The Olympian from Olympia, Washington • 23

PAGE FRIDAY MAY 11 2001 SJjc (Olympian SPOTLIGHT The Olympia Downtown YMCA offers Late Night Then! from 8 to 11 pan Saturdays The evenings offer games swimming basketball racquetball crafts and classes The late-night event is at the Downtown YMCA 510 Franklin St SE Olympia It is free to all Thurston County teens ages 14 to 18 Identification is required For more information call 357-6609 GET INVOLVED The Tumwater Old Town Center is looking to create a local venue for young people to play hear dance and be inspired by music created by young local musicians and bands Experienced or starting-out musicians interested in all-ages shows are encouraged to apply The Tumwater Old Town Center is at 215 Second Ave SW Tlimwater For more information call 754-4122 Ext 29 ftste mm May 13: Singer Stevie Wonder is 5L Singer Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish Is 35 May 14: Movie producer George Lucas is 57 Actress Cate Blanchett is 32 May 15: Actor David Charvet is 29 May Ki Actor Pierce Brosnan is 48 Singer Janet Jackson is 35 Actor David Boreanaz Vampire Slayer" is 30 Actress Tori Spelling is 28 May 17i Musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is 36 Actor Hill Harper of is 28 Singer Kandi Burruss of Xscape is 25 May Ml Country singer George Strait is 49 WRITTEN BY TEENS FOR TEENS KEEPS IT5T0NGUE IN CHEEK away the reincarnated girlfriend of Im-Ho-Tep (the evil mummy from the first movie) attempts to retrieve and revive her defeated paramour The purpose of these escapades seems to be to resurrect Im-Ho-Tep and the Scorpion King so they can duke it out pharaoh-style for control of the death god Anubis Army of the Dead Our heroes have the task of making sure neither of these baddies acquires the Army which would give its controller enough power to take over the world Stephen Sommers who takes writing and directing credits this time obviously forgotten the importance of camp in a film such as this Yet Mummy Returns doesnt have all the same zip as Its predecessor Was the gratuitous use of computer effects meant as a mockery of overbudgeted CGI-happy eye-candy flicks (we even get a completely computer-generated The Rock) or was it a negative consequence of the larger budget? Still Mummy winds up as a fairly entertaining kickoff to long loud summer With a record-smashing $70 million box-office take last weekend studio execs must be pleased that they already have a prequel titled Scorpion in production Let's just hope It stars the real Rock not his CGI alter-ego GradeiB Amelia Showalter Is a student at Olympia High School You may contact her at AmeliaReviewsaolcom BY AMELIA SHOWALTER FOR THE OLYMPIAN quite enoyed 1999's An effects-laden high-volume horror flick was entertaining for its gleeful thrills but even more for its wicked sense of self-parody The film's writers knew how ridiculous the whole "evil mummy premise was and accordingly constructed a campy tongue-in-cheek adventure riddled with sharp one-liners silly plot twists and cheesy special effects The cast had excellent chemistry together and even better comedic timing Evidently I was not the only one who found amusing The film grossed $155 million domestically and more than $200 million abroad This in Hollywood speak translates into one word: franchise Director Stephen Sommers and crew went to work to create Mummy Returns" a higher-budget follow-up that while not as good as the original still has enough spark to start the summer blockbuster season off right Set in 1933 (10 years after events In the first movie) we once again meet the swashbucking Rick (Connell (Brendan Fraser) and the cunning librarianhistorian Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) now Rick's wife The pair along with their 8-year-old son Alex (Freddie Boath) return to their old haunts in the ancient ruins of Egypt this time in search of a bracelet worn by the mythical Scorpion King (played in a voiced-over sequence by Wbrid Wrestling The Rock) Meanwhile in another ruin for New breed of female icons are hardly wilting flowers BY MARTHA IRVINE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Move ovet Vfonder Woman a new generation of tough girl in town and she not taking any guff From Powerpuff Girls cartoon to the new movie tough-talking take-charge female characters are tossing bad guys all over movie and TV screens Some wonder if they might be taking it a lit-tle far by emulating aggressive behavior traditionally associated with men But young female fans the same ones who are excelling more than ever in the classroom and on the athletic field seem to like their rough-and-tumble heroines just fine Laura Fong a 14-year-old from Hazlet NJ thinks the characters are and action" when they need ta Paula Garda a fresh-man at the University of Califbrnia-Riverside says they show that women can do pretty much anything if it means saving the And teens aren't the only ones who think so a wholly positive change in my says Emily Donahue a 26-year-old Boston resident who believes her generation too has been hungering for a newkind of role modeL Barbie doll or Cinderella image is no longer the goal because girls are no longer concerned solely with pretty' or waiting for their prince to Getting tougher The phenomenon isn't altogether new Hard-nosed female protagonists began emerging years ago in the and films and on comedian Roseanne self-titled TV show broke every rule for how to be a £ood girl' from not apologizing for being fat to making fun of says Kathleen Rowe Kar-lyn a University of Oregon professor and author of "The Unruly Woman: Gender and the Genres of Laughter" Tbday strong female characters are even more popular from TVs the Vampire Slayer" to the Powerpuff Girls a trio of cartoon characters who giggle after walloping villains set for release in June and starring Angelina Jolie promises to bring yet another to the screen: Lara Croft a British archaeologist photojoumalist and adventureseeking globe-trotter The trend has everyone from pop culture experts to merchandise marketers taking note "Ten years ago it was more the waif the skinny soft gentle girl with little makeup almost unisex that young girls were aspiring to be" says Cassie Ederer vice president of Ftankro-lranuiy thathelps companies create products for young people you look at it and it's almost the antithesis it's health) strong Long way to go But not everyone's convinced that women are being portrayed on equal footing with their male counterparts Consider the title character in the syndicated TV series Warrior which is about to end its six-year run She's tough and independent but also scantily clad notes Sherrie Inness author of the book Tbugh Girls: Women Warriors and Wonder Women in Popular Culture" And she says America still has a long way to go when it comes to accepting real-life women who take strong stands Sea Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Attorney General Janet Reno for example LOCAL GIRLS COMPETE FDR CROWN Gannett News Service Blossom Bubbles and Buttercup may sound Ilka fluffy names but these "Powerpuff Girls" are no pushovers ami University in Oxford Ohio Sarah Mercer a 16-year-old from Charlotte NjG has noticed that too doesn't seem the same for she says just seems like women have to work a lot more and be more manipulative to pet Movies such as Angels" help she says because they perpetuate her feeling that women get ahead quicker" The wrong idea? And there are other worries Timothy Shary who studies youth images in film says he was troubled when he watched Tiger Hidden Dragon" a movie in which female warriors take the lead The theater was full of young men who were on the girl-girl violence" a perversity to that on some level" says Shary a professor at Clark University in Worcester Mass relatively bloodless fighting but it still hinges on an interesting drive toward physical violence and Some wonder if such interest might encourage girls already becoming more violent according to federal crime statistics to be more aggressive Fong the New Jersey teen think so think in real life girls are more interested in having friends and being accepted than being she says The Associated Pnst Angelina Jolla plays adventurer Lara Croft In the upcoming movia "Tomb their looks are says Inness an associate professor of English at Mi- More than half a dozen South Sound girls will be competing in the Miss Jr Teen Seattle competition Sunday in Auburn The girls will compete for a share of more than $20000 in scholarships prizes and specialty gifts The competition includes five divisions such as Miss Jr Teen and Miss Pre-Teen and Includes girts and women between the ages of 6 and 23 years old Contestants who are chosen to represent Seattle will attend a national competition in Orlando Fla The prizes at the national level add up to more than $60000 Representing South Sound in the Miss Jr Teen division are Irene Davila and Amber Sullivan of Olympia Elizabeth Popwell and Melissa McGuire of Lacey and Stephanie Moreno of Tumwater Representing South Sound In the Pre-Teen division is Alicia Falconer of Olympia SolMoff3wsfit Do you have any travel plans 1 for the summer? Where are you going or where would you like to go? JAVIER SOLA SPSCC student 'V 'V lIdo IwiU go tnhome country of Speki on the ISA of August I really miss my fomSy and friend and die summer over diem wtt definitely be good therapy to -4 WHITNEY TUNNELL i 19 -i i -v fHendTHthandlangoinjon amadjf trtptoEademWadiingfonlyvoMbmt6 gDtoouthemMexkobuiinaybened eunaner bruhw SPSCC student y'' i -1 1 "Ms summer I plan to take 2 12 verb kayaking the San Juan bland My oAef plan for the tummer Include going Mo die forests and doing whatever I cm to top fogging in old-gmwth By Amy KHMMtfkympisn Wan Am Corps II HI WI I WW) WW-llgn l-liwr-w MJHi IHI)IWi RANT A RAVE NEEDS TEEN WRITERS AND ARTISTS WRITE TO RANT A RAVE FXXBOX 1219 OLYMPIAWA S3507 CALL 7S4-5443CR yC Along with basics such as the company philosophy end track record staff background and training and staff-to-participant ratio you'll want to know the program rulee of Conduct end procedures for -itoPO with lavoopei stive ex dferuptive teens Safety iseues the biggest part of the equation for student i adds Michael Palmer of the Student forth and Havel Aiaociation Ilnwlnnn hesttw rennwiriwtiiif rev? vw spg im ni re company knn oporetlng In the countries features? 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