A previous article written in October concluded with Brandon McInerney awaiting his pending re-trial where he would be charged as an adult for murder of his openly gay classmate, Larry King.

On December 19, McInerney, now 17 years old, pled guilty to second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to serve 21 years in state prison. Under the conditions of his plea bargain, he is not eligible for early release, so he will serve in prison until his reaches the age of 38.

Before McInerney was handed his final sentence, the murder victim’s father, Greg King expressed his rage in a very emotional four-page statement to the court.

According to Catherine Saillant of the LA Times, King “called jurors ‘incompetent’ for failing to reach a verdict in the September murder trial, criticized the media for its coverage of the high-profile case and heaped blame on school officials for failing to watch over his son’s well-being.” He also lashed out at his son’s killer, telling him that he was “‘a white supremacist assailant’ who had been given the break ‘that Larry never got’ by his jurors.’” He ended by telling McInerney that he could never forgive him for shooting his son.

In the end, a young boy was killed because he was gay and his killer was given only 21 years as his debt to society. In addition, the final verdict dismissed the hate crime charge that the jury had originally failed to convict.

All of this information just begs the question: if Larry King had been heterosexual, would this whole tragedy, the crime and the chaotic trails, have occurred?

According to director Andrea Hart, this refreshing romantic-comedy has “more depth of talent in the cast on all sides than we have had in a while.”
The zany musical stars seniors Chanel Tilghman, Daniel Goldwyn, junior Sophie Gable-Scheinbaum and sophomore Aaron Tiedemann.

Aaron Tiedemann opens the show as a man who is listening to The Drowsy Chaperone and witnesses the musical as it comes to life before him.
The story then follows Chanel Tilghman and Daniel Goldwyn as Janet Van de Graaff and Robert Martin on the eve of their wedding. A chaperone, designated to keep the couple apart before meeting at the altar, fails at his duty, giving the production its name.

The show even includes a scene where Daniel Goldwyn is forced on stage with a blindfold while dancing on skates.

Oddly enough, the storyline was originally written for a newly wed couple (Janet Van de Graaff and Robert Martin) as a scathing satire of marriage.
Although opening night isn’t until February 3, The Drowsy Chaperone has already brought the community together. Volunteers from both Laney College and the Berkeley Repertory Theater donated both their time and money to create the huge set for this production.

Opening night is Friday, February 3 at 8 p.m. The show runs the following night, Saturday February 4 at 8 p.m., and the following Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. as well. Matinee shows are on Sunday February 5 and 12 at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at the door and online at

www.brownpapertickets.com/event/222464.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students. Some AHS teachers are giving extra credit for attending the performance.

English teacher and debate coach John Bailes said, “I am very pleased with every level of our speech and debate team so far. We keep growing in numbers and maturing as debaters. We had twelve debaters–four of which were in pairs for public forum. The other eight competed in the Lincoln-Douglas format. Three debaters–James Ren, Yang Ren, Lauren Li–had winning records (3-1) and two–Felix Yoon, Wendy Li–had undefeated records (4-0),” Bailes said.

The event ran from early Saturday morning until late evening. Junior Varsity debater Yang Ren said, “Well, there wasn’t as much time to polish up arguments and speeches with finals being the week before the debate. Reviewing material for the next day’s finals really takes that chunk out of your day.”

Difficulties aside, the Debate Club plans to compete in the Stanford Invitational Debate Tournament, held on the Stanford campus in mid-February. Many of the debaters see this past weekend as a warm up for the larger event – the Stanford Debate attracts several hundred more debaters from across the country.

“I can already tell that Stanford is going to be great,” said sophomore Regina Park. “We have some great debaters this year and just going with the team is always really fun!”

For several weeks, the students had been researching environmental subjects ranging from sustainable transportation to green academies to investment in energy-efficiency.

Darren McNally, APES teacher, explained the process: “We’re building research skills, critical thinking skills, presentation skills, response to questions.”

One student, Kylie Woodward-Sollesnes, has been interning at All-in-One Fitness this year for the EDSET program. Her project, accordingly, centered on how to make gyms eco-friendly. Through interviews with the gym owner and supervisor, surveys with gym members, and data compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency, she examined the feasibility and efficiency of water conservation in locker rooms, bikes with electric generators, and rooftop gardens.

Another student, Alvin Wong, looked into the environmental benefits of being a vegetarian.

“I like the environment, and the only way to take APES was to join EDSET,” Wong said. As for whether he’ll pursue a career in the field of environmental science, Wong added, “I could consider doing these kinds of things.”

Senior EDSET students, who participated in the project last year, were there to see and grade the presentations.

Anna Urias, whose project last year focused on solar energy, commented on the experience: “It was kind of cool because it applied directly to my internship and I got to go out and fix it.”

On Monday, school officials handed out the the new policy to students coming in late. It reads: “Beginning Wed. Jan. 25, all students who are tardy to any class must first go to the Attendance Office, sign in, and get a blue pass before entering any class. Teachers will no longer allow students to enter a class without a blue Attendance Office pass, whether excused or unexcused.”

“Tardiness has actually been a problem for me this year,” said social studies teacher Kevin James.

According to the administration, teachers have been expressing an increased concern regarding tardiness and how it is a significant disturbance in class both for teachers and those students who are on-time and trying to learn.

Today, some 180 students stood in a line in front of the Attendance Office waiting for their pass if they arrived after the second morning bell. The students included both those who did not step into their specific class before the bell and were sent down by their teachers and those who were stopped by the administration at the school entrances.

Many students were upset with this new procedure. “It’s not going to last. This is a ridiculous waste of time,” said one student who showed up one minute late yet returned to his class 15 minutes later due to the long line at the Attendance Office.

Vice-principal Susan Charlip put it simply, “Don’t be tardy, it’s not that complicated.”

Similar views have been expressed by other school officials who simply ask students to leave a little earlier and show up on time so there won’t be any unnecessary disturbances in the classroom.

This morning there were more than 180 students who showed up late to class and were forced to go to the Attendance Office. According to the administration, first and second periods are the most troublesome, as well as those immediately after lunch.

Principal Ted Barone explained, “The AHS faculty made it a priority to resolve the problem. And it is not a new policy, but rather a new procedure to have better accounting [of tardies].”

School administrators hope that the number of tardies will be reduced in the coming days.

Additionally, all students in the program participate in weekly internships and have the opportunity to “connect” what they learn in school to the work they do outside of it.

The internships were the most difficult part of CONNECT to implement because they are off campus and were not integrated into the program until last year. Juliet Chiarella, CONNECT coordinator and English teacher, has been a part of CONNECT since its beginnings at AHS. She said of the interships, “The other teachers and I have done a lot of networking to help the juniors find internships. As seniors, students have more flexibility and independence in choosing their internships.”

The internships are designed to enrich the students’ learning and provide them with real-world work experience that will be highly beneficial to them after high school. The semester-long internships make students aware of the many opportunities available to them in the future and help to develop valuable career skills.

In addition to gaining marketable skills, seniors McKenzie Giblin and Ryan Reynolds have learned about economic and social issues through their internships.

Giblin handles the intake of merchandise and stocking at Mary & Joe’s. At her internship, she has learned about the impact of recessions. She said, “I’ve seen that in a recession, retail is really hard. Princing is harder to figure. They can’t order as much because unfortunately, they aren’t selling as much.”

Reynolds, observes the growing problem of childhood obesity and its relation to sports and exercise at his internship Fairmont Elementary School in El Cerrito. As a P.E. and recess aide, he has found that, “kids need to stay active, but a lot of them usually don’t. They get in to trouble when they are not active, and some of my students are on the way to obesity.”

In some cases, CONNECT students have found employment as a result of their interships. Senior Tommy Kurtz now works at Golden Gate Fields after having an internship there last year. Last year, he primarily prepared food, but now he helps out with hosting parties and events in addition to cooking. Kurtz said of his internship, “CONNECT and my internship opened my mind to things I didn’t think I would want to do. Cooking at the racetrack helped me realize that I want to be a chef.”

The junior and senior CONNECT classes are each comprised of approximately 30 students. The required courses for juniors are English 3, US History, and Design Lab 1, while those for seniors are Senior Composition/Non-Fiction, US Government/Economics, and Design Lab 2. Senior Salman Zaman especially likes the program because, “Everything in CONNECT is related. When we’re reading a book in English, we’re learning about its context in History. We really get an in-depth understanding of each subject.”

In CONNECT classes, there is a large emphasis on group work. Students collaborate on projects, and this has brought them closer together. Zaman especially likes “the homeroom feel of CONNECT.” He added, “There isn’t one person in my class that I couldn’t talk to or ask for help. In CONNECT, everyone is a family and we all help each other out.”

Vice Principal Susan Charlip partnered with current superintendent Marla Stephenson to found CONNECT in 2006 and 2007. Charlip led a group of teachers in creating an interdisciplinary academy-style program in the humanities. Before CONNECT, many students were getting lost jumping from one teacher to another with random course sequencing. The CONNECT curriculum helps students remain focused and has helped most of them improve their grades. During the most recent budget crisis, the school board could have easily swept CONNECT from the budget. However, the board preserved it because it has been largely successful.

Charlip said, “With CONNECT,

we hoped to create a smaller learning community within the school for students not already a part of naturally forming communities at AHS.” Students within the CONNECT community can become involved in the Albany community through their internships. Charlip added, “CONNECT helps us to bring the community into the school and the school into the community.”

With a focused curriculum, the collaborative and interdisciplinary CONNECT program offers students enriching educational opportunities and allows them to become involved in their community and gain valuable work experience through internships. Kurtz said the best part of the program is that, “CONNECT just makes school and learning a lot more fun.”

In May of 2008, Liu — a self-described “socially-awkward thirteen year old boy” — set out on a mission to create Dragon’s Fury: Legend of the Dragon Master. For the past several years, he’s worked tirelessly on the full-length role-playing game. With the support of many others along the way, and in spite of the occasional self-doubt, he’s finally completed the 57th stage of his game.

As he addresses the audience in announcement of the completion of Dragon’s Fury: Legend of the Dragon Master, which will be packaged for release by February 2012, he devotes most of his speech to thanking the many people who have — either directly or indirectly — assisted him in his creation of the game.

Those who know Liu are well aware of his accomplishments. Whether it’s in Science Bowl, Model United Nations, or merely academics, Liu has constantly excelled in a multitude of fields. In spite of this, he’s ultimately a humble man.

In his speech, this becomes quite apparent. Liu’s announcement speech is not a salute to his own accomplishment, but rather, an expression of gratitude for all those who have inspired, influenced, and supported him in these many years. The speech is also, of course, supplemented with the communist values which comprise the essence this dynamic man.

He ends his speech with a message of inspiration, encouraging others to realize that the seemingly impossible remains within reach. This challenging journey, through dedication, confidence, and countless hours on a dying Toshiba laptop, has proven successful.

EDSET changed this.

Through the academy, he achieved his best academic year as a junior, excelling on AP tests and connecting with teachers and peers alike, while also interning at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

“EDSET has allowed me to pursue an academic career that is unique and more suited towards the way I learn,” Tingwald commented.

He enjoys being a part of the scientific community at the lab, where he researches efficiency and appliances and helps design the Carbon 2.0 (Cycle) website.

EDSET internships provide the opportunity to participate weekly in a work community that benefits the environment. The intention of the internships is to give real-world experiences: exposure to soft skills, which will increase motivation and give an extra interest in EDSET classes and the material within them.

EDSET teachers emphasize the importance of soft skills that internships develop. Corinne Berletti—EDSET history teacher—said that such skills give students real-world contexts. “Internships provide executive functioning skills; a greater ability to get things done.”

Darren McNally—head of the EDSET academy and AP Environmental Science teacher—notes that these goals are effective in the classroom and in the work environment. “Students are better at providing examples in class because of their internships. They are also better at communicating because of this experience in the workplace.”

Jessica Park—EDSET English teacher—elaborated on the academic benefits internships bring. She believes that students can bring in experiences to the classroom that connect with the curriculum, making ideas less theoretical. Park has also observed that internships make students more mature.

“Students who have internships tend to mature faster, and be able to monitor their behavior and learning, which make for a productive classroom environment,” Park said.

Berletti agrees, chiming in that students have enhanced ownership in learning goals and become independent learners.

Berletti and the other EDSET teachers capitalize on this enhanced ownership by conducting many in-class discussions and Socratic seminars. Students feel more comfortable to speaking out during class and are not afraid to ask questions.

“It is nice being in a class where I feel like I can share my opinion without being judged,” commented Laney Ennis, EDSET senior.

Park credits the internships for this in-class respect.

Stuart Adams, EDSET senior, also notices the atmosphere that EDSET brings, saying that “being in a class full of the same smart, motivated people for a day, twice a week has made me pretty fond of them.”

On Adams’ day away from the EDSET family, he interns at the district office of Albany’s state assembly member, Nancy Skinner. His primary responsibility is to write letters to constituents, whether it concerns legislation that is up for consideration in the State Senate or Assembly, an idea for new legislation, an opinion on the budget, or any subject within the state government.

Adams is surrounded by authoritative figures, all being older, and therefore has to act accordingly. Adams is known in class for the confidence of  his opinions, and the ability to politely prove the opposing viewpoint wrong.

Last year, Adams helped out in the UC Berkeley Forest and Mycology and Pathology Lab studying Phytopthora ramorum, the organism that causes sudden Oak death. His work there made him a strong student in AP Environmental Science, a  required EDSET course, as well as allowed his class work studies to be brought back to his internship.

Adams’ motive for his UC Berkeley work was to test whether he wanted to become a scientist or not, and EDSET allowed him to find out that he did not.

“I now know that I want to be a politician, so I’m taking concrete steps that advance towards that dream. That’s what I think is the real benefit of internship-based learning. It doesn’t teach so much about subjects that can be tested, but allows students to really learn about themselves and what they want to study and do with their lives in the future, “ Adams said.

The school board has noted the success of the EDSET program. “I am delighted with the success of the academy,” Principal Ted Barone commented, “But, I do not see the addition of academies in the foreseeable future.” He empathizes with the extra strain it puts on teachers to organize them and commends the motivation of the teachers and students in the existing academies.

Barone does say that there is potential for a ‘pathway’ option at Albany High. This would consist of a selection of classes already offered and a series of clubs/outside community service to conform some sort of recognition at the end of one’s four years. The hope would be that this pathway idea would constitute the same effects of the EDSET internship, without the commitment. “As long as we have a group of teachers and students willing, I could see this pathway option happening as early as next year,” Barone noted.

But for the time being, Tingwald continues to tape posters to the shuttle stop. He says that this is probably the worst part of his job, but the research he is a part of at the lab compensates for it. He plans on interning here next semester as well as maintaining his stellar GPA. As he steps on to the biodiesel shuttle, he thanks EDSET for allowing him a place to find his true academic potential and career dreams. He then boards the bus, and rides down the hill, off to fulfill another day’s adventures.

According to U.S. Census data from September 2011, close to 15 percent of Americans are living in poverty. Based on this increasing poverty trend and future economic trends, homelessness is expected to continue to rise. This indicates more people without access to comforts that many of us take for granted every day such as shelter and a way to keep warm.

“For most, a warm coat solves the problem,” says One Warm Coat, a nationwide organization that works with groups across the country to collect coats and give them to those in need. “But, for… Americans living in poverty, a warm winter coat is a budget ‘extra.’”

Homelessness and poverty are more personal to people than they are often aware of. There have been in the past and still continue to be students enrolled in the Albany Unified School District who have dealt with or deal with the issue of homelessness. Across the Bay Area, schools have become increasingly aware of the rise in homeless students and families.

If you have a warm coat that you can donate, there are numerous places to drop one off. The Albany Community Center, for instance, is collecting coats for One Warm Coat. There are also many, many more around the Bay Area.

Below is a partial list (for more information, go to http://onewarmcoat.org/donate/donate-a-coat):

The question is why? With accessibility to Netflix and the Internet, it is easier than ever to watch a movie. Why can’t people just watch the original?

“If I saw the original and liked it, then I’d probably—even if I heard it was gonna be bad—be more likely to see it,” said senior Rachel Harris. “With special effects, remakes can be really good these days because they can do more with the story.”

The new Footloose remake opened to a weekend gross of $15.6 million and the second place spot at the box office. Currently, it’s grossing a domestic total of $44.8 million. The original opened to $8 million (equivalent to $17.6 million today), beating out the remake, and had a total domestic gross of $80 million (equivalent to $190 million today), making it one of the most popular movies of 1984. Only time will tell whether the remake will beat out the original overall. Nonetheless, the success of Footloose (2011) can be attributed in large part to the success of the Kevin Bacon original.

The most common genre of movies to be remade is horror. Horror movie remakes are constantly emerging. Dozens of horror movies have been remade or rebooted for what some say is an “easy profit.” They are much cheaper to make, and because they draw in fans from the original, guarantee audiences.

Take A Nightmare on Elm Street for example; remade in 2010, it grossed $32.9 million domestically. The original, also made in 1984, grossed $1.3 million (would be equivalent to $2.8 million today) in its opening weekend. It’s important to note when comparing the two that the original opened to 165 screens versus the remake’s 3,332 screens. Still, the remake made a profit despite bad reviews.

Horror movies already have a draw on audiences. People will go see them, even if they’re horrible, just for a scare. In addition, remakes draw in loyal fans from the original. This trifecta of reasons explains why movie studios are quick to jump on the idea of remaking a horror movie.

No matter the quality of a remake, it is considered a surefire way to make “easy money.” In the end, Hollywood is an industry and as an industry, its main focus is the art of making money.

The 25 Best Remakes of All Time

1. The Thing (1982)-based on Howard Hawks’ The Thing (1952)
2. Scarface (1983)-based on Howard Hawks’ Scarface (1932)
3. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)-based on Alfred Hitchcock’s first The Man Who Too Much (1934)
4. Cape Fear (1991)-based on J. Lee Thompson’s Cape Fear (1962)
5. The Magnificent Seven (1960)-based on Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai
6. The Departed (2006)-based on Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s Internal Affairs (2002)
7. The Fly (1986)-based on Kurt Neumann’s The Fly (1958)
8. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)-based on Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo (1961)
9. Ocean’s 11 (2001)-based on Lewis Milestone’s Ocean’s 11 (1960)
10. A Star is Born (1954)-based on William Wellman’s A Star is Born (1937)
11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)-based on Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
12. Heaven Can Wait (1978)-based on Alexander Hall’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
13. Father of the Bride (1991)-based on Vincente Minelli’s Father of the Bride (1950)
14. The Ring (2002)-based on Hideo Nakata’s Ringu (1998)
15. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)-based on Roger Corman’s Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
16. The Champ (1979)-based on King Vodor’s The Champ (1931)
17. The Italian Job (2003)-based on Peter Collinson’s The Italian Job (1969)
18. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)-based on Ralph Levy’s Bedtime Story (1964)
19. Dawn of the Dead (2004)-based on George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978)
20. True Lies (1994)-based on Claude Zidi’s La Totale! (1991)
21. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)-based on Delmer Daves’ 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
22. Insomnia (2002)-based on Eric Skjoldbjærg’s Insomnia (1997)
23. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)-based on F.W. Murnau’s Noseferatu (1922)
24. Ransom (1996)-based on Alex Segal’s Ransom! (1956)
25. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)-based on Norman Jewison’s The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Taken from http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/04/15/best-movie-remakes/