[ Journals ] XI - Everyone Says I Love You

In Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You, nearly everyone sings for their paycheck. Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Tim Roth, Alan Alda, Edward Norton, Woody himself -- they all interrupt the action to break into popular songs and ballads from the '30s and '40s. The actors use their own voices (okay, except Barrymore, who was dubbed); sometimes they dance, too, or are surrounded by passing characters engaged in flights of fancy choreography. But aside from the dismaying experience of listening to the cellophane-thin voices of Roberts faltering through ''All My Life,'' or Allen attempting ''I'm Thru With Love'' like a man on a respirator, there is nothing shocking or even noteworthy in this experiment. The late Dennis Potter used song and dance far more boldly and brilliantly as a reflection of inner emotional landscape in the BBC's ''Pennies From Heaven'' and ''The Singing Detective,'' where the characters lipsynched to original period recordings.
Take away the tunes and the footwork, then, and what you have is this: melancholia disguised as a romantic fantasia, with the filmmaker's nose once again pressed up against the window of an idealized, classy (i.e., vaguely WASPy or at least de-ethnicized) family. This time the filmmaker plays Joe, an artistic type divorced from his wife (Hawn), living in affluence in Paris, and intent on impressing a young woman (Roberts) he meets in Venice. Joe is the father of DJ (Natasha Lyonne), who lives with her mother and stepfather (Alda) in affluence on Manhattan's Upper East Side along with various full and half siblings. Life is a New Yorker magazine dream: perfect homes, delicious flirtations, and loving relationships among the entire blended family, more privileged a group it would be hard to find outside an Edith Wharton novel (and you know how unhappy those New Yorkers really were).
Styled as a romantic confection, ''Everyone Says I Love You'' is, in fact, steeped in an unacknowledged middle-aged sadness that leaks from the writer-director and saps the energies of his cast. (Roth, as a crudely virile ex-con, and Hawn, in full career reascendancy, are two of the few who defy the pall.) Missing the glow of grounded happiness that lit up ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' -- Allen's most mature family fantasy -- this celebration of love and good fortune doesn't feel very festive at all.


http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,295478,00.html


---------------------------------------------------------------
I. Summarize

II. Vocabulary words and phrases
i. new words/phrases
ii. useful / phrases

III. The reason I chose this article

[ Journals ] X - Stereo for the 21th Century

At the market, a housewife wearing white earphones taps her toes to 1970s disco. In a park, teenagers with small white boxes attached to their belts dance to the latest hip hop beats. And at the local college, a professor enjoys his Mozart collection while relaxing between classes. These days, it seems that no matter who or where they are, everyone is jamming out with Apple iPod.
The amazing is the honest new toy on the market these days. It may be the size of the deck of cards, but one iPod can store over ten thousand songs. And with its sleek, rectangular shape and smooth, rounded corners, it’s the coolest stereo ever invented. No wonder it’s the gift every teenager wants!
The iPod success is due to its simplicity and usefulness. Its controls are easy to use. And it has a scroll wheel, so users can look through song menus quickly. The most popular iPod feature is the “shuffle” option. This feature selects songs at random, creating a personal radio station for the listener.
Acquiring songs to fill your iPod’s memory banks is easy. Songs can be downloaded directly from an online music store called iTunes. Other iPod owners trade songs with friends or people they meet over the Internet. The 21st century stereo, however, isn’t limited to music storage.
Recorded books are also found in many people’s iPod collections. Users have also found out that iPods are great for storing digital data. The makers of the Lord of The Rings even used iPods to transport film scenes. And photographers can store their pictures on this handy device.
Powerful, useful, and fashionable, the iPod has touched off a revolution. It is changing the way people listen to music and access different media. Some musicians and pop stars believe iPods will completely the tapes and CDs music lovers once owned. Walkmans and full-size stereos, the ancestors of the iPod, could soon become antiques. Now that the world has discovered the iPod, there’s no going back. This new machine is here to stay.

---------------------------------------------------------------
I. Summarize

II. Vocabulary words and phrases
i. new words/phrases
ii. useful / phrases

III. The reason I chose this article

[ Journals ] VIIII - Are We Having Pun Yet?

A pun is a humorous “play on words.” Puns can use words with two meanings, or words that sound similar to, or the same as, other words. One example is, “The musician who was in jail was waiting for his next release.” The word “release” has two meanings: “to set free” and “a new album.” Another example is, “ Some people don’t like food going to waist.” Puns are meant to be funny, but some people find them to be pun-ishment!

I was wondering why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

The scientist disconnected his doorbell because he wanted to win the Nobel Prize.

The runner’s shorts were too small, so it was a tight race.

The fisherman always did what his friends did. He said it was pier pressure.


---------------------------------------------------------------
I. Summarize

II. Vocabulary words and phrases
i. new words/phrases
ii. useful / phrases

III. The reason I chose this article

[ Journals ] VIII - English Is Child’s Play

Children are amazing! They pick up language so naturally and easily. Have you ever wonder why? It’s not because they have great natural language abilities. In fact, studies show that an adult’s potential to learn language is just as good as a child’s/
So why do children still seem to acquire language more quickly than the rest of us? It’s because of the way they learn. Children learn by simply doing what comes naturally—they listen, copy and communicate. Let’s take a closer look at how children acquire language. Perhaps discover a better, more “natural” way to learn English.

Listen, Listen, Listen
When people talk to children, they often use simple words that children can understand. That’s really important to the children’s language development. In order to learn, children must be able to comprehend what they hear. If they don’t understand it, it’s just meaningless noise.
English students also need to listen frequently to English thy can understand. Tune in to radio or TV programs like Studio Classroom that use English at your level. If you can’t understand every word or sentence, don’t get hung up on it. Just concentrate on what you can understand. And listen as often as you can.

Be a Copycat
Children like to copy what they hear. They mimic their parents, their friends and even the TV. This teaches them how to use and pronounce the language. Mimicking has the same benefits for students of a second language. As you listen to foreigners speak English, repeat what they say as best as you can.

Use English to communicate
Children don’t practice grammar drills, but use language to talk about things that interest them. This helps them learn to express themselves. They don’t worry about inadequate vocabulary or poor grammar. They find ways to express themselves, and they do it successfully.
Students of English should also focus on genuine communication. Look for opportunities to talk with people in English. If you can’t find a foreigner to talk to, talk with other English students, instead. Start an English discussion group and chat about music, movies or whatever interests you. Don’t worry about making mistakes. The objective is to learn how to communicate easily and comfortably. Remember that you can communicate successfully even with a small vocabulary.
Trust your own natural ability to learn English. You’ve got more potential than you probably realize!

---------------------------------------------------------------
I. Summarize


II. Vocabulary words and phrases
i. new words/phrases
ii. useful / phrases


III. The reason I chose this article