Have you ever wanted to go to a movie without knowing just enough of the plot or understand it enough to enjoy it? I’m going to try and help you out. I’ll give you a short preview of movies ending 2009 and some of the expected 2010 movies. I hope this helps you choose the movie you want to see this weekend.
Saw 6: Oct. 23, 2009
Jigsaw is dead and the game is over…or so you think. The game is far from over as this movie takes you into a whole new game, with an interesting twist. There seems to be more than one game going on, and the final victim is one you won’t expect.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: July 15, 2009
Harry is on another adventure, he has to seek information about Tom Riddle while befriending the new teacher at Hogwarts. An unexplained darkness lurks through the halls of the school.
Sherlock Holmes: Dec. 25, 2009
Watson and Holmes are on a mystery to find the magician Blackwood. Along the way they encounter many traps and twists that test their minds, and they always pull through. Will they stop Blackwood before he strikes again?
Avatar (3D): Dec. 18, 2009
An ex-marine joins a program on a remote world of Pandora. His job is to take control of an avatar, which is DNA of the natives mixed with human DNA. He has to infiltrate the natives’ main home and send the humans information. But there are a lot of things standing in his way.
And hit off 2010 with a bang!
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: Feb. 12, 2010
A boy named Percy struggles in school, one day he finds out that he has bigger problems. He is the son of the Greek God Poseidon. He is charged by the Gods to find and return Zeus’s master weapon: his Lightning bolt.
Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time: May 28, 2010
A young prince and his father lay siege to the great city of Azad. The prince finds a golden dagger that can alter time. Now he and Farah, a princess of Azad, must work together to stop the Vizier from using the sands of time to destroy their world.
Clash of the Titans: March 26, 2010
Damn the Gods… Perseus was born of the God Poseidon but raised as a human. He must fight to stop Hades from taking Zeus’s power and using it for evil. But will he succeed? Or die trying? He has to discover his powers to find out.
The Lovely Bones: Jan 15, 2010
Based on the novel by Alice Sebold, a young girl is murdered mysteriously and caught in a purgatory-like state. Her father will go to any lengths to solve the murder and bring the killer to justice.
The Wolfman : Feb. 12, 2010
A remake of the classic horror movie, the original werewolf is coming back better than ever as he tries to end the dark curse of the werewolf in his veins.
Well if you’re looking forward to some of the newer movies coming out soon, I’ve done my job. Remakes and new movies are going to be great this coming year, let’s only hope they don’t disappoint. See you at the movies!
~Josh
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Mount Washington
By Kelly S.Imagine riding up the steep sides of Mt. Washington on an open train where you can you stick your hands out and almost touch the trees, breath in the cool crisp air as you travel higher and higher up its steep elevation, admire the striking scenery as you point out the other states and attractions you know. Or driving your own vehicle up the road doing the same things. Well the state of New Hampshire put together a private, non-profit, scientific, & educational institution, called The Mt. Washington Observatory. Reoccupying the summit in 1932, The Observatory is an educational and thrilling experience you have when you get to the top. There is so much to learn, see, and discover. Take it from me a personal experienced climber, that’s one time you shouldn’t pass by.
When you get to the top of the mountain, you have a variety of activities you can do. When you first unload the train, you look up to an ignoramus observatory called, The Mount Washington Oberservatory. Inside you can eat at the lodge, spend sometime shopping at the gift shops to get you I climbed Mt Washington shirts, go up to the balcony and get a incredible view, or you can take a tour. And that’s what I did. Picture this, walking through the weather room and seeing all the high tech tools being in use. The wind pedometer speeding up within seconds or slowing down within seconds. The weather could change in an instant. Also, create an imagine in your mind, climbing up latter’s and stairs, each time reaching the top of one flight, gaining more excitement too see what’s up at the top. When you finally reach the top of the observatory, you’re so high up in elevation that your goose bumps start to come in and you begin to tingle, but you forget about that because what you see is beyond your belief. It’s a scene you couldn’t even paint a picture of because the reality of it is further than your imagination could imagine. It’s like a spending a day above the clouds. You see the trees and how they grow in different patterns. Some on higher elevation then others. All having there own color or texture to them. Not one is the same.
As you go back down to the bottom of the observatory, you are in amazement and no words could explain your feelings. But unfortunately the train has come back to the top to transport you back to the very bottom of the mountain. As you load on the train you sit back, relax, and take a minute to come to reality with things, when you reach the bottom, I almost guarantee you will say to yourself, this has truly been, an unforgettable experience.
The Best Rapper Alive
By Kaitlyn F.
Dwayne Michael Carter is “Lil Wayne’s” full name. He was born on September 27th, 1982. He didn’t have the best childhood; he was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He lived there with his mother, who worked a nine to five job everyday, just like normal people do. He was a high honor student, and was put in the advanced placement classes, so as you can see was a very intelligent child. When Lil Wayne was eleven years old, he started experimenting with drugs, and unfortunately it became a big part of his life, because he was always surrounded with drugs, gang violence, and shootings.
Also, when Dwayne was eleven, when he was home alone, just blasting music in his apartment, he went into his mothers bedroom, and got his step-dad’s gun just fooling around with it, and accidentally, he shot himself in the chest, he was on the ground, bleeding everywhere, his first thought was to call the police, he slid on the floor in his own blood to the phone. The woman on the phone answered , Dwayne couldn’t respond, because he was losing breathe, in a matter of three minutes, the police went and knocked on the door, there was no answer , because the blasting music over-powered his voice. When the police left, Dwayne had one thought in his mind; “I’m going to die.” Luckily, something wasn’t right in one of the policeman’s head, because he heard a very low cry from inside the apartment, the policeman busted down the door, and immediately carried out Dwayne to the ambulance, he ended up being fine, but the bullet was only half an inch from his heart, it was a blessing he made it out of that situation alive.
When the police arrived, he claimed the unregistered gun had belonged his stepfather, Reginald "Rabbit" Carter. This landed Rabbit a six month prison bid. Then shortly after Rabbit came home, he was abducted and murdered. As Brian came to pick up Wayne for studio sessions one afternoon, he was informed of the tragic news, and decided to raise Wayne on Rabbit's behalf as Wayne's surrogate father. Wayne now has a large tattoo of the words "Bang Bang" on his chest to commemorate his shooting and also has "Rabbit" tattooed on his arm, in honor of his beloved slain stepfather
When Dwayne was around the neighborhood, he was surrounded by rapping and hip hop, music. The music inspired him, and he started battling older men, such as the ages of sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and even older, but the remarkable thing is, he was winning when he was only twelve! Dwayne, started taking music so seriously, and it became so important to him, that he dropped out of school when he was only in seventh grade, to pursue his dreams in music. When Dwayne was sixteen he joined a popular group called “The Hot Boys.” The Hot Boys were like a hip-hop version of the Backstreet Boys. He was just part of the group, not the main member, until he started making his own rhymes, he went to the record company and said “Give Me A Beat, and I’ll Make The Rhymes” That’s exactly what he did, he came up with a song “Bling” it came out to be a major hit .
Overtime, Dwayne quit the Hot Boys, and started singing his own music, he was then known as “Lil Wayne” Everyone was shaky about him at first, but then he started to warm-up to everyone, 2008 was his year ; He featured in over one-hundred songs, and had his hit song “Lollipop” on the billboard top 100’s as number 1 ! He is an inspiration to me, because he did have it a bit rough, and through it all, he didn’t care what anyone says or thinks about him, he just does him . That’s enough for him, he manages to always have amazing music that actually makes sense and mean something. I think that he earned the title “The Best Rapper Alive” it wasn’t just handed to him, he had to work for everything he has and with the first paycheck he got, he gave it to his mother so she could buy a brand new house, for her and his family.
In the span of his 13-year career, Lil Wayne has sold over six million units, including his magnum opus, The Carter II (2005) which sold over 2.5 million units. He has been featured on numerous high profile singles including Fat Joe’s Grammy nominated single “Make It Rain,” and in the past two years, Lil Wayne has recorded over 1,000 songs and freestyles. According to MTV, Lil Wayne has released more music in the last two years than the legendary Tupac Shakur.
Lil Wayne says he is not done yet, I think everyone knows he will surprise with something else soon. You never know what to expect or what you’ll get next from him I guess it’s a mystery.
Dwayne Michael Carter is “Lil Wayne’s” full name. He was born on September 27th, 1982. He didn’t have the best childhood; he was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He lived there with his mother, who worked a nine to five job everyday, just like normal people do. He was a high honor student, and was put in the advanced placement classes, so as you can see was a very intelligent child. When Lil Wayne was eleven years old, he started experimenting with drugs, and unfortunately it became a big part of his life, because he was always surrounded with drugs, gang violence, and shootings.
Also, when Dwayne was eleven, when he was home alone, just blasting music in his apartment, he went into his mothers bedroom, and got his step-dad’s gun just fooling around with it, and accidentally, he shot himself in the chest, he was on the ground, bleeding everywhere, his first thought was to call the police, he slid on the floor in his own blood to the phone. The woman on the phone answered , Dwayne couldn’t respond, because he was losing breathe, in a matter of three minutes, the police went and knocked on the door, there was no answer , because the blasting music over-powered his voice. When the police left, Dwayne had one thought in his mind; “I’m going to die.” Luckily, something wasn’t right in one of the policeman’s head, because he heard a very low cry from inside the apartment, the policeman busted down the door, and immediately carried out Dwayne to the ambulance, he ended up being fine, but the bullet was only half an inch from his heart, it was a blessing he made it out of that situation alive.
When the police arrived, he claimed the unregistered gun had belonged his stepfather, Reginald "Rabbit" Carter. This landed Rabbit a six month prison bid. Then shortly after Rabbit came home, he was abducted and murdered. As Brian came to pick up Wayne for studio sessions one afternoon, he was informed of the tragic news, and decided to raise Wayne on Rabbit's behalf as Wayne's surrogate father. Wayne now has a large tattoo of the words "Bang Bang" on his chest to commemorate his shooting and also has "Rabbit" tattooed on his arm, in honor of his beloved slain stepfather
When Dwayne was around the neighborhood, he was surrounded by rapping and hip hop, music. The music inspired him, and he started battling older men, such as the ages of sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and even older, but the remarkable thing is, he was winning when he was only twelve! Dwayne, started taking music so seriously, and it became so important to him, that he dropped out of school when he was only in seventh grade, to pursue his dreams in music. When Dwayne was sixteen he joined a popular group called “The Hot Boys.” The Hot Boys were like a hip-hop version of the Backstreet Boys. He was just part of the group, not the main member, until he started making his own rhymes, he went to the record company and said “Give Me A Beat, and I’ll Make The Rhymes” That’s exactly what he did, he came up with a song “Bling” it came out to be a major hit .
Overtime, Dwayne quit the Hot Boys, and started singing his own music, he was then known as “Lil Wayne” Everyone was shaky about him at first, but then he started to warm-up to everyone, 2008 was his year ; He featured in over one-hundred songs, and had his hit song “Lollipop” on the billboard top 100’s as number 1 ! He is an inspiration to me, because he did have it a bit rough, and through it all, he didn’t care what anyone says or thinks about him, he just does him . That’s enough for him, he manages to always have amazing music that actually makes sense and mean something. I think that he earned the title “The Best Rapper Alive” it wasn’t just handed to him, he had to work for everything he has and with the first paycheck he got, he gave it to his mother so she could buy a brand new house, for her and his family.
In the span of his 13-year career, Lil Wayne has sold over six million units, including his magnum opus, The Carter II (2005) which sold over 2.5 million units. He has been featured on numerous high profile singles including Fat Joe’s Grammy nominated single “Make It Rain,” and in the past two years, Lil Wayne has recorded over 1,000 songs and freestyles. According to MTV, Lil Wayne has released more music in the last two years than the legendary Tupac Shakur.
Lil Wayne says he is not done yet, I think everyone knows he will surprise with something else soon. You never know what to expect or what you’ll get next from him I guess it’s a mystery.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Captivates the Minds of Viewers
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Captivates the Minds of Viewers
Samantha Conroy
THE MOVIE:
While I sit in a chair at my town’s closest theater with an unbelievably attractive man on my right and my best friend on my left I know that this is going to be a great opening night for New Moon and that I am going to enjoy it. I was anxious to see the movie that had captivated my own mind. Since it was opening night me and my friends had gathered together to attend the midnight showing.
New Moon that had come out on November 20, 2009 featured many new characters such as: Aro (Michael Sheen), Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower), Marcus (Christopher Heyerdhal), Alec (Cameron Bright), and Jane (Dakota Fanning). The most known of the actors mentioned is: Dakota Fanning. Fanning was in multiple famous movies like: War of the Worlds, I am Sam, and The Cat in the Hat. The fresh new faces added to the dramatic plot of the movie as the Volturi’s, a vampire clan that is the “closest thing to royalty” to the vampires have.
Bella is being nurtured by the guy who loves
Her after a tragedy while cliff diving
A character that was added to the phenomenon was Jacob Black. Jacob Black had been shown for a short time in the first movie. Bella and Jacob grow closer than best friends even though Bella would deny any account of flirtatious activities within each other.
Even though they are not officially dating they have their bumps in the road just as any couple would. Bella decides to do more daring activities due to the fact that she sees Edward every time during the activities. Edward tries to commit suicide while in Italy because he believes that Bella had died. When Bella hears that Edward is going to attempt to kill himself she heads to Italy to save him. The fact that she is leaving makes Jacob angry with her and says he won’t be there when she gets back. This isn’t the first time Jacob had left Bella when she needed him the most. Jacob had left Bella when he knew that he was her crutch to keep her up after Edward had moved away from their town of Forks, Washington.
THE BOOK:
There are four books in the saga written by the talented Stepehnie Meyer. The first book, Twilight, is about the main character, Bella Swan, who movies from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington. In the journey the first book takes Bella falls a quiet guy from her Biology Class. His name? Edward Cullen.
The second book, New Moon, continues where Twilight left off. Bella has to deal with the fact that Edward has left. As time passes slowly she finally begins to be around her friends, especially Jacob Black whom we briefly met in Twilight. Jacob uses all his might to flirt with Bella and to attempt to persuade her out of her love for Edward. But little does Bella know about Jacob’s occult lifestyle of being a werewolf, or mortal enemies to the vampires.
The third book, Eclipse, leads off from where we had left off at the end of New Moon. In the book Bella is torn between loving Jacob and Edward. The born-rivalry makes it impossible for them to be equality between loving Bella. But one tragedy will pull the two of the characters together to save the woman that they love.
The fourth book, Breaking Dawn, starts with Bella filling a car that she had received from Edward’s gas up. The story has various flash backs in the beginning to help under stand what will happen to them later in the story. The book shows both sides of views from Bella and Jacob but has a very satisfying ending.
Samantha Conroy
THE MOVIE:
While I sit in a chair at my town’s closest theater with an unbelievably attractive man on my right and my best friend on my left I know that this is going to be a great opening night for New Moon and that I am going to enjoy it. I was anxious to see the movie that had captivated my own mind. Since it was opening night me and my friends had gathered together to attend the midnight showing.
New Moon that had come out on November 20, 2009 featured many new characters such as: Aro (Michael Sheen), Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower), Marcus (Christopher Heyerdhal), Alec (Cameron Bright), and Jane (Dakota Fanning). The most known of the actors mentioned is: Dakota Fanning. Fanning was in multiple famous movies like: War of the Worlds, I am Sam, and The Cat in the Hat. The fresh new faces added to the dramatic plot of the movie as the Volturi’s, a vampire clan that is the “closest thing to royalty” to the vampires have.
Bella is being nurtured by the guy who loves
Her after a tragedy while cliff diving
A character that was added to the phenomenon was Jacob Black. Jacob Black had been shown for a short time in the first movie. Bella and Jacob grow closer than best friends even though Bella would deny any account of flirtatious activities within each other.
Even though they are not officially dating they have their bumps in the road just as any couple would. Bella decides to do more daring activities due to the fact that she sees Edward every time during the activities. Edward tries to commit suicide while in Italy because he believes that Bella had died. When Bella hears that Edward is going to attempt to kill himself she heads to Italy to save him. The fact that she is leaving makes Jacob angry with her and says he won’t be there when she gets back. This isn’t the first time Jacob had left Bella when she needed him the most. Jacob had left Bella when he knew that he was her crutch to keep her up after Edward had moved away from their town of Forks, Washington.
THE BOOK:
There are four books in the saga written by the talented Stepehnie Meyer. The first book, Twilight, is about the main character, Bella Swan, who movies from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington. In the journey the first book takes Bella falls a quiet guy from her Biology Class. His name? Edward Cullen.
The second book, New Moon, continues where Twilight left off. Bella has to deal with the fact that Edward has left. As time passes slowly she finally begins to be around her friends, especially Jacob Black whom we briefly met in Twilight. Jacob uses all his might to flirt with Bella and to attempt to persuade her out of her love for Edward. But little does Bella know about Jacob’s occult lifestyle of being a werewolf, or mortal enemies to the vampires.
The third book, Eclipse, leads off from where we had left off at the end of New Moon. In the book Bella is torn between loving Jacob and Edward. The born-rivalry makes it impossible for them to be equality between loving Bella. But one tragedy will pull the two of the characters together to save the woman that they love.
The fourth book, Breaking Dawn, starts with Bella filling a car that she had received from Edward’s gas up. The story has various flash backs in the beginning to help under stand what will happen to them later in the story. The book shows both sides of views from Bella and Jacob but has a very satisfying ending.
The Twilight Saga
by Briana S.
In the past year, so many people have fallen under Stephanie Meyers’ spell. Her writing grabs your attention and refuses to give it back. As a result teenage girls, even middle aged women, have become absolutely fanatical over this enchanting tale. After the books had achieved such a reputation, the film Twilight was released. It was a great success, all of those who had read the books were literally counting down the days until it hit theaters. Soon after, filming for New Moon began the excitement for the movie was just as great, if not greater, than the first. During just the opening weekend the film brought in 142,839,137 dollars. The Twilight Saga has become a phenomenon, and along the ways its popularity has done nothing but grow as it picked up more and more followers.
I myself have read all of the books, and was very excited for both Twilight and New Moon to be released, however I have to confess, I was bit disappointed when I saw Twilight. I do not think the quality of the acting was always the best, perhaps it was the fault of the director, Catherine Hardwicke, who was replaced by Chris Weitz for the sequel. For example, the actress who plays the character of Bella, Kirsten Stewart, was very different from what I had pictured while reading the book, also her acting could have been much better; however, this may be the fault of the directions she received. Though I don’t believe it truly captured the feel of the book and maybe the dialogue could have been better, overall I liked the movie. But that’s just my opinion, considering how popular the movie is and how much of a profit it has made I think it is safe to say most enjoyed it.
New Moon, on the other hand, was a big step up in the right direction. There was a new director chosen for the movie, and I believe that really helped, he did a great job of capturing the important points from the book, and I felt that the acting enhanced as well. Weitz did very well recreating Bell’s painful emotions with the absence Edward and her dependence on her close relationship with Jacob Black. Countless people have said they noticed the action scenes have improved a great deal, and some when to see the movie for that reason. This may broaden the male audience, in addition to the Twilight book-lovers, fans of the first film Twilight, and those interested in the actors.
Robert Pattison as Edward Cullen:
Full Name: Edward Anthony Masen Cullen
Status: Vampire
Group: Cullen Coven
Date of Birth: June 20, 1901
Date of Transformation: 1918
Special Abilities: Mind reading, super-speed, extraordinary strength
“What choice have I? I cannot be without you, but I will not destroy your soul.”
Kirsten Stewart as Bella Swan:
Full Name: Isabella Marie Swan
Status: Human
Group: TBD
Date of Birth: September 13, 1987
Date of Transformation: TBD
Special Abilities: attracts bad luck and vampires cannot access her mind
“It never made sense for you to love me. I always knew that.”
Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black:
Full Name: Jacob Black
Status: Werewolf
Group: Quileute Wolf Pack
Fur Color: Red Brown
Date of Birth: 1989
Special Abilities: Super strong and fast
“I’m so sorry that I can’t be the right kind of monster for you, Bella.”
http://www.newmoonthemovie.com/worldoftwilight/
Malon, Evan. “Movie Review: New Moon, A fanged fail.” Cardinal Courier Online.com. Article. December 9, 20089. Cardinal Courier. December 18, 2009. http://www.cardinalcourier.com/home/index.cfm?event
“New Moon Profiles” new moon the movie.com. December 18, 2009. http://www.newmoonthemovie.com/worldoftwilight/
Carroll, Larry. “New Moon Ticket Buyer Survey Gets Into The Minds Of Twilighters.” Article. October 16, 2009. December 18, 2009. http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1624078/story.jhtml
“The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” Mojo.com. Photograph. December 14, 2009. December 18, 2009. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=newmoon.htm
In the past year, so many people have fallen under Stephanie Meyers’ spell. Her writing grabs your attention and refuses to give it back. As a result teenage girls, even middle aged women, have become absolutely fanatical over this enchanting tale. After the books had achieved such a reputation, the film Twilight was released. It was a great success, all of those who had read the books were literally counting down the days until it hit theaters. Soon after, filming for New Moon began the excitement for the movie was just as great, if not greater, than the first. During just the opening weekend the film brought in 142,839,137 dollars. The Twilight Saga has become a phenomenon, and along the ways its popularity has done nothing but grow as it picked up more and more followers.
I myself have read all of the books, and was very excited for both Twilight and New Moon to be released, however I have to confess, I was bit disappointed when I saw Twilight. I do not think the quality of the acting was always the best, perhaps it was the fault of the director, Catherine Hardwicke, who was replaced by Chris Weitz for the sequel. For example, the actress who plays the character of Bella, Kirsten Stewart, was very different from what I had pictured while reading the book, also her acting could have been much better; however, this may be the fault of the directions she received. Though I don’t believe it truly captured the feel of the book and maybe the dialogue could have been better, overall I liked the movie. But that’s just my opinion, considering how popular the movie is and how much of a profit it has made I think it is safe to say most enjoyed it.
New Moon, on the other hand, was a big step up in the right direction. There was a new director chosen for the movie, and I believe that really helped, he did a great job of capturing the important points from the book, and I felt that the acting enhanced as well. Weitz did very well recreating Bell’s painful emotions with the absence Edward and her dependence on her close relationship with Jacob Black. Countless people have said they noticed the action scenes have improved a great deal, and some when to see the movie for that reason. This may broaden the male audience, in addition to the Twilight book-lovers, fans of the first film Twilight, and those interested in the actors.
Robert Pattison as Edward Cullen:
Full Name: Edward Anthony Masen Cullen
Status: Vampire
Group: Cullen Coven
Date of Birth: June 20, 1901
Date of Transformation: 1918
Special Abilities: Mind reading, super-speed, extraordinary strength
“What choice have I? I cannot be without you, but I will not destroy your soul.”
Kirsten Stewart as Bella Swan:
Full Name: Isabella Marie Swan
Status: Human
Group: TBD
Date of Birth: September 13, 1987
Date of Transformation: TBD
Special Abilities: attracts bad luck and vampires cannot access her mind
“It never made sense for you to love me. I always knew that.”
Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black:
Full Name: Jacob Black
Status: Werewolf
Group: Quileute Wolf Pack
Fur Color: Red Brown
Date of Birth: 1989
Special Abilities: Super strong and fast
“I’m so sorry that I can’t be the right kind of monster for you, Bella.”
http://www.newmoonthemovie.com/worldoftwilight/
Bibliography
Malon, Evan. “Movie Review: New Moon, A fanged fail.” Cardinal Courier Online.com. Article. December 9, 20089. Cardinal Courier. December 18, 2009. http://www.cardinalcourier.com/home/index.cfm?event
“New Moon Profiles” new moon the movie.com. December 18, 2009. http://www.newmoonthemovie.com/worldoftwilight/
Carroll, Larry. “New Moon Ticket Buyer Survey Gets Into The Minds Of Twilighters.” Article. October 16, 2009. December 18, 2009. http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1624078/story.jhtml
“The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” Mojo.com. Photograph. December 14, 2009. December 18, 2009. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=newmoon.htm
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Chris Johnson: The Newest...greatest...NFL Superstar
By Ben P.
Chris Johnson, running back out of East Carolina University, starter for the Ten
nessee Titans. Imagine this, you’re an athlete from a small division 1 AA college and you’re drafted by the NFL by a team who has struggled recently, and in your sophomore season you rush for over 2,000 yards! Fans praise you left and right for becoming such an amazing back. How would you feel? Astonished, Flawed, delighted? Well Chris Johnson feels the same. He was star struck after Week two where he rushed for 197 yards. He was through in to the limelight and thrived off it becoming the leagues leading rusher and predictably was voted as the AFC’s starting running back for the 2009 – 2010 NFL Pro Bowl in Miami. Chris Johnson has turned his career around in just his second season in the NFL. Sophomore Surprise anyone?
Chris Johnson grew up in Orlando, Florida. Chris Johnson loved football growing up and always looked up to superstar football player Deion Sanders. He always was fast growing up according to his mother and would challenge peers and classmates to races, which he would usually win. But when he was down from either losing a race or any other reason he always had his three brothers to pick him up. Chris even today says that they were the biggest influences on not only his football career also. After Chris Graduated from Olympia High school, he chose to attend East Carolina University and become a pirate (East Carolina’s school mascot) on a full football scholarship.
East Carolina University is a small Division 1 AA college in Greenville, North Carolina. In his freshma
n season as a Pirate, Chris saw much playing time and rushed for 1562 total yards. He was a primary back in all 11 games. He really surprised East Carolina fans. Chris went into his sophomore season with high expectations from the Pirates fans. And he fulfilled his expectations by putting up better numbers then his freshman year 1499 total yards and was a full time starter as the team’s tailback. After two breakout seasons Johnson was expected to put up the same numbers in his junior season. He had a down year though and only rushed for 700+ total yards. In Johnson’s senior year he had to put up big numbers if he wanted to become an NFL back. He put up big numbers in 2007 and had his best game against Boise State in the 2007 Hawaii Bowl where he rushed for a whopping 223 yards. Johnson was destined for success.
Chris Johnson entered the draft as a projected first round pick. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 24th pick in the draft. On July 26 he sighed a 5 year 12 million dollar deal with Tennessee. He was the highest pick ever taken in the draft by an East Carolina Player since Robert Jones went to the Cowboys with their 24th pick, respectively. Tennessee fans expected big things from the Speedy Chris Johnson.
Johnson entered his rookie season with the Titans, as their 2nd string running back. Only behind “Plow Back”, LenDale White. Johnson wasn’t expected to play that much in his rookie year but got a few chances here and here and capitalized on them. He was promoted to the starting job where he shared the role with White. Johnson and White were known as “Smash and Dash”, because White was an excellent goal line back who could plow through the line, and Johnson was a speed back who could outrun most of the opposing defense. “Smash and Dash”, along with Quarterback, Kerry Collins, led the titans to an outstanding season finishing 13-3 and with a first round bye in the playoffs. Although LenDale White was the reason for some of Chris’s success it was Chris who was selected to the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu.
After a Pro Bowl rookie season, Chris was expected to do big things in his sophomore year, and he did more then even imagined. In only week two Johnson stunned fans by rushing for 197 yards. Fantasy owners were stunned and quickly added this breakout stud. And he kept up the pace. At the end of the season, Chris finished with a hair over 2,000 rushing yards. Chris became only the 6th running back to ever accomplish that in the NFL. He was a definite Pro Bowl nod and was named the starting Half Back for the AFC team.
Finally, you can understand why Chris Johnson is arguably one of the best running backs in the NFL. It truly shows that you don’t have to go to a big name college like Alabama, USC, or Texas, to become a NFL running back. You can go to a smaller school like Chris did. Chris should be a role model to all kids in the country for he has succeeded great obstacles and expectations. Let’s hope he can keep this up. If he does then he be a sure nod to make it in to the NFL Hall of Fame, in Cranston, Ohio.
nessee Titans. Imagine this, you’re an athlete from a small division 1 AA college and you’re drafted by the NFL by a team who has struggled recently, and in your sophomore season you rush for over 2,000 yards! Fans praise you left and right for becoming such an amazing back. How would you feel? Astonished, Flawed, delighted? Well Chris Johnson feels the same. He was star struck after Week two where he rushed for 197 yards. He was through in to the limelight and thrived off it becoming the leagues leading rusher and predictably was voted as the AFC’s starting running back for the 2009 – 2010 NFL Pro Bowl in Miami. Chris Johnson has turned his career around in just his second season in the NFL. Sophomore Surprise anyone?Chris Johnson grew up in Orlando, Florida. Chris Johnson loved football growing up and always looked up to superstar football player Deion Sanders. He always was fast growing up according to his mother and would challenge peers and classmates to races, which he would usually win. But when he was down from either losing a race or any other reason he always had his three brothers to pick him up. Chris even today says that they were the biggest influences on not only his football career also. After Chris Graduated from Olympia High school, he chose to attend East Carolina University and become a pirate (East Carolina’s school mascot) on a full football scholarship.
East Carolina University is a small Division 1 AA college in Greenville, North Carolina. In his freshma
n season as a Pirate, Chris saw much playing time and rushed for 1562 total yards. He was a primary back in all 11 games. He really surprised East Carolina fans. Chris went into his sophomore season with high expectations from the Pirates fans. And he fulfilled his expectations by putting up better numbers then his freshman year 1499 total yards and was a full time starter as the team’s tailback. After two breakout seasons Johnson was expected to put up the same numbers in his junior season. He had a down year though and only rushed for 700+ total yards. In Johnson’s senior year he had to put up big numbers if he wanted to become an NFL back. He put up big numbers in 2007 and had his best game against Boise State in the 2007 Hawaii Bowl where he rushed for a whopping 223 yards. Johnson was destined for success.
Chris Johnson entered the draft as a projected first round pick. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 24th pick in the draft. On July 26 he sighed a 5 year 12 million dollar deal with Tennessee. He was the highest pick ever taken in the draft by an East Carolina Player since Robert Jones went to the Cowboys with their 24th pick, respectively. Tennessee fans expected big things from the Speedy Chris Johnson.
Johnson entered his rookie season with the Titans, as their 2nd string running back. Only behind “Plow Back”, LenDale White. Johnson wasn’t expected to play that much in his rookie year but got a few chances here and here and capitalized on them. He was promoted to the starting job where he shared the role with White. Johnson and White were known as “Smash and Dash”, because White was an excellent goal line back who could plow through the line, and Johnson was a speed back who could outrun most of the opposing defense. “Smash and Dash”, along with Quarterback, Kerry Collins, led the titans to an outstanding season finishing 13-3 and with a first round bye in the playoffs. Although LenDale White was the reason for some of Chris’s success it was Chris who was selected to the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu.
After a Pro Bowl rookie season, Chris was expected to do big things in his sophomore year, and he did more then even imagined. In only week two Johnson stunned fans by rushing for 197 yards. Fantasy owners were stunned and quickly added this breakout stud. And he kept up the pace. At the end of the season, Chris finished with a hair over 2,000 rushing yards. Chris became only the 6th running back to ever accomplish that in the NFL. He was a definite Pro Bowl nod and was named the starting Half Back for the AFC team.
Finally, you can understand why Chris Johnson is arguably one of the best running backs in the NFL. It truly shows that you don’t have to go to a big name college like Alabama, USC, or Texas, to become a NFL running back. You can go to a smaller school like Chris did. Chris should be a role model to all kids in the country for he has succeeded great obstacles and expectations. Let’s hope he can keep this up. If he does then he be a sure nod to make it in to the NFL Hall of Fame, in Cranston, Ohio.
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