OUTS:—–INS:

Coffee—–Tea

Headbands—–Scarf

Vans—–Toms

Black Eyed Peas—–One Direction

Droid—–iPhone

Formspring—–Tumblr/Instagram

Straightening hair—–Wavy hair

Pop music—–Dubstep

Highlights (hair)—–Colored strips (hair)

Nail polish—–Patterned nail stickers

Scene clothes—–Hipster clothes

Car stereos—–Subwoofers

PCs—–Mac laptops

Contacts—–Glasses

David Guetta—–Aviccii

Ke$ha—–Kreayshawn

Plain nails—–Sparkly nails

Buns—–Braids

Plastic bottles—–Reusable bottles

Feathers (hair)—–Tinsel

Books—–Kindles/Nooks

Planking—–Kitty face

“Yum”—–“Nom nom nom”

Angry Birds—–Temple Run

“Literally”—–*Silence*

Thick crust pizza—–Thin crust pizza

“Hello”—–“Herro”

Friendship bracelets—–Beaded rave bracelets

Purses—–Satchels

Long nails—–Short nails

Sean Paul—–Nicki Minaj

“That’s so cool”—–“That’s so fetch”

Rainbow
Ever had a problem deciding on what color eyeshadow to wear? Why not just wear all of them?

Stars and moon
When you are on a date and you want your date to see stars try this trick and they will! Literally.

Raven (black)
Want to convey a dramatic look that lets people know you are serious? Now you can with this Gaga/Bird inspired look!

Betta Fish
Want to be one with the fish at the aquarium? Try this fish design and just keep swimming.

The Eye
Want to take a nap in class but don’t want to get caught? Fool your teachers with “the eye” design and dream your class away.

Flower Power
Ever want to  be your inner flower child? Put flowers around your eyes and connect with the hippie in you!

Animal Inside (zebra, cheeta, peacock)
Want to get a little wild with your look? Try these colorful animal designs and get a little crazy!

Money
Going shopping or going to work, the money look will fit the scene! You spend some and you earn some but don’t forget to wear some.

Thunder
Are you feeling down and want your  make up to show it? Try the thunder cloud and put a cloud over your head.

Butterfly
Come out of your shell and and become a beautiful butterfly with the Pink Monarch wing design!

Best Quick Stop: Top Nosh

Food: Tasty Comfort Food

Atmosphere: Colorful Café

Price: About $5-10

Don’t have a lot of time for a leisurely lunch, but still want great food and a nice atmosphere? Head over to Top Nosh! This chic café is famous for its delicious meat pies and soups.

After ordering at the counter, you can wait for your food to be delivered at one of many tables or bar-style counters. If you would like to people-watch on a beautiful day in Willow Glen, outdoor seating is also available.

Colorful decorations and bright lighting give this café a happy and eco-friendly atmosphere –the counter is constructed of recycled paper, while the tabletops are made of wood from demolished barns.

We enjoyed a chicken and tomato pie, mushroom soup and a honey roasted pear salad. On a cold and rainy day, this food really hit the spot.

The chicken and tomato pie had both sweet and savory spices, while the mushroom soup was flavorful and hearty, with a mixture of different types of mushroom. The Parmesan cheese on the honey roasted pear salad gave it an interesting bite to contrast the sweet pears and cranberries.

Desserts like tarts, bread pudding and cookies, just to name a few, are made fresh each day. They can be enjoyed with a variety of espresso drinks and teas. Frozen pies can be purchased to-go, so you can enjoy this tasty treat at home anytime!

Best Weekend Lunch: Hay Market

Food: Gourmet with a Twist

Atmosphere: Rustic Chic

Price: About $10-20

If you need a fun new restaurant where you can get a great, unique meal and the opportunity to meet new people, Hay Market is the perfect place for you!

When you walk through this restaurant’s huge door, you sit at one of two long communal wooden tables. This is a perfect opportunity to socialize with new people while you enjoy a good meal. There are also two non-communal and handicap-accessible tables at the front of the room. The walls are lined with racks full of antiques and four flat-screen TVs showing classic movies (we enjoyed the epic film Rocky during our visit).

The menu changes almost every day to reflect the freshest ingredients available. There are many sandwich and salad options on the menu. When we dined at Hay Market, we feasted on a “sun-choke salad” made with artichoke and sunflower seeds (get it? sun-choke?) and a cod salad sandwich. Both dishes were absolutely delicious and were light, yet filling.

When we saw the couple next to us eating dessert, we could not resist ordering a sweet treat for ourselves! We enjoyed the Paris Brest, a donut-shaped pastry ring filled with praline buttercream (it’s essentially like a giant cream puff!). It was amazing and sweet, and we finished the entire thing in about three minutes.

At the end of the meal, you are given a temporary tattoo and a warm cloth with which to apply it. It was the perfect surprise to end our visit to this unique eatery.

Best Girls’ Night Out: Opa!

Food: Modern Greek

Atmosphere: Cozy Hot Spot

Price: $10-20

Do you want to feel like a god or goddess? Opa! serves food that you would expect to be served at the top of Mount Olympus! This small restaurant features a variety of modern Greek dishes.

To start, we ordered the fiery feta spread with some freshly baked pita. The “dip” was quite delicious and had an interesting salty and spicy taste and the homemade pita bread was top notch.

For our entrees, we enjoyed a lamb gyro and a Greek cheese steak pita. The lamb gyro featured perfectly cooked meat, fresh vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, onions) and tzatziki sauce. The Greek cheese steak pita consisted of gyro meat, sauteed onions and bell peppers, mozzarella cheese and a spicy aioli sauce.

Each entree also came with a side of Opa! Fries. These fantastic fries are topped with crumbled feta cheese and served with spicy Opa! sauce. Delicious. For the more health conscious customer, a side of rice is also available with the pitas and entrees.

The restaurant is almost always packed with people, so it is best to plan ahead. Tables are available both indoors and outside. Be ready to wait up to an hour for a table. Although the wait is long, we agree that the Opa! fries alone are worth the wait.

Starring Mr. Buell as Charlie Brown, Ms. Markel as Sally Brown, Ms. Rahmig as Lucy, Mr. Wang as Linus, former Pres teacher Mr. Cozort as Snoopy, and other Pres parents and alumni, this show clearly featured a star studded cast.

Mr. Buell performed an animated Charlie Brown who had a crush on a red-headed girl at school, but was too nervous to talk to her. This is only one of the problems Charlie Brown encountered. Mr. Buell portrayed the character as an average kid who just wants to fit in. The audience found themselves both rooting for Charlie Brown to succeed and feeling sorry for his failures. Buell relayed a very relatable character that both children and adult audience members could associate themselves with.

Ms. Markel brought consistent energy to the stage performing the character of Sally. Her high pitched voice, bright pink dress and enthusiasm perfectly translated to the classic Sally character we all know and love.

An audience favorite was a song titled “My Blanket and Me,” performed by Mr. Wang as Linus. In this number, Linus explained how his blanket was his best friend, even dancing with it as if it were a person. It was both humorous and exciting when four walking blankets entered the stage and danced throughout the number with Linus.

Although we are used to seeing Ms. Rahmig around campus as a blond, she easily pulled off the black wig necessary for playing Lucy. Rahmig was both classic and sassy, hitting the high notes with impressive ease.

Mr. Cozort didn’t need face-painted spots or headband ears to be recognized as the lovable dog Snoopy. Cozort was exactly in character as he ran around the stage chasing rabbits and howling on his dog house in anticipation for suppertime.

The sets were very convenient with no need for any set changes. A wonderful bright colored platform stayed on the stage throughout the entire show. Both Snoopy’s house and Schroeder’s piano were pulled right out of the block and used when needed. The set was simple, but perfect for portraying the simple lives of regular kids.

All the songs were very catchy and entertaining. Charlie Brown and his peers sure encountered some interesting scenarios during their quest for a happy childhood. Through it all, both the characters and the audience learn that, “happiness is anyone and anything at all, that’s loved by you.”

Stay tuned for the next TADA! production that will run from April 20-29. Alumna Kathy Gutto will be directing “Rodgers and Hart: A Celebration,” which is a collection of songs from the forties. As always, it will feature talented teachers, alumnae, parents and friends of Pres, so don’t miss out!

Presentation’s International Thespian Society (ITS) puts on Musical SnipITS, an entirely student-run musical revue, each year. SnipITS is directed, stage managed, choreographed, sung, and acted by students who are members of ITS, and has performances on Feb. 7 and 8. ITS officer Emily Griffith said, “Normally, people just care about the songs in musicals. SnipITS lets the audience see a variety of songs from different shows, making it a really entertaining show.”

This is Pres’ fourth year putting on the show, which originated as a way for theater lovers to perform numbers from productions that Pres cannot produce either because the rights are not available or because the show requires logistical boy-girl ratios that Pres lacks. This year’s show does not have a theme, but past SnipITS have been themed “Forbidden Pres,” “Decades” and “Dark Edition.”

The ITS officers run these shows, with seniors Katcy Stephan and Amanda Camillo as directors, Rachel Whelan as stage manager, Emily Griffith as vocal director and Mandy Heiser (with Auti Kamal and Katarina Klask) as choreographers.  The officers got together with a list of song suggestions— after considering difficulty level, the number of people the song required and the style of music, the officers selected twelve songs for the show, not fitting them around any specific theme.

SnipITS provides opportunities for ITS members to see their own work on stage and direct their peers to produce a show. Emily Griffith said, “Working on SnipITS is really fun, but challenging. It’s hard to be a director-peer because we have to find the balance between authority and chill.”

The officers could create their own blocking and choreography, combining both older musicals like South Pacific to new shows like Legally Blonde. The show features a mixture of duets, trios, and group numbers, allowing more individuals to be featured. Students who have never been leads before can have the experience of being a lead in one of the numbers without doing the full show.

Club officer Mandy Heiser said, “It’s a very enjoyable, yet very complicated experience. Thankfully, the other ITS officers and I work together very smoothly and collaboratively. We’re all friends who know each other’s strengths and appreciate each other’s creativity.”

The wide variety of songs in this musical will appeal to all audiences, from first-time theatergoers to veterans. For those who do not know much about musicals, the show includes the songs “Bend and Snap” from Legally Blonde, “She’s in Love” from The Little Mermaid and Greenday’s “21 Guns” from the musical (yes, it is also a musical) American Idiot.

For those who like to watch dancing, “Buenos Aires” from Evita is being choreographed with salsa moves, while “At the Ballet” from Chorus Line is being danced en pointe by three Pres seniors. Other popular songs in this show are “In His Eyes” from Jekyll & Hyde and “Heart Full of Love” from Les Misérables.

This show, just a bit over an hour, will be fast-paced and entertaining from start to finish. The broad spectrum of songs provides something for all kinds of audience members. Musical SnipITS will be performed on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Valenzuela Theater. Ticket prices are $5 and can be bought at the door or from any ITS member.

At $5 a ticket, students were treated to an hour of competitive comedy hosted by Presentation’s Improvisation Team, Spontaneous Combustion. The Presentation team split into four smaller groups. These four teams competed, but only one would be victorious.

First, Referee Scott, an official from Comedy Sportz San Jose, warmed up the crowd by explaining rules and regulations of the games. Next, the first two teams came out and the competition began!

One of the most memorable games from this battle was called “Celebrity Punishment,” in which both teams must compete to see who can come up with the most puns relating to a specific celebrity name. This game was especially fun because the audience got to choose the celebrities. A particularly funny celebrity target was the infamous Kim Kardashian. Junior Kate Pashby made a memorable joke saying, “If Kim Kardashian’s marriage lasted longer than 72 days… oh wait…”

In the next set, my favorite game was the “home shopping channel game.” One player had to guess what product the other two players were mimicking silently and pretend to sell it on a shopping channel. Items ranged from Sham Wows that clean up goats to Proactiv endorsed by Taylor Lautner. Although it took a while for both teams to recognize Taylor Lautner, they finally got the idea when other teammates mimicked taking off their shirts like Twilight’s Jacob Black.

The final round was a game of freeze tag, but this is not the normal freeze tag you may have played in middle school. Two players (one from each team) began a scene. At any point, a player on the sideline could call “freeze,” take on the position and gestures of the girl they tagged out, and begin a new scene. The scenes ranged from a boyfriend breaking up with a girlfriend to Rose from Titanic asking Jack to “draw her like one of those French girls.” Points were awarded for a successful, funny scene.

Although, in the end, not all of the teams could win, each member of Spontaneous Combustion did an excellent job and provided the audience with much laughter. Some notable performances came from the team’s two seniors, Amanda Camillo and Athena Santos. These excellent performers kept the energy high and inspired the team to take their improv to the next level.

Camillo said, “I think everyone did very well. There were a lot of new people, and they did a great job for their first show ever!”

The next time you are looking for some fun, hilarious entertainment on a Friday night, look no further than a show from Spontaneous Combustion. The team will have more performances and competitions next semester, so keep an eye out in the school bulletin.

An easy way to heat up the often ignored legs is by buying a pair of tights or socks. Slipping on cozy knee highs enhances both your look and your temperature. The perfect compliment to fancy stockings are boots with wool lining. After all, it’s important to keep your toes warm. Prices usually range between $10-20 dollars for a cozy pair of tights.

Fingers tend to freeze over in the chilly weather, making now an opportune time to break your gloves out. Gloves are an easy on and off and the difference in temperature is noticeable. They come in all kinds of lengths and colors and the soft fabrics are fun to touch. Gloves can be found anywhere from $5-15 dollars at both Claire’s and Target.

While it is a myth that a majority of your body heat comes out of your head, a good ten percent does and hats are an easy solution to that problem. Whether it’s a beret, a knit hat, or one with animal ears, hats are the hottest trend in headgear. With all their different shapes and sizes, it’s no wonder that hats are an important accessory to the winter wardrobe. Hats can be found at around $20 at the local accessory stores.

Last but not least, a Pres favorite is the classic scarf. Scarves are stylish, practical, and can be worn in all kinds of ways. They allow for repurposing; you could wear the same scarf for a week and have a different feel to it each day. A nice scarf can last a long time, making it a great accessory to return to again and again. Scarves range between $10-25 dollars depending on their longevity.

Unfortunately, there are those TV shows that make us cringe, ignite yawns of boredom and teach terrible values. Those shows may have topped the charts back in the day, but we have come to the time where we sadly have to pull the plug, seal the coffin and pile on the dirt. Here are the top five TV shows whose glory days are over and now simply need to die.

American Idol

The once popular singing competition has surely had better days. The early seasons dominated the charts. It had tremendously talented contestants, vibrant judges and helped give winners unprecedented success. Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson were American Idol’s darlings and epitomized the power of the show. The current show bears no resemblance to that exciting past. With competition shows America’s Got Talent, X Factor and The Voice stealing prime time spots, American Idol’s contestants have no extraordinary talent. The auditions are simply no longer funny. Even worse, the defection of stars Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul has left the show dull. The finale often disappoints as the clearly more talented singer loses the prize due to the immature, unintelligent voting of the show’s preteen fan base. The winners enter the field with a poor, unsuccessful album and join the rank of other Idol failures. The show has been stretched on far too long and should end now if it wants to end on a high note.

America’s Next Top Model

Tyra Bank’s Top Model seemed to be an original show when it first aired, but now, each season seems a copy of the previous, with no exciting new changes. Even worse, Top Model is a terrible influence on society’s younger generation. The show judges on beauty, figure, appearance in photographs and how well girls can pull off skimpy clothing. Each season the amount of clothing on models exponentially decreases. Drama on the show is tacky and consists of ridiculous cat fights on superficial ideas. Tyra’s influence can be put to better use, and encouraging women to take useless photographs for model careers that never actually happen is definitely not one of them.

Jersey Shore

Entertainment value aside, Jersey Shore is an obscene, tactless show that revels in crude Italian American stereotypes. The show has too much sexual content with cast members constantly talking about sex and hooking up with each other. When they aren’t fooling around, they are drinking and engaging in bar brawls and altercations. The show displays America in a terrible light and brainwashes the youth. When all the other negative factors about the show are removed, the show is racist and the characters celebrate their heritage with terrible behavior. In September of 2011, New Jersey’s Economic Department Authority approved a $420,000 tax credit toward show. Needless to say, in this struggling economy, when millions of Americans don’t have jobs, Jersey Shore is not what the country should be spending its money on. MTV once was a shining beacon of hope for the music industry. Jersey Shore reflects the trashiness of the network as does its fellow shows Sixteen and Pregnant and My Big Fat Sweet Sixteen.

Survivor

Survivor used to be my favorite show. Friends and I would play for hours, recreating the show and pretending to be in challenges fighting for immunity. Children these days often don’t even know the show exists. With so many seasons, Survivor no longer has exciting exotic places to shoot; each insignificant island looks the same, with the same beaches and shores. The characters are often repeats from previous seasons, and the drama is not only boring and unoriginal but stretched out to the point that no one even cares anymore. Where to hide the immunity statue is now a stupid question that ignites no excitement. The show is also one of the few reality shows to not feature audience voting; this would dramatically increase audience excitement about the show. Survivor has already tanked. The show just needs to leave; it’s doing nothing for the network or the audience.

Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy is coming into its 7th season, and it really is two seasons too many. The show originally topped charts and scored millions of viewers because of the interesting, mischievous relationship between Meredith and Derek. The group of interns were close ,and America fell in love with the characters. Over time, however, some of the most beloved doctors have been killed off. Without any drama occurring, the viewers are practically watching the doctors live ordinary lives. The writers are running out of incredible medical mysteries to enthrall the audience, and instead, are focusing on the million rumored pregnancies floating about. Even when Grey’s tries to spice things up with music specials, the end product is awkward and poorly executed. Basically, the show has just been going on far too long. They have lost things to talk about ,and the plot line has been remaining stagnant for the last few seasons. Grey’s Anatomy’s time of death? Hopefully, soon.

These shows, like a few others, have had better days. Even though they may have been chart toppers in the past, it is now time to quit filming and shooting. Let new creative ideas and actors have a chance to shine and entertain society in a new, more rewarding way.

The Hunger Games is a bestselling series about fictional Hunger Game trials in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic North America, called Panem in the series. In the story, two teenagers from each of the country’s twelve districts fight to the death in a camera-filled and highly dangerous arena. The story is told from the perspective of 16-year old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from the poorest district of Panem forced to represent her district as a Tribute in the Hunger Games. These “games,” broadcast on national television by Panem’s corrupt elitist government, force citizens of Panem to watch each as the twenty-four teenagers kill each other off until just one survives.

The movie version of the first Hunger Games book releases in late March. A first glimpse of the film premiered on the MTV Music Awards on Aug. 28, while the theatrical trailer released on Nov. 14. The trailer looks promising and has generated much attention and many positive reviews from both fans and the media.

The Hunger Games trailer followed the beginning chapters of the novel, starting with an introduction to the protagonist’s lifestyle and leading up to the countdown before the Hunger Games begin. Katniss (Winter’s Bone’s Jennifer Lawrence) lives in the oppressive District Twelve, spending her time hunting with her friend Gale Hawthorne (The Last Song’s Liam Hemsworth) to find food to sustain her family. She volunteers as a tribute to spare her younger sister from fighting in the Games.

Katniss and the other District Twelve tribute, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) must enter the Games, fighting to save themselves and survive the deadly rigged arena where the Hunger Games take place. The trailer ends with the countdown to the start of the Games, and a haunting four-note tune that avid fans of the books will recognize as supporting character Rue’s song.

This enthralling trailer left viewers with high expectations from the film, which will hopefully not follow in the footsteps of previous failed screen adaptations of famous book series such as Eragon or The Lightning Thief. Let’s hope that the filmmakers of The Hunger Games do not mess up this absorbing series.

For The Hunger Games to be as effective of a film as it was a book, the movie must preserve the elements of fear and violence in the novel, however graphic. The series depicts a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world, which cannot and should not be changed in order to make the film more family friendly.

Though it may not seem like it from the description of the novel, clothes are extremely important in this series. As the character Cinna— the stylist for the District Twelve tributes— would agree, the styling of Katniss and Peeta in the novel is a choice that makes a statement about what the characters represent. The imagery relating Katniss to fire is an juxtaposition that remains important throughout the series, and it will be interesting to see how this motif plays out in the film.

From the trailer, it seems that the casting of the lead characters is spot-on, which will hopefully lead to convincing and effective portrayals of the complicated relationships between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. Since the author of the novels, Suzanne Collins, wrote the screenplay for the film, we can hope that this film will avoid the devastating plot modifications that have ruined other film adaptations.

A high level of visual effects can be expected to cover for the wide variety of tests and futuristic elements the contestants of the Hunger Games and residents of Panem must survive. The mockingjay birds, the extreme environments in the arena, and the advanced technology of the Capitol government are all elements of the book that fans of the series can look forward to seeing on screen.

All in all, The Hunger Games trailer looks great. If the film does the books justice in casting, script, visual effects, and costuming, viewers will have much to look forward to and appreciate in this film. The Hunger Games will release on Mar. 23, 2012. Here’s hoping that the film is just as satisfying as the trailer.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Planking
Planking consists of lying face down in strange locations while your body is in a straight position. Your body can be compared to a wooden board, thus the name planking. Pictures are taken of you “planking” and usually posted on the Internet.

Peeping
Peeping could also be considered as creeper pictures and has become a popular fad. People will hide behind objects in pictures and only show the top half of their faces. The point is to hide and not be noticeable. A supposedly normal looking picture can be drastically altered when the viewer notices the person peeping in the background.

Coning
Coning is the new rage at fast food restaurants. When coning, you order an ice cream cone in the drive through. After you pay and the cashier goes to hand you the ice cream, you grab the ice cream from the top instead of the cone like it was put in your hand upside down. The cashier will be shocked and you will have the perfect opportunity to snap a picture before you drive away with a fist full of ice cream.

Owling
Owling is derived from planking and consists of a person crouching like an owl in uncommon elevated places. Your hands should be positioned on your face like glasses with three fingers flared out like feathers.

Gnoming
Gnoming consists of crouching as small as you can on a random lawn and having your picture taken. When crouching you make a small triangular hat with your hands similar to the one that a ceramic gnome has.