Here We Stand Student Site

Reviewed by Heather Maki. Date Movie starts with plump Julia Jones romping around her city, trying to find herself a man. The hilarious dance Julia performs to "Milkshake" by Kelis left the entire audience laughing. When...

The Apple Company, makers of the iPod, iPhone and Mac computers, released it's latest gadget—the iPad—on Saturday, April 3. Some describe the iPad as an oversized iPod touch. Others think it's more like a...

American Idol is back with a vengence for its ninth season. After an all-time low rating in its final episode in May 2009, Idol is crushing the competition in the first few weeks of 2010. Much of their early-season success...

The latest movie in the Twilight series, New Moon, opened November 20 and made $143 million in the first weekend. Many ans of the Stephanie Meyer novels have felt that this movie was better than the book. Despite a 70%...

The Blackberry "smartphones" are hardly a new trend. The Blackberry brand is celebrating its 10th anniversary. They have been expanding their line of communication devices ever since. In 2007 Blackberry released the Curve,...

The popular summer series So You Think You Can Dance is back for its fifth season. Like most reality shows, the object of the competition is to find the best amateur dancer in the country. Fans of the show enjoy watching...

Touch screens are all the rage. The Apple iPhone and BlackBerry Storm are popping up in backpacks, briefcases, and purses all around the world. These devices, and other touch screen products, feature a large screen and no...

Movie fans are getting excited for all the new films they are about to find in the theater. Summer is typically a time when big-budget movies are released. Here are some of the most highly anticipated movies coming to...

For many people, the month of April marks the season of spring. The change of season usually requires a change of clothes. It's time to put the sweaters and jeans and bring out the shorts and T-shirts. Oftentimes...

A television series based on H. G. Bissinger's acclaimed book, Friday Night Lights, will continue to appear on the small screen for at least two more seasons. FNL has been hailed by critics as one of the most genuinely real...

Holy week plays out like any good movie. It has a hero, a villain, a love story, and a happy ending. Believe it or not, this blockbuster was not just made for Hollywood. It is a story that shows on screen around the...

One of the most popular movies at the box office by the end of 2008 was the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's book Twilight. The movie features Bella Swan, a shy teenage girl who goes to live with her father in a small...

The sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (SNL) just celebrated its 33rd anniversary. Over the past three decades, SNL has been famous for poking fun at politicians. This season the show expanded beyond its weekend...

I wasn't sure what to expect going into Oliver Stone's W., which takes a closer look at President George W. Bush. Stone has a reputation for coming up with a lot of conspiracy theories and having pretty strong opinions about...

More than 60 million people have joined the Facebook phenomenon. Facebook is a free social-networking website, similar to MySpace, which allows people to personalize a webpage and connect with other friends. Observers of...

For weeks, we've seen advertisements for "Back to School Shopping." Some of these ads are selling school supplies, but many of them want you to update your wardrobe for the new school year. What kinds of fashion trends are...

(Twitter) Have you started Twittering yet? If not, you probably will soon. Twitter is being billed as the "next big thing" when it comes to social-networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook). Twitter was started...

Gizmo: skate System: Xbox 360/PS3 Company: EA Games Rating: Teen Price Range: $59.99 EA’s skate. is a game that's been getting a lot of attention lately because of the way it reinvents the way the...

Psych (NBC) is one of those shows that I love to watch, even though it can be ridiculous. The plot goes like this: Shawn Spencer is a private detective with the ability to pick out the tiny details of crimes. In order to get...

War of the Discs Did you get caught up in the battle between Blu-ray and High-Def DVD players? For a lot of us, it's hard to tell what the whole debate was about. There were (until recently) two types of "next...

Sara Bareilles, a musician who's getting more and more attention lately, is writing songs for the right reason. "I'm not gonna write you a love song, 'cause you asked for it ... if you're on your way," she sings on "Love...

Hannah Montana is everywhere these days, and I probably don't have to tell you who she is, but I will anyway. In this Disney TV hit, Miley Cyrus plays both "Miley," and her alter ego, "Hannah Montana." While Miley is an...

Juno (PG-13, 2007) is all about tough choices and second chances. Keep in mind that this movie has a lot of "adult situations" and you should only check it out after talking with your parents or guardians about its subject...

Game: Rock Band System: Xbox 360/PS2/PS3/Wii Company: MTV Games/Electronic Arts/Harmonix Music Rating: Teen Price Range: $59.99 (Equipment Sold Separately) Ever sung along with your favorite...

Did you watch Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008? If you did, you were among 97.5 million others who were treated to an exciting game and some creative commercials. The Super Bowl was the second most watched American TV...

Why talk when you can text? That's what millions of young people are asking their friends and family these days. Text messaging (or "texting") is a method of sending short typed messages to cell phones or other mobile...

The Golden Compass (PG, 2007) has generated a lot of controversy in the past few months. The movie is based on a fantasy novel of the same name, which is the first of three books in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials"...

As this year's awards for TV shows and movies are handed out, there's one acceptance speech from the Emmy Awards in September that still stands out. In her acceptance speech for her reality show, My Life on the D-List,...

E-mail is out, and social networking sites like Facebook.com are in. At least that's what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is banking on. Zuckerberg expects that, one day, all electronic communication will come through...

Song: Thanks for the Memories Performed by: Fall Out Boy CD: Infinity on High In the opening lyrics of "Thanks for the Memories," Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy sings some lines that as a Christian might be...

The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia (Collins Press, 2007) A few weeks ago I was enjoying a morning at home when the Today show caught my attention. Nina Garcia, fashion director for Elle magazine, was...

"Rockstar" by Nickelback from the CD All the Right Reasons (2007) Though it was released a couple of years ago, Nickelback's most recent studio album All the Right Reasons has still be getting a lot of airplay. And of...

No Reservations (Travel Channel, Monday-Thursday, TV-PG) As he sits with the Namibian tribal chief, chef-turned-TV-host Anthony Bourdain dined on some roasted wart hog, still freshly covered with sand and fur! Knowing...

Boogie video game for Nintendo Wii Price Range: $54.99 Boogie is one of the newest dance games for the Nintendo Wii which combines the fun of dancing and singing together! Players have a variety of characters to...

Recently the music world celebrated the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. You probably noticed because for almost a week, the TV, internet, and newspapers were flooded with stories about the King and special...

School is officially back in session. And when I was growing up, that always meant going to shop for new school clothes. Perhaps you witnessed the phenomenon I like to call "The First Day of School Outfit." You know,...

The Price is Right (CBS, Daytime, TV-PG) After 35 years of hosting The Price is Right, Bob Barker has retired from the show that many of us look forward to watching over the summer or when we're home sick from...

iPhone Price Range: $499 (4GB model) - $599 (8GB model) + AT&T cell phone plan All of the recent technology buzz seems to center around the new iPhone from Apple. Cell phones have come a long way in the...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PG-13, 2007) We've made it to the fifth movie in the Harry Potter series, and each one is bigger and more elaborate than the one before. Each film brings Potter fans closer...

TiVo Price Range: $99.99 - $799.99 for TiVo box, plus $19.95 / month TiVo has been around for a while. However, the concept seems to be even more popular with the revolution of digital cable and on-demand...

Jericho (CBS, Fridays 9:00 PM ET, TV-PG) The TV series Jericho tells the fictional story of a small Kansas town living in the aftermath of a nuclear attack on the United States. The people struggle for survival with...

Evan Almighty (PG-13, 2007) In the most recent connection of faith and film, Evan Almighty tells the story of news reporter Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) and his family as they move to Washington, D.C., as a new member...

The Spam King has been defeated! No, this is not the king of Spam, the canned meat product of ham and pork by the Hormel Food company. This is the "Spam King," the name given to a Seattle man who was recently...

The summer of 2007 may forever be known as the "summer of sequels" because of the enormous amount of summer blockbuster movies that are the second, third, fourth, and even fifth in the series of a given film. Movies...

My Boys (TBS, Monday 10:00 ET, TV-14) The TV series "My Boys" runs on TBS iand getting ready for its second season, with the newest episode airing on July 30. The show follows PJ, a tomboyish female-sports writer who...

"How to Save a Life" by The Fray from the CD Live at the Electric Factory (2005) "How to Save a Life" by The Fray has been a long-standing presence on the Billboard Top 100 charts and a regular in the playlist of most pop...

When I was recently over at my grandmother's house, we were looking through some old pictures of when she was my age and younger. And some of these pictures were from when she was at the beach with some of her friends.&...

At a high school in Meridian, Idaho, school administrators decided to ban the presence of iPods and other mp3 players during school hours. This decision was in response to catching some students using the devices to record...

One of the things we're hearing in the news is global warming and climate change. With the popularity of former Vice-President Al Gore's movie on the topic, as well as Congress taking the lead to hold hearings on the...

GPS navigation systems have been emerging everywhere. They are meant to help you get from one place to another without having to ask for directions. Beginning as options in luxury cars, these guides are now available as...

One of the biggest movies opening this summer is

Dreamgirls (PG-13, 2006) The film Dreamgirls has been a wildly successful adaptation of a Broadway musical of the same name. It tells the story of three women whose dreams for musical stardom begin to be realized when they...

Product Red (iPods, MOTORAZR, credit cards and more) Apple, Motorola, American Express, and more Price Range: Varies from a $28 Gap t-shirt to a $199 iPod to a $270 MOTORAZR Product Red was started to raise money through...

I don't know about you, but it seems that I cannot turn on my TV, computer, or radio and not hear about what's gonig on in the personal lives of celebrities. From the death of Anna Nicole Smith to the head shaving of...

Victoria's Secret, the famous lingerie company, has a line of pajamas and loungewear that they call "Pink." When the line was rolled out, it was branded and marketed as clothing for college students. They are very colorful,...

It seems that every time I turn on the TV, celebrities are arguing with one another. The arguing, of course, is usually pointless. This drama is further played out in the media and taken to another level of...

The Knights of Prosperity (ABC, Wednesdays 8:30 PM ET/PT, TV-PG) The new comedy on ABC, "The Knights of Prosperity," is about a club consisting of working-class people (five men and one woman) who seek to get rich by...

American Idol (FOX, Tuesdays 8:00 PM ET/PT and Wednesdays 9:00 PM ET/PT, TV-PG) The sixth season of American Idol is in full swing, geared to crown another singer as the next "American Idol." However, this season...

"Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer from the CD Continuum (Sony, 2006) "Waiting on the World to Change" is a guitar-driven hit that has been all over pop radio since its release in late 2006. The song's words are...

Bones (FOX, Wednesdays 8:00 PM ET/PT, TV-14) "Bones" is a series that follows crime-fighting forensic anthropologist (bone-doctor) Temperance Brennan and her FBI partner Seeley Booth. Along with Dr. Brennan's lab...

MySpace One of the hottest Internet sites people are using is MySpace.com. This site offers users the ability to network with new people who have similar interests and to stay connected to those they already know. The site...

Armed & Famous (CBS, Wednesdays 8:00 PM ET/PT, TV-PG) Celebrities Erik Estrada, La Toya Jackson, Jack Osbourne, Jason "Wee-Man" Acuña, and Trish Stratus have come to Muncie, Indiana to become official reserve police...

Turn on the TV and watch for a couple of minutes and you're bound to come across some ad which features a celebrity endorsing a product. You can find rapper Common in the recent Gap commercial or tennis star Maria Sharapova...

Deal or No Deal (NBC, Mondays 9:00 PM ET and Thursdays 10:00 PM ET, TV-PG) One of the most popular game shows on TV right now is the lively and unpredictable Deal or No Deal. Led by the comic-turned-host Howie Mandell,...

"Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood from the CD Some Hearts (Arista, 2006) The 2005 American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood, sings a beautifully moving ballad called "Jesus, Take the Wheel." The...

Apple & Yahoo! (among others) - $0 One of the newest gizmos you can get for your computer is a widget for your desktop. I was coveting my sister's new Apple MacBook for how cool-looking and shiny it was compared to...

Barnyard (2006, PG) Just released to DVD is the animated feature Barnyard, and as the title implies, we find ourselves within the fences of a farm. But no ordinary farm has the voices of Kevin James (from The King of...

Dead Poets Society (1989, PG) This week I pulled a classic from my shelf. It has been a good long while since I had seen Dead Poets Society, and I must say that it did not disappoint! This movie stars Robin Williams in the...

"Room at the Table: Christians and Pagans" by Dar Williams from the CD Out There Live (Razor & Tie, 2001) I am a folk music lover. One of my favorite artists of this genre is Dar Williams. In the song "The...

Saved! (2004, PG-13) Saved! is a movie about Mary, a good girl who does everything the way she believes God wants her to. However, she discovers that not everything is as she planned and begins to question God and her...

"Stupid Girls" by Pink from the CD I'm Not Dead (LaFace Records LLC, 2006) This year on the pop-rock scene came Pink's album I'm Not Dead. The album made a big splash with the release of the single "Stupid Girls." I have to...

Video Game Systems: Wii, Nintendo - $249 Playstation 3, Sony - $499 (basic), $599 (premium) It's the time of year when people get out and start Christmas shopping. Two of the most popular gifts that are jumping off the...

Free Web sites: You Tube and Revver Web sites like You Tube and Revver are popping up all over the Internet these days. These consumer media video sharing services feature videos made by individuals on their home...

BBC News CNN In Madrid, models who are too skinny have been banned from fashion shows. Madrid's government says it wants to "project an image of beauty and health." Models who have a body mass index (BMI) lower than 18 will...

"London Bridge" by Fergie from the CD The Dutchess (A&M/Interscope Records, 2006) Fergie, of the music group the Black Eyed Peas, has released her own album titled The Duchess. The album's recently released single "...

Poor Betty . . . she just doesn't get it. The fashion industry is supposed to be a place for fabulous, attractive, ultra skinny, self-absorbed people. What is she doing there? That's something her coworkers would like to...

"Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanescence (from the CD The Open Door, Wind-Up Records, 2006), www.evanescence.com Evanescence returns this Fall, after a three-year hiatus, with their second album, The Open Door. Like many...

"Rockstar" by Nickelback from the CD All the Right Reasons, (Roadrunner Records, 2005) One of my favorite bands out there is Nickelback. Their music has a hard rock sound, but they are really versatile. The song is...

Video Game: NCAA '07 Football EA Sports $49.99 Everyone loves sports and some of the hottest selling video games out there are sports related. In fact, there is much hype and anticipation for the NCAA '07 Football game....

Abercrombie & Fitch I'm being followed by a moose! Everywhere I look I see this moose. Then I realize that it is the moose on the Abercrombie & Fitch clothing line. So I go to the mall to check out the store; I...

Earl Hickey finally hits it big! After a life of petty crime and nasty deeds, Earl gets the break of a lifetime. He wins $100,000 in the lottery. But immediately, he steps outside the convenience store and is squashed like a...

Reviewed by Pastor Rod Hank. Superman has been gone for five long years. He's ventured out to find the remnants of his home planet, Krypton. Unfortunately, there's nothing left but fragments floating in space. So the...

Hero mobile device by Helio Cost: $275 Reviewed by Erik Ullestad. Television commercials for the new Helio Hero claim that it's not a phone, indicating it's much more than that. And, like many other cell phones in 2006,...

"Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado (from the CD Loose, Geffen Records, 2006), www.nellyfurtado.com Reviewed by Angie Larson. In the song Promiscuous we hear an interaction between a woman and a man as they very bluntly...

Reviewed by Angie Larson Popular this summer is the tank top. It's a shirt that all ages are sporting. It comes in a variety of colors and prints. The style is hot, you can wear them alone or layer them. Tank tops are cool...

Reviewed by Angie Larsen. Lightning McQueen, a hot-shot rookie sports car who is driven to succeed, completes a three-way tie for his ultimate goal—the Piston Cup. He and his two competitors, Chick and the King, travel...

"Losing Hope" by Jack Johnson (from the CD Brushfire Fairytales, 2002) www.jackjohnsonmusic.com Reviewed by Garrett Y., age 16. When I heard Jack Johnson with his outstanding guitar talents and...

Reviewed by Nicole O., age 13. Gilmore Girls is about a mother and daughter who have become best friends over the years. Their names are Lorelai (mother) and Rory (daughter). Rory was born...

iPod® (Apple Computer, ) Starts at $64.99 for the 512 MB shuffle Reviewed by Eric Maki. It's easy to fit hundreds, and even thousands, of songs in your pocket without having to change discs or carry around a bulky...

Survivor Challenges Physically, Mentally, Ethically

Reviewed by Eric Maki. It's a grueling 39-day contest on a sweltering, remote island, without food or water. In the midst of this setting, one of the most difficult games ever devised is played. And if you...

"Move" by Thousand Foot Krutch (from the CD The Art of Breaking, Tooth and Nail Records) Reviewed by Garrett Y., age 16. This rock song is very enjoyable to listen to if you have been looking for a rock song with a...

Reviewed by Garrett Y., age 16. Rodney Copperbottom is a robot with a dream. His dream is to help others around him. Rodney's dad is an older robot with a tough job working just to keep the family moving. Rodney leaves...