As spring arises, flowers, bloom and new beginnings form. It may seem like any other seasonal change, but in the city of Newport Beach, one festival comes that brings an audience of 35,000. Over 350 different films varying from foreign to cartoon are shown throughout the theaters of Newport Beach. This year, hosted on April 22-29, people from all over the world came together for this famous event.

“I saw the 3D surf film at Lido theater. It was so gnarly,” said junior Hunter Bilotti.

The festival also reaches out to the community through the outreach program. Local non-profit organizations pair up with a film and raise awareness on a needed cause such as environmental issues, health concerns,  or child care.

“Its really great that these films come because it allows the community to find areas of concern that need help,” senior Rachel Sherman said.

In addition to the out reach program, the starlight from Hollywood is shown among the people of Newport Beach. Stars, some from the movies themselves, come to see the  premiere of their film, so keep your eyes open for next year CDM because you may just be sitting next to the humble star of the film. Following the event around 12 am, special VIP part opportunities are available to people in the audience.

“I got asked to go to a part after the movie i went to see. I felt so special,” said junior Maddie Turner.

Fundraisers, stars, and independent films fill the Newport theaters for a mere five days. People from all over the world come to the beautiful beaches of Newport for this incredible viewing. Who needs the Sundance Film Festival when we have access to one right here? Don’t miss the next viewing CDM, because it surely will be unforgettable.

The Wiz has arrived! Beginning Friday, CdM’s theatre department opened the spring musical “The Wiz” in the Loats Theatre at Newport Harbor.  The cast and crew have been working hard for many weeks, during lunch and nighttime rehearsals perfecting the musical. Opening night, as the audience was seated, the orchestra began to play, the crew members pulled back the large black curtain, the bright lights shown upon the stage, the actors came on, and the show began.

The audience was transported through a musical filled with funky dancing, singing, and acting as well as laughs.

“I really enjoyed seeing ‘The Wiz.’ Everyone in the cast did really well and it was entertaining,” said junior Jessica Beyer.

“The Wiz” is like a twist of “The Wizard of Oz.” Dorothy, played by Calli Conti, is on a journey to find her way back home after the tornado has transported her to a foreign land. Along the way, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow (James Conger), Tinman (Brian Smith), and the Cowardly Lion (Ben Carlson). Once Dorothy meets her friends, they journey along the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to find the Wiz (Sarah Schulte) and ask for their wish.

As the last musical of the year, all should see this fun and funky 70’s musical. With dancing, singing, and acting “The Wiz” is an upbeat and great spring musical that CdM’s theatre department has put on.

Director and Producer, Mr. Martin as well as Choreographer, Mrs. Marseilles, and Conductor Mr. Jamora have helped make this musical so great to watch. Their efforts along with the cast and crew of “The Wiz” is what has made this musical come together.

The cast and crew of “The Wiz” rehearsed during the weeks leading up to show week but not until the week of opening night did the actors start rehearsing at The Loats Theatre. Within one week, the lighting, spacing, music, and all other aspects of the musical came together.

“I love being part of  ’The Wiz!’ It’s so much fun and were all like a big family!” said freshman Jenna Funsten who plays an Ozette.

As opening weekend has already passed by, don’t fret; you can still see the musical next weekend, May 7th and 8th, as the energetic cast will perform two more nights. Everyone participating in “The Wiz” has put  so much time and dedication into this performance and it is worth coming to see. So ease on down the road to see “The Wiz.”

* Friday May 7^th. Saturday May 8^th. 7:00 at the Loats Theatre at Newport Harbor. Tickets for sale $10, $12, $17, based on seating. Buy them at the door or online at: https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=c233abeb3153bfe70148a56eab574dfb&t=tix

Theaters were flooded Friday, April 23^rd (the day after Earth Day), as Disneynature’s Oceans made its first appearance on land. With ground-breaking, awe-inspiring photography, Oceans takes its viewer on an unbelievable adventure into the sea’s depths. The captured images were so incredible, in fact, that some people actually did find them unbelievable.

Freshman Shea O Hill said, “During several parts of the movie, I found myself questioning if they were truly real, or if they were just a really good animations.”

The ecological documentary dives into the great unknown, exploring the lifestyles of its fascinating inhabitants. With creatures resembling rocks, flying dragons, and silk scarves, the film is a wondrous feast for the eyes.

The documentary doubles as, perhaps, a drama. Gasps and even outcries arise from the audience as they learn about the astonishing eating behaviors that occur down the constant food chain. Dozens of birds fly upward before rocketing into the water in torpedo-like form to catch sardines in the water below. Seagulls swoop down to the sand to snatch newly hatched turtles making their way to the water. Two massive armies of crayfish come together in battle.

The film maintains the audience’s attention with awareness of creatures in danger of extinction and humans’ great interference in life overall in the ocean. Mankind has enormous effect on the ocean whether intentional—dropping massive nets into the ocean—or careless—littering pounds and pounds of garbage that gets dumped directly into the ocean. One scene shows a seal examining a shopping cart on the ocean floor. This garbage forces several animals to relocate into unknown areas where they have greater chance of dying. As narrator Pierce Brosnan said, “Human indifference is the ocean’s greatest threat.”

With incredible how-did-they-get-that camera shots, remarkable discoveries, and vital messages, Oceans will surely create a ripple effect within the moving-going community.

Imagine 5 stages and 75,ooo people all gathered together wearing obscure clothing, celebrating the musicians present. Trampled grass polo fields and  empty water cups were all that remained in the otherwise quaint town of Indio, California. The time had come and gone once again so quickly for this incredible 3 day festival. leaving CDM students dumbfounded at the epic appeal of the environment. But some may ask, what is the purpose of this show? What makes Coachella so unique? Well according to the Coachella pamphlet,  ”its a place to explore with a mind open to new visions and sounds as well as old favorites.” Students attempt to recollect their thoughts after attending, for some, the biggest event of the year.

“It was absolutely incredible, I LOVE COACHELLA,” senior Lesley Smith said.

For some, like myself, it was their first year attending this incredible phenomena and it can be perceived to be almost too amazing. Friday, traffic was jammed miles back on the freeway exit of Indio, followed by additional lines for parking and entrance. Eager fans could hardly hold back their anticipation as they waited, some for up to 5 hours, to enter.

Enter day one of Coachella. Techno beats erupt with the sound of Deadmau5, followed by Passion Pit, and La Roux. Later, the evening gets a taste of indie music with bands Vampire Weekend, Ra Ra Riot, and Grizzly Bear. People were ecstatic on Friday, April 16 and could not contain themselves.

“It was crazy, I absolutely loved Passion Pit,” senior Zoe Salaam said.

Day two was definitely the meat of the festival. With bands Camera Obscura, Girls, Temper Tramp, and the White Rabbits all in the early afternoon, people were frantically in constant motion, eager to attempt to be present at all. The lineup at night ended epically with Hot Chip, MGMT, headliner Muse, Sia, Tiesto, and legendary Devo. The XX, from Britain made an astonishingly good performance. First-timers to Coachella and fairly new to the music industry, people were amazed at their incredible performance.

“Saturday was so hectic because I wanted to see everything. Muse put me in a daze they were so good,” junior Maddie Ludlow said.

Lastly the festival came to a close with the mellower environment of Sunday. Smaller bands were made known through the festival such as Local Natives, Soft Pack, Matt & Kim, and Icelandic singer Jonsi. The night’s entertainment ended with bigger fan followings such as Spoon, Thom Yorke, Pavement, and Gorillaz.

Looking around CDM on Monday, April 19, the people who attended Coachella were clearly dominant, sporting their festival T-shirts and unflinching grins. All that was left of Indio, California was an empty polo field, which will soon be brushed away of any remnants of Coachella. Memories will hold all year long, until the famous festival will once again create what is the biggest concert in California.

Many celebrities climb the ladder of fame gradually, starting off small in local commercials, then by some miracle they are discovered by a big producer and they begin their journey in the entertainment business. This typical actors and actresses usually have a peak in their career, whether it be a role in a popular box office movie or landing a leading role in a worldwide television show. Some choose to bask in their moment of glory and take it easy, soaking up all that fame has to offer, but others look at the situation a little differently.

Its one thing to enjoy a moment of fame and use all of its bountiful amenities but one man had another approach on the situation. Just as his career reached an all time high he took advantage of his popularity and is now one of the most recognized men in all of Hollywood’s history. This man… Ryan Seacrest.

This TV show and radio host has a voice and face that are identified around the world. He currently has an seven jobs and, as a result, has an extremely busy schedule. His fifteen-hour workday earns him the popularity that he proudly has today.

His day begins at four a.m. when he wakes up and drives to the E! Radio station. At five a.m. he’s the host for 102.7 KISS-FM Los Angeles and he is on the air for a five-hour show. At 10:01 a.m. Seacrest records voiceovers for E! News stories that run later in the day. One its 10:30 he does the American Top 40 countdown. Finally stopping for a break, he eats lunch at his desk for a half hour but then is back in action at 12:30 when he prepares for E! News. The shooting for E! News is at 1:00, and then after an hour show he drives to CBS for the filming of American Idol. After a two-hour rehearsal he has a live taping of the show at 5:00. At 6:00 he goes through everything there is planned for the next day and then Seacrest returns home to his $11 dollar home,

“I don’t understand how Ryan Seacrest can have seven jobs and still make his hair look great, like Ty Hacks,” says freshman Samantha Colvin.

After a day in the life of Ryan Seacrest one would probably just quit, but Seacrest has been keeping up his schedule for a while now and his fans applaud him for that. He is someone that proves to people around the world how far a little bit of hard work can take you.

Eighty-two. The number of games each NBA basketball team plays to complete the regular season. Thirty. The number of teams in the NBA who endure the eighty-two game season. Sixteen. The number of NBA teams who make it into the playoffs. One. The number of NBA Teams who win the title of World Champion once the season is over.

The NBA is just hours away from ending its regular season. It has been six months since the season began, and each team has fought hard for their spot in the conferences. Only eight teams from each conference make it to the playoffs, that is just a little over half the teams. While this task may look easy, it really is anything but that.

Many teams overcome great obstacles during the season to have a chance at their playoff dream, some more successful than others, however. In the case of the New Jersey Nets, they had to look past the fact that they were well on their way to the worst season in NBA history in order to have confidence each game.

There were teams who were successful, in fact, there were 16 teams. While the Western Conference has locked all eight playoff seeds, the Eastern Conference has clinched all seeds but one, the eighth seed.

For the Western Conference, the eight playoff spots belong to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks, the Utah Jazz, the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets, the Portland Trailblazers, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Eastern Conference is different than their western counterpart in that most of the teams in this years playoffs are often seen there each year. The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks, the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Charlotte Bobcats have all finalized their positions in the playoffs, however that eighth seed still remains.

The fight for the eighth seed is between two teams, the Chicago Bulls, and the Toronto Raptors. Both equally capable of making a run for the title, but both just short of a high playoff birth due to the competitive atmosphere that lies in the east. It all relies on two game held tonight. If both teams win or lose their games, then the spot will go to Chicago who is just one game up from Toronto. If Chicago loses, but Toronto wins, then the spot will go to Toronto who beat the Bulls twice in their three meetings during the regular season.

Thusly the countdown begins. Sixteen teams, one goal: to become the NBA World Champions.

Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Own Clarke, Felix Martin, and Al Doyle grew up in the metropolitan city London where the seed of their unbelievable band was planted. Electronic beats combined with incredible vocals surges through the bodies of listeners, leaving them utterly astonished.

“I couldn’t stand still when i first heard their beats. They’re so gnarly,” junior Peter Morris said.

When viewing these band members, one may infer that they are just ordinary people, with their simple attire and short hair cuts, but that is a complete misconception. The audience erupts with pleasure as these extraordinary individuals create the ultimate dance-electro beats, leaving listeners thirsty for more. Laser beams of multiple colors shoot through the audience, surging in a rhythmic beat along with the music. Looking around, this little British band will make listeners feel like time travel does indeed exist.

“Hot Chip is the reason i dance. How can you not, their beats are incredible,” junior Erica Lewis said.

With the birth of their first album, Coming on Strong (2004), DFA Records and EMI were amazed and eager for more. Shy and naive at the start of their career, the band was completely unprepared for the abrupt increase of fans with the release of their second album The Warning in May 2006. Beginning tours following with increasing fans in both the U.K. and the U.S., the country erupted with joy at the release of their recent album Made in the Dark (2008).

“Their last album is really good. It’s definitely disco influenced which is awesome,” sophomore Ashley Powers said.

As if these album collections could not get any better, Hot Chip once again proves the impossible with the upcoming release of their fourth album One Life Stand (2010). Don’t miss the spring and summer tour with the band The XX because its going to be a site to remember.

Tour Dates

4/16 Oakland, CA-Fox Theatre

4/19 Chicago, IL-Riviera Theatre

4/20 Toronto, Ontario-Koolhaus

4/22 New York, New York-Terminal 5

4/24 Washington, DC-9:30 Club

Vocals, violin, guitar, mandolin, whistling, and glockenspiel. Is there anything that this musical genius can’t do? Andrew Bird, indie folk-rock extraordinaire, continuously  astounds listeners with his completely original performances.

“His music is so gnarly. I love when he whistles and plays the mandolin,” said junior Peter Morris.

Raised in the environment of the zen Suzuki method beginning at the age of four, Bird has always been naturally gifted. He graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in violin in 1996, instantly sky-rocketing his career in the music industry, releasing his first solo album Music of Hair. Contrasting to his later albums, this showcased his violin skills and revealed his obsession with the genres of American and European folk, jazz, and blues.  

“I really love his earliest album, his violin is very relaxing,” junior Kristina Baker said.

In 1997, Bird sang and performed lead in his band Bowl of Fire, releasing Thrills (1998), Oh! The Grandeur (1999), and The Swimming Hour (2001). All albums are heavily  influenced by folk, swing, and jazz . All albums were praised and left indie music critiques in awe. The Swimming Hour (2001) received a 9.0 from indie music site Pitchfork, encouraging Bird to continue creating beautiful music. However, the band fell apart when a Chicago show arose but no one could show up, forcing Bird to perform solo, launching his career.

“He really was able to blossom as a musically talented performer when he split from his band. Change definitely benefited him,” junior Alexa Haney said.

Once Bird was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight, he seemed, timid but quickly adjusted, releasing the following albums: Music of Hair (1996), Weather Systems (2003), Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005), Armchair Apocrypha (2007), and recent album Noble Beast (2009).

Bird is known for improvising in his shows, looping and morphing his songs to sound absolutely incredible. With his enchanting sound accompanied by his scientific abstract lyrics, there’s no telling what new creative sound will come from this astounding man. Don’t miss his last live performance of this year in Winnipeg, CA on July 11 at the Winnipeg Folk Festival! As the wind sways or the trees blossom, Andrew Bird will appear to paint a musical picture in the minds of listeners for all who come to see him live.

The debut of apples’ ipad, coming this april, is expected to be recieved with a less warm of a welcome than what the company was going for. Although some marvel at the sleek design of Apple’s new touch screen computer, which is the size of a piece of paper, the ipad is said to have many flaws.

The newly designed ipad is said to be very similar to the iphone, only bigger and with more functions. Some look at this as unextraordinary, because most things that they can do with and ipad, they can do with their iphone (assuming the person owns one).

Many disadvantages have been revealed by media specialists testing the ipad. One of its biggest flaws has been said to be its lack of ability for multi-tasking. The ipad cannot run more than one application at a time, which is a bummer for those wanting to use it as a computer of sorts. Also, it does not feature a camera, which definitely would have improved its look. Neither does it have a USB port.

According to journalist Timothy Blee, the ipad is “totally unacceptable for a device that aims to largely displace my laptop.” Another glaring issue is that the ipad does not support Flash player, which is of great importance for websites like Disney, Hulu, or JibJab.

One of the few advantages of the device is that it only costs 499 dollars, half the price of a macbook, which makes it accessible to many.

Overall, there are many mixed-feelings about the ipad, predominantly negative. However, that being said, it  is definitely an advancement that will most likely be improved upon in the future and customized to please the masses.

Ali Fedotowsky and bachelor Jake Pavelka

25-year-old Ali Fedotowsky has been given a second chance at finding love. After leaving The Bachelor as one of the final four to return to her advertising job at Facebook, Fedotowsky became the front runner choice to be the next ‘Bachelorette’.

Fedotowsky fell in love with bachelor Jake Pavelka, but made the difficult choice of choosing work over love.

Looking back on her decision and her second chance, Fedotowsky told host Chris Harrison, “When I found out, when I was even first approached, I kind of felt a little scared at first, and I almost went right back to how I felt when I had to make the decision with Jake. And I just realized…I’m not gonna let fear dictate my life anymore, and I just need to go for it…I want to find someone, and I want to be in love, and I want to get married, and have kids and all of that, and this is my chance. So, I’m not gonna make the same mistake I made last time. I’m going for it.”

Fedotowsky has become quite a popular figure since her dramatic exit from the show. She has appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and on ABC. A Facebook group has been created in her honor, amassing over 15,000 fans!

Senior Courtney Davidosn states, ” I think it will make for a good season and a lot of drama.”

Fans can only hope that Fedotowsky will follow her heart and choose love over her career. She has quit her job at Facebook in order to appear on The Bachelorette and will return after the  show is over.

The next season of The Bachelorette will premiere later this year.