors with black tights and heels are great looks for holiday get together. Try to avoid lighter colors or spaghetti straps; they look a little too summery.

Overall, fall and winter trends are easy for anyone to achieve; just layer and work with creative colors. Also, look out for sales after Christmas, that’s usually when the best deals are.

The album is listed on many different charts, including number one on the US Billboard 200 during its opening week. It also made top ten in Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway.

When “Under the Mistletoe” first came out people rushed to get it and check it out.

This was Bieber’s first Christmas CD, and the teen sensation said that this album was his favorite to make.

The eleven tracks are very different and interesting. He sings some classic Christmas songs with a twist and also has new songs. Bieber’s album features many great musicians like Usher, Boys II Men, Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, and The Band Perry.

I am a big Justin Bieber fan and this album did not disappoint. I think it is his best album so far because all the songs are extremely different. Unlike the average Christmas album, there’s a rap song, “Drummer Boy.”

When he sings the Christmas classic “Silent Night,” his voice sounds so peaceful and beautiful. He also had a slow and piano driven track called “Christmas Eve.”

His duet with Mariah Carey was my favorite track; their voice blended so well together during “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

All of his new songs are great, and very festive. “Under the Mistletoe” showed the maturity of Bieber and show-cased his talent.

I don’t think a lot of people expected Bieber to make an album for just one season, but even though it’s a Christmas album, it will be remembered as a hit.

1. “Over My Dead Body”- This song’s slow beat shows Drake’s sensitive side. The lyrics were really well put together; they express his feelings towards his accomplishments. It was a great way to start his album.

2. “Shot For Me”- This is not one of his best songs. The beat doesn’t really drop until a minute and thirty seconds but his lyrics are honest and focus on his past relationships.

3. “Headlines”- This is one of the best songs on the album because it has a great beat and it’s most definitely catchy. In this song he shows that he’s proud of his accomplishments. This is a really positive attitude that some mistake for cockiness, but he’s just being real.

4. “Crew Love” featuring The Weekend- This beat is very unique and compelling but lacks Drake’s presence in some places.

5. “Take Care” featuring Rhianna- This song has a good beat for dancing. This was a very good collaboration that made the song a wonderful success.

6. “Marvin’s Room”- Marvin’s room shows a lot of emotion from Drake, it’s always nice to see his sensitive side. It also has a catchy beat which makes it hard not hit keep hitting the replay button.

7. “Under Ground Kings”-This is another one of the greatest songs because it has a faster pace, which makes a great dancing song.

8. “We’ll be Fine”- Drake talks about all of his accomplishments and how he is proud of himself. This is another great song on the album.

9. “Make Me Proud” featuring Nicki Minaj- This song is really sweet. He raps about how proud he is of Nicki Minaj for making her dreams come true. Nicki Minaj’s lyrics are always on point and make you want to keep listening to her unique style of rapping.

10. “Lord Knows” featuring Rick Ross- This song is also another honest outlook on his past relationships and how girls hurt him. I’m not really a Rick Ross fan, but he really completes this single. He brings a lot of emotion about his career to the song.

11. “Cameras”- The start to this song isn’t as interesting as it should be to pull a person’s attention, but as the song goes on it gradually gets better. The beat ends up catching your attention and the lyrics are yet again describing relationships and how he will always be him and no one else.

12. “Doing It Wrong”- Drake sings all of this song and that’s okay because he is both a great rapper and talented singer, but it’s not one of the most interesting tracks on the album.

13. “The Real Her” featuring Lil Wayne- This song is slow, but is one of the greatest because he shows his true feelings about the girl he is rapping about. Lil Wayne’s rap is a great finish to the song. He adds his sensitive, but honest look on relationships.

14. “HYFR” featuring Lil Wayne- This song also has a catchy beat. Lil Wayne and Drake Go In on this single. Drake starts out laid back and calm and ends his verse with some of the best lyrics of all time. It’s one of the best on the track.

15. “Look What You’ve Done”- This song really gets you in your feelings. He talks about how his family (everyone except his father) made him who he is today and you can tell that this is real. This all comes from his heart.

16. “Practice”- This song is addicting. You can’t help but listen to it all day and it never gets old. Every time I listen to it I can’t help getting up and dancing.

17. “The Ride”- This song starts off strong and ends off strong. It was a great way to end the album. He really lets loose on this single, telling about how no one “feels him” and maybe they never will.

This is a great album and I recommend purchasing it immediately. It’s unique in its emotional value, but stays true to Drake’s renowned style. You will not regret your purchase.

Everyone wants to have a fantastic Thanksgiving break. Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and eat all the food you can. Some people spend Thanksgiving at their house and some in a different state. However you celebrate your Thanksgiving break, here are some fun things to do while being out of school.

            1. Help your parents prepare Thanksgiving Dinner- Although some of us teens don’t enjoy the idea of spending time with our parents making Thanksgiving dinner, you have to remember the stress they’re under making a huge feast for everyone who’s going to be eating with you.

            2. Donate food- Donate food to a local food bank. There are families out there that won’t get to have a big Thanksgiving dinner. Help them to have as great of a dinner as we do. The Fredericksburg Food Bank is a local food bank. Help them reach their goal of 5,000 turkeys.

            3. Clean- you always want to clean your house if you’re going to have guests come over. Decorate your house in the Thanksgiving spirit.

            4. Spend time with your family- This is a great time to share with family what you’re thankful for. It is also a great time to show your appreciation. Some family members come from different states just for Thanksgiving, so make sure you spend lots of time with them.

            5. Watch Thanksgiving episodes- Watching thanksgiving episodes on your favorite shows will get you in the thanksgiving mood. You won’t be able to wait until Thanksgiving and when it’s time to eat.

            6. Do homework - No one likes to do homework, ever. Thanksgiving break gives you a while, so you can split your assignments in half. Just make sure you don’t get caught up in the break and forget to do your homework.

            7. Relax- Chill with family or friends, watch T.V. and eat! This is what break is for. Make the best of it.

            8. Eat- Eat everything you can on Thanksgiving Day. You might not get a chance to eat like this again until next Thanksgiving.

            9. Go Shopping- Waking up early and fighting for the last CD on sale is more fun than it sounds. Black Friday sales are the greatest. This is a great way to start off the Christmas season.

            10 Get ready for Christmas - The next holiday in line is Christmas and you have to prepare early. Start your Christmas shopping and you’re Christmas tree picking.

In season one, Deputy Rick Grimes was separated from his wife and son because of the zombie outbreak but was able to reconnect with them in Atlanta. The season was about getting rid of the weak and becoming strong as a whole to stay alive during this horrifying time.

As the second season returned on October 16, Rick and his following survivors have been trying to establish a place to live. Once one of the survivors lost their daughter, Sophia, an ongoing search has been taking them on an epic and dangerous journey through the zombie filled nation.

As they thought things couldn’t get any worse, Rick’s son, Carl, was shot in the chest and sent to a veterinarian nearby known by own of the traveling survivors. It turned out that because Carl was so badly injured by the wound, he would need a blood transfusion that could only be taken out of his father. The veterinarian, Hershel had no problem carrying out the transfusion, but was short on supplies. Once Carl’s transfusion was finished, he became stable but needed to stay near Hershel to make sure he was recovering well. This became an excuse for the survivors to begin living on Hershel’s farmland, which he does not agree with.

The survivors have been starting to take higher precautions now that people are dying quicker and quicker with every day. The search for Sophia almost cost a few men of the camp their lives because of their carelessness.  Rick and his partner Shane have begun teaching others in the group how to use a gun for protection including the women and only child, Carl.

As an avid watcher of The Walking Dead, I can’t help but think of why this wasn’t done sooner. It’s obvious that Hershel doesn’t want the surviving members interfering with his family’s life, using his shower and eating his food, but is he really that selfish to deny these people the right to live?

The characters in the series portray the attitude of the situations perfectly and always keep you guessing, which is what is entertaining the most. The series definitely will keep you waiting for next week’s episode and will never let you walk away from your TV even during a commercial.

Dear –sha-wawa,
You may want to discuss this idea with the cheerleading coach and work together to find a way to make the money necessary. Candy is relatively inexpensive; I recommend various types of chocolates. Carnations are the real trouble, professional carnations can run at the least, $20. Consider finding somewhere local that sells them and explain the situation to find a solution.
Disturbed, Big Red

Dear Mr. Big Red:
My iTunes Store is totally busted. The front page is completely messed up – I can’t go anywhere from there, due to iTune’s “Error 306.” One way I heard that I can get on iTunes is by downloading the new version. But what are the risks? Will my computer crash? Or will it get a major virus? You’ve been on iTunes, right? What should I do?
-HH

Dear HH,
I personally avoid updating iTunes as much as possible due to the fact that most of the iTunes updates are completely unnecessary. For this instance, I do recommend you download iTunes from where the program offers to update when run or directly from Apple’s site. These are both sources you can trust and will not give you a virus. CNET is also an option.
Sincerely, Big Red

Dear Big Red,
If I was to miss a gym class because I was sick or I didn’t dress out one day, how would I be able to eat and makeup gym in the same day? The first half of flex I have freshman focus until 10:55. I go eat, and it takes me the entire second half of flex. Would I be able to get out of freshman focus, or would I just have to go and miss eating lunch for that day?
Sincerely, Jen

Dear, Jen
Try getting out of focus by asking for a pass from one of your teachers to go make up gym. Most gym teachers will not allow you to make up days that you didn’t dress out, best not to bother and accept your losses. Also, not eating school lunch for a day might do you some good, or you could pack a lunch and eat it before lunch. Personally, all my teachers allow this.
Hungrily, Big Red

I found this book at the Spotsylvania High School library during Mr. Holt’s English class. We were told we had to get a book for independent reading. On one of the tables I was sitting at, I saw the book just lying there, and I picked it out based on the title and cover.

The front cover shows a couple of young explorers in a single file line crossing a glacier near the South Pole. They have ropes tied to their waist and in the distance there appears to be crevasses. It’s a very interesting cover and is appealing. The back on the book has a quote from H.R “Birdie” Powers, one of the members from the first expedition to reach the South Pole.

The writing of this book is very creative. The author uses sensory details to describe the Antarctic landscape. Andrea White, the author of the book, also used figurative language to describe the kids’ thoughts throughout the journey and powerful adjectives.

The setting of this book is in the near future (as hinted by the title). Earth at this point is in a global depression and people are just crazy about television. People sometimes live in Hoovervilles (shacks). Public schools were shut down because of budget problems and students now have to learn from the television through tests. One of the main characters kept failing the tests and if they didn’t pass, his parents had to teach him.

Once in a while, the network often gives out sponsored scholarships to pay for education. One of the scholarships allows contestants to participate in a game-show similar to Survivor, but deadlier. Students sometimes die in these games and they get no help from the outside world whatsoever. The games can vary from Wild West to surviving the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

Even worse, the game is rigged by the Secretary of Entertainment, who uses it as a way to earn more viewers. These cause disasters for the team from blizzards to frostbite. It also causes problems with supplies and their animals. But there is something more interesting.

One of the members of the group is actually a relative of the original expedition to the Antarctic. He shows the same bravery as his ancestor and even says some of his famous quotes like on the back of the book.

I really liked the liked the book and I would recommend the book to anyone that likes adventure. I would also recommend it to anyone that likes Antarctica or any other harsh environment.

Although his lyrics aren’t the most appropriate choice for teenagers, he is a very creative rapper, and you can tell that he makes sure all of his lyrics are perfected before unleashing his album.

“Sorry 4 the Wait” is a mix-tape, which means he uses other artist’s songs and freestyle raps. Here is a list of the songs on his latest mix-tape.

1. Tunechi’s Back- This is a remake of “Tupacs Back” by Meek Mills, this was a great song to start the album off with.

2. Rollin’- This is a remake of Young Jeezy’s “Ballin’.” He takes aim at his haters as he raps in this song. This song was definitely a big hit.

3. Throwed off- Young Money artist Gudda Gudda is featured on this track. They both rap about their fame and money.

4. Gucci Gucci- This is a remake of new artist Kreayshawn’s “Gucci Gucci” This would have been a real hit if she had been featured in it herself, but it’s one of the best songs on the mix-tape.

5. Marvin’s Room- Remake of Drake’s song “Marvin’s Room.” This is another one of the best songs on the album.

6. Sure Thing- In this remake of Miguel’s “Sure Thing” Lil Wayne talks about different topics, one of them being all of his haters.

7. Grove St. Party- This song featuring Lil B. has an incredible beat. This song also highlights Lil Wayne’s ‘Cocky’ style.

8. Racks- Lil Wayne brags about the money he’s been getting lately.

9. Hands Up- In this remake of “My Last” by Big Sean and Chris Brown, he talks about partying and the fun of being a celebrity and having money. Once again it shows his ‘Cocky’ side.

10. Sorry 4 the Wait- This is a remake of Adele’s song “Rolling in the Deep”. He apologizes for the wait for “Tha Carter Four,” and he raps about his success and how he will be on top for a long time. This is another really good song on the mix-tape.

11. Inkredible- Thugga, Raw Dizzy, and Flow all rap on this song. The beat was well chosen and the lyrics went all out.

12 IDK- In this remake of Beyonce’s “Run the World” Lil Wayne gives shout outs to people. This song was a waste of time in my opinion.

The overall album was very interesting and fun to listen too.