Pumpkin Spice Latte – To get your taste buds into Fall, try the delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte for only $4 at your local Starbucks.  If pumpkin is not your thing, try the  Salted Caramel Mocha for a salty-sweet treat. http://www.starbucks.com/

The Turkey Trot – On Thanksgiving morning join people of all ages from around the city for the  kids K, the  five-mile run or the one-mile walk starting at the Long Center downtown. Burn off some calories before the big meal. http://thundercloud.com/index.php/trot

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – Gather around your T.V. Thanksgiving morning to watch the 85^th annual parade. This year the parade features our own district’s Vandegrift Legacies at 8 a.m. http://social.macys.com/parade2011/?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-parade-_-n-_-n#/home

Zilker Tree Lighting– On Dec. 4 at 6 p.m., gather around the famous tree for a timeless Austin tradition. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zilker/zhttree.htm

New Year’s Eve movie – On Dec. 9, celebrate the coming of the New Year with more than 20 internationally-known stars for a movie  that will get you pumped up for 2012. The movie is rated PG-13. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598822/

“[Burns] is energetic, positive and driven to achieve his dream,” Dye said. “It was awesome to see a former student achieve that.”   

“Blacktino” is set in Austin, about a student named Stefan Daily – half Latino and half black, as the title suggests – who finds his place in high school with the theater department. The film was received well by viewers and critics.

“Blacktino is nothing short of revolutionary,” John Fink of thefilmstage.com said. “[Burns] crafted an offbeat masterpiece.”

It features several notable actors such as Danny Trejo(“Spy Kids”, “Anchorman”),Michelle Rodriguez(“Lost”, “The Fast and the Furious”), and of course, Dye, who plays the main character’s drama teacher. Seniors Emma Lynch, Anthony Ortega and Renee Rhodes were also featured as extras in the movie.

Though the movie was exclusive to South by Southwest, Dye thinks it could become mainstream.

“The hope is that a film company picks it up for distribution to either theaters or DVD,” Dye said.             

The film deals with relevant themes to today’s high school students: namely, stereotyping of students in theater and of mixed races, as the title implies.

“It has a powerful message, and is geared toward the students and young people of this generation,” Dye said. “No one can hold you back from achieving your dream if it is what you really want and go after it. Never give up.”

For more information, find “Blacktino” on Facebook, or on the film’s website, www.blacktinomovie.com.

 Students went to their designated rooms to get their pieces judged. The scoring was on a one to four scale, one being below average and four being superior.

“The judging was nice,” senior Trevor Montgomery said. “I liked hearing about what I could work on [to make it] better.”

After judging was completed, pieces that made fours in their category were displayed in the gym.

“I didn’t like having to wait for hours to see the results,” junior Matt Graham said.

Ten  students advanced to state this year including, Annaly Benitez, Karlee Boone, Cierra Del Rosso, Kaylyn Eggers, Katherine Frengel, Brittany Kyle, Katie Kyle, Keenon Laymon, Elizabeth Phelan and Vallery Rusu.

“All In” is the first song on “Smoke & Mirrors” – nothing too special, but a good opener nonetheless. Next is “Nerve Damage.” This song may leave listeners a bit confused, as it seems Lifehouse was going for a hardcore/Linkin Park-type song. It has a good, surprisingly blues-y guitar solo, and the song kind of grows on you. Lifehouse should definitely stay away from this type of song in the future, but it was fun while it lasted.

“Had Enough” features guest backup vocals from Daughtry, but they’re very hard to pick out as you’re listening. “Halfway Gone” is the first single from the album, and is another example of Lifehouse’s attempt to reach more audiences. It has almost a dance feel to it, and was definitely not the right song to release as the first single.

Another familiar song on the album is “From Where You Are,” which Wade wrote song for a series of Allstate commercials. This song is a great, haunting acoustic ballad – one of the standout tracks on the album. It’s also the first song written exclusively for a commercial to reach the billboard charts since 1972.

Much of the album has more of a pop feel to it than previous albums.  “It Is What It Is” is a prime example of this. As radio-friendly as it is, it’s actually a very good song – one of a few songs with great potential for radio success, and for movies and television.

 “Here Tomorrow Gone Today” sounds like anthem rock/heavy metal, and after the other different songs on the CD, makes the listener feel that Lifehouse is experiencing an identity crisis. It earns the title of worst song on Smoke & Mirrors.

But finally, “By Your Side” brings you back to a more traditional Lifehouse sound. It’s definitely among the best on the album.  The closing song, “In Your Skin,” is another high point on the album. It has a very catchy melody and keeps Lifehouse in their comfort zone.

The Deluxe Edition includes four bonus songs as well. “All That I’m Asking For” is the first of these. It’s a slow song with a soothing intro; the verses outdo the chorus, but it’s still very good. “Crash and Burn” continues the hot streak, with good lyrics and a great chorus.

One of the most anticipated songs on the album is “Everything,” a remake of the hugely influential song on Lifehouse’s first album, “No Name Face.” The remake is slightly faster, and fails to live up to the original. It seems that the passion and almost fragility in Wade’s voice is gone, which really gave the original its chilling tone. It’s an interesting difference and still a great song, though. The last song, “Near Life Experience,” is quite weird, but is one of those songs that draws you for some unknown reason. The bonus disc has four of probably the top seven songs on the whole CD set.

So all in all, the album doesn’t really improve on previous ones, and leaves the listener confused. Lifehouse needs to return to their old niche of more alternative/soft rock. On the closing song, In Your Skin, it seems that Lifehouse realizes that they need to, in fact, stay in their own skin. Although the album did improve vastly towards the end, they experienced this revelation a bit too late. 3/5.

Glee is a series on Fox that had a successful season with four wins at the Golden Globes this year including Best Comedy or Musical, with its popularity spreading over different age sets and escalating demands for another season. Yet not only in its comedic performance did it win the hearts of many viewers, but in its flawless performances of song covers done usually in a harmony. Songs from each episode topped iTunes and music charts, and the soundtrack also sold numerous copies.

“I’m such a gleek,” sophomore Mariah Mercier said. “I just love everything about it, and the music is just spectacular. They never have a bad episode. The singers are really talented as well.”

The Glee cast is led by a powerhouse of performers. Lea Michele, who plays the female lead, is a former Broadway singer, with the role of Eponine in “Les Miserables” on her resume. Michael Morrison, who plays the director of the glee club, is also a Broadway graduate, with nominations for the Tony awards and a Grammy win for his role as Link Larkin in “Hairspray.”

“The cast is great,” Junior Alex Fuston said. “And the fact that they can act too and make the show hilarious is what adds to ‘Glee’s’ magic.”

“Glee” Magic. What is it that creates magic in Glee? It is merely a show wherein people sing. A show that uses a story outline based on the familiar hierarchy present in all high schools. A show where the reassertion that there is actually a distinction between the cool and the non-cool is not at all suppressed. A show where the non-cool find a niche of their own, similar to patterns in teen shows and movies such as “High School Musical” and “Grease.”

“It just feels as if we can have our own glee club,” Mercier said. “It’s just so realistic in a way, that it touches people. We face the same problems that [the characters] face, and it’s not like ‘Gossip Girl’ or ‘90210’ where it’s all Upper East Side and overflowing wealth.”

The parallels are what bring people closer to “Glee.” The idea that the star quarterback can fall in love with a gleek in the magic of song, is what connects the show to its main teenage audience. It is the wonderful things that happen in the horrible state of reality that attracts viewers to “Glee.”

“Wholly, the show is awesome, but the music is the best,” Fuston said.

The music is the cherry on the top that complements the storyline and the comedic and talented cast. The harmonic pieces that wowed audiences in each episode revived Broadway classics, such as “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked,” and old feel-good songs such as “Somebody to Love,” to market to young ears.

 Adding to the talented cast is the guesting of Kristin Chenoweth, a Broadway veteran famous for hitting extremely high notes, infamously known as the “Cheno Note.” Another power-punch hit by the show is the future enlistment of Tony award-winning actress-singer Idina Menzel in the next season, as either another Glee club teacher or as Lea’s long lost mother, with the similarities in looks and voices of Idina and Lea.

“Because of all these Broadway crossovers, the music is going to be ten times better,” Mercier said.

As Glee continues to rise, the “Glee magic” spreads to school environments, where the real nastiness of life, real life, ensues. Glee clubs and show choirs are gaining popularity in schools.

“I think it would be cool [if we had a glee club similar to the show]. We already have one that’s similar, actually, Ovation is doing something along those lines,” choir director Steve White said.

With the “Glee” hype fed more and more each passing day as the new season, scheduled to premiere April 13, approaches, “Glee” has become a show that battles the status quo and celebrates unity that is found in music.

“You see, everybody can sing,” White said. “To have a situation where people can gather and sing together, that’s cool.”

Corpses litter the foliage of the dead landscape, providing a grim backdrop for a pale cat who strolls the graveyard, scavenging for food. As the cat approaches a body, the labored breathing of another creature barely reaches its ears. The cat rises to attention, paranoid about the new sound.

Among the leaves and shrubs of long dead plants, a solitary figure watches the feline with the stillness of a sculpture. Silence returns to the forest, and tension rises as the absence of life prophesizes the cat’s grim future.

After what seems like an eternity of silence and suspense, the tension is literally relieved as the figure unleashes an arrow towards the sphinx, and skewers the animal in ruthless precision. Eli, the huntsman, approaches his dinner.

This opening sequence is only the tip of the iceberg compared to the uniqueness and singularity of the storytelling used to create the post-apocalyptic America in the recently released film, “Book of Eli.”

Eli, played by Denzel Washington is a survivor from the days before, the vernacular that describes the world before an atomic war that ravaged the surface of the Earth. Few from the days before survived the catastrophe of nuclear explosions and radiation, so as Eli treks across the American wasteland, those he meets give him a wide berth.

Post-nuclear war for America is grim at best; highwaymen and motorcycle gangs dominate the roads and harass anyone who cannot defend themselves. Eli hardly falls into this category though. When confronted with seven highwaymen at the beginning of the movie, he subdues all of them swiftly and flawlessly. Eli is not the berserker savage that the highwaymen represent, he maintains a calm and collective mood while slaying the oppressive marauders. And as he towers over the bodies of his attackers, Eli recites scripture from the King James Bible, asking God to forgive him for the terrible things he has done.

In a world wrought with tyranny, barbarism, and despair; Eli is the prophet of hope for the survivors of Armageddon.

 Although the setting of the film is grim and dark compared to other contemporary movies, “Book of Eli” is an emotionally moving epic. The horrible state of civilization only makes the audience more emotionally involved, for Eli’s quest promises salvation for the new dark age of America.

The film has adult themes, and any child under the age of 13 should not see “Eli,” but for older audiences that can withstand the graphic elements of post-apocalyptic society, “Book of Eli” is a must see for 2010. The graphic elements are necessary; they highlight the barbarianism of our existence without hope. Hope is the quest of Eli, a quest which is driven into the hearts and minds of all who see this legendary journey.

“Twilight.” With over 70 million books sold worldwide, 143 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, a movie grossing over $380 million at the box office and a sequel grossing almost $571 million worldwide, this series single-handedly grasped the hearts of billions worldwide. Published in 2005, author Stephenie Meyer, was declined eight or nine times before her book was picked up and really noticed.

 “[I love] the whole thing about how the vampire -the antihero- goes against his nature and falls in love with a human,” Tarrant said.

Well before “Twilight” became popular, Tarrant read the book in 2006, starting her own obsession and losing count after 34 times.

Teenagers across the world are literally obsessed with this phenomenon. It is uniting the teen population around the globe with one book, which in itself, is a miracle of its own.

Though, some have not joined the throngs of fanpires.

 “I read the first half of the book. The prose was turgid and purple. It detracted from the plot, which was pitiful in its own way,” junior Ben Manry said.

However, many boys, though not wanting to admit it, have read the series and really enjoyed it.

 “Most [people] were disgusted [that I read the book] because I’m a guy, and they assume it’s just a love story,” junior Kyle Violetto said. “It’s not [bad] if a guy reads them. It centers around love, but guys can read it because there’s lots of fighting, a lot of action.”

Many English teachers have found that these novels are inspiring students, even those who rarely pick up a book, to read.

 “I like that it has encouraged so many people to read and gained the interest of readers,” English teacher Penny Billingsley said.

Some think the “Twilight” world is taking things a little too far.

“I don’t think that it is the obsessing that’s getting out of hand. People obsessed over Harry Potter and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ but the fact [is] they are obsessing over something so bad…,” Manry said.

Others are finding just one family of vampires isn’t enough for them as they go searching for more books.

 “After ‘Twilight’, I read ‘Moonlight’, a series about werewolves and I liked it because it was interesting to see the werewolves’ side. I also read ‘House of Night’ which was about vampires and it was very suspenseful and romantic,” Tarrant said.

“Twilight” to those, though, sometimes horribly plotted to some, has the best morals and values to others.

 “Even though vampires have always had a negative thing about them, there is another group that can separate them from the bad,” Billingsley said. “Much like life today.”

Though it is seemingly harmless to download and torrent music, what are the consequences? In some civil lawsuits, illegal downloaders can be sued up to $150,000 per single downloaded. If a person is selling CDs that have been burned illegally, they can be sued for nearly $1.5 million dollars for every CD that was sold. The price of an average concert ticket has inflated nearly 130 percent in the past 10 years alone.

“Illegally downloading music raises ticket prices for concerts because bands aren’t getting the money they would from music sales,” senior Tyler Bailey said. “iTunes is overpricing their popular music which is making it hard to actually want to buy their songs. I’m willing to pay like ten bucks for an album, maybe 79 cents for a song, not $1.29.”

Not paying for the music that is downloaded is not really saving students much money if they plan on going to concerts. Bands need money to tour, if they aren’t making any money from music sales due to free search engines and torrents, rising ticket and merchandise prices is the only way to afford touring.

“As much as I love music, I am willing to pay as little as I possibly can,” junior Alli Markham said. “I usually purchase the whole album since it’s a lot easier than buying single songs, and I’d prefer to pay less.”

However, without file sharing and illegally downloaded music, a lot of the more popular bands like All Time Low and Owl City may not have ever had a chance at making it big. Though the artists are losing more album sales, they are gaining in publicity and more and more people show up at their gigs to watch them play and buy merchandise.

“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal if they’re getting publicity,” junior Alli Markham said. “Music is about fun and being able to relate to certain songs, it shouldn’t be about the money.”