| 'High School Musical 2' Delivers Fresh Fun
The makers of High School Musical 2 wanted to avoid repeating themselves. They have succeeded. They have delivered a sequel that is both zanier and more dramatic than the original.
The DVD will be one of the most popular gifts this Christmas, although the movie celebrates summer. Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) lures Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) to work at her parents' country club. He inadvertently angers her by bringing along girlfriend Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) and their East High friends.
The wackiness comes mainly from Tisdale, whose broad performance would fit on The Carol Burnett Show.
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There will be blood: Festival slasher stage show takes on messy new ...
Last April, Rob Matsushita and Morey Burnard drew two phrases out of a hat for Mercury Players Theatre 's 24-hour play festival, where Madison-area playwrights write a show based on those brief snippets. Matsushita and Burnard randomly picked "Thug Passion #2 " and "Discordia 's Sunshine Death, " both names of mixed drinks. That short stage play, written in 12 hours, became a 45-minute feature film with 11 original songs. The result, "Massacre (The Musical)," will make its premiere tonight at the High Noon Saloon. The Madison film also has been submitted to the Wisconsin Film Festival in hopes of a spring screening. "Massacre " tells the story of Discordia Doren (Kelly Kiopes), a good Catholic schoolgirl driven to dispatch her less-than-moral friends in gruesome ways during a getaway trip to a friend 's cabin.
Theater Events for the period Nov. 1-10
Disney's High School Musical A basketball star and a beautiful but shy brainiac discover they share an interest in singing, and turn their school upside-down. Kalamazoo Civic Youth Theatre at the Civic Auditorium, Kalamazoo. Thu.-Sun., through Nov. 4. 269-343-1313. www.kazoocivic.com The Full Monty Unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo decide to raise money by staging a "girls' night out." Players Guild of Dearborn, Dearborn. Fri.-Sun., Nov. 9-Dec. 2. $18. 313-561-TKTS. www.playersguildofdearborn.org The Home Team Family, football and gender roles come clashing in the Gurley home on the day of the UM/MSU game. Whole Art Theatre at the Epic Theatre, Kalamazoo. Fri.-Sat., through Nov. 3. $20. 269-345-7529. www.wholeart.org One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next A charming convict fakes insanity to avoid a harsh prison sentence.
Holden Caulfield: Giving Voice to Generations
Since his debut in 1951, Holden Caulfield — the funny, complex, wry protagonist of J.D. Salinger's classic The Catcher in the Rye — has given voice to generations of teenagers caught between childhood and the adult world. One of the most censored books in recent U.S. history, The Catcher in the Rye is now a staple of many high school and college curricula. It's the coming-of-age story of 16-year-old Caulfield, who has flunked out of his prep school and is disillusioned with the world. 'Afraid of Growing Up' "The problem with Holden is that to him, everyone after a while seems phony," says Tobias Wolff, author of novels including Old School and the memoir This Boy's Life. "He's afraid of growing up really, and the self-consciousness that enters into our lives, into our sense of ourselves and forces us to perform in public — he sees that and hates it.
Talks' pace irks Vaca teachers
Vacaville teachers plan to protest the lack of progress in contract talks during a school board meeting tonight. Timothy Sisson, a teacher at Vaca Peña Middle School, will address the Vacaville Unified School Board regarding the need to restructure the teachers' salary schedules, according to a press release from the Vacaville Teachers Association. Teachers have been upset to learn that the current salary structure may result in a $100,000 loss to certain teachers over the course of their career. The Vacaville Teachers Association and the Vacaville Unified School District have been at the negotiating table for more than four months with little measurable progress, the press release said. "My wife and I chose to work for Vacaville Unified because of its reputation as a community that cared about its schools and its students," Sisson said.
Around the Bend: 01.18 - 01.24
FOOTBALL LEAGUE: The city of Corpus Christi Parks & Recreation Department is offering registration for its Men's 8-on-8 Flag Football League from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at City Hall, 3rd Floor, Parks & Recreation Department, 1201 Leopard St; 4 to 8 p.m. at the Corpus Christi Gym, 3202 Cabaniss Parkway, next to the Cabaniss baseball field on Saratoga Blvd.; and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ben Garza Gym, 1815 Howard St. Men (18 and older) are eligible to participate in this 6-week league, which will begin in late January. Cost: $300. Information: 826-3588. THEATER: The comedy "Shirley Valentine" will be performed at the Rialto Theater, 327 S. Commercial St., Aransas Pass, through Jan. 26. One matinee luncheon will be presented at 1 p.m. Saturday. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Visiting Au Pairs Help Bring Germany To SBHS
Two of Stone Bridge High School's German classes got a lesson on Germany from some nationals Wednesday. Three women, who are in Loudoun working as au pairs for a year, sat with the classes for an hour and answered questions about what life was like in Germany and how it differed from the U.S. Students got the women's thoughts on everything from music and food to the popularity of MySpace and what teens do for fun on the weekends."It's nice to get to know other cultures and be able to tell them about Germany," Julia Wurm, 19, who takes care of two children in Ashburn, said. "It's good for us, too, because we get to know what it's like in German classes in American schools."The visit was the idea of Teresa Breitenthaler, Stone Bridge's German teacher. Breitenthaler got in contact with Kathleen Schultz, who is the local coordinator for au pairs in the area."There are very few opportunities for the kids to use their German skills," Breitenthaler said.
Rudd awakening
Rudd pledged to reform public hospitals, install high-speed broadband and computers in secondary schools and increase trades training to address Australia's acute skills shortage. He also declared the fight against global warming to be one of his main priorities. The pledge struck a chord with Australians, whose minds have been concentrated on the perils of climate change by the drought and water shortages in most major cities. It contrasted with the attitude of Howard, who was deeply skeptical about climate change until a reluctant and partial conversion to the issue this year. Rudd has promised to personally represent Australia at a UN climate change meeting of environment ministers next month in Bali to discuss the how to tackle climate change after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
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