THE END

While the sun was shining on a bright and beautiful day outside of the Madison Square Garden Training Center, inside the facility it felt much more somber, as the Rangers officially said goodbye to one another and to the 2007-08 season.

The Blueshirts put up a valiant fight on Sunday in Pittsburgh, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the third period. But after killing off a penalty in overtime, they fell 3-2 on a goal by Marian Hossa that ended the playoff series in five games.

“We felt confident that we had a good enough team to really give it a shot to win the Cup this year, but things just did not work out that way,” stated Dubinsky. “We're disappointed and we're upset, but now we can't dwell on the past, and we should be excited moving into the future here.”

New Movies

There are many new movies that just came out in theaters. There are Baby Mama, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, Deception, Then She Found Me, Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, and Made of Honor. In the last two weeks I have seen three out of these six movies.

The first movie I saw was Baby Mama. Tina Fey is her usual smart funny self as an uptight, unmarried, infertile executive, and Amy Poehler is flat out hilarious as the bleach blond trailer trash Fey hires to be her surrogate. This match up makes no sense, but it’s designed to bring out the best in two brilliant comedians. With the help of Steve Martin as Fey’s spaced out, pony tailed new age boss, this movie is very amusing.

Next, I saw Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay; the follow up to 2004’s Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle. It was the greatest movie made about the search for burgers, which soon heads into riskier territory. Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay picks up right where the last one left off, with the guys chasing Harold’s dream girl to Amsterdam. But on the plane ride, Kumar’s naughty habits make them terrorist suspects and land them in one of the world’s most notorious prisons. They quickly escape and set off on another string of outrageous events. My favorite part was when they go parachuting into President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch house.

Lastly, I saw Made of Honor. Patrick Demsey falls for his just engaged closest pal, Michelle Monaghan. She asks him to be her maid of honor in this romantic comedy. He agrees and tries to win her heart, it wasn’t so hard for a guy with “the best hair ever!’

There will be more new releases in the next couple of weeks. These include Sex And The City, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, What Happens in Vegas, Speed Racer and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Entertainment Blogs

Over the course of my English Comprehension class, I have come across a few blogs that grabbed my attention. “My Blueshirt Heaven” is an outstanding blog, which has numerous posts on the New York Rangers. This is a single blog where the author demonstrates incredible writing abilities. It was easy to understand and to relate to. Although the background is plain with very little pictures, there are however many links that one who enjoys sports would find interesting. The creator of this blog is very devoted. There is always a new review right after a game. I enjoy reading this blog especially after a game because I seem to have a lot in common with this particular blogger. Since I have been a huge Ranger fan for as long as I can remember as well as he, it was easy for me to relate to his comments and reviews. I will most definitely be coming back for more.

Another one of my favorites was “Blog Media News.” This is a single blog that contains all celebrity news, including gossip and scandals. The design is very busy and you don’t know where to click first because of the many links that are posted. The white background is not really stunning; even the font lacks color. The author writes about the facts and after gives some insight on the topic. The reason why I enjoy this blog is because whenever I don’t have a magazine at hand, I know I could always click on this web page and be entertained.

Lastly, I found “The Movie Blog” to be of great interest. Watching films and later analyzing them with my family and friends is something that I enjoy to do. I find it very relaxing as it takes me away from reality. When I found this blog site I was very entertained. There designs contain many videos, pictures and advertisements. This blog is a group blog that focuses on movie reviews. The authors are very humorous and sarcastic in their writings when critiquing a film. They do however have three rules when it comes to posting. These include staying on target, show respect to the people you are having the conversation with and avoid major spoilers. Although they say they are “The Official Home of Correct Movie Opinions,” there were some reviews that I did not agree with. Even though there are conflicting views I will continue to read their blog site and compare their opinions with my own.

Although there are only a few blogs that I viewed, I believe each blog deserves to be read because of the effort the creator puts into their site. Each blog is unique and interesting in their own way. Blogging gives the right to individuals to be in complete control and enables freedom of speech. Criticism is allowed whether it is positive or negative. Blogs give an individual the ability to communicate with others that may share the same interests. Even though this semester is practically over, besides writing on my blog, I will continue to research and read many others.

Blog Sites Used:
http://www.myblueshirtheaven.com/
http://www.themovieblog.com/
http://blog.malitic.net/

More Babies for J.Lo!

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are ecstatic over the birth of their twins – Max and Emme. Their children were born on February 22, 2008. Jennifer is glowing and has indicated that she definitely does want more children. Many of her friends believe that Jennifer will be pregnant again by the end of the year. She is 38 years old and does not want to waste any time. Marc Anthony 39 is definitely on board in expanding their family. Marc has three children from previous relationships in addition to the twins. He loves seeing how happy the twins have made Jennifer.

In my opinion I think it is great that two loving parents want to have more children. They can provide for their children financially, but most of all they can provide much love. Jennifer wanted children for so long, she was finally blessed and this will only make her a great loving mother who appreciates the gift of life.

Angelina’s rushed to the doctor!

Angelina Jolie is a little more than six months pregnant and had a recent health scare. Angelina was with her husband, Brad Pitt, in Austin, Texas where she recently injured her ankle. Her ankle was swollen and then her legs became swollen. Angelina insisted on going back home to have this checked out. During the flight home, the pain was become severe and Angelina felt very sick. They were going to make an emergency landing, but Angelina insisted they continue to Los Angeles where she could see her own doctor.

They arrived at the Burbank airport where a fleet of SUVs with blacked-out-windows was waiting along with Angelina physician. Her and Brad’s fear was that she may have had deep-vein thrombosis which is a potential life-threatening blood clot. Luckily, this was not the case. In the end, everything worked out. Angelina is to take it easy and should stop trying to be super mom.

I think this is very common for women who want to continue all their activities prior to them becoming pregnant. This is not always a good idea. Women should take caution when they are pregnant. Women should consider the health of their unborn child as well as their own health. Women should always put the needs of their children before their own needs. Angelina is being selfish by continuing to live the life as if she was not pregnant. I think this scare will convince her to take it easy and to get more rest.

Lynn Spears Tells All

Lynne Spears, mother to Jamie Lynn and Britney Spears speaks to Life & Style about her daughters. Ms. Spears divides her time trying to care for both of her daughters.
Her youngest daughter, Jamie Lynn, now 17 is eight months pregnant and is living with the father of her child. Jamie Lynn is growing up rather quickly and hopes to marry the father of her baby. Her mom wants to be there to care and support her youngest. Lynne Spears broke her silence and has said that it has been a very emotional time.

Lynne is quite concern for her oldest daughter, Britney, who has been hospitalized twice for mental illness before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Lynne speaks of the difficulties Britney has been going through. She believes that her daughter’s problem will improve once she spends more time with both her sons – Sean 2 and Jayden l. Lynne Spears tells Life & Style “She’s gone through a lot of trauma, but she seems to be coming out of it – and it’s showing in her relationship with the boys. They’re really bonding.” She feels hopeful for both daughters and thinks 2008 will be a better year for all.

I sympathized with Lynne Spears since it is hard seeing your children hurt and in pain. She knows that Jamie Lyn is young and will have a lot of challenges ahead of her. She also knows that Britney has to work through her problems and must continue to get the medical help she needs. Lynne Spears turns to God for comfort and strength. I believe that will make her strong to take care of her children.

Creative Nonfiction

As you readers can see my blog focuses on entertainment and sports. I get my topics from magazines, television, radio and the internet. Besides writing on just the facts I also give my opinion. I have recently been inspired to write in the style of creative nonfiction. Creative nonfiction informs the reader on important issues, like journalism, but in a more imaginative and detailed way. Originality is an incredible aspect of writing, especially while reading about our history. I believe that creative nonfiction is an exceptional source of learning the truth of stories while still being entertained by the authors.

Creative nonfiction is when the author tells a story with actual events that happened in history, but adds a sense of wittiness to them. Creative nonfiction contains the story being told, the person telling it and the observer. It allows the author to use his own opinions and thoughts on true history as a way to entertain the reader. Creative nonfiction is the arrangement of experience mixed with historical facts.

Creative nonfiction is considered to be a genre as well as a method. Creative nonfiction combines nonfiction elements and literary elements. It includes the facts, explanations and research. Some methods that are used to make the events more realistic are characters, setting, language, narration and personal involvement. This allows information to come alive to the reader as well as making the main point more understandable. Creative nonfiction utilizes many different aspects of writing. Lee Gutkind, also known as the godfather behind creative nonfiction, states that creative nonfiction involves writing from personal experience or reporting on someone else’s experience and having the ability to shape it in a way that reads like fiction. This is a way of uniting storytelling with journalism. At one time creative nonfiction was referred to as “Literary Journalism,” however it is vastly different. Although journalism and creative nonfiction both report information discovered, creative nonfiction expresses it using literary or narrative techniques, while journalism uses basic facts. Journalism is also known to be read as a novel and creative nonfiction is not. Now don’t confuse creative nonfiction with creative writing. Creative writing can be entirely made up, whereas creative nonfiction contains accurate facts – nothing is made up.

All Around the Town and The Curve of Binding Energy are two books which contain excellent examples of how an author expresses the idea of “creative nonfiction.” All Around the Town is an interesting novel, where I was able to recognize creative nonfiction in the four stories I have read. For example, “The Rocking Chair Scandal” describes events that occurred in New York City, but contains many exaggerated details. However, the reader was still able to understand the controversy and riots that broke out in Central Park due to the citizens’ refusal of being charged to sit in a rocking chair. After reading the article in The New York Times, I noticed that Asbury did not write about the event in exact and that he expressed the ideas of “creative nonfiction.”

In The Curve of Binding Energy, John McPhee uses the same approach as Asbury while describing the actions and events that occurred in the life of Theodore B. Taylor. McPhee provides historical information regarding the dangers of nuclear energy and the use of safeguards. He blends life experiences and research with his own opinions and thoughts. With the use of creativity and literary styles and techniques, reading will be more appealing to its audience.

Creative nonfiction can be used to aid students when it comes to writing successful academic papers for college. It is a technique that is used to assist in writing in a creative way about factual and real life information . It involves research and the ability of describing the facts accurately, while making the story and people come alive. Creative nonfiction is an outstanding way to motivate the reader.