As summer 2010 is rapidly coming to an end, another collection of seasonal anthems is in the books. Despite big album releases from Tom Petty, Drake, 3OH!3, and Arcade Fire, the genre of the summer was without a doubt dance pop. Being the biggest ladies in music at the moment, Lady Gaga and Ke$ha both had huge summer hits on the radio and in clubs, with “Alejandro” and “Your Love Is My Drug,” respectively.

In the men’s corner, Enrique Iglesias made a surprising comeback with “I Like It,” and Mike Posner became the season’s biggest newcomer, thanks to the success of his “Cooler Than Me.” Hip-hop took a turn towards alternative this summer with Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” and B.o.B. and Haley Williams’ “Airplanes” (the song that everyone could not get out of their heads no matter how hard they tried).

However, as far as the ultimate summer anthem of 2010 goes, the battle comes down to “California Gurls” by Katy Perry, with a little help from Snoop Dogg, and Usher’s “OMG” featuring will.i.am. Both songs spent the majority of June and July capitalizing the top-2 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 and a considerable amount of time at number one. “California Gurls” is dancy, fun, and catchy, making it perfect for the radio or a club, but it’s mindless enough to provide the perfect backdrop to any summer party. Usher, on the other hand, takes a more laid-back approach with “OMG.” Still easy enough to dance to, the song is perfect for both parties and those low-key, chill-out moments. So who wins the title of 2010’s summer anthem? There’s no way to choose between these songs, so this one ends in a draw.

However, the true star of the summer was without a doubt Eminem. While the single “Not Afraid” was already a hit going into the summer, the song maintained popularity and became one of the most popular songs of the season. When his highly anticipated album, Recovery, was released, the album took the world by storm and spent five straight weeks at number one in the US. Recovery’s second single, “Love The Way You Lie,” which features Rihanna, debuted at number two, where it spent a few weeks before climbing up to number one and becoming one of the summer’s biggest hits.

Everyone probably remembers playing with their toys when they were younger, whether it was Barbie dolls or action figures. As we all grow older, we have to face the heartbreaking reality of giving away our old toys. This is the dilemma that Andy has to face with Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys in the final Toy Story film.

Buzz and the gang accidentally get donated to the Sunny Side Daycare when Andy is packing up for college. Ultimately, Woody has to save all of his old friends from the terrifying death trap known as Sunny Side. The only problem is that the toys think that Andy does not want them anymore. Therefore, they see no point in returning themselves back to Andy.

While at Sunny Side, Andy’s toys have to battle with the head toy, Lots-o’-Huggin’Bear (Lotso), who seems sweet at first, but is actually a deranged mastermind teddy bear. There were some new toys introduced into this movie such as Lotso, Baby, and Ken.

Overall, Toy Story 3 closed the final chapters on the Toy Story trilogy by showing what a family really is and how people have to hold onto the things they love in life.

Time to pump up your fists once again and grab your hair gel, or hairspray, as the cast of Jersey Shore raises hell in South Beach and once again brings the most controversial hit show back to MTV.

The seven cast members,  Mike “the Situation” Sorrentino, 28, Angelina Pivarnick, 24, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, 22, Vinny Guadagninio 22, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, 25,  Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, 25, “Pauly D” DelVecchio, 28, and Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, 22, unleash their egos on each other as the cast begins round two of dysfunctional living. If you thought season one was hard hitting with the arrest, the creepy stalker, the hook-ups, the break-ups, lots of animosity, and, the firing of Angelina in episode three, Season 2 is going to prove to be a lot more interesting.

Watching the first episode, ‘Goin’ South, shows that this season will do the same as last season, and undoubtedly even more.  Pandora’s Box has opened with the unpleasant surprise of the return of the self-proclaimed “Kim Kardashian of Staten Island,” Angelina, who returns, and tries to patch things up with everyone in the house.  However, she had permanently damaged all of the relationships with everyone in the house, especially with Snooki, JWOWW, and Sammi, after having “trash” talked each of their boyfriends.  In the previous season, Angelina had left during the third episode, because she did not want to work and because of personal problems she was having. Another bombshell comes into play with Season 2, as Sammi and Ronnie’s relationship comes into question when their potential break-up at the Season 1 reunion special isn’t true.  Continuing to fight and act as if they are in a relationship, viewers are having trouble understanding what type of relationship they actually have.  Will this relationship ever work out?

Mike, Pauly D, and Vinny the “MVP’s” of Miami have the same goal as they had in Season 1, which is to go out to the club and enjoy the night life.  These three have a definitive way of making one night stands a habit in South Beach and are quickly becoming enormous professional women players. The show, as a whole, is mildly entertaining to say the least.
Later on in Season 2, Angelina and Snooki have their own argument. A catfight escalates as both girls can’t stand being friends with each other. This wrestling match results in Sorrentino dumping a pot of marinara sauce on Angelina, according to US Weekly.

The questions to consider for the second season are as follows.  Will Angelina leave Jersey Shore Season 2 early again?  Is the relationship between Ronnie and Sammi over for good?  Are Mike, Pauly D, and Vinny going to find some normal girlfriends?  Will there be a Jersey Shore Season 3 and would it involve the same cast the past two previous seasons?

We will have to wait and see.

If you thought that the James Bond movies were fantastic with all of the fancy cars, cool gadgets, and action-packed fight scenes, Angelina Jolie’s new action packed film is the movie for you. The movie Salt brings out the versatility of Angelina Jolie’s light and dark side, when she plays an uncover Russian spy.  She brings a lot of energy, effort, and enthusiasm to this part.

Evelyn Salt, played by (Jolie), is a CIA officer who has sworn an oath to honor and protect her country.  In the beginning part of the film, Salt was in North Korea being tortured to death.  She yelled to her torturers, “I am not a spy.” She repeated this after every gruesome blow that she had to endure and even after gasoline was forced down her throat.

Salt is quite devious to some people until the day a Russian defector arrives and accuses her of being Russian spy in the interrogation room.  Ted Winter, Salt’s fellow agent, played by Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hamlet) and Peabody, Salt’s righteous, persistent tracker, played by (Chiwetel Ejiofor), go berserk and question Salt’s judgment. They send out a police force to kill her and end the threat.

What the viewer does understand is that Salt was once part of a Russian experiment in which children were trained to become spies and wage war on the world to bring back the diminished power of Russia.  However, she fell in love with Mike Krause played by (August Diehl, Inglourious Basterds), who later becomes her husband. Being very interested in spiders, Krause had created his own spider venom.

Salt’s co-workers do not take kind to Salt’s actions of trying to assassinate both the Russian President and the President of the United States, in a short amount of time.  The Russian president, Matveyev, played by (Olek Krupa) is only paralyzed by the spider venom she inserted into his body.  Once that was over, Salt goes back to Russia and eliminates all of the Russian KA Agents, later heading back to the United States to find out that there was another mole in the agency.

The ugly fistfight and shooting battle between Jolie and Schreiber was a smashing success in the film.  Ted Winter was a Russian KA Agent all along and responsible for the launch of Day X, a reenactment of the Cold War.  Winter assassinates the U.S. President Lewis, played by Hunt Block, who meets his own death in the control room.  Winter was trying to transport missiles from Siberia to the United States to bring the U.S. down and have it beg for mercy.  This was the defining moment for Salt.  The question was whether she would help out the Russians and realize their dream by making the United States a marked territory, or would she put an end to the Russian’s roots of evil by eliminating her former friend/second lover?

Philip Noyce, the director of Salt (Rabbit-Proof Fence, Clear and Present Danger) made the viewers rattle their brains by trying to figure out who Salt was exactly? If you enjoy spy movies with tons of suspense and bloodshed, then, Salt is right up your alley.

“We also stole the Eiffel Tower! [cheers] … the small one… from Vegas…” This summer, everyone’s favorite Office star, Michael, (Steve Carell) goes big as a cartoon super villain with a weakness for the moon and three little surprises.

The poster for Steve Carell's hit movie, Despicable Me.

Steve Carell did it big in the box office this summer with two huge comedies: Dinner for Schmucks and Despicable Me. Carell made it big in film through his roles in Bruce Almighty and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Today, he is an actor in television and film, a screenwriter, a frequent guest star on daily shows, and a producer. Since his 2005 film, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Carell has set a precedent for his other upcoming comedies because that film grossed $109 million in box office sales and won the MTV Movie Award for best Comedic Performance and an WGA Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay with co-writer Judd Apatow. Despicable Me is Carell’s second film of 2010, following April’s comedy Date Night with leading actress Tina Fey (star of television show 30 Rock). Carell is currently working on a sequel (Get Smart 2) of his 2009 film Get Smart, based on the old television show, a remake of Peter Sellers’ 1967 film The Boho, commercials, and other television work.

In the third cartoon of his career, Despicable Me, Carell is the voice of Gru, an evil super villain – quite possibly the world’s greatest super villain – or is he? In a wonderful white picket fence and rose bush neighborhood, there sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, Gru is planning the biggest heist in the history of the world to “out-villain” new generation villains. His master plan: he is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!).

Delighting in all things wicked, he is armed with his band of minions and his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air. However, part of his plan becomes too much for the world’s greatest super villain to handle – three little girls. Jason Segel, Russell Brand, and Julie Andrews are among the star-studded voice cast.

As the first 3D animation from Universal Picture “Despicable” opened, it topped the box office its first weekend with an estimated $60.1 million. This is an extraordinary gain for the company, which was only expecting half as much from the film in its first week as it was a great risk as the first 3D film targeted for both children and adult audiences (Source: Nikki Rocco, Universal Pictures Head of Distribution to Associated Press) But of course, the studio’s marketing campaign with the little yellow minions helped! Although up against many franchise films this summer, (Toy Story 3 – the highest grossing film of the year- and Twilight), the movie performed well at test screenings and critics were solidly behind it, with 80% of critics on RottenTomatoes.com recommending the film. This past weekend of August 13th, the film was still ranking at #6 on the Top 10 Movies in the Box Office, with only one other children’s film on the charts making $7 million that weekend, totaling $222.2 million for its total run.

Carell’s second film of the summer, Dinner for Schmucks, also did well in the box office. Schmucks stars Paul Rudd as Tim, a rising executive who must “succeed” in finding the perfect guest – IRS employee Barry (Carell) – for his boss’s monthly event, a so-called ‘the dinner for idiots,” which offers certain advantages to the executive who shows up with the biggest buffoon.

The Real Housewives phenomenon is making its way down the East Coast with a new group of catty women searching for their fifteen minutes of fame. This time around, Bravo’s hit series takes on Washington D.C. The newest cast is a perfect fit to the dysfunctional Real Housewives’ family, mixing the right amount of outrageous behavior and incredible wealth to result in what fans are used to: drama, drama, and more drama.

Let’s start with Michaele Salahi, whose name pronunciation has clearly been altered for attention purposes. You know her as one-half of the couple who crashed the White House State Dinner. Let’s just say that on the show, she is exactly what you might expect her to be: a bubbly, airhead who craves attention. If you’re placing bets now on which D.C. housewife will attempt a music career (after all, one from each season has), put your money on Michaele.

Then there’s Lynda Erkiletian, a seasoned divorcee who runs a top-modeling agency. She’s respectable in that she earns her own money, but she is definitely the back-stabber of the season. Michaele was her first target but probably not her last.

Cat Ommanney came to America from London, and as she says in the opening, she’s here for a good time, not a long time. How she’s going to have a good time is questionable, as she’s already made some enemies because of her brash, no-nonsense attitude. Cat’s taken some subtle shots at Americans, but apparently her biggest fault is that she likes George Bush (God forbid!).

Stacie Scott Turner, on the other hand, loves Barack Obama and will tell you that…over, and over, and over. She is a smart woman, though, with a hilarious husband and a sweet, welcoming family. When she invites some of her fellow housewives to her Aunt Francis’ for a soul food dinner, it’s a refreshing break from the entitled, upper-class people we normally see.

There has to be a nice girl, and this season, it’s Mary Schmidt Amons. Her biggest problem is her daughter’s mountain dog that sheds all over the house. Mary is a sweet person with a big family, and she will be the one who invites all the housewives to the parties, unintentionally (or so we think) stirring up all the drama.

You never can tell where a season of the Real Housewives will go, but Bravo promises the same antics its fans are used to. If you love the ladies of Orange County, NYC, Atlanta, or New Jersey, chances are you will enjoy the ladies of D.C. as well.

The summer may be winding down and school is back in session, but CBS’ most anticipated summer hit, Big Brother, is just getting started. The 12th season of Big Brother returned to the airwaves on July 8th to over 7.5 million viewers, according to TVbytheNumbers. That includes old fans (yours truly) and new fans alike.  The format for the show has been the same for the past ten years—but let’s takes a minute or two to refresh your memory.

The Cast Gallery for the CBS series BIG BROTHER 12, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Cliff Lipson/CBS © CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Thirteen houseguests live together for seventy-five consecutive days. This season’s contestants include Andrew (a Jewish podiatrist), Annie (a Floridian bartender), Brendon (a swim couch with a Master’s in Physics), Britney (a hotel manager from Arkansas), Enzo (an Italian-American insurance adjuster from New Jersey), Kathy (a Deputy Sheriff), Kristen (a boutique manager), Lane (a Texan oil rig salesman), Matt (a diabolical super genius member of MENSA and web designer), Monet (a model), Rachel (a waitress/Chemist from Las Vegas), and lastly, Ragan (a college professor from California). Inside of the Big Brother house, there is zero interaction from the outside world. This includes no television, radio, music, newspapers, or even phone calls.

Every week, the contestants participate in various challenges that dictate life in the Big Brother house. There is the “Head of Household” competition, which saves one person from eviction that week and gives that person the power to choose two people for elimination, one of which will be evicted. Next, you have the “Have vs. Have Not” competition, which decides who gets to eat slop, take cold showers, and sleep in an insect-infected bedroom. Lastly, there is the “Veto” competition (the second most sought after power in the house), which allows one person to save a nominee (including themselves) from eviction. If the power of veto is used, the Head of Household puts up a replacement nominee. This power has definitely caused rifts in the house as unsuspecting house guests are blindsided and sent packing.

If you are just tuning into the show, here’s a little recap. About two weeks past the half-way mark, six house guests have left the House, with the remaining players being Brendon, Britney, Enzo, Hayden, Lane, Matt, and Ragan. In Week 5 of the competition, Rachel, the love of Brendon’s life, was evicted by a unanimous 6-0 vote, after a heroic but failed attempt by Brendon to try to keep her in the game. In Week 6, Brendon fought to avenge Rachel’s untimely departure (at the hands of Matt and Ragan) and became the Head of Household. This was much to the dismay of everyone in the house, including Britney. Brendon chose to put Lane and Ragan on the block, but Ragan saved himself by winning the Power of Veto. This caused Brendon to choose Matt as the replacement nominee. But, wait! Two weeks ago, Matt acquired the Diamond Power of Veto, which he received when he opened the mysterious, but often misleading, Pandora’s Box. So, who ended up being replaced by Matt: poor, unsuspecting Kathy who was evicted by a vote of 5-0. A little afterwards, the Head of Household competition took place and Britney took control of the house—much more than anyone could have imagined. This has proved to be very important because TWO people are being evicted this week. Everything lies in Britney’s hands.

The game is getting much more intense, as the numbers are dwindling and everyone’s fighting to stay alive. So, who will end up winning the $500,000 grand prize? Stay tuned on September 15th, where the winner of Big Brother 12 will be crowned!

If it wasn’t enough that Arnold Schwarzenegger settled for three films kicking machine ass, the Terminator is back fighting the latest threat to human existence: Video games?

If it wasn’t enough that Arnold Schwarzenegger settled for three films kicking machine ass, the Terminator is back fighting the latest threat to human existence: Video games?

California’s appeal for managing violent video games was accepted by the Supreme Court on Apr. 26. The bill, which was first signed by California governor Schwarzenegger in 2005, seeks to ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors as well as reinforce the video game rating system. In addition, retailers in violation of the law would face fines of up to $1000. Initially, the bill was rejected by a California federal court because it conflicted with the constitutional concept of free speech, resulting in awarding the Entertainment Software Association $282,000 in legal fees. Now, the clash between Arnold Schwarzenegger, his California backing, and the gaming industry is drawing national upset for the regulation of violent video games, a topic that’s been steadily receiving intense scrutiny over the years.

According to California definition, interactive games are those in which the player is given the choice of “killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being” in offensive ways. The bill examined “ultra-violent games” whose violence causes them to “lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors” as well as those whose violence “is especially heinous, cruel, or depraved in that it involves torture or serious physical abuse to the victim,” said California assemblyman Leland Yee. Such games have been at the center of controversy, begging the question of whether the state or parents should be the ones to regulate what their children play.

Parents have raised the issue of psychological damage to children that may generate aggression, isolation, and an inability to distinguish fantasy from reality. In fact, there have been complaints about the effect that graphic depictions in video games have on children’s behavior. “We have a responsibility to our kids and our communities to protect against the effects of games that depict ultra-violent actions, just as we already do with movies,” governor Schwarzenegger proclaims.

The game Rapelay allows players to rape women, impregnate them, and even persuade them to abort pregnancies. Manhunt allows players to use explicit and brutal violence to kill enemies and as the levels increase, the methods to execute enemies get more gruesome and extreme. Condemned 2: Bloodshot, a psychological horror game, depicts a swearing alcoholic investigator who uses graphic violence in a crime-infested world. Dante’s Inferno includes players slashing possessed babies. And in Gears of War, players can use a chainsaw bayonet to chop enemies in half. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 consists of a level where players watch terrorists slaughter civilians at an airport by shooting them in the back of the head. Despite these complaints, the game industry says: “Sex, unlike violence, is a subject uniquely considered to be outside children’s purview. Violence, on the other hand, is a regular part of children’s literature and stories…as anyone familiar with the classic fairy tales are aware.”

In response to the recent appeal, ESA president and CEO Michael D. Gallagher says: “What the state proposes in this case would effect a sea change in the permissible regulation of all media—including books, movies, and television programs—that contain violent content and are accessible to minors. We have the opportunity to make our case again and hopefully put this issue to rest.”

The Supreme Court will be hearing the case in October.

Charger Bulletin Prose

In the corner of the street where the blue and white bus passes every 15 minutes, sits a fuzzy faced man who to only I, appears as a human sculpture, carved by the hands of the city- from every unique brick inside the structure of a house, from every cemented square shaped in each sidewalk, from every crooked crack created inside the road pavements, and from every colorful squeak and shout within the metal gates of a public park.

This living statue, this breathing, Thinking Man- but one with the cold curb, connected to his environment, his creator. He sits motionless with eyes of stone, a galaxy in his pupils- each star a story. Undistracted is he by the rushing world, with no reliance on busy music or the aid of any speed flashing technology. Next to the stop sign his brain pulses, the thoughts pumped through his mind no longer within our grasp.

What does he think of? I wonder. Family, finances, lovers, the economy…? Thoughts forever forgotten through time in thought? Yet, without understanding, I find comfort in his position; and without any knowledge on this scruffy individual, I relate- I know.

In the corner of the street where the blue and white bus passes every 15 minutes, sits a fuzzy faced man- a Thinking Man- sitting on top of the world.

By Rebecca Kollmann, Contributing Writer

Now that spring weekend is behind us, the next exciting thing to look forward to is all the summer movies once we go home and fear eternal boredom until we return to UNH!  So in the meantime, here are the upcoming summer movies to carry us over until then.

Eclipse: (Twilight saga) Most of you Twilight junkies know the back story to the series, but in this next movie installment of the books, Bella must decide between Jacob and Edward.

Iron Man 2: This is the typical American superhero film based on the Marvel comics. It’s the sequel to 2008′s Iron Man and the second film in a planned trilogy. Directed by Jon Favreau, the movie revolves around Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who has revealed his identity as Iron Man and resists calls by the U.S. government to hand over the technology.

Letters to Juliet:  For those looking for a good old love story, look no further. This is a tale of encountering new flings and rekindling old flames.  When Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), an American adolescent, travels to Verona, Italy (where Romeo first met Juliet) she meets a group of people who respond to letters written to Juliet seeking love advice.  Sophie responds to a letter that has been lost for over 50 years, and is stunned when its author comes to Italy with her handsome but overprotective grandson (Christopher Egan) to find the fiancé she left decades before. Intrigued by Claire’s pursuit, Sophie joins them on an adventure through the beautiful hills of Tuscany searching for Claire’s long lost Lorenzo. The journey will change their lives forever, and they discover that true love does exist.

Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D: In a world devastated by a viral infection, converting its victims into the Undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich), pursues her journey to find survivors and rescue them. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some surprising help from an old companion. A new guide joins them that promises a safe haven from the Undead directs them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is infested by thousands of Undead. Alice and her comrades encounter a deadly trap in this thrilling potential blockbuster.

Toy Story 3: For those of you that are still kids at heart, check out this 3rd installment of the childhood favorite of many. Andy is now headed off to college, and his toys, including favorites Woody and Buzz Lightyear, are being sent to storage. Before his toys can be moved to the attic, they are unintentionally thrown away and are taken away by the garbage men.

The toys end up at a local day-care center where they must try to survive preschool children.

The A-Team: This summer movie tells the tale of the electrifying and daring misuse of Hannibal Smith and his vivid team of former Special Forces soldiers who were blamed for a crime they didn’t commit. By going “rogue” they use their unique abilities (and eccentricities) to attempt to clear their names and find the true perpetrator.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan protecting the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). Balthazar can’t do it single-handedly, so he utilizes Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), a seemingly ordinary guy who exhibits hidden potential, as his unwilling protégé. The sorcerer gives his reluctant accomplice a heads up in the art and science of magic. Together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It’ll take all the audacity Dave can muster to survive training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Make sure to check out     all the fantastic movies coming to you this summer and look for reviews at the beginning of next semester in The Charger Bulletin. Happy movie-going!