Eastside

Scum of the Earth tour infests the Trocadero

Jason Cominetto ('10)/ Eastside Online's God • April 27, 2008

The Scum of the Earth tour finally made its way into Philly on Sunday, and I jumped at the chance to see one of my favorite bands, Soilwork, play. I had already seen Through the Eyes of the Dead in the past and knew they could put on a good show, and I was looking forward to Throwdown’s simple yet heavy sound taking the place by storm. Excited, I walked into the Trocadero only to find the venue a little less packed than I had hoped, with hardly any of the floor area filled. On top of that, it looked like Through the Eyes of the Dead was not going to play after all, as there was no merchandise of theirs among the other bands’ products.

Bullet For My Valentine misses their mark with “Scream Aim Fire”

Jason Cominetto ('10)/ Eastside Online's God • April 27, 2008

Bullet For My Valentine’s "Scream Aim Fire" really makes me question where metal fans are heading nowadays. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 when it was released earlier this year, selling 53,000 copies in its first week out. It is also the second album out of a five-album deal the band made with Sony BMG. So why exactly is this a bad thing? Simply put, this is bad because this album is one of the worst examples of modern metal I have heard so far, and should not be selling at the rate it has.

TV shows return from the dead

Caroline Babula ('09)/ Eastside Staff • March 20, 2008

Now that the 14-week long Writer’s Guild of America Strike is over, the TV world is in limbo in regards to new episodes. But some shows such as NBC’s Chuck and Heroes, ABC’s Pushing Daisies and Private Practice and FOX’s 24 will not return until the fall. Even though the networks have opted for these shows to forgo new episodes until the new season begins, many other shows will continue their seasons as early as this month, with most series returning in April. Greek, the hit show about sorority and fraternity college life, on ABC Family, will return on March 23.

TV shows online

Michael Davis (‘10)/ For Eastside • February 27, 2008

TiVo out, internet in. Recently, popular television stations such as NBC, FOX and ABC have put their shows online. The stations put new shows on their website the day after the show airs, allowing one to watch full episodes for free. “It’s nice because you can watch a show whenever you want,” Ed Kerney (‘08) said. Indeed, the major television stations are selling ads throughout their websites, which are then played through the freed episodes. These commercials are often only 30-seconds, with often only four to five per episode, and is thus a lot less harassing than the regular commercials on television.

The Sammus Theory relies on tried-and-true formula

Jason Cominetto ('10)/ Eastside Staff • February 27, 2008

Practically unknown, The Sammus Theory tries to top their debut album, Man Without Eyes, with their latest release, See (it) Through. The band’s lineup, fronted by vocalist Sammus, tries its hand at the hard rock/alternative rock genre. After listening to a few tracks it becomes obvious that bands like Linkin Park and Godsmack influence this Idaho-based group’s sound. The vocals on the album are on par with most other hard rock vocals, never going above or beyond anything that is expected. Sammus keeps his voice low during the verses, only to increase the intensity once the choruses come around, something many hard rock vocalists do. The problem with this is that it’s just been done too many times before; after a while, it starts to become unoriginal.

The anatomy of a Best Picture nominee: No Country for Old Men

Justin Horowitz ('09)/ Eastside Staff • January 27, 2008

The film opens up with a dialogue of an aging Texas sheriff unsure of himself. This is followed by a younger man being arrested and strangling a cop with his handcuffs at an empty police station. Bizarre start. But this is a bizarre movie that is intriguing, but confusing at moments. “No Country for Old Men” takes place in 1980 Texas, near the Mexican border. Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin, Grindhouse), a Vietnam War vet and antelope hunter, stumbles onto a drug deal gone bad, with a bunch of dead guys and a satchel containing several thousand dollars. He impulsively takes the money and unknowingly sets off a chain of events no one can escape.

MTV or WWTGWTMMOTHTV?

Jason Cominetto ('10)/ Eastside Staff • January 27, 2008

The latest in music news, music videos, emerging artists and programs devoted to the musical arts: despite what was once claimed, not all of these can be found on MTV. When MTV launched in 1981, it was the country’s source of music videos and music news from around the world, packed conveniently into one television channel. Now, reality shows that do not relate to music in any way are constantly broadcasted, and viewers would be lucky to find any music programs featured at a convenient time. “The Real World,” “Punk’d” and “The Hills” all make millions of dollars and don’t have any musical value.

The ‘Blair Witch Project’ done right

Jason Cominetto ('10)/ Eastside Staff • January 23, 2008

There have been many monster movies released in the past couple of years, but none have received the amount of hype that “Cloverfield” did. Originally only known as the mysterious “1 – 18 – 08” to viewers of “Transformers” last summer, “Cloverfield” is a new take on the monster movie genre as viewers watch from a firsthand perspective what it is like to be in New York City when a monster decides to wreak havoc. Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) lives in Manhattan and is leaving for a new job position in Japan. His friends decide to throw him a surprise going-away party and his best friend Hud Platt (T.J. Miller) has the privilege of videotaping everyone’s goodbye message to Rob throughout the night.

Golden Globes change format

Caroline Babula (’09)/ Eastside Staff • January 21, 2008

Gorgeous television and movie stars walk the red carpet, posing every so often for photos at the Golden Globes ceremony. The next morning, it is a guilty pleasure of many to discuss the winners and losers, along with the best and worst dressed, plus recollections of presentations and acceptance speeches throughout the ceremony. Well, that was how the Golden Globes, a ceremony which honors television shows and films of the past year, used to be. The Globes also mark the commencement of award season. This year, however, the three-hour broadcast was cut back to a mere one-hour press conference on Sunday, January 13.

“Coffee House” Program

East Singers and Thespian Society • January 10, 2008

Here is the program for East Coffee House '08! It is being held on Saturday, January 12, 2008, from 7-10 p.m. at Cherry Hill East H.S. and is free for anyone to attend. Donations are appreciated, with proceeds going to our local charity, Just 2 Moms.

“Cyrano de Bergerac” shines on Broadway

Caroline Babula (’09)/ Eastside Staff and Ashley Drazen (’09)/ For Eastside • January 9, 2008

Nosing around New York City, the nose knows Cyrano de Bergerac is the show to see. This classic play recently had a ten-week run at the Richard Rodger’s Theatre on Broadway, starring Kevin Kline and Alias’ Jennifer Garner. Playwright Edmond Rostand wrote Cyrano in 1897. The play revolves around Cyrano de Bergerac, a man with an uncommonly large nose, who is in love with his beautiful cousin, Roxanne. She, however, is in love with the handsome Christian De Neuvillette, a member of Cyrano’s company. Cyrano and Christian scheme to become the brains and body, respectfully, of one man to win Roxanne’s heart.

For Your Fashion [10]

Andrea Maeng (’09)/ Eastside Staff • December 31, 2007

Fashion resolutions for 2008! Instead of writing an extensive reflection of the year 2007, I’ll keep it short and sweet.

Review: I Am Legend

Jon Baeckstrom (‘08)/ Eastside Entertainment Editor • December 23, 2007

If anyone is looking for a little Holiday cheer this time of year, skip I Am Legend. The movie is dark, violent, and intense but highly entertaining and excellently done. Will Smith stars as Colonel Robert Neville, a virologist living in disease-ravaged New York City. A virus initially created as a cure for cancer has mutated and killed off ninety percent of the world’s population, leaving less than one percent of the remaining immune and turning the rest into horrific, vampire-like creatures. The vast majority of the movie takes place three years after the outbreak, as Neville frantically searches for a cure while trying to stay alive amid the swarms of creatures, called “dark-seekers” because of their aversion to light.

Slippery Slopes slides down cliched path

Aoife O’Reardon ('11)/ For Eastside • December 19, 2007

Stuck up high in the European snow-capped mountains with an attractive boys ski team and the Winter Wonderland Ball coming up, what is there to do but think about boys, dresses and dancing?

Heroes: Season 2 Finale, Ep. 11 (video analysis)

Caroline Babula ('09)/ Eastside Staff • December 12, 2007

Junior Caroline Babula is here to present her analysis on Season 2 of the wildly popular television series, Heroes, in a series of wonderful videos. This week, she gives her impressions of Episode 11, the Season 2 Finale, which premiered Monday, December 3. Be prepared for an update when Season 3 arrives!