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Over a weekend at the beach, while I enjoyed the fruits of Satellite TV, I stumbled across a strange commercial on one of many “dude networks” (the one in question was G4, and the ad played during a break on “American Ninja Warrior”).

The short advertisement was for Dollar Shave Club – a shaving razor distributor created by men as a time and money saver.

The principles of the Dollar Shave Club are simple enough: Razors have become too complicated and expensive. Michael Dubin, CEO, asks what happened to the simpler days of our grandfathers–days of cheap but quality razors with, at most, six blades. Has our society passed the days where men can handle a shave without a motor powered razor and flashing lights?

For an average of $1 a month (plus a small shipping and handling fee), any person can register to join. They will receive a free handle as well as cartridge refills for just the low monthly fee.

There are three varieties of razors to choose from: The Humble Twin (two blades), The 4X (four) and The Executive (six).

The two-blade comes with five cartridge refills per month and is described by the website as a razor that “does not front.” Four blade refills a month come with a subscription to the 4X, known also as “The Lover’s Blade,” because girls can make use of it, too! This razor is reasonably priced at $6/month.

Truly, the epitome of cheap blade would be The Executive, at $9/month. The club website describes this razor as “a personal assistant for your face.” Need it say more?

Dollar Shave Club is a strange and innovative way to bring men back to simpler days of simpler technology. Now, I mustache you a question: are you ready to visit dollarshaveclub.com and start saving money today?

Aaron Carter went from fame to lame in the span of 10 years. In more recent times, it has been said that he ended up in rehab. This is the trend for many teenage heartthrobs from generations passed.

Aaron Carter was the epitome of a 90’s teen pop singer. His dreamy voice and melodic lyrics melted the hearts of the young girls of the late 20th century.

Aaron became famous after doing a cover of The Jets’ song “Crush on You” while opening for The Backstreet Boys. After the gig, the song was released as Aaron’s first hit single; the song became an international hit.

As his music career progressed, Aaron produced more and more songs. “I Want Candy” and “Aaron’s Party” were just two of his more memorable hits. Eventually, he was contacted to star in TV shows and movies such as Lizzie McGuire, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Fat Albert and 7th Heaven.

2002 marked the end of his dreamy, teen pop-star claim-to-fame. Throughout the next three years, Aaron would attempt to salvage his career. He released another song, “Saturday Night”, in 2005, but it did not create any more opportunities for him. In 2006, he starred in a reality TV show called House of Carters where Aaron and his family reunited to live together and allow cameras to record them. The show did not last long.

Years after the falling-out of his career, it seems as though Aaron has disappeared from the world of music and media. The “‘90s girls” who spent their early years drooling over Aaron Carter have not forgotten him, though.

Claire Coward, junior, was a huge Aaron Carter fan. “I was kind of obsessed with him. I always thought I’d end up marrying him.” Coward considered Aaron to be a “hardcore rapper” of the 90’s.

“Aaron Carter and his music will always remind me of my childhood. It makes me think of my old house and friends, and the simplicity of being a kid,” said Coward.

After talking about Aaron’s music career and how he seemingly fell off the face of the earth, Coward pointed out that she recently found him on Twitter. “He barely had any followers,” she said. “It was actually kind of sad.”

The downfall of Aaron Carter brings with it the end of an era. Although a face that any 90s- girl will never forget, he is only another name to be lost in the spotlight.

Just as the ‘90’s girls had a teen heartthrob, their teachers, as well as their mothers, had their own “Aaron Carter.”

Mrs. Beaver said that she could not think of one single artist that was the “Aaron Carter” of her time, though she was very quick to answer with New Kids On The Block.

“I had posters of them all over my room, and I also had a New Kids On The Block lunchbox,” she said. For a girl in her young tween years, the “kids” were absolutely dreamy. “They were all so young and cute, but now they are old and not so cute…”

NKOTB, as they were often referred to, were a popular boy band of the early 80s. The group consisted of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood.

The group was at the peak of their career in the ‘80s, selling 80 million records and winning two American Music Awards. Their first songs “Be My Girl” and “Stop it Girl” were not immediate hits. However, next album was more successful and contained a song that would become #10 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart. “Please Don’t Go Girl” was less “bubblegum pop” and more of a ballad.

Even more of a hit then “Please Don’t Go Girl”, their song “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)” reached #1 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart. NKOTB continued to produce hit songs such as “Cover Girl” and “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)”. With one last successful album, Step by Step, the boys disbanded in the early 90s. Allegations of lip syncing surfaced and it seemed as though the group was done forever. After many failed attempts to reunite, NKOTB secretly got back together in 2007 to record a new CD. After the album, they went on tour with the Backstreet Boys in the summer of 2011. Once again, NKOTB have seemingly disappeared.

According to my mom,  Shaun Cassidy was the “Aaron Carter” of her tween years. Cassidy was an actor and singer back in the day. He began his career while in high school, and he began recording music that was released in Europe and Australia before it eventually made its way here to the U.S.

His single “Da Doo Ron Ron” became a number one hit in the United States and shortly after, Cassidy was nominated for the Grammy’s Best New Artist award.

His next album, Born Late, featured a remake of the popular song “Do You Believe in Magic” by John Sebastian’s group, The Lovin’ Spoonful. This song became a “moderate” success for Cassidy.

In addition to his music career, Cassidy also acted. He starred in the famous TV series The Hardy Boys Mysteries and Breaking Away. He even had his own character doll.

By the late 70s, after the release of his third album, Cassidy’s popularity began to fade. After several failed attempts to rekindle his music career, he moved on to stage acting. From then on, Cassidy wrote and produced shows including American Gothic, Roar, Cold Case, Cover Me, The Agency, Invasion, and Ruby & The Rockits. He is also writing the new 2012-2013 show The Frontier for NBC.

All teenage pop-stars go from being #1 to being nothing. Newer music is always coming out, and it’s not possible for every artist or group to adjust to the ever-changing wants of their fans.

Ashley Kendrot poses before a Leesville playoff game. However, Kendrot cannot play in the up and coming games because of a concussion.

A short few months ago, Ashley Kendrot made the Leesville varsity women’s soccer team. The freshman has transformed from a shy, lowkey newbie to an outgoing starter who fits right in.

In my previous article, I portrayed Kendrot’s challenge of making the team. Now that I have spent months with her, I have witnessed her growth as a player and as a person.

“At the beginning of the season I didn’t really know anyone, but now everyone is like a family to me,” said Kendrot.

The rest of the team has welcomed her as well.

Nicole Park, junior, said, “Ashley is really nice and fun to be around. Being on varsity as a freshman as well, I know it can be a little intimidating, but Ashley has definitely broken out of her shell and fits right in.”

Kendrot has also grown as a soccer player. Her confidence has expanded and you can observe through her play the way she has adapted to her defensive center midfield position.

“She has become a very dependable player for us,” said Courtney Johnson, senior.

Claire Coward, junior, agreed. “That little meatball is one heck of a soccer player.”

Kendrot herself said she feels more comfortable. She said, “At the beginning of the season I was so nervous and now I am less nervous because I know my team will have my back no matter what.”

At the beginning of the season, Kendrot was here to fight, and she has only reinforced that over the past weeks. Her increased playing time proves that Kendrot is always working hard and trying to improve.

“No one is guaranteed playing time on this team. He [Coach Dinkenor] often times switches a couple people up. I think that is good though because it keeps the competition high,” said Kendrot.

The experience of playing on a varsity sports team is a tiring one, but as all athletes must do, she has learned to balance it.

Kendrot said, “Sometimes it can get very stressful, but it is worth it. I love playing soccer, and I love playing for Leesville.”

Her maturity has grown beyond her years, and she has grown accustomed to the high pressure situations she is often put in in these high school games.

The Pride soccer team this season has accomplished plenty. The freshman has been a major contributor to the team becoming 2012 Co-Conference Champions and CAP8 Tournament Champions. To be a starting freshman on the varsity team in this kind of environment is an accomplishment that not many people have done.

As the 2012 season has progressed, Kendrot has definitely stepped up her game. In the next few years, it should be exciting to see how she continues to develop as a person and player.

“I had my students write a one-act play to be entered into The Burning Coal Theater Kidswrite competition,” said Mrs. Covington. The original plays had to be less than 45 pages and turned in by March 1, 2012. Anyone in middle school or high school could enter.

Hesitant, Reilly composed a play based on a free-write she had done previously that semester. She put a creative spin on it by using a janitor’s point of view rather than the typical main character narrating it.

When the time came to select the winners, Reilly’s name was called. Reilly said her first reaction to her winning was “why not Gray?” Gray Sotir, senior, had been the anticipated winner of the contest because he is a great writer.

“I think I’m most excited to go see the play. I get to meet with the director and help with the casting process,” said Reilly. Mrs. Covington, too, was very excited that Reilly will be a part of the process.

“It’s funny, Hope couldn’t even stand creative writing and she was the one who ended up winning. The class was very supportive of her. We practiced it in class and everyone gave verbal feedback,” said Mrs. Covington.

Even though Reilly never anticipated to win the contest, she is ecstatic about the outcome and can’t wait to see her one-act play performed on stage.

Dr. Muttillo working in his office in between academic breakfasts on Friday, May 11. He is settling into life at Leesville, learning the Leesville way.

“In high school, I learned to type on a typewriter.  When I went to college, I brought a word processor with me.  Over the same period of time, information was stored on an 8-inch floppy disk, than a 3 inch floppy disk, then a CD, then a flash drive, and now we have information stored in a virtual cloud.”

In this quote via email, Dr. Muttillo acknowledges that the world is constantly changing.

However he wants to “provide stability to the principalship at Leesville Road High.”

This isn’t a new challenge for Dr. Muttillo. West Millbrook Middle School (Muttillo’s previous school) Instrumental Music teacher Heidi Sue Ross mentioned via email what a great job he did there.

“Dr. Muttillo joined WMMS following a very turbulent 3 year period, during which the school changed principals twice.”

Sound Familiar? After Mr Lyons departure to Enloe, followed by a brief interim principalship by Dr. Dixon, Leesville is no stranger to principal turn over.

Leesville parent and current West Millbrook guidance counselor Dawn Clark said via email that Dr. Muttillo should be able to come in and have the same effect.

“Dr. Muttillo opened doors for me and so many others at WMMS (West Millbrook Middle School). He has allowed programs to begin and continue that benefit and highlight all WMMS students,” said Clark.

Clark also talked about how she feels as both a West Millbrook employee and a Leesville parent.

“As a parent, staff, and PTA member of WMMS we are very sad to see Dr. Muttillo leave WMMS; however, as a parent at LRHS I as well as the other LRHS parents and families are very excited to see him coming to our school.”

Both Clark and Ross mentioned that Muttillo is an open-minded principal, and in my email interview with him, he mentioned ways he would like to impact the school.

Technology is a big part of Muttillo’s plans, as he said that he wants to “make sure everyone has access to the technology they need to produce 21st century digital products.”

He talked about an article titled “21 Thing that Will Be Obsolete by 2020,” and how it shows that things will change at Leesville, and how he wants to make that change.

“I also want to evaluate the types of technology available to teachers and students and make sure everyone has access to the technology they need to produce 21st century digital products.”

Although he may be into improving the technology, his favorite part of the job is much simpler.

“Some of my most enjoyable moments are simply being able to sit back and watch magical moments where teachers and students display their individual talents,” said Muttillo.

He also said that he likes to see this at every level, saying that they can take place in “classrooms, athletic competitions, and other extra-curricular activities, such as music, dance, theatre, academic competitions, and service clubs. “

Whether or not he is able to accomplish all his goals, one thing is clear: Leesville has a great new principal.

Anonymous came out in late 2011. The movie addresses the controversy that Shakespeare’s work may not be completely original.

On Friday, May 11, Leesville Road High School’s Film Club gathered in room 217 to watch Anonymous, a famous film exploring the authenticity of William Shakespeare’s works.

Typically, the club’s president, Anna Foley, says a few words to start the meeting. However, she was unable to make it to the meeting, so Mr. Phillips, club advisor, gave a brief summary of the film to begin the meeting.

Laura Dellabadia, junior, joined Film Club because she found it interesting that films have meaning behind them.

“We watch the movies and then discuss it as a group. Everyone brings different opinions and ideas and it is fun to see what everyone thinks,” said Dellabadia. ”It’s also a great way to be social.”

Kevin Commons, junior, loves getting to watch movies and analyzing them afterwards. When asked what his favorite part of film club is, he could not come up with just one answer.

“I love everything about the club; it’s too hard to pick one favorite thing!”

When the movie ended, the group gathered to discuss what they had just watched. Zoe Simpkins, vice president of the club, summarized the discussion:

“We just discussed how the plot did not occur chronologically and was somewhat convoluted, which contributed to the ‘obscure history’ of Shakespeare. We also talked about how the lighting was often dark and gloomy which contributed to that element of being shrouded in mystery. In addition, we talked about how historically, a lot of the people who interacted would not have actually interacted but it just added an interesting element to the film.”

This was the club’s last meeting for the 2011-2012 school year. The club will continue to meet next year, though the dates are undecided.

Madea is just one of the few characters that reinforces certain stereotypes about African Americans. “She” is played by a male actor (Tyler Perry).

In my previous article, I discussed the idea of “coonery buffoonery” which was presented by Spike Lee when talking about Tyler Perry’s movies. Coonery buffoonery is “antics and behavior” that are displayed by certain individuals in the black culture, resulting in embarrassment for the rest of the black community.

This idea of “coonery buffoonery” has been around since the time of slavery. In the past, it was portrayed through minstrel shows and other forms of entertainment. As time progressed, minstrel shows became socially unacceptable, and the white-owned production companies weren’t forcing this kind of entertainment anymore.

From minstrel shows, certain (and slightly offensive) caricatures popped up such as mammy and Tom. They were interpretations of the characters from the minstrel shows. The character of mammy is shown as a happy, overweight woman. She is a people-pleaser and does whatever she is asked. The character of Tom is supposed to be the male counterpart of mammy. Some of these became toys that were sold for a period of time before being recalled. These were meant to show slavery as a “positive” institution which made everyone happy, which wasn’t really the case.

In 2001, a controversial Spike Lee movie came out called Bamboozled. The movie demonstrates the lengths that some black entertainers go to in order to entertain others. In this movie, a Harvard-educated black man (Pierre Delacroix), who works for a television network, creates a satirical minstrel show in order to get fired. He tries to make his show ridiculously racist and stereotypical. In his show, he has “black actors with even blacker faces.”

Bamboozled presents the idea of a twisted minstrel show and portrays negative black stereotypes. I found this movie offensive because of how real it is. Although the “audience” knew what was going on in this show was wrong, they laughed at the negative stereotypes. Popular opinion spread like wildfire. People accepted this negative portrayal of blacks because everyone else seemed to be doing it.

In the same way, recent movies present similar stereotypes– but in a less threatening way. They are still what Spike Lee considers “coonery buffoonery”– but since they are funny, they are accepted.

If you asked someone in my generation who Madea is, they will associate her with loud, troublesome, full of attitude, and black. In movies such as Madea Goes to Jail, she is not shown in a positive light. There are stereotypes around her that, at times, extend to the rest of the black community. It is similar to the minstrel tradition of the past — the negative portrayal of blacks, except this time the companies are owned and controlled by blacks. The stereotypes that she reinforces are far-fetched and untrue, but because the character is popular and the shows entertaining, people believe them.

Similarly, characters such as Craig and Smokey in Friday are also shown in a bad way. They are poor, living in the ghetto, and lazy– similar to the way African Americans were portrayed in minstrel shows.

In our generation, movies like this are tainting people’s opinions. Kids my age aren’t worldly enough to separate the movie stereotypes from reality. This goes for teenagers of all races– some black teenagers accept and embrace these stereotypes. They believe that this is how they should act.

With Bamboozled, Spike Lee was trying to get people to see that stereotypes such as these are wrong. Has this worked? Since 2001, movies that are considered ‘coonery and buffoonery’ are still come from Hollywood. Movies such as Friday, Soul Plane, and Don’t Be A Menace To South Central continue to spread these negative stereotypes.

For 60 years blacks have been fighting oppression and stereotypes; however, for some reason they continue to generate them. With Bamboozled, Spike Lee was trying to bring attention to these stereotypes by shocking and angering people.

Despite his attempts, it seems like the wrong and negative stereotypes are being accepted because of what people see in movies and shows. Like in Bamboozled, audiences today become comfortable with these slightly offensive shows. They accept and embrace the stereotypes– except this time they are created and owned by blacks. No one is offended even though the line between stereotype and reality is blurred– and it’s hard for some people to make this separation.

After almost colliding with this vehicle, my friend and I noticed his hilarious license plate. As we tried to capture a photo, the driver came forth and posed proudly with his car.

For those who love to say “That awkward moment when…”, have I a story for you. Most people follow that phrase with something that is completely irrelevant and ‘unawkward.’ However something that truly is awkward happened on Friday the 13.

In effort to save myself from the ill-fated day, I went to Crabtree Mall with a friend. I thought some retail therapy may deter any unfortunate situations, but I was wrong.

My story starts with the various near-death experiences in the car ride to the mall. My friend, who recently got her license, is far from a professional driver. Once I made it there alive, our shopping trip was dull and uneventful, which was quite a disappointment.

While pulling out of our parking spot, she almost hit another car and by this point, I was scared of her shaky driving skills. The terror continued as we turned down Creedmoor Road. While attempting to merge to another lane, my friend forgot to check her blind spot. As we drifted toward an innocent driver, she finally realized there was another vehicle there. The older, more experienced driver politely moved out of the way and kindly waved.

After catching my breath, we pulled up behind the same man at the red light on Glenwood. Looking ahead I noticed his license plate. It read, “IBCRUSEN.” My friend and I immediately turned to each other and burst into laughter. This old geezer claimed he is “cruisin’” in his little blue car.

I quickly reached for my phone to snap a picture of this oxymoron in front of me. As I fumbled through my various apps, I finally found my camera icon. While I situated my phone to catch the best shot of this, something strange began happening. My friend pointed out that his car door was ajar. We soon spotted his denim legs emerging from the Ford. We began to get scared, was this man a predator? Was he coming for us? In my panic, I quickly locked the doors.

He advanced toward us while we sat dumbfounded. A huge rush of relief overcame us when the old man rounded the corner of his bumper and stood proudly next to his license plate. With a thumbs up, he posed adjacent to his the metal plate. As if his car was an old friend, he placed his hand on the trunk and popped his other arm up to his hip. Confused and amused, I was still holding my phone out and quickly photographed this strange moment.

I responded to his odd action with a thumbs up which meant I got the picture. He swaggered back to the driver’s seat and closed the royal blue door. Not knowing what just hit us, we giggled in disbelief. Soon we noticed his little sunglass covered eyes, peeping on us in the rearview mirror.

We recovered ourselves and my friend exclaimed, “Tweet it, Tweet it!” So I did, with a caption that summed up our strange encounter. This situation was awkward because the irony of the man’s frumpy blue car and his apparent pride about it. Nonetheless, our near death experience was actually “That awkward moment when…”.

Capital Pride joined hands when they sang Afternoon on a Hill. This was a very emotional song and most of the seniors on stage were in tears.

On Friday, May 4, 2012, the choral department had their spring concerts at 4:30 and 7:30. They were directed by Diane Covington with help from Dr. Jeffrey Maynard, student teacher. Megan Yohman, a previous Leesville graduate and elementary teacher, accompanied the choral groups on the piano.

The concert began with a song performed by all three choral groups. They were scattered in the aisles and on the stage when they sang “Down in the River to Pray.” The next group to take the stage was beginning chorus. They performed five songs, including “Sinnuh Man” and “Down by the Sally Gardens.”

“This was my senior year, and my first year in chorus,” says Brandon Baker, who is in beginning. “It was a really great experience for me, and I’m going to miss it when I leave. I wish I would’ve joined earlier.”

The next group on stage were All the Women’s Voices. They sang “Heart We Will Forget Him,” a very slow song. Then, they transitioned into the upbeat “Shoop Shoop Song”, ending in poses and blowing kisses to the audience.

“Mrs. Covington just wanted us to have fun. The first girl’s song was serious and brokenhearted, and then we went straight into the fast upbeat song. At the end of the song she just told us to do whatever we wanted,” says Amanda Duckett, a junior.

Intermediate chorus took the stage afterwards. They sang five different songs including “Hear My Prayer” and “Dreams of Thee.”

Next was the men’s piece. They sang two songs, but clapping wasn’t allowed in between. They were called “Songs of a Young Man”– the first was “When I was One-And Twenty,” and the second was “Loveliest of Trees, The Cherry Now.” It was a story about the progression of one man’s life, which is why they wanted silence in between.

The most emotional group to take the stage was Capital Pride. Many seniors were moved to tears during a few of these songs, especially “Good Night, Dear Heart.”

“All of Capital Pride held hands during ‘Afternoon on a Hill.’ I’m a junior, so I wasn’t as sad about it. It was just a nice moment where we could enjoy the music and hold hands. It was probably the most emotional for the seniors, because most of them an about have of the audience was crying,” said Amanda.

After this was the senior recognition. Every senior in all three choral groups stepped up to the microphone and told their name, where they are going next year, and what they’ll major in. The groups also presented Mrs. Covington and Dr. Maynor with gifts. Dr. Maynor was given a poster made up of all of Capital Pride’s pictures, and Mrs. Covington was given a basket full of spa items and a gift card to a spa.

Hannah Duckett, a junior in Capital Pride, really enjoyed this concert. “I felt like the 7:30 was the best concert I’ve ever been a part of. It was so emotional, and I felt like everyone sounded amazing.”

Any plaque that goes up in front of the East Building will be funded by private funds. The name change has been in effect for 3 ½ weeks.

Mr. Murphy, the first principal at Leesville, opened the school with the end in mind. His end goal was to have an outstanding high school. The legacy he left still continues today.

On Tuesday, April 24, the Wake County School Board voted to rename the East Building to honor former Leesville principal Richard Murphy.

The change was announced by Leesville Interim Principal Dr. Tom Dixon. Dixon, in a special announcement, said over the intercom some of the things that Murphy had accomplished including how he lead the movement for the new building.

Former Leesville Social Studies teacher Mary Propes, who is part of a committee made up of  “former teachers, administrators, alumni, parent leaders, family and friends” to commemorate Mr. Murphy’s legacy, said via email, “Our reasoning for both the scholarship and the building name center around Mr. Murphy’s emphasis on high academic expectations for all students.”

She was part of a committee made up of “former teachers, administrators, alumni, parent leaders, family and friends.”

Propes, a 35-year veteran of the Wake County School System, talked about how Mr. Murphy had to push hard for the county to give Leesville the new building.

“Mr. Murphy was the driving force behind the construction of the East building. By the third year the school was open, Leesville had mobile classroom units, and our population grew more rapidly with each academic year.”

She also mentioned that the building was built to be more progressive, saying that it was for “classrooms, art rooms, technology labs,specially outfitted rooms for special programs classes, and a music room.”

The building will fittingly be named the Murphy Classroom Building; any sign or plaque that commemorates it will be supplied via private funding and not county money.

One of the last things that Propes said in the email certainly resonates.

“It is appropriate, in light of Mr. Murphy’s death, to name the building in his honor because of his steadfast dedication to academics and his leadership in getting the building approved, designed, and built.”