NBC Studio Tour

By Tamaris Cooper

Staff Writer

NBC studio (National Broadcasting Company) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network that is the flagship property of NBC Universal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is also a live working TV production and the first and most famous studio tour in television history. It is located in New York City on 30 Rockerfeller Plaza. New York, NY 10112. NBC studios began operating in the early 1930s, and the NBC Tour began in 1933. The NBC offered tours until January 2014, and then they closed due to renovations on their studios. NBC studios just recently reopened on October 26, 2015. According to the NBC studios web page, you will enjoy a behind the scenes access to the studios where your favorite shows are made, like Saturday Night Live, The tonight show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers and more. An NBC page will serve as your host and behind the scenes expert, guiding you through the historic halls of 30 Rock. You will also learn about the entire TV production process, from the writing process, and producing to the ways TV content gets to your home. You will also get to experience it all first hand as you and your fellow tour guests produce your own show in their brand new Tour Studio. You can then download your own show to keep for free. The tour also offers an introduction to the tour in their new 4K theater located in the shop at NBC studios. They also allow you to get a view of the fully restored and spectacular Art Deco Rotunda. You will also get to see the NBC production Gallery. The tickets also includes a visit to at least two NBC studios, The NBC Broadcast operations center, and the tour studio where you get to create your very own show. The tour at NBC studios cost $33.00 for Adult and $29.00 for Children 6-12 years old and Senior Citizens ages 55 and over. The tour at NBC studios welcomes groups with discounted pricing for groups of 10 or more. For their travel industry partners, they offer special discounts when you order online. They are opened Mondays through Fridays, 8:30am-2:00pm and Saturday and Sunday 8:30am- 5:00pm. The tour lasts approximately 65 minutes. If you cancel, there are no refunds and if you arrive late, you will not be admitted to the tour, but they will try to accommodate you on the next available tour. Because the tour is so popular, booking in advanced is highly recommended. You can reserve your tickets online by visiting NBC Studios@nbcuni.com. For more information you can visit online or call (212) 664-3700. If you would like to take a trip to NBC studio, the Vineland Public Library is offering a trip to New York City on December 12^th, 2015 and for more information about tickets and time you can give the library a call at (856) 794-4244. According to the NBC studio web page, NBC studio is now more in depth, more interactive, and above all more fun. So get your tickets now this looks like an experience that you do not want to miss!!  

New Fall Shows

By: Amber Murray
Staff Writer

Fall is not only for over-size sweaters, boots, and pumpkins there is also the premiere of new fall shows. This is the time where numerous shows on different TV networks try to catch an audience in order to come back for another season. According to POPSUGAR Entertainment, here are the shows that are making themselves known to and trying to get your ratings to seal in their time slot for another season. These are the shows that are up and running on your TV right now.

Code Black. An inspired show by a 2013 documentary with the same name. The same drama takes place in the busiest ER in the country. Code Black stars Maria Gay Harden and Luis Guzman. This show comes on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on CBS.

Blindspot. When “Jane Doe” memory is erased and comes out of a duffle bag in Times Square with new tattoos covering her body. The tattoos also reveals clues to crimes that need to be solve. Blindspot stars Jaimie Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton. This show comes on Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

Scream Queens. A sorority is hunted by a serial killer in this horror-comedy. Scream Queens star Emma, Roberts, Lea Michele, Keke Palmer, and lots of other stars. This show comes on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Fox.

Quantico.  A group of FBI trainees bond at Quantico before one of them is suspected to have plotted a massive terrorist attack. Quantize stars Priyanka Chopra, Dougray Scott, and Jake McLaughlin. This show comes on Tuesday at 10 p.m. on ABC.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. A successful single woman uproots her life to follow the ex-boyfriend she never got over to California. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend stars Rachel Bloom. This show comes on Monday at 8 p.m. on The CW.

There are many other shows on these networks that are on right now. On http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/New-Shows-Fall-2015-37476494?stream_view=1#photo-37476555 list all the shows that are appearing now and later this fall. Hopefully, all these shows will have a successful premiere and come back for another season.

Inspired Speech turns into Drama Tweet

By: Amber Murray
Staff Writer

On September 20, 2015, history was made when Viola Davis won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for in the series How To Get Away With Murder. Even though, Davis is not the first to win an Emmy or be nominated for an Emmy award but being the first African America to win in this category definitely made history. Here is a piece of the transcript of Davis acceptance speech from The New York Times,“In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me, over that line. But I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line.’

That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. And let me tell you something: The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.”

The speech she made was indeed inspirational and shows how much media has change over time. Some people might not see it that way. Nancy Lee Grahn,an actress on General Hospital, may some negative comments about Viola Davis acceptance speech. Grahn criticized Davis speech and felt that it was an opportunity to talk about race.

Here are a few of the tweets Grahn posted on her Twitter account: ‘I wish I loved #ViolaDavis Speech, but I thought she should have let @shondarhimes write it. #Emmys’, Viola Davis winning lead actress Emmy’s historic. My upset is acting awards dont fix racial injustice. As an actor I see how irrelevant we r, I never mean to diminish her accomplishment. I wish I could get her roles. She is a goddess. I want equality 4 ALL women, not just actors, and a few others. Later she issued an apology tweet, this is apart of the tweet, ‘I apologize for my earlier tweets and now realize I need to check my own privilege. My intention was not to take this historic and important moment from Viola Davis or other women of color but I realize that my intention doesn’t matter here because that is what I ended up doing. I learned a lot tonight and I admit that there are still some things I don’t understand but I am trying to and will let this be a learning experience for me.”

After reading Grahn, I understand that she wants equality for all woman and that Viola Davis is a great actress. I am not knock done Grahn opinion but there is a time and a place to talk about a situation, and taking this issue to social media where everyone can see what you say is not wise. This historical moment meant so much to everyone, women of color especially because seeing a person of color being rewarded for their work it’s relieve to know that society is moving forward. No matter the color of their skin, anyone who wins an Emmy deserves it because they work hard for it. The only way to more forward from this situation is to post positive comments and not to encourage these types of actions. Social media gives people the power to persuade people with140 characters. Be a leader to inspire and follow positive people not to bring down and exclude all human races.

Million Man March

By: Amber Murray
Staff Writer

The 20th annual Million Man March happen at the National Mall on October 10, 2015.  The focus of the March was to call for change in policing and in black communities. TIME Magazine reported, “The original march on Oct. 16, 1995 brought hundreds of thousands to Washington to pledge to improve their lives, their families and their communities. Women, whites, and other minorities were not invited to the original march, but organizers welcomed all on Saturday, saying they expected hundreds of thousands of participants.” By allowing all races to come to an event were only black men were accepted shows that the Million Man March isn’t just for black men, its for everyone. TIME Magazine also reported the improvement of African-American men in life since the original march. For example,

• The unemployment rate for African-American men in October 1995 was 8.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• In September 2015, it was 8.9 percent. In 1995, 73.4 percent of African-American men had high school degrees.
• In 2004, 84.3 percent did, according to the Census Bureau. Finally, Law enforcement agencies made 3.5 million arrests of blacks in 1994, which was 30.9 percent of all arrests, the FBI said. (By comparison, they made 7.6 million arrests of white that year, which was 66 percent of all arrests.)
• By 2013, the latest available data, African-American arrests had decreased to 2.5 million, 28 percent of all arrests.

According to USA TODAY, the difference from the 2015 march to the 1995 was that Minister Louis Farrakhan, organizer and Nation of Islam leader, widened his sentiments to include abortion, politics, and self respect and sounded a inclusive tone. It also said, the initial Million Man March seemed to be a milestone in modern black American history. Like now, many black American men felt they were taking society’s hits-as the go-to crime suspects, the people pedestrians move away from and those with some of the highest rates of catastrophic illness. The Million Man March has shown an amount of progress throughout the 20 years and hopefully they will continue to inspire the generations to come and have 20+ marches in the future.

Pro School Uniforms

By Tamaris Cooper

Staff Writer

Students from all across the nation wear uniforms at different schools to keep the unity in their school. School Uniforms are now mandatory in Vineland, New Jersey after it was approved by the Board of Education on February 14^th. According to John Sbrana, the Board of Education did a lot of research and had a lot of open forums and parent surveys. It was a two year process that started with some schools doing a voluntary program and finding it worked really well. Uniforms are nothing new to every one, it started out at Catholic schools and Private schools but as years went by implementing on uniforms in public schools is a topic that became more and more popular over the past 10 to 20 years and it always fraught with controversy. The Vineland Public school system decided on implementing uniforms in schools, to make basically make everyone dress alike. Now that every student are in uniforms, it can eliminate bullying based on the children appearance. When I was in school, they were deciding whether they wanted the uniforms law to be approved in Vineland but they never approved it. I agree on the uniforms policy and I wish they had approved the policy when I was in school. When I was in school I would hear students talk behind other students back about what they were wearing. Some would even talk to them to their face about what they wore to school each day. But, they never realized that every student cannot afford to wear the stylish and fancy clothing or expensive sneakers, like some students can. I love to get dress up but I would never talk about people who can’t afford to dress up or may not like to dress up. They may want to keep casual or dress down. So with uniforms it makes people look the same and not be judge by anyone. So in that case I agree to have uniformity in Vineland. The School uniforms colors in Vineland are a choice between red, black or white solid tops this coming academic year. The Vineland school district had released a list of vendors in the area where uniforms, pants, and shoes can purchased in time for September 5, 2013, this is when the policy officially goes into effect for students between Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Districts preschools must also conform to the change. I believe that school uniforms are a great way to keep students respectful of each other. If it was up to me every school would be in uniforms, so in that case I am team uniforms. GO SCHOOL UNIFORMS!!

There she is Miss America

By Tamaris Cooper

Staff Writer

Miss America is a beauty pageant that is held every year for the past 75 years.

Young ladies from fifty-three states are hoping to become Miss America. Miss America was originated in Atlantic City New Jersey in 1921. Miss America first winner was Margaret Gorman Miss Washington Dc. The first African-American Miss America was Vanessa Williams Miss New York in 1984, and our latest Miss America was Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell. The pageant that is held every year and it is open to young ladies from the United States between ages of 17 and 24. Miss America Organizations is one of the largest providers of scholarships for young women in the US. They offer a program based on community based scholarships for undergraduates and graduate studies, as well as endowed scholarships for young women attending medical school, military, and in the performing arts. To become a contestant you must be in the United States, meet residency requirements for competing in a certain town or state, meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America Organization, be in good health to meet job requirements and to be able to meet the time commitment and job responsibilities as set forth by the local program in which you compete. So Basically Miss America is a group competition where young ladies come together and be judge by different judges on their image, appearance, talent, question and model performances. So ladies, if you think you meet these qualifications, don’t hesitate to apply, you may be the next one to strut that crown?