Entertainment

Grand Revival, junior Nate Wilkinson’s band, put on an energetic and surprisingly well put-together set on Nov. 21 at Jammin’ Java in Vienna. Wilkinson is the lead guitarist for the blues and hard rock foursome which is comprised of members from various regional high schools.

Martin Scorsese, the man who directed famous blockbusters such as Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980) and Goodfellas (1990) has recently stepped out of his comfort zone to unleash his first 3-D film Hugo.

Most holiday movies consist of lovable characters on a heartfelt and somewhat sappy journey. New Year’s Eve follows this pattern, except instead of covering one or two characters on a journey, it covers 18. As a result, the characters and plotline are poorly developed.

Outlet malls are the best place to shop this holiday season.
They are family friendly and the overall environment is less rushed and stressed.
Their bargain prices are often marked down even more for the holidays.
Outlet malls offer designer and well known brands of merchandise, which ensures the quality of the items.
Also, besides offering last year’s designs and styles, many of them stock special exclusive items.
A common misconception about outlet malls is that they only carry clothes. However, most outlets have a variety of electronics, home goods and sports stores.

With the holidays just around the corner, tis the season to find a new hangout to explore with friends or family. These conveniently close shopping centers are perfect for getting some last minute gifts too!

Reston Town Center
Ambiance:
The town center is geared more towards entertainment and less towards shopping. While it is not particularly decorated, the ice skating rink adds to the holiday spirit of the town center.

Entertainment and Shopping:

1. Skyrim

This is by far the best game of 2011. Its huge open world map and extensive character customization make it a great role playing experience. The gameplay is fun and smooth, thanks to the simple and fluid controls that easily let you switch between your assortment of weapons and spells. The high replay value, engaging story and intriguing gameplay easily place it in the top of the list.

2. Batman: Arkham City

With members coming and going with the release of each album, The Roots has drawn from a diverse pool of musical talent. As a result, founding members Black Thought and Quest Love have been able to appeal to people across the musical spectrum. Their latest album, Undun continues this trend as it combines instrumentals ranging from classic to electronic and vocals ranging from soul to rap. This diversity combines to form an incredible album, worthy of The Roots’ prestige.

The lull of maracas and strumming of a ukulele accompany the voice of sophomore Sammy Hakim in her Colbie Caillat-esque song “About You,” which is the final song in her first extended-play album Locked You Out.

“Guitar and piano are my go-to instruments for composing and more intricate melodies, but I like other instruments like ukulele and violin to brighten up or add to the song,” Hakim said.

Hakim’s pursuit of her musical career began when she was joking a round with a friend.

The recent price structuring of Netflix, where the company has decided to separate its DVD by mail service (now called Qwikster) and its TV streaming has alienated an estimated 700,000 of its members and led to an almost 50 percent drop in its share values.

These numbers have been more of a loss than the company expected and an apology from Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, has not soothed the ire of now former Netflix subscribers.

However, the disillusionment from Netflix has failed to spread to Marshall.

Music mash-ups have been around ever since The Beatles and The Rolling Stones began multitrack recording in the late 60s; as many as 12 songs were recorded at once and then were mixed together to create a more complex song.