May 10th, 2008 01:10pm
Emily Johnson
Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher haven’t been in many movies lately, but this movie is a definite hit for all Diaz and Kutcher fans. Their fun, silly personalities add some refreshing excitement to an otherwise predictable script.
This movie begins while alternating between the contrasting lives of Diaz and Kutcher in New York City. After circumstances, they both decide to take a much-needed trip to Sin City, a.k.a. Las Vegas. After a hotel mix-up of being scheduled in the same room, they finally decide to spend the night together. But once alcohol and parting get involved, Diaz wakes up the next day only to find herself married! They quickly begin arguing and discover they couldn’t be more different. However, just before they plan to leave and filing for divorce, Kutcher puts Diaz’s quarter in a slot machine and ends up winning the prize of three million dollars! They go to court to decide who should get the money, but the judge rules that he will hold the money until they attempt to make their marriage work. Six months of living together and weekly therapy sessions begin miserably, but then…well, we’re pretty sure you know how it turns out.
Nonetheless, this movie was delightfully entertaining. We hadn’t seen Kutcher acting in his post-being married to Demi Moore (I know we’re still devastated, too) days, but luckily he hasn’t lost his charm.
We really enjoyed this movie, and so did the rest of our theater for that matter. The theater was filled with constant laughs and everyone walked out with a smile on their faces. We recommend seeing this if you’re in the mood for a comical movie that isn’t too serious - a perfect Friday movie after a long week!
May 4th, 2008 11:50pm
Emily Johnson
When searching for a nail salon to prepare our hands and feet for prom and summer, we considered many options Rockford offers. Ultimately, we decided to give a fairly new and renovated business, Enara Day Spa a shot.
Enara Day Spa is a full-service spa that also offers massages, facials, waxing and spray tanning. Their facial products consist of mainly Skin Ceuticals and MD Formulation; we have had experience with these products and they work wonderfully for all skin types. In addition to skin care products, they also offer a selection of upscale makeup brands and some boutique items. The staff is always extremely helpful and fun. We consider it one of the better spa options in the Rockford area.
Our experience at Enara was near perfection! We had a private spa party with five of our friends to get manicures and pedicures - this idyllic time was a fun way to have an end of high school celebration with close friends. We were able to bring snacks and beverages for our get together. It was nice having the spa to ourselves because we were able to take over the lounging and nail rooms while waiting for our turns. Also while waiting, we were able to experiment with their different makeup, which includes a wide-ranging amount of Bare Escentuals products.
At Enara, we paid $51 for both a manicure and pedicure as well as renting the facility for a night- not a bad deal! The staff was extremely fun and patient, considering they were able to put up with the six of us for almost four hours =).
Overall, our experience was fantastic and we would definitely recommend it to anyone in the search of a pampering, relaxing, or entertaining experience.
[Enara Day Spa is located at 318 N. Alpine Road in Rockford. Their phone number is 815.229.7685. Visit their website at http://www.enaradayspa.net/.]
April 27th, 2008 11:06pm
Cathryn Vaulman
Spring marks the beginning of baseball season and we’re excited to get back into it! If any of you are baseball lovers like we are, you may be looking for ways to experience the sport outside of ESPN. Here a few relatively local ways to do so.
Whether you are preparing to go pro or just want to work on your skills, there are plenty of places in Rockford for athletic practice. One of the nicest is All Starz Sports Clinic at 7003 N. Alpine. Here, you can go hit a few balls in the batting cages for $1/14 hits. If you are a member, you get a lot of benefits and discounts for $65 per year. It is only $25/hour if you’re a member, while it is $30 for non-members. Also, they offer football and baseball turf rentals for pitching, hitting, throwing, and catching practices. Soon, you will be able to play basketball here, too. Call them at 815.654.0300 or visit their website.
To see a good baseball game in Rockford, you just have to go as far as Riverhawks stadium off Riverside at 4503 Interstate Drive. We’ve been to a couple of their games and you are always guaranteed entertainment. Tickets are between $5 and $15 for different seat locations. Their number is 815.885.2255 and their website is http://rockfordriverhawks.com/.
If you prefer major league, Milwaukee and Chicago are your closest options. Miller Park in Milwaukee is our favorite. It has a very crowd-entertaining atmosphere, with the brat races and active mascot. Also, the roof closes when it rains so you don’t have to worry about rainy days. If you go to the stadium, get there early. Bring some chicken or hamburgers and tailgate; it’s always such a good time! They have a parking lot specifically for tailgaters and there is plenty of room for cooking necessities. Tickets are between $8 and $45. For more information about Miller Park and the Brewers, visit their website, http://brewers.mlb.com/mil/ballpark/index.jsp.
In Chicago, you can go see the Cubs or the WHITE SOX. We are completely neutral towards whatever team you decide to go see cough WHITE SOX cough. Coughing aside, we’ve been to both fields and have had enjoyable times. If you’re into old-school baseball feel, without the frills and modern luxuries at newer fields, Wrigley is the place for you. It is also the place for you if hot dogs are important for you, as the Cubs, in our opinion, have the best compared to the other parks. Tickets are between $16 and $70. Visit their website, http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=chc.
U.S. Cellular field is newer and arguably nicer than Wrigley. It is very modern and has been clean in our experiences. If you want to pick the best night of the season to go, we recommend any of the numerous fireworks nights or August 22. This is Elvis night and you may never see a larger or more varied collection of Elvis impersonators descend on a baseball field. And no, the impersonators are not limited to men… It gets a little interesting! Tickets are between $17 and $51, except for Mondays, which are mostly half off. Their website is http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cws.
EDIT: Please note the changed phone number and website for All Starz Sports Clinic. We apologize for our misinformation.
April 21st, 2008 04:24pm
Emily Johnson
Like we told you in last week, we went to the Paramore and Jimmy Eat World concert Saturday night at Northern Illinois University.
The concert started at 7:30, so we got there at about 7:00. This was plenty of time. In the future, we would get there a little bit later (provided you have seats and not general admission), because not only did we sit around for a half an hour but there was also an opening band before the main performances. Dear and the Headlights was the opening band. We had never heard of them before, but they were actually decent. Our favorite song was “Sweet Talk”.
Next, Paramore performed. Paramore seemed to draw quite a bit of the crowd, considering it is technically kind of an “opening” for Jimmy Eat World; many people left after their show. Paramore’s performance was really fun ! The band knows how to keep the crowd entertained with their high-energy music and rock mentality. It was awesome, of course, to see our favorite songs performed live. Our two favorite songs of the night were “Misery Business” and “Crushcrushcrush”.
Following Paramore’s act was Jimmy Eat World. Their performance was just as fun. We didn’t know as many songs of theirs so it was harder to sing along, but still nonetheless enjoyable. We were about ready to cry when they didn’t play “The Middle” and walked off stage. Luckily, with their encore they played “Hear You Me” and finishing off with “The Middle”.
Overall, our experience of NIU and the bands were very positive. We would suggest getting your tickets far in advance so you can get closer to the stage then we were. But if you get a chance to catch these two great bands while they are on tour, we would definitely recommend it!
April 13th, 2008 10:56pm
Cathryn Vaulman
This Saturday, two of our favorite bands are coming to DeKalb to perform at the NIU Convocation Center - Paramore and Jimmy Eat World.
Paramore is fairly new to the mainstream music scene. Their first CD, All We Know Is Falling, was excellent but not hugely popular. Our favorite song off of that CD is Emergency, although Pressure is a very close second. Their latest CD, Riot!, is what has gotten them the most fame. The most popular single off of this CD is Misery Business, which has been climbing charts for a while now. We also like Crushcrushcrush and That’s What You Get.
Jimmy Eat World had their first huge hit in 2001 with The Middle on their self-titled album. We still listen to that song! On the same album, Sweetness is another popular song that is another favorite. Since then, we have come to love this band through their songs Work and Pain, both off of their 2004 album Futures, and Big Casino and Always Be from their most recent accomplishment, Chase This Light.
We’ll be doing a follow-up review next week to let you know how Paramore and Jimmy Eat World performed, as well as how our experience at the NIU Convocation Center was in case you want to catch an upcoming show!
April 6th, 2008 10:36pm
Emily Johnson
This past weekend, we saw 21 in theaters. This fun, new movie is based off of the popular novel Bringing Down The House about a successful money scam by a group of intelligent college students.
Ben Campell, played by Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe anyone?), is the central character in the film. He attends MIT and is virtually a perfect student: 4.0, excellent recommendations, the works. However, his dream is to attend Harvard University Law School and unfortunately money is a major issue. A group of students along with a professor come to Ben and ask them to join their “black-jack group;” they go to Las Vegas every weekend and use their counting cards scheme to win a enormous amount of money. Ben catches on fast and is quickly one of their most profitable players ever. Well, as the plot has it, the story shifts a little…and we won’t spoil the rest.
This movie was overall very interesting. We tend to like movies that are based off of true stories because of the realistic quality. Since this movie was only loosely based off the novel, it lost a little of that realistic touch. We felt that they would have been better off trying to stay closer to the actual story, then trying to make it a super intense “Ocean’s 11” type of movie. The real story in itself is so interesting, there was no need to butter it up.
Overall, we’re not sure it was worth the $9 (yeah we know, $9 is ridiculous!) ticket, but I would definitely put it on the list for rentals. Or better yet, pick up the novel Bringing Down The House and read about the group of gambling MIT students for yourself.
March 23rd, 2008 11:23pm
Cathryn Vaulman
This small café and bar opened near the Metrocentre in November. We stopped by for a quick dinner last weekend and had a great time.
The menu features mostly sandwiches. You can build your own by choosing the bread, meat, cheese, and toppings or pick one of their choices. We first tried their Kiwi Café club panini. This delicious sandwich has turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on Italian panini bread. Even though it was not a warm, melty panini straight off the grill, it was still a high quality sandwich that made for a great dinner. The second sandwich we tried was a meatball sub. This sub was perfectly sized with four great-tasting meatballs on a soft bun. All sandwiches come with a choice of a side. We suggest chips over pasta salad if that becomes a debate for you. Both of our sandwiches were $6; everything is very moderately priced!
We went at dinnertime so there was a strong bar feeling in the restaurant. However, if you go earlier for lunch, the café feel will be a little stronger.
The food and service were both excellent. Overall, we loved our trip to Kiwi Café and Bar. Being located so close to the Metrocentre, try Kiwi for a bite to eat before an Ice Hogs game or a concert.
[Kiwi is located at 211 Elm Street. Call them at 815.968.5494.]
March 21st, 2008 10:02pm
Cathryn Vaulman
Our Spring Break officially began on Thursday, and we’ve thought of a few fun things to do. We’ll share a few of our ideas in case you’re looking for some ideas.
Springtime is the perfect time for road trips, and while the weather may not scream spring quite yet, we still enjoy them. We’ll probably head near Chicago for some shopping and dining. Our two favorite suburban malls are Woodfield and Oak Brook. Unless it warms up, we will definitely be going to mostly indoor Woodfield to check out H&M, Nordstrom, XXI Forever, Urban Outfitters, and DSW Warehouse. Check out the sale and clearance racks at DSW. Here, you find incredible deals on Puma, Steve Madden, BCBG, and many other adorable shoes. We cannot stress enough the values found in this store!
Shopping makes you hungry, so you will naturally want to grab a bite to eat. One of our favorite lunch spots in Woodfield is Stir Crazy, where you pick the noodles, meat, vegetables, and sauce for your own stir-fry. If you go here, try the passion fruit spritzers! Besides Stir Crazy, there are many other enjoyable chains around the mall, so you won’t have to venture too far from I-90 to find really good food. Maggiano’s Italian restaurant has huge portions, but the food is delicious. If you’ve never been there, we highly recommend it.
If you still want great food and don’t want to spend too much money on it, try making your own fun dish. To do this, visit Valli Produce, the new grocery store at Riverside and Alpine. All of their fruits, vegetables, and deli selections are very fresh and it’s quickly becoming our favorite grocery store. Plus, they have bakery-made, authentic Italian and Polish cookies. Delicious!
Something surprising to us is the number of people who have never been to some of Rockford’s finest offerings. Have you ever been to the Burpee Museum? How about the Discover Center or the Rockford Art Museum? These are all classic Rockford places that should be visited. Boring Spring Break days are the perfect times to do this.
Take some time this Spring Break to explore Spring Break and beyond. And just keep in mind: summer isn’t too far away!
March 9th, 2008 11:20pm
Cathryn Vaulman
This week, we had the opportunity to sit in on one of Guilford High School’s rehearsals for their Spring musical. This year they are performing “Urinetown.” The name surprised us a little, but we were definitely interested in finding out more about the play. The story takes place in a city suffering from a severe drought. Because of the drought, no one is allowed to use private restrooms. Urine Good Company is in charge of the public amenities, which require a fee for every use. The people living in the slums around Public Amenity No. 9 find it difficult to come up with the money they need to pay the fee, but the tough money collector Penelope Pennywise (Mingkhwan Zehner) shows no pity. The janitor Bobby Strong (Kevin Conklin) wants to let them in without money; unfortunately, he can’t even help his own father (Derek Mallow) when he doesn’t have the money. Old Man Strong refuses to pay, and after using the amenity, he is taken by the police to “Urinetown.” No one knows what happens when you are sent to Urinetown, but they know it is a horrible punishment. The head of the Urine Good Company’s daughter, Hope Cladwell (Krystal Castaneda), stops by Amenity No. 9 and meets Bobby on her way to work. The sparks of the romance are evident in their first meeting and her affection gives him strength to resist the fee. The head of Urine Good Company (Matt Miller) is furious and demands Public Amenity No. 9 follows the rules. Trouble starts in this complacent city and its future is soon at stake…
“Urinetown” has a satirical wit about it that made this play so much more than others. This isn’t just a love story; it has a strong message. All of that seriousness aside, though, it is a very humorous comedy. Songs like “Urinetown” and “Peeing is a Privilege” keep a consistent, light tone throughout the play. There is a lot of tongue-in-cheek comedy, as expected in a satire. One of our favorite aspects is the blatant way Officer Lockstock (Robert Kisting) discusses the musical with Little Sally (Aly Burgess). He makes comments like, “We can’t have too much exposition,” and “Well, it is the end of the first act” to point out important tips about musicals.
We were very impressed with Guilford’s cast. Even without sound and lighting perfected, we thought they looked and sounded like professionals. The voice quality of the cast was incredible, and the dance numbers were very well put together. The director, Melissa Thomas Wolf, is a great leader to the young actors and actresses and the pit was masterfully led by Rick Nolting. The two leads, Kevin Conklin and Krystal Castaneda, have great chemistry and personalities that shine in their roles.
We spoke with the leads for a bit in between acts. It is the first time having lead roles for both them and Krystal is excited to be playing such a nice, sweet character. Kevin told us how thrilled they are to be doing a fun and different musical. They have been practicing since January, and we’re sure they are excited to see how the audience will react to their hard work. You can (and should!) see one of their performances, either this Thursday and Friday at 7:00 P.M or Saturday at 2:00 or 7:00 P.M. The cost is $6 for students and $8 for adults.
If “Urinetown” doesn’t strike your interest, there are plenty of other local shows to see this weekend (March 13th - 16th). Boylan will be performing their musical, “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Are we a little biased about Boylan’s play since we go there? Probably. But we always are impressed with their musicals. They have three performances: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:00. The cost of admission is $8.
North Boone High School is performing “Pirates of Penzance.” On Friday, the show is at 7:00. On Sunday, the show is at 2:00. Both of these shows’ tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students in advance, $10 for adults and $7 for students at the door. Saturday’s show is preceded by a Beef Stew dinner at 5:00. For this night, you can buy show-only tickets (like for Friday and Sunday) or you can purchase dinner-show tickets for $12 for adults and $10 for students. Dinner tickets must be purchased in advance. (EDIT - this information was previously wrong. We’re sorry for the confusion, but we messed up with the whole dinner thing. If you have any questions call Laura Kosla or Scott Aska at 815.765.3311.)
Belvidere North is putting on their first performance, “Once Upon a Mattress.” They have performances this Thursday through Saturday at 7:30. It costs $7 for adults and $5 for students.
Stillman Valley is performing “The King and I” this Friday and Saturday at 7:00. Tickets cost $8.
Byron has performances of “Brigadoon” this Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 and Sunday at 2:00. The cost is $5 for students and $10 for adults.
So come out to any one of these great performances and support our young, local talent!
March 8th, 2008 09:26pm
Emily Johnson
On Friday, March 21st, Auburn High School’s National Honor Society will be hosting a citywide dance-a-thon. This dance is to take place at Clock Tower Resort and Conference Center (7801 East State St.). Registration starts at 4 PM, and a ballroom dance instructor will be giving a little lesson at 5:30. After that, dancing begins to music by a 97 ZOK DJ. Dance as long as you can; hopefully, you can make it to the end of the dance at 12:00 AM. Yeah, we know - it’s a long time, but the chance of winning great prizes should motivate you to keep going!
Raffles will be drawn throughout the night for those who stop dancing in that time period. The longer you dance, the better prizes you’re bound to win. For dress, they recommend semi- formal attire (dresses for girls, dress pants and shirts for guys.) Keep in mind it is a masquerade theme, so you can have some fun with your apparel! It’s only $15 for a dancing couple, $8 for a dancing individual, and $5 for a non-dancing individual. All the money goes to cystic fibrosis.
This isn’t just a “date” dance. So get a group of friends together, and you’re sure to have a fun night. It is open to all teenagers; make some time to come dance for a good cause!
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