There are quite a lot of new show this fall made with this purpose in mind. Here are a few:

• “The X-Factor” (Weds. @ 8:00 PM on FOX)
      Simon Cowell is back again at the judges table after leaving “American Idol” and starting a new show. The difference between the two shows is “X-Factor” allows groups as well as soloists and no age limits. There are four categories: Girls – with Simon Cowell, Groups – with Paula Abdul, Over 30’s – with Nicole Scherzinger, and Boys – with L.A. Reid.
      After watching this show, I can say that it has come a long way. With fewer restrictions, anyone and everyone is allowed and encouraged to get up on stage and show what they’re really made of. And with Simon Cowell back, the judge that is the hardest to please in America, this new show is sure to have viewers tuned in worldwide.

• “Last Man Standing” (Tues. @ 8:00 PM on ABC)
      Simon Cowell isn’t the only one who’s back on TV! Famous actor, Tim Allen, star of “The Santa Clause” movies and the voice of Buzz Lightyear from the “Toy Story” movies is back to ABC in “Last Man Standing.”
      After personally viewing this show, I can honestly say that I loved Tim Allen’s performance. His macho attitude in a house full of females makes it a perfect comedy. His character is almost the same from his old show “Home Improvement” from the 90s where he played the father of three boys also with that man-of-the-house attitude. This show is more enjoyable to watch and maybe funnier with him battling having to live in a house outnumbered by people of the opposite gender.

• “Who’s Still Standing?” (Mon. @ 8:00 PM on NBC)
      Do you like game shows? Well get ready for a brand new, fast pace trivia game, coming your way on December 19. This is a game show that is different from anything you’ve seen before because contestants try to beat their opponents by answering trivia questions and if they answer wrong? A trap door under them opens up and well, you have to watch the show! Even though its name is similar to “Last Man Standing” it’s only funny if you are the last person standing and win.
      Personally, this show sounds like it will be less than good. The reason I say this is because it’s kind of like a show I’ve watched already. The popular children’s game show “Brain Surge” where the losing contestant is transported down the “ Brain Drain.” I also think the show isn’t unique because it has practically the same prize and concept of ”Who Wants To be A Millionaire” without the person falling through a trap door. Hopefully the premiere of this new show will change my opinion since I haven’t seen it yet to be able to review it that well.

There are many new TV shows out there for your enjoyment this fall but these three seem to stand out. Check out these shows by tuning in on television or watch them online.

Who knows? One of these just might turn out to be your new favorite show!

by: Epiphany Martin, 8th grade
Senior Reporter
THE LION LEDGER

“Breaking Dawn” (rated PG-13) is a movie about a girl named Bella and a vampire named Edward and they get married and have a baby by the name of Renesmee who is half vampire. Jacob, the werewolf, likes Bella and leaves his pack and forms a new one, because his old pack was going to kill Renesmee.

I went to see “Breaking Dawn” because I read the books and I thought it would be cool to see the movie. In my opinion though, I think the book was better than the movie.

The movie wasn’t the best. I honestly thought it would be better. I thought is was really boring in the beginning, but it did get interesting towards the end. There was a lot of suspense, and action, which I liked.

There were too many romantic scenes, and I didn’t like that. There was kissing in almost all of the scenes! I also didn’t like the fact that the movie was almost three hours long!

I would give the acting three stars. The acting was just, okay. The character Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, has no expression on her face when she is mad, happy, sad, angry, or surprised. She just has a solemn look on her face.

All of the other actors do a very good job. Robert Pattinson who plays Edward, and Taylor Lautner who plays Jacob.

In the end, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the movie. I wouldn’t see this movie for a second time like I would the others. The three movies before this were much better. Plus, this movie was too long! I didn’t want to sit in the movie theater for two to three hours.

A lot of teenage girls love the movies because of the “cute” actors, and the romantic parts of the movie. A lot of other people like it because of the suspense and action.

So, even though this movie is the most popular film in the country right now, not all teens will think it’s great. Some might, some might not, like myself.

by: Morgan Hill, 7th grade
Senior Reporter
THE LION LEDGER

If you are in 8th grade, you were about 3 or 4 years old. The youngest you could have been to remember watching the movie in theaters and remember anything.

Everybody else in school (except for the adults) has probably seen the first Harry Potter film either on TV or on DVD.

When the first film came out, no one was really interested in it but young kids and mostly readers of the books.

But soon the movies slowly evolved into a more exciting movie series and almost everybody, even adults, wanted to watch.

Harry Potter fans are either just people who like the movies, or people that like the movies and have also read the books. (There are probably people who are just fans of the books and not the movies, too).

There are seven books but eight movies because, as most of you know, the last movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was split into two parts.

It’s been so long since the first Harry Potter film came out that the actors don’t look like they did back then. But thankfully, pretty much all of the main characters from the first movie stayed until the end for all eight films.

What you might not know is that the actor who plays Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is not the original from the first film. What? Yes, believe it or not, it’s true!

If you go back and watch the first film, you’ll see that Professor Dumbledore looks different. That’s because the original actor was Richard Harris. He played the part for the first two films but died in 2002 so they needed to find a new actor to replace him.

Which is Michael Gambon, the one most people know today.

If it has been awhile since you last saw the first Harry Potter movie, now is a good time to check it out again on the tenth anniversary of the film.

Anyone who watches it might feel like they’re watching a whole new Harry Potter film because the actors playing Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley were just kids back then and don’t look anything like they do in the recent movies.

If you’ve never seen the first Harry Potter movie, what are you waiting for?

by: Hiwot Dereje, 7th grade
Senior Editor
THE LION LEDGER

The end of an era is upon us, as the final film about the beloved boy wizard, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” opens in theaters on July 15.

Fans have dedicated 14 years to following the transformation of an orphan, who once lived in a cupboard under the stairs, to a wizard who saves the world from evil. With the movie franchise, the actors who portray the beloved — and reviled — characters have grown up before our eyes.

Read on (click HERE to open page) to learn more about the actors and author J.K. Rowling, then and now.

by Kim Ossi
McClatchy-Tribune (MCT)

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© 2011, Tribune Co.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

There are action movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (number four) and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (number three). Then there are animated movies like “Kung Fu Panda 2″ the very anticipated sequel starring Jack Black and then the Disney-Pixar movie sequel “Cars 2.”

Probably the sequel everyone is waiting for this summer is “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.” It is the second part of the last book from J.K. Rowling. As you know, they decided to make the movie in two parts.

Marvel Comics has been making all these new movies lately and there are a bunch this Summer. One of them is “X-Men: First Class” and is the prequel to the X-men series. This means it happens before all the events people have seen already.

The other is “Captain America: The First Avenger.” I think they’re going to put all of the characters together in one big movie later on so this is kind of a prequel.

Here is a list of when the movies come (or came) out and what their ratings are.

• May 20: “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (PG-13)
• May 27: “Kung Fu Panda 2″ (PG)
• June 3: “X-Men: First Class” (PG-13)
• June 10: “Super 8″ (PG-13)
• June 17: “Green Lantern” (PG-13)
• June 24: “Cars 2″ (G)
• July 1: “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (PG-13)
• July 15: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II” (PG-13)
• July 22: “Captain America: The First Avenger” (not yet rated)

A lot of these new movies look like they will be fun to watch. Some are kids movies, some are for everyone. Have fun at the movies this Summer!

by: Christopher Mullins, 6th Grade
Reporter / THE LION LEDGER

This is how the show works.

A group of singers that have a gifted talent were invited to audition in front of the coaches / judges of the show— music artists Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine (from “Maroon 5″) and Blake Shelton.

It starts with two rounds of blind auditions where the judges have their backs turned away from the singer when they perform. You are probably wondering what the point of that is? So they can’t tell whether the contestant is a man or woman, young or old, or ugly or good looking.

After that, each judge picked eight singers to be on their team and would turn into their personal coach. This is where it became tougher for the contestants.

The contestants then went to the battle rounds, where they competed against another person from their team. If the person didn’t make it in the battle round they were then sent home. The person that actually won the battle moved on to the live show.

The live show is the finals where they will get voted off.

I think “The Voice” is very different from “American Idol.” I actually think it’s better. It brings lots of excitement and has a lot of good new talent on the show. The judges are also very talented and give great advice to the contestants. They also have humor and good taste which makes the show fun to watch.

The blind auditions were my favorite part. I think it really gives the singer a chance to unleash their talent and show the judges “what they’ve got.”  
      
I would recommend this show for anyone that loves music and wants to be entertained. Hopefully it will be back for another season and air for a very long time. If you want to find out more and watch some episodes online, go to NBC.com and under shows, click on “The Voice.”

by: Morgan Hill, 6th Grade
Reporter / THE LION LEDGER

We have all been waiting for the latest new Harry Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” It premieres this Friday, but there just so happens to be a catch! The new movie is actually split into two parts! So even though this was going to be the last movie of the Harry Potter series?

Really, we will all have to wait a year for the final ending.

AOL’s moviefone.com says, “As it turns out, ‘Deathly Hallows: Part 1′ is a quietly thrilling and artful chapter in the eight-part series.”

Viewers are really anxious to see this last movie. And this would’ve never happened without the famous author, J.K. Rowling. Did you know that her first Harry Potter book sold 400 million copies and was translated into 67 different languages?

All the famous books and movies about the mysterious life of Harry Potter and his friends have been a smashing hit. The real question is will this one be a smashing hit like the others?

by Hiwot Dereje, 6th grade
Associate Editor / THE LION LEDGER

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

The film starts out with a soldier named Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) being transported to a planet called Pandora. Sully is crippled in the legs, so he uses a wheelchair. But when he is transformed into an avatar he can use his legs. The main plot is basically that Earth invades Pandora and one soldier tries to take a stand for it.

If I had to give this movie a grade, it would be a B+. This movie was very good, it had outstanding acting, and had good story line to it. But I’m giving it a B+ because of the graphics. To me, the graphics were too over the top. It had a nice “outer coating” to it, but if you look closer, they just seem really over done.

Also, the movie was kind of long, it was like three hours! To me, it did not need to be this long. Or with it being this long, they could have had more of the story told in the movie. Although I am saying these thing in my review, do not let it make you NOT go see the movie– It’s a really good one! I would recommend it to anyone.

One more thing, if you are planning to see this movie in 3D, don’t. There are barely enough effects that make it worthwhile to see in 3D. Save your money for popcorn!

by Zyhir Brown, 7th Grade
Editor-in-Chief / THE LION LEDGER

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” takes that success and expands it, shoring up weak points from the first game and adding new features that have never been in a “Super Mario Bros.” game.

Like “New Super Mario Bros.,” the game’s visuals are in 3-D but arranged on a 2-D plane, so the game play is similar to the classic “Super Mario” games.

The game feels most like a mixture of “Super Mario Bros. 3″ and “Super Mario World,” from the return of Bowser’s seven Koopalings to the haunted houses in several worlds. There’s an ice world, a desert world, deep caves and high clouds– in short, a variety of locations that will seem familiar to longtime players of the series but are presented in new and interesting ways.

Also interesting are the new items Mario and Luigi can find, from the Propeller Mushroom, which can be used for short flights upward, to the enemy-freezing Ice Flower and the new Penguin Suit. The Mini Mushroom that shrinks Mario returns from the DS game, along with the standard Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Starman items. Hungry dinosaur Yoshi appears, as well.

These items are all useful in getting through the game’s numerous courses, which start out fairly easy but get harder. The game is tough in the old “Super Mario Bros.” way.

It’s easy to blunder into a pit or enemy, but players who plug away at a tricky stage will usually find the way through– if not, the new Super Guide will show them the path. Collecting Star Coins in each level allows players to buy hint videos.

But the most dramatic addition is a concept that’s been around for decades: cooperative play, which has never been seen in a “Super Mario Bros.” game. Up to four players can run, hop and bop through any of the game’s levels, which adds a new dimension to the proceedings.

It’s tricky to make jumps onto narrow platforms when playing solo; it’s trickier when multiple players are bouncing off each other or accidentally on purpose throwing Koopa shells at their allies. Multiple players can pick up and throw each other, pound the ground for a screen- clearing blast, and use each other’s heads as springboards.

While in standard multiplayer mode, the characters are meant to work together, there are two modes in which they compete. Free-For-All ranks players at the end of each stage by score, coins and enemies bopped. Coin Battle uses only coins as the deciding factor.

Nominal teamwork– or at least noninterference– is still needed to get through stages in these modes, because if everyone dies, game over.

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII

• Publisher: Nintendo
• System: Nintendo Wii
• Price: $49.99
• Age rating: E for “Everyone”

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© 2009, The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, CA)
Visit them online at: www.sacbee.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

by Justin Hoeger
McClatchy Newspapers / (MCT)

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

At one point Ben Stiller (as night watchman Larry Daley) and two feisty capuchins do a Three Stooges face-slapping routine that runs, as I recall, about 35 minutes. One monkey slaps Larry. The other monkey slaps Larry. Larry slaps both monkeys. Which is pretty funny. But not nearly as funny as when they do it again. And again. And again and again and again and again. The first “Night at the Museum” has Stiller in a slap-fight with a single monkey, so this is definitely twice as funny. If you’re 9.

The jokes and puns on display here are older than the mastodons in the diorama, but does that really matter? Kids will love it, just as they love lukewarm pizza, stale cola and soggy French fries.

Adults drawn to the film by its superlative cast _ Ricky Gervais, Christopher Guest, Hank Azaria and Steve Coogan to name a few _ will find it disappointingly light in the laughs department. You watch it wondering why the studio didn’t release the outtakes theatrically and make the film a bonus feature on the DVD.

The sequel to the big family hit “Night at the Museum” struggles with a big creative challenge. The sense of wonderment you feel seeing museum displays magically come to life is not as strong the second time around. If you’ve seen one playful T-rex skeleton, you’ve seen them all.

Larry isn’t surprised by the displays’ nocturnal antics anymore; how could we be? The solution offered here is to move the action from New York’s Museum of Natural History to the Smithsonian, the world’s largest collection of art and antiquities. More displays, more artifacts to bring to life.

This approach introduces Guest as Ivan the Terrible, Azaria as a nasty pharaoh and Amy Adams as spunky flier Amelia Earhart, but makes the film too busy, with too many characters and too much going on. It’s action-packed, colorful and visually diverting but not that much fun.

If a fraction of the ingenuity that went into the computer graphics had been directed toward the script, the film could have been a delight. Instead, the story is the captive of the effects. Al Capone and a couple of hoods show up, not because they have anything compelling to contribute to contribute, but because the technicians figured out a way to render them in black and white alongside characters in color.

There are moments amid the special effects excess, to be sure. Azaria’s lisping Egyptian is a silly tribute to Boris Karloff, the movies’ original Mummy. Azaria throws himself into the peevish role with such gusto that his commitment becomes a joke in itself. Gervais steals his scenes as an overbearing museum curator, but his cameo highlights how flabby and lifeless the bulk of the film is. If you have children to babysit, you could do worse, but the people who made the film could have done much better.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE AT THE SMITHSONIAN
• 2.5 stars
• Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Ricky Gervais, Hank Azaria
• Directed by: Shawn Levy
• Rated PG for mild action and brief language.

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© 2009, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Visit the Star Tribune website at: www.startribune.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

by Colin Covert
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) / (MCT)

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.