February 2014 | Colt Nation

A goodbye to Ms. Shirley Temple Black

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Lianna Naughton

On Feb. 10, the world lost one of the most beloved child actors of all time. Singer and performer Shirley Temple died of natural causes at the age of 85. As an aspiring actress and singer myself, I’m sad to see this iconic light go out. As a tribute to the 1930’s own Curly Top, I’m here to share with you her life.

Shirley Temple was born to Gertrude Amelia Temple and George Francis Temple in late April of 1928 in Santa Monica, Calif. The Temples always saw their little girl as a star. In Sept. 1931, Gertrude sent her talented daughter off to Meglin’s Dance School in Los Angeles where Charles Lamont, the casting director for Educational Pictures, found her. Impressed by Temple’s talent, Lamont tried to get the young Miss Temple to audition. In 1932, Shirley Temple was signed to Lamont’s company. Temple’s first feature film was Red-Haired Alibi (1932), but it was still a small role.

In 1933, Temple was cast in bit parts with major companies like Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros. Pictures. Educational Pictures declared bankrupt in ’33, so Temple signed on with Fox Film Corporation in 1934. Stand Up and Cheer! was Temple’s breakthrough film, and her charm got her promoted months before she was introduced to the world. She and her mother received considerable pay raises, and Temple was loaned to Paramount for Little Miss Marker.

Bright Eyes was released in December of 1934, and it was the first film written specifically for Shirley Temple. Temple’s song “On the Good Ship Lollipop” sold over 500,000 sheet music copies. Soon after Bright Eyes, Temple was awarded the first Juvenile Oscar for her work at Fox, and she later added her hand- and footprints to the walk at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

From 1934 through 1939, Shirley Temple lit up the silver screen, bringing joy to the hearts of many. In 1939, Temple was offered a role in MGM’s classic The Wizard of Oz, which her manager declined. The role was given to the charming and charismatic Judy Garland instead.

After a short decline in the early ‘40s, Temple retired so she could focus on school and her home life. In 1945, a 17-year-old Shirley Temple married her first husband, John Agar, an Army Air Corps sergeant. Not even a half-year later, Temple gave birth to her first child, Linda Susan. Temple and Agar flirted with acting a bit before splitting in 1950.

Temple didn’t wait long to move on from Agar. Eleven days after their divorce, she was married to Charles Alden Black, a WWII Navy officer and Silver Star recipient. The couple relocated to Washington D.C. when Black was recalled for the Korean War. Their son Charles Alden Black, Jr. was born in 1952 followed by his younger sister Lori two years later.

Life after Hollywood was focused mainly on politics. In the ‘70s, Temple Black unsuccessfully ran for office in California, only to be appointed United States Ambassador to Ghana in December of 1974. Temple Black was also put in charge of arranging President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration and inaugural ball, as she had been appointed the first female Chief of Protocol of the United States in 1976.

In 1973, Temple Black was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had the tumor removed with a radical mastectomy and was known as one of the first advocates of female strength and will when coping with cancer.

Shirley Temple Black died late at night on Feb. 10, 2014 in her home in Woodside, Calif., surrounded by her three children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. She died of natural causes and fell asleep at peace.
Caption: “Photo: Dispatch.com”

Monday Fundays

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Judianne Speach

Those snow days sure were good to us. There’s nothing like the feeling of waking up, glancing at a text from a five-digit number and falling back asleep. Unfortunately, those days are over. It’s time to deal with getting out of bed before noon, hour-long lectures and worst of all, Mondays.

Monday is the most dreaded day of the week because the concept of reality sinks back in. Saturday and Sunday are liberating days where we tend to forget about all homework and really anything important. Maybe you relax, watch hours of Netflix, sleep, party, stare at the wall… And then Monday comes along. Whatever it is you do, whatever happiness and freedom you get to experience, is shattered into a million pieces as soon as your alarm goes off. Sure, you can hit snooze nine times and pretend like it’s not happening. You can crawl into the shower for 20 minutes, getting lost in the rejuvenation of hot water. But that results in panic, wearing whatever is on the floor, grabbing a Pop Tart as you sprint out the door and awkwardly walking in late to class.

I was going to extensively give you tips on how to overcome Mondays, but when I looked up ideas on Google (since we all do that), I about laughed. There were ideas like “Wake up with a positive attitude,” “Wake up earlier than you normally would,” “Don’t sleep in too late over the weekend…” Like that’s going to happen. This is Monday we’re talking about. So I’m going to keep this short and practical.

Next Monday, don’t hit the snooze button. Just don’t. It’s evil. Instead, set your alarm to a really loud song that you hate and put it across the room. You’ll want to get out of bed, trust me. Also, try to get out the door at a decent time so you make it to school on time and you’re not flustered. Lastly, don’t let your day be ruined by the fact that it’s the start of the week. Four more mornings and you’ve reached the weekend. One seventh of our lives are a Monday, so by learning to deal with them, one seventh of our lives can be that much better.

Eh, who am I kidding? Just try to make it through the day without hurting anyone.

Puzzle Pieces

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Bradley Phelps

After the putting on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in the fall and, more recently, Cinderella, the West Jessamine drama department is beginning to prepare for a spring show, which will be a combination of Krista Boehnert’s Puzzle Pieces and Bradey Hayward’s Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less.

Director Hallie Brinkerhoff expects the show, a loosely structured, highly interpretive production dealing with the theme of teenage issues, to be an “unusual theatrical experience.” Puzzle Pieces, the first half of the show, is a set of monologues where the characters speak openly on issues like their fears, angers, futures and daily struggles. The second half of the show, Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less, consists of ten vignettes, or short independent scenes that each recount a single episode or event. These also offer views on the universally experienced but rarely publicly discussed feelings of teenagers struggling to find their place in the world.

Despite not being a completely new student-written show as was a potential idea earlier in the year, the scripts will be altered or added to so they better suit the personalities and talents of the actors. It is likely that some of the monologues performed in Puzzle Pieces will be written by West students, and musical aspects may also be incorporated into the production in order to showcase the talents of the many student musicians involved in the drama department.

The show is intended to be performed in late April, with a tentative student performance during school on April 23 and evening performances April 24-26. There is a possibility of show dates being moved into May for logistical reasons, but any changes will be publicized as soon as possible. The West Jessamine drama department appreciates your support!

Flappy Bird’s funeral

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Allie Howard

It’s no secret Flappy Bird was the most addicting and frustrating game that has ever been on the app store. The simplicity of it is genius: you tap the screen to fly a small bird in between pipes. Somehow, the bird always hits the pipe. You could be 10 feet away and “pow”…… “GAME OVER”. For some, this “GAME OVER” may be for good!

On Feb. 9, Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen tweeted, “I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore.” Apparently, it wasn’t worth the $50,000 a day he made from revenue to keep it running. The result devastated America, as well as the rest of the world, as Apple demanded Nguyen take down Flappy Bird and dated Flappy’s tombstone. Some people are still desperate to have they game but didn’t download it in time. They need not worry though…. There is a logical solution.

A few who downloaded the game have taken the initiation to ensure people can still get this game. Just go on eBay and you can buy an iPhone with Flappy Bird downloaded on it for the “low, one time offer” of up to 100K (That’s right…. $100,000). Some have sold for $5,000 already, but as of today, no $100,000 purchases have been made. The other option is to download games similar to Flappy Bird like Splashy Fish or Iron Pants. And if you’ve already downloaded it, just keep on killing that bird!

Photo: Weknowmemes.com

The 86th Academy Awards

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Mia Zanzucchi

On Sunday, March 2, the 86th Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars, will take place, recognizing work in all aspects of film from acting and directing to costume design and documentary film making. American Hustle and Gravity received 10 nominations each while 12 Years a Slave came close to that with nine nominations. The 2014 Best Picture nominees seemed to gravitate toward “based on a true story” plots. All nominees are rated R by the MPAA with the exception of Captain Phillips, Gravity and Philomena, which are rated PG-13. Colt Nation advises both view discretion and parental consent before watching every film.

American Hustle is loosely based on ABSCAM, a ‘70s and ‘80s government plot to catch corrupt politicians. As the movie says, “some of these things actually happened.” Con artists Irving (Christian Bale) and Sydney (Amy Adams) are caught by FBI agent Richie (Bradley Cooper) and given a deal: their freedom in exchange for four other arrests. Kentucky native Jennifer Lawrence as Irving’s wife is a loose cannon. She’s crazy-good at being crazy-insane. Bradley Cooper’s acting was almost as amazing as his tight curls (“we put 110 curlers in it and I sat underneath a heat lamp for 45 minutes”). American Hustle is nominated ten times, including every acting category, best director and, of course, best film. It’s a strong contender.

Captain Phillips stars Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips, the real life captain of the container ship MV Maersk Alabama during its raid by Somali pirates in 2009. Hanks fit the fatherly Phillips perfectly, his performance reminding me of the father he played in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Somalia native and cinematic newcomer Barkhad Abdi made a powerful first impression as the leader of the raiding pirates. He most recently won a BAFTA for his portrayal and he’s my personal pick for best supporting actor. The MV Maersk Alabama continued to sail after the 2009 attempted hijacking and still continues to be raided by Somali pirates.

Dallas Buyers Club is about real-life AIDS patient Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey). In 1986, Woodroof was diagnosed with the then little known about disease and given only months to live. After trying FDA-approved AZT, he began doing his own research, traveling around the world and taking and selling the more effective remedies he found (“None of those drugs have been approved by the FDA.” “Screw the FDA. I’m gonna be DOA.”). Woodroof teams up with transgender HIV-positive woman Rayon (Jared Leto) to form the Dallas Buyers Club. McConaughey has finally distinguished himself as an actor and if I wasn’t completely enamored with Leo DiCaprio, I would want him to win for best male lead. Jared Leto is also a strong competitor in his category, best supporting male, though not my top pick.

Gravity is tied with American Hustle for having the most Oscar nominees. It’s centered on a space mission gone wrong and stars Sandra Bullock and Kentucky-born George Clooney. To read more about Gravity, read first semester staff writer Hailley Stantz’s review on the Colt Nation website.

Spike Jonze’s Her takes place in a future similar to ours in all but one aspect – technology has evolved to the point of a new, sophisticated operating system (OS) that can interact with humans on a level Siri only dreams of. As weird as the premise may be, Her has cleaned up very well at multiple award shows including a Golden Globe for best screenplay.

Nebraska, directed by Alexander Payne (The Descendants), is an original screenplay about an elderly man (Bruce Dern) and his son (Will Forte) who drive from Montana to Nebraska to collect the old man’s supposed $1 million prize. Forte has pushed beyond his Saturday Night Live days, giving an exceptional performance, funny and light when he’s supposed to be, exhausted and sick of it all when he should and just downright relatable. Bruce Dern’s character is like that old relative who, no matter what weird and insane things they do, you still love dearly, which, for Forte, means walking train tracks looking for a set of false teeth. I don’t expect Dern to win for best actor, but Nebraska is still a solid film nevertheless.

The BBC film Philomena is about real life journalist Martin Sixsmith’s (Steve Coogan) journey with Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) to discover what happened to Philomena’s illegitimate son to whom she gave birth to in an Irish convent. Without knowing it, Philomena’s son was adopted out by the nuns for money. After decades of being turned away and told that there were no records of her son’s adoption, Philomena and Martin travel to America to find out more about her son. The film has been criticized as an attack on Catholics, but there’s no sense in trying to deny or ignoring such a huge injustice, especially when Judi Dench is involved.

The year is 1841 and Solomon Northup is a free black living in New York State with his family. 12 Years a Slave documents Northup’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor) 12 years held in slavery after being enticed to Washington D.C. under false pretenses by slave traders. The movie, based off of Northup’s book of the same name, does not sugarcoat any aspect of slavery, holding back nothing, including violent beatings, cursing and rape.

Martin Scorsese’s smutty The Wolf of Wall Street is based on corrupt Wall Street stockbroker Jordan Belfort. The Wolf has been widely criticized since its release for its excessive use of curse words (it’s somewhere between 300 and 500+… Not even the Internet knows for sure), nudity, drugs and alcohol (“I am not going to die sober!”). Matured beyond the years of Titanic and Superbad, Leonardo DiCaprio leads and Jonah Hill supports. Both are nominated for their respective Oscars and I think this could be Leo’s year. The film is great, but I sincerely cannot stress enough how strongly viewer discretion is advised.

Snubs
The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis only received two nominations: one for sound mixing and the other for cinematography. The cinematography and sound mixing were good, but I expected more recognition for the film, especially its stellar soundtrack featuring lead actor Oscar Isaac, supporting actor Justin Timberlake and the folk band Mumford and Sons.
Tom Hanks certainly got snubbed over this season, being completely ignored for his work in Saving Mr. Banks and not receiving a nomination for best actor for either Saving Mr. Banks or Captain Phillips. His acting was absolutely on par though, and I expected nothing less, so maybe the Academy was thinking along the same lines.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (Photo: impawards.com), Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club (Photo: adventurecampradio.com) and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street (Photo: collider.com) are all nominated for Best Lead Actor at the 86th Academy Awards.

Peanut butter and chocolate goodness

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Kathleen Hager

Ingredients for peanut butter balls:
• 1 pound powder sugar
• 1 stick butter (melted)
• 8 oz. (or more) of peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Chocolate “Candy Quick” dip

Steps for gloriousness:
Mix sugar, melted butter, peanut butter and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. Don’t be afraid to be a little messy- in my opinion, it’s much more fun to use your hands! Roll your mixture into balls. Take into account that if you want them to be a little more peanut-buttery, then make your peanut butter balls as big as your heart desires. After all your ingredients are used up and made into balls, put the plates of them in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Then, take them out and while following the directions on the Candy Quick package, dip each ball in the chocolate and roll it around with either a spoon or your finger. Have plates with wax paper out to put the peanut butter balls on so that chocolate won’t harden on your plates.

Peanut butter balls are good for any occasion, whether it’s a holiday, someone’s birthday or even if you just have a sweet tooth. Making them isn’t hard at all and the end result makes it all worth your wild! Enjoy, friends.

Three movies that are a must see on Redbox

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Grace Rose

The Vow: The Vow is a very romantic, heart-wrenching movie. The main characters are played by Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. It is about two people in love and how their lives play out after a tragic accident. This true story is a must see, but get ready to shed a few tears!

Captain Phillips: Tom Hanks plays the main character in this dramatic movie. Captain Phillips is the true story about a man who is at sea with his crew, and pirates are a threat. During this movie, you are able to see the extreme measures that Captain Phillips went to in order to ensure every crewmember’s safety. This movie received six Oscar nominations and Tom Hanks does a fantastic job as a leading actor.

The Butler: The main character in The Butler has served eight presidents as a butler in the White House. This movie is taken place during the civil rights movement and you can see how major events during his occupation affect his own life and family. This movie has received over 32 nominations, including the NAACP Image Award.

These are all intriguing, true stories and I recommend them to everyone. These three movies are all an amazing choice if you are looking for a quality movie to watch on a lazy day. Enjoy!

Senior fosters love of the stage

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Meredith Crockett

To have a passion is truly a beautiful thing. To find a thing, person or activity so beautiful that your mind, body and life are utterly consumed head to toe with it is real perfection. This “thing” is different for every person, and once it’s found, it is inspiring.

For Senior Cody Foster, this is theatre. Since the age of 2, theatre has been his true passion. He fondly recollects on times at home watching Grease with his mother. “From that moment on, I knew this was something I loved.” Foster said. He recalled finding himself watching the famous musical almost daily. That performance inspired him to pursue acting in a raw, in-depth, personal way. From there he went on to be in elementary school plays, the lead in Lil’ Abner at WJMS, and in every WJHS play and musical. When asked what he finds so desirable about theatre, he simply says, “It’s such an inviting environment… I can be whomever and whatever I want without any judgment.”

Foster hopes to further pursue his passion at the University of Kentucky, with participation in intramural plays as often as possible. As far as his favorite musical, Hairspray takes the crown. To see his passion come to life, talk to Cody and his fellow theatre-mates. Their love for their art is prevalent and really shines through them.

Foster during his sophomore year in 2012’s Little Shop of Horrors
Photo: Clara Rothchild

A look into bilingualism and myths surrounding

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

Stefanos Delipoglou

Many times we look at another culture and wish we could experience their lifestyle. Not just as a tourist, no, but as a member of this foreign group. We want to communicate with them and experience all that they do so we can learn more. Many seek to learn a language to effectively comprehend another group while others shy away from learning a new language. Many, unfortunately, are fearful of the effects of learning a language. However, there are more than a few common myths around bilingualism.

To start off, many people believe that bilingual individuals, specifically those who learn at a younger age, are weaker intellectually than their mono-linguistic peers. This is not the case. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. By knowing more than one language, people are actually able to tackle a problem more efficiently. How is that? Well, as you’d expect (hopefully), languages are structured differently from each other. The most common example is a “backwards” use of noun and then adjective in other languages. While speaking another language, individuals have to think of these seemingly subtle differences in a given conversation. This, of course, leads them to be more careful and calculating in other aspects of life. So in the end, these individuals may be better off in the long run when compared with a tunnel-vision view of their friends who only speak English.

Many people think that once they reach a certain age, they immediately lose the ability to learn a language. They may even say they’re “an old dog that can’t learn new tricks.” (This is an English metaphor; don’t try to use it in another language). Again, this is simply a myth, sort of. It is, statistically speaking, more difficult for an adult to learn a language, but it doesn’t become impossible. A child raised in a house of two (or more) languages will adapt quickly because, hey, they’re trying to learn the world anyway. Adults are a little more stuck in their ways, but they’re not as senile, broken and unteachable as they claim. A second (or 10th) language will only help you in the end. Personally, I wish I had fully learned Greek to be able to speak with my grandparents. I can’t say I believe it’d make me worse off, but I was just lazy. It’s not too late to start learning a new language. Why not begin while it’s easier to expand your mind?

Knowledge for its own sake: A worthy pastime

Posted on March 9, 2014 by WJHS Colt Nation

David Madill

In the past, an enquiring mind was persecuted and ignored. Despite the fact that these minds are the foundation of our modern life, this trend still continues. Artists, athletes and musicians are glorified because they pursue their callings-art, sports and music-for their own sakes. Why then, since the beginning of modern science, has the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake been looked down upon.
From an early age, to love to learn is to be different. To work in excess of one’s schoolwork is to label oneself an outcast. While other children learn to play piano or shoot a basketball, one who learns algebra in elementary school is called socially deficient, a nerd and a geek.

This continues into high school, where schools all over America are doing away with the class ranking system while a resounding victory over a rival football team is celebrated.

Why the hypocrisy? Why is a victory in a physical sport more important than an intellectual feat? Yet these same schools proclaim their “pursuit of academic excellence.”

For centuries, intellectual excellence has been looked down upon. Just ask Galileo, Aristotle or Socrates. Their work, now the foundations of modern science, was the cause of their exile, persecution and even death. Yet we hold them in high esteem today.

So I urge you: look around and find those who push themselves past the boundaries of normal schoolwork. If you are one of those people, don’t stop!

Harvard graduate and news writer, Leonid Fridman, was right when he said, “America needs its nerds”. They are the future, not only for this generation and this country, but also for generations to come and for the whole world.