Entertainment
8
October 19, 2012
Pius alumnus makes deep run on
“America’s Got Talent”
Lincolnite introduces clogging on the big screen
Corinne Simpson
Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO COURTESTY OF JOEL HARRISON
Everybody knows what America’s Got
Talent(AGT) is. But how many of the avid watchers,
realized that one of the dancers in the group “All That”
was a Pius X graduate? Joel Harrison graduated from
Pius
and
now
runs
a clogging
studio here
in Lincoln,
called the
Capital
City Dance
Shack.
Question:
What made
you
want
to
start
clogging?
Answer: I
decided
I
wanted to
try clogging
after going to my moms rehearsals with her and
watching them all beat around the dance floor.
Q: How long ago did you start?
A: My mom finally talked me into taking classes in
1988 at age 8. I started teaching at age 14.and started
directing my first competition teams at age 16. I bought
my first dance studio the summer after my senior year
at Pius.
Q: How did you get involved with the group “All
That”?
A: I met all the All That! boys through traveling with
my competitive groups and competing in the male solo
competitions. It seemed that no matter where we went
one of us would win the title. These are the boys who
made me stay on top of my game. We decided to get
together in 2001 and form the group All That!
Q: Describe the emotions behind competing on AGT?
A: The show was an incredible experience that I will
never forget as long as I live. AGT constantly challenged
our creativity, our drive and our capabilities. We all
felt on top of our game the whole time. Continually
keeping each other on our toes and pushing one an
other to make sure America could see that we were
“Steppin our game up” with each performance. There
is not another group of boys or dancers for that matter
in the world. I remember when it hit me at
first. I was standing there with my arms
crossed, my nose 1 inch away from a 60/40 ft
American flag and knowing that, when this
flag comes flying up, it was game time! We
were getting ready to charge into 11 million
living rooms. Knowing you have 1 shot and
1 shot only
to win the
viewers and
the toughest
j u d g e s
over
on
America’s
stage was
motivation
for us to kill
it! Were we
nervous...
yes, but the
comfort of knowing
7 of your best friends
were right by your side
and we were all going
through this together
was a rush! I would do it again in a heart beat
Q: What was the support from Lincoln like?
A: Amazing! Through this entire experience I have
reconnected with so many old friends and extended
family. The first night we were on the quarter finals
all my friends and family got together and rounded up
over 300 people who all gathered at Lincoln’s Train
station reception hall for food and AGT. I facetime/
skyped everyone at the party. When my brother flipped
the phone around and I saww sooo many fimilar faces
there I couldn’t believe it. I was such an amazing
feeling. I also remember getting to my phone after
the show and having over 100 text messages from
friends In Lincoln and all over the world! It’s such a
crazy feeling to know that something you have trained
almost you whole life for was at our finger tips. The
coolest thing is that our friends, family, fans and Sharon
Osborne are the reason we made it as far as we did.
Q: How did you first get involved in clogging on
AGT?
A: We are all from different places around the US but
we got together one weekend wrote some choreo. We
tried out in Charlotte, NC. Then went to Tampa which
was our “audition” city on the show. The judges put us
through to the Vegas Round. from there we made top
Review: Fall coffee cravings
Monica Condon
Staff Writer
It seems that the generation
of coffee-drinkers get younger every
year, and why wouldn’t it when it is
so readily available, it is energizing,
and, thanks to creamers and flavored
syrup, it tastes so good.
Coffee has also become
more of a social thing. It’s not so
much just drinking it as it is going into
the coffee house to catch up on the
latest happenings, get a little help on
the precalculus assignment and laugh
until your skinny soy latte is coming
out your nose.
Across Lincoln there are a
ton of coffee shops, many not more
than ten minutes away from Pius.
But sometimes the dent
coffee makes in your wallet trumps
your love for it, besides which places
have the best coffee drinks?
For the best blended coffee,
it came down to two places. Scooters’
“Caramelicious” is definitely the
most favored, but Kopeli’s “Caramel
Mochaccino” is a very close second.
Both are rich and creamy, with just
enough coffee flavor, but as for the
price of Kopeli’s, it really can’t be
beat.
For the best iced drink,
Scooters again came out on top with
the “Iced Vanilla” made with sugarfree syrup and skim milk. The price
isn’t bad and it’s something taste
buds, waistlines, and dentists can all
agree on.
Another favorite iced coffee
is at The Perfect Cup, a local shop,
which boasts the widest assortment of
sugar free syrups as well as a unique
atmosphere.
When it came to the iced,
Kopeli fell a little short, as they used
hot coffee instead of cold. The end
product tasted more like you were
drinking water mixed with a few
drops of espresso.
One of the best seasonal
flavors was also found at The Perfect
Cup. The “Flapjack Latte” has hints
of maple and is reminiscent of a
pancake, a perfect flavor for fall.
There’s also the beloved
“Pumpkin Spice Latte” at Starbucks,
which is truly a clear indicator that
autumn is here. It will always hold a
place in caffeine drenched hearts.
For the true connoisseurs,
who like their coffee black, The Mill
comes highly recommended. Their
house blend has a dark and complex
flavor that is a wonderful wake up.
For flavored coffees, Bagels
and Joe is the best choice. Their
“Snickerdoodle” flavor is delicious
and pairs perfectly with their whole
wheat bagel and cinnamon cream
cheese, or one of their cinnamon
rolls.
For those who like to be a
little more daring with their coffee
tasting, the Huckleberry at Bagels
and Joe is a certainly good choice.
The subtle sweetness and fruity notes
make it a truly unique roast.
Coffee is a tasty treat, a
vehicle for socializing, a pick-meup and a nostalgic pastime, and
our Lincoln is no let down for this
delicious aspect of society.
48 and went on to New York for the quarter finals. then
got beat out and made it into the wild card round passed
though tat and end up in the semi finals and made it to
the top 12. 75,000 acts tried out, 1,000 made it to addition
citys, 125 made it to vegas and 48 made the show.
Q: How does it feel to say that you were a top 3 finalist
on AGT?
A: Being able to say we made it as a finalist on the worlds
largest talent contest is such an amazing accomplishment
for all of us. It truly goes to show that if you put your
mind and heart into something... anything.. dreams really
can come true. I can’t tell you how many times people
gave me shit about what I did growing up, and so many
of my peers told me you cant make a living just dancing...
and you know what... I’m still doing it and making
a very successful living by doing what I love to do. I
share my passion with people every day , who have the
same motivation i did to become the best dancer and best
version of myself possible. God is great!
Classic books take
to big screen
Zach Hammack
News And Opinion Editor
Lately books have been
getting extra attention, not in the in
form of the familiar hardcover or
paperback, but rather at the movie
theaters, where familiar classics and
new favorites have been receiving
Hollywood’s special treatment. The real question is
whether this treatment is really
effective in making reading more
popular, or simply making is
obsolete.
“Movies will never replace
books,” Shiela Sievert, sponsor
of Literature Club explained.
“You miss all the true nuances
and subtleties at the theater. Your
imagination can produce a better
picture than Hollywood.”
Even if this does ring true,
movie-goers and readers both seem
willing to watch any incarnation
of a book before reading it. Some
favorites, like the Harry Potter
and the Hunger Games series have
brought in millions of dollar to the
motion picture industry.
And now, many books are
slated to be adapted into movies;
some will be coming out in the
very near future. But this isn’t
anything new. Since the industry
has existed, literature has been
constantly presented on the big
screen.
So what’s the difference
from then and now? Now, it seems
like any book, from the moderately
popular to the next big series are
being selected to be made into
movies even before the books
themselves come out.
One prime example was
2011 Erin Morgenstern’s debut
novel The Night Circus, sold movie
rights to some big name producers
before the novel hit shelves.
“Movies are just another
way to enjoy the story,” Sievert
said, “but it is frustrating when
movies become more popular than
the book and don’t follow the true
story.”
Some classics like Leo
Tolstoy’s colossal novel Anna
Karenina and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
1920s work, The Great Gatsby
are just a few examples of overlyhyped movie adaptions that are
expected to receive good numbers
at the theaters when they actually
premiere.
“Even if movies don’t
provide the entire story, they are
effective in reinventing old classics
and adapting the newest literary
fads,” Sievert said. “It’s sort of
a renaissance for books, and it’s
extremely exciting.”
School: Lincoln Pius X High School
Student: Monica Condon