1. Talking classics sega cd
2. Creed shreds 3
3. Charlie Schmidt’s keyboard cat reincarnated
4. Gingers do have souls (series)
5. Turtle man
6. Chatroulette piano improv number one
7. Slipknot shreds
8. 160 greatest Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes
9. Frederick state of mind (Empire state of mind parody)
10. Handsome men’s club
11. Samuel L. Jackson hilarious parts in loaded weapon
12. Report: Most college males admit to regularly getting stoked
13. Fireworks-Detroit
14. Worthwhile-Good guys always win
15. Dangerous band name mission
16. Ray Amsley’s self defense
17. Brule’s Rule’s (series)
18. Dude perfect
19. Best of Remi Gaillard
20. The yes dance

On Saturday, April 24, the Middletown High School senior class held its annual Senior Showcase.

The acts were varied, ranging from musically based acts to comedies.

There were American Idol and Harry Potter spoofs and several dance numbers.

Adam Meadors, Brendan Chittick and Ryan Page impersonated the band, Fall Out Boy. The group performed well even through a curtain malfunction.

MHS junior Shane Winn said, “This was probably the best Senior Showcase since that dude dressed up as Chad Kroeger six years ago.”

As usual, the Showcase was a major hit with the students.

In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle changed writing with his books based upon crime fiction, with the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes was a fictional detective that used his wit and resourcefulness to solve the crimes of his time. But now, Guy Ritchie has taken the detective and gave him a few other qualities in his movie, Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes is about the famous detective dealing with a new case. Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr., and his partner Watson, played by Jude Law, finish off a case for a man named Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), whom is accused of using magic to cause chaos in the people of London.

Days after Blackwood is put to death, he is rumored to be resurrected from the grave. Holmes takes the case under his wing. Holmes starts the case by tracking down the criminals associated with Blackwood as more people of London are killed.

Holmes slowly moves through the case as Blackwood continues to rise in London. Unknowingly though, Blackwood is turning the entire city against him and causing Holmes to have to hide from the public. Holmes now has to work even harder to catch Blackwood.

Guy Ritchie made a great movie. He took Sherlock Holmes, a detective that relies on wit to solve mysteries, and gave him the ability to fight and to cause trouble. He also added a bit of comedy and sarcasm to the personality of the detective.

Also, Ritchie picked the perfect actor for Holmes. Robert Downey Jr. has the ability to portray a sarcastic, comedic, and witty character, of which Holmes is. Robert Downey Jr. easily portrayed the part of Sherlock Holmes. Jude Law was also a perfect choice for Watson.

The movie had a great plot. Holmes doesn’t reveal what he knows; causing the criminals to think that they are safe, and then Holmes comes out and reveals their plans.

The movie also portrays Holmes wit and cleverness in a tough situation. Holmes goes through his thoughts in a tough situation and plays it in slow motion, then showing the same situation in normal speed as the detective actually commits to what his plan was.

Sherlock Holmes is a movie that shows a new side of the famous detective while still keeping the wit and cleverness that caused Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books to spark a revolution in crime fiction.

"If I Die Young" single cover as it appears on iTunes. This is The Band Perry's second single.

By Kevin Spillman
Round Table Editor

Three siblings from Nashville, called The Band Perry, have their song “If I Die Young” featured on iTunes free single of the week. The three members are Kimberly, Reid, and Neil Perry. After signing with Republic Nashville, in August 2009, they released the single “Hip to My Heart” within the month. “If I Die Young” is the latest single off their new self-titled EP.

This song is soft country with very light vocals from Kimberly Perry. They have been described as sounding like Lady Antebellum or Sugarland. On iTunes the song has garnered a 4 star rating out of 5. Many reviews say they like the melodic vocals and sweet sound. There are a number of reviews that label the song as “Eh…” and only giving it 3 stars.

“If I Die Young” is a pure country song that many fans of the genre will enjoy. Other than that not many people will enjoy it other than a slight section of soft pop listeners. If you like country, this very well could be a great hit in your collection.

Anticipation rises as the cast of “Grease”, which includes almost 70 girls and 20 guys, attend hours of music rehearsals, blocking rehearsals, and even dance rehearsals. For many members of the large cast it is their first time participating in the spring musical so they are experiencing things that are totally new to them such as; sheet music, stage directions, and partner dancing.

 Ever since Marcia Nicklas, MHS English/drama teacher, and Susan Thornton, director, announced at last year’s drama banquet, “We’re going to Rydell High. Baby.” students all over the school have been excited about this year’s musical.

 As soon as MHS sophomore Matt Carlstrom heard about the musical he went up to his drama friends and said, “I’m definitely doing Grease this year it’s going to be so fun.”

 This reaction was shared by many people who have never participated in the musical before. They have come up to experienced drama student saying things like, “That sounds like fun, maybe I’ll do the play this year.”

 Marissa Machak, MHS Senior and Dance Team captain, excitedly tells her friends about her new experience. “In the ‘Summer Night’s’ scene we got to actually stand on the tables to dance. I had so much fun at that rehearsal it was very different then our normal dance rehearsals.”

“Grease” attracts other students who don’t usually participate in the show because it is a classic story that most high school students know. Last year’s show “Oliver” didn’t have the same effect.

“Oliver” took place during the late 1830’s while “Grease” takes place in the 1950’s, a time of poodle skirts, drive-in movies, and the hand jive. It’s easy to see why “Grease” is more popular with the high school crowd.

MHS junior Maggie Doherty is also a first time musical participant. Doherty is an ensemble member and a “Beauty School Drop-out” girl. Her favorite part of the musical is “all the dances and just being able to hangout with everyone. It makes the rehearsals a lot of fun.”

The performance is on April 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th. It is sure to be a swell time with sweet Sandy, the sassy Pink Ladies, the arrogant Burger Palace Boys, and a high energy ensemble. 

Middletown High School prepares to perform “Grease” as the 2010 Spring Musical. Students in the drama department are working hard to put on the best performance Middletown High School has ever seen.

MHS seniors Kelsey Swann and Justin Beard play the lead roles, Sandy and Danny.

“This is the only show I have done where I feel like I’m ready. I’m so excited for this show, it’s my senior year and it’s going to be great,” said Beard.

“Grease” has been the talk of the school.  While the cast and crew make their final adjustments, the community anxiously waits to see the musical.

“The show is going to be great; we’ve worked so hard on everything and I know that it will come out great” said Swann.

Get ready to see the Pink Ladies, who consist of freshman Amy Hoffman playing Jan, senior Sarah Biggs as Rizzo, senior Jordan Dumars as Frenchie, and senior Emily Hughes as Marty.

Who could forget the Burger palace boys? Senior Matt Thomas plays Doody, senior Eric Looney plays Sonny, senior Nick Etheridge plays Roger, and senior Kelly Delameter plays the infamous Kenickie.

Not only does the cast have to work their best to make this performance worth the wait, but the crew is working hard as well. The pit crew and the tech crew are the ones that make the show come together as a whole.

MHS junior Ash Maia said, “I’m very excited about the show. Everyone is putting a lot of effort and it will definitely pay off.” Maia, who is part of the tech crew, has been working hard for weeks to make this production come together smoothly.

Students part of the tech crew, or “techies,” are very important to the drama department. Without the tech crew, there wouldn’t be props or lighting, and the scenes would not be as realistic. For the past month the tech crew has been contributing several hours a night to get the set built and make sure everything is prepared for opening night.

“Being a part of the tech crew is a lot of fun. We work hard on the set, painting and building and in the end our work shows.  It’s great knowing that we helped to contribute to the show even if we are not on stage performing,” said junior Samantha Rowland.

Grease is nothing without the lively music. The pit crew helps to make this happen by working their best to practice and perform their music to the best of their ability.

“Practices are fun because the music’s interesting and to have someone like Mr. Shearer leading us is great. My favorite part about being in the pit is playing music from the 1950’s” said junior Bryan Goodyear.

Some of the songs that they will be playing are; The Finale, Those Magic Changes, There are worse things I could do, The Rydell Alma Mater-Parody, Summer Nights, All Choked Up, and Shakin’ at the High School Hop. Some of the musical instruments that the pit plays are the keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, and the drums.

The cast has been practicing diligently and is excited to see the show come together. They love the choreography, the songs, and the help they are getting from the pit and tech crew to make this show great.

The goal for each cast and crew members is to make this production great – for themselves and the audience who comes to see the musical.

Come and see the show April 16 and 17 at 7p.m. and April 19 at 2 p.m.

Maia said, “I think the show will be a great success and will be remembered for a long time.”

Five figures walk through the darkness and the fog. They strap on their guitars and take their positions on stage. A single note rings out and slowly morphs into another. The drums and bass kick in and the Arctic Monkeys go into “Dance Little Liar,” their eerie opener.

On April 7 at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore, Arctic Monkeys put on the best show I have ever seen, and I have seen my fair share of shows.

Ram’s Head is a smaller venue that holds about 1,700 people.

I arrived early to the venue in hopes of getting a good spot close to the stage.

Looking down the alley next to Ram’s Head, two of my friends and I spotted a young man talking on his cell phone. He had medium length hair and had on black pants and Beatle boots. We recognized him it once. It was Arctic Monkeys’ lead singer, Alex Turner.

We talked to him a little about guitars and took a couple pictures. He was, as he’s famous for, extremely down to earth and very nice. After about five minutes, we didn’t want to overstay our welcome and thanked him for talking to us. He left us with a “see you inside”.

Then, we walked around to the secondary entrance to the venue where early arrivals can pay an extra ten dollars to go in before people who arrive later.

We sat inside for a couple hours talking to other Arctic Monkeys fans. During this time we heard the band warm up and play a couple songs, however, we could not see them due to a curtain separating the area we were in with the stage and floor.

They then allowed people onto the floor in the order that they had arrived. Luckily my friends and I had gotten there first so we were able to secure spots in the very front and center.

The opening act, Sleepy Sun, definitely was not my cup of tea. They sounded like a band out of 1967 San Francisco. Even though I did not like their music, I can respect their musicianship. The drummer was very good and had a style similar to Keith Moon.

When Sleepy Sun was finished, there was nothing like the anticipation in the air that followed.

After what seemed like a week of waiting, the lights dimmed and the Arctic Monkeys walked on stage and an amazing show began.

The band played all of the songs that were expected with a couple recent additions to the set list. Crowd favorites, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” and “Brianstorm,” sent the crowd into a frenzy.

The Sheffield musicians played two songs they only recently began performing, “Fire and the Thud” and the 2007 b-side, “Nettles.”

The group appeared to be extremely energetic and really into the show.

Alex Turner spat out the lyrics to songs like “Pretty Visitors” so ferociously that I had trouble believing that this was the same, normal guy I had spoken to just hours before.

“Nettles” as a closer was perfect. The driving main riff was extended near final part of the song, complete with false stops.

At the end of the song, Alex Turner walked out of view, off to the side of the stage, still playing his guitar. He then returned to throw his guitar across the stage, sending a whirl of feedback through the air. Drummer, Matt Helders, then kicked over his drum set, ending a perfect concert.

Most students at Middletown High School are juggling something. Finding time to fit in schoolwork, sports, and hobbies is stressful on any teenager.

But for MHS sophomores Patrick Sheridan and Anthony Gesiotto and MHS freshman Paul Fritz, juggling is what they do best.

Sheridan and Gesiotto performed a juggling act at the MHS talent show on March 5. Though they did not win, they wowed many with their impressive skills.

Both Sheridan and Gesiotto have been juggling for about a year. They are self-taught and practice in Sheridan’s basement.

It was Sheridan who inspired Fritz to start juggling two months ago.

“I learned from Patrick, Anthony, and YouTube,” said Fritz.

Since he started, Fritz said he has learned “too many tricks to count.” A few basics are called “the shower, cascade, Mill’s mess, the factory, takeouts, Orka’s mess, Burk’s barrage, Rubenstein’s revenge, one up two up, the fake, and Boston’s mess.”

Gesiotto said his “favorite trick is the Mill’s mess because it was the first really difficult trick I ever learned.”

 “I wouldn’t want to juggle as a profession, but if someone wants to give me money for it, be my guest,” said Gesiotto.

 “I wouldn’t mind being a street performer with a hat to collect change,” said Fritz.

The boys juggle standard objects such as balls and clubs, but also practice with unconventional items. Fritz juggled a banana, a shoe, and an apple. Gesiotto juggled a pair of shoes and a milk carton.

Fritz said he has juggled for three hours without a break, and nine hours with short breaks in between. Gesiotto has juggled for three-four hours straight.

“It’s a very enjoyable hobby,” said Fritz.

Perhaps if juggling a schedule is too stressful for some MHS students, they should try juggling something different: balls, clubs, or even fruit.

People go through life not knowing the troubles that some have to go through to gain success. Some of these people never experience any type of problem and are not grateful for what they have.

Others realize the struggles and attempt to give help those in need. This is the case in The Blind Side, a movie based off a true written by Michael Lewis and directed by John Lee Hancock.

Michael Oher, played by Quinton Aaron, is a boy living in extreme poverty with a mother that has severe addictions to drugs and alcohol seems to have no chance in life, until he is picked up by an unlikely family.

Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) takes Michael in and with the help of her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), and the football coach (Ray McKinnon), Michael is accepted into the local private school. Due to Michael’s large size and athletic ability, he is immediately put onto the football team at the school.

At first only Leigh Anne and her son, S.J. (Jae Head), take heart to Michael, who is nicknamed Big Mike. The two work with Michael to try to fully understand him, which is a struggle due to him being extremely shy.

Michael slowly reveals more of his past life to his new family, showing the struggles he has gone through in the past. The family works together to help him overcome this past and get used to a new life.

As Michael becomes more of a member of the family, he grows in confidence and he becomes more successful in what he does. All the people he becomes close with start to understand his situation and respect what he does, causing his dreams to come true and his life to become much easier.

The Blind Side is an incredible true story about a boy who must go through incredible struggles to achieve his dreams. It is especially interesting that the movie was about a single person’s true story, while most movies highlight the teamwork of an athletic team working together to make a season great.

The acting of the movie was amazing. Sandra Bullock had a performance of her career and Quinton Aaron had a near perfect first performance.

Also, the way that John Lee Hancock made the story a truly realistic situation. The way he took the different point of views from Mrs. Tuohy, the rest of the Tuohy family, and the school faculty and morphed them together to bring the separate situations of Oher together was spectacular. Each person or group of people in this situation had different point of views of Michael in the beginning of the movie, but by the end, their views were all similar.

The Blind Side is an incredible story about a boy who had to defeat his past to achieve goals that match his potential. The movie shows the true struggles that some go through and the incredible kindness of a family.

In this world, there are few bands that soar with the eagles like Nickelback.

They are a rock in the sea of music, unchanging for almost twenty years. They stand strong, defying to change or show any type of evolution. They refuse to allow music to progress. This is what every musician should strive for.

However, Chad Kroeger, lead singer/songwriter, has a voice that is the most innovative thing in music, even though Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain and countless others sang the exact same way in the nineties. However, Kroeger just does it better.

Kroeger is the voice of a generation, though he is almost twenty years older than his target audience. He is in touch with the kids these days as proven by the song “Rockstar”.

The song encapsulates what it is like to be a teenager right now. “Everyone just wants to be a big rock star”; truer and more relevant words have never been spoken.

One can not overstate their influence on teenage fashion either. The band’s elaborate use of t-shirts, wristbands, and unquestionably the most important aspect, Chad Kroeger’s hair are just a few examples of their trend setting ways. So many teenagers these days sport this sharp style, all thanks to Kroeger.

Without Nickelback’s musical and lyrical prowess, America’s music scene might have progressed but luckily Nickelback is around to prevent that, pumping out relevant, realist music for the masses.