The Office Finale ... by Brittany Wallace

The Office was originally a British show that was popular in The United Kingdom, but two producers from different countries collaborated together to create the hilariously popular show that came to a close on May 16^th 2013.

Some would say Steve Carrell’s appearance on the NBC sitcom's finale of The Office was unexpected. Rumors had spread that he would not be in the episode, spread like wildfire. So to see him appear as the surprise Best Man in Dwight and Angela’s wedding was a shock to some of the viewers. 

The episode, "Finale", originally aired on May 16, 2013 on NBC in a 75-minute timeslot which followed a one-hour retrospective. NBC increased the ad price by 200 percent for "Finale", asking for $400,000 per commercial. This was due to the anticipated increase in viewers.

In the one-hour retrospective, each of the characters explained their feelings toward the show, leading many of the actors to tearful memories of their 201 episodes. Jenna Fischer stated, “It was really cool because the things that we’re talking about in the scenes and the subject matter of the scene was sort of mirroring how we were feeling in real life.”

 Fischer explains: “The final scene that we shot — which is not the final scene of the episode — was of everybody leaving the office. They yelled ‘Cut cut! That’s a wrap! That’s a series wrap!’ And then we all just burst into tears… We were all standing there in a group and we knew that we’d never hear ‘Going again!’ again. And then we all walked back in, and that’s when the crew members and Greg came and we all started hugging and crying.”

NBC will be different without the 9:00 Episode every Thursday night.

David Beckham ... by Dominique Amaya

This week’s human interest topic will be the one and only David Beckham. Now, I myself don’t follow soccer too closely but I couldn’t ignore the latest news as to his career. Even for those how have never watched a soccer game in their life this is a house hold name. He has been in countless commercials and made cameos on shows such as The Simpsons and Sesame Street. After a career of two entire decades this pro athlete super star announced this morning (5/16/13) that he would be hanging up his cleats. So due to the retirement announcement by this legendary soccer player, it might be appropriate to take a look back and remember his superb feats and accomplishments.

David Beckham has a total of nearly 800 games, 10 league championships and participation in three World Cups. According to his Wikipedia page Beckham's professional career began with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. With United, Beckham won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy. In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996, at the age of 21. He was captain for six years, during which he played 58 times. Beckham has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid soccer player. When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history of 6.5 million dollars per year.

He is married to Victoria Beckham and they have four children. Victoria was famously known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls. Therefore, their relationship instantly attracted a great deal of media attention. David proposed to her on 24 January 1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England. In 2009, the couple's joint wealth was estimated at 125 million dollars. In April 2007, the family purchased their current main residence, an Italian villa in Beverly Hills, to coincide with Beckham's transfer to the Galaxy that July. The mansion, priced at $22 million, is near the homes of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and talk-show host Jay Leno, in an exclusive gated community in the hills overlooking the city. The family also owned a home in Dubai.

Though he is retiring according to his Yahoo.com profile Beckham may be as busy in retirement as he was as a player. He has already agreed to a lucrative deal to become an ambassador for Chinese soccer, as that nation seeks to increase its soccer profile, and it is likely he will also perform a similar role for the Qatar group that owns PSG and several other worldwide soccer properties. His brand is so powerful that it is sometimes easy to forget that for a period towards the end of the last millennium and into the new one, Beckham truly was one of the best in the world.

To Those Nights ... by William Channita

 

On May 13, 2013, WongFuProductions, an independent video production company who is primarily known on YouTube released a new video called “To Those Nights.” “To Those Nights,” is a 17 minute long fictional video that shows the way our heart and mind act when we are under the influence of alcohol. The emotions and actions we might have locked away or ignored. This video shows the events of several people who are under the influence and shows how they act with their emotions and what becomes of them.

From love at first sight, to recalling old memories of your past loved one, or maybe even a marriage proposal, “To Those Nights,” is a powerful video that grabs your attention from the moment you start to watch it. Continuing onto the video, you start to feel for the characters and what they experience. The sadness, the trauma and the happiness they enjoy. In the end, you are filled with a mix of emotions. From happiness to being surprised, “To Those Nights,” is a video that conveys a powerful emotional standpoint while being under the influence of alcohol. It is a much watch. And as a YouTube account named Sarah Taylor says, “Dammit Wongfu. Incredible once again.”

Janel Parrish, a well-known actress who is best known as Mona Vanderwaal from ABC Family’s, Pretty Little Liars, also received a cameo. Many of people who were as surprised as I was. Some of them conveying in the comments in the YouTube section saying, “IS THAT MONA FROM PRETTY LITTLE LIARS!?” from a YouTube account named musikroxx123.

In the end, “To Those Nights,” is a great film that has amazing cinematography and just as amazing theme. There are no other words that are needed to explain a well-made film. If you want to watch it the link is here.