Movie Review-Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Somehow my Dad was able to get our school a private, advance screening of The Lightning Thief.  If I were to give it a grade, I would give it a B- because, first of all, it was nothing like the book by Rick Riordan.  Half of the book wasn’t even in the movie which made it less interesting and less funny. Also, the actors performed it way over the top, and it was so continuously loud that it hurt my ears. However, I thought the special effects were really cool and overly dramatic as the actors were, most of them still did a good job conveying the characters. Percy was not convincing at all but the other main characters were pretty good.  Also, you could easily follow along with the plot line.

Over all it was OK but I wouldn’t see it again.  I think if I hadn’t read the book and had such high standards for it, (because the book was really good) the movie might have seemed better.

If you see it, I’d like to know what you think.  Let me know if you read the book before you saw the movie.

Stevie’s Tips on Finding Good Music

I know music is always fun to have going when your working and it keeps you concentrating. Here are some websites you can go to, to listen to the music you want.

A good website for my area is http://www.soundstl.com/main.html you can listen to it too, it just plays what the radio is playing and it’s all good music.

You can go to pandora.com, you can just pick a song you like and it will play other songs like that one.

Last.fm– you can pick a song you like and play it, it’s kind of like youtube.com except without video’s to go with it.

Hopefully those will help you out when you’re trying to find something to listen to!

Dating Advice Tips from New Moon

The movie New Moon just recently came out, on Friday November 20. I’m sure most of you have seen it or read the book already. If you have, then you know that when Edward leaves Bella, it hurts Bella horribly. She becomes depressed and unsocial. She’s obviously upset…..I mean if the guy you loved all of a sudden left you, wouldn’t you be upset?

But what’s a healthy level of upset? What Bella went through was very unhealthy. She pushed people away, when she should have pulled them in to help support her, and help her get over Edward. It takes her almost 1/3 of a year to finally get back her life…and even then, she’s not totally happy. She’s still delusional about Edward.

Now, I;m not saying that if you break up with a guy, you’re not allowed to cry over him. Of course you should. But don’t dwell on it. Think of a break up as an opportunity to go out and meet new guys. It’s unhealthy to act like Bella did, and it didn’t just affect her, either. Her parents, and her friends were affected, and I’m sure they were hurt.

The bottom line is, if a guy you’re crazy about breaks up, don’t go into an unhealthy depression like Bella did. It’s bad and you’ll end up losing a lot of other things as well.

Kanye vs Taylor

Many of us saw the shocking dispute at MTV Video Music Awards about a month ago. Now I can turn on the t.v. without seeing replays on the news. I’ve been reflecting how awkward that moment must have been for Taylor Swift. She had worked so hard: Top New Female Vocalist of the Year, Female Video Artist, and Breakout Artist for the Teen Choice Awards all in 08. She’s toured states, performed on shows, and won numerous awards. Her Fearless album debuted platinum!

Taylor Swift is an excellent example of what a true woman should be like. At the end of the day, all your hard work will matter to those who care. The way to become successful is to ignore the negativity and keep moving towards your goal. Swift was flawless in her performance after receiving her award. Be confident in who you are, and act to your fullest potential.

He Is Why: An Original Song by Becca

Hey girls! Here’s are the lyrics to a song I wrote recently. Just felt like sharing it! I’m sure you all can identify with it! Let me know your opinions on it!

I’m falling behind
In math and history
I smile to myself
when he looks at me
I can’t seem to breathe
he’s got a hold on me
and i don’t want to be set free

He is Why
I draw hearts all over my papers
He is why
I’m never able to fall asleep at night
He Is Why
I take so long in the mornings
He Is Why
I can’t concentrate in class
He Is Why
I think I’m fallin’ in love
He is why

I hardly get a glance and
my heart hurts
somehow he snuck up from behind
and now I can’t seem to get him out of my mind

He is Why
I draw hearts all over my papers
He is why
I’m never able to fall asleep at night
He Is Why
I take so long in the mornings
He Is Why
I can’t concentrate in class
He Is Why
I think I’m fallin’ in love
He is why

Hey boy, do you know you’re irresistible?
I don’t think you realize
what you’ve done to me mmhmm
can you tell that I’m
not the same
when I’m with you oooooh

He is Why
I draw hearts all over my papers
He is why
I’m never able to fall asleep at night
He Is Why
I take so long in the mornings
He Is Why
I can’t concentrate in class
He Is Why
I think I’m fallin’ in love
He is why

He is why
I am writing down this song
he is why
I do the things i do
hey boy
I do them for you

Louder Than Words Live Video Chat

If you haven’t heard of the new teen memoir series, Lounder Than Words, edited by Deborah Reber, you are missing out!  In their own words, teens share their raw life experiences and how they’ve dealt with some of life’s toughest challenges. 

This week, every night at 7 pm Central you can watch a live video chat with Deborah Reber and the teen authors of this new series.   There’s Marni, who brings us inside her secret world of “pulling” and the challenges of surviving high school while trying to hide an obscure stress disorder.  Then there’s Emily, who takes us through the senior year that wasn’t when chronic illness forced her to miss out on one of the most important times of her life.  And then there’s Chelsey, who used writing as a way to recover from experiencing the unthinkable when her father was murdered the week before her fourteenth birthday.

Monday, August 10, 8-9 p.m. ET - Deborah Reber, How the Louder Than Words Series Came To Be
How were the teen authors chosen? How were the books put together? How much of what happened is true? What has been the most fun part of the project for you? What’s been the hardest part? Are there more books coming? How can I be a Louder Than Words author?

We are excited to be able to bring you this live series here at Girls With Dreams!

Louder Than Words Video Chat

Miranda’s Movie Review

I’ve been stuck home sick for the past 2 weeks, and I got a chance to catch up on some movies I’ve been wanting to see. I watched movies ranging from the “Terminator” series to “The Notebook”. But over these two weeks I have fallen in love with the movie, “You’ve Got Mail”. It was adorable and very classy. One thing that I enjoyed about the film was the quirky relationship between the two main characters (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan) it was very classy and I found Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) to be a true lady. It was a movie that had some laughs and a few teary eyed moments. All in all I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good rainy day movie!

Stevie’s Summer Reading suggestion for Teens

I read this book called Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy. She is a Christian writer, but the book is awesome. It’s about girls who are searching for the perfect guy. The quote on the back says “Inside Every Young Woman Is a Princess…in Search of Her Prince.” It’s a great book and I suggest it to any girl, even if you are dating, or even if your not. There’s something you can learn. It talks about the culture and how we think we need to mock what other people do so we can find our true love. It can be really religious but just read it open minded and give it a shot, what do you have to loose? Check it out at the library, or you can buy it online at amazon.com for $10.99.

Music Alert: NEW SINGER!

Music Alert from Becca.  Hey girls! I was at my friend’s house last night and she made me listen to this guy’s music. And let me tell you, he’s got potential! He’s already recorded an album set to release on July 21.

His name? JOSH GOLDEN! He’s a singer in his mid-teens. He’s hot, has an amazing singing voice and writes his own songs. Step aside Jonas Brothers, there’s a new singer who’ll be rising on the charts! His sister, Liz Golden, has made an album as well. Here’s the link to his music via myspace: www.myspace.com/joshgoldenmusic

American Idol’s Allison Iraheta Inspires Teens

Last night, the last remaining female, Allison Iraheta, was voted off. It was a sad moment for Allison and her fans, but she handled the news with poise and grace. More importantly, Allison has been an amazing role model for teen girls around the world. I’m grateful not just for her talent as a vocal artist, but also to have her as a strong role model for teens. Here are five ways I’ve been inspired by Allison:

1. Her passion for singing oozes from her! We all need to find our passion and let it glow! Many girls don’t know what their passion is yet, but that’s okay. You just need to keep moving in the direction that feels right for you. If you do know your passion, share it!
2. She went for her big dreams! What is your big dream? Are you willing to go for it? Dreams are a huge focus on this Web site. I hope you’ll find the courage to keep your dreams alive, whether you dream of being a rock star, an astronaut, or a teacher.
3. She has such grace and humility! Allison is down-to-earth and is an amazing example of how to be humble — at 17! Her celebrity status never seemed to go to her head.
4. She’s not afraid to be herself. Whether it comes to choosing her songs, her outfit, or her friends, Allison thinks for herself. This is amazing. In a world where peer pressure is so tough at times, it’s not always easy to be an individual and think for yourself. I love how Allison is showing teen girls that it’s possible and rewarding!
5. She didn’t knock down other girls to get to the top! This is a lesson we girls need to pay attention to! Allison is showing girls everywhere you don’t have to be nasty to each other to succeed. Allison never made mean comments about other girls or tried to knock them down.

Thank you, Allison, for being you! Thank you for inspiring all of us. You will be missed on American Idol, but I have a feeling we will be hearing many of your songs in the future.

If you love Allison for other reasons and would like to share why, please join in and let us know!

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