THE BEHREND BEACON Winter fun hits Peek season at NY resort by Katie Przepyszny staff writer Well, it happened once and it won't be long until the snow flies again. And when it does, Peek 'N Peak will be the perfect place to cure your win ter blues. Peek 'N Peak is a 1,000-plus acre year-round resort area not far from Erie in the southwest corner of New York State. As always, this winter's features include downhill skiing. snowboarding (including the popular half pipe), snowshoeing, cross-coun try skiing, and snow tubing. Behrend student Brian Jaworski, 01 D S, rec ommends the Peek for everyone. lie says, "The slopes at the Peek are the perfect place to meet your friends." The Peek has a total of nine chair lifts, a vertical drop of 400 feet, sev eral snow making machines, and 27 trails that range from easy to difficult. For those of you who are beginners, Anywhere is fine with Portman by Kristin Grudowski staff writer So you say you're feeling guilty because of the arguments, bickering and just general disagreements be tween you and your mom oker the short Thanksgiving break. Well, first of all, take it easy—you're not alone. Second, try to reach a whole new appreciation for the woman by seeing Anywhere But Hen , . Anywhere But Here is the story of an off-the-wall mother, played by Susan Sarandon and her emotional daughter, played by Natalie Portman. The two move from their small town to Beverly Hills in hopes of obtaining a better lifestyle. What happens while searching for this improved lifestyle is what makes the movie what it is. Furni- Usher lights in new film by Jermaine Hardy staff writer Usher Raymond sparks the big screen in his new film. Light it Up. Holding a policeman hostage in school, Usher proves that he really does like it his way. Usher's character. Lester, is forced into a tough predicament once he sees his friend get gunned down by a po liceman. In this tense situation the cop ends up getting shot. Lester de cides to take matters into his own hands in order to clear his friend's name. Along with the help of Rosario Dawson and Fredro Starr, the team holds the school police officer hos tage. Produced by Kenneth "Baby Face" Edmonds and directed by Craig Boloton, the movie tells the story of six students who find this particular day appropriate to take their school captive because they simply want to be heard. Now, I wish I could tell you that this was a good movie, but the great theme didn't make for good en- Usher Raymond, Robert 12 the Bunny Hill is the perfect starting point. But once you're ready, go ahead and move on up. Some hills to check out are Alan-A-Dale, Arden Wood, Rohin's Byway, Willy Nilly, Ox Bow, and Will-O-The Wisp. To make sure you get your fair share of ski time in, the Peek is open daily offering four-hour. eight-hour, all day, and night passes ranging in price from $2O to $36 ( plus extra cost if you need to rent their equipment), and once a week, weekend, and season passes ranging in price from $7O to $450. And if you feel the need for improve ment. there is no need to worry. There are special passes, lessons, and schools for beginning skiers and snowboarders, and those who want to learn to ski and ride better. Also available from the Peek for mini vacationers are special Stay 'N Pia) Midweek packages and Weekend Lodger lift tickets. In addition, new this year is The Peak Five, a special tune shopping means driv ing through the streets on garbage day. Pretend ing to be people they are not gets them a tour of a house they cannot afford. Roth examples are meant to illustrate the bitarre relationship be tween the mother and daughter. While there is a story line, a more important aspect of the film is the de velopment of the of the mother/ daughter relationship. Their relation ship is strictly one-on-one, as Portman's father has been out of the picture for a long time, and she has no siblings. Sarandon acts as a mother who can't live up to her daughter's expectations, or her own. She makes choices for her daughter so as to live vicariously through her. Portman's character is more parental than her mother. She is more respon sible and thinks more realistic it up tertainment at all. It's cool that these kids \‘. ant to stand up tOr what they believe in, hut couldn't Usher and gang have come up with any better rea son than a leaking ceiling or a text hook shortage to take their school hos tage? It becomes evident that the film is pleading for reason, as the character's personal tribulations become the drive for this life-risking venture. It turns out that Lester never got over the loss of his father who was killed by a cop, and that his friend is a victim of child abuse. Here the movie makes it seem as though it is saying, we (Generation X) are willing to go to insanely dras tic measures to get empathy from the world, but that's not us. How many times must I tell you, Hollywood, if you're going to portray us, do it right? We are complex. We'd rather you make a parody of our generation than to take our serious issues and address them all wrong. Good effort though. Light It Up may not make for a great film, but it could pass for a pretty good after school special. i" , "1 P FEATURES through which you can buy four tick ets and get one free for a total of $136. If that isn't enough for your large group of friends, the Peek also offers group rates for 20 people or more. And if you want the ski season to last forever, keep in mind that the spe cial spring rates are in effect from March 1 until the end of the season. The Race Arena is also a main at traction at the Peek. This timed race course offers the opportunity to race a friend or your own best time. If you like the winter weather but ski ing is not your thing, go catch some thrills tubing. The Peek's tubing area features two lifts that assist you for some old fashioned sledding fun. While you spend your time out on the slopes, don't worry about your things. You can always leave your belongings at the ski check, in the coin lockers, or in your own season locker. When a day on the slopes leaves thoughts than her mother. Al l Portman wants is a normal life while Sarandon longs for everything she cannot have. Through their own dif ferences, the difficulties of daily dis appointments and the joy of their tri umphs show that Sarandon and Portman are not only mother and daughter, but also best friends. By the end of the movie, I began to have a better understanding of what protective, unconventional mothers (or any mother really) sac rifice for their daughters, even when it seems they don't have anything to give of themselves. So repent for your shameful ways and treat your mom to a movie, and of course, accompany her. This movie is enjoyable, and mom will enjoy the time with you. Holiday feasting with the X-Files by Katie Galley editorial page editor Thanksgiving weekend is typi cally a time of excess. Too much tur key, too much football, many parades, too much pie, too much TV...t00 much X-Files? Okay, there can never be such a thing as too much X-Files and for the people who love the show, known as Philers, it was a Christ mas present in November. Starting .at noon on Thanks- giving Day, Philers were treated to the Se cret Ballot Mara thon, on the FX station. It was a virtual cornuco- pia of everyone's favorite X-File episodes. Fans voted on line throughout the month of Novem ber in different categories, and the results were shown all day on Thanksgiving. The episodes ranged from the extremely hys terical Bad Blood to the deeply mov ing Christmas Carol/Emily episodes. The Marathon was hosted by the al ways eccentric Lone Gunman, who are a trio of computer geeks that are friends with Agent Mulder. How ever, the stars of the Marathon wp, the determined Ago DECEMBER 3, 1999 you cold and hungry, you can warrn up and relax at one of the three lodges. The Main Ski Lodge. also the focal point of skier services, houses a caf eteria and a circular fireplace to sit around. The Sugar 'N Ouse (a.k.a. The Sugar Shack) is home to Pizzaiolo's Italian Eatery and the Winter League Sports Bar. And when you find yourself near the tubing area on the North end of the complex, check out the cafeteria-style Mexican- American flavored food of the lower level, or the sub/sandwich feature on the upper full lounge level of The Retreat. Before you leave, don't forget about the Peek's indoor pool, sauna, indoor/ outdoor hot tub, game room, fitness room, and ski shop, all perfect to fin ish off a winter evening. For more information on specific Peek rates call 716-355-4141 or go to the Peek 'N Peak homepage at www.pknpk.com/ <http://www.pknpk.com/> . Natalie Portman and Susan Sarandon in Anywhere But Here, a new release from Twentieth Century Fox the enigmatic Agent Scully. So while people all over the country were feasting on turkey and gelatinous cranberries, thousands were gorging themselves on the Files. Agents Jlder and Scully ward off the living dead FILE PHOTO and help in the new year Then Sunday night came and it was once again time for a second helping of the X-Files, with an all new epi sode on Fox. It was the fittingly named episode, Millennium. This episode was doubly exciting because ith Chri , r•irter' A cottage (below) and clubhouse (above) FILE PHOTO nestled in the hills of the Peek Mulder and Scully teamed up with former FBI Agent Frank Black to try and solve a mystery involving an end-times Millennium cult. This epi sode was the whipped cream on my pumpkin pie! It had everything from people returning from the dead to "tra ditional New Year's Eve activities," wink, The living dead were all former FBI Agents who were part of this Millennium group. They were all brought back to life by a necromancer, who is someone that has the spiritual power to raise the dead. They all be lieved that the world we live in now is evil, and that Armageddon would be triggered by the turning of the cen tury so they had to come together to stop the evil. Of course, our he roes stopped the cult, detained the necro mancer and saved the day, all in time for some of those "tradi tional New Year's Eve activities." Yes folks, that's right, after seven l-o-n-g years, Mulder and Scully finally came to their senses and indulged in a kiss. Maybe it was a kiss of friendship, maybe one of romance, however, only time and Chris Carter's warped sense of humor will tell. One thing for sure is that this series is just get ting better and better and will surely YiK - i".! make its , i• into Websites offer histmas Bests by Douglas Smith staff writer It's that time of year again to hear the sounds of Christmas. From sil ver bells to "Ho, Ho, Ho," many sounds classify December. Of course there are the traditional Christmas caroling songs also. If you are one that really gets into the spirit, polyholiday.com has selected the top 30 holiday albums ever made. It is an interesting list that covers many decades with artists from Nat King Cole to the Squirrel Nut Zippers. This list is good for those of us who may become a little annoyed by the traditional songs like "Deck the Halls" or "I Saw Mommy Kiss ing Santa Claus." Many albums on the list have tracks that were newly written for their respective album with that holiday feel. Also, the list helps us keep in touch with those Christmas specials we loved as kids and probably still watch today. It has the soundtracks from many such shows. In fact, the number-one Christ mas album according to polyholiday.com is A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi. John Denver and the Muppets' joint effort is also on the list. It is called Christmas Together. The list contains a variety of mu sic styles from jazz or piano based to new-age to ska. Many well known artists appear on the list. These include Vanessa Williams, Mariah Carey, and Harry Connick, Jr. The list also pays respect to some artists that were prominent earlier in the century such as Ella Fitzgerald and Al Green. Of course Elvis Presley is also on the list, as well. There are a few albums that may come as a surprise to those that view the list. Two such albums are the Squirrel Nut Zippers with Christ mas Caravan and the Beach Boys with Ultimate Christmas. The Squirrel Nut Zippers released their Christmas album in 1998 and it con- tains eight original tracks. They also offer their rendition of "Sleigh Ride" and "I'm Coming Home For Christmas." The Beach Boys' Ultimate Christmas also came out in 1998. It contains 26 tracks that are mostly old time favorites with a few new songs and public service announce ments thrown in. One such new song is "The Man with All the Toys." However if you are looking for some classics, the Beach Boys cover "We Three Kings of Orient Are," "Frosty the Snowman," "Auld Lang Syne," and many more. 98 Degrees brings one of the newer Christmas albums out this year to listeners. It was released after the survey was done. For the complete list log on to www.polyholiday.com/lists/ 30v ' ' PAGE 8
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